October 22, 2020

South Nation Conservation (SNC) has awarded $10,000 to 28 local community groups and municipalities through its Community Environmental Grants Program to help support tree and shrub planting and community garden projects this fall.

Grant recipients include the Chesterville Green Gang, the Rotary Club of Chesterville, the Osgoode Township Museum, Tagwi Secondary School, the Mountain Agricultural Society, the Kenyon Agricultural Society, the Greely Community Association, the Lefaivre Lions Club, the Russell Public Library, and the Townships of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, Augusta, Alfred and Plantagenet, Russell and the City of Clarence-Rockland.

SNC’s Community Environmental Grants Program has traditionally encouraged and supported community events across the Conservation Authority’s watershed jurisdiction that promote recreational use of our rivers and the local environment.

SNC’s Communications Committee allocated $10,000 in funding to be distributed through the popular Grants Program this year; but community events were largely cancelled due to the pandemic, and available grant funding could have gone unallocated.

In response, SNC amended the program to temporarily include tree and shrub planting and community garden projects to help local groups and non-profit organizations safely access these funds to plant more trees before the year’s end.

The Conservation Authority’s program amendments were a resounding success: 9 grants were awarded earlier this year, and 19 additional applications were recently approved, allocating all of this year’s funding and helping to support community gardens and plant more than 60 large native trees on public property.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to support our local community partners in their efforts to enhance our local environment and do some environmental good in their communities, especially during these times,” said John Mesman, SNC’s Communications Lead.

SNC has awarded $35,000 through its Community Environmental Grants Program since 2015 and hopes to allocate funding for environmental events or projects in 2021.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Kelsey Smith, Stewardship and Outreach Assistant, 1-877-984-2948, ksmith@nation.on.ca.