Friends of the Rappahannock is excited to announce that we have been awarded a $27,000 grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment.
This grant will be used on pollution reduction conservation projects in the upper and middle Rappahannock watershed. These efforts are part of our larger work on behalf of the Virginia Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), which aims to significantly reduce pollution in Virginia’s rivers by 2025.
With this grant, FOR will be working across the region to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in the Rappahannock River. Specifically, FOR will implement projects in six counties in the upper Rappahannock and Rapidan watershed as well as Stafford, Spotsylvania counties and the City of Fredericksburg in the middle Rappahannock River basin.
Together with their partners and volunteers, this grant will focus on:
- Riparian buffer and upland tree planting on agricultural lands: FOR plans to plant a total of 60,000 trees
- Urban tree planting: FOR plans to plant 10 acres of urban forest and host two free tree give aways to local landowners
- Developing Urban Nutrient Management Plans: FOR will work with partners to develop an urban nutrient management plan that can be shared with landowners and neighborhoods to educate them on steps they can make to keep their river healthy.
Friends of the Rappahannock thanks the Governor’s office and Department of Conservation and Recreation for providing matching funds for water quality projects. We look forward to working with our partners and the community to accomplish these projects.
