More Than $5.5 Million Available for Wetland and Stream Restoration

Concord, NH –The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ (NHDES) Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund is now accepting pre-proposals for its 2024 grant round. The ARM Fund Program ensures that funds generated through In-Lieu Fee (ILF) mitigation payments for unavoidable impacts to wetlands, streams and other aquatic resources are used to fund projects that replace, restore or protect aquatic resources within the same watershed. This year, more than $5.5 million in funds are available across five watersheds: the Merrimack River, Pemigewasset-Winnipesaukee River, Saco River, Salmon Falls-Piscataqua River and Lower Connecticut River service areas.

The primary goal of the ARM Fund is to provide sustainable compensatory mitigation meeting the federal goal of “no net loss” of functions and values of waters and wetlands nationwide. Since the ARM Fund began in 2006, 311 wetlands permit recipients have used it to provide compensatory mitigation. These mitigation funds have been used to support projects that restore, enhance and preserve aquatic resources and their upland buffers. To date, $26,364,141 in grants have funded and helped result in:

• 5 acres of restored or enhanced tidal waters.
• 70 miles of fish passage and aquatic connectivity.
• 422 protected vernal pools.
• 4,048 acres of protected wetlands.
• 28,080 acres of conserved land.

The 2024 grant round will target projects with a high likelihood of success to support significant restoration, enhancement, establishment, and, in some circumstances, preservation, at the larger landscape scale in watersheds that have sustained significant loss through wetland or stream permit decisions. The goal is for funded projects to be self-sustaining, natural systems within the landscape and climate in which they are located, with little or no ongoing maintenance needs or hydrologic manipulation.

The program’s 2024 Payment Ledger describes the specific resource types and functions and values lost in the watersheds soliciting proposals.

Pre-proposals are due May 31, 2024. They will be reviewed in June, and each pre-proposal will receive feedback. Full application proposals are due September 15, 2024.

Interested applicants are invited to register to join a “virtual office hour” being held March 22, 2024 at 10am. Program leaders will provide an overview of the grant round, describe application process and share targeted projects. They will also be available to help answer questions.

Additional details are available in a Grant Guidance and Instructions document and on the program website. For more information, please email des.arm@des.nh.gov. 

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