The Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (SE CASC) is hosting a virtual science seminar series that highlights different SE CASC funded projects that support resource management actions across the Southeast. This month features Dr. Adam Terrando discussing how to use information from global climate models for local policymaking and natural resource decision-making. Global climate models are sophisticated representations of the earth’s climate systems, but they can be used to create multiple scenarios that can help decision-makers to better consider short- and long-term risks and opportunities. Find out more in this webinar March 16, at 11 am ET. Join the webinar here.

The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Environmental Justice Small Grants fund projects up to $50,000, depending on the availability of funds in a given year. All projects are associated with at least one qualified environmental statute. The EJSG program awards grants that support community-driven projects designed to engage, educate, and empower communities to better understand local environmental and public health issues and develop strategies for addressing those issues, building consensus in the community, and setting community priorities. These grants are for one-year projects. This opportunity places special emphasis on projects focusing on COVID-19 impacts, as well as climate and disaster resiliency. Additionally, EPA is emphasizing projects addressing diesel pollution in underserved communities living near ports and railyards as part of EPA’s Ports Initiative. Finally, to promote equitable accessibility to EPA grant funding and to assist small entities, approximately half of the total available funding under this announcement is intended to be reserved for small non-profit organizations as defined in the announcement. Deadline for proposals is May 7, 2021. To find out more, click here. 

The 2021 National Coastal Resilience Fund Request for proposals focuses on creating and restoring natural systems in order to protect communities from coastal storms, sea- and lake-level changes, inundation, and coastal erosion, while improving habitats for fish and wildlife species. The National Coastal Resilience Fund is a project of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). There are four priority areas for projects: community capacity building and planning, site assessment and preliminary design, final design and permitting as well as restoration and monitoring. Pre-proposals are due April 7^th and full proposals are by invitation only, and due June 23. Find out more here. 

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks applications to support business development and create jobs in rural America, through its Rural Business Development Grant program.  Eligible applicants may include mechanisms to support business opportunity and enterprise projects in rural communities. Eligible entities are rural towns, communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofits, federally-recognized tribes, institutes of higher education and cooperatives. The funding may be used to establish business support centers or to finance job training and leadership development in rural areas. Projects must be consistent with any local and area-wide community and economic development strategic plans, support other economic development activities in the project area, and be consistent with any Rural Development state strategic plan. Funding for enterprise projects must be used to finance or develop small and emerging businesses in rural areas. Eligible applicants for the set-aside funds must demonstrate that at least 75 percent of the benefits of an approved grant will assist beneficiaries in the designated areas.

Applications must be submitted to the nearest USDA office by 4:30 p.m. local time on March 31, 2021. To learn more, click here.

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that works to advance mutually beneficial land-use goals in project areas known as sentinel landscapes. A typical sentinel landscape is anchored by at least one military installation; encompasses agricultural and forestry lands; and would significantly benefit from natural resource restoration projects such as water quality and quantity improvement, disaster risk reduction, or wildlife habitat enhancement. Sentinel landscape designations lead to a myriad of benefits for local partnerships, including funding to hire a partnership coordinator and priority consideration for certain federal funding opportunities. All parties interested in applying for a sentinel landscape designation must complete a pre-proposal form and submit the document by 8:00 PM ET on March 29, 2021. All applicants will be notified regarding the status of their pre-proposal within 60 business days of submission. Those applicants that submit the most promising pre-proposals will be invited to complete a full proposal. Applicants will then have at least 60 business days to write their full proposals. The partnership will announce final designations by December 2021. To learn more, click here.

The USDA Forest Service, R8-Southern Region, is planning to fill a permanent position for a Regional Wood Innovations Coordinator GS-0401-12/13 for the Regional Office, Forest Management and Timber Staff. They are seeking a candidate that can serve as a nationally recognized expert in identifying and supporting wood product and wood energy markets that can provide efficient wood utilization and economic development options to forest landowners and communities. If interested in this opportunitiy, please fill out the electronic Applicant of Notice located in the Forest Service’s Employment Outreach found here, by March 15, 2021. This position can have many possible duty locations including Atlanta, Georgia; Montgomery, Alabama; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Gainesville, Georgia; Winchester, Kentucky; and Roanoke, Virginia. Find the position description here. 

The Tennessee Divison of Forestry (TNDOF) has two State forest Forester 2 positions in Franklin, TN and Henderson, TN, which can be found here. The incumbents would be responsible for implementing forest management activities on state forests.