Developing Natural and Nature-Based Features Based on Engineering With Nature® (EWN) and Landscape Architecture Principles for Project Locations Identified within, or in close proximity to, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed | W81EWF 21 SOI 0020

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 21 SOI 0020

This funding opportunity (W81EWF 21 SOI 0020) is a Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cooperative agreement aimed at expanding the use of natural and nature-based features (NNBF) in and around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed using the Engineering With Nature (EWN) approach alongside landscape architecture (LA) principles. EWN is framed as a practical, collaborative method for aligning natural processes with engineered solutions so that infrastructure and environmental management efforts deliver multiple benefits at once, including economic value, environmental performance, and social or community outcomes. Within that umbrella, the solicitation distinguishes between natural features (systems that formed through long-term natural physical, biological, and chemical processes, such as existing wetlands) and nature-based features (human-designed and constructed interventions that mimic natural systems to provide comparable services, such as living shorelines or created wetlands).

The core purpose of the project is to select real-world locations within, or near, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and develop well-supported NNBF concepts that could restore, manage, or preserve those areas under current and future conditions. The Corps is seeking a partner institution in the Chesapeake Watershed region, with the expectation that the work will be collaborative and will include EWN researchers. The project is structured so that each year of funding focuses on one collaboratively chosen project location, and within each location the team may identify one or more specific project sites where NNBF or hybrid solutions could plausibly be placed. Year 1 is positioned as the foundational phase where the study framework is established and the initial site selection, data gathering, and concept development are completed; years 2 and 3, if funded, would build on that base to broaden the effort into a larger, more diverse portfolio of EWN collaborations and engagements.

The required Year 1 work is organized into three objectives. Objective 1 is about jointly identifying the project location(s) for analysis and compiling the best available information needed to make credible design and planning decisions. This includes characterizing regional physical landscape conditions using existing datasets (for example wave climate, geomorphology, topobathy/bathymetry and topography, habitat conditions, and relative sea level rise). It also includes a high-level inventory of cultural landscape resources such as historic landmarks, archaeological sites, and other features that shape the cultural importance of the area, plus documentation of current and projected visitation patterns to capture how people use the landscape today and how that use may change. In addition, the team is expected to collect and review existing reports and datasets relevant to climate adaptation in and around the project area, and to review recent scientific literature on sea level rise and marsh migration specific to the Chesapeake Bay context.

Objective 2 shifts from collection to interpretation. The team analyzes the assembled environmental and cultural data and documents relevant precedents that can inform design choices, with the explicit goal of narrowing down and prioritizing one or more project sites within the selected project location. This stage also emphasizes precedent research that is "innovative and inclusive," meaning the team should look for examples of NNBF concepts that are forward-looking while also considering broad stakeholder needs and human use. A key deliverable implied by this objective is an atlas-style set of outputs: maps and visual precedent studies that synthesize the analysis and help justify which NNBF strategies are most promising and should be carried forward into concept design.

Objective 3 is the concept development and communication phase. Working with the collaborative team, the partner institution develops up to three NNBF concepts and designs tailored to the selected project location. These concepts are expected to draw on both EWN and landscape architecture methods, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The solicitation explicitly mentions tools and methods such as physical and digital wave modeling, archival research, scenario planning, and design projection to depict how landscape concepts could function over time. Just as important as the technical work is the expectation that the concepts be communicated clearly and persuasively to stakeholders and the broader public, reflecting the EWN emphasis on collaboration and practical uptake rather than purely academic analysis.

The major Year 1 deliverables culminate in a report that documents the selected project location and summarizes the EWN strategies and NNBF options that were identified, evaluated, and ultimately recommended. The report is also expected to be candid about the limits of the concepts (what they can and cannot do), and to discuss the likely effects or implications of implementing NNBF strategies, both for the specific Chesapeake Bay sites studied and for broader application in similar settings. Alongside the written report, the project must produce landscape architecture drawings and renderings that visually illustrate the NNBF and EWN strategies considered, and these visuals are to be shared with EWN leadership at the end of the study.

In terms of what makes an applicant competitive, the opportunity signals a preference for teams with demonstrated experience in EWN or closely related practice, natural infrastructure design and siting, and the development and implementation of nature-based strategies and NNBF. It also highlights the value of integrating human-use benefits into infrastructure planning (not treating recreation, access, or community value as afterthoughts) and calls out technical and planning capacities such as wave modeling (physical and digital), archival and cultural landscape research, scenario planning, and strong design visualization skills. Administratively, the award is offered as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 12.630, with one expected award and an award ceiling of $180,000, originally posted June 8, 2021 with an original closing date of July 29, 2021.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing Natural and Nature-Based Features Based on Engineering With Nature® (EWN) and Landscape Architecture Principles for Project Locations Identified within, or in close proximity to, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 08, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $180,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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