The Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art is thrilled to announce that it has received an $80,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to conduct outreach and technical assistance within the Brandywine Creek Greenway; and coordinate and fund the 2020 Brandywine Creek Greenway (BCG) mini-grant program.
As part of this grant, the Brandywine Conservancy will provide outreach, planning, and technical assistance to 25 municipalities and other partners within the Brandywine Creek Greenway to advance connections to Circuit Trails and to improve access to the Brandywine creek for recreation. The 25 municipalities within the BCG are Birmingham, Caln, Chadds Ford, City of Coatesville, Downingtown Borough, East Bradford, East Brandywine, East Caln, East Fallowfield, Honey Brook, Honey Brook Borough, Kennett, Modena Borough, Newlin, Pennsbury, Pocopson, South Coatesville Borough, Upper Uwchlan, Uwchlan, Valley, Wallace, West Bradford, West Brandywine, West Caln, and West Nantmeal.
The Brandywine Creek Greenway’s mini-grant program will implement small projects that improve parks, open space, and community trails. The mini-grant program will advance priority conservation and recreation projects identified in the BCG’s Strategic Action Plan (2014) and other publicly-vetted municipal planning documents. The mini-grant program will be complementary to the Conservancy’s outreach and technical assistance efforts.
The projects will benefit the participating municipalities and the BCG partnership as a whole promoting open space and trail planning and the public with new and enhanced park, open space, and trail facilities along the Brandywine Creek.
“We are very grateful to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for this award,” said Ellen Ferretti, director of the Brandywine Conservancy. “The funds from this grant will be used to reinforce the work of the partnership created through the Brandywine Creek Greenway by providing mini-grants for smaller, yet critical, projects that may otherwise be overlooked for traditional sources of funding. This award reinforces the merits of the strong and collaborative partnership formed by the Greenway partners!”
According to senator Tom Killion, “The Brandywine Conservancy is a national leader in protecting our natural resources. I am grateful that Governor Wolf is releasing funds to help them accomplish their mission of protecting the Brandywine River and nearby land. I thank the Brandywine Conservancy for all that they do in our region, and I will continue to be a strong supporter of funding that helps safeguard our waterways and open spaces.”
“The Brandywine is one of the environment treasures that define Chester County and give our region such unmatched natural beauty and distinct sense of place,” said senator Andrew E. Dinninman. “This investment will help preserve our environmental heritage, protect our watersheds, and open new outdoor recreational opportunities to residents, visitors, families and young people. I want to thank the Brandywine Conservancy and its staff for their vision and hard work in this effort—one that leverages collaboration with more than two dozen local municipalities and shows that there is no task too large or too small when it comes to conservation.”