______ Assawoman Bay & Basin
______ St. Martin River & Basin
______ Isle of Wight & Basin
______ Sinepuxent Bay & Basin
______ Newport Bay & Basin
______ Chincoteague Bay & Basin
______Johnson Bay & Basin

Program Goals Addressed by this Proposal:

______ Water Quality Protection
______ Habitat Protection, Restoration, and/or Creation
______ Chemical Contamination/ Pathogen Reduction
______ Public Participation
______ Sustainable Growth

Priority Problems Addressed by this Proposal:

______ Nutrient Enrichment/ Eutrophication
______ Fish & Wildlife Habitat Loss
______ Changes in Living Resources
______ Chemical & Pathogen Contamination
______ Recreational Use & Other Water-based Activities

 Budget:

 Total Cost   $__________
 In-Kind Match   $__________
 Cash Match   $__________
 Amount Requested  $__________

Schedule:

Starting Date: __________________

Duration: __________________


Authorized Signature  ______________________________________________

Date _______________________________

Instructions for Proposals

The Maryland Coastal Bays Program is accepting proposals. If you have a project idea, please submit a description in the format described below.

Applicants may submit more than one proposal but each must be submitted separately and must follow the format requirements. Two or more organizations may combine for the purposes of responding to this request for proposals. Project sites must be located within the Program's study area.

It should be noted that funds are provided through a federal funding source and local matching funds. Therefore, each funding recipient must be capable of meeting federal guidelines for expending funds. Please note that federal funds may not be used for T-shirts, hats, or other promotional type clothing. Equipment purchases or sub-contracts must also follow federal guidelines.

Proposals must contain:

1. A Project Proposal Cover Sheet (above cover sheet can be printed and attached to proposal).
2. A description of the proposed project following the outline described below.
3. Any figures or maps as an appendix (optional).

Five copies (5) should be provided to the Maryland Coastal Bays Program office for review. Proposals must be received no later than October 17, 2003.

A theoretical example of a project proposal is provided for you. Please contact the MCBP office at (410) 213-2297 if you have any additional questions. The Review Committee must approve all awards and will notify applicants as soon as possible of acceptance. Projects should be completed by September 30, 2004 at which time a final report on the outcome of the project will be due to the Program's office.

Proposal Format

Each category must be addressed in a single paragraph. The entire project description must not exceed two pages of text. The font used must be at least 10 point in size. Any information that exceeds two pages will not be considered. Figures and graphs may be attached as additional pages, but must be described in the "project description."

I. Abstract
Please summarize your proposed project in one paragraph.

II. Eligibility
Proposed projects must help meet program goals by educating and/or demonstrating new technologies or management approaches that will improve and protect the environmental integrity of the coastal bays. These mini-grant projects must restore natural areas or experiment with a new field management technique for controlling, preventing, or abating impacts. Projects must have an educational component such as signs that describe wildlife or the benefits from management. Innovations in controlling, preventing, or abating impacts are appropriate projects. Testing management techniques that may be transferable to other areas also qualify. You should specify a particular site where the project will take place that is within the Program's study area. Educational components must specify how the public would access the site.

III. Program Goals
Please identify which of the following Program Goal(s) your proposed project will address

Maryland Coastal Bays Program Goals

• Improve water quality by reducing the causes of eutrophication.
• Protect existing habitat, restore degraded habitat, and create new habitat to enhance the reproduction and maintenance of healthy living resource populations.
• Reduce the impacts of pathogens and toxic chemicals on the health of living resources and control and/or mitigate those impacts to ensure protection of human health and living resources and maximize access to recreational opportunities.
• Promote ecologically sound, sustainable growth while simultaneously promoting the existing and future quality of life, economy and environment in the Coastal Bays region. Sustainable growth is that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
  
  

IV. Priority Problems
Please identify which of the proposed priority problem areas your project addresses.

Maryland Coastal Bays Priority Problems

• Eutrophication --Excessive amounts of nutrients and sediment in the water leads to declines in living resources such as sea grasses, fish, and crabs. Pollution from agricultural and urban runoff, point source discharges, septic tank system loadings, atmospheric deposition, and ground water are all potential sources.
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Loss-Degradation and elimination of habitats caused by development, conversion of natural shorelines, cumulative impacts of docks and boats, invasion of exotic species, and cumulative future impacts.
• Changes in Living Resources-Loss of commercially and recreationally important shellfish and finfish such as clams, crabs, and flounder is of concern. Water quality impacts, over-fishing, and habitat loss are all likely culprits.
• Chemical Contamination-Metals, pesticides, and other chemical contaminants runoff the land and into the bays primarily from urban and agricultural activities. These pollutants eventually find their way into the bottom sediments and are then re-suspended by boating and dredging activities.
• Pathogen Contamination-Primary sources of pathogen contamination are runoff from livestock operations and urban areas with failing septic systems.
• Water-based Activities-Boating, fishing, dredging, and shoreline stabilization have multiple impacts on water and habitat quality. Just one example is the re-suspension of bottom sediments that reduce water clarity thereby inhibiting sea grass growth.
  
  

V. Geographic Area
Please detail, in one paragraph, the geographic area for the proposed project. You are encouraged to provide a map of the project site as an appendix. Priority may be given to projects located in the more severely impacted subwatersheds, such as Isle of Wight/St. Martins River, and Newport/Trappe Creek.

VI. Project Cost, Matching Funds, and Timeline
Please provide the following information: Total project coast, matching funds provided, matching funds provider, and time required to complete the project. Matching funds must be from non-federal sources, and meet federal requirements for costs and recruiting requirements. Please describe any seasonal limitations to conducting your project, including possible impacts to endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review any construction or earth-moving projects selected for possible impacts to endangered species.

VII. Other Partners
Describe any additional organizations or funding sources that may be used to support the proposed project.

VIII. Detailed Project Description
Describe in further detail the proposed project as succinctly as possible. The total length of the project description (I-VIII) cannot exceed two pages in length. You may attach maps or tables as an appendix, but no additional text may be added beyond the two-page limit.


IX. Budget
The respondent shall provide salaries and the estimated percentage of time of involvement (based on the project period) for each member of the proposed project team. Projected travel costs, equipment, communication, supplies, and contractual services. A sample grant proposal budget request is attached. If certain activities, phases, or tasks have already been funded by other means, these funding sources and their purpose should be detailed. The Program reserves the right to offer funding for a particular phase or task, rather than funding the entire project.