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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Governor Healey announced nearly $1 million dollars in grants will go towards supporting ecological restoration projects around Massachusetts on Tuesday.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration said $982,360 in grants will go toward the Department of Fish and Game's projects supported through Division of Ecological Restoration programs. The funds will go toward strengthening community resilience to climate change, improving infrastructure to be climate-ready, public safety, and restoring crucial habitat and water quality.
“Ecological restoration offers transformational benefits for both climate resilience and biodiversity. These priority actions will reduce flooding, improve water quality, and reconnect and restore critical habitats for fish and wildlife,” said DFG Commissioner Tom O’Shea. “As climate change brings increasing challenges, these projects and partnerships will support Massachusetts’ ResilientMass planning efforts to ensure the Commonwealth is prepared to withstand, adapt to, and rapidly recover from extreme weather events.”
Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration awarded $327,361 in funds through its Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program to eight municipalities. $555,000 in grant funds went to five Priority Restoration Projects and $100,000 went to three Regional Restoration Partnerships.
The following eight CRMA projects were awarded funding:
- Abbott Brook Culvert Replacement in Chester was awarded $55,361 to replace two culverts over Abbott Brook on Abbott Hill Road.
- Bromley Road Culvert Replacement in Huntington was awarded $34,000 to support field data collection and design for two culvert replacement projects over a tributary to the East Branch of the Westfield River on Bromley Road.
- Elmer Brook Culvert Replacement in South Hadley was awarded $25,000 to support design, engineering, and permitting activities for a culvert replacement project over Elmer Brook on Pearl Street.
- Hop Brook Culvert Replacement in Belchertown was awarded $10,000 to support data collection and engineering costs for a culvert replacement on Hop Brook.
- Kettle Brook Culvert Replacement in Leicester was awarded $34,000 for data collection, design, and permitting activities for a culvert replacement project over Kettle Brook at the intersection of MA-56 and Marshall Street.
- Rock Meadow Brook Culvert Replacement in Uxbridge was awarded $34,000 to support supports field data collection, design, and permitting, and some preliminary design and engineering work for a culvert replacement project over Rock Meadow Brook on Rock Meadow Road.
- Sucker Brook Culvert Replacements in Pepperell was awarded $70,000 for engineering and permitting activities for culvert replacements at the crossings of Sartelle and Sheffield Street.
- Trapfall Brook and Tributary Culvert Replacement in Ashby was awarded $65,000 to support field data collection and design and permitting activities for two culvert replacement projects over Trapfall Brook and a tributary on Harris Road in Ashby.
The following five projects were awarded funding through the DER's Priority Projects Program to help people and nature adapt to climate change:
- Broad Meadow Brook Restoration in Worcester was awarded $30,000 to support assessment, design, and permitting for the Broad Meadow Brook Wetland and Stream Restoration project.
- Cold Brook Restoration in Harwich was awarded $225,000 to support construction and restoration within more than 50 acres of former commercial cranberry bog and over 4,000 feet of river channel along Cold Brook in Harwich.
- Ipswich Mills Dam Removal in Ipswich was awarded $25,000 to support technical analyses to evaluate the feasibility of removing the Ipswich Mills Dam.
- Whitney Pond Dam Removal in Ashburnham was awarded $25,000 to support the pre-construction phase of the Whitney Pond Dam Removal Project, which aims to remove the Whitney Pond Dam.
- Windswept Cranberry Bog Restoration in Nantucket was $250,000 to support pre-construction activities as well as the start of construction services for the Windswept Cranberry Bog Restoration.
The following three Regional Restoration Partnerships were awarded funding to increase the pace and scale of ecological restoration across the state.
- Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Restoration Partnership in the Berkshires was awarded $33,500.
- Buzzards Bay Watershed Restoration Partnership in the Southeast Region was awarded $45,000.
- Merrimack Restoration Partnership in the North Central & Northeast Regions was awarded $21,500.
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