SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Founded in 2000, the grassroots watershed group Black River Action Team (BRAT) is working on several new projects this year, all geared toward protecting water quality and reducing damage from stormwater impacts around the watershed. From identifying a potential project through working with landowners, permitters, and contractors, scoping and developing projects takes time and miles. BRAT is able to do this work in large part thanks to a $3,000 grant from Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation, disbursed through Watersheds United Vermont (WUV). A nonprofit entity, WUV works to connect the many watershed groups from around the State of Vermont with each other and with the resources they need to do the important work they all do.
The Project Scoping and Development grant is a key piece of funding that allows groups like Black River Action Team to pay for some of the time necessary to get a project from “potential” to “approved for funding,” so that clean water goals can be accomplished and landowners can protect property as well as water quality, wildlife habitat, stream function, and more.
Learn more about what Black River Action Team is up to at www.blackriveractionteamvt.org, or by calling BRAT Director Kelly Stettner at 802-591-0101. BRAT’s fiscal sponsor is Tiny Seed Project in East Hardwick, Vt.