Twenty-Seven New Projects Will Advance Habitat Restoration and Climate Resilience Priorities of Tribes and Underserved Communities

NOAA is recommending more than $45 million in funding for 27 new projects that will advance the coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of tribes and underserved communities. Of the more than $45 million in funding, we are recommending more than $20 million for federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations. This investment is provided through the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

View the projects recommended for funding

Advancing the Priorities of Tribes and Underserved Communities

Selected projects will support community-driven habitat restoration and build the capacity of tribes and underserved communities to more fully participate in restoration and coastal resilience activities.

Every community has its own unique needs and priorities for engaging in these efforts. Some communities have started to identify habitat restoration or coastal resilience activities that affect them, but need additional capacity to take the next steps. Other communities have already completed the initial stages of developing a habitat restoration project, and they will use this funding to support the final stages of planning or construction.

Capacity Building

Projects that build capacity include activities such as:

• Hiring someone as a project manager,
• Facilitating community participation through surveys or events, or
• Creating foundational plans to guide and prioritize future restoration.

In Oregon, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission will help build tribal capacity for actionable science that will inform salmon recovery and guide future habitat restoration work.

Some capacity-building projects include training opportunities such as workforce development or certification programs. These may provide a path to a new profession and encourage future careers in the habitat restoration field. Across Florida, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico, efforts led by multiple partners will engage local young adults in habitat restoration and coastal resilience through Conservation Corps programs, providing on-the-job experience and leadership skills.

Several projects will help build capacity for Indigenous communities to maintain and transfer their traditional knowledge. In Alaska, efforts led by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes and the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District will incorporate traditional knowledge as they assess and respond to environmental threats facing tribal lands and resources. In Hawaiʻi, Hui Aloha Kīholo will incorporate traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge in their work to support natural and cultural resources and increase the resilience of the Kīholo community.

Habitat Restoration

Restoration of shorelines, wetlands, and other habitats can help communities address issues such as poor water quality, flooding, and lack of access to green space. On-the-ground restoration projects will be led by or conducted in close coordination with local communities, to ensure they share in the benefits these projects may provide.

In Hawaiʻi, the Maui Nui Makai Network will use a ridge-to-reef strategy to restore coastal and stream habitat and traditional fishponds and taro fields. The Makah Tribe will conduct monitoring and restoration to support the recovery of sockeye salmon in Lake Ozette, Washington-a culturally important species. In Massachusetts, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod will work closely with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to restore habitat for river herring on the Mashpee River.

Several projects include planning or construction of nature-based infrastructure to protect communities from threats such as climate change, erosion, and sea level rise. The Georgia Conservancy will collaborate with the Seabrook Village Foundation to create a living shoreline along an important community resource in Seabrook, a historic Gullah Geechee community. In Louisiana, the Chitimacha Tribe will construct a living shoreline to restore and protect areas that are home to culturally sensitive sites.

Supporting Urban Communities and Ecosystems

Many projects will advance the restoration and coastal resilience priorities of underserved communities living in urban areas. Friends of the Forest Preserves will increase capacity for community-led restoration in Chicago and southeastern Cook County, Illinois, including restoring habitat in four forest preserves. The University of Miami will support capacity building, coastal habitats, and climate resilience in Miami, Florida, through internship opportunities and on-the-ground restoration of mangroves and coral reefs. In Maryland, Parks and People will restore a degraded urban stream and support education and workforce development opportunities for young people in Baltimore.

Engaging Tribes and Underserved Communities in Habitat Restoration

These projects include ones led by existing partners and new partners that NOAA Fisheries has not funded previously. Engaging with new partners is critical to ensuring that the habitat restoration efforts we support are built around the needs of local communities. We look forward to collaborating with both new and existing partners as they advance projects of significance to their communities.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA is supporting habitat restoration and capacity building efforts that benefit tribes and underserved communities and enhance their resilience to climate change. We invest in habitat restoration across the country to support our nation's fisheries and endangered species, while also strengthening the resilience of coastal communitiesand ecosystems. Efforts like restoring coastal wetlandsand removing outdated damscan improve coastal resilience-helping communities recover from and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.