[IMCWMA Partners] Schedule a meeting to determine WMA funding for 2009

[Tara Athan]

I would like to schedule an IMCWMA General Meeting to discuss the projects to be included in the base funding, and to discuss possible submissions for the supplemental funding and research mini-grants.

I will be out of town from June 23 to July 1. I suggest we meet either the week before or after.

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Please send me your availability for a meeting within the time frame June 16-20 or July 2-9
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At this meeting we will also vote to approve the Strategic Plan
http://www.alt2is.com/imcwma/joomla/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,78/lang,en/
 <http://alt2is.com/mcwma/pages_html/documents_working_2007/Strategic_Plan/MCWMA-STP_2007_01_19.html>If you have any suggestions, please send them to me by June 13.

More info...

The RFP for 2009 WMA funding from the State legislature has just been 
issued.  The program has 3 parts:
1. BASE FUNDING: Each county partner in an active Weed Management Area 
group will receive $16,758.00 of BASE FUNDING. This funding is not 
competitive, but rather considered a base-level of funding. This funding 
will first be allocated to follow-up on the distaff thistle eradication 
program, which is expiring in 2008. The remaining funding might be used 
to supplement the continuing projects (gorse, red sesbania, giant 
knotweed) if needed, or to start new projects.

2. SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING: A total of $243,000 is available. ALL WMA groups are encouraged to submit supplemental funding proposals, but NOT required to do so. Unlike the Base Funding Program, these proposals will be competitive. All supplemental proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the WMA Oversight Committee. Since the total pot of money available for the supplemental funding program is limited, only ONE project proposal (up to 5 projects, 3 recommended) for a maximum award of $50,000 PER WMA will be accepted. A minimum 50:50 Cost-Share is required on Supplemental proposals.

3. RESEARCH MINI-GRANTS: All WMA groups and researchers are eligible to submit 1-year pilot study research proposals on field techniques for noxious and invasive weed control and eradication.  Proposals must address one of the following Priority Areas: (1) Flushing the Seed Bank, (2) Little to No Management Research Conducted to Date, (3) Restoration, or (4) Wildlife and Invasive Plant Interactions. Maximum award per proposal is $5,000.  It is very likely that projects funded in this cycle will be given an opportunity for a second year of funding in 2009 and possibly a third year of funding in 2010, based on overall quality of project initiation and preliminary results.  

The due date for Items 1,2 is July 15. For Item 3 it is August 1.


The complete RFPs may be downloaded from
http://www.alt2is.com/imcwma/joomla/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,59/Itemid,70/lang,en/

-- 
Tara Athan
Coordinator, Mendocino Coast Cooperative Weed Management Area
coord [AT] mcwma.org
707-485-1198
PO Box 415
Redwood Valley, CA 95470