To all Berks County Municipalities, below are three funding opportunities in which may spark your interest:

Funding opportunity 1:

Need some help to make your vision a reality? The will help more than 250 communities across the country take their outdoor recreation and conservation projects from vision to reality this year. Their Rivers, and Conservation Assistance Program supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects.

Could your project benefit from collaboration with a National Park Service specialist? Call or email your regional representative today for more information. They have an online application process and applications are being accepted until August 1, 2013.

Current projects in include the Dunkard Creek Water , the Montgomery Peters Mercersburg Connectivity-People, Trails & Environment project, the River Trail, the Metropolitan Urban Green project for Philadelphia and , the Water Trail Strategic Plan, and the September 11th National Memorial Trail.

Funding opportunity 2:

For 2013, WREN offers two separate funding tracks: a Watershed Protection Project track (awards up to $5,000), and a Source Water Protection Collaborative Project track (awards up to $7,000 for a region or County Collaborative).

Watershed Protection Education Projects willbuild awareness and educate residents and municipal officials about their local watershed, their role as environmental stewards, and offer specific actions that citizens can take action at home, at work, and within the community to protect, improve, or remediate their watershed from the impact of polluted runoff, also known as nonpoint source pollution.

Source Water Protection Collaborative Grant Projects will form a regional or County-wide Collaborative and a Source Water Environmental Education Team (SWEET) comprised of 3 -5 members that will conduct community education to encourage protection of drinking water source areas in the region or county. SWEET Teams will use educational models and visual tools like the groundwater model, the Enviroscape and source water protection zone maps (available through PADEP source water protection regional coordinators) to conduct community education with the goal of helping community leaders, stakeholders, residents, farmers and businesses implement practical, step by step solutions that will reduce the risk of contamination to aquifers, rivers, streams, lakes, and springs relied upon for public water supply in Pennsylvania.

Funding opportunity 3:

DCED has provided Act 13 shale funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for open space, trail, and park grants. See http://www.newpa.com/find-and-apply-for- funding/funding-and-program-finder/greenways-trails-and-recreation-program