Early morning light and soft water below the dam at Lake Pueblo, Colorado.
The GRO1000 Gardens and Green Spaces Grant Awards Program, an initiative of The United States Conference of Mayors and the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, promotes mayoral leadership in the development of greenscapes across the nation. Every municipality in the United States may nominate one new or one substantial addition to an existing public garden, edible garden, or green space within their community. All garden and green space projects initiated by city governments are eligible, including projects developed with community garden groups and other community partners. The four focal areas of the GRO1000 program include: Outdoor Play - creating natural playgrounds for youth, Urban Revitalization - transforming vacant and abandoned properties, Nature Gardens - increasing pollinator-friendly gardens and landscapes, and Food Deserts - providing access to fresh healthy foods. Four winning cities will each receive a total of $40,000 in monetary funds and products. The application deadline is November 15, 2016. Visit the GRO1000 website to learn more about the program and to submit an online application.
Applications are being accepted for the Colorado Corn FFA Grant program. The National FFA Organization was founded in 1928, and, with its focus on middle school and high school classes that promote and support ag education, is the largest of the career and technical student organizations in U.S. schools. For a fourth year, the Colorado Corn Administrative Committee is accepting applications from FFA chapters around the state as part of its Colorado Corn FFA Grant Program. The Colorado Corn FFA Grant Program assists FFA chapters in Colorado on projects that lack funding within their school district's budget. The deadline to apply is November 15th, 2016. Click HERE for more information.
Pilot System Water Conservation Program Re-issues RFP. The Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC) reissued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the Pilot System Water Conservation Program for the Upper Colorado River Basin. Facing declining levels in Lakes Powell and Mead, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and four major water providers that depend on the Colorado River Basin supplies, have funded a Pilot System Water Conservation Program. The pilot program is exploring the efficacy of temporary water conservation measures that could be used, when needed, as part of a drought contingency plan. The pilot program has been extended for a 3rd year and is actively seeking proposals for 2017 conservation opportunities that would be voluntary, compensated, and temporary in nature. For more information click HERE.
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has announced a Request for Proposals on Forging Powerful and Sustainable Relationships Between Clean Water Agencies and the Community (RFP 4678). The objective of these proposals will be to develop an understanding of how leading clean water agencies have leveraged evocative messages and community programs that specifically target the development of emotional motivators to form long-term sustainable relationships within a community by connecting customers and partners to tangibly demonstrate the value of water and the technology that creates clean water. Provide best practices, lessons learned, and evaluation metrics for utilities to use when developing messages and engagement programs to create emotional connections in alignment with community values. Deadline for this Request for Proposal is December 7, 2016.
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has announced a Request for Proposals for Guidance on Implementing an Effective Water Loss Control Plan (RFP 4695). The objectives for this proposal is to create a guidance manual and decision framework to help utility practitioners develop an actionable water loss control plan to reduce non-revenue water that aligns with the utility’s strategic goals, local circumstances, and financial parameters. Deadline for this Request for Proposal is December 15, 2016.
Request For Proposals, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Funded Research Program. The Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP) of the City of Boulder has funding available through its funded research program for scientific inquiry on OSMP lands. Proposal deadline is Jan 13, 2017. Full details are available HERE.
The United States Forest Service has a Wood Innovations funding opportunity. Applications are due January 23, 2017. Expansion of (1) wood-energy markets and (2) expansion of wood products markets are the two application categories. Under a cooperative agreement with Region 2, CoWood is providing outreach assistance for this announcement along with technical assistance in supporting applicants across Region 2 (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming) in developing and preparing successful proposals. CoWood staff is available to provide guidance on project/proposal development, competitiveness, eligibility, and compliance with application requirements and instructions. Complete program information, eligibility criteria and application instructions is available at http://www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/wip/2017-rfp.shtm and/or by contacting Tim Reader with the Colorado State Forest Service at Tim.Reader@ColoState.Edu.
The Bureau of Reclamation will begin to provide funding for the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP) Phase II watershed management projects in fiscal year (FY) 2017, to support local watershed groups in implementing collaborative solutions to water management issues. All funding will be awarded through a competitive process, using established criteria. The FY 2017 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for CWMP Phase II projects will be posted to grants.gov in January 2017. For information on FY 2017 funding opportunities for the CWMP, please see Reclamation’s website at www.usbr.gov.