More than $28 million in North Carolina Land and Water Fund grants have been awarded to projects across the state aiming to protect thousands of acres of land and restore or enhance more than 5 miles of waterways, including those in coastal counties.
Projects the North Carolina Land and Water Fund Board of Trustees selected to receive funding include several that will safeguard large areas of pond pine woodland, freshwater and brackish marshes, and nonriverine swamp forest in coastal areas of the state. Funding is also being used to provide buffers around U.S. military installations, training areas, and flight paths, including the protection of more than 1,960 acres near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
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“We had some really tough choices to make this year,” Ann Browning, chair of the North Carolina Land and Water Fund Board of Trustees, stated in a release. “There were over $90 million in requests for funding, but we had under $30 million to award. There were so many great projects we just weren’t able to fund.”
More than $2.97 million in grants has been allocated to land acquisition projects in Brunswick and Carteret counties. More than $1.17 million has been dispersed for wetland, living shoreline, and oyster reef restoration projects in Carteret and Dare counties.
“Every year, millions of residents and visitors enjoy North Carolina’s abundance of beautiful natural resources,” Gov. Josh Stein stated in the release. “This funding will help us conserve those resources and protect clean drinking water for communities across the state.”
Funding will help protect nearly 70 types of rare plants and animals, and natural communities, boost conservation projects that will benefit five endangered or threatened plant species, and protect more than 10,000 acres that will eventually be open to the public for hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, birding, and other recreational uses, according to North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources officials.
“The Land and Water Fund plays a vital role in protecting North Carolina’s water quality, open spaces, and treasured cultural heritage,” N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell said in the release. “These grants have been used in all 100 N.C. counties to preserve our unique natural and cultural resources for future generations.”
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A full list of projects awarded funding, as well as projects selected for provisional awards, may be found online.
