News Releases from Region 10
Three Local Washington & Oregon Projects Share Nearly $100,000 in Five Star Urban Waters Grants
Partnership between EPA and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation powers community-led projects to restore urban waters and streams, address water quality in priority watersheds
(SEATTLE) Today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced Five Star Urban Waters Grants totaling $99,634 for two groups in Washington and one in Oregon.
The three just-announced Northwest grants were among 46 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program grants awarded this year, totaling $1.7 million to restore wildlife habitat and urban waters in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Grantees have committed an additional $4.4 million in local project support, generating a total conservation impact of more than $6.1 million. This program supports community partnerships that conserve wildlife and restore river, wetland, riparian, forest and coastal ecosystems.
“EPA is pleased to continue our support for this innovative public-private partnership that encourages community stewardship and incentivizes local solutions to today’s environmental and public health challenges,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These projects will help local communities improve water quality, restore wetlands, and protect wildlife while creating additional recreational opportunities for the surrounding areas.”
“The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program supports community partnerships that restore and enhance our nation’s fish and wildlife, while at the same time improving water quality and habitat for plants and animals,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The 46 grants announced today will help local communities thrive by increasing resilience, improving green infrastructure and supporting the people and wildlife that call these places home.”
Here are project “snapshots” of the Washington & Oregon grants:
(WA) Seattle Audubon – Focused effort aimed at reducing herbicide and toxic rodenticide use at Cal Anderson Park. Project will engage and train 50 community volunteers as park stewards to maintain the park without herbicides and create a vegetation plan for a habitat corridor that would link approximately 60 acres of currently isolated pervious greenspace. Contact: Joshua Morris, 206-523-8243 X-112, joshm@seattleaudubon.org
(WA) Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association – Restore 15 acres of riparian habitat to improve water quality and habitat for Chinook salmon, bull trout and steelhead salmon in Puget Sound and Whatcom County. Project will engage 5 local resource management partners and 2,500 volunteers to plant 5,000 trees and remove 6 acres of invasive vegetation. Contact: Annitra Peck, 360-715-0283 X 105, apeck@n-sea.org
(OR) Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors - Restore 23 acres of wetlands within Willamette Basin watersheds, located in the greater Portland urban area. Project will engage 560 students from high-need urban schools and 21 teachers, who will carry out on-the-ground wetland restoration and participate in classroom and field-based conservation education. Contact: Sarah Woods, 503-680-2389, sarah@ecologyoutdoors.org
The grants are awarded through the NFWF’s Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program, which support projects that develop community stewardship of natural resources and address water quality issues in priority watersheds across the country. Support for the 2019 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program is provided by the Wildlife Habitat Council, and major funding by EPA, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fedex, Shell Oil Company, Southern Company and BNSF Railway.
The 2019 grant winners were selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 190 applications. A full list of 2019 projects is available here.
Since 1999, the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program has supported almost a thousand projects, with more than $12.8 million in federal funds, $11.3 million in private and corporate contributions, and $78.8 million in matching funds at the local level.
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For more information about the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant program, visit https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/urbanwaterspartners/five-star-and-urban-waters-restoration-grant-program-2019