RGI Projects in 2005
Note: Because selection criteria may change from year to year, not all of the grants listed below would be competitive with current RGI selection criteria. Please review the current criteria carefully before applying for this year's funds.
Bacterial Source Identification in the Teton Watershed, Idaho
Friends of the Teton River
$10,000
In 2003 and 2004, Friends of the Teton River's (FTR) Water Quality Monitoring Program revealed high E. coli levels in Woods Creek and the main stem of the Teton River, which are used for primary and secondary recreation. Due to the adverse effects on human health, particularly to sensitive populations such as children and the elderly, the project will identify the source of E. coli and prioritize remediation strategies for contaminated areas. Identifying the sources of E. coli will fill a critical gap in the ability to improve surface water quality in the Teton River Watershed.
Blueprint for Good Growth in Ada County, Idaho
Ada County Consortium / Ada County Highway District
$22,500
The Ada County “Blueprint for Good Growth,” will implement the 2005 RGI focus of Environmentally Responsible Land Use.
For the first time ever, all nine political agencies involved with regulating land use and transportation within Ada County have joined together with the unified mission of smarter growth. The outcome will:
- Develop a unified, countywide transportation and compact land use plan to reduce sprawl, protect air and water quality, stimulate public transit and save farm lands.
- Develop unified, retooled land use and environmental ordinances for each agency.
- Adopt the “Blueprint” into the development regulations of each member agency.
Center for Noxious and Invasive Species Management, Alaska
U of A Fairbanks
$40,000
The objective is to establish a Center for Noxious and Invasive Species Management (CNIPM) at the University of Alaska with the mission to promote ecologically sound management of invasive plants through education, research, communication and collaboration statewide. The outcome will be a Center with a steering committee, bylaws, and strategic plan. With this structure we can identify long-term funding to support effective management. This proposal addresses all three 2005 RGI focus areas, as invasive species threaten human and animal health, cause environmental degradation of air, water, and land and require a whole systems approach for effective management.
Coho Prespawning Mortality Assessment in Washington and Oregon
Washington Trout
$40,000
In some urban/suburban Washington watersheds, the majority of returning adult coho salmon die before they are able to spawn. This phenomenon, called prespawning mortality (PSM) compromises regional efforts to recover threatened salmon, and may have significant human health and land use implications. Washington Trout (WT) will perform coho PSM assessments in nine Bellingham, Seattle, and Olympia watersheds. WT will poll select County and City governments in Washington and Oregon to document regional coho PSM observations. Measurable outcomes include documenting the spatial extent of coho PSM
Collaborative Growth Planning in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon
Lane Council of Governments
$22,500
This project will complete the Environmental Element of Region 2050’s Regional Growth Management Strategy, to be adopted locally and by the state. Region 2050 is a voluntary, grass roots effort to sustain quality of life over the next 50 years through regional collaboration. This project will strongly improve the likelihood that growth will be directed to areas where it will have the least impacts to air and water quality and rare habitat; that implementation measures will be approved to protect, restore, and/or enhance unavoidable environmental impacts; and that the effectiveness of these measures will be monitored over time.
Creating a Rural Green Building Capital in Whatcom County, Washington
Sustainable Connections
$16,000
The project’s purpose, which has been adapted from the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, is to promote the design, construction and operation of buildings and landscapes in NW Washington that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live, work and play. We have a tremendous opportunity to create a model for green building in a rural community by continuing to provide educational opportunities and technical assistance to the industry and local governments through the Sustainable Design Resource Center (SDRC), which provides workshops, site visits, design assistance, a reference library, and an advisory role in Green Building Policy development.
Dungeness River Invasive Knotweed and Buddleia Control, Washington
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
$40,000
This project proposes to continue a tribal monitoring and control effort started in 2004 for Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum, P. sachalinense, P. X bohemicum) spp., and expand survey and control efforts to Buddleia davidii, another escaped ornamental plant species. Both of these noxious weed species represent a significant threat to fish and wildlife habitat because they replace native riparian plants that serve important habitat functions, but they fail to provide ecological services such as food, nesting sites, beneficial nutrient cycling, and large woody debris. Once these species become fully established in a river’s channel, it is extremely difficult and costly to eradicate.
The Project involves initiating survey and control efforts for Buddleia, and effectiveness monitoring of the 2004 Knotweed field work. This project represents an opportunity to effectively control a suite of invasive species from a river providing refugia to several salmon stocks that are federally listed as threatened or endangered. A major component of this project is to educate policy-makers, resource professionals, private and public landowners, and the public about the problem, and to explore opportunities for management and test effectiveness of control strategies.
Landscape Composition and Configuration in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
University of Washington
$41,000
We propose to apply selected landscape metrics to assess land cover change in the Puget Sound over the last decade. We will develop land cover indicators for monitoring basin and sub-basin scale land cover patterns and trends and their effects on ecological conditions. We will select metrics for measuring both landscape composition (e.g., percent paved land or forest cover) and landscape configuration (e.g., level of clustered development or forest fragmentation). Land cover indicators will be made accessible through an interactive mapping website. This work will assist planners and policy makers in understanding landscape patterns and trends in order to foster environmentally responsible land use.
Mid-Columbia Hood Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Project, Oregon
Wy/East Resource Conservation and Development
$38,000
Our project helps promote an environmentally responsible approach to agriculture and enables us to fill in critical information gaps on spray drift barriers and their ability to preserve water quality. We will determine the effectiveness of various densities of adapted and native species used as drift barriers and the beneficial insects these stands harbor. The project will identify the optimal barrier that reduces pesticide pollution in waterways bearing anadromous species and providing drinking water to The Dalles, Oregon. This project supports the Integrated Fruit Production project which promotes the best practices for economical and environmental agricultural sustainability.
Port of Seattle Diesel Emissions Reduction Project, Washington
Port of Seattle
$35,000
The Port of Seattle Diesel Emissions Reduction Project is designed to reduce air pollution from Port of Seattle seaport operations through the use of emission reduction controls and education/outreach. The focus of this project is reducing emissions of particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and hydrocarbons (HC). The proximity of the Port of Seattle to residential neighborhoods makes diesel emissions reductions an important component of the overall goal of decreasing public health risk from diesel related sources. This project will benefit Sensitive Populations living in neighborhoods surrounding the Duwamish River, including many that have characteristics of environmental justice communities (White Center, South Park, Georgetown).
Promoting Low-Impact Development in Clallam County, Washington
Clallam Conservation District
$20,000
The main objective of the project is to promote low-impact development techniques and innovative stormwater management in Clallam County with a three-pronged approach:
- In cooperation with Clallam County, develop procedures for new applicants applying for building permits to pursue LID options
- Educate contractors and developers in the area about LID techniques
- Provide technical assistance to individual landowners on LID techniques and innovative stormwater management on their own properties
The County does not have the resources to work closely with every landowner to develop a site in a sustainable fashion. This proposal would allow the Conservation District and the County to develop a system whereby landowners could get the resources and technical assistance they need to develop their sites with an ecosystem-based approach. The project will educate landowners on wise land use options when developing their properties, help landowners to implement these practices, and enable the County to support and promote landowners who choose to implement these best management practices that currently are not supported by the County’s stormwater regulations.
Reducing Diesel Emissions from Construction Equipment, Oregon
Oregon Environmental Council
$26,000
The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) proposes to work with builders, state environmental officials, the city of Portland and other metro-area jurisdictions to reduce diesel emissions from construction equipment. This project will address RGI’s interest in protecting sensitive populations (people with asthma) while filling a critical gap in current efforts to reduce diesel air pollution.