H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced today that twenty-five conservation projects benefiting fish and wildlife on more than 13,543 acres of coastal habitat in twelve States will be funded with $20.1 million from 2009 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.
The grants will be used to acquire, restore or enhance coastal wetlands and adjacent uplands to provide long-term conservation benefits to fish, wildlife and their habitat. States receiving funds include Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. These federal grants will be matched by nearly $27 million in partner contributions from state and local governments, private landowners and conservation groups.
"Coastal wetlands provide valuable habitat for many fish and wildlife species, help keep our oceans cleaner, and serve as buffers to protect coastal communities from storms and flooding" Hall said. "These grants are a part of the Services larger Coastal Program, which uses a voluntary approach to habitat conservation. By providing financial and technical assistance to our partners, the Coastal Program enlists their help in conserving coastal areas threatened by development and predicted sea-level rise resulting from climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
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