Dear Community,

We’re reaching out with an amended version of our February newsletter. We’ve received reports from our readers that some links in our previous newsletter were incorrect and led to unintended locations. The content below is the exact same version of the newsletter with updated links. We have already taken out events and comment periods that have passed. We sincerely apologize for this technical error and any inconvenience it may have caused.

In this updated newsletter, we’re focusing on the upcoming opportunities and events from the Office of Equity and Environmental Justice (EJ). We’re also continuing our acknowledgement of Black History Month, a time to celebrate and honor the remarkable achievements of African Americans throughout history.

As we move forward, we want to remind everyone that the celebration of Black history is not confined to just one month. The contributions and achievements of African Americans are integral to our history and should be recognized and celebrated throughout the year.

Please check out DEEP’s social media pages to see how we’ve celebrated Black History Month. 

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to advance equity and environmental justice in Connecticut. Your feedback is encouraged and welcomed; please contact us at DEEP.EJ@ct.gov.

In Service, The Office of Equity and Environmental Justice

In this Newsletter

General Announcements

• Celebrating Black History Month: Learning About Nature with Project Learning Tree (PLT)

Upcoming Events 

• 2024 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference: Unite for Nature and Innovation! - March 23, 2024

• Yale Center for Environmental Justice: Weekly Tribal Forestry Seminar - now until April 25, 2024

• Yale Center for Environmental Justice: Weekly Energy Justice Seminar and Speaker Series - now until April 22, 2024

Jobs

• UCONN Job Opportunity: Urban and Community Forestry Project Coordinator
• Job Opportunity: DEEP Grant Policy Advisor (Coming Soon)
• Seasonal Employment at DEEP

Funding Opportunities

• CT DEEP’s Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program - March 01, 2024 

• CT DECD’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Funding- March 1, 2024 

• CT DEEP is now accepting applications for Recreational Trails Grants! - March 11, 2024

• CT DEEP Urban Forest Equity Grant Program - April 17, 2024

• EPA’s Community Change Grants (Rolling Deadline) - November 21, 2024

• The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program is Seeking Grant Application Reviewers - Compensation Available! - November 21, 2024

Connect with DEEP

• Sign up for DEEP’s Municipal Connections Newsletter
• Engage with DEEP on Social Media

General Announcements

Image by Ron Lach

Celebrating Black History Month: Learning About Nature with Project Learning Tree (PLT)

This Black History Month, PLT invites us all to connect with nature through literature and honor remarkable Black individuals who inspire us to forge a deeper bond with the environment. Their impactful work and eloquent expressions through words and illustrations celebrate nature’s beauty. Check out these stories by Black Authors to share with your students. Story options are available for early childhood and elementary to young and mature adults.

In addition, check out this page on their website: Black Environmental Changemakers: Honoring Hidden Figures and Contemporary Leaders and join PLT in recognizing the significant, but often overlooked, contributions to environmentalism that Black Americans have made. PLT also released this guide that highlights the legacy of historical figures to modern environmental leaders and their career trajectories and stories: Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers. 

Project Learning Tree (PLT), designed for youth from preschool through grade 12, uses trees and forests as captivating windows into the natural world.

Explore PLT’s rich array of resources, lesson plans, and activities on their website. 🌲

Upcoming Events 

2024 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference: Unite for Nature and Innovation! - March 23, 2024

The 2024 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference is scheduled for March 23, 2024, at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. This event provides a platform for conservationists, land trusts, and anyone passionate about preserving Connecticut’s natural beauty to come together. 

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Bronson Griscom, Vice President of Natural Climate Solutions at Conservation International. His team researches opportunities to maximize the climate and co-benefit impacts of conservation, restoration, and land management.

The conference has six distinct tracks you can choose from (Link to schedule):

1. Land Protection & Conservation Funding:

   • Dive into discussions on agricultural conservation easements, land trust legal matters, and financing open space protection deals.

2. Stewardship & Natural Climate Solutions:

   • Explore tools for protecting and restoring riparian buffers, citizen science, forest pests, and implementing climate-smart farming practices.

3. Access & Engage with Land:

   • Learn about collaborative regional purchasing of conservation equipment, creative partnerships in land preservation, and the nuts and bolts of donation transactions.

4. Community Conservation & Communications:

   • Discover the Climate Resilience Fund Grant Program, statewide trails updates, and model conservation easements.

5. Policy & Advocacy:

   • Engage in discussions about physical improvements in recreational trails projects and the journey to rural landscape coalition.

6. Organizational Strength & Fundraising:

   • Delve into topics such as demystifying capital campaigns, stewardship tips, major giving programs, grantwriting essentials, strengthening land trust boards, strategic planning considerations, succession planning, fundraising Q&A, and more.

Register for the conference here! Early registration ends March 1!

Mark your calendars and be part of this vital conservation gathering! 🌿

Yale Center for Environmental Justice: Weekly Tribal Forestry Seminar - now until April 25, 2024  

We are sharing that the Yale Center for Environmental Justice (YCEJ) is excited to announce the continuation of the Spring 2024 speaker series on the topic of “Tribal Forestry: Understanding Current Issues & Challenges in Contemporary & Traditional Management of Forested Landscapes.” This Yale Forest Forum series is co-developed and co-hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment, the YCEJ, and the Salish Kootenai College.  This webinar will focus on the current state of tribal forest management and Indigenous stewardship with a series of speakers from different tribes, universities, non-profits, and agencies.

The webinars will take place on Thursdays, from 12:00–12:55 p.m. U.S. ET, continuing until April 25, 2024. Each session will be recorded and posted on the YFF website for those who cannot attend live. 

For further information, reach out to the Yale Forest Forum at yff@yale.edu.  To register for the webinars, please click here.

We look forward to your active participation and contribution to these important discussions!

Yale Center for Environmental Justice: Weekly Energy Justice Seminar and Speaker Series  - now until April 22, 2024 

The field of energy justice is evolving rapidly. As we progress through 2024, energy justice is a burgeoning field of real-world practices driving beyond equity and remedies into major domestic and international financial instruments as well as on-the-ground energy projects of significant magnitude. Drawing on Yale’s faculty and practitioners from the field, this energy justice seminar will give attendees detailed insight into the latest thinking and practice and help prepare them to work in this field.

The seminar is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing from multiple disciplines, including but not limited to law, sociology, anthropology, and economics. It covers topics relating to energy justice in the areas of policy and regulation, community advocacy, legal implications, health implications, and private sector innovation.

The seminars are, free, open to the public. and held on Mondays, from 10:30 - to 11:50 p.m. U.S. ET, continuing until April 22, 2024. Each session will be recorded and posted on the YCEJ website for those who cannot attend live. 

For further information, reach out to the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. To register for the webinars, please click here.

Jobs

Image by Katie Rainbow

UCONN Job Opportunity: Urban and Community Forestry Project Coordinator  

Our partners at UCONN are seeking a Project Coordinator to support a CT DEEP-funded project. The project aims to enhance the capacity of underserved municipalities in Connecticut to apply for and obtain Urban and Community Forestry grant opportunities. 

Responsibilities:  

• Work under the direction of the Urban and Community Forestry Assistant Extension Educator and the Urban and Community Forestry Assistant Professor.  

• Serve as a liaison to Connecticut communities, engaging with public stakeholders, NGOs, and the general public in five underserved municipalities.  

• Determine community-informed, nature-based solutions and pathways to increase participation in urban and community forestry opportunities.  

• Complete planning, record-keeping, and program-related tasks at the Hartford County Extension Center in Farmington or the UConn Hartford Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity. 

Position Details:  

• Part-time 12-month appointment.  

• Anticipated start date: March 2024.  

• Monthly compensation: approximately $3,666 + fringe for 80–90 hours of work per month.  

• Possibility of extension based on additional funding for urban forest projects co-developed with underserved municipalities.  

Please send a letter of interest, resume, and names of three references to Dr. Mayra Rodriguez at the Hartford County Cooperative Extension Center (mayra.rodriguez_gonzalez@uconn.edu).  

For more information, refer to this posting by the CT Land Conservation Council regarding the position: (Statewide Project Coordinator – UConn Extension) or contact the UCONN Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator. 

Job Opportunity: DEEP Federal Grants Policy Advisor (Coming Soon)

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is excited to announce a forthcoming job opportunity for professionals passionate about being part of a team raising funds for environmental projects. DEEP will soon be seeking a Federal Grants Policy Advisor for a 2-year position, with the potential to extend to a 3rd year. The position will be based in Hartford, with the potential to work some of the time remotely.  

This role is central to enhancing DEEP’s capacity to successfully apply for federal grants, which generally benefit municipalities and community-based organizations directly or indirectly. The Federal Grants Policy Advisor will advise the Commissioner on grant-related opportunities and challenges, research successful grant programs of other state agencies, provide workshops or technical assistance to hone grant writing and reporting skills across DEEP’s bureaus, and highlight grant accomplishments to publicize. Familiarity with federal grant applications as well as requirements for compliance and reporting is strongly encouraged. 

For any inquiries, please contact Eric Hammerling via Eric.Hammerling@ct.gov.

Stay tuned for more details about this opportunity soon!

Seasonal Employment at DEEP

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has opened recruiting for our seasonal workforce, offering a wide range of positions, including many exciting entry-level roles in some of the most beautiful locations in the state! Your future post could entail helping conserve and maintain our state parks and forests, keeping our beaches safe, or rolling up your sleeves in various positions in boating, wildlife, fisheries, marine life, water monitoring, and more.

DEEP is committed to creating a work environment that is reflective of the diversity of our state and the communities we serve. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Seasonal positions are a great introduction to working at DEEP and a potential career in environmental work!

To learn more about the positions available, pay, and steps to get started, please visit our Seasonal Employment page.

Funding Opportunities

Image by Ron Lach

CT DEEP’s Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program - March 1, 2024 

CT DEEP is excited to announce a funding opportunity through the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund's (LWCF) Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP). This nationally competitive program can provide up to 50% matching for eligible projects, with awards ranging from $300,000 up to $15,000,000.

The goal of LWCF is to increase quality opportunities for outdoor recreation. It provides funding for recreational planning, acquisition of lands and waters, and facility development. This year, the eligibility for municipal applicants has been widened to municipalities over 30,000 in population, within disadvantaged census tracts per the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST).  

Eligible projects can include:

• Recreational planning
• Acquisition of lands and waters
• Facility development

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the final due date for submission to DEEP is March 1, 2024. For more details on eligibility requirements, selection criteria, and submission instructions, please refer to the Request for Proposals (RFP).

We encourage interested parties to reach out at their earliest opportunity to inform us of their intent to submit and begin a dialogue with CT DEEP to address any questions and ensure a high-quality application is created. For questions, contact Cameron Clegg via email at Cameron.Clegg@ct.gov.

Read the official announcement is posted on CT DEEP’s LWCF website (Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program (ct.gov); and on the CT Grants and Financial Assistance Page (Grant).

CT DECD’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Funding - March 1, 2024 

We’re excited to share an announcement from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development (OBRD). This includes:

• Municipal Grant Program - Remediation & Limited-Assessment (max. of $4 million)
• Municipal Grant Program - Assessment-Only (max. of $200K or $500K for Land Banks/COGS)
• Targeted Brownfield Development Loan Program (max. of $4 million)
• BAR Planning Grant Program (max. of $200K)

The total funding pool available for all Round 19/BAR Round 4 notices is $25 million. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, March 1, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. The tentative dates for award announcements are in May/June 2024.

For the latest updates and a tentative schedule of future rounds, visit the CT Brownfields website or sign up to join their mailing list.

CT DEEP is now accepting applications for Recreational Trails Grants! - March 11, 2024

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is now accepting proposals for the State’s Recreational Trails Program Grants. This is the largest funding round in the history of the program, with $10 million available to improve Connecticut’s trail infrastructure.

This grant program is open to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, state agencies, and tribal governments. It’s designed to support communities managing the increased usage of the more than 2,500 miles of multi-use trails and greenways across the state.

In 2022, DEEP revamped the application and scoring to create more equitable competition for projects connecting Environmental Justice communities to the outdoors. The updated application reviews whether proposed projects are in distressed municipalities, evaluates “community connections” enhanced by proposals, and ensures community engagement in the project planning process.

Applications for the Recreational Trails Program Grants will be accepted through March 11, 2024. This is a fantastic opportunity for our communities to improve our trails and outdoor spaces, making them even more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

For more details and to apply, visit the DEEP website.

DEEP also held a webinar on January 11, 2024 (Watch Recording Here) to provide an overview of the CT Recreational Trails Grant program and application. 

For further information, contact Kimberly Bradley, DEEP Recreational Trails & Greenways Program, at kimberly.bradley@ct.gov, or (860) 424-3938.

CT DEEP’s Urban Forest Equity Grant Program - April 17, 2024 

DEEP is pleased to announce the Urban Forest Equity Grant Program with support from the US Forest Service through the Inflation Reduction Act. This historic funding allocation is available to state and local government entities, federally recognized tribes, and non-profit organizations to support urban forestry projects that will increase equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide in disadvantaged communities throughout Connecticut. Awards are available for up to $200,000, and there is no match requirement. Potential projects include, but are not limited to: 

• Tree planting, stewardship, and maintenance 

• Forest planning and assessment 

• Education and outreach programs 

• Work force development 

• Invasive species management 

• Urban wood utilization 

• Extreme heat mitigation 

You can find more information on this opportunity, including the Request for Proposals and Application, here. Proposals are due on April 17, 2024. Contact DEEP.UCF.Grants@ct.gov for registration.

Potential applicants may also want to attend the Urban and Community Forestry Program's bi-weekly virtual office hours for ongoing guidance and project development support.

EPA’s Community Change Grants (Rolling Deadline) - November 21, 2024 

EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program aims to invest approximately $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to support environmental and climate justice initiatives benefiting disadvantaged communities. These projects focus on reducing pollution, enhancing community climate resilience, and building capacity to address environmental challenges. 

The Community Change Grants have several key objectives:

1. Addressing Environmental and Climate Challenges: These grants provide resources for community-driven projects that tackle environmental and climate challenges in communities disproportionately impacted by health issues, pollution, and environmental harm due to historical disinvestment.

2. Collaboration and Commitment: The program encourages cross-sectoral collaborations with partners who are deeply committed to working with and for communities facing environmental and climate justice concerns.

3. Unlocking Additional Resources: By investing in these grants, the EPA aims to unlock access to more significant resources from across the federal government and other sources to advance environmental and climate justice goals.

4. Empowering Communities: The grants aim to empower communities and strengthen their capacity to drive meaningful positive change on the ground for years to come.

5. Enhancing Community Participation: Through these grants, the EPA seeks to strengthen community participation in government decision-making processes that impact them. 

Although the final deadline for the Change Grants is November 21, 2024, there will be initial award announcements as soon as March 2024. If you would like to request technical assistance from the EPA about this grant opportunity, please apply here: Community Change Grants Technical Assistance Request Form | US EPA. This deadline will allow you to resubmit your application after a debriefing with the EPA, if your application is not initially successful. 

EPA's Community Change Grants Program is Seeking Grant Application Reviewers - Compensation Available! - November 21, 2024

The Community Change Grant Program will fund community-driven projects that address climate and pollution challenges while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. These grants will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs. Thus, this program is seeking reviewers from communities to evaluate these proposals. 

Individuals interested in serving as application reviewers should expect to dedicate approximately 10-15 hours per application reviewed. Reviewers may choose to request to serve during one review cycle or multiple ones. Non-federal reviewers will receive compensation through GrantSolutions for the time spent reviewing grant applications. Non-federal reviewers assigned to a review panel will receive up to $200 per application reviewed. It is expected that non-federal reviewers will be assigned no more than 10 applications to review. 

Compensation will be available for non-federal reviewers!  

All reviewers will be required to sign a conflict-of-interest statement prior to reviewing applications. 

Interested? Learn more here. 

Read more about this funding opportunity here: $2 billion Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 

Connect with DEEP

Sign up for DEEP’s Municipal Connections Newsletter

DEEP is excited to share that we have created a newsletter specifically designed for local governments. This Municipal Connections Newsletter is part of our broader effort to engage our municipal and Council of Governments (COG) partners more effectively.

Our dedicated team will serve as your point of contact, facilitating communication and raising awareness of municipal projects, funding opportunities, and regulatory information. This initiative is aimed at fostering a stronger connection between DEEP and local governments, ensuring that you have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information.

DEEP is committed to seeking meaningful feedback on our programs and fostering an exchange of information that will result in greater understanding, participation, and success in environmental outcomes for the people of Connecticut.

If you have any questions as we build out this municipal service, please write to us at DEEP.Concierge@ct.gov. If you are interested in receiving further municipal information from DEEP, please sign up here.

We look forward to strengthening our partnership with you.

Engage with DEEP on Social Media

Stay connected with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) through our various social media platforms. You'll find current news, information on energy efficiency, conservation of Connecticut's fish and wildlife species, and much more.

Here's where you can find us:

Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Click here to check out our Social Media at DEEP webpage to explore all the options and subscribe!

Additionally, you can click on the social links below to directly access a few of our channels. We encourage you to follow these accounts, engage with our posts, and share them with your network.

Let's spread the word about the important work being done in our community!