The following table lists the Eco-Logical grant recipients, the performance period, amount of funding received, and project descriptions.
Table 7. 2007 Eco-Logical Program MPO grant recipients and project information.
| Grant Recipient |
Performance Period |
Funding |
Project Description |
| Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) |
3/2008–5/2010 |
$113,882 |
CAPCOG created a “greenprint” for the central Texas region to help planners and transportation agencies plan for future growth. With input from regional and local stakeholder groups, CAPCOG’s Greenprint for Growth plan prioritized the protection of water quality, ecological resources, farm and ranch lands, recreational and cultural resources, and scenic corridors.(62,63) |
| Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) |
3/2008–6/2010 |
$100,000 |
H-GAC created a GIS-based product to identify environmental resource priority areas and allow transportation planners to consider environmental impacts in the project prioritization process. Since completing the project, H-GAC developed several mechanisms to promote local government and NGO use of the tool within the region, including a brochure for local governments, an interactive website, and a smartphone application.(64,55,65) |
| Land-of-Sky Regional Council (LOSRC) |
3/2008–3/2010 |
$104,000 |
LOSRC developed a green infrastructure framework to identify priority ecological resources and areas suited for future development in a four-county region of Western North Carolina. LOSRC created several publicly available resource maps and datasets that addressed water quality, agricultural suitability, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity.(56) The agency used the data in resource assessments that were incorporated into its LRTP and developed possible future scenarios related to economic growth and land development patterns.(56,66) |
| MARC |
3/2008–3/2010 |
$90,000 |
MARC developed an action plan with the goals of formalizing collaboration with regional partners, creating a regional mitigation strategy, and aligning transportation decisionmaking with a regional sustainability vision, which was later integrated into its 2040 LRTP for the Greater Kansas City region.(3) MARC revised project selection criteria for the agency’s planning and programming processes to include environmental considerations.(67) |
| NCTCOG |
5/2008–6/2011 |
$188,750 |
NCTCOG developed an REF to help agencies assess environmental impacts of proposed infrastructure projects and to enhance multi-agency understanding of critical resource protection areas. NCTCOG analyzed and aggregated GIS data developed by USEPA Region 6’s Eco-Logical grant project to the sub-watershed level for the entire metropolitan planning area.(68) As a result of the data and analysis capabilities in the REF, NCTCOG was able to devote a chapter of its 2011 Metropolitan Transportation Plan to environmental considerations.(69) The products of NCTCOG’s grant project supported the agency’s IAP Lead Adopter project, through which the agency updated and applied the REF.(34,70) |
| TJPDC |
5/2008–5/2011 |
$77,833 |
TJPDC developed a green infrastructure plan that integrated transportation, development, and natural resource plans in the five-county planning district.(71) TJPDC developed two GIS-based methodologies to help transportation planners prioritize mitigation projects for streams and wetlands.(72) TJPDC also created a Least Environmental Cost Analysis framework to use in developing alternatives in construction projects. CA-MPO, which is located within TJPDC, used data from the framework to establish a weighted ranking system for evaluating the impacts of the proposed project alternatives on ecosystem and recreation resources connected to the Rivanna River watershed as part of its IAP Lead Adopter project.(73,74) |
| Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) |
4/2008–4/2010 |
$109,447 |
TCRPC developed strategies for improving the sustainability of the transportation system with respect to ecosystems in the Peoria, IL, region. The strategies included regional priorities for land use and infrastructure development, policy concepts, GIS-based scenario planning models, and technical implementation focused on five themes: agricultural preservation, balanced growth, economic development, environmental stewardship, and transportation infrastructure. TCRPC’s grant project helped it move forward in establishing a collaborative culture across jurisdictions and disciplines and involving a broader range of stakeholders in the planning process.(75) |
Table 9. 2007 Eco-Logical Program other agency grant recipients and project information.
| Grant Recipient |
Performance Period |
Funding |
Project Description |
| Chicago Department of Transportation |
8/2008–11/2010 |
$73,313 |
The Chicago Department of Transportation Eco-Logical Grant Program project supported outreach and education activities related to the agency’s construction of a sustainable streetscape pilot in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, IL, using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles and featuring sustainable elements such as stormwater catchments and solar-powered streetlights.(78) The project resulted in the creation of a sustainable design manual, a series of educational kiosks, and other products that inform regional governments and the public about the benefits of sustainable infrastructure investment.(79,80) |
| Envision Utah |
6/2008–6/2009 |
$85,000 |
The project team, coordinated by the public-private partnership Envision Utah, produced the Blueprint Jordan River vision document to guide development and restoration along the Jordan River.(81) Envision Utah helped Salt Lake County establish the Jordan River Commission, which oversees implementation of the Blueprint’s vision. Envision Utah has also integrated Eco-Logical principles into other projects, such as Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow, which addresses transportation challenges and environmental impacts unique to the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains.(82) |
| New Hampshire Audubon (NHA) |
9/2008–4/2010 |
$24,464 |
NHA developed a GIS-based wildlife connectivity framework to integrate transportation and land-use planning by evaluating the impact of transportation projects on wildlife species. NHA and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department convened an interagency working group that developed an impact assessment framework that rated the resistance for 16 wildlife species by measuring how natural and unnatural barriers impacted the species’ abilities to move across the landscape. MPOs and Regional Planning Associations can use this framework for environmental screening of transportation projects before they submit their projects to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT).(83) |
| North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) |
4/2008–4/2010 |
$136,689 |
NCDENR identified high-priority, unfragmented wildlife habitats in North Carolina to help enhance the State Wildlife Action Plan and other conservation efforts.(84) The data developed during this project were included in the North Carolina Conservation Planning Tool (CPT), which is a statewide tool used by a variety of Government agencies, regional councils of governments, conservation organizations, and other partners to inform planning and decisionmaking for land use, conservation, watershed, parks and recreation, and transportation projects.(85,86) |
| OSU |
6/2008–2/2010 |
$49,962 |
OSU used its Eco-Logical grant to identify Oregon’s conservation priority areas and to consolidate disparate data from different regions of the State into an online REF tool. The REF helps agencies throughout the State plan conservation efforts associated with transportation projects. As a result of the project, the Oregon Department of Transportation and other State agencies have been working to integrate the Eco-Logical approach into streamlining communications and project reviews between environmental and transportation agencies.(58) |
| Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District (TCSWCD) |
3/2008–12/2012 |
$112,490 |
TCSWCD worked with the FHWA New York Division Office and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) staff to develop an REF of the county’s watersheds. The project team assisted in developing an in-lieu fee (ILF) program in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin. In 2012, TCSWCD completed the first version of an online mapping tool for its REF and drafted a report on the project, which details conservation opportunities for a range of keystone species within the Susquehanna Basin.(87) The report and the REF enable environmental planners at NYSDOT to consider habitats that may otherwise fall outside the scope of the transportation planning process. As a result of this project, transportation agencies such as NYSDOT can manage and fund one collective mitigation site for multiple transportation projects by purchasing credits for a transportation project and then selecting a high-priority mitigation site, as identified in the REF, to mitigate impacts from several different transportation projects. |
| USEPA Region 6 |
5/2008–4/2011 |
$100,000 |
USEPA Region 6 developed a Regional Ecological Assessment Protocol (REAP) that uses GIS analysis to classify land on the basis of its ecological significance. This project expanded upon the Texas Ecological Assessment Protocol, which collected and analyzed data for the State of Texas.(88) The REAP now includes all five States in Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas). All MPOs in those States have access to the REAP, and USEPA reports that planners have used the REAP to identify potential impacts of and mitigation for transportation projects in early planning.(88) |
Table 10. 2013 SHRP2 IAP lead adopter recipients and project information.
| 2013 SHRP2 IAP Recipient |
Performance Period |
Funding |
Project Description |
| ARC |
6/2013–12/2015 |
$250,000 |
ARC developed and implemented an REF and created a strategic framework for the Proctor Creek Environmental District (PCED)―a key watershed in the Atlanta, GA, metropolitan area―to expand the types of ecological and economic data used for prioritizing new transportation projects.(5) |
| CA-MPO |
6/2013–10/2015 |
$250,000 |
CA-MPO tested the application of an existing REF in transportation projects and conservation prioritization throughout its region in Virginia.(5) |
| NCTCOG |
7/2013–12/2015 |
$224,000 |
NCTCOG updated its REF to build a priority sub-watershed map and identify focus areas for potential mitigation and enhancement. NCTCOG then applied the REF to a pilot corridor feasibility study and implemented a pilot regional shared mitigation program.(89,5) |
| PPACOG |
6/2013–7/2015 |
$218,000 |
PPACG established an Integrated Regional Mitigation Plan to improve mitigation projects in the Pikes Peak area and apply it to project evaluation in its regional transportation plan.(5) |
| Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) |
6/2013–3/2016 |
$250,000 |
ITD worked with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) to improve data delivery and data-sharing via the IPLAN portal.(90,5) |
| MaineDOT |
6/2013–3/2016 |
$250,000 |
MaineDOT applied its REF to categorical exclusion (CE) projects, including gap analysis, procedural changes, preferred construction practices, and programmatic agreements.(5) |
| MDOT |
6/2013–9/2015 |
$250,000 |
MDOT implemented the Integrated Ecosystem Framework steps in the I-75 corridor in the southeast Michigan/Lake Erie coastal zone.(5) |
Table 11. 2013 SHRP IAP2 user incentives recipients and project information.
| 2013 SHRP2 IAP Recipient |
Performance Period |
Funding |
Project Description |
| Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) |
6/2013–7/2014 |
$25,000 |
AMBAG gathered transportation and natural resource data and developed a new REF.(5) |
| OKICOG |
6/2013–6/2014 |
$24,992 |
OKICOG integrated and mapped data from three State natural heritage databases with its regionally significant environmental resource data to inform the OKI Regional LRTP.(91,92,5) |
| SCAG |
6/2013–1/2015 |
$25,000 |
SCAG developed a regional open space database and an assessment methodology to identify important areas for conservation.(57,5) |
| Caltrans |
7/2013–12/2015 |
$25,000 |
Caltrans expanded its Highway 89 Stewardship Team to address animal/vehicle collisions through mentoring new groups and providing training and technical assistance.(5) |
| ITD |
6/2013–3/2016 |
$25,000 |
ITD updated and revised a current MOU with IDFG to improve data delivery and data sharing.(93,5) |
| MoDOT |
6/2013–9/2015 |
$25,000 |
MoDOT worked with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to identify and incorporate new information, technologies, and best management practices (BMPs) that will be used to update the Missouri Natural Heritage Review website to provide better applications for transportation planning and deliver enhanced benefits for natural resources.(94,5) |
| NHDOT |
6/2013–6/2015 |
$24,997 |
NHDOT, in partnership with the New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, implemented a pilot project to assess wetlands impacted by roadway projects using a standardized wetland assessment methodology called an Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) and comparing the EIA to its currently used wetland assessment method, the USACE Highway Methodology.(95,96,5) |
