R.K. MELLON FOUNDATION GRANT SUPPORTS HABITAT RESTORATION

Posted on August 2, 2012

The Foundation for California University of Pennsylvania has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat on agricultural lands in Pennsylvania.

The grant will support a two-year project that is expected to fence 25 miles of stream, restore 500 acres of upland and 200 acres of successional habitat, and 500 acres of wetlands. The conservation work will be executed by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program at Cal U, which is recognized as a state and national leader in developing techniques to restore habitat for wildlife.

Partners for Fish and Wildlife is a cooperative effort among many agencies throughout the state. The program aims to restore habitat for wildlife on agricultural and other lands by constructing streambank fencing, stream crossings, wetlands, grasslands and border-edge cuts. 

This grant will provide additional equipment to enhance the program’s abilities to restore young forest habitats. Wildlife species that use young forest have been declining as our overall forest habitat matures. A portion of this grant will permit the program to shift some priorities to address this situation. Work already is being planned at Forbes State Forest, in Westmoreland County, Pa. 

During the next two years, Partners for Fish and Wildlife also will work with landowners to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, to restore degraded wetlands and stream vegetation, and to restore native grassland and wildflower habitat. These practices will benefit the landowners, in turn, by improving livestock health, water quality and forage.

To see photos and learn about previous projects by Partners for Fish and Wildlife and the Foundation for Cal U, visit http://www.calu.edu/business-community/wildlife/.

About the Richard King Mellon Foundation

For more than 60 years the Richard King Mellon Foundation has invested in the competitive future and quality of life in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and in the protection, preservation and restoration of America’s environmental heritage. The Foundation was created in 1947 by Richard King Mellon (1899–1970), president and chairman of Mellon Bank, a conservationist, and a leading figure in the financial and civic life of Pennsylvania.  Richard King Mellon was a lifelong outdoorsman and sportsman. He and his wife, Constance Prosser Mellon, had a strong commitment to preserving wildlife habitat and the natural world.