For additional information, or to apply for funding, please contact: Anne Heasly or Michael Catania at (908) 879-7942

Conservation Resources Inc. (CRI) announced the availability of grant funds to non-profit organizations to implement the forthcoming Raritan-Piedmont Wildlife Habitat Partnership (RPWHP) Comprehensive Conservation Plan.  RPWHP is a coalition of public and private organizations interested in the conservation of key habitats in the Central Piedmont Plains of New Jersey.  In 2011, RPWHP organizations initiated the development of a Comprehensive RPWHP Conservation Plan that identifies priority Forest, Riparian and Grassland habitats.  The three previously completed RPWHP Conservation Plans for Grassland, Forest and Riparian areas used different planning area boundaries.  The Comprehensive Plan includes one, unified planning area boundary.  This new version of the RPWHP Conservation Plan also addresses climate change. This funding was made available to CRI through a grant from the  Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

These new grant funds are available for both operating expenses and capital costs associated with implementing strategies, actions and projects identified in the new  RPWHP Comprehensive Conservation Plan.

“It’s rather remarkable,” said Michael Catania, President of CRI, “since 2005 and the formation of RPWHP, thanks to the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Conservation Resources has been able to re-grant to non-profit partners $333,000.00 for operating support and $1,007,464.00 for capital projects to protect over 388 acres and restore more than 600 acres of grassland, forest and riparian habitats in central New Jersey”.

In this latest grant round, up to $50,000 is available to support non-profit organizations in their efforts to implement the strategies and actions identified in the new RPWHP Comprehensive Conservation Plan, and another $450,000 is available to those organizations for capital land acquisition and habitat restoration projects at priority sites identified in the Plan.

A final version of the full text of the RPWHP Comprehensive Conservation Plan will be available shortly, and in the interim an executive summary of the Plan can be found on the CRI website at: http://www.conservationresourcesinc.org/rpwhp.htm

Back To Nature Media Contact: Mitch Boodey, (908) 439-4639 mboodey@backtonature.net

For Immediate Release

Conservation Resources Launches New Fund to Help Non-Profits

Conservation Resources, Inc. (CRI) today announced the launch of a unique new program to help finance ecological projects and provide financial support for New Jersey non-profits who seek to foster the preservation and restoration of natural areas.  This program is an extension of CRI’s role as a grantmaker and conservation finance intermediary.

In seeking a logical partner for this alliance, CRI sought a business that offered products and services that helped people be more sustainable in their daily lives, as well as a partner which was as passionate as CRI about preservation and environmental regeneration and restoration. That’s when CRI thought of Back to Nature. CRI President Michael Catania has known Anthony Sblendorio, founder of Back to Nature Home & Garden, for years. The recent opening of a Back to Nature retail location in Morris County, near CRI’s state headquarters, offered an opportunity to help   participating non-profit organizations increase the visibility of their own programs, as well as a chance to provide discounts and support for the operations and activities of the groups they support.

“Launching the Back to Nature Fund is a logical extension of CRI’s efforts since 2003 to provide financial and technical support for the conservation community, and to develop new sources of funding to support preservation, restoration, and stewardship projects efforts throughout New Jersey” stated Catania, “and we are very excited about the potential for this new Fund to provide a reliable new source of funding to help them accomplish even more.”

“It’s a groundbreaking initiative. We are thrilled and honored to be a part of such an important cause, especially one so closely aligned with our own ideals,” says Sblendorio. Now you can support your favorite non-profits while shopping at Back to Nature when the fund launches in January 2012. Members and supporters of participating organizations will receive a special discount code, unique to each group that can be used at the Back to Nature store, online at www.backtonature.net, and for landscape/construction services. Every time shoppers use the code they will receive a 10% discount and 5.5% of their purchase will be allocated to the Fund. To kick things off, Back to Nature is also making an initial $20,000 contribution to the Fund, which will be administered by CRI .

In addition, these groups may use the store’s event center space, free of charge, for educational events up to four times per year. For some groups this will help gain visibility with a different demographic and in a new locale. It offers an increased audience for all groups with the proximity to the retail store and its traffic. “One of our primary goals at Back to Nature is education. By working with groups who have different concentrations and specialties, we can help provide an outlet for all sorts of educational opportunities,” Sblendorio adds.

The initial notable local non-profits which are expected to benefit from the Fund include New Jersey Audubon, the Schiff Natural Lands Trust, the Harding Township Land Trust, and the Great Swamp Watershed Association.  CRI will also be reaching out to many other non-profits to encourage them to become beneficiaries of the Back to Nature Fund.  For more information on how your favorite organization can participate, contact Michael Catania with Conservation Resources at michael@conservationresources.org or by calling him at CRI’s office at (908) 879-7942.

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Back to Nature Profile

Back to Nature has 17 years of experience within sustainable and regenerative landscape design-build. Recently, Back to Nature expanded their green mission with the opening of Back to Nature Home & Garden, the company’s first retail location. The store offers a new take on the traditional garden center with a wholly organic approach, focus on native plants and an interior space with artisan crafted house wares and gifts. Realizing that education is key to ensuring change, Back to Nature also included an event center at the store. Educational classes on eco-friendly topics ranging from organic gardening to honey bees and rain garden design are held regularly. As a committed member of the local community, Back to Nature has also extended invitations to area organizations to use the space for their meetings or events, thereby helping to increase their success and visibility.  Back to Nature Home & Garden is located at 3055 Valley Road in Basking Ridge, NJ. They can be reached by phone at 908-350-7506 and via the web at www.backtonature.net.

Conservation Resources Profile

Established in 2003 as a non-profit conservation finance intermediary, Conservation Resources helps to develop new sources of support for conservation projects throughout New Jersey.  CRI provides both financial and technical support for non-profits and local governments, and has already helped these organizations to secure more than $110 million in financial assistance to help preserve or restore more than 25,000 acres of key natural areas here in the Garden State. For more information about CRI’s programs, please see our website at: www.conservationresources.org

“We are especially pleased to announce the awarding of grants to 3 organizations to undertake 6 restoration projects to improve grassland, forest and riparian habitats in central New Jersey,” said Michael Catania, President of CRI.

The purpose of the Raritan-Piedmont Wildlife Habitat Partnership (RPWHP) Grants Program is to provide matching funds for restoration projects undertaken by non-profit organizations that implement the existing RPWHP Grassland, Forest and Riparian Conservation Plans.

RPWHP is a coalition of more than a dozen public and private conservation organizations that have collaborated on developing science-based conservation plans and designing strategies to preserve, restore and enhance habitat.  The members share the belief that working together to conserve the natural resources of the Central Piedmont Plains will help ensure the quality of life for its residents, through retaining farmland, forests, conserving water quality and quantity, and promoting eco-tourism and environmental education.

The projects supported by the 2012 Raritan Piedmont Wildlife Habitat Partnership Implementation Grants Program are featured on The Conservation Exchange, New Jersey’s Marketplace for Conservation Projects. Evaluation criteria for being awarded a RPWHP Restoration Grant include located on a site included in a RPWHP Conservation Plan, financial leverage and demonstrated ability to complete and maintain the project.

D&R Greenway Land Trust – Awarded $7,340 for its Maple Lane Farm Grassland Enhancement Project – working with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) using the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) cost-share program to remove invasive plants and restore native grasses on 33 acres for grassland birds in Hillsborough Township.

D&R Greenway Land Trust – Awarded $2,000 for its Cider Mill Hedgerow Removal Project to increase habitat for area-sensitive grassland birds in East Amwell Township.

Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space – Awarded $68,100 for its Baldpate Mountain Ecosytem Reforestation at the Hollystone Preserve to remove invasive species, fencing, soil restoration and planting of native trees, shrubs and herbaceous species to restore 40 acres of abandoned agricultural lands to forest in Hopewell Township.

D&R Greenway Land Trust – Awarded $12,978 for its Sourlands Core Forest and Rare Species Habitat Project to remove invasive species, fencing and then replanting with native species to restore 5 acres of forest at its Cedar Ridge Preserve in Hopewell Township.

Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association – Awarded $18,000.00 for its Stony Brook Tributary – Pond Restoration and Stormwater Management Project to prepare a sediment study and dredging plan to restore a pond to improve water quality and flood storage along a tributary to the Stony Brook in Princeton Township.

Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association – Awarded Awarded $16,445.00 for its Millstone Dam Removals and Restoration Project for permits and equipment for removal of two dams along the Millstone River.

RPWHP is updating its existing Conservation Plans into a single Conservation Plan.  To implement the conservation strategies contained in this forthcoming new RPWHP Comprehensive Conservation Plan, CRI will distribute an RFP soliciting grant applications in March 2012.  For more information on how to apply for these funds, see the CRI website at:  www.conservationresources.org

For additional information contact: Anne Heasly or Michael Catania at (908) 879-7942.

Conservation Resources Inc. (CRI) announced its sixth annual Franklin Parker Small Grants awards to non-profit conservation organizations.  The awards totaling $100,000 were distributed to 23 organizations for conservation projects throughout the Garden State.

Although it is not required, pre-registration would be appreciated for this exciting, interactive planning workshop.

You can pre-register for the workshop by clicking here.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with our current existing and potential trails, points of interest, and community attributes by visiting the project web page.   We’ll be asking you to add to these maps and seek your input and creative ideas in order to make the plan a true community effort. Check back over the next week or so as we will be constantly updating these maps as we gather additional data.

This plan was initiated by the Chester Borough & Township Green Teams/Open Space Committees who received a joint grant from ANJEC (Association of NJ Environmental Commissions) to develop an integrated trails plan for the Chesters. The plan will be implemented with the help of Conservation Resources, a Chester based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving open space lands in NJ.

The first 115 acres of the new Hill & Dale Preserve at the base of Hell Mountain were acquired by New Jersey Conservation Foundation.  Conservation Resources helped facilitate a large grant to this project from a previously collected Natural Resource Damage Settlement.    To read the press release from New Jersey Conservation Foundation, click here.

Projects which are eligible for financial assistance from this new grant program include ecological restoration projects to be conducted in forested areas, tidal or freshwater wetlands, or grassland areas which are located in New Jersey.

Read more about this unique grant program here.

Read more about CRI’s accomplishments in our 2010 Annual Report.

Read about eligibility requirements and recent grant awards here.