Natural Lands Trust, the Chester County Association of Township Officials and the Montgomery County Association of Township Officials put out the call for nominations for the Growing Greener Communities Award which honors conservation-minded accomplishments by townships in Chester and Montgomery Counties.
Nominations must be received by January 2 for Montgomery County municipalities, and January 15 for Chester County municipalities.
The Natural Lands Trust Growing Greener Communities Award was developed in 2013 to recognize municipalities that have engaged in dynamic initiatives to save land, steward natural resources, and/or connect people to nature.
“Montgomery and Chester Counties’ communities have been true leaders in open space preservation, smart growth, and sustainable environmental policy,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands Trust. “We believe it’s important to recognize the excellent work happening at the township level and celebrate the dedicated officials, staff, and volunteers who make it possible.”
Last year, East Bradford Township, Chester County, received the inaugural Growing Greener Communities Award in recognition of the municipality’s most recent conservation achievements, which include securing conservation easements on more than 80 acres of Township land, galvanizing a volunteer effort to plant 750 trees, and constructing more than two miles of trails.
This year, the Growing Greener Communities Award expands to Montgomery County. “We are pleased to partner with Natural Lands Trust on this award program, and hope that it serves to encourage and promote continued forward-thinking projects and planning within the County,” said Daniel Littley, president of MCATO.
Examples of qualifying projects include:
-- Dynamic utilization of open space, such as a community garden or multi-use trail;
-- Efforts to care for land and water, such as a stream cleanup, riparian buffer planting, meadow naturalization, or environmentally sensitive stormwater management; and
-- Progressive, conservation-minded planning, such as ordinances that preserve community green space or improve commercial corridors with shade trees and other greening elements.
The awards will be presented at the spring MCATO and CCATO conferences on February 27 and March 12, respectively.
Details on the award program and nomination forms can be found on Natural Lands Trust’s Growing Greener Communities Award webpage or by calling 610-353-5587 ext. 267.