WNC Communities has announced availability of $70,000 for a second year of competitive awards to help support efforts to restore North Carolina hemlocks.
This is a part of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative, a cooperative effort launched by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through grant funding to WNC Communities.
“Thanks to Commissioner Troxler and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, we now have an opportunity to encourage some of the best projects and speed up the solutions,” said Linda Lamp, Executive Director of WNC Communities.
A total of three to five awards, ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, are expected to be distributed this year to support various restoration initiatives and eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and local government agencies.
Possible areas of award activity include the search for natural resistance, chemical control, biological control, breeding for resistance, and public outreach and technicalassistance. The award activity must occur within a 17-county area in Western North Carolina.
“We will consider any approaches that show real promise of helping to restore hemlocks to long-term health on North Carolina’s public and private lands,” says Lamp.
Proposals are due this Friday, July 17; Individual landowners and businesses are not eligible to apply.
Press Release from Smithson Mills
$70,000 Available to Help Save North Carolina’s Hemlocks
WNC Communities has announced availability of $70,000 for a second year of competitive awards to help support efforts to restore hemlocks to long-term health in North Carolina. The awards program is a part of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative, a cooperative effort launched by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through grant funding to WNC Communities.
The goal of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative is to work with and through currentrestoration initiatives to ensure that Eastern and Carolina hemlocks can resist the deadly hemlockwoolly adelgid and survive to maturity on North Carolina’s public and private lands by 2025.
WNC Communities expects to distribute a total of three to five awards this year, eachranging from $10,000 to $25,000, to support various restoration initiatives. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and local government agencies.Individual landowners and businesses are not eligible to apply.
“Thanks to Commissioner Troxler and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, we now have an opportunity to encourage some of the best projects and speed up the solutions,” states Linda Lamp, Executive Director of WNC Communities.
Some of the possible areas of award activity include the search for natural resistance, chemical control, biological control, breeding for resistance, and public outreach and technicalassistance. The award activity must occur within a 17-county area in Western North Carolina.
“We will consider any approaches that show real promise of helping to restore hemlocks to long-term health on North Carolina’s public and private lands,” says Lamp.
Proposals are due Friday, July 17, 2015. Funding decisions will be made by a special advisory committee and the board of WNC Communities to support activities beginning after September 1, 2015. For the complete Request for Proposals and related application forms, please visit www.savehemlocksnc.org, or contact Smithson Mills, Project Coordinator, at 828-273-9119 or Smithson@smithsonmills.com.
For more information:
• WNC Communities – www.wnccommunities.org
• Hemlock Restoration Initiative – http://savehemlocksnc.org/
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