Planning ProposalSeptember 28, 2018

Project Number
Project Name
Sponsor
Planning Type / Choose preliminary design, final design, assessment

2014 Project Proposal for Planning Projects[1]

Please respond to each question individually – do not summarize your answers collectively in essay format.Local citizen and technical advisory groups will use this information to evaluate your project.Limit your response to ten pages(single-sided)You may delete the italicized portion of the questions and inapplicable supplemental questions to shorten the proposal).

RCO Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants section and appendix references are available at

Submit this proposal as a PRISM attachment titled “Project Proposal.”

NOTE: Sponsors of barrier inventory projects should NOT fill out this proposal. They should instead use the Barrier Inventory Project Proposal.

  1. Problem Statement

Provide an overview of fish resources, current habitat conditions, site or reach conditions,gaps in knowledge, and other key salmon recovery problem(s) in the watershed that this project is intended to address.Include the scale of the problem and current and historic factors important to understanding the need for this project. Be specific – avoid general statements. When possible, list your sources of information by citing specific studies, reports, and other documents. (Fish passage design/feasibility studies should concisely describe the passage problem (outfall, velocity, slope, etc.), the current barrier (age, material, shape, and condition), whether it is a complete or partial barrier, and the amount and quality of habitat to be opened if the barrier is corrected.

  1. Project Purpose

When answering the questions below, please refer to Chapter 4 of the Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines(wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00043) for a definition of restoration goals and objectives.

  1. State the project goal(s).The goal of planning projects should be to remedy observed problems, ideally by addressing their root causes, or to fill gaps in knowledge. Goal statements should articulate desired outcomes (your vision for desired future condition) and what species benefit from those outcomes.
  2. List the project’s objectives.Objectives are statements of specific outcomes that typically can be measured or quantified over time. Objectives are more specific than goals and less specific than tasks (the specific steps that would be taken to accomplish each of the objectives).
  1. Project Context
  2. Describe the location of the project in the watershed, including the name of the water body(ies), upper and lower extent of the project (if only a portion of the watershed is targeted), and whether the project occurs in the nearshore, estuary, main stem, tributary, off channel, adjacent uplands, or other location.
  3. List the fish resources present at the site and targeted by this project.

Species / Life History Present (egg, juvenile, adult) / Current Population Trend (decline, stable, rising) / ESA Coverage (Y/N) / Life History Target (egg, juvenile, adult)
  1. Discuss how this project fits within your regional recovery plan and local lead entity’s strategy to restore or protect salmonid habitat in the watershed (i.e., Does the assessment fill a data gap identified as a priority in the lead entity’s strategy or regional recovery plan? Does the project address a priority action, occur in a priority area, or target priority fish species?)
  2. Explain why it is important to do this project now instead of at a later date.Consider its sequence relative to other needs in the watershed and the current level and imminence of risk to habitat in your discussion.
  3. If any part or phase of this project has previously been reviewed or funded by the SRFB, please fill in the table below.

Project # or Name / Status / Status of Prior Phase Deliverables and Relationship to Current Proposal?
Completed
In Process
Not Funded*
Completed
In Process
Not Funded*
Completed
In Process
Not Funded*

* If previous project was not funded, describe how the current proposal differs from the original.

  1. Project Description

NOTE that projects that include acquisition have supplemental questions at the end of this proposal. Please answer the questions below and all pertinent supplemental questions.

  1. Provide a detailed description of the proposed project and how it will address the problem described above. (Proposals that include an assessment or inventory should describe its design and methodology.)
  2. Clearly list and describe all products that will be produced (i.e., project deliverables).If the project will produce a design, please specify the level of design that will be developed (conceptual, preliminary, or final); design deliverables must comply with those described in RCOManual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants,Appendix D-1, D-2, and D-3.
  3. If the project will occur in phases or is part of a larger recovery strategy, describe the goal of the overall strategy, explain individual sequencing steps and which steps are included in this application.Attach a map in PRISM that illustrates how this project fits into the overall recovery strategy, if relevant
  4. If your proposal includes an assessment or inventory (NOTE: project may extend across a wide area and cover multiple properties):
  5. Describe any previous or ongoing assessment or inventory work in your project’s geographic area and how this project will build upon rather than duplicate completed work.
  6. Describe how the assessment or inventory addresses the stages and elements in Guidance on Watershed Assessment for Salmon (Joint Natural Resources Cabinet, May 2001,
  7. If your proposal includes developing a design:
  8. Will the project design be developed by a licensed professional engineer? If your project will not be designed by a professional engineer, please describe the qualifications and experience of your project design team.
  9. For final design projects, if you do not intend to apply for permits as part of this project’s scope of work, please explain why and when permit applications will be submitted.
  10. Has Washington Department of Natural Resources confirmed that your project is or is not on state-owned aquatic lands? Please refer to RCOManual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants,Section 6 for information on state-owned aquatic lands and who to contact at Department of Natural Resources. Projects on state-owned aquatic lands must attach a Landowner Acknowledgement Form (RCOManual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants, Appendix F) in PRISM signed by Department of Natural Resources. If the location of your design is not yet known in order to make this determination, write N/A).
  11. If your proposal includes a fish passage or screening design:
  12. Has the project received a Priority Index (PI) or Screening Priority Index (SPI) number? If so, provide the PI or SPI number and describe how it was generated: Physical survey, reduced sample full survey, expanded threshold determination, or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife generated (list source, such as a study or inventory). Refer to the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fish Passage Barrier and Surface Water Screening Assessment and Prioritization Manual at wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00061 for guidance.
  13. For fish passage design projects:
  14. If a culvert or arch is proposed, will it employ a stream simulation, no slope, hydraulic, or other design?
  15. Describe the amount and quality of habitat made accessible if the barrier is corrected.
  16. Identify if there are additional fish passage barriers downstream or upstream of this project.
  17. Describe other approaches and design alternatives that were considered to achieve the project’s objectives and why the proposed alternative was selected.
  18. Describe your experience managing this type of project.
  19. Explain how the project’s cost estimates were determined.
  20. List Project Partners and their role and contribution to the project. Attach a Partner Contribution Form (Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants, Appendix G) from each partner in PRISM, when required (refer to Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants, Section 3 for when this form is required).
  21. List all landowner names. If the proposed project occurs on land not owned by the grant applicant, attach a signed Landowner Acknowledgement Form (Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants, Appendix F) in PRISM from each landowner acknowledging that his or her property is proposed for SRFB funding consideration. (Refer to Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants, Section 3 for exclusions to this requirement.)
  22. Contingency Planning: State any constraints, uncertainties, possible problems, delays, or additional expenses that may hinder completion of the project. Explain how you will address these issues as they arise and their likely impact on the project.
  23. List and describe the major tasks and schedule you will use to complete the project. (Planning projects should typically be completed within two years of funding approval).

Supplemental Questions for Projects that Include Acquisition

(Applies to combination projects; These are not included in the ten-page limit)

A.Provide a detailed description of the property. Describe the habitat types, size and quality on site (forested riparian/floodplain, wetlands, tributary, main stem, off-channel, bluff-backed beach, barrier beach, open coastal inlet, estuarine delta, pocket estuary, uplands, etc.), critical areas on site, and any other features that make the site unique. Describe existing land use.

B.State what type of acquisition is proposed (e.g., fee title, conservation easement).

C.Describe the size of the property to be acquired. Attach a site map in PRISM showing the property boundary, habitat features, easements, roads, and buildings, as appropriate.

D.Describe the property’s proximity to publically owned or protected properties in the vicinity. Attach a map in PRISM that illustrates this relationship.

E.If uplands are included on the property to be acquired, state their size and explain why they are essential for protecting salmonid habitat.

F.State the percentage of the total project area that is intact and fully functioning habitat.

G.Explain property restoration needs. Explain the degree to which habitat on site is impaired and the nature and extent of required restoration. Are there levees, riprap, infrastructure, or other features on this or nearby properties that inhibit channel migration or floodplain-stream interaction? Describe the likely prioritization, timeframe, and funding sources for proposed restoration activities.

H.List structures (home, barn, outbuildings, fence) on the property and any proposed modifications. Note: In general, buildings on SRFB-assisted acquisitions must be removed. Refer to RCO Manual 18, Salmon Recovery Grants,Section 2 for information about ineligible project elements.

I.Describe adjacent land uses (upstream, downstream, across stream, upland).

J.Describe the proximity of the property to other protected or functioning habitats, and the size and quality of those protected properties.

K.Describe the:

i.Zoning/land use

ii.Shoreline Master Plan designation

iii.Portion of site within 100-year floodplain

iv.Portion of site within designated floodway

L.Explain why federal, state, and local regulations are insufficient to protect the property from degradation.

M.For projects that have a goal of saving water:

v.Describe the mechanism that you intend to use to conserve water (trust, etc.) and explain why this is the preferred approach.

vi.Which steps in the water conservation process will be completed under this project proposal?

vii.How much water, if any, will be saved as a result of this project? By what methods are you calculating the amount of water conserved?

N.If buying the land, explain why acquiring a conservation easement to extinguish certain development, timber, agricultural, mineral, or water rights will not achieve the goals and objectives of the project.

O.For acquisition projects intending to purchase multiple properties within an area, identify all the possible parcels that will provide similar benefits and certainty of success and provide a clear description of how parcels will be prioritized and how priority parcels will be pursued for acquisition.

P.Describe your approach to long-term stewardship of the land. Identify any planned use of the property, including the upland areas.

Response to Review Panel Comments

Use this section to respond to the comments you will receive after your initial site visits, and then again after you submit your final application.

Response to Site Visit Comments

Please describe how you’ve responded to the review panel’s initial site visit comments. We recommend that you list each of the review panel’s comments and questions and identify how you have responded. You also may use this space to respond directly to their comments.

Response to Post-Application Comments

Please describe how you’ve responded to the review panel’s post-application comments. We recommend that you list each of the review panel’s comments and questions and identify how you have responded. You also may use this space to respond directly to their comments.

Page 1 of 7

[1] Includes assessment, design, and study and combination planning and acquisition projects, excluding barrier inventories.