Grant Applications plus NEPA and SHPO documentation

MEMORANDUM FOR:

Reserve Managers and State Contacts

TO:

Jeffrey Payne, Ph.D.
Director, Office for Coastal Management

THROUGH:

Joelle Gore
Division Chief, Stewardship Division, Office for Coastal
Management

FROM:

Erica Seiden
Program Manager, Ecosystems Program, Office for Coastal
Management

SUBJECT:

FY 2024 National Estuarine Research Reserve System
Funding Allocations and Guidance

Digitally signed by

KUIPERS.KEELIN.SMO KUIPERS.KEELIN.SMOTHERS.136
THERS.1365835116 5835116
Date: 2024.05.06 14:49:37 -04'00'

This memorandum explains how the fiscal year 2024 funding that is congressionally
appropriated for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System will be distributed. This
funding guidance is based on the funding levels contained in the FY2024 Commerce, Justice,
Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 188-122), which provided
$33,300,000 for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. This is $800,000 more than
the FY2023 appropriation. NOAA deductions for FY2024 equal $33,300, and increases from
FY2023 carry over equal $129,645, resulting in $33,396,345 in total available funding. However,
due to the timing of the fellowship competition award negotiations with students, the total
allocated for the Davidson Fellowship is less than the full amount anticipated and the FY23
carryover amount was not available to factor into planning, leaving $392,114 to carryover into
FY25. This memorandum provides guidance on the allocation and use of these funds, which are
detailed in Tables 1 and 2.

Funding Facts
FY2024 Operations, Research, and Facilities Funding (ORF)
FY2024 ORF Appropriation
FY2024 Reductions
FY2023 Carryover
Total
FY2024 Carryover
FY2024 Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction (PAC)
FY2024 PAC Appropriation
FY2023 PAC Carryover
FY2024 NOAA Reductions
Total

$33,300,000
($33,300)
$129,645
$33,396,345
$392,114
$8,500,000
$446,937
(89,119)
8,857,818

The total allocated for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System for operations,
research, and facilities is $33,004,231. This includes the total amount from the FY2024
Consolidated Appropriations Act, less reductions of $33,300 for the NOAA Hollings
Scholarship program assessment and addition of $129,645 carryover. FY24 funds in the
amount of $392,114 will be carried over into FY25 per the explanation above. The FY2024
PAC competition is recommending eight new construction, planning, and design projects for
a total of $6,028,458; and $2,160,000 to support five existing projects impacted by
inflationary costs during the Covid pandemic.

Overview
The FY2024 appropriation of $33,300,000, minus the reductions and carryover additions, as well
as current year carryover noted above, provides $33,004,231 for allocation. Each reserve and the
Centralized Data Management Office (CDMO) will receive $880,967 for operations. NOAA’s
Office for Coastal Management will retain $20,000 to support SWMP equipment maintenance,
shipping, training, and supplies. The Science Collaborative Program will receive $4,000,000 to
implement the first year of a five-year cooperative agreement. The competition for the recipient
of this award is underway. Note that an additional Small Business Innovative Research tax of 3.5
percent is levied on the Science Collaborative allocation prior to fund distribution. The National
Estuarine Research Reserve Association will receive $120,000 to support strategic partnerships,
communications efforts to improve program awareness, and the Friends and Foundation Network
of partners. NOAA will support the first year of the third cohort of students in the Margaret A.
Davidson Fellowship and will fund students at all reserves, allocating $1,504,254 directly to
student institutions for their associated research, travel, and indirect costs. Lastly, NOAA will
apply $50,000 to support diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and access efforts that support the
system’s goals.

Applicable Regulations
Allocations for operations, management, education, monitoring, and research fall under Coastal
Zone Management Act (CZMA), Section 315(e), and the applicable regulations at 15 CFR Part
921 Subparts G, H, and I, including the 70:30 (federal:state) match requirement (except for
projects that benefit the entire system, which do not require match). The Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-122) includes a provision authorizing up to 50
percent of the cost sharing requirements under PAC. This waiver is based upon need and will not
be automatically granted for FY2024 funds. Reserves wishing to designate another entity to
receive a portion of their allocation must meet the statutory and regulatory requirements
regarding the recipient (eligible recipients are state entities for education and operations, and
state entities or public or private persons for research and monitoring). Agreements between the
lead agency and the designated entity must be in place before submitting an award application.
The allocation of funds to each reserve is shown in Table 2. Additionally, please see the federal
government’s Office of Management and Budget Uniform Grant Guidance which will apply to
all operations awards for research reserves. For more information, visit
https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-forNOAA-grants.pdf
Application Procedures
Per this memo, the following application procedures are being distributed to eligible state
recipients. Please work closely with your program liaison to complete all requirements
associated with award development and submission. Recipients must find and apply for these
funds via grants.gov using search term NERR and CFDA number 11.420. Recipients must
download the application package and complete all forms including the SF424, SF424A,
SF424B, and CD511. Recipients, including multi-year pilot programs, must complete their scope
of work using the Coastal and Marine Management Program: https://coast.noaa.gov/cammp/.
The final CAMMP document must be attached to the grants.gov application. Please submit your
application according to the schedule below and apprise your program specialist of any
administrative challenges.
Recipients, including multi-year pilots, with July award start dates should submit their
applications to grants.gov by April 12 and recipients, including multi-year pilots, with award
start dates past July should submit their applications to grants.gov by May 10. The FY2025
NERRS Final Funding Guidance and Allocations will include the final allocations for the second
year of the multi-year award, and NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management will work with pilot
states to develop any necessary budget revisions based on FY2025 appropriations.
Reserve Operations, Research, Monitoring, Training, Education, and Stewardship
Each operations award requires a 30 percent state match to the 70 percent federal allocation.
Reserve operations awards are cooperative agreements and may be awarded for a period of 18
months. Personnel costs should be limited to 12 months to avoid any overlap with future awards.
The core positions - manager, research coordinator, and education coordinator - should be fully
funded (with state funds as much as possible) without the need to raise additional salary money

from external sources. Please refer to the FY 2024 NERR Operations Award Guidance for
information to support development of the application.
The tasks outlined below should be distinct tasks within the award and supported adequately to
achieve the stated outcomes. The target amounts have been determined by the sectors responsible
for the following programs as a basis for implementation. Individual amounts per program may
vary based on needs to achieve the stated outcomes.
1. System-wide Monitoring Program
All reserves must allocate funds to fully implement the current components of the NERR
System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) including: operation of four water quality
monitoring stations, a weather station, and monitoring for estuarine nutrients and chlorophyll a.
Each reserve should continue to collect continuous data from a weather station and at least four
long-term water quality datalogger stations, which should be calibrated, deployed, retrieved and
operated in compliance with NERR SWMP protocols. The monitoring program for nutrients and
chlorophyll a should consist of (at a minimum) monthly grab samples from the four SWMP
datalogger stations and 24 hour automated sampling from a single SWMP datalogger station.
Monitoring under this task includes data collection, quality control/quality assurance of all data,
and timely data submission to the NERRS Centralized Data Management Office. A special
award condition will stipulate these SWMP requirements. On average, it costs $175,000 to
implement this task; however, reserves may spend more or less, but the requirements for SWMP
monitoring must be met. These SWMP funds typically should be used to support full-time and
part-time SWMP technicians, pay for collection and processing of nutrient samples, and provide
support for equipment upgrades, repairs, and routine maintenance. Reserves should replace
and/or upgrade sondes and be aware of, and plan for, equipment lifespans to ensure continuity of
operations. Funding decisions regarding on-site operation of SWMP should be made in close
consultation with the reserve research coordinator and technician(s). Reserves should focus on
supporting the core elements of SWMP and as they are able, continue biological monitoring
and/or add components of additional elective monitoring modules. These efforts should follow
research reserve system protocols, and details should be included in the task description and
outcomes.
2. Coastal Training Program
All reserves must allocate funds to fully implement the Coastal Training Program (CTP). The
national target for this program is $120,000; however, reserves may allocate more or less
funding, but the performance requirements must be met. The task description should reflect the
program’s strategy direction and include services, products, and projects to be implemented. A
specific award condition will stipulate that reserves will have a Coastal Training Program
Coordinator, comply with the training program’s guidance, and submit performance reports on
progress, programs, services, products, and performance monitoring data according to the agreed
performance metrics.
3. Teachers on the Estuary Program
All reserves must allocate funds to conduct a ‘Teachers on the Estuary’ (TOTE) Program or
market analysis/needs assessment to support the program during the pandemic. On average it
costs $15,000 to implement one TOTE workshop; however, reserves may allocate more or less
funding, but the performance requirements for TOTE must be met. Reserves with an approved

market analysis/needs assessment will implement one TOTE professional development
workshop that aligns to the state or national curriculum framework and includes an evaluation.
System-Wide Support Activities
System-wide activities are those that benefit the entire reserve system, and are funded with 100
percent federal funds that do not require matching funds. The NERRS Centralized Data
Management Office, housed at the University of South Carolina, Belle Baruch Lab, will receive
$4,000,000 for data management, synthesis, and dissemination,
Davidson Fellowship Activities
NOAA will fund the first year of the third cohort of Margaret A. Davidson Fellows. Students
will be funded directly through their academic institutions. We will fund 30 fellowship awards
totaling $1,504,254. Each reserve should allocate $7,000 to support student supply, equipment
and/or travel needs and/or general support for student research at the reserve. For those reserves
that did not receive applications, this funding should support outreach and partnership efforts to
prepare for the next competition.
Other Reserve Projects
Table 1 reflects additional activities including support for the research reserve system’s
Collaborative Science Program in the amount of $4,000,000, which assists the reserve system in
meeting its mission through administering the program and supporting collaborative research.
Note that an additional tax is levied on this program by NOAA, Small Business Innovation
Research (approximately 3.5 percent of the allocation) which reduces the total amount the
University of Michigan will receive. That deduction is not reflected in the allocation noted
above.
cc: KKuipers, NOAA
JKing, NOAA
ASPorter, NOAA
DPorter, CDMO
JRead, UM
RRoth, NERRA

Table 1. FY 2024 NERRS Budget Overview and Allocation Summary
Budget Category

Allocation

Reserve Program Operations ($880,967/reserve)

$26,429,010

Centralized Data Management Office

$880,967

Science Collaborative

$4,000,000

SWMP Maintenance and Equipment Support

$20,000

Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship

$1,504,254

National Estuarine Research Reserve Association

$120,000

Support for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Access

$50,000

Total

$33,004,231

Budget Overview
FY24 ORF Appropriation

$33,300,000

NOAA Deductions

($33,300)

FY23 Carryover

$129,645

Total

$33,396,345

FY24 Carryover

($392,114)

Total for FY24 Allocation

$33,004,231

Table 2. FY 2024 National Estuarine Research Reserve Allocations
Reserve

Recipient

Federal
(70%)

ACE Basin, SC
Apalachicola, FL
Chesapeake Bay, MD
Chesapeake Bay, VA
Connecticut
Delaware
Elkhorn Slough, CA
Grand Bay, MS
Great Bay, NH
Great Bay, NH
GTM, FL
He'eia, HI
Hudson River, NY
Hudson River, NY
Jacques Cousteau, NJ
Jobos Bay, PR
Kachemak Bay, AK
Lake Superior, WI
Mission Aransas, TX
Narragansett Bay, RI
North Carolina
North Inlet-Winyah Bay, SC
Old Woman Creek, OH
Padilla Bay, WA
Rookery Bay, FL
San Francisco Bay, CA
Sapelo Island, GA
South Slough, OR
Tijuana River, CA
Tijuana River, CA
Waquoit Bay, MA
Weeks Bay, AL
Wells, ME

SC Dept of Natural Resources
FL Dept of Env Protection
Maryland Dept of Natural Resources
College of William and Mary
University of Connecticut
DE Dept of Natural Resources & Env Control
CA Coastal Conservancy
MS Dept of Marine Resources
NH Dept of Fish and Game
University of New Hampshire
Florida Dept of Env Protection
University of Hawai’i
NY Dept of Env Conservation
NY Greenway Conservancy
Rutgers University
PR Dept of Natural and Env Resources
University of Alaska
University of Wisconsin
University of Texas
RI Dept of Environmental Management
NC Dept Environmental Quality
University of South Carolina
OH Dept of Natural Resources
WA Dept of Ecology
Florida Dept of Env Protection
San Francisco State University
GA Dept of Natural Resources
OR Division of State Lands
CA Dept of Parks and Recreation
Southwest Interpretive Association
MA Dept of Environmental Management
AL Dept of Conservation and Nat Resources
Wells Management Authority

$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$717,667
$163,300
$880,967
$880,967
$827,218
$53,749
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967
$444,819
$436,148
$880,967
$880,967
$880,967

State
(30%)
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$307,572
$69,986
$377,558
$377,558
$354,522
$23,036
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558
$190,637
$186,921
$377,558
$377,558
$377,558

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