SNEP IS MARCHING ON
Marstons Mills, MA: A view of cranberry bog units in Barnstable, MA, slated for future restoration into freshwater wetlands by the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, partially funded by the SNEP Pilot Watershed Initiative. Photo credit: Southeast New England Program (SNEP)
Have a photo you want to submit? Submit your photos with a short caption and photo credit with permission of the photo owner to Reilly.Adam@epa.gov with the subject “SNEP Photo Submission.” Photos will be posted to the SNEP Photo Gallery on our website. Our favorite photo of the month will be featured in our next newsletter, so keep those submissions coming! Click to view the complete SNEP Media Gallery
Program Updates
SNEP hosts Monitoring Subcommittee meeting. On March 22, SNEP hosted its Q2 Monitoring subcommittee (MS) meeting. During this meeting, the MS discussed options for increasing data availability throughout the SNEP region. The MS met with EPA staff who manage the Water Quality Exchange (WQX) site to discuss the available resources to assist regional partners in submitting their data to WQX. The MS is in the process of developing next steps to better assist regional partners in submitting their data to the platform in order to make regional data more available and accessible.
Save the Date! On June 13, SNEP will host its next biennial Forum at the Bristol Community College. The goal of the Forum is to engage with our community members and program partners through an introspective look at the work of SNEP; and to provide input on the work that our Program has completed, the work ongoing, and the work still to be done. Make your voice heard by joining us for this free event in Fall River, MA.
Our Partners
SNEP is proud to offer two subprograms: the SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants (SWIG) program and the SNEP Network, which specialize in and offer funding and technical assistance, respectively, throughout the SNEP region.
In March, the SWIG program continued to conduct outreach for the 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP), informing stakeholders about this funding opportunity and answering potential applicants’ questions about eligibility and other topics.
This year, SWIG expects to award $3 million in grants to restore clean water, maintain healthy ecosystems, and build sustainable communities throughout Southeast New England. In March, SWIG hosted two webinars for applicants and participated in several funders’ meetings organized by the SNEP Network.
The RFP can be found at www.snepgrants.org, along with information about the SWIG program. Letters of Intent are due on April 7.
Program Highlight:
Eric Andrade, Margaret Broughton, Maura Valdez and Micaiah Thomas of Groundwork Southcoast at Riverside Park, New Bedford, on a cold day in March. Photo credit: Restore America’s Estuaries
Also in March, Groundwork Southcoast (GWSC) completed a SWIG grant in New Bedford, MA, to establish the North End Resilience District, an environmental justice project in one of the SNEP region’s most underserved and impacted communities. New Bedford’s North End is an area that’s been disproportionately affected by years of industrial contamination from electronics, metals and plastic manufacturing along the banks of the Acushnet River, leading EPA to designate the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site in 1982.
Forty years later, much of the harbor has been cleaned up and the City has developed Riverside Park, where a textile mill once stood. GWSC has been working closely with the City to beautify this park and engage the community in its stewardship. With SNEP support, the organization expanded a community garden, installed a bioswale/raingarden to allow stormwater to infiltrate soils before it reaches the harbor, planted fruit trees, and restored marsh habitat along the shoreline.
GWSC provides job training and employment for at-risk youth and other community members. Having completed the first phase of this project, GWSC has established an advisory committee, created an action plan, and is now working with the community to envision the future of the North End Resilience District. For more about the project, see www.snepgrants.org under “2021 Awards.”