FISH Grants

In February a total of $14,953 was awarded to three conservation projects through the WMSWCD's Financial Incentives for Sustainable Habitats (FISH) grant program. 

The bulk of the funds in this cycle, $10,000, went to Sauvie Island Stables, which currently boards 43 horses, for the construction of a manure compost facility. On average, Sauvie Island Stables produces as much as 25,000 cubic feet of manure every three months. The compost facility will provide a confined area to store and compost animal waste that will then be shipped for use at other sites. This project will serve as an educational centerpiece on Sauvie Island for horse owners and livestock managers throughout the District.

A FISH grant in the amount of $4,453 was awarded to Depave for the Vermont Hills Church Garden Expansion project. Depave, a Portland-based non-profit, works to remove unnecessary concrete and asphalt from urban areas in an effort to restore water quality. Depave will expand a community garden at Vermont Hills Church, removing 7,200 sq. ft. of asphalt from an unused parking lot next to an existing 10,000 sq. ft. garden. The project will also raise awareness about stormwater issues through signage and project news.

A $500 FISH grant was awarded to a private landowner in the Garden Home area who will remove invasive plants and restore his property with native plants along a riparian zone of Woods Creek, a tributary of Fanno Creek in SW Portland.

The next round of grant applications is due May 16, 2010; for information visit www.wmswcd.org.