Landowners receive Backyard Habitat Grants to restore streams and shorelines

(Port Orchard) - Seven landowners received 2012 Backyard Habitat Grants from the Kitsap Conservation District to restore their streams and shorelines. These projects will help restore streams to natural conditions, improve fish and wildlife habitat, stabilize banks, and help meet the landowners’ goals for their property.

In 2012, the Backyard Habitat Grant program awarded grants to seven projects for a total of $52,894. Selected projects include:

Backyard Habitat Grants typically range from $2,500 to $10,000 and fund stream and shoreline restoration projects on private or public properties in unincorporated Kitsap County. Individual landowners, local organizations, conservation groups and others can apply.

“Many landowners in the Chico Creek watershed and throughout the County wanted to make a difference and applied for a Backyard Habitat Grant,” says Carin Anderson, Backyard Habitat Grant manager with the Kitsap Conservation District. “They wanted to take care of their property and pass down a family legacy of stewardship.”

Projects include planting stream side or shoreline areas with native plants, removing debris, removing noxious weeds, and adding woody debris and stream gravel to enhance streams.

In addition to awarding the grants, the Kitsap Conservation District will assist the landowners in creating a restoration plan and will help with project permitting (if required), and answer questions about project implementation.

If you are interested in stream restoration, opportunities as a planting volunteer, or changing your property to enhance habitat, please contact Carin Anderson at the Kitsap Conservation District at (360) 337-7171 ext 22 or carin-anderson@conservewa.net. The next round of grant applications will take place in late 2012.

For More Information:
For more information about stream restoration and the
Backyard Habitat Grant program, please visit the
Kitsap Conservation District’s web site at www.kitsapcd.org.
Photos of Backyard Habitat Grant projects are posted on flickr.
Photo 1 - click here
Photo 2 - click here