Coldwater Conservation Planning Grants

Coldwater Conservation Plans are useful in building local awareness and support for the long-term stewardship of coldwater streams and their surrounding watersheds. The plans are meant to identify potential problems and opportunities for stream conservation, and may often also lead to more detailed watershed studies or projects, ultimately improving the health of coldwater ecosystems.

Grants of approximately $6,000 will be awarded for the creation of a Coldwater Conservation plan that will ultimately conserve and protect the coldwater streams of Pennsylvania. This grant is meant to:

• Gather existing data about the coldwater ecosystem;
• Identify potential impacts, threats, problems and opportunities to our coldwater streams;
• Formulate a plan of action for proposed conservation and protection strategies; and
• Build community awareness and support for the conservation of our coldwater streams.

Coldwater Conservation Implementation Grants

 The CHP grant cycle will focus on funding projects identified in these plans. Grants will be awarded for the implementation of projects identified in completed coldwater conservation plans. Potential projects must enhance, conserve or protect the coldwater stream in which a coldwater conservation plan was originally completed. Grants averaging approximately $7,000 may be used to pay for equipment, materials, meetings construction activities and other serviced to implement a completed Coldwater Conservation Plan.

Eligible project types include natural channel stream design, in-stream aquatic improvement structures, riparian buffer installation, stormwater BMP's, acid deposition abatement, water sampling and monitoring, stream and land access acquisition or easements, landowner education or community outreach. Please read the grant application for additional details.