The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has awarded funding for six habitat restoration projects in the 16th round of its RI Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund (CEHRTF).
The council approved the funding at the March 12 semi-monthly meeting in Providence.
Projects approved for funding include two salt marsh restoration and resilience enhancement projects, two projects involving fish passage or riverine habitat improvements, and one urban pollinator habitat project, said CRMC.
In its request for proposals, CRMC put special emphasis on projects that would enhance the resiliency of Rhode Island’s coastal habitats to climate change and sea level rise.
This was the second year of funding for the salt marsh restoration and enhancement project in Quonochontaug Pond, with $50,000 awarded to CRMC for a collaborative project with partners Save The Bay, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Town of Charlestown.
The work includes restoring approximately 30 acres of salt marsh and eelgrass habitat, and will raise the elevation of the Quonochontaug marsh using material dredged from the pond.
The project is similar to the successfully completed restoration and enhancement project at Ninigret. Dredging and distribution of the material onto the marsh surface was completed in January 2019, CRMC said in their release.