The Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation Landscape Initiative Wednesday announced the recipients of its 2016 Mini-Grants. 

A total of over $56,000 in grants were awarded to fund projects in Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne Counties that support the Conservation Landscape’s goals of conservation, connections, and community.

The grants went to--

-- Anthracite Scenic Trails Association: A $10,000 grant will support a project to complete a required archaeology study for an extension of the Back Mountain Trail. The study is necessary in order to provide a bid package for letting under the Transportation Alternative Program (TAP). This trail will extend the Back Mountain Trail by about 2,700 feet.

-- Borough of Forty Fort & Kingston: Prepared the Forty Fort & Kingston Trail Gap Feasibility Study. This is a planning study that will look at several alternative alignments to close a 1.25-mile trail gap and keep bicyclists and walkers close to the river.

-- Buck Hill Conservation Foundation: A $5,000 grants will help mprove existing trails, install signage, and design an educational trail map for the 479-acre Chestnut Mountain open space property.

-- Carbon County: A $10,000 grant will support the development of a Master Site Development Plan for the area consisting of the Carbon County parking lot adjacent to the Lehigh River to connect the D&L Trail from the northern trailhead to the new pedestrian bridge south of the Carbon County parking lot.

-- Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership: A $3,000 grant will help continue the development of a riparian buffer along the Greater Hazleton Rail Trail by planting trees, as well as addressing the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid disease that is attacking the hemlock trees in the trail picnic grove.

-- Lacawac Sanctuary & Field Station: A $3,050 grant will help install Quick Response (QR) Codes along the trails at the Lacawac Sanctuary to educate hikers and visitors about the outdoors and our natural and cultural heritage. The codes will provide users with the latest trail information, topographical maps, natural, cultural and historical information, biological and ecological information, and short videos of trail and natural features.

-- Lackawanna College: A $2,500 grant will support the installation of an informational kiosk at the Lackawanna College Environmental Education Center, extend and connect existing walking paths and create updated maps of the trails at the Center.

-- Lehman Township: A $2,000 grant will help Lehman Township use its Growing Greener designation by adding native plants to the already established habitat for the declining Monarch Butterfly population and install an irrigation watering system to ensure the success of the plants.

-- Wildlands Conservancy: A $6,000 grant will help construct a boardwalk/trail to provide and enhance access to the greenway and trail network thereby connecting over 1,000 acres of Fern Ridge Bog open space.

-- Wilkes-Barre Riverfront Parks Committee: A $5,000 grant will support the recreation and environmental programs offered by Riverfront Parks such as RiverFest, Dragon Boat Racing, Earth Day, Winter Along the River, ChalkFest, Hydromania, and Family Fishing. These events will be held throughout 2016 in the Riverfront Parks (Nesbitt, Kirby Natural Area, and River Common).

Each grant requires a 50-50 match by the grant recipient.

The PA Environmental Council has implemented a mini-grant program within the  Poconos Landscape over the last few years thanks to funding provided by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

6/27/2016