Upper Mississippi River Basin Association

UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER WILL PERFORM ONGOING COMPREHENSIVE MAPPING AND DATA UPDATES FOR THE REGION 5 INLAND SENSITIVITY ATLAS. THIS INCLUDES UPDATIN

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING UNDER THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT (IIJA) (PL 117-58) TO UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN ASSOCIATION. SPECIFICALLY, THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO SUPPORT AND ADVANCE THE GULF HYPOXIA ACTION PLAN THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN ASSOCIATION'S WORKPLAN. THE STATES OF ILLINOIS, IOWA, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, AND WISCONSIN HAVE DIRECTED THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN ASSOCIATION TO CONVENE AND FACILITATE ITS HYPOXIA TASK FORCE SUB-BASIN COMMITTEE FOR THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN. THROUGH THE PROJECT PERIOD, AND WITH THE AVAILABLE FUNDING, THE STATES HAVE DETERMINED THAT THEIR SHARED PRIORITIES FOR THE COMMITTEE ARE TO CREATE AN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY, AN INTERSTATE SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNING (ALSO KNOWN AS ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT), AND AN INTERSTATE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY. UMRBA WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE HYPOXIA TASK FORCE AND INTEGRATE THE SUB-BASIN COMMITTEE'S ACTIONS INTO OTHER INTERSTATE WATER PLANNING. ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE 1) COMPILING THE SEPARATE STATE NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGIES INTO AN INTEGRATED UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY AND IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT INTERSTATE ACTIONS THAT WILL REDUCE NUTRIENT POLLUTION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER; 2) COMMUNICATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND OTHER ACTORS IN THE BASIN ABOUT IMPORTANT INTERSTATE ACTIONS THAT WILL REDUCE NUTRIENT POLLUTION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND GAIN THEIR COMMITMENT TO ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS; 3) INTEGRATING THE IMPORTANT INTERSTATE ACTIONS THAT WILL REDUCE NUTRIENT POLLUTION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER WITH OTHER IMPORTANT INTERSTATE ACTIONS, SUCH AS FLOOD MITIGATION AND RESILIENCE PLANNING; AND 4) EVALUATING IMPLEMENTATION OF IMPORTANT INTERSTATE ACTIONS TO REDUCE NUTRIENT POLLUTION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND INCORPORATE INSIGHTS INTO ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS.SUBRECIPIENT:NO SUBAWARDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE, 1) AN INTEGRATED UPPER MISSISSIPPI NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY, 2) AN ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK, 3) AN UPPER MISSISSIPPI NUTRIENT REDUCTION COMMUNICATIONS PLAN, AND 4) NOTES AND RECORDS OF MEETINGS OF THE UMR HYPOXIA SUB-BASIN COMMITTEE AND ITS WORK TEAMS. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE, 1) REDUCED NUTRIENT POLLUTION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER, 2) MORE ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION BY TRADITIONAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL STAKEHOLDERS IN THE BASIN, AND 3) MORE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION AMONG STATES AND THEIR EXECUTIVE AGENCIES. THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE HYPOXIA TASK FORCE MEMBERS AND PARTNERS, AND UPPER BASIN STATES, TRIBES, AND COMMUNITIES THAT RESIDE IN THE MISSISSIPPI/ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN.

ACTIVITIES RELATED TO CONTINUING ONGOING COMPREHENSIVE MAPPING AND DATA UPDATES FOR THE REGION 5 INLAND SENSITIVITY ATLAS, AS WELL AS SUPPORT OF SUB

ACTIVITIES RELATED TO CONTINUING ONGOING COMPREHENSIVE MAPPING AND DATA UPDATES FOR THE REGION 5 INLAND SENSITIVITY ATLAS, EMPHASIZES THE UPDATING OF

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN ASSOCIATION TO PROVIDE WORKSHOPS THAT WILL ACCELERATE IMPLEMENTATION OF STATE NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGIES. THESE WORKSHOPS WILL FACILITATE COLLABORATION, COOPERATIVE ACTION, AND INFORMATION SHARING AT AN INTERSTATE LEVEL. UMRBA IS THE LEADING INTERSTATE, REGIONAL COLLABORATIVE TO ASSIST THE STATES IN IMPLEMENTING THE CLEAN WATER ACT AND NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGIES ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS BASIN. THE PURPOSE OF THE UMRBA WATER QUALITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (WQEC) IS TO FACILITATE COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING, COOPERATIVE ACTION, AND INFORMATION SHARING AMONG THE FIVE UMRBA MEMBER STATES WITH REGARD TO WATER QUALITY ISSUES ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND TO PROVIDE A POLICY LINK BETWEEN COLLECTIVE ACTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS BY THE STATES. THE WQEC IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON CONSERVATION PRACTICES WITH STACKED BENEFITS &NDASHAND E.G., WETLANDS THAT PROVIDE HABITAT, SEQUESTER CARBON, IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, AND RECEIVE NUTRIENT RUNOFF. THE WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED FOR THIS AWARD WILL INVOLVE A WIDER STAKEHOLDER GROUP IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN.

SPILL RESPONSE PLANNING FOR THE ST. CROIX NATIONAL SCENIC RIVERWAY

PROJECT TITLE: NEW COLLABORATIVE AVENUES TO ADDRESS KNOWLEDGE GAPS ASSOCIATED WITH NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS.PROJECT DATES: 08 21 2023 - 08 20 2024AWARD PURPOSE: THIS PROJECT WILL HOLD WORKSHOPS TO EXPAND KNOWLEDGE ON THREE RELEVANT TOPICS (FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION, POLICY INCENTIVES AND DISINCENTIVES, AND COMMUNICATING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE ARTS). THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY ARE THUS TO: A) DEVELOP LEARNING QUESTIONS TO INFORM A BROADER ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND DEVELOP A SUITE OF CRITERIA TO IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE THE LOCATION OF FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES, B) IDENTIFY IMPORTANT FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAM GUIDANCE THAT ARE WORKING TO ENCOURAGE OR DETER IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER RETENTION STRATEGIES IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN, AND C) IDENTIFY KEY AUDIENCES AND DEVELOPED INITIAL STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNICATING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN AGRICULTURAL SETTINGS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: TASK 1: THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN ASSOCIATION (UMRBA) WILL HOLD WORKSHOPS TO DEVELOP LEARNING QUESTIONS TO INFORM A BROADER ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND DEVELOP A SUITE OFCRITERIA TO IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE THE LOCATION OF FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES. TASK 2: UMRBA WILL TRANSFER FUNDS TO AMERICAS WATERSHED INITIATIVE (AWI) TO HOLD WORKSHOPS TO IDENTIFY NBS INCENTIVES AND DISINCENTIVES.TASK 3: UMRBA WILL TRANSFER FUNDS TO AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST (AFT) TO HOLD WORKSHOPS ON COMMUNICATING NBS THROUGH THE ARTSDELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: A) NEW COLLABORATIONS AND STRENGTHENED EXISTING COLLABORATIONS AROUND FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION B) PROJECT UPDATE: DUE TO USGS ON NOVEMBER 1, 2023 WRITTEN BY UMRBAC) REPORT WITH HIGH-LEVEL SYNTHESIS OF EXISTING FLOODPLAIN RECONNECTION KNOWLEDGE AND PLANNING AS WELL AS LEARNING QUESTIONS, PROJECT PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA, AND EVALUATION METRICS AS WELL AS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE COLLABORATIONS - DUE TO USGS ON DECEMBER 1, 2023 WRITTEN BY UMRBA.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THIS PROJECT IS INTENDED TO BENEFIT FLOODPLAIN COMMUNITIES BY ILLUMINATING THE WILLINGNESS OF SOME LANDOWNERS (E.G., PRIVATE LEVEE DISTRICTS) TO IMPLEMENT FLOODPLAIN CONNECTIVITY ON THEIR RESPECTIVE LANDS.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: AWI AND AFT WILL SUPPORT EFFORTS IN HOLDING WORKSHOPS.