Invasive Species Grant Program
The newly consolidated Invasive Species Grant Program combines previous opportunities, such as the Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention and the Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species Early Detection/Rapid Response grants, to create a single grant program designed to support projects that target both aquatic and terrestrial invasive species. In addition, the Invasive Species Grant program allows applications for two new categories: Lake Management Planning and Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species Research.
2019 Grant Awards
DEC received 96 application and awarded approximately $2.8 million from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to 42 projects.
$594,464.38 was awarded to eight Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention projects. These projects help deploy watercraft stewards to conduct voluntary boat inspections and deliver education and outreach to recreational boaters to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
$1,163,138.73 was awarded to 16 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control projects. These projects promote the removal of invasive species through physical and mechanical removal, chemical treatments and biocontrol release.
$865,960.00 was awarded to 10 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Research projects. These research projects help improve invasive species control methodologies.
$233,899.00 was awarded to eight Lake Management Planning projects. These projects help address the underlying causes of aquatic invasive species infestations and help provide a context for their control and management.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bronx River Alliance, Inc. | Bronx River Most Wanted - Invasives Elimination | $82,448.00 |
| Catskill Center for Conservation and Development | 2019 Catskill Invasive Plant Rapid Response and Control | $63,297.00 |
| Chautauqua Lake Association Inc. | Chautauqua Lake AIS Spread Prevention & Awareness | $100,000.00 |
| City of Canandaigua | Preventing the spread of invasive species on Canandaigua and Honeoye Lakes through watercraft inspections, education and outreach | $76,281.16 |
| Cooperative Extension Association in the State of NY Yates County | Keuka Lake AIS Spread Prevention Program | $77,360.80 |
| Cornell University | Development of Environmental DNA Tools for the Early Detection of the Highly Invasive Aquatic Plant Hydrilla verticillata | $100,000.00 |
| Cortland County Soil & Water Conservation District | Cortland County Stop the Invasion Boat Decontamination Project | $65,177.00 |
| The Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation | Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation: Preventing Invasive Species | $100,000.00 |
| Friends of Van Cortlandt Park | Knotweed Reduction Study: Utilizing cutting and solarization | $55,822.00 |
| Governors Island Alliance Inc. | Governors Island Invasive Phragmites Removal | $100,000.00 |
| Groundwork Hudson Valley | Yonkers Greenway Rapid Response Initiative | $100,000.00 |
| Historic Hudson Valley | Porcelain-berry, Japanese Stiltgrass, and Common Reed at Philipsburg Manor | $100,000.00 |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Understanding the Impacts of SSW on New York State Ecosystems | $100,000.00 |
| Lake George Association, Inc. | Lake George Putnam and Hague AIS Stewards | $78,574.50 |
| New York New Jersey Trail Conference | Lower Hudson Early Detection/Rapid Response Detection Dog Team | $100,000.00 |
| Onondaga Environmental Institute, Inc. | Central New York Watercraft Steward Program | $99,181.92 |
| Orange County Parks and Recreation | Lake Management Plan at Algonquin Park | $20,000.00 |
| Otisco Lake Preservation Association | Otisco Lake Watercraft Steward Program | $36,900.00 |
| Otsego County Conservation Association Inc. (OCCA) | Otsego County Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response and Early Detection Program | $40,341.00 |
| Paul Smith's College of Arts and Science | Efficacy of boat stewards and New York State regulations at enhancing visitor adoption of aquatic invasive species prevention strategies | $49,056.00 |
| Paul Smith's College of Arts and Science | Pathways of Invasion: Developing models to predict recreational boater activity, aquatic invasive species distributions, and landscape level connectivity to inform AIS management across New York State | $88,152.00 |
| Raquette Lake Preservation Foundation, Inc. | Raquette Lake - Invasive Species Lake Management Plan Derivation and Approval | $25,500.00 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | ARMOR: A new tool for managing the spread of invasive aquatic species in New York | $78,134.00 |
| Research Foundation of CUNY obo CUNY Advanced Science Research Center | Mapping Spatiotemporal Patterns in Invasive Tree, Insect, and Pathogen Occurrences in The Lower Hudson Valley and New York City | $100,000.00 |
| Research Foundation for SUNY Brockport | Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) discovery and control in Western NY | $85,577.00 |
| Research Foundation for SUNY at Buffalo State | Rapid response and early detection of Slender false brome and Japanese stiltgrass in Western New York. | $99,858.00 |
| Research Foundation for SUNY Cortland | Co-Invading Jumping Worms: Assessing Their Threat to New York State | $94,811.00 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Using Artificial Intelligence on Street View Imagery to Detect Five Key Invasive Plant Species in New York State | $99,985.00 |
| Save The River | Characterizing Unionid Habitat Sustainability and Dressenid Re-colonization Post-restoration in the Lower Grasse River | $100,000.00 |
| Teatown Lake Reservation, Inc. | Monitoring and Control of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in Teatown's Lakes | $53,050.00 |
| Town of Ballston | Ballston Lake - Lake Management Plan | $19,635.00 |
| Town of Canandaigua | Barnes Gully Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Eradication Project | $15,617.77 |
| Town of Caroga | Caroga Decontamination Station | $60,989.00 |
| Town of Chesterfield | Butternut Pond Lake Management Plan | $14,580.00 |
| Town of Fallsburg | Pleasure Lake Management Plan | $15,000.00 |
| Town of Lake Luzerne | Lake Luzerne 2019 Lake Management Plan | $13,000.00 |
| Town of Macedon | Terrestrial Invasive Species Control at Canal Park | $11,133.16 |
| Town of Rye | Town of Rye: Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control | $100,000.00 |
| Town of Southampton | Riverside Park Terrestrial Invasive Species Removal | $74,999.00 |
| Upper Saranac Foundation | Upper Saranac Lake Management Plan | $68,075.00 |
| Village of Sleepy Hollow | DeVries Park Invasives Rapid Response | $36,817.80 |
| Westchester Parks Foundation | Tibbetts Brook Park Lake Management Plan | $58,109.00 |
Request for Applications
Invasive Species Grant Request for Applications (RFA) (PDF) - The RFA provides details on the project objectives, application process, eligible expenditures, evaluation criteria, and contractual requirements for the Invasive Species grant program.
A webinar for this Grant Program was held on January 17, 2019. The webinar in full can be viewed on YouTube (link leaves DEC's website), or you can view the PowerPoint slides (PDF) presented by Invasive Species Unit Staff.
Application Deadline
The application period for this grant opportunity is now closed. Applications that were submitted in the Grants Gateway by 3:00 PM on Friday, February 15, 2019 were reviewed and award announcements were made in spring 2019.
The question and answer period for this grant opportunity is now closed. Questions about this grant opportunity were accepted until close-of-business Friday, January 25, 2019. All questions and answers have been uploaded in the New York State Grants Gateway for all applicants to review.
Minimum and Maximum Award Amounts
Minimum grant amount is $11,000. Maximum grant amount is $100,000.
Application Limit
Applicants may submit up to two applications. Multiple applications may not be for the same project or project location.
Match
This grant program has a 25% match requirement. For example, a $50,000 grant would require $12,500 in match for a total project cost of $62,500; $50,000 funded by grant.
Projected Term
All projects must have defined objectives, tasks, and deliverables that can be completed within a three-year contract term starting in spring 2019.
Eligible Project Types
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Spread Prevention
Boat Steward Education and Outreach/Voluntary Inspection: To deploy watercraft stewards to conduct voluntary boat inspections and deliver education and outreach to recreational boaters to prevent the spread of AIS.
Boat Decontamination Stations: To strategically place boat stewards operating decontamination stations in Focus Areas for Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention
Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control
Physical and Mechanical Removal - Hand pull, drawdown, and mechanical harvesting
Chemical Treatment - Herbicides and shading
Biocontrol Release- Grass carp and herbivorous insects
Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Research: To fund research which may vary from basic life-history studies to improving invasive species control methodologies.
Lake Management Planning: Fund the development and finalization of a lake management plan for a priority waterbody
Who may apply?
Eligible applicants include:
Municipalities, Academic Institutions, and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporations whose projects are located within the eligible geographic boundaries defined in this Request For Applications. Other groups such as unincorporated lake associations must apply through a municipality, not-for-profit, or academic institution as the designated lead.
How do I apply?
All New York State (NYS) grant applicants - governmental, academic institutions, and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations - must be registered in the NYS Grants Gateway (leaves DEC's website) to be eligible to apply for any NYS grant opportunity.
Not-For-Profit applicants must prequalify in the Grants Gateway system prior to the application deadline to be considered eligible to apply for a grant. Registration and prequalification must be completed online at the NYS Grants Gateway (leaves DEC's website).
NYS Grants Gateway Questions
Questions about registration and prequalification through the Grants Gateway should be directed to GrantsReform@its.ny.gov. Step-by-step tutorials and guides to registration and prequalification are available at the NYS Grants Gateway (leaves DEC's website).
General Questions
Questions about the Invasive Species Grants Program should be directed to the contact below:
Dave Adams
NYSDEC, Lands and Forests
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4253
isinfo@dec.ny.gov