LCBP Seeks Pre-Proposals for Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Research
Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in partnership with NEIWPCC, is pleased to announce a request for pre-proposals for research projects that will improve understanding of water and ecosystem resources in the Lake Champlain Basin and guide effective management.
The total request for each project may range from $25,000 to $400,000. Pre-proposals are due on November 8, 2024. A subset of applicants will be asked to submit a more detailed proposal for further consideration and final award decisions in spring 2025. Projects will begin in early 2026. All awards are subject to available funding.
Research pre-proposals should support the Clean Water or Healthy Ecosystems goals outlined in Opportunities for Action, the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s management plan. For this request, the LCBP is particularly interested in funding projects that address any of the following research tracks:
Track 1: General Opportunities for Action
Research projects that address any research-oriented strategies and tasks outlined in Opportunities for Action and do not fall within the aims of other tracks listed below.
Track 2: Water quality improvement projects
Research to evaluate and recommend updates to design and siting standards to maximize the flood resilience and longevity of clean water project benefits.
Research to better understand characteristics of gullies and prioritize sites for water quality improvement projects.
Research to quantify and maximize the flood resilience co-benefits of clean water projects in the developed lands and agriculture sector.
Track 3: Monitoring upstream of permitted discharges in New York
Research to understand the variability of water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and water hardness upstream of permitted discharges in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain Basin.
Track 4: Aquatic invasive species management
Research to assess and document the recovery of native plant and animal communities associated with invasive water chestnut removal.
Track 5: Native species and habitats
Research to assess the impacts of cyanobacteria blooms on all biota.
Research to assess native mussel populations in rivers of the New York portion of the Lake Champlain Basin.
Research on the interactions between native and non-native aquatic species, trophic level dynamics and forage fish abundance, and the impacts of environmental factors linked to climate change.
Track 6: Dam removal
Research to assess impacts and develop a tool to inform management and policy on water quality and sediment release; flooding and resilience; wetlands; mussels; and additional related topics.
Projects will be supported with Federal Fiscal Year 2025 funds awarded to NEIWPCC by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act Section 120 base funding and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in support of the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program.
More information, including deadlines, grant guidelines, and applications, are available on the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at lcbp.org/grants.
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The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/.
