EPA Invests in Innovative Wetland Projects Throughout the Pacific Southwest
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing $3.46 million in wetland grant funding to nine communities across the Pacific Southwest region. These investments in states, Tribes and Pacific Island territories support EPA’s goals of protecting and improving water quality, providing habitat for fish and other wildlife, maintaining surface water flow during dry periods, storing floodwaters, and protecting against storm surges.
"Maintaining the quantity and quality of our nation's wetlands is essential for long-term resilience," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Martucci. "These investments give Tribes, states, and territories the tools and technical capacity to protect the wetlands their communities depend on for clean water, wildlife habitat, and flood protection."
The grants are:
- $454,832 to the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians to inventory wetlands and other aquatic resources on Tribal trust lands, create a unique planting guide for culturally significant vegetation, and complete a small-scale wetland restoration demonstration project.
- $500,000 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to develop a Wetland Program Plan for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that will protect vital wetland ecosystems from pollution and improve aquatic resource restoration activities.
- $210,585 to the Hualapai Tribal Council to update a Wetland Program Plan that includes water quality monitoring and analysis, reduction of polluted runoff, wetlands identification and protection, and Tribal outreach and education.
- $467,075 to the State of Hawaii to expand community stewardship at restored wetland sites, increase coordination among agencies, landowners, and organizations working on wetland restoration, and reduce regulatory barriers for wetland restoration practitioners.
- $397,461 to the State of Nevada to improve Nevada’s springs inventory and develop a guide for Nevada wetland types and a guide to common wetland plants.
- $127,894 to the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe to restore a wetland meadow next to Summit Lake using experimental restoration techniques that mimic a naturally occurring beaver dam.
- $399,965 to the Tolowa Dee-Ni Nation to plan watershed and aquatic resource restoration and to develop assessment methods using Indigenous and Traditional ecological knowledge.
- $406,972 to the White Mountain Apache Tribe to update wetland ecosystem mapping databases, conduct wildlife surveys, and conduct outreach and education to partner organizations and community representatives.
- $499,727 to the Yurok Tribe to protect and restore the Klamath River headwater wetlands.
The selected projects build capacity for states, Tribes, Territories to develop or refine their own wetland protection and management programs. These programs support community resilience through wetland monitoring and mapping information, gold-standard science-based assessment tools, and the development of long-standing wetland conservation and protection strategies.
Background
EPA's Wetland Program Development Grants help state, tribal, and local government agencies to build programs for protecting, managing and restoring wetlands. Recipients build their capacity to increase the quantity and quality of U.S. wetlands.
Learn more about Wetland Program Development Grants.
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