CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fourteen
organizations spanning 27 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina will receive more than
$1.1 million in new grants from Duke
Energy's Water Resources Fund to support environmental and wildlife
programs.
The fund is a $10 million
multiyear commitment from Duke Energy to help local organizations
continue to protect and improve the environment, including
waterways used year-round across the Carolinas and neighboring
states.
"The projects we're investing in now through the Water Resources
Fund ensure that future generations will enjoy the benefits of our
waterways," said David Fountain,
Duke Energy's North Carolina
president. "This in one of the many ways we are working to build a
better future for our communities."
"We are so excited to receive a grant from Duke Energy's Water
Resources Fund for the RADTIP Riparian Restoration Plan," said
Stephanie Monson Dahl, director of
the strategic development office for the city of Asheville. "These funds will help create a
community partnership to further our City Council's 2036 vision,
which includes a focus on clean water and quality urban
forests."
"These projects benefit our waterways and contribute to the
economic vitality of our local communities," said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, Duke Energy's South Carolina president. "Maintaining the
vitality of our communities is one of our most important
responsibilities at Duke Energy."
"Duke Energy's Water Resources Fund is an incredible resource
for organizations like ours," said Natalie
Britt, executive director of Palmetto Conservation
Foundation. "We are thrilled to receive funding to conserve an
awesome watershed and give the public access via the Palmetto
Trail," she said. PCF is building a new passage of the trail along
the lower Eastatoe Creek through the internationally acclaimed
Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area in Pickens County, S.C. The mountains-to-sea
Palmetto Trail is one of 16 cross-state hiking trails in the
nation.
Duke Energy has awarded more than $6
million in grants to 73 projects in the Carolinas and
Virginia since establishing the
fund in 2015. Recipients are selected by an independent body that
includes five environmental experts and two Duke Energy
employees.
Organizations receiving the new grants are:
- Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council
(N.C.)
- City of Asheville (N.C.)
- City of Eden (N.C.)
- City of Jacksonville
(N.C.)
- Foothills Conservancy of North
Carolina (N.C.)
- Pickens County (S.C.)
- Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development
(N.C.)
- Palmetto Conservation Foundation (S.C.)
- Rockingham County Historical Society Museum and Archives
(N.C.)
- Spartanburg Area Conservancy (S.C.)
- The Nature Conservancy of South
Carolina (S.C.)
- Trout Unlimited, Inc. (N.C.)
- University of North Carolina at
Charlotte (N.C.)
- YMCA of Greenville (S.C.)
Additional details on the grants follow:
North Carolina
- Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council
(N.C.) – $30,000 to improve an
impacted subwatershed of the North Toe watershed by stabilizing and
restoring a 1,000-foot section of Grassy
Creek. The project will also continue development of the
Overmountain Victory Trail.
- City of Asheville (N.C.) – $60,000 to improve water quality and engage the
community through development of a riparian restoration plan along
the east bank greenway and creation of educational interpretive
signage.
- City of Eden (N.C.) – $100,000 to provide a walking trail next to an
Eden waterway in the western
section of the city.
- City of Jacksonville (N.C.) – $100,000 to revitalize Riverwalk Marina while
also incorporating public access features by replacing old docks
and piers and by constructing a boardwalk, on-the-water fishing,
picnic and viewing areas, as well as a kayak and canoe launch for
public use.
- Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina (N.C.) –
$100,000 to match funds from the
Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group to underwrite research. The
results will be used to develop a watershed conservation strategy
to protect water quality and availability in the Catawba-Wateree
Basin.
- Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development
(N.C.) – $26,000 to improve water
quality in the Ivy River Watershed, a water supply source, through
partnership development, stakeholder engagement, education and
outreach, and on the ground projects.
- Rockingham County Historical Society Museum and Archives
(N.C.) – $61,500 to provide
canoe/kayak access at High Rock Ford, the highest point of
navigation on the Haw River, and add 4 river miles to the historic
Haw River Paddle Trail and one-quarter mile to the historic Haw
River Land Trail.
- Trout Unlimited, Inc. (N.C.) – $94,919 to complete aquatic organism passage
restoration projects on strategic cold water streams for the
long-term viability of brook trout and other aquatic species
through the removal or replacement of culverts that block fish
passage.
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (N.C.) –
$76,521 to establish a long-term
Catawba Basin Upland Watershed Observatory that will document the
impact of land use and invasive species on Catawba Watershed water
quality and quantity in order to develop best conservation
practices for uplands.
South Carolina
- Pickens County (S.C.) – $100,000 to support improvements to the Twelve
Mile Recreation Area, located in a formerly distressed area of
Pickens County, which will allow
citizens access to fishing, hiking, picnic areas, whitewater and
flatwater paddling while stimulating the economy and potentially
creating new jobs.
- Palmetto Conservation Foundation (S.C.) – $100,000 to protect the natural environment by
using best management practices and materials to construct the Dug
Mountain Passage of the Palmetto Trail, which will provide public
access to the lower Eastatoe Creek watershed in Jocassee
Gorges.
- Spartanburg Area Conservancy (S.C.) – $75,000 to extend the Cottonwood South Trail
approximately 2.5 miles along Lawson's Fork Creek, one of the main
watersheds in Spartanburg, S.C.
The project will connect to the existing Glendale Shoals Preserve,
established by SPACE in 1994.
- The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina (S.C.) Mountain
Bridge Wilderness Area Expansion – $100,000 toward the purchase of an iconic
property in the South Carolina
mountains. Once acquired, the Conservancy will transfer it to South
Carolina State Parks.
- YMCA of Greenville (S.C.) Caine Halter Family YMCA
Outdoor Classroom and Riparian Corridor Restoration – $80,075 to make updates to the Reedy River
riverside, including creating an outdoor classroom and installing
science stations that will become an environmental education
resource for the Y's programs as well as other community
partners.
About Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to
address the needs of the communities where its customers live and
work. The foundation provides more than $30
million annually in charitable gifts. The foundation's
education focus spans kindergarten to career, particularly science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM), early childhood literacy
and workforce development. It also supports the environment and
community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.
Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their
communities as volunteers and leaders at a wide variety of
nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on
its legacy of community service. For more information,
visit http://www.duke-energy.com/foundation.
About Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding
companies in the United States.
Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business unit serves
approximately 7.5 million customers located in six states in the
Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas Utilities and
Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to
approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business
unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across
the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the
company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for
journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and
videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online
destination for stories about people, innovations, and community
and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and
insights into the future of energy.
Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and
Facebook.
Media Contact: Candice
Knezevic
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy