A watershed Natural Resource Restoration Assistance project will implement the remaining prescribed action of that plan/assessment: the protection and enhancement of off-refuge wetlands. The project provides Service support through partnerships and cost-sharing with local non-profit organizations or local governments in the Great Swamp watershed on projects that encourage the acquisition, restoration, rehabilitation, or enhancement of wetlands in the watershed, but outside the property boundary and management jurisdiction of the refuge.

The total funding available for the project is $350,000. The total amount of funding to be allocated through cooperative agreements is $348,500. The project partners leveraged more than $190,000 in cash and services in kind; bringing the total value of the NRRA Project to almost $540,000.

Eight projects were proposed for inclusion in the project. All were accepted: the Restoration of Great Swamp Conservation Area by the Great Swamp Watershed Association; Habitat Restoration at the Environmental Education Center at Lord Stirling Park by Somerset County Parks Commission; Sunset Lake Water Quality Improvements by The Township of Chatham; Loantaka Brook Stream and Storm Water Restoration Project by Ten Towns Great Swamp Watershed Management Committee; Pine Brook Stream Bank Restoration, Silver Brook Wooded Wetland Restoration, Silver Brook Stream Corridor Restoration, and Meadow and Wetland Restoration by The Harding Land Trust.

To be eligible for the project, candidate projects must (1) benefit the GSNWR by restoring, replacing, enhancing, or protecting natural resources (including land or easement acquisition) and the services lost, impaired, disrupted or degraded at the unit; (2) be located within the Great Swamp watershed; (3) be cost-effective; and, (4) ensure that project sites will be protected in perpetuity by an enforceable conservation easement, deed restriction, or other legal agreement. Ineligible projects are those that seek funding for political advocacy, lobbying, litigation, outreach, research, citizen monitoring or hazardous waste site remediation.

Partnerships arise for many reasons, to achieve a variety of goals. The Service is committed to building partnerships that encourage conservation and preserve our natural and cultural resources, to bringing innovative approaches to solving land and water management issues, and to working toward a common goal with partners in resolving complex ecological issues.