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STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106 |
M. Jodi Rell Governor |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 13, 2010
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Contact: 860-524-7313
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Governor Rell Announces Grants for Urban Forestry Projects
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that 13 municipalities and non-profit organizations will receive America the Beautiful grants to show their commitment to urban forestry. These grants cover a range of urban forestry activities, including the development of a municipal forest plan, the inventory and maintenance of significant trees, and the planting of new ones. Communities from Torrington to Baltic and from Norwalk to Coventry are recipients of these grants.
“Planting new trees and providing continued care of existing ones is an important part of environmental protection, not only in Connecticut, but throughout the nation and the world,” Governor Rell said. “These grants provide an opportunity for local communities and non-profit organizations to improve the quality of all of our lives.”
America the Beautiful Grant Recipients
Applicant
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Title of the Grant Project
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Town of Fairfield |
Town of Fairfield Municipal Forest Plan |
Town of Hamden
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Tree Planting, Inventory and Maintenance Plan –
Hamden Town Center Park |
Town of Coventry |
Preserving Significant Trees |
City of Norwalk |
Norwalk General Urban Forestry Project |
City of Torrington |
Initiation of Downtown Torrington Urban Tree Inventory |
Town of Vernon |
Replacement of Legacy Trees in Talcot Park and Henry Park |
Southmayd Home, Inc. (Waterbury) |
Trees in Our Neighborhood
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City of West Haven |
Boston Post Road Tree Planting and West Haven Tree Inventory |
Town of Wethersfield |
Tornado Recovery Program |
Town of Stratford |
Greenway Linear Coastline Park Project |
Town of Sprague |
Baltic Downtown Streetscaping Phase II |
Soundkeeper, Inc. (Stratford) |
Soundkeeper's Food Tree Planting at the Farm at Stratford |
Branford Garden Club |
Rosenthal Gardens Revitalization |
The state’s America the Beautiful Urban Forestry Grant Program is made possible by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. Under the America the Beautiful Grant Program, municipalities and non-profit organizations are able to apply to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for grants of up to $8,000.
“Over the past decade, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $625,000 in America the Beautiful grants,” Commissioner Amey Marrella said. “These funds are then matched by an equal amount of in-kind efforts and local funds. We are pleased to continue this important partnership by which DEP offers funding and expertise and municipalities and non-profits offer their creativity, energy and enthusiasm.”
Competition was intense, as the amount of requests outnumbered available funding by nearly a 3 to 1 ratio. Since the program began, more than a third of the cities and towns in Connecticut have taken advantage of the opportunity to use government funding to initiate quality local programs.
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