Fall 2005 & spring 2006 Pigeon River Fund Grants

The following grants were awarded to organizations working in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties to improve water quality.

Fall 2005 Grants

Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District - $18,000 to install sedimentation controls that will improve water quality in the Newfound Creek Watershed.

Ebbs Chapel School Foundation - $20,000 to design and plan an outdoor education facility in Madison County that features a streamside greenway and streambank improvements.

Haywood County Schools Foundation - $28,800 to integrate a water quality curriculum into the fifth and eighth grades and assist teachers in meeting upcoming science testing mandates in Haywood County schools.

Haywood Waterways Association - $38,750 to support a county-wide cooperative initiative that will educate the public about water quality issues and help implement the Haywood Watershed Action Plan.

Land-of-Sky Regional Council - $20,000 for a public education program about the impact of stormwater runoff on water quality and what individuals and local governments can do to address this issue.

RiverLink - $6,700 to support a new program that provides water-based environmental education lessons in middle school science classrooms.

Southwestern NC Resource Conservation & Development Council - $20,200 to provide technical and field support of GIS information for the Pigeon River Watershed in Haywood County.

Town of Black Mountain - $24,880 to complete plans for a stream restoration and greenway trail development along Flat Creek, including educational components for nearby schools.

Spring 2006 Grants

Ebbs Chapel School Foundation - $6,250 to match a Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant that will help protect a wetland area for future development as an environmental education site.

Haywood Waterways Association - $50,000 toward an updated Integrated Pollutant Source Identification (IPSI) study of the Pigeon River Watershed by TVA, which will provide planning data for future water quality improvement projects in Haywood County.

NC Cooperative Extension Service of Haywood County - $15,000 to conduct community workshops and demonstrations to teach homeowners how to install “rain pocket” gardens and reduce stormwater runoff.

RiverLink - $12,000 to support the Adopt-a-Stream program, which includes volunteer trash pick-up, water quality monitoring, and increased awareness of local water quality issues in Swannanoa, Hominy Creek, Big Ivy (Barnardsville) and Hot Springs communities.

Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council - $20,000 to support work that will encourage landowners to protect rural lands and promote water quality along the Pigeon River in the Bethel community.

The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation
of Western North Carolina
      P.O. Box 1888 Asheville, NC 28802
Phn 828 254-4960     Fax 828 251-2258