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GRANT FUNDS FLOWING TO EDGEWOOD
By Peter Ingram
When the Friends incorporated in 1998, one of the goals established was to
participate in bringing grant funds to the Preserve. Our first success occurred
a year ago, when the State Parks and Recreation Foundation awarded a $1,000
grant for a major Earth Day 2000 event at Edgewood. The focus of the event was
to introduce a broad audience of Preserve users to the Friends / County / CNPS
Edgewood Weed Management Program, and to kick off the 2000 weed removal season.
Both the Earth Day event and the subsequent weed season were very successful and
have served as the springboard for three current grant proposals for the
Preserve:
- The San Mateo County Parks & Recreation Foundation, through the office
of the County Parks & Recreation Director, has awarded a Special
Volunteer Project grant of $480 to the Preserve for the purpose of
installing a weed program tool storage unit, replacing the visitor
information inserts at the four information pedestals, and installing a
fifth pedestal on the service road below the Sunset gate.
- The San Mateo County Weed Management Area (SMCWMA) is being formed this
year by a collaboration of more than 20 agencies and organizations, with
support and leadership by the County Agricultural Commissioner. The
California Dept. of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) administers a statewide
grant program that funds the control of noxious and invasive weeds. Based on
the success of the Edgewood Weed Management Program in the past 4 years,
especially in controlling Yellow star-thistle, the SMCWMA group selected
Edgewood from a large list of countywide weed control programs as its first
control project to submit for CDFA grant funds. At this time, a proposal is
before the CDFA for $15,000 to fund expanded mechanical controls in Edgewood
($6,000), develop educational materials ($4,000) and initiate a countywide
weed mapping system and database. Once the SMCWMA is formally established,
potential annual funding from CDFA will increase to $30,000 or more.
- The San Mateo County Parks & Recreation Department has submitted a
grant proposal focused on the specific habitat and population of the
endangered Checkerspot Butterfly. Funding, if approved, would come from the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ($70,000), the California Coastal
Conservancy ($17,000), and the County’s Off-Road Vehicle Mitigation Fund
($50,000). Additionally, the California Conservation Corps will provide
$23,000 in labor for invasive weed removal. With in-kind hours from County
staff and volunteers like us, the value of this important grant project is
estimated at $209,000. The County is waiting for formal approvals, with the
hope that work can commence this summer.
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