On October 10, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced nearly $12.7 million in grants to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in six U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
There were 15 projects totalling $4.4 million awarded that will benefit Pennsylvania.
The 47 grants will generate nearly $21 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $33.5 million.
The grants were awarded through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, a partnership between NFWF and the EPA’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program and Small Watershed Grants Program.
Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Altria Group Restoring America’s Resources partnership.
Pennsylvania Grants
There were 12 grants awarded in Pennsylvania totalling $3.1 million--
-- Chiques-Conoy-Conewago Regional Partnership: Outreach and Implementation with Priority Farmers, Penn State University, $955,282 Grant, $955,289 Match, Total: $1,950,571. Accelerate improved agriculture management in the lower Susquehanna River region through the implementation of 75 acres of forested riparian buffers, 1,360 acres with soil health practices, and 7,500 feet of stream restoration. Project will improve existing restoration data and analysis tools to prioritize work based on aquatic habitat impairment and engage farmers in Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin counties through a strategic team of outreach and technical assistance.
-- Expanding Soil Health Through Partnership, Better Coordination, and Increased Practice Adoption, Stroud Water Research Center, $999,318 Grant, $1,878,019 Match, Total: $2,877,337. Expand soil health outreach to assist 75 farmers implement rotational grazing on more than 860 acres and 12,000 acres of new cover crops and/or no-till practices. Project will reach an estimated 4,500 farmers through grazing advisors and farmer-led, peer-to-peer soil health hubs throughout Pennsylvania, and will further employ applied research to develop a better understanding on the benefits of soil health practices to runoff, productivity and farm management.
-- Accelerating and Converting Marginal Cropland to Forested Buffers, Stroud Water Research Center, $199,528 Grant, $700,000 Match, Total: $899,528. Convert near-stream marginal cropland to forested buffers, implement soil health best management practices and advanced nutrient management, and accelerate forested buffer implementation. Project will build on the Stroud Water Research Center’s Farm Stewardship Program and adapt it for use by crop farmers to improve profitability and environmental performance.
-- Maximizing Water Quality Benefits on School Campuses in Lancaster, City of Lancaster $176,000 Grant, $90,000 Match, Total: $266,000. Create a master plan of urban nutrient management at 19 campuses owned and maintained by the School District of Lancaster and implement a pollinator garden, seeded meadow, no-mow zone, and a basin retrofit at Hamilton Elementary and a native meadow planted at Elizabeth R. Martin School. Project will determine how property maintenance and landscape techniques can be improved to maximize water quality benefits while balancing aesthetics, maintenance requirements, and needs of the school district.
-- Cocalico Creek Watershed Farmer Engagement for Conservation, Cocalico Creek Watershed Association, $199,350 Grant, $909,087 Match, Total: $1,108,437. Assist seven townships in collaboration with their farm community to achieve significant water quality improvements for local streams through farmer meetings and farm visits. Project will increase planning and implementation of barnyard improvements, riparian forested buffers, and manure storage to manage agricultural runoff, maximizing designs and applications to funding from state and other agencies for project completion.
-- Riparian Restoration and Buffer Establishment in the Susquehanna River West Branch, Western PA Conservancy, $158,755 Grant, $57,959 Match, Total: $216,714. Restore 20 acres of riparian habitat and expand local community riparian knowledge. Project will facilitate partner collaboration on reaching out to landowners with degraded riparian areas, leading to increased planting of new riparian acres and post planting establishment, monitoring and stewardship development.
-- Pennsylvania Lawn Conversion Program, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, $200,000 Grant, $112,800 Match, Total: $312,742. Convert 60 pilot acres with urban forest planting and conservation landscaping best management practices. Project will develop a Lawn Conversion Program in Pennsylvania that can be carried and expanded by the commonwealth through the year 2025 through training practitioners, generating outreach materials, and starting an advisory committee to pilot implementation in south-central Pennsylvania.
-- Detailing and Designing Green Infrastructure in Liberty Hollow Run, Borough of Northumberland, $50,000 Grant, $1,234 Match, Total: $51,234. Conduct site analysis, design and public outreach to create twelve design documents, three community program plans, and an outreach report for Liberty Hollow Run. Project will advance formal action plans for rain barrels, disconnected downspouts, and tree planting programs while ensuring high community participation.
-- Good Spring Creek Watershed Restoration Plan, Clauser Environmental, $49,500 Grant, $8,000 Match, Total: $57,500. Develop a watershed restoration plan for the Good Spring Creek Watershed in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The plan will fill critical gaps in the identification and prioritization of projects scheduled to be the next phase of a regional watershed restoration and construction initiative.
-- Accelerating Acquisition of Conservation and Manure Management Plans in Paradise Township, Lancaster Farmland Trust, Total: $49,606. Collaborate with Paradise Township to accelerate the acquisition of conservation and manure management plans for local farms by utilizing successful outreach strategies to position farmers for the implementation of agricultural best management practices. Project will set the stage for large-scale nutrient and sediment reductions in the Pequea Creek Watershed and help fulfill the Town’s commitment to achieve 100-percent conservation plan compliance.
-- Updating the Lititz Run Watershed Action Plan and Watershed-Based Permit, Lititz Run Watershed Alliance, $49,960 Grant, $39,208 Match, Total: $89,168. Update the Lititz Run Watershed Action Plan and include a framework for a more comprehensive method of determining current water resource conditions in the watershed while incorporating local citizen and government input with the establishment of a watershed-based permit. Project will protect the Cold Water Fishery Existing Use classification achieved for Lititz Run, self-propagating aquatic life observed, and improved water quality and flooding conditions.
-- Correctional Vocational Training: Increasing the Workforce for Buffer Planting and Maintenance, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, $50,000 Grant, $45,000 Match, Total: $95,000. Increase available private riparian forest buffer contractors available to conduct riparian forest buffer planting and maintenance through a correctional vocational training program, establishment of a workforce pipeline, and on- the-ground conservation projects. Project will increase the survivability rate of riparian forest buffers and expand buffer maintenance options to increase implementation of forested buffers.
Multi-State Grants That Benefit Pennsylvania
There were 3 projects awarded that will benefit Pennsylvania, as well as other states, totalling $1.3 million--
-- Accelerating Wetland Restoration Through Partnerships and Landowner Engagement (DE, MD, PA, VA), The Nature Conservancy, $965,852 Grant, $2,573,427 Match, Total: $3,539,279. Accelerate water quality and black duck habitat improvements through strengthened partnerships to advance wetland and stream restoration in priority regions and identification of landowner priorities and constraints to guide restoration outreach and opportunities. Project will leverage existing partnerships and expertise and add needed capacity to further foster watershed-wide collaboration to restore, enhance and protect a network of habitats to improve water quality.
-- Expanding Engagement in the Upper Susquehanna Coalition Buffer Program (NY, PA), Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District of New York, $200,000 Grant, $66,000 Match, Total: $266,000. Expand and engage new partners and populations in the Upper Susquehanna Coalition Buffer Program. Project will build outreach opportunities and engage populations that have yet to be engaged in pilot projects incorporating riparian restoration, livestock exclusion, agricultural land retirement, green infrastructure and natural stream corridor restoration.
-- Nestle Agriculture and Dairy Conservation Initiative (MD, PA, VA), Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, $200,000 Grant, $120,000 Match, Total: $320,000. Pilot the planning and implementation of agriculture conservation practices with six Nestle farmers to build
a model to scale implementation to the entire 900 farms that supply milk to the company in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Project will lay the ground work for building a watershed-wide conservation program to support the farmers that supply to Nestle.
For more information on this program, visit the NFWF Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund webpage.
[For more information on Pennsylvania’s efforts to reduce water pollution going to the Bay visit DEP’s PA Chesapeake Bay Plan webpage.]
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[Posted: October 10, 2019] www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com
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