Delaware

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Delaware River Restoration Fund Project Impact Assessments — II (DE)
Conduct a preliminary selection and design of monitoring plans for a subset of restoration projects funded under the Delaware River Restoration Fund. Project assessments will include monitoring water chemistry, habitat, macroinvertebrates, fish and algae at these sites as they inform its success in improving stream ecosystems, and project will summarize and submit data to NFWF and store data in a database for access by partners.
$280,960

American Rivers
Lower Christina-Brandywine River Remediation Restoration and Resilience Plan (DE)
Establish comprehensive tools to guide remediation, restoration and resilience efforts from sediment to shore. Project will create a blueprint for completing the transformation of the lower Christina and Brandywine rivers in Wilmington into healthy river ecosystems by developing a set of recommended strategies and actions for managing and restoring riverine areas to maximize water quality, habitat and recreational values to guide future development, restoration and management of riverfront areas.
$249,300

Caesar Rodney School District
Habitat Restoration and Outdoor Education in the Caesar Rodney School District (DE)
Restore underutilized space on 10 public school campuses within the Caesar Rodney School District through student-led EcoTeams, classes, district staff, and a network of community partners. Project will provide benefits to wildlife and water quality, as well as meaningful outdoor learning opportunities for teachers and their preschool through 12th grade and special needs students.
$147,302

Chesapeake Bay Commission
Lessons Learned from Decades of Experiences of the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership (multiple states)
Draft and publish peer-reviewed literature summarizing the core set of lessons learned through the work of the Chesapeake Bay restoration partnership which are applicable to other restoration efforts. Project will share the key lessons learned during the multi-decade, partnership-based, Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, and will result in a multi-media series of “lessons learned” products.
$25,316

Chesapeake Stormwater Network
Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Training and Engagement in Urban Watersheds (multiple states)
Focus stormwater training and engagement efforts on four critical and vulnerable target populations in the Bay watershed to accelerate the pace of local nutrient reduction and promote more widespread implementation of effective stormwater and restoration practices across the watershed.
$325,000

DNREC Coastal Programs
Assessing Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediments for Habitat Restoration of Bay shore Communities (DE)
Assess the feasibility of using dredge material and other nearshore sediments for beach restoration in the Delaware Bay shore communities of Bowers Beach and South Bowers, to enhance community resilience and restore habitat. Project will integrate a plan to employ this tactic into future community shoreline and habitat management practice.
$75,000

Delaware Department of Agriculture
Cover Crop Improvements for Increased Water Quality and Foraging Opportunities in Kent County (DE)
Increase the diversity and quality of cover crops in the Delaware River watershed for purpose of increasing water quality for fish species, as well as forage opportunities for migratory bird species. Project will ensure that local tributaries to the Delaware Estuary remain healthy for fish species and horseshoe crab, as well as improve soil health in the fields with nutrient best management practices.
$250,000

Delaware Department of Natural Resources
Restoring Wetland Habitat and Water Control in the Thousand Acre Marsh (DE)
Restore water control within the Thousand Acre Marsh Impoundment to prevent further decline in habitat quality and increase resiliency of coastal wetland habitat by restoring a failing water control structure. Project will enhance fish and wildlife habitat by improving water management capabilities within the wetland complex, improve water quality and sediment filtration capacity of the system, increase resiliency to climate change, and enhance wetland and wildlife-associated recreation.
$500,000

Delaware River Basin Commission
Improving Water Resources Management in the Delaware River Basin via Data Access (DE, NJ, NY, PA)
Support the Delaware River Basin Commission’s comprehensive Water Resources Program to improve water quality management, monitoring and ultimately improve aquatic habitat. Project will manage, protect, and improve water resources by developing a basin-focused Water Quality Data Portal to facilitate data access for the public.
$200,000

Delaware State University
Developing Risk Assessment Framework for Atlantic Sturgeon (DE, NJ, PA)
Work with regional and federal partners to provide robust estimates of adult spawning run size which will serve as a key parameter for a broader effort to develop a species-specific risk assessment model for Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware River. Project will serve to help quantify specific threats and their impacts ultimately facilitating effective decision-making as stakeholders work to recover this once iconic species.
$312,129

Delaware State University
Identifying Environmental Drivers of American Eel Emigration in the Delaware River (DE, NJ, NY, PA)
Model the outmigration of adult, silver-phase American eel in both the tidal and non-tidal portions of the Delaware River, utilizing a large-scale passive acoustic telemetry network annotated with environmental and astronomical parameters.  Project will increase understanding of the underlying drivers and timing of movement in the Delaware River Basin, informing conservation and management of American eel in impounded systems where passage and increased mortality are key concerns.
$225,177

Delaware Wild Lands
Upland Habitat Restoration and Protection (DE)
Restore agricultural land to early successional and forested habitats in Taylor’s Bridge Land Complex and facilitate land protection adjacent to Augustine Creek Complex. Project will restore 42 acres of agricultural lands, maintain 45 acres of recently restored wetland buffers, and protect 100 acres via land acquisition.
$129,247

Delmarva Poultry Industry
Establishing Poultry Litter Matching Service for a Cleaner Bay and Healthy Farms (DE, MD, VA)
Develop an online poultry litter matching tool to connect producers with excess litter to improve crop growth and soil health. Project will support the implementation of Maryland’s Phosphorus Management Tool and Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plans across Delmarva, thereby helping to meet regional water quality and healthy watershed goals.
$49,890

Friends of the Heinz Refuge at Tinicum
Developing a Marketing Plan for Delaware Valley Friends Organizations (DE, NJ, PA)
Develop a marketing plan to build membership for John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Project will raise awareness of the participating Friends organizations and enhance their efforts to acquire and maintain active members and volunteers.
$13,200

Manomet
Coordinating American Oystercatcher Recovery on the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Provide coordination of the American oystercatcher recovery initiative and actionable change based on lessons learned from 2009-2019 and reduce the impact of predators and human disturbance on populations of breeding shorebirds along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Project will contribute substantially to the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan.
$79,999

Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association
Accelerating Implementation of Farmer Adoption of Nutrient Stewardship Practices (DE, MD, PA, VA)
Bring together stakeholders involved in nutrient management and those who have concerns about excess nutrients to develop locally relevant solutions. Project will identify barriers to nutrient management adoption, design a communications strategy, engage 300  farms to implement nutrient management, increase implementation of split application of nitrogen and pilot a model for a Pennsylvania Manure Transport Exchange.
$990,000

Nanticoke Watershed Alliance
Stormwater Management Strategies in the Nanticoke River Watershed (DE)
Develop a stormwater management strategy for regulated and unregulated communities to meet Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan goals in the Nanticoke River watershed. Project will begin implementation of the top three priorities: maximize existing water quality opportunities and investments; reinvigorate water quality project convening and coordination; and improve ditch management for water quality benefits.
$49,978

National Audubon Society
The River Unites Us: Bird Conservation Across the Delaware River Watershed (DE, NY, PA)
Address conservation needs reflecting the rich diversity of habitat and conditions across three states in the Delaware River Watershed. Project will increase the number of people engaged in direct conservation efforts, measurably improve bird habitat, and increase scientific data awareness and support for restoration efforts in Delaware.
$250,000

National Wildlife Federation
Delaware River Basin Urban Wildlife Community Engagement Program (DE, NJ, NY, PA)
Engage a broader demographic by identifying and addressing specific community barriers to conservation engagement. Project will develop tools for cultivating programs that provide high-quality recreational and conservation opportunities that benefit the communities and the environment, increasing public access to the Delaware river and its lands, and inspiring participants to engage in outdoor activities and protect and improve their local watershed.
$499,999

National Wildlife Federation
Developing Capacity Building Framework within the Chesapeake Bay Community (multiple states)
Address gaps in capacity within the Chesapeake Bay community through a partnership with the Choose Clean Water Coalition and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with the objective to research, analyze and develop a capacity building framework. Project will target an audience of capacity builders and the NGO community with missions that include improving the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
$421,147

New Castle Conservation District
Dam Removal in the White Clay Creek (DE)
Demolish a 6 foot high, 160 foot wide obstacle to fish passage on the White Clay Creek. Project will restore a mile of river hydrology and stream habitat in the regionally significant and highly accessible White Clay State Park, enabling shad and river herring to spawn, while restoring riparian habitat essential to benthic organisms and neotropical warblers.
$349,085

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Developing the Mussels for Clean Water Initiative to Enhance Habitat and Water Quality (DE, NJ, PA)
Overcome key research and planning bottlenecks that impede implementation of the new Mussels for Clean Water Initiative that aims to restore beds of freshwater mussels. Project will develop a Mussels for Clean Water Initiative Restoration Plan, Genetics Management Plan, and Disease Management Plan, as well as conduct laboratory research to enhance juvenile mussel survival and growth in a hatchery setting.
$178,028

University of Delaware
Using Natural Infrastructure to Increase Flood Resilience in Northeast Wilmington (DE)
Develop a master plan to retrofit vacant lots using a community engagement planning approach to increase flood resilience in Wilmington, Delaware. Project will evaluate existing conditions and prospective designs to inform and support priority phases of implementation and transferability of findings.
$124,411