The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Tuesday 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, nearly $2.5 million in Pennsylvania.

Among a myriad of other benefits of the 41 projects, these efforts will engage 9,000 volunteers in restoration work, restore 176 miles of streamside forests, restore 158 acres of wetlands, and establish 170,000 square feet of green roofs and rain gardens.

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 Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund is a model, public-private partnership that has demonstrated its ability over time to achieve measurable and significant on-the-ground conservation results that benefit fish, wildlife and the communities of the Chesapeake,” said David O’Neill, Director of the Eastern Partnership Office at NFWF. “Through these grants, diverse agencies led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, pool resources with private funding from  Altria, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, FedEx and others to make smart and cost-effective investments that directly benefit the Bay and its rivers.”

The Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program (INSR), funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), awarded $6.8 million to 21 projects in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with recipients providing $10.1 million in matching funds. 

The INSR Program provides grants to innovative and cost-effective projects that dramatically reduce or eliminate the flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution into local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Many awardees seek to manage the amount of nutrient runoff from livestock, dairy, and crop farms by conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to farmers.

The Pennsylvania projects include--

-- The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Inc. ($200,000) will initiate a campaign in Franklin County to increase riparian tree planting in rural and urban areas and convert turf to trees on private property. The project will restore 6,400 feet of streamside buffer.

-- The City of Lancaster, Pa. ($500,000) will  pilot an innovative business model to privately finance urban stormwater retrofits, accelerating implementation and improving cost-effectiveness of stormwater retrofits on private land.

-- The Stroud Water Research Center ($500,000) will accelerate streamside buffer protection under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The project will use an innovative strategy to leverage farmers' interests in other conservation practices.

-- The Stroud Water Research Center ($200,000) will  evaluate cost-effectiveness of methods for forest buffer restoration. The project will demonstrate alternatives to planting seedlings, such as natural regeneration, direct seeding and live staking.

-- The Pennsylvania State University ($378,100)  will accelerate riparian buffer and green infrastructure restoration through an innovative public/private partnership that will engage private consultants and residents to sustain projects.

-- The Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, Inc. ($79,600) will improve the long-term success of riparian buffer projects on farmland. This project will test an innovative approach to buffer maintenance, working with landowners and private landscapers in Franklin County.

-- The  Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc. ($200,000) will  provide outreach and technical assistance to accelerate first-time enrollment of new riparian buffers through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The project will create 368 acres of forest buffers and restore 57 acres of wetlands.

-- The  Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Inc. ($69,800) will  restore 600 feet of eroding stream bank along Spring Creek, reducing  upstream runoff, establishing  1.5 acres of buffer and improving water quality and fish habitat in this cold water system.

-- The Nature Conservancy  ($161,200) will implement conservation practices that will improve water quality and brook trout habitat in the Juniata, Lower Susquehanna, and Potomac River watersheds by planting  six miles of forested riparian buffers, establishing eight acres of early successional forest habitat, and restoring 15 acres of wetlands.

-- Trout Unlimited, Inc. ($191,700) will improve eastern brook trout populations and habitat in the Kettle Creek watershed by strategically implementing stream corridor restoration projects and reducing runoff from dirt and gravel roads.

9/3/2012