NFWF Announces $2.2 Million to Benefit Wildlife and Restore Habitat in Central Appalachia

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 16, 2025) - The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and partners today announced $2.2 million in grants to reforest legacy mine lands, improve forest habitat management for birds, implement riparian buffers on agricultural lands and restore aquatic connectivity in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The grants will generate $1.9 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $4.1 million.

The grants were awarded through the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program (CAHSP), a partnership between NFWF and the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Altria Group and Cleveland-Cliffs.

"NFWF's Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program places the people and wildlife of this culturally rich and biodiverse region at the center of its work," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. "The grants announced today will restore streamside forest habitats and advance sustainable farming practices to improve water quality for focal aquatic species, support the voluntary restoration of public and private forests for native birds and support novel strategies to jumpstart population recovery for the eastern hellbender through propagation and release. These investments will also help support local economies and catalyze future opportunities for residents throughout the region."

"Central Appalachia is home to some of the nation's most imperiled species and ecosystems," said Wendi Weber, regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast Region. "By restoring vital forest and aquatic habitats and bolstering populations of freshwater mussels and native fish, this program helps safeguard our wildlife resources and the benefits they provide to people and communities in the region now and for future generations."

Central Appalachia boasts some of the most biologically diverse forests and aquatic systems in the United States. The projects announced today will plant more than 164,000 native trees, restore 16 miles of streamside forest, remove nine barriers to fish passage, and propagate and release more than 97,000 freshwater mussels into their historic habitat. This work will also benefit declining populations of forest birds, including the golden-winged warbler, wood thrush and cerulean warbler.

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program was established in 2017 and has invested in 91 science-based, on-the-ground restoration and planning projects to restore the quality of forest and freshwater habitats in the central Appalachian region, including portions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. To date, the program has awarded grants totaling more than $21.8 million and leveraged more than $23.7 million in matching contributions from grantees for a total of $45.5 million in on-the-ground conservation impact.

A complete list of the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program grant awards is available here.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate, foundation and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 6,800 organizations and generated a total conservation impact of more than $10 billion. NFWF is an equal opportunity provider. Learn more at nfwf.org.

About the Richard King Mellon Foundation
About the Richard King Mellon Foundation: Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation's 2023 year-end net assets were $2.9 billion, and its Trustees in 2023 disbursed more than $176 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

About the Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides one-on-one, personalized advice on the best solutions to meet the unique conservation and business goals of those who grow our nation's food and fiber. NRCS helps landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the health of our air, water, and soil. NRCS also generates, manages, and shares the data, research and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. In simpler terms, NRCS's focus is "Helping People Help the Land." For more information, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov.

About the U.S. Forest Service
Established in 1905, the U.S. Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov.

About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

About Cleveland-Cliffs
Cleveland-Cliffs is a leading North America-based steel producer with focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry. The Company is vertically integrated from the mining of iron ore, production of pellets and direct reduced iron, and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 30,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.clevelandcliffs.com.

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Contact:

Rob Blumenthal, 202-857-0166, [email protected]

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