Five Conservation Districts Receive Chesapeake Bay Grants
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $33.8 million in grant awards to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 104 grants will leverage more than $30 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $64 million.
Awards for Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts:
- Accelerating Agricultural Pollution Reduction in the Mahantango Watershed
Grantee: Snyder County Conservation District Grant, $414,000. Reduce agricultural runoff in the West and North Branches of Mahantango Creek through farmer outreach, developing agricultural conservation plans, and implementing conservation practices on beef and poultry operations. The project will result in the development of 30 agricultural conservation plans to guide future farm management for improved water quality. - Advancing Conservation Practice Implementation Through Planning
Grantee: Lebanon County Conservation District Grant, $61,200. Provide additional technical assistance support to assist with the significant requests for conservation plans within the Little Swatara and Swatara Creek watersheds in Lebanon County. The project will result in the development of more than 50 agricultural conservation plans that will allow the advancement of future implementation of pollutant reduction best management practices on farms in these watersheds. - Enhancing Resilience of the Cowanesque Watershed through Collaboration
Grantee: Potter County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement more than 11,000 acres of soil health practices across the headwaters of the Cowanesque River in Potter and Tioga counties, including cover crops, no-till, prescribed grazing, and nutrient management. The project will enhance eastern brook trout populations in a high-priority patch by restoring connectivity to upstream cold-water habitat by replacing an existing stream culvert. - Helping Farmers Accomplish Conservation Goals in the West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed
Grantee: Union County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement agricultural conservation practices on four Turtle Creek watershed farms within the Susquehanna River’s broader West Branch. The project will complete whole farm conservation plans by strategically leveraging federal conservation program funding to fulfill farm-level funding needs. - Middle Creek Strategic Watershed Restoration Plan
Grantee: Schuylkill Conservation District Grant, $50,000. Conduct an assessment of the Middle Creek watershed and develop a restoration plan that addresses sources of stormwater, flooding, sediment, and habitat fragmentation to build environmental and community resiliency. The project will rank pollution sources and watershed stressors and identify specific restoration solutions with the highest impact and lowest cost and risk.
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