Share Your Ideas

Do you have an idea for a restoration project in the Cape Ann region (Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, or Manchester, MA) that would benefit aquatic habitat or ecosystems in and around Gloucester Harbor? The Natural Resource Trustees for the Gloucester Gas Light Company site are interested in hearing from you. You can use the following link to provide the Trustees information about one or more projects you wish to have considered. 

Click here to Submit a Project

A wide range of projects will be considered, including wetland and salt marsh restoration, stream habitat restoration, culvert replacement, dam removal, shellfish and eelgrass restoration, stormwater management, and land protection projects. When evaluating projects, Trustees consider proximity to the injured resources along with a variety of other factors such as cost effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability. The Trustees intend to fund projects in Gloucester and potentially the surrounding communities of Rockport, Essex, and Manchester.

Restoration activities are complementary to cleanup, and will focus on restoring or improving ecological function in tidal, riverine, and upland habitats. The Trustees’ goals are to restore and maintain the Cape Ann area’s ecosystem similar to its structure and function before degradation. 

Your submission will be entered into our database and reviewed as part of the development of the restoration plan. Suggested projects will be evaluated by the Trustees for potential incorporation into the restoration plan that will be subject to public review and comment. 

After you’ve successfully submitted your information, you’ll receive a confirmation number. Please keep that number for your records. The due date for submitting your project restoration ideas is Thursday, December 19th, 2024. 

Only one attachment can be provided through the portal with a maximum size of 20 MB. If you would like to submit additional supplemental documents, please email them to nmfs.gar.gloucestergasnrd@noaa.gov. Be sure to reference your project’s name and confirmation number in your email. 

If you are having problems with the online portal, you may instead request a project idea submission form PDF by emailing nmfs.gar.gloucestergasnrd@noaa.gov. Once the form is completed, it can be sent to the same email address or mailed to:

• NOAA Restoration Center
  RE: Gloucester Gas Light Solicitation ℅ Eric Hutchins
  55 Great Republic Drive
  Gloucester, MA 01930

View submitted projects that meet our posting guidelines.​

Submission Guidelines

Please note that your project suggestion and any associated attachments may be posted online. The information you submit will be retained as part of the Administrative Record for the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. 

Many types of projects that benefit fish and wildlife of Gloucester Harbor will be considered. These include, but are not limited to the following types:

• Instream habitat restoration through adding natural structure and reducing channelization
• Stream bank restoration and increasing floodplain habitat areas
• Removing barriers to fish passage in streams from undersized culverts and dams
• Enhancing native plant species and controlling invasive species
• Preserving, enhancing, or restoring riparian and wetland habitats
• Restoring habitat that also benefits recreational uses like fishing, wildlife viewing, or others 
• Restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation such as eelgrass.
• Restoration of shellfish and their habitats.
• Land protection that is associated with protection and restoration of coastal marine habitat. 

Types of restoration that will not be considered include:  

• Projects located outside of the municipalities of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex or Manchester, MA
• Projects that do not benefit injured resources 
• Projects that do not restore natural ecosystem processes (e.g., preferential use of hard armoring over soft engineering technology, which can limit riparian habitat, alter hydrologic and temperature regimes, affect sediment transport, and impact human use)  
• Projects that are solely focused on recreational uses and do not include ecological benefits
• Projects that are otherwise required by statute, regulation, court-order, or other regulatory requirements

Project submissions will be screened in advance of being posted online. All projects and attachments will be reviewed based on the guidelines listed below and posted (or not) following that review. Project suggestions that contain unacceptable content will not be edited; those projects will simply not be posted. Your project suggestion–including your name and contact information, if included–may be made publicly available at any time. 

Also, supporting documents, links, etc. are welcome as long as they are pertinent to the restoration project suggestion. However, the appearance of external links, advertisements, political opinions, or other comments do not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Please note that content will be screened and will NOT be posted if it:

• Contains vulgar language or material, personal attacks of any kind, threats, obscenity, or offensive terms
• Promotes services or products (non-commercial links that are relevant to the comment are acceptable)
• Is far off-topic (i.e., not within the scope of the NRDA)
• Makes unsupported accusations