St. Lawrence County Barrier Removal | F18AS00080

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00080

The "St. Lawrence County Barrier Removal" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00080) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior notice of intent to make a single-source award rather than a competitively solicited grant. The notice is explicit that there is no full funding announcement associated with it, meaning the agency is not requesting proposals from the general public and is instead documenting its intent to directly fund a specific recipient under its single-source authority (cited as 505 DM 2.14(B)). The funding instrument identified is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates that USFWS expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation, such as coordination, technical input, or shared decision-making as the work progresses.

The planned recipient is the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance. The purpose of the funding is to support on-the-ground aquatic connectivity work in St. Lawrence County, New York, specifically the removal of four barriers to fish passage on Hutchins Brook and Plum Brook. These streams are tributaries of the Raquette River, so the project is aimed at improving access for fish moving between the mainstem river and upstream habitats in those tributaries. In practical terms, "barrier removal" usually refers to removing or modifying structures like undersized culverts, small dams, perched pipes, or other obstructions that prevent or limit upstream and downstream movement of fish and other aquatic organisms. By reconnecting fragmented stream segments, projects like this commonly aim to improve spawning access, increase available habitat, and enhance overall stream resilience and ecosystem function.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category. It is associated with CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number 15.658, which is the program identifier the federal government uses to track and report funding by assistance program. The notice lists an award ceiling of $260,000 and an expectation of one award, reinforcing that the funding is intended for a single, specific agreement rather than multiple grants to multiple applicants. Although the eligibility field is shown as "Unrestricted," the text of the notice effectively limits the action to a single-source award, so it should not be interpreted as an open competition.

Key dates indicate the notice was created on February 12, 2018, with an original closing date of February 15, 2018. With single-source notices, these dates generally function more as administrative posting and documentation windows rather than a period for proposal submission, since the agency is not soliciting applications. For questions, the notice directs interested parties to the USFWS contact Artela Jacobs at (404) 679-7197 or artelajacobs@fws.gov, which is the appropriate point of contact for clarification about the intent-to-award posting and the planned cooperative agreement.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "St. Lawrence County Barrier Removal" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.658.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 12, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 15, 2018 THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE, AND THERE IS NO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NOTICE.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $260,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F18AS00080

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