The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Wednesday announced the recipients of $9.2 million in grants for restoration and outreach initiatives in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed’s six states and the District of Columbia, including $1.6 million in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania projects are:
— Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Inc. ($285,802) will accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and stormwater Best Management Practices in Blair County. The project will result in a list of Green Infrastructure Priority Sites for the county and will identify at least one critical project site for each of the 13 MS4 communities in which to incorporate green infrastructure and stormwater BMPs.
— The ClearWater Conservancy of Central Pennsylvania ($300,000) will expand the Riparian Conservation Program to improve water quality and restore forest, riparian, and instream habitats in six watersheds through substantial partner and volunteer involvement.
— Blair County Conservation District ($421,424) will work with MS4 municipalities in Blair County to develop and implement watershed restoration plans to improve water quality in the headwaters of the Juniata River.
— Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc. ($200,000) will demonstrate practical and effective solutions for reducing nutrient and sediment pollution from agriculture operations in the north-central Pennsylvania portion of the Susquehanna River watershed by linking forest buffer implementation with other comprehensive BMP approaches.
— Western Pennsylvania Conservancy ($105,000) will identify the potential, most “at risk” wild trout streams in Pennsylvania. This initiative will sample 3,000 unassessed waters over the next five years, add appropriate, newly-sampled waters to PFBC's Listing of Streams Supporting Natural Reproduction of Trout, and educate the public and promote the project through outreach.
— Mifflin County Conservation District ($102,237) will improve targeted outreach to underserved farming communities in the Juniata River Basin, including the Plain Sect community, who may not participate in State and Federal cost-share programs.
— The Trust for Tomorrow ($200,000) will restore 50 acres of wetlands through two projects, restoration of 3,720 linear feet of stream and 14 acres of riparian buffer, along Polar Run, an important native trout fishery and a Juniata River tributary.
— Fish and Boat Commission ($80,000) will work to restore fish passage in Chickies Creek, located just upstream from its confluence with the Susquehanna River and approximately 45 miles from the Chesapeake Bay.
This year’s 40 projects will use both innovative and well-known ways to create cleaner waters, restore habitat and strengthen iconic species such as brook trout and oysters, and engage homeowners and residents in environmental work supporting their community’s quality of life.
The funding for these environmental initiatives was awarded through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund via the Small Watershed Grants Program and the Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program, both of which are administered by NFWF.
The complete list of grants awarded is available online.
