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Paulins Kill and Pequest Rivers Grant Application Summary

1. The Nature Conservancy - Paulina Dam Removal to Restore Native Fish (Alosines) Migration and Improve Water Quality and Habitat on the Paulins Kill NJ – TNC is requesting funds to remove the Paulina Dam, which is the downstream-most dam on the Paulins Kill. The removal of this dam will reconnect 7.6 miles of mainstream and tributary habitat and build on previous watershed-wide restoration efforts that include the removal of the Columbia Dam in 2019. Total Project Cost $4,998,713, Requested Funds $4,765,905
   
   
2. The Nature Conservancy - Restoration Design Completion and Permitting for the Hyper Humus Section of the Paulins Kill Wildlife Management Area – TNC is requesting funds for additional work needed to complete the 100% design plans and permitting for restoration work in the 1200 acre Hyper Humus Section of the Paulins Kill Wildlife Management Area. The design for this project will include stream and other hydrologic restoration, habitat enhancement, a planting plan, and recreational opportunities for visitors. Total Project Cost $706,092, Requested Funds $673,086
   
   
3. The Nature Conservancy - Upper E.R. Collins Dam and Lower E.R. Collins Dam Removals – TNC is requesting funds for engineering studies, design plans, and permitting for the removal of two dams in the town of Belvidere, Warren County. The Lower E.R. Collins dam is owned by NJDEP, while the Upper E.R. Collins dam is owned jointly by two citizens. The removals of these dams will provide ecological uplift as well as socioeconomic benefits to the area, which is prone to hazardous flooding contributed to these dams. Total Project Cost $869,406, Requested Funds $436,400
   
   
4. The Land Conservancy of New Jersey – Yards Creek Preserve Restoration Project – The proposed project includes  the design and construction of 500 feet of stream habitat restoration and riparian enhancement at Yards Creek Preserve, located in Blairstown, Warren County. Proposed restoration activities include the removal of culverts, the re-establishment of hydrologic connections, and wetland enhancement. The project also calls for the decompaction and restoration of the removed  driveway and reuse of materials to reestablish site access away from the restored stream. Total Project Cost $115, 370, Requested Funds $92,296
   
   
5. GreenTrust Alliance - Trout Brook Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project - GTA is requesting funds for the design and implementation of stream restoration and floodplain enhancement on a tract of land in Allamuchy Township, Warren County. The proposed project will restore and relocate approximately 2,000  linear feet of stream and enhance 19.5 acres of wetlands. The project has goals of significantly improving both water and habitat quality, and creating a 51.48-acre stream-wetland complex area interconnected with previously restored and protected open space areas. Total Project Cost $2,004,963.98, Requested Funds $1,761,135.98.
   
   
6. Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority - Ecological Uplift of the Former Culver Lake Golf Course in the Upper Paulins Kill Watershed - The SCMUA is partnering with The Greater Culver Lake Watershed Conservation Foundation to conduct restoration activities on the site of a former golf course aimed at converting it into an ecological preserve. Some of these activities include planting riparian buffers, removing and replacing culverts and installing ditch plugs to enhance 1.72 acres of wetlands, and planting pollinator meadows . The Greater Culver Lake Watershed Conservation Foundation has received funding from the NJDEP Green Acres program to purchase the property, and should close on the acquisition in late-spring 2021. Total Project Cost $125,801, Requested Funds $94,421.