Anne Arundel County has teamed up with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to launch the new Watershed Restoration Grant Program, which provides grants to qualified applicants for Chesapeake Bay and local waterway restoration projects. From the December 8 program announcement:
The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works and the Chesapeake Bay Trust announce a new grant program, the Watershed Restoration Grant Program, to support restoration activities throughout Anne Arundel County to improve water quality in local streams and rivers. The grant program was created to engage local nonprofit organizations, landowners, and communities in efforts to restore the County’s waterways; to provide resources to these groups to enable them to implement greening and water quality projects; and to assist Anne Arundel County’s efforts to meet the requirements of its state and federal stormwater pollution permit and local waterway cleanup plan. …
“Anne Arundel County is undertaking extensive on-the-ground efforts to do our part to help restore the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams,” said Erik Michelsen, administrator of Anne Arundel County’s Watershed Protection and Restoration Program. “We recognize that restoring our waterways takes teamwork and this grant program is an opportunity for the County to partner with local organizations to have a positive impact on our creeks, streams and rivers. We look forward to working with County residents and the Chesapeake Bay Trust as we all do our part to restore and protect our waterways.” …
Specifically, the program supports implementation requests for: bioretention cells, bioswales, rain gardens, and other low impact development stormwater techniques; stormwater wetland and marsh creation and enhancement; stream and wetland restoration practices of various types; and green roofs. Other project ideas will be considered on a case by case basis and all applications will be reviewed by an independent peer review Technical Review Committee. …
Grants requests between $20,000-$100,000 will be accepted online until February 27 at 5:00 pm. Projects must be implemented in Anne Arundel County, and applications must include at least one partner that represents a stakeholder group based in the County. Funding partners welcome requests from 501(c) non-profit organizations: including watershed groups; community associations; service, youth and civic groups; and faith-based organizations. For more detailed information and to access the full Request for Proposals, visit www.cbtrust.org/grants/AnneArundelWR.
