Delaware

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Establishing Builders Institute to Expand Capacity for Clean Water (multiple states)
Increase capacity to implement watershed restoration and conservation projects by establishing a Chesapeake Capacity Builders Institute. Project will engage 130 watershed stewardship leaders in piloting efforts to build and enhance collective watershed project management.
$399,093

Brandywine Shad 2020
Brandywine Shad 2020 Phase III (DE)
Complete studies required to obtain the permits for the removal of barriers to fish passage or modification of the Brandywine Falls Dam near the Pennsylvania State line in Delaware. Project will set the stage for improved anadromous fish migration and provide upstream and downstream access for numerous resident fish populations in the future.
$750,000

Caesar Rodney School District
Habitat Restoration and Education in the Caesar Rodney School District (DE)
Continue to restore underutilized space on 14 public school campuses within the Caesar Rodney School District through a revitalized, EcoTeam Volunteer Corps, traditional coursework, district professional development, community outreach, and a growing network of community partners. Project will provide benefits to wildlife with increased intent to target listed, at-risk, and priority species’ needs while increasing equitable access to authentic place-based learning for students.
$227,740

Center for Watershed Protection
Scaling Up Biochar Applications for Runoff Reduction in Chesapeake Bay (multiple states)
Accelerate the rate and scale at which biochar amendments are applied in the urban landscape to support runoff reduction and improved water quality across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Project will secure new partners for widespread use of biochar amendments and provide technical assistance on sourcing and using certified biochar in a variety of urban applications.
$699,509

City of Wilmington
Designing Wetland Restoration for South Wilmington (DE)
Expand the design of 8-10 acres of degraded wetland to restore the site to a high functioning freshwater tidal wetland habitat. Project will further reduce flooding, enhance resiliency, restore freshwater tidal exchange, filter polluted runoff, improve soil and water quality, and restore habitat for a variety of fish and wetland and aquatic wildlife.
$475,000

Delaware River Basin Commission
Water Resource Management Studies across the Delaware River Basin (DE, NJ, NY, PA)
Increase and enhance water security for fish, wildlife, and humans in the Delaware River Basin by advancing research in water resource management through the completion of studies comprising four critical components of water security to understand disparities in water security in overburdened communities and water resiliency. Project will generate findings that will be used for future water security planning efforts.
$866,938

Delaware Wild Lands
Restoring Upland Forest and Meadow Habitat in the Great Cypress Swamp (DE)
Restore a prior agricultural field to native coastal plain upland forest and native meadow habitat on Delawares largest freshwater wetland and contiguous block of forestland. Project will restore 25 acres of habitat and nearly a half mile of riparian habitat.
$177,565

Delaware Wild Lands
Upland Habitat Restoration and Land Protection for Critical Coastal Conservation - II (DE)
Restore 83 acres of coastal plain seasonal ponds and contiguous tracts of forest at the Taylors Bridge Land Complex in New Castle County, Delaware. Project will build on recent land conservation and restoration success, creating high value early successional habitat, benefiting water quality of tidal wetlands, and engaging the community in habitat restoration and monitoring efforts.
$279,397

DNREC Coastal Programs
Restoring Upland Habitats in the Blackbird Creek Watershed (DE)
Restore a total of 27 acres of agricultural lands that are no longer in production to upland habitats at the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, Blackbird Creek Reserve component. Project will create 22 acres of early successional, young forest habitat and 5 acres of early successional, herbaceous meadow habitat to augment poorly buffered riparian corridors and to improve water quality, forest patch size and habitat connectivity.
$176,392

Ducks Unlimited
Accelerating Wetland Conservation for Black Duck on the Delmarva Peninsula (DE, MD, VA)
Support a Working Lands for Wildlife Farm Bill Biologist to continue and expand outreach efforts such as workshops and publications to reach a broader range of agricultural producers including those identified as historically underserved. Project will extend an existing partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to maximize landowner participation in NRCS wetland conservation program to benefit black ducks on the Delmarva Peninsula.
$100,000

Ducks Unlimited
Demonstrating the Utility of Low-cost Salt Marsh Restoration Techniques in Delaware Bay (DE, NJ)
Advance a Delaware Bay-wide tidal marsh resilience program based on innovative low cost and disturbance marsh restoration techniques. Project will serve as the beginning of a programmatic approach to investigate the utility of these techniques and scale up the effort to make a more meaningful impact to the coastal wetland conservation within the Bay.
$388,878

Lower Shore Land Trust
Implementing the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network Strategic Plan
Support the coordination of the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN), a cross-sector collaborative working to address habitat loss, climate resiliency, under-resourced communities, and water quality improvement on the Delmarva Peninsula. Project will directly support implementation of the Network’s Conservation and Restoration Strategic Action Plan.
$38,382

Manomet
Coordinating American Oystercatcher Recovery and Conservation along the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Coordinate the American Oystercatcher recovery initiative, conduct a range-wide aerial survey to count all wintering oystercatchers along the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf coasts (United States), and reduce the impact of predators and human disturbance on populations of coastal breeding shorebirds. Project will support the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan by creating a framework for long-term protection, restoration, and creation of shorebird habitat at key sites.
$205,000

Nanticoke Watershed Alliance
Centenary Church Green Parking Lot Design (DE)
Partner with the Centenary Church in Laurel, DE to complete an engineering design to convert an existing parking lot and an adjacent property into a green parking lot for improved water quality and stormwater management. Project will build upon other nature-based infrastructure projects in the Town of Laurel and will help support improved water quality.
$43,465

National Wildlife Federation
Delaware River Conservation Blueprint
Create a science-based Conservation Blueprint to help guide where and when to invest resources for restoration and conservation in the Delaware River Watershed. Project will create a roadmap that includes the parameters of the Blueprint, the selection of a technical provider, and the paneling of Basin partners to assist in the development of a science-based, landscape-scale strategy.
$213,955

New Jersey Audubon Society
Building Capacity for Conservation Projects through a Mentored Small Grant Program (DE, NJ, NY PA)
Administer a small grants restoration program to provide peer mentoring opportunities to prospective grantees in the Delaware River Basin. Project will assist organizations and community groups in capacity building through on-the-ground restoration projects with an outcome of a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable and coordinated Delaware River watershed.
$439,952

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Capacity for Urban Waters Federal Partnership Cities through Project Planning (DE, NJ, PA)
Expand capacity in Camden, Chester, Philadelphia, and Wilmington to plan and implement community-driven habitat and water quality projects. Project will engage community groups and local decision-makers in order to implement community-led projects, such as tree plantings, installing rain gardens and native pollinator gardens, and other habitat improvement projects.
$92,541

Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware
A Pilot for Ecological Management of Wilmington’s Riverfront (DE)
Pilot a new approach for managing the greenspaces owned and managed by the Riverfront Development Corporation along the Wilmington Riverfront in a more ecologically beneficial and river-friendly way. Project will include components of wetland restoration, nature-based infrastructure enhancement, outreach, community engagement, and strategic collaboration.
$75,000

Shorerivers
Restoring Headwater Wetlands on Marginal Cropland in Western Delaware
Restore critical headwater freshwater shallow wetland habitat in the upper Choptank and Chester watersheds in Delaware. Project will restore 32 acres of marginal cropland to high quality freshwater wetland habitat.
$499,100

Sustainable Chesapeake
Improving Nutrient Management Programs through Collaboration (multiple states)
Improve nutrient management program delivery by facilitating collaboration among nutrient management leaders throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. Project will improve collaboration among land grant universities in the region, working across state lines with those leading the development of agricultural nutrient management recommendations across the watershed.
$65,910

The Nature Conservancy
Increasing Capacity for Improving Aquatic Passageways to Accelerate Habitat Improvement in Delaware River (DE, NJ, NY, PA)
Add capacity and expertise for aquatic passage restoration in the Delaware River Basin by leveraging an existing collaboration and offering new training opportunities throughout the basin. Project will support efficient habitat restoration, increase recreation, and reduce risk by increasing capacity and expertise among conservation practitioners, fish and wildlife agencies, local governments, and dam safety programs.
$106,965

University of Delaware
Diadromous Fish Habitat Studies in the Red Clay, White Clay, and Christina Watersheds (DE)
Conduct surveys of diadromous fish abundance and habitat utilization at three tributaries of the Delaware River, as well as explore the feasibility of providing fish passage at 11 dams along Red Clay Creek. Project will complete the first step to restoring diadromous and resident fish passage to 13 miles and 153 acres of spawning habitat.
$174,185