State Trust Fund Announces New Grants to Protect NC Lands and Waterways

RALEIGH -- Press Release September 22, 2017 North Carolina Gov Cooper- Clean Water Management Trust Fund Awards $20 million in Grants, Welcomes Two New Members

Today, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that nearly $20 million in Clean Water Management Trust Fund grants have been awarded to help fund 50 projects that will conserve lands and protect waterways serving millions of North Carolinians.

“The Clean Water Management Trust Fund plays a vital role in protecting North Carolina’s most treasured natural and cultural resources for future generations,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Since the fund’s beginning, these grants have been used in every North Carolina county to protect drinking water supplies, preserve historical resources, conserve clean streams for fishing and swimming, and provide buffers around our military bases.”

The new grants awarded last week will be used to protect 10,286 acres, including western waterfalls, maritime forests, historic forts, greenways and trails and buffers around military bases. More than 8,200 acres will be open to the public for hiking, birding and other recreational uses. Funds were also granted for 10 projects to restore more than 13 miles of the state’s waterways and five projects designed to introduce innovative techniques for managing stormwater.

In the last 20 years, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund has conserved more than 500,000 acres of land, protected more than 2,500 miles of streambank, and preserved 12 historic sites.

“Protecting the state’s natural and cultural resources is critical to the economic sustainability of our state, helping to make North Carolina an attractive place to live, work and visit,” said Susi H. Hamilton, secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

A complete list of grant awards is available on the Clean Water Management Trust Fund website.

Today, Gov. Cooper also announced that he has appointed the following members to the board of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund:

Greer Cawood of Winston-Salem as Board Chair. She serves in government relations for the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County and as a North Carolina state appointee to the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and has served as a Trustee of the North Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
John Wilson of Chapel Hill as an At-Large Member. Wilson previously served as a board member and president of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina and board member of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. He has produced several environmental documentaries for UNC-TV and has taught at UNC-Chapel Hill.

About the Clean Water Management Trust Fund

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established in 1996 to protect the state's drinking water sources. Today, with more than $55 million in active contracts, the fund is additionally tasked by the North Carolina General Assembly with conserving and protecting the state's natural resources, cultural heritage and military installations.