Press release from the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina:
The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) awarded ten grants totaling $234,241 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties. Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed more than $8.7 million in grants.
The most recent Pigeon River Fund grant recipients are:
$30,000 to Asheville GreenWorks to strengthen and expand the French Broad River Litter Prevention Program, with an emphasis on expanding the Trash Trout program, river and roadside cleanups, and single-use plastic reduction.
$10,000 to Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District to help pay registration fees, travel and other expenses associated with Camp WILD and Envirothon participation.
$30,000 to The Conservation Fund to support efforts to protect the West Prong Headwaters property in Haywood County.
$45,000 to Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District to develop a flood mitigation plan for the Upper Pigeon River and Hominy Creek areas. This award is contingent upon securing other needed funds.
$7,161 to Haywood Waterways Association to repair two failing septic systems in the Pigeon River Watershed.
$10,000 to Laurel Community Center Organization to offer an Aquatic Insect Ecology Workshop for teachers and Citizen Science Coordinators.
$30,000 to Maggie Valley Sanitary District to help acquire and permanently protect the Brown Ridge property in Haywood County.
$12,080 to MountainTrue to continue its Swim Guide, a weekly water-quality monitoring program focused on sampling for E.coli bacteria at popular river accesses.
$35,000 to RiverLink to restore Haith Branch and an ephemeral stream on the campus of A-B Tech Community College. This award is contingent upon securing other needed funds.
$25,000 to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy toward acquisition costs associated with the permanent conservation of the 411-acre Pisgah Creek property within the Cruso community.
The next application deadline for qualifying nonprofits in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties is September 15, 2022. Applications and instructions are available at www.cfwnc.org.
The Pigeon River Fund was established through an agreement between Carolina Power & Light (now Duke Energy) and the State of North Carolina. CFWNC administers the grant program. For information about the Pigeon River Fund, contact Senior Program Officer Tara Scholtz at 828-367-9913.
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,200 funds and facilitated $29 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $305 million since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.
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