$3.2M in grants announced for Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative projects

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced $3.2 million in grants will be awarded this year as part of the seventh annual round of funding for the Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative. The Initiative is a collaboration of public agencies and energy companies that is supporting projects to improve habitat, address water scarcity, improve water quality, and engage local communities.

Grants awarded this year will support efforts to restore and protect habitat and species in the Pecos watershed and adjacent areas of New Mexico and Texas, according to the NFWF.

Program priorities “include implementing habitat restoration strategies and increasing baseline species information for species of interest within specific aquatic and grassland focal areas,” the NFWF said.

Major funding for this round is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and five corporate partners: Apache Corporation, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, and XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary.

As of May last year, the PWCI had invested $8 million into 43 projects. Recent projects include the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District’s removal of invasive species in the riparian area of Blue Springs, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s restoration of 6,000-9,000 acres of brush-invaded dry mixed prairie in northern Hudspeth County.

To learn more about the Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative, check out our profile on the Initiative here. Also, visit the Initiative’s main website for more information about the program and the grant application process, go here.