Pennsylvania Watershed Groups Awarded $650,000 in Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Deputy Secretary for Water Management Cathleen Myers has recognized 17 Pennsylvania watershed groups for their efforts in implementing community-led restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The groups were awarded more than $650,000 in Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants to develop watershed management plans and innovative, local programs to improve water quality and restore habitats within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

"Pennsylvania contributes more than half of the Chesapeake Bay's fresh water through the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds," Myers said. "With the help of programs like this and Growing Greener, Pennsylvania watershed groups can continue to work at the local level toward improving water quality crucial to the return of abundant plant and animal populations in the Chesapeake Bay."

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program provides grants to organizations working on a local level to protect and improve watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin, while building citizen-based resource stewardship. The program promotes community-based efforts to develop and implement conservation strategies to protect and restore the diverse natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

Bay restoration leaders last week announced the grants that will provide more than $2.7 million for watershed restoration activities in the six-state Chesapeake Bay watershed. Since its inception, the program has funded nearly $10 million in Bay restoration activities.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation administers the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program. The program is authorized under the Clean Water Act.

Primary funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program Office. Additional funding is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-Based Restoration Program, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining and the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Program, visit the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: "Chesapeake Bay."

The following is a list of Pennsylvania 2003 Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant recipients.

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay - $35,000 for a Citizen Engagement and Monitoring Program.

Center for Watershed Protection - $40,000 to build capacity for watershed organizations.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation - $35,000 for the Stream Stewardship Program.

Graham Township - $35,000 for the Upper Alder Run Watershed Assessment.

Izaak Walton League of America - $40,000 for the Susquehanna Watershed Leadership Initiative.

Muncy Creek Watershed Association Inc. - $5,000 for Muncy Creek Watershed Outreach.

Octoraro Watershed Association - $25,000 for Pennsylvania Amish Farmland Conservation and Education.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council - $25,000 for Municipal Storm Water Management.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council - $25,000 for a Land-Use Fragmentation Study.

Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers - $35,000 for citizen monitoring of a dam removal.

River Network - $25,000 for the Watershed Restoration Institute.

Rush Township - $35,000 for the Trout Run Watershed Assessment.

SEDA Council of Governments - $35,000 for the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Plan.

Spring Creek Watershed Community - $50,000 for the Spring Creek Buffer Restoration.

Trout Unlimited - $50,000 for the Iron Stone Mill Dam.

Trout Unlimited and Kettle Creek Watershed Association: Community Legacy Grant Recipient - $100,000 for the Kettle Creek Watershed Program.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $48,500 for the Conservation-Based Beef Production Project.

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection