Healey-Driscoll
Administration Announces $365K in Grants to Support Biodiversity & Habitat
Resiliency
The MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program provides
crucial support to partners to steward biodiversity, enhance climate
resiliency, and promote outdoor recreation.
BOSTON – The
Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced over $365,000 to restore 234
acres of wildlife habitat across Massachusetts. The Department of Fish and
Game’s (DFG) Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is awarding MassWildlife
Habitat Management grants to five organizations and two
municipalities. The MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program (MHMGP),
provides crucial financial assistance to private and municipal owners of
conserved lands to improve habitat for wildlife, steward biodiversity, enhance
climate resiliency, and promote public recreational opportunities. Since 2015,
MassWildlife has funded 112 projects that have restored over four thousand
acres of natural habitat.
“Partnership
and collaboration will be essential for meeting our ambitious biodiversity and
climate goals. Most forests and other wildlife habitats in Massachusetts are
not state-owned, and we rely on conservation organizations, cities and towns,
private landowners, and other partners to greatly expand our impact,” said
Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea. “This program provides
us with the unique opportunity to not only directly benefit threatened species,
but also create new outdoor recreation opportunities and support the sporting
community.”
While
MassWildlife and other conservation organizations have made substantial
investments in land conservation within Massachusetts, many essential habitats
are degraded, and vulnerable species face increasing threats from climate
change. To address these challenges, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is
investing in habitat management efforts on state wildlife lands and, through
MHMGP, on all conserved lands across the state alongside private and municipal
partners. Habitat restoration and management activities will create healthy,
resilient landscapes that support a variety of species, particularly those of
greatest conservation need.
“MassWildlife’s
Habitat Management Grant Program builds on success of ongoing efforts to
advance our mission of preserving the great diversity and abundance of
wildlife, plants, and habitats in Massachusetts,” said Mark S. Tisa,
MassWildlife Director. “Public and private investment in habitat management
is critical for promoting ecological resiliency and biodiversity, and we are
thrilled to work with this year’s grant recipients as they commit to improving
landscapes for people and nature.”
The
following seven projects will receive MassWildlife Habitat Management Grants:
· Falmouth – The
Town of Falmouth has been awarded $70,000 to improve sandplain grasslands by
removing invasive vines, woody shrubs, plants, and trees. This project will
also improve the connectivity of these parcels to upland forest habitats at
Coonamessett Reservation, which will expand and improve rare species
habitat.
· Great
Barrington – The Berkshire Natural Resources Council has been awarded $28,930
to treat invasive plant species on Housatonic River floodplain forest and a
wooded oxbow at the Rising Pond Conservation Area.
· Kingston – The
Town of Kingston has been awarded $23,765 to treat the invasive aquatic plant
species, variable‐leaved milfoil, at Smelt Pond. This aggressive non-native
species outcompetes native aquatic species and reduces water
quality.
· Nantucket – The
Nantucket Conservation Foundation has been awarded $75,000 to help protect
pitch pine barren habitat at Ram Pasture. This funding will cover the removal,
chipping, and safe disposal of southern pine beetle infected pitch
pine.
· Nantucket – The
Nantucket Island Land Bank has been awarded $74,700 to help restore pine
barrens at Gardner Farm. Areas of dense pitch pine forest that are most
susceptible to southern pine beetle outbreaks will be thinned to promote site
resiliency and a heathland / sandplain-grassland understory, both of which are
beneficial to numerous rare moths and butterflies.
· South Lee – South
Lee Associates has been awarded $17,990 to treat invasive species along the
Housatonic River to improve floodplain forest and early successional grasslands
that are being overgrown with woody species.
· Tisbury – The
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation has been awarded $75,000 to manage southern pine
beetle-infested pitch pine and pitch pine/oak forest at Phillips Preserve. This
expansion of a sanitation harvest is aimed at combating the spread of southern
pine beetle, a southern species that has been expanding its range north,
threatening our pitch pine forests.
“Through
active habitat management, we are not only protecting our diverse ecosystem but
also addressing the ever-more present challenges posed by climate change. The
Cape and South Shore, known for their unique ecological landscape, are
committed to prioritizing the conservation of our precious natural resources.
I’m grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their support,” said
State Senator Susan Moran (D-Plymouth, Barnstable).
“Protecting
habitat on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard is key to ensuring local wildlife
survives and thrives for many years to come,” said State Senator Julian Cyr
(D-Cape and Islands). “I am grateful the Healey-Driscoll Administration has
invested in habitat management on the islands with a combined $150,000 in
grants to Nantucket and Tisbury to restore and manage forests. Environmental
stewardship is critical to maintaining a healthy and sustainable natural
world.”
"I
am thrilled to see this $220,000 boost for organizations on the Cape and
Islands that are protecting and restoring our precious natural resources. These
projects are not just for wildlife – they're an investment in the future of our
communities and the well-being of everyone who cherishes our natural
spaces," said State Representative Dylan Fernandes (D-Barnstable,
Dukes, Nantucket).
"I
am thrilled to see the Town of Kingston receive a grant to help restore balance
and a natural order to Smelt Pond. Local wildlife is so important to the local
culture and history and it is critical that we invest in protecting and
conserving its natural habitat,” said State Representative Kathleen LaNatra
(D-Plymouth). “Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and
MassWildlife for this excellent investment into Kingston's local
biodiversity."
For more
information regarding MassWildlife Habitat Management Grants, please visit the
program’s webpage.
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