LCBP Awards Local Implementation Grants

 

For Release: Immediate

Regarding: LCBP Awards Local Implementation Grants
Date: February 11, 2014
Contact: William Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program Manager, (802) 372-3213

Grand Isle, VT – LCBP awarded 74 grants totaling $454,900 to communities and organizations in Vermont and New York. A total of $374,000 in Local Implementation Grants will support projects in four categories: Pollution Prevention, AIS Spread Prevention, Education and Outreach, and Organizational Support. Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) grants totaling $80,000 were also awarded. The total request of $991,000 in grant funds indicates the strong interest and need for local projects in the Lake Champlain Basin.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, whose support was critical to securing the funds for the grants, commented, “These grants to scores of communities, watershed groups and other organizations on both sides of the Lake are so important in promoting and protecting our ‘Great Lake.’ Supporting these crucial efforts at the local level is exactly why it’s always among my highest priorities to bring funds to our Lake Champlain work.”

Local Implementation Grants allow partners to accomplish important on-the-ground water quality and habitat protection tasks, including implementation of stormwater BMPs in urban and agricultural areas, informing the public about proper disposal of toxic substances, and control of water chestnut and other invasive species. The funds also provide support for basic operating functions such as website development and capacity to offer technical support on water quality issues.

Heritage Grants will support 21 new projects that highlight local heritage and commemorate the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. Ten commemoration projects will promote the anniversaries and support bicentennial/sesquicentennial programs and events. Eleven local heritage proposals will involve youth and students in the research and interpretation of local heritage, and the creation of new artistic expressions of local history and culture through fresh perspectives and new technology.
These grants were supported with EPA, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and National Park Service funds. Since 1992, the LCBP has awarded more than $5.3 million to nearly 850 projects in New York and Vermont in the competitive Local Grants programs. Funded projects cover all actions in the Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action.

Attachment: List of LCBP Grants Awarded January 2014