EPA’s Healthy Watershed Consortium Awards First Grants

EPA and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities are funding the first grants awarded under EPA’s Healthy Watershed Consortium Grant Program.  The nine awards total more than $1.4 million and will protect and improve land management of hundreds of thousands of acres of watersheds in seven states, including drinking water supply watersheds.  The grants were awarded to help build the capacity of local organizations for sustainable, long-term watershed protection, as well as new techniques and approaches that advance the state of practice for watershed protection.  EPA and the Endowment are each providing $625,000 annually for grants, and the program is planned to run for at least six years.  In this inaugural year, the program received 169 applications requesting more than $37 million.  For more information and to see the list of awardees, view the June 14th press release.