Gunnison River enhancement efforts awarded grant

MONTROSE — Local efforts to clear invasive species and restore native plants along the Gunnison River received a boost in July.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) awarded $246,100 in grants — including $40,000 to the Uncompahgre Plateau Project — through the Five Star Project Partnership. The grants will aid 10 community groups in implementing locally driven wetland and restoration projects, NACo noted.

The Uncompahgre Plateau Project in Montrose and Delta counties will use the two-year grant to remove invasive plants and restore native species along 23 miles of the Gunnison River within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, said Pam Motley, Uncompahgre Plateau Project education coordinator.

The target species are tamarisk, Russian knapweed and whitetop, she said. Tamarisk has a reputation for using significantly more water than the native vegetation that it displaces, according to the nonprofit Tamarisk Coalition. The invasive plant is also known to increase an area's soil salinity and wildfire intensity. Its dense growth also negatively affects wildlife biodiversity, access to surface water and endangered fish habitat, the coalition noted.

The project, which begins in August, will help enhance the riverside habitat. It will also engage local residents in educational efforts about invasive species management and watershed health, said Motley. Educational signs will be established at multiple trailheads to provide information to users of the trail system, she added.

The UP Project is one of 10 groups across the country to be awarded funding from NACo for 2008. Project partners include the Bureau of Land Management, Delta County Weed Board, Chaco Sandals Company Volunteers, and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Friends group.

"Counties and their partners across the country are fostering environmental stewardship and building diverse partnerships that promise to restore and protect the environment well into the future," said NACo President Eric Coleman, Oakland County, Mich. commissioner, in a statement.

Since 1997, NACo has helped fund projects in 118 counties across the country, providing a total of more than $1.1 million for community-based environmental restoration and education, a statement from NACo noted. The Five Star Restoration Program has supported more than 400 projects with more than $4 million in federal funds.

Major funding for the Five Star Project comes from the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. Other participating program partners are the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Habitat Council with corporate sponsors Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern Company.

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com