CONSERVATION GRANTS AWARDED IN 17^TH DISTRICT

 HARRISBURG, JULY 6 – State Sen. Connie Williams is pleased to announce that a number of conservation grants were awarded in the 17^th District.

 The following grants were awarded by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources:

• Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor -- $60,000 to assess bird habitat sites within a 12-county region of eastern Pennsylvania, organizing them into destinations, developing GIS-based maps for selected destinations, and creating a web-based system and guidebook.

• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society -- $500,000 for continued TreeVitalize tree planting in Montgomery and other counties.

• Natural Lands Trust, Inc. -- $100,000 to develop a strategic action plan for an open space network in the Schuylkill Watershed.

• East Norriton Township -- $15,000 to prepare a Master Site Development Plan for approximately 1.5 miles of the Liberty Bell Trail between Norristown Farm Park and Germantown Pike.

• Lower Merion Township -- $46,000 to prepare a multi-municipal Greenway and Trails study for approximately 15.5 miles along the west bank corridor of the Schuylkill River in Lower Merion Township, West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, and Upper Merion Township.

 “Each of these projects will contribute to the overall quality of life of the region, while at the same time further protecting and enhancing the natural resources of the community or region,” Williams said. “As each of these project progress, more people can learn about the natural beauty that can be enjoyed in the region. This is good for the environment and for the economy.”

 The grants were among those awarded by DCNR under its Community Conservation Partnerships Program. A portion of the grant funding is from Growing Greener II.