The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The William Penn Foundation Tuesday announced the award of grants totaling $2.2 million to support 13 new or continuing water conservation and restoration from the Delaware River Restoration Fund.

The grants drew $3.5 million in match from the grantees generating a total conservation impact of $5.7 million.

$1.6 million was awarded to support projects in the Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware River Watershed.  The Pennsylvania projects receiving grants include--

-- Stroud Water Research Center, Improving Soil Health and Stream Health in the Red Clay and White Clay Creeks, $249,984: Work with 2 farmers currently operating the most agriculture acres at the headwaters of the Red Clay and White Clay Creeks to implement best management practices for improved water quality. Project will restore approximately 20 acres of forested buffers and address gaps in coverage throughout the area, as well as evaluate various innovative soil health methods for these farmers and others in region to implement.

-- Stroud Water Research Center, Outreach and Installation of Agricultural Best Management Practices in the Middle Schuylkill, $249,619: Provide outreach and technical assistance to develop whole farm plans and implement best management practices. Project will implement whole farm conservation on a minimum of eight farms, provide technical assistance on all buffers installed, and promote the adoption of soil health and stream health measures through farmer-to-farmer trainings. Project will additionally engage the new poultry facilities in the area, providing an opportunity to implement conservation on existing operations.

-- Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, Implementing A Whole-Farm Approach In West Branch Brandywine Creek Watershed, $250,000: Conduct landowner education and outreach while implementing agricultural best management practices using a whole-farm approach in the headwater reaches of the West Branch Brandywine Creek subwatershed. Project will achieve “attained” water quality status for currently impaired streams by reducing the impacts of agricultural runoff and supporting long-term water quality improvements to benefit habitat and drinking water supplies.

-- Green Valleys Assn. Of Southeastern PA, Providing Technical Assistance For Small Agricultural Operations In The French Creek Watershed, $134,935: Provide planning, technical and financial assistance for three small community agricultural livestock operations in three Schuylkill Highlands focus area subwatersheds of the French Creek. Project will protect and improve water quality in these streams by implementing best management practices to reduce sediment, nutrient and bacterial loading while working to preserve and maintain strong agricultural operations within the cluster.

-- Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Restoration of Jenkintown Creek at Conklin Recreation Center, $50,000: Remove 225 feet of concrete lining from a channelized section Jenkintown Creek and direct flows through a constructed wetland feature to extend flow path. Project will convert 7,500 square feet of upland area from turf to meadow, and will create a walking trail to expand recreational use of the entire Conklin Recreation Center property.

-- Berks Nature, Installing Whole Farm Agricultural Best Management Practices In The Middle Schuylkill, $200,000: Install whole farm agricultural best management practices utilizing Natural Resources Conservation Service prioritized farmer contracts and engineered designs, as well as partner investment within the focus areas of the Middle Schuylkill Cluster. Project will follow Conservation and Nutrient Management Plans for crop production and soil health to recycle farm nutrients, resulting in the reduction of farm nutrient impacts and in improved surface, ground and drinking water quality.

-- PA Environmental Council, Expansion of the Smart Stormwater House Call Program for Upstream Suburban Philadelphia, $280,000:  Engage watershed organizations, private contractors and vendors to promote and install residential best management practices such as rain barrels, rain gardens and streamside plantings through the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia Stream Smart Stormwater House Call Program. Project will implement various large and small-scale restoration programs to reduce stormwater runoff and related pollutants, as well as improve habitat.

-- American Bird Conservancy, Restoring Dynamic Forest Structure for Priority Birds in the Delaware River Watershed, $205,492: Develop and implement a comprehensive forest management strategy for two new Dynamic Forest Restoration Blocks in the Poconos Cooperative Forest Management Area in northeastern Pennsylvania. Project will target long-term availability of diverse forest age classes to benefit the entire reproductive cycle of golden-winged warbler, cerulean warbler and wood thrush. Project will result in improved management of 2,500 acres of Delaware State Forest and 12,471 acres of State Game Lands.

Click Here for a list of all grant awards.

In total, all the projects funded in today’s announcement will improve 4,575 acres of forest habitat, treat polluted runoff using agricultural conservation practices on nearly 7,790 acres, prevent 11.25 million gallons of unfiltered stormwater from entering the watershed, and restore 3 miles of streamside forest in critical headwaters.

Major funding is provided by the William Penn Foundation through the initiative. This year, additional support was provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the American Forest Foundation.

“The 13 projects receiving grants today will improve water quality across the Delaware River watershed, helping restore drinking water for more than 15 million residents in four states and conserve habitat for species including cerulean warbler, golden-winged warbler and wood thrush,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “These grants are also central to advancing the goals of both the Delaware River Watershed Initiative and NFWF’s Delaware Watershed Business Plan.”

For more information, visit the Delaware River Restoration Fund webpage and the Delaware River Watershed Initiative website.

NewsClips:

Delaware RiverKeeper Aug. 31 RiverWatch Video Report

Op-Ed: No Room For Mistakes On NY’s Upper Delaware River

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PA Coast Day, Delaware River Festival Sept. 15 In Philadelphia, Camden

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House Returns To Session Sept. 12, Now’s The Time To Become A Hellbender Defender!

How You Can Help

Want To Find A Watershed Group Near You? Try The PA Land Trust Assn. Watershed Association Finder

Take Action:

How Good Is The Water Quality In Streams In Your Community?  Take A Look, Then Act

[Posted: August 28, 2018]

9/3/2018