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May 13, 2009

King County offers grants for forest, habitat improvement projects

Application deadline June 26: Priority for joblessness, underserved communities

New King County grant funding is available for habitat restoration and water quality protection projects, including projects that help address joblessness or can be carried out in underserved communities.

Grants of up to $75,000 are available for community projects that protect or improve watersheds, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and tidewater areas, or that reduce stormwater impacts. Additionally, grants of up to $10,000 are available for projects that reforest urban areas and restore habitat within the Urban Growth Area of King County and incorporated cities.

The deadline for applications is June 26, and funding for selected recipients should be available in early August. This is the only planned grant cycle in 2009.

In 2009, projects that address joblessness and/or serve less affluent communities will receive priority funding. This could include serving populations at risk through volunteering experience and/or employing people who have been referred by a job bank because of their vulnerability in the job market.

Examples of projects that can be funded include:

  • Removing invasive species and planting native plants in wooded areas;
  • Stream, lake, wetland and shoreline restoration; and
  • Purchasing a conservation easement to protect a body of water.

Work that has received grant funding in recent years includes:

  • Reclaiming a forest to restore species and save trees from blow-down along Beacon Ridge in Seattle;
  • Acquiring a conservation easement in a 166-acre wetland preserve in Rock Creek in the Cedar River watershed;
  • Creating a functioning wetland that maintains water quality and creates habitat for native amphibians at Grace Cole Nature Park in Lake Forest Park; and
  • Using rainwater to irrigate native plants.

Only schools, non-profit organizations and government entities can apply. Geographic restrictions apply, depending on the project, and all proposals must include at least a 10 percent cash match.

More information is available on the King County Grant Exchange Web Page, http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/grants-and-awards/grant-exchange.aspx.

Related information

Grant Exchange

King County Water and Land Resources Division