Photo credit: Bob Buchanan
Connecting communities and their waterways is critical to fostering an engaged and informed constituency involved in caring for decision-making affecting the ecological health of the Harbor and its living resources. HEP provides funding for organizations to conduct projects promoting stewardship and public access to the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary, particularly in underserved areas. Such projects include but are not limited to:
- Establishing new public access to the estuary (e.g. through planning, implementation, and/or community engagement).
- Enhancing existing public access to/from the estuary (e.g. improving site stewardship; enabling boating access, swimming or fishing access; hands-on programming and events focused on the harbor estuary; and place-based waterway protection and awareness campaigns).
- Increasing the connection between underserved populations and publicly accessible waterfront spaces, especially those identified in the 2016 report, Connecting with our Waterways: Public Access and its Stewardship in the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary.
NEIWPCC & NY/NJ HEP Open Request for Proposals
NEIWPCC, in cooperation with the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program (HEP), the states of New York and New Jersey, EPA, and their partners, is inviting proposals for a study to estimate the economic value of clean water and health of the associated ecosystem in the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary.
The purpose of this project is to communicate the economic value of clean water in the NY–NJ Harbor Estuary to policymakers, decision makers, residents, and other stakeholders. The results of this project will provide a peer-reviewed and verified economic analysis and public-facing report.
This economic study will be the first of its kind in the region, and may also serve as a stepping-stone for further work by governmental, non-governmental, and academic researchers.
All proposals are due to NEIWPCC by January 6, 2021 at 12:00 PM (noon) EST. We will gladly answer questions related to this request; to guarantee response by the RFP deadline, all questions must be submitted to Emma Gildesgame (egildesgame@neiwpcc.org) by December 21, 2020 at 12:00 PM (noon) EST. All answers to submitted questions will be posted online by December 23, 2020. We anticipate notifying applicants of funding decisions by February 12, 2021. This project must be complete on or before May 30, 2023.