FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/8/03

Contact: Peter Boger
(609) 633-1496

DEP Awards Grants to Local Environmental Agencies

(03/50) TRENTON — The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded 71 local environmental agencies a total of $165,000 in grants through its Environmental Services Program (ESP). These grants are used to enhance projects developed by local environmental commissions and soil conservation districts including open space planning, natural resource inventories, trail designs, watershed protection, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and educational programs.

Specific examples of projects funded by this year's grants include: the development of a river "blueway" brochure to assist Chatham Borough in Morris County in implementing its Open Space Plan; storm drain marking and locating in Raritan Township in Hunterdon County; development of a recycling community outreach program in Irvington Township in Essex County; and natural resource mapping using computerized GIS in Weymouth Township in Atlantic County.

Grants range from $1,000 to $2,500 and require a 50-percent match from the local governing body. Formal agreements between the grant recipients and DEP will be finalized by the end of June.

A full list of this year's statewide recipients is posted on the DEP website at http://nj.gov/dep/esp.

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