Glen Gardner, NJ

$53,000 for “Designing an Inclusive Riparian Restoration in Hackettstown, NJ”.

PEACE NJ will engage the Hackettstown community, including historically marginalized and excluded populations, in the design of a high-priority riparian restoration project along the federally designated Wild & Scenic Musconetcong River in a walkable public park at the heart of this watershed’s largest and most diverse population center.

Hopewell, NJ

$50,000 for “Student Empowered Conservation Planning for College Campuses and Parkland”.

Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and Outdoor Equity Alliance (OEA) will support diversification of the stewardship workforce and the stewardship of ecologically and socially important public and private lands by empowering students to co-design college campus and parkland conservation plans, practice stewardship skills, and participate in professional development.

Moorestown, NJ

$40,000 for “Swede Run at Swede Run Fields Geomorphic and Ecological Study”.

STEM will perform complete environmental analysis of Swede Run as it travels through Swede Run Fields. This will include the riparian forest, and wetlands. This analysis will focus on water quality, invasive plants, as well as native wildlife and plants with the goal of determining the most valuable habitat restoration goals.

Beach Lake, PA

$30,000 for “Enhancing Conservation and Community Engagement in the Delaware Highlands”.

Delaware Highlands Conservancy will expand conservation efforts and community engagement in the Delaware River Watershed through capacity building, combining outreach activities, annual monitoring visits, and strategic planning. DHC will work to uphold conservation goals, including improving fish and wildlife habitat, while fostering a deeper connection between people and nature.

Landing, NJ

$30,000 for “Early Detection Aquatic Invasive Species Plan for Lake Hopatcong”.

Lake Hopatcong Foundation will develop an Early Detection Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Plan to evaluate current and emerging technologies for their applicability and cost-effectiveness in detecting AIS at Lake Hopatcong. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and environmental DNA (e-DNA) are two emerging technologies to be assessed relative to unique features of the lake.

Philadelphia, PA

$25,000 for “Building Capacity for Community Fishing on the Delaware River”.

Riverfront North Partnership (RNP) will build capacity to provide free fishing programs for underserved and environmentally challenged communities on the north Delaware River watershed in Philadelphia and northeast Montgomery County. The project will expand community partnerships, introducing bilingual programs, and offering free equipment and instruction each week.