Federal Funds Available for Innovative Ideas for
Conserving Natural Resources in Rhode Island

WARWICK, RI -- 06/04/2007 – The RI Office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a second round of requests for proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG), for 2007. Grants of up to $75,000 are available to fund creative ideas and practices that will conserve soil, water and energy resources or improve air quality, grazing land and forest health in Rhode Island. The total pot from which NRCS will make awards to CIG is $176,000.

Applications will be accepted until 4:00 PM on Friday, July 6, 2007 from all eligible government or non-government organizations or individuals, including federally-recognized tribes.

“The CIG program stimulates the development and adoption of new and innovative approaches and technologies to managing our natural resources more effectively and efficiently,” said Roylene Rides at the Door, NRCS State Conservationist. “It allows applicants to create practical solutions to address conservation and resource management.”

CIG can fund pilot projects and conservation field trials up to three years in length.

Proposals that address the following will be considered:
· Water conservation – implementing new technologies in watersheds with predominant agricultural land uses to maintain, restore or enhance water quality or quantity.
· Soil conservation – implementing new approaches associated with agricultural and forest practices to maintain, restore or enhance soils resources.
· Atmospheric conservation – implementing new technologies to maintain, restore or enhance air quality through agricultural and forest practices.
· Grazing land and forest health – implementing new approaches to maintain, restore, or enhance grazing land and forest health.
· Market based approaches – implementing or evaluating systems that are ‘market-based’ and address any of the above resource concerns.
· Improved on-farm energy efficiency – topics include renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, methane recovery, and on-farm energy audits.

Applicants must define the geographic area the project would benefit. These projects may be watershed-based, regional, or statewide in scope. Applications should describe the use of innovative technologies or approaches, or both, to address a natural resource conservation concern or concerns.
 

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