Lower Osage River Side Channel Restoration Project, Missouri | F22AS00285

Opportunity Information: Apply for F22AS00285

The Lower Osage River Side Channel Restoration Project, Missouri (Funding Opportunity Number F22AS00285) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will be awarded as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.664 (Natural Resources). The agency is looking for a qualified entity to take a side-channel restoration effort on the Osage River from early assessment through final design and on-the-ground implementation. In practical terms, this is a full project delivery grant focused on improving aquatic habitat conditions in a side channel of a large river system in Missouri, with an emphasis on restoring natural function and connectivity rather than doing isolated, cosmetic fixes.

The core work involves evaluating existing conditions in the side channel, developing an engineered restoration design, and then constructing/implementing the restoration actions. A central element of the project is modification of an existing crossing so that it continues to provide access to an island while no longer acting as a barrier to water movement and aquatic organism passage. That means the selected applicant will likely need to diagnose how the crossing currently affects hydraulics (for example, constricting flow, altering sediment transport, creating scour or deposition, or fragmenting habitat), then propose and build a solution that maintains access but restores more natural flow patterns and improves connectivity for fish and other aquatic organisms. Beyond the crossing itself, the project is intended to restore aquatic habitat throughout the side channel, so the scope is broader than a single structure and may include channel and bank stabilization or reconfiguration using approaches that mimic natural river processes.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is open to applications from any type of eligible applicant because the eligibility category is listed as unrestricted. Even so, the notice makes it clear that the award recipient cannot earn profit on the federal award due to the cost principles in 2 CFR 200.400, which generally makes nonprofit organizations and similar entities a better fit than for-profit firms that rely on fee-based profit margins. The agency is specifically signaling that it wants an applicant with a track record and strong technical capacity in stream and river restoration, including demonstrated knowledge of aquatic habitat restoration. Preference is given to teams with experience in fluvial geomorphology and hydrology, and to those who use bioengineering methods, natural channel design, or other function-based restoration approaches for stabilizing or reconfiguring channels and banks. In other words, applicants are expected to understand how rivers behave, how sediment and flow interact with channel form, and how to design interventions that are stable, ecologically beneficial, and resilient over time.

Funding for the project is up to an award ceiling of $1,300,000. The opportunity was created on April 8, 2022, with an original application closing date of June 14, 2022. While the posting lists an expected awards field without a number, the intent is clearly to select a capable partner to deliver a single, defined restoration project under a cooperative agreement structure, which typically implies substantial agency involvement or coordination during planning and implementation. Overall, this opportunity is aimed at restoring river function and habitat quality in a side channel of the Osage River by removing or fixing a barrier-like crossing, improving aquatic organism passage, and implementing channel/habitat restoration actions grounded in hydrology and geomorphology best practices.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lower Osage River Side Channel Restoration Project, Missouri" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-04-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for F22AS00285

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