CARCIERI AWARDS OPEN SPACE GRANTS TOTALING NEARLY $700,000

08-24-2005

Governor Donald Carcieri and Department of Environmental Management Director W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D. today announced the awarding of five grants totaling nearly $700,000 to local communities and land trusts to protect more than 350 acres of open space throughout the state. The funds are the first to be utilized from the Governor's $70 million Open Space, Recreation, Bay and Watershed Bond overwhelmingly passed by Rhode Island voters in November 2004.

The announcement was made at the 86-acre Kwandrans property in Glocester, one of the properties that will be protected, at a ceremony attended by a number of state and municipal officials and representatives of land trusts and non-profit organizations.

“Today I am pleased to announce that we are awarding $693,275 in open space grants for five projects,” said Governor Carcieri. “That means we’re protecting 350 acres of land in communities throughout our state. These are the first round of grants that are being administered from my open space bond which was on the ballot last year.”

The grant awards announced today are for five properties that were among open space applications received by DEM in 2004 and evaluated and scored at that time by the Governor's Advisory Committee on Natural Heritage. Fifteen grants totaling $3.86 million were awarded in October from that grant round, using the last remaining funds from the 2000 Open Space Bond issue and funds from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund. Today's five projects had been placed on a reserve list for future funding.

Governor Donald Carcieri and Department of Environmental Management Director W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D. today announced the awarding of five grants totaling nearly $700,000 to local communities and land trusts to protect more than 350 acres of open space throughout the state. The funds are the first to be utilized from the Governor's $70 million Open Space, Recreation, Bay and Watershed Bond overwhelmingly passed by Rhode Island voters in November 2004.

The announcement was made at the 86-acre Kwandrans property in Glocester, one of the properties that will be protected, at a ceremony attended by a number of state and municipal officials and representatives of land trusts and non-profit organizations.

“Today I am pleased to announce that we are awarding $693,275 in open space grants for five projects,” said Governor Carcieri. “That means we’re protecting 350 acres of land in communities throughout our state. These are the first round of grants that are being administered from my open space bond which was on the ballot last year.”

The grant awards announced today are for five properties that were among open space applications received by DEM in 2004 and evaluated and scored at that time by the Governor's Advisory Committee on Natural Heritage. Fifteen grants totaling $3.86 million were awarded in October from that grant round, using the last remaining funds from the 2000 Open Space Bond issue and funds from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund. Today's five projects had been placed on a reserve list for future funding.

Click here to get a detailed list of the five individual grants
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