USDA-NRCS PROVIDES $5 MILLION IN CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED
(202) 720-2536
WASHINGTON, June 10,
2008—U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
Chief Arlen Lancaster today announced that $5 million will be used to fund 11
innovative projects in 6 states to protect water quality, recycle nutrients and
improve wildlife habitat in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through Conservation
Innovation Grants (CIG) in fiscal year 2008.
“These grants will foster innovative technologies and approaches to conservation
that will assist local efforts to improve the natural resources of the
Chesapeake Bay watershed through cooperative conservation and collective
action,” Lancaster said. “This investment will result in long-term dividends in
environmental enhancement and protection.”
Projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will also address emerging natural
resource issues including energy conservation and market-based approaches to
conservation. The 64,000 square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed covers parts of
Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the
District of Columbia.
CIG, a component of USDA-NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program,
provides competitive grants to state and local governments, non-governmental
organizations and individuals to promote the development and adoption of
innovative conservation approaches and technologies. CIG funds pilot projects and
field demonstrations that can last from one to three years. Federal funds
awarded to these grants cannot exceed 50 percent of the total project cost.
Awards of up to $1 million can be made to organizations working directly with
farmers to improve water quality and restore habitat in watersheds throughout
the Chesapeake Bay basin. These projects demonstrate conservation approaches
that make economic sense to farmers.
Below is a list of the organizations, projects, states and funding:
| Organization | Shortened Project Name | State (s ) | Funding |
American Farmland Trust |
Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Initiative |
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia |
|
| Caroline County Soil Conservation District | Managing Poultry-Source Nutrients Delivery | Maryland | $188,100 |
| Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc. | The Chesapeake Nutrient Neutral Fund | Watershed-wide | $500,000 |
| Pinchot Institute for Conservation | Implementing the Bay Bank | Delaware, Maryland | $450,000 |
| Trout Unlimited | Phosphorus Control in Farm Waste Management | Pennsylvania | $254,034 |
| University of Delaware | Nitrogen Management During Corn Production | Delaware, Maryland | $550,000 |
| University of Maryland Wye Research and Education Center | Switchgrass Environmental Benefits | Maryland | $300,000 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Integrated Nutrient Management Program | Pennsylvania | $607,866 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Warm Season Grasses as Cash Crop for Farmers | Virginia | $750,000 |
| West Virginia University Research Corp. | Cacapon Watershed Restoration Collaborative | West Virginia | $650,000 |
| Windview Farm | Manure Gasification Hot Water Project | Pennsylvania | $100,000 |
TOTAL |
$5,000,000 |
In fiscal year 2008, USDA-NRCS signed an agreement with the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to assist the agency in awarding the
grants.
Additional information about the Conservation Innovation Grants is available at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig. For more information about the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Innovation Grants, please
visit
http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Browse_All_Programs&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=30&ContentID=7965.
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conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.
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