EPA awards nearly $500K to Pennsylvania to enhance wetlands on state parks, forests

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA awards nearly $500K to Pennsylvania
to enhance wetlands on state parks, forests

PHILADELPHIA (October 7, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $498,673 grant today to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to enhance its wetlands program for state parks and forests.

“Wetlands are a primary component of Pennsylvania’s environment, which contribute greatly to the state’s ability to protect water quality and natural resources,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Acting Regional Administrator Diana Esher. “This award focuses on developing a strategic plan for enhancing wetlands across all state park and state forest lands.”

Pennsylvania is using funding to assess the condition of wetlands on state lands and identify wetlands in need of management to restore lost or impacted ecosystem functions. Lands being assessed would include more than 700,000 acres of state forest land off-limits to resource extraction, as well 1.5 million acres of state forest land where some type of resource extraction is allowed.

The project will identify high conservation value wetlands and put together a plan to support the protection of critical habitat for rare wildlife and plant species.

The funds were provided through EPA’s Wetland Program Development Grant program, which enables state, local and tribal governments to conduct a range of projects that promote research and pollution reduction efforts related to wetlands.

For more information on the program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetland-program-development-grants-and-epa-wetlands-grant-coordinators

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