NFWF Announces $11.5 Million In Conservation Grants To Restore Delaware Watershed; PA Grants Total $4.5 Million

On September 20, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced the award of 41 grants totaling nearly $11.5 million to clean up and restore polluted waters, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and increase access to nature throughout the Delaware River watershed. 

Grantee organizations have committed more than $13.5 million in match, for a total conservation impact of about $25 million. 

Pennsylvania will benefit from 16 grants totaling nearly $4.5 million.

“These 41 projects announced today will help ensure a healthier, cleaner, and more resilient future for the Delaware River watershed and the diverse species that depend on it,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.

“From coastal marshes to mountains, the Delaware River watershed encompasses diverse landscapes and communities,” said Wendi Weber, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North Atlantic-Appalachian Regional Director. “The projects and partnerships supported by these grants will conserve and sustain these lands and waters, as well as the people and wildlife who depend on them, for generations to come.”

“The Delaware River Watershed is an interconnected system that needs unified efforts to ensure its health and resilience,” said Stuart Clarke, Watershed Protection Program Director at the William Penn Foundation. “It is broad collaborations and partnerships like the Delaware River Restoration Fund that lead to success in land restoration efforts. We are pleased to support these smart, cooperative, and strategic projects to protect the watershed.”

PA Grants

Grants awarded in Pennsylvania include--

-- Wildlands Conservancy: Dam removal and stream bank restoration in Durham Township, Lehigh County -   $105,000;

-- Wildlands Conservancy: Stream restoration in the Mud Run Watershed - $75,113;

-- Glenolden Borough, Delaware County: Improving wildlife and aquatic habitats in Glenolden Community Park - $175,000;

-- Brandywine Conservancy: Hoffman's Mill Dam removal - $151,723;

-- Brandywine Red Clay Alliance: Developing a watershed restoration plan for the Lower West Branch Red Clay Creek Watershed - $78,502;

-- Ducks Unlimited: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Henderson Marsh Restoration - $750,000;

-- University Of Pittsburgh: Automated acoustic monitoring of focal bird species in Delaware River Watershed - $162,194;

-- White Clay Watershed Association: Development of targeted watershed assessment report and restoration plan in Avondale Borough - $75,000;

-- American Rivers: Paper mill dam removal and restoration - $154,314;

-- John Bartram Association: A riverfront classroom on the Schuylkill River - Community engagement in Southwest Philadelphia - $250,000;

-- Partnership for the Delaware Estuary: Developing propagation and rearing methods for freshwater mussels in the Lower Delaware River Basin - $164,002;

-- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University: Assessment of Northern Snakehead feeding in the Delaware River Estuary - $75,046;

-- Fish & Boat Commission: Improving public access and recreation in the PA portion of the Delaware River - $400,000;

-- National Audubon Society: Philadelphia Pollinator Project - Working at the intersection of community and conservation - $460,809;

-- American Bird Conservancy: Restoring dynamic forest structure for priority birds in the Delaware River Watershed - Phase V - $749,999; and

-- Delaware River Basin Commission: Water management studies to inform basin-wide resource planning - $499,126.

Click Here for a complete list of grants awarded and a description of each project.

“We’re thankful to our Congressional champions and thrilled to see that our advocacy for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program continues to translate to on-the-ground dollars for restoration and conservation throughout the Delaware River Basin.” said Kelly Knutson, Interim Director of The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. “The science is clear. Climate change is here and this round of funded projects will go a long way to improving water quality and protecting our communities against flooding. Today’s announcement of forty-one projects will continue to build a lasting impact of protecting our land and water resources across the region.” 

On behalf of Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) and the Delaware Estuary Program, Kathy Klein, Executive Director of PDE said "we are thrilled to see the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund growing and supporting so many meaningful projects in the Delaware River Watershed. These projects support the Estuary Program's themes of clean waters, healthy habitats and strong communities and are helping to achieve the goals of the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan to make watershed improvements to benefit millions of people who live, work, and play in the region."

Visit the NFWF Delaware River Program webpage for more information on this program

[Posted: September 20, 2021]  PA Environment Digest