Three Rivers Land Trust has been awarded $1.2 million in grant funding from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund for the 2018 grant cycle.

Funds will be used in three future Land Trust projects: one located in Davidson County, one in Montgomery County and one in Stanly County.

When closed, 485 acres of land will be permanently conserved through the projects. According to a news release, said lands are important for water quality, contain significant Natural Heritage resources, boast mature hardwood stands and contain significant riparian buffer areas.

Two projects are adjacent to state owned lands.

“The funding from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund is essential to our conservation efforts,” said Crystal Cockman, Three Rivers Land Trust Director of Conservation.

North Carolina’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established by the General Assembly in 1996 as a non-regulatory organization with a focus on protecting and restoring the state’s land and water resources. It awards grants to nonprofit and governmental organizations to protect land for natural, historical and cultural benefit, to limit encroachment on military installations,  to restore degraded streams, and to develop and improve stormwater treatment technology.

The trust fund had just over $15 million to give out to conservation organizations for acquisition projects statewide this year.

“Three Rivers Land Trust is honored to partner with the (Clean Water Management Trust Fund) on these important local conservation projects,” said Executive Director Travis Morehead. “(We have) raised over $8 million dollars for local conservation projects in 2018. This means for every operational dollar the Land Trust received, we leveraged that dollar over 13 times for ‘on the ground’ conservation projects, just like these.”

For more information on these projects or to find out how you can become a member of Three Rivers Land Trust, contact Crystal Cockman at crystal@landtrustcnc.org or 704-647-0302.