Council For Watershed Health

DESCRIPTION:THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FEDERAL FUNDING TO THE COUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH (CWH). SPECIFICALLY, THE RECIPIENT WILL EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF REDESIGN LA COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION (CBO) AND TRIBAL PARTNERS TO MENTOR SEVEN NEW MENTEES WORKING IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. COUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH (CWH) AND SEVEN SUBAWARDEES, SIX CBOS AND ONE TRIBE, KNOWN AS REDESIGNLA MENTORS, WILL GUIDE NEW MENTEES THROUGH A COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND FUNDING APPLICATIONS FOR INITIAL PROJECT DESIGN. ONCE FULLY FUNDED AND IMPLEMENTED, PROJECTS DEVELOPED BY MENTEES THROUGH REDESIGN LA WILL RESULT IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS SUCH AS THE REDUCTION OF LOCALIZED FLOODING, INCREASE IN STORMWATER CAPTURE, IMPROVED WATER QUALITY, AND INCREASED GREEN SPACE. ANOTHER IMPORTANT RESULT OF THE REDESIGN LA MODEL IS THE BUILT CAPACITY OF ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS EMBEDDED WITHIN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GREATER LA REGION. UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES START TO BE EQUITABLY REPRESENTED IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS WHEN THEY HAVE REPRESENTATIVES AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SKILLED AT NAVIGATING COMPLICATED INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING PROCESSES; ADVOCATING FOR MULTI-BENEFIT ELEMENTS WITHIN PROJECTS; ENSURING PROJECTS REPRESENT 3 COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ENGAGEMENT IS FUNDED THROUGH EVERY STAGE OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT; AND SERVING ON DECISION MAKING BODIES. THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $500,000. ACTIVITIES:EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF REDESIGN LA COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS) AND TRIBAL PARTNERS TO WORK IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE LOS ANGELES REGION. BY SCALING UP REDESIGN LA'S MODEL, REDESIGN LA WILL FUND SEVEN INTERESTED CBOS AND TRIBES IN THE GREATER LA REGION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-LED GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY PROJECTS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND A DEEP BENCH OF CLIMATE AND WATER COMMUNITY LEADERS. GROWING THE CAPACITY OF REDESIGN LA WILL ALLOW MORE CBOS AND TRIBES IN THE GREATER LA REGION TO GAIN SOUGHT-AFTER EXPERTISE AND ENSURE A BROADER NUMBER OF UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ARE REPRESENTED IN REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE EFFORTS. WITH EJ CPS FUNDING, COUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH AND SIX COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS) AND ONE TRIBE (SEVEN REDESIGN LA MENTORS) WILL PERFORM THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: ACTIVTY 1: BUILD CAPACITY AND TRUST WITHIN REDESIGN LA MONTHLY REDESIGN LA COHORT MEETINGS. CWH WILL CONVENE MONTHLY COHORT MEETINGS. COHORT MEETINGS RESULT IN A CO-LEARNING SPACE THAT SUPPORTS REDESIGN LA CBOS AND TRIBAL PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THEIR PROJECT IDENTIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. COHORT MEETINGS ALSO PROVIDE A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR TRUST-BUILDING AMONG PARTICIPANTS. RESOURCE SHARING CWH AND MENTORS WILL USE INTERACTIVE MAPPING TOOLS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON THE REDESIGN LA WEBSITE. ACTIVITY 2: PROJECT PLANNING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES OF FOCUS OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: MENTORS WILL CARRY OUT OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EVENTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES OF FOCUS BY OFFERING LESSONS LEARNED, EDUCATIONAL TOOLS, AND EVENT SUPPORT. PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES ARE IDENTIFIED THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EVENTS THAT INDIVIDUAL CBO AND TRIBAL PARTNERS HOST IN THEIR COMMUNITIES OF FOCUS; TABLING AT VARIOUS REGIONAL EVENTS RELEVANT TO THEIR COMMUNITIES OF FOCUS; AND THROUGH PROJECT TOURS. ACTIVITY 3: IDENTIFY AND ENGAGE PROJECT PARTNERS. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT.ACTIVITY 4: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT. ACTIVITY 5: COMPETITIVE PROJECT PROPOSAL. ACTIVITY 6: PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. SUBRECIPIENT:PROJECT ACTIVITIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH EACH OF THE SUBAWARDES INCLUDE: CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES LEAD BY SUBAWARDESS FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE MENTEES. ACTIVITY 1: BUILD CAPACITY AND A NETWORK OF MENTOR-MENTEE PARTNERS MATCH MENTORS WITH MENTEES IN COHORTS MONTHLY REDESIGNLA COHORT MEETINGS, RESOURCE

THE COUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH WILL CAPTURE AND TREAT URBAN STORMWATER RUNOFF TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY DOWNSTREAM WITHIN THE ALHAMBRA-RIO HONDO WATERSHED IN SOUTH EL MONTE, CALIFORNIA, A HIGHLY URBANIZED AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY LOCATED IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE COUNCIL WILL PLANT TREES AND VEGETATION AND INSTALL PERMEABLE PAVEMENT AND UNDERGROUND INFILTRATION CHAMBERS TO CAPTURE AND PASSIVELY FILTER URBAN RUNOFF ALONG 0.65 MILES OF MERCED AVENUE, REDUCING URBAN POLLUTANT LOADS DISCHARGED DOWNSTREAM INTO THE RIO HONDO RIVER, THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER, AND LEGG LAKE WITHIN WHITTIER NARROW RECREATION AREA, AND CONTRIBUTING TO GROUNDWATER AUGMENTATION OF THE SAN GABRIEL EAST BASIN. THE PROJECT IS AN ELEMENT OF BOTH THE ENHANCED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE UPPER LOS ANGELES RIVER WATERSHED AND THE GREATER LOS ANGELES COUNTY INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. THE PROJECT DESIGN WAS DEVELOPED AND WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITH SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS, AND WITH FUNDING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CITY OF SOUTH EL MONTE AND CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY.

THE COUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH PROJECT "INDICATORS OF WATERSHED HEALTH FOR THE LOS ANGELES RIVER WATERSHED" IS A COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

THE AMBASSADOR WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTING FEDERAL AGENCIES AND RESOURCES TO LOCAL NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LOS ANGELES RIVER WATERSHED