Great Marsh gets share of grant money to protect coastal water quality

Ipswich is among several communities to share in $200,000 in federal grants, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. announced earlier this month.

The Massachusetts Bays Program Research and Planning Grants will be used to fund projects aimed at identifying causes of coastal habitat degradation, developing plans to address coastal water quality pollution issues, and/or building local capacity to protect coastal resources.

“The range of projects funded by this program is representative of the challenges facing our coastal and estuarine resources,” said Secretary Sullivan. “I applaud the commitment of coastal communities and local organizations for their efforts in the ongoing stewardship and preservation of the natural resources within Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays.”

The awards, offered for the first time, will be awarded to the following municipalities, nonprofits and academic institutions:

The town of Ipswich, to develop a Resource Management Plan for the Great Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern — $16,284

The town of Salisbury, to develop improved local storm water policies — $40,000

The University of New Hampshire, for research into the cause of the accelerated invasion of the Great Marsh on Massachusetts’ North Shore by the Common Reed (Phragmites australis) — $39,922

A partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, to develop guidelines for shellfish bed restoration initiatives — $40,000

The town of Kingston, to identify and address sources of polluted storm water runoff to Kingston Bay — $14,795

The Jones River Watershed Association, to develop a restoration plan for the Stony Brook/Tussock Brook Salt Marsh complex — $12,510

The Massachusetts Audubon Society, for its ongoing work to restore oyster reef habitat in the town of Wellfleet —  $19,529

The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen Association, to create a River Herring Warden Network for Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts — $15,000

The projects will help the EEA Coastal Zone Management Office’s Massachusetts Bays Program implement its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, a blueprint for protecting the environmental health of Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay. Financial support for the program is provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


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