Seven groups stretching from Gloucester to Isle of Wight are getting more than $100,000 in competitive grants from Dominion Resources to fund a variety of environmental projects.
The grants are part of $1.2 million the utility company recently awarded to 52 organizations in eight states through its charitable Dominion Foundation. The Environmental Stewardship Grants Program is an expansion of a pilot program begun in Virginia in 2013.
“The response from the nonprofit community during the last two years of the pilot in Virginia was remarkable,” foundation president Hunter A. Applewhite said in a statement. “And the result is that an even wider variety of programs promoting environmental stewardship received much-needed funding.”
The grant program targets short-term projects with measurable results that would preserve natural habitats, enhance water quality, curb pollution, increase public access to natural areas and educate the public about environmental stewardship. The maximum allowable grant amount was $50,000.
Local projects total $108,500 in grants and include:
*The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point — $25,000 to protect and preserve salt marsh habitat.
*Ducks Unlimited, Isle of Wight and Surry counties — $25,000 for the James River Wetlands Project at Hog Island.
*Surry County Historical Society and Museums — $25,000 for the Gray’s Creek Marina and Environmental Education Center.
*The Watermen’s Museum, Yorktown — $10,000 for the York River Stewardship Living Shoreline Project.
*Park Partners, Inc., Gloucester — $10,000 for solar-powered waste and recycling stations at Gloucester Point Beach.
*Williamsburg Area Botanical Gardens — $7,500 for increased accessibility of the Therapy Garden Pavilion.
*The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News — $6,000 for the Young Mariners’ Environmental Education Program.
Theresa Soska, director of development at The Mariners’ Museum, said they’re “thrilled” to partner with Dominion and the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula on their program.
“This community partnership will allow our youth a unique hands-on experience to actively participate in learning about the Chesapeake Bay, wildlife habitats and protecting our waterways,” Soska said.
Other states participating in the grant program are West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Connecticut.
Dietrich can be reached by phone at 757-247-7892.
