EPA has awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to strengthen state, tribal and local government capacity in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to protect and restore wetlands.
These Wetland Program Development Grants provide tribes, interstate agencies and local governments with funding to develop and refine comprehensive state, tribal and local wetlands programs.
“Healthy wetlands provide important benefits including buffering from storms and flooding, filtering stormwater, protecting fish and wildlife habitat and offering recreational enjoyment,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt . “Wetlands also help our economy because of their key role in fishing, hunting, agriculture, and recreation.”
EPA has awarded funding for 14 projects across the Northwest and Alaska.
Healthy wetlands perform important ecological functions, such as feeding downstream waters, trapping floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, removing pollution, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife, said EPA in their release.
The funded grants are:
Alaska
Idaho
Oregon
Washington