FWS R3 Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

United States Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS) NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will fund the following project activities to the Ottawa County Soil and Water Conservation District (OCSWCD) without full and open competition: Implementation of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Jobs Challenge Program in cooperation and partnership with Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Ottawa County, Ohio. The purpose of this funding is to provide the resources to OCSWCD to hire 12 temporary and seasonal unemployed workers to implement the comprehensive network of projects in and around Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge within Ottawa County, Ohio. Ottawa County Soil and Water Conservation District (OSWCD) was identified within the Service¿s GLRI Jobs Challenge proposal as one of the principal partnering organization that would assist the Service in implementing the program. The Service outlined three priority GLRI Focus Areas that would be addressed by the program: Invasive Species, Near-shore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution, and Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration. The OSWCD was identified as the single source organization within Ottawa County, Ohio with the technical expertise and resources to effectively hire unemployed people to implement the multitude of individual control, monitoring, restoration, education, and outreach projects in partnership with Ottawa NWR. The District has a staff which includes a Nonpoint Source Education Specialist, Agricultural Technician, and Wildlife Specialist who have the local expertise essential to the program. The OSWCD has the knowledge of the local watershed, partners, and stakeholders necessary to effectively and successfully implement the program. In addition, the Lake Erie Cooperative Weed Management Association (CWMA) has been identified as a secondary partnering organization that will work with the OCSWCD to deliver the conservation restoration, outreach, and education efforts of the program. Projects will include nonpoint source pollution monitoring and education outreach, invasive species control, habitat restoration, and various outreach education programs. The Service has determined this a single source opportunity under the department policy and no other applications are anticipated.