H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced on December 17, 2008 that twenty-five conservation projects benefiting fish and wildlife on more than 13,543 acres of coastal habitat in twelve states will be funded by the 2009 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. Two of these grants will go to Alaska; covering Phase 1 of the Campbell Creek Estuary project and the Nushagak Bay Watershed Conservation efforts. Other states receiving funds include California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin
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. These federal grants will be matched by 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 Service's 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.
Learn more about climate change .?
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and funded under provisions of the 1990 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, drawing from Sport Fish Restoration Act revenue ? money generated from an excise tax on fishing equipment and motorboat and small engine fuels.
When the 2009 projects are complete, nearly 258,000 acres of habitat will have been protected, restored or enhanced.
For more information, contact the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, or Division of Federal Assistance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, or visit the programs home page. You can view projects funded by the 2009 grant program at
Thttp://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2008/pdf/039367winchellNRcoastalgrants2009.pdf
