Preserving natural areas is the goal of many government grants.
There are a lot of funds available both from government agencies and private corporations and organizations dedicated to green causes that include the creation of nature preserves. Some of these preserves are created on land owned by entities such as schools and universities. Others are on private or shared lands. Money goes to purchasing land, eradicating invasive species, restoring habitat to native species and other conservation goals.
Wetlands Conservation Grants
Many grants are available to people interested in preserving nature in wetland conservation areas. Draining coastal wetlands to increase usable property has had terrible impacts on the coastal ecosystem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service National Coastal Wetlands program funds organizations and individuals involved in preservation activities that will restore habitat to national coastal wetlands species and restore the wetlands ecosystem to its historic state. Many other state and privately funded grants exist to restore coastal wetlands.
Education Nature Preserve Grants
The website Conservation Grants lists many grants that schools and student groups can apply for to receive money toward various projects, including nature preservation. This includes work in schoolyards to set out native plants as well as larger projects such as watershed preservation. Available funds include EPA grants of up to $25,000 toward environmental education projects as well as $10,000 Sea World Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards to students working to preserve the environment.
Private Stewardship Grants
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in addition to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Defense Fund is among the agencies that offer grants to private landowners or groups that work with private landowners for conservation and preservation of their lands. Money might go to acquire land, to rid the land of invasive, nonnative species, to plant native plants supportive of native animal species and to restore natural waterways. The Environmental Defense Fund lists many avenues for private stewardship grants.
Local, State and Private Grants
Many states' conservation agencies and private corporations donate grants to individuals or organizations interested in creating designated nature preservation areas. The grants may be grants of land or grants of money. Organizations interested in receiving grants must first apply for 501(c)3 nonprofit status. For example, the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund gave nearly $3 million in the 1990s to help preserve a tract of land known as the Johnston Mill Nature Preserve. The Natural Areas Association has a list of programs by state on its website.
Tags: Nature Preserve, agencies private, agencies private corporations, coastal wetlands, Conservation Grants, Defense Fund, Environmental Defense
