Interior funds wetlands projects

The U.S Department of the Interior has announced $16.5 million in grants Jan. 23 to help fund 21 projects for coastal wetlands conservation in 12 states and Puerto Rico, including Alaska. State and local governments; private landowners; conservation groups; and other partners will contribute an additional $18.2 million to the projects, Interior said.

The federal funding assistance comes under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program. The projects include acquiring and restoring or enhancing coastal wetlands and adjacent uplands to provide long-term conservation benefits to fish and wildlife and their habitats, Interior said.

“Coastal wetlands not only provide key habitat for fish and wildlife but they also improve water quality, support local economies through jobs and provide flood protection,” said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell when announcing the grants. “These grants, funded through excise taxes paid by anglers and boaters, give us the opportunity to join with states and territories and other partners to conserve and restore these areas that are so vital to our environment and our quality of life.”

“With the latest data showing dramatic annual loss of coastal wetlands, these grants become even more important,” said Arthur Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “These wetlands are invaluable resources we must protect, and, with these grants, states, territories and partners will be able to undertake high priority projects.”

In Alaska $1 million of grant funding is being provided to a $5.1 million project being conducted by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the Great Land Trust to protect about 2,585 acres of wetlands near shore habitat on northeastern Afognak Island within the Kodiak Archipelago, between the Kodiak Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Afognak Island State Park.

—Alan Bailey