CRMC to hold Trust Fund workshops

9/18/07, WAKEFIELD – The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council will be holding public information workshops on its Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund on September 25 and 26. The first workshop will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007 at the Save the Bay Center, 100 Save the Bay Drive in Providence. The second workshop will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the Corless Auditorium on the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett. The workshops are free and open to the public.

These workshops are an opportunity for those interested in habitat restoration to learn more about the Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Fund as well as other sources of funding for habitat restoration projects. Representatives from the NOAA Restoration Center and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will also give presentations on federal programs for which state funds may be used as a match. Funds available through the Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund for 2008 total $225,000. Typical awards for individual projects range from $5,000 to $50,000. The deadline to submit a project pre-proposal is October 17, 2007.

Who should attend?

Municipal officials, members of municipal committees, boards, or commissions, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, educational institutions and state agencies who are interested in funding habitat restoration projects are invited to attend. To be eligible, proposed projects must be located in the state of Rhode Island.

Please contact Caitlin Chaffee at cchaffee@crmc.ri.gov or 401-783-3370 with any questions.