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EPA awards $780,726 for Maryland wetlands programs

Release Date: 01/18/2006
Contact Information: Roy Seneca 215-814-5567

(01/18/06) PHILADELPHIA --The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $780,726 grant to support Maryland’s wetlands programs.

“Wetlands are one of our nation’s most unique ecosystems, providing various environmental and economic benefits,” said Donald S. Welsh, EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional administrator. “By committing to protect and restore these valuable resources, Maryland is taking big steps in protecting the environmental quality.”

The grant, awarded to the Maryland Department of the Environment, will be used for increased monitoring of wetland mitigation projects and to expand the state’s database systems used to track wetland gains and losses.

The grant comes from a pilot wetlands project at EPA that was set up to study the effectiveness of state and tribal wetland programs. The project focuses on linking program activities to measurable environmental outcomes, particularly no net loss of wetlands, net gain of wetlands and the protection of vulnerable wetlands.

The funding covers a three-year grant period with one-third of the funding provided each year.