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Environmental Funds & Investments

PA Announces $90 Million Investment To Improve Recreation, Conservation Across PA, Plus a Special New Round of Fall Grant Funding Available

Pennsylvania announced a historic investment of $90 million for more than 330 projects across Pennsylvania that will create new recreational opportunities, conserve natural resources, and help revitalize local communities.

The $90 million grant round is the largest single investment in Pennsylvania recreation and conservation in agency history, surpassing the previous record of $70 million in 2021.

“Pennsylvania encompasses some of the most beautiful natural areas in the nation,” Governor Wolf said. “By investing in the upkeep and expansion of our recreational areas, we are not only improving the quality of life for citizens. We are making Pennsylvania an even better destination for visitors who will contribute to the economic health of communities all across the commonwealth.”

“The health and vitality of our communities is reflected in the quality of parks and trails, access to rivers, open spaces and outdoor recreation opportunities,” DCNR Secretary Dunn said at an event at Clark Nature Preserve in Pequea, Lancaster County. “This grant round is historic, as it is the largest amount we ever issued to help protect and enhance our natural and recreational amenities throughout Pennsylvania.”

Lancaster Conservancy is receiving a $318,000 grant for a one-mile accessible loop trail and handicapped accessible parking lot and trailhead at Clark Nature Preserve.

Sec. Dunn was joined today at the event by Lancaster Conservancy CEO Phil Wenger, and other state and local officials.

“The Clark Nature Preserve, jutting out on the Lower Susquehanna River, is a remarkable property with varied geography and unique geology including cold Wind Caves and the amazing viewing platform called House Rock,” Wenger said. “The Conservancy Board made a decision to build a new universal access trail on this site to improve access for all. We find many of our older and physically disabled visitors highly value the ability to access our meadows, forests and views, immersing themselves in the benefits nature provides. The trail will allow our Clark Nature Preserve to be accessible and welcoming to everyone.”

“Many of the projects being funded – improvements to local parks, trails, and river access – bring these amenities closer to home, requiring less driving and expense to experience,” Dunn said. “This $90 million investment will leverage nearly $125 million in local, county and private investments, giving every state dollar more power for the public good.”

Investments are being made in a variety of proposals, including: 43 trail projects; protecting nearly 7,207 acres of open space; 20 projects for rivers conservation; planting 214 acres of streamside forest buffers including 47 that are multifunctional with the possibility of producing a harvestable profit for the landowner; and 141 projects to develop or rehabilitate recreation, park and conservation areas and facilities.

Projects are funded throughout Pennsylvania, including:

  • Rehabilitation and development of multi-purpose and basketball courts, inclusive play equipment, and walkways in Huidekoper Park, Meadville, Crawford County;
  • Construction of 1.5 miles of the Ghost Town Trail to help complete a 32-mile loop rail trail in Indiana and Cambria counties;
  • Acquisition of about 916 acres of the Camp Tuckahoe Boy Scout Camp in York and Cumberland counties;
  • Water access will be improved in five locations in Allegheny, Cambria, Erie, and Fayette counties;
  • Development of 32 loop trails and 15 pickleball courts;
  • Support for the Friends of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in Philadelphia to implement a pilot project center on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in nature and outdoor recreation; and
  • About $300,000 that will support Southern Alleghenies and North Central PA planning commissions for mini-grant programs targeting high need rural areas.

The grants are administered by the DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2). Funding comes from the Keystone Fund; the Environmental Stewardship Fund; the ATV/Snowmobile Fund generated through fees for licenses; and federal monies.

Visit the DCNR website for a complete list of grants by county (PDF).

Gov. Wolf also announced an unprecedented additional 2022 fall grant round, which was made possible in part from appropriated funds in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s 2022-23 budget. That same support also secured funding for the creation of three new state parks to be announced this fall.

“This special fall grant round was made possible thanks to the bipartisan investment in conservation and outdoor recreation we secured in the recent commonwealth budget,” Gov. Wolf said. “These additional funds will help us support even more local park, trail, water quality, and landscape projects across Pennsylvania.”

The C2P2 special fall grant opportunity will highlight helping underserved communities, closing trail gaps, supporting an invigorated focus on the outdoor recreation sector, and planting trees along streams and in communities. The deadline to submit applications for the fall grant round is October 27.

For the supplemental fall grant round there is a lower match requirement for municipalities with populations under 5,000 people. For these communities, match is only 20% of the grant amount with no cap on project size. This lower match requirement makes the fall funding round an ideal opportunity for smaller municipalities to apply for grants.

The special fall funding round is also an ideal time to apply for tree planting, lawn conversion, and streamside buffer grants. The round includes more than $8 million in Keystone Tree Fund money and other funds to support watershed and community forestry practices.

For more information on the fall grant round or to apply, visit the DCNR Grants Customer Service Portal.

Featured Projects: New Success Story Videos Highlight Two Keystone Fund-backed DCNR Park Projects

DCNR has released a pair of grant success story videos highlighting two local park projects.
Ira Reynolds Memorial Park was a Brownfields to Playfields pilot project. The park is in Susquehanna Depot in Susquehanna County. It’s located on the former Erie Rail Yard.
The site had heavy metal contamination that needed to be cleaned up before the park could be built.
DCNR supported the park’s creation with a $250,000 grant from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.
“We want to use this as home base,” says Valerie Senese, Community Development Coordinator for Susquehanna Borough. “We want to see bikers here and hikers here and boaters here. And we want to see a lot of recreational components either happening here or giving a home to their events afterward.”
The second video highlights Lions Pride Park in Warrington Township, Bucks County. The park stemmed from a legacy gift from the local Lions Club. The idea was to create an inclusive park that would be usable by people of all ages and abilities.
“This playground is for all ages and all abilities, and everything we’ve done here has been focused on that,” says Andrew Oles, Warrington Township’s Parks and Recreation Director.
DCNR provided a $425,000 Keystone Fund grant to help build the park.

Department Of Agriculture Wins $7.85 Million From USDA To Multiply PA Investments Combatting Climate Change

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Program has won a competitive partnership grant of $7.85 million from the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to support climate-smart conservation on Pennsylvania farms, Agriculture Russell Redding said.

Pennsylvania’s $12.8 million investment in preserving farms will leverage these federal dollars for farms that implement and measure the impact of practices that address climate change.

“Climate change is presenting serious challenges to the farmers who feed us and feed our economy,” Secretary Redding said. “Pennsylvania has invested heavily in protecting farmland from development and making farming practices more sustainable and farms more resilient. We have been creative in multiplying those investments to have an even greater impact on our future food supply and economy. We’re grateful to the USDA for recognizing Pennsylvania’s efforts and we’re proud that our state is a national model of innovative conservation.”

Pennsylvania’s grant will fund projects to install climate-smart practices on preserved farms –- measures and practices targeted to meeting the specific challenges climate change is presenting on each farm. Funds will also support producers interested in transitioning to organic production. The PA Farm Bill-funded PA Preferred® Organic Program will provide assistance with organic certification of farms.

Project partners will use COMET-Farm to model the greenhouse gas reduction tied to project activities and Rodale Institute will help the department measure the impact of these practices.  Clearwater Conservancy and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will provide additional support focused on forestland conservation.

The grant was one of 41 regional conservation projects totaling $197 million to match local funds.  Farmland preservation funds serve as the matching contribution. Details of the application process for farmers are in development.

“These dollars will be a significant tool for our efforts to improve soil health on preserved farms and reduce the impact of climate change,” Bureau of Farmland Preservation Director Douglas Wolfgang said. “Regenerative farming practices capture and store carbon from the atmosphere and mitigate the effects of climate change. Our hope is that the project will provide additional conservation opportunities for preserved farm owners and multiply the good we are doing for Pennsylvania’s future.”

Pennsylvania’s longstanding partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service led to its first RCPP grant in 2018. That first $6.3 million grant funded projects to install conservation practices on preserved farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The second, in 2019-20, invested $10 million to enhance farmland preservation and natural resource protection in the Kittatinny Ridge region of Pennsylvania.

By selling their land’s development rights, landowners preserve their farms, protecting land from future residential, commercial or industrial development. Pennsylvania partners with county and sometimes local governments and non-profits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. Farms that agree to additional conservation measures when the sell their development rights may leverage federal funds through the RCPP and through USDA’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. These federal funds, in turn, allow the department to preserve farms on the waiting list in the same county and help ensure that farms are sustainable.

These new federal dollars will further multiply conservation investments in the 2022-23 state budget that invests $220 million total in the new Clean Streams Fund, including $154 million to fund the new Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program supporting farmers’ efforts to reduce water pollution and improve soil quality, and $22 million to increase funding for the existing Nutrient Management Fund, which supports technical assistance to farms to reduce run-off.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program and investments in a secure future for Pennsylvania agriculture, visit agriculture.pa.gov.

Keystone Funds Aids the Construction of a New Trailhead, Four Miles of Trail in Chester County

DCNR recently joined a celebration to open the Fricks Lock Village Trailhead and a new 4-mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail in East Coventry Township, Chester County.
“DCNR is proud to support this new trailhead and trail,” DCNR Deputy Secretary Mike Walsh said. “Our department’s goal of having a trail within 10 minutes of every Pennsylvanian is only possible through partnerships such as with this project that will provide accessible outdoor recreation opportunities in a key area.”
The Schuylkill River Trail is a multiuse path that will extend from Philadelphia, passing through Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties to Frackville in Schuylkill County. It will connect Fricks Lock to Pottstown at Route 422.
The Fricks Lock Village Trailhead provides trail users needed improvements, including:
  • Paved parking area with ADA spaces
  • Picnic pavilion
  • Benches, bike racks, and picnic tables
  • Drinking water fountain
  • Public restroom
DCNR helped fund the project with a $376,200 grant from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. Other project partners included:
  • Chester County Commissioners
  • Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape
  • PennDOT
  • East Coventry Township Board of Supervisors
  • Chester County Parks and Preservation Department
  • Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area

Montgomery County Releases Return on Environment Report

Montgomery County protected open space by ownership type. Source: Montgomery County Return on Environment report

Protected open spaces like parks and trails provide lots of value. They give us places to walk and enjoy the outdoors. They create homes for wildlife. They make communities more attractive places to live.

They also have direct, substantial economic value. Those benefits come in many forms, from product revenue to avoided costs.
What are those benefits? Just how much is protected open space worth, in economic terms?
Montgomery County recently measured it, with a countywide Return on Environment report.
The report studied property values, jobs, environmental services, and recreation benefits that come from protected open spaces in Montgomery County.
The results are impressive. The report found that protected open space in the county provides over $400 million every year in services to the county, including:
  • $48 million in additional property tax revenue due to higher home values near protected land
  • $160 million in direct economic impact through tourism spending and goods produced on protected land
  • $31 million through environmental services like natural water filtration
  • $219 million in annual outdoor recreation benefits
DCNR helped fund the study with a grant to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Funding came from the Environmental Stewardship Fund.
The agency has supported several other county Return on Environment studies, many of them through grants to the Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape.

Celebrate 20 Years of ESF and Advocate!

This week, the Environmental Stewardship Fund—known as Growing Greener—celebrates 20 years of protecting clean water, reducing flooding, conserving and restoring land, and improving parks and trails.

On December 15, 1999, Governor Ridge signed the bipartisan legislation that established the Environmental Stewardship Fund (ESF) to support projects to improve water quality, reduce flooding, preserve open space and farmland, restore damaged land, and enhance outdoor recreation.

In the 20 years since, ESF grants have improved the lives of millions of Pennsylvanians while revitalizing communities and boosting our state’s economy. As we celebrate this landmark, we can’t lose sight of the fact that there’s much more work to do.There are still more than 19,000 miles of rivers and streams unsafe for drinking, swimming, fishing, and boating.

State parks and forests require nearly $1 billion in necessary repairs.

More than 200,000 acres of abandoned mine lands and thousands of brownfield sites pollute our water and threaten human health and safety.

And the list goes on.

Please contact your state senators and representatives this week in honor of the anniversary, and:

  1. Explain the importance of the ESF to your community. (Find specific ESF projects here.)
  2. Let them know that with the huge problems facing Pennsylvania, and local projects in need of funding, a strong ESF is needed more than ever.
  3. Ask them to increase state environmental investments for 2020–2021, including boosting ESF.
Thank you.

Support Restore PA’s Conservation Investments (and Oppose Cuts)

Please call your state senator and representative and urge them to greatly boost the state’s investments in protecting water, conserving land, and improving communities (find your legislator here):

  1. The Governor calls for substantial conservation investments in his Restore PA proposal (which addresses a variety of infrastructure projects). Ask your legislators to support Restore PA’s conservation investments. Also, post on social media by tagging your legislators and using the hashtag #RestorePA. Here is a set of social media graphics highlighting the need for boosted investments in protecting water, conserving land, and improving communities.
  2. In addition, ask your legislators to leave the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and the Environmental Stewardship Fund untouched in this year’s budget. Pennsylvania can’t afford to backslide in its community and conservation investments.

Read the Growing Greener Coalition’s letter to members of the General Assembly and Governor Wolf on this subject.

Learn more about threats to the Keystone Fund and Environmental Stewardship Fund.

Summary of Restore PA’s Conservation and Environmental Components

Governor Wolf’s Restore Pennsylvania proposal includes funding for:

  • Green stormwater infrastructure that reduces flooding and keeps dangerous pollutants out of waterways (e.g., rain gardens, street trees, and bioswales).
  • Stream and floodplain restoration projects that improve wildlife habitat while preventing erosion and downstream floods.
  • Infrastructure that protects communities from rising floodwaters (e.g., dams, levees, and flood walls).
  • Creative solutions to help municipalities move forward with pollution-reduction plans to meet stormwater mandates and protect homes and businesses from destructive flooding.
  • Remediation of abandoned mines that scar the landscape and pollute waterways.
  • Conservation of areas that supply drinking water for communities, reduce flooding by absorbing massive amounts of stormwater, and provide other benefits to communities.
  • Preservation of farmland that provides the food we eat and is the backbone of rural economies.
  • Crucial infrastructure in state parks and forests (e.g., roads, dams, and bridges), which host millions of visitors each year and support local economies.
  • Trails and parks that help communities thrive.
  • Cleanup of brownfields and blighted properties, which can transform from unused and dangerous spaces into hubs for community revitalization and economic growth.
  • Removal of lead and other toxic contaminants (e.g., found in paint on old homes or water pipes) that threaten public health.
  • Public transportation systems that increase mobility and access to opportunities while also reducing carbon emissions.

Click here for a more detailed summary of Restore PA and other resources.

Open Letter to Members of the General Assembly and Governor Wolf

The Growing Greener Coalition sent the following letter to Governor Wolf and members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on March 19, 2019. View the PDF here.

Pennsylvanians want to reduce destructive flooding, restore waterways to productive life, and protect our drinking water. We need to do this to protect public safety and health. We need to do this as a moral imperative and constitutional responsibility. And we need to do this because the investments made to restore and protect our waters produce long-term cost savings and economic returns that more than pay for the initial investments.

The organizations and people of the Growing Greener Coalition urge the General Assembly and Governor Wolf to greatly boost the state’s investments in reducing flooding, restoring waterways, protecting drinking water, and providing other conservation benefits:

  • The Coalition reiterates that Pennsylvania can’t afford to backslide in its community and conservation investments. Every dollar flowing into the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and the Environmental Stewardship Fund needs to be invested in projects that protect and restore Pennsylvania’s environmental assets, not diverted to pay for government operations.
  • The Coalition applauds the Governor’s attention to conservation investment needs in his Restore Pennsylvania proposal and encourages legislators to work with the Administration to make these investments happen.

In building on past successes and boosting the state’s conservation investments, the General Assembly and Governor can achieve many lasting and diverse benefits for Pennsylvanians, including:

  • Major reductions in property damage and loss of human life caused by flooding
  • Progress for local governments in meeting MS4 requirements
  • State progress in meeting mandatory Chesapeake Bay requirements
  • Safer drinking water and lower water treatment costs
  • More miles of streams restored for recreation and economic use
  • Federal investments leveraged that otherwise would not come to Pennsylvania
  • Boosts to the agricultural and outdoor recreation industries
  • Restoring parks for communities across the Commonwealth
  • And much more

The public’s enthusiasm for these investments continues to be overwhelming. For example, 75% of Republican voters, 82% of Democrats, and 87% of independents actually support spending more on conservation, even if it would mean taxing themselves more to do it. (See survey results at https://conservationtools.org/conservation-benefits/205.)

Thank you for your attention. For more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the people and organizations of the Coalition including:

 

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Harry Campbell, PA Executive Director

[email protected]

 

Conservation Voters of PA

Joshua McNeil, Executive Director

[email protected]

 

Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds

R. John Dawes, Executive Director

[email protected]

 

Lancaster Farmland Trust

Jeffrey Swinehart, Chief Operating Officer

[email protected]

 

Natural Lands

Oliver P. Bass, President

[email protected]

 

PennFuture (Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future)

Jacquelyn Bonomo, President & CEO

[email protected]

 

Pennsylvania Environmental Council

John Walliser, Senior Vice President

[email protected]

 

Pennsylvania Land Trust Association

Andrew M. Loza, Executive Director

[email protected]

Growing Greener Coalition Receives Bipartisan Support from Legislators

Several state senators and representatives held a press conference this morning alongside the Growing Greener Coalition to support a $50 million funding investment into the Growing Greener III program.

Rep. Alex Charlton (R–Delaware) began by issuing his support for Growing Greener III and urging Rep. John Maher (R–Allegheny), the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chairman, to schedule a vote through his committee for SB 799, which was introduced by Sen. Rich Alloway (R–Franklin).

“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air, pure water, and conservation of our natural resources,” said Rep. Charlton, who expressed that scheduling the SB 799 vote would secure those continued rights for future generations. Rep. Charlton noted that Growing Greener has helped Pennsylvania’s communities in addressing critical environmental priorities, which include conserving land and water resources, restoring damaged waterways and lands, and creating prosperous and sustainable communities. Rep. Charlton urged the General Assembly to commit $50 million annually to help support these priority initiatives and leverage federal matching dollars that Pennsylvania currently does not receive. Rep. Charlton made note of HB 2485, the companion bill to SB 799, which has 109 sponsors in the House, including himself.

Larry Williamson, chairman of the Growing Greener Coalition, expressed the efforts his group has been making for almost a decade to achieve a fully funded Growing Greener III program. A fully funded program would cost $300 million annually to address the conservation, recreation, and preservation projects and programs needed throughout Pennsylvania, said Williamson. While a fully funded program may not be currently possible within the budget, added Williamson, the $50 million down payment for this year would offer immediate support to the coalition’s programs. “With the down payment, the General Assembly will take an important step in improving the quality of life of all Pennsylvanians, especially future generations,” said Williamson.

Sen. Tom Killion (R–Delaware) recognized that the budget would not be able to include the full $300 million needed to fully fund the Growing Greener III program, but encouraged others to offer bipartisan support to fund the $50 million down payment investment along with his bill, SB 705. “There’s no argument, no argument at all about the success of Growing Greener I and Growing Greener II. The problem is they’re out of funds,” added Sen. Killion.

Rep. Rob Matzie (D–Beaver) opened, “safeguarding our land, our water, and natural resources is essential to maintaining a healthy and thriving economy.” Rep. Matzie noted that his focus is on three main areas of importance to western Pennsylvania, which includes abandoned mine restoration, brownfield reclamation, and historical preservation. “Growing Greener has proved that a smart, commonsense investment in our environment can yield economic benefits and spur job growth”, said Rep. Matzie.

Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R–Delaware) pushed that “Growing Greener is one of the greatest success stories to come out of this General Assembly,” while noting the bipartisan commitment involved in creating a better environment and economy because of this program. Sen. McGarrigle discussed how there has been a decline in Growing Greener funding, even though the need for clean water, parks, trails, and other recreational opportunities continues to increase.

Rep. Hal English (R–Allegheny) highlighted that his support for Growing Greener III stems from his family’s love and appreciation for Pennsylvania’s outdoors and precious resources that they developed when they first moved to the Commonwealth in 1991. “We just need to preserve it, and we need to protect it, and we need to work and start by getting some funding to continue Growing Greener III,” added Rep. English.

 

By Derek Snyder (Pennsylvania Legislative Services)

Growing Greener Coalition Receives Bipartisan Support from Legislators

By Derek Snyder (Pennsylvania Legislative Services)

Several state senators and representatives held a press conference this morning alongside the Growing Greener Coalition to support a $50 million funding investment into the Growing Greener III program.

Rep. Alex Charlton (R–Delaware) began by issuing his support for Growing Greener III and urging Rep. John Maher (R–Allegheny), the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chairman, to schedule a vote through his committee for SB 799, which was introduced by Sen. Rich Alloway (R–Franklin).

“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air, pure water, and conservation of our natural resources,” said Rep. Charlton, who expressed that scheduling the SB 799 vote would secure those continued rights for future generations. Rep. Charlton noted that Growing Greener has helped Pennsylvania’s communities in addressing critical environmental priorities, which include conserving land and water resources, restoring damaged waterways and lands, and creating prosperous and sustainable communities. Rep. Charlton urged the General Assembly to commit $50 million annually to help support these priority initiatives and leverage federal matching dollars that Pennsylvania currently does not receive. Rep. Charlton made note of HB 2485, the companion bill to SB 799, which has 109 sponsors in the House, including himself.

Larry Williamson, chairman of the Growing Greener Coalition, expressed the efforts his group has been making for almost a decade to achieve a fully funded Growing Greener III program. A fully funded program would cost $300 million annually to address the conservation, recreation, and preservation projects and programs needed throughout Pennsylvania, said Williamson. While a fully funded program may not be currently possible within the budget, added Williamson, the $50 million down payment for this year would offer immediate support to the coalition’s programs. “With the down payment, the General Assembly will take an important step in improving the quality of life of all Pennsylvanians, especially future generations,” said Williamson.

Sen. Tom Killion (R–Delaware) recognized that the budget would not be able to include the full $300 million needed to fully fund the Growing Greener III program, but encouraged others to offer bipartisan support to fund the $50 million down payment investment along with his bill, SB 705. “There’s no argument, no argument at all about the success of Growing Greener I and Growing Greener II. The problem is they’re out of funds,” added Sen. Killion.

Rep. Rob Matzie (D–Beaver) opened, “safeguarding our land, our water, and natural resources is essential to maintaining a healthy and thriving economy.” Rep. Matzie noted that his focus is on three main areas of importance to western Pennsylvania, which includes abandoned mine restoration, brownfield reclamation, and historical preservation. “Growing Greener has proved that a smart, commonsense investment in our environment can yield economic benefits and spur job growth”, said Rep. Matzie.

Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R–Delaware) pushed that “Growing Greener is one of the greatest success stories to come out of this General Assembly,” while noting the bipartisan commitment involved in creating a better environment and economy because of this program. Sen. McGarrigle discussed how there has been a decline in Growing Greener funding, even though the need for clean water, parks, trails, and other recreational opportunities continues to increase.

Rep. Hal English (R–Allegheny) highlighted that his support for Growing Greener III stems from his family’s love and appreciation for Pennsylvania’s outdoors and precious resources that they developed when they first moved to the Commonwealth in 1991. “We just need to preserve it, and we need to protect it, and we need to work and start by getting some funding to continue Growing Greener III,” added Rep. English.