Tucson’s Conserve to Enhance Program Grants $31,000 to Four Neighborhoods for Urban Wash and Habitat Improvements
TUCSON, Ariz. (April 24, 2013) – Tucson’s Conserve to Enhance (C2E) program – which links water conservation efforts with local restoration projects – has awarded $31,000 in grants to four neighborhood improvement projects. C2E’s newly launched Community Enhancement Project grant program aims to protect and enrich Tucson-area washes and wildlife habitats, an often-underfunded local need.
The winning projects for 2013 are: Henry Elementary WINS! – Wash Improvement and Neighborhood Sustainability submitted by Henry Elementary; 1st Ave./Seneca Greening and Beautification Project submitted by the Northwest and El Cortez Neighborhoods; Mitchell Park Wildlife Habitat & Green Infrastructure Project submitted by the Mountain/1st Ave Neighborhood; and Jefferson Park’s Vine Ave. Green Corridor submitted by the Jefferson Park Neighborhood.
“The four neighborhoods receiving C2E grants have shown real leadership in improving Tucson’s environment,” said C2E Program Coordinator Candice Rupprecht. “These communities are restoring degraded washes, creating new green spaces and improving wildlife habitat.”
These one-year projects will be publicly accessible and will serve as demonstration sites and visible community assets that allow Tucson Water customers to see how their contributions are invested to benefit the local environment.
For more than two years, the Tucson C2E program has worked to connect water-saving efforts with water restoration projects to ensure that conservation translates into environmental benefits. The C2E program works in three ways: Helping individuals save water and track their resulting financial savings; encouraging donations; and funding enhancement projects for riparian restoration and urban waterways. To date, C2E participants have saved more than 2.2 million gallons of water.
Funding for C2E is provided by program participants who have donated money based on their water savings, and from Tucson Water customers who have donated via the Riparian Enhancement and Open Space check box on their Tucson Water bill.
To get involved in the C2E program, enroll today at www.watershedmg.org/c2e, or support C2E by adding your donation to the Riparian Enhancement and Open Space box on your Tucson Water bill. All contributions help ensure that the C2E fund continues to grow, enabling future investments in our community.
C2E is a collaboration of the Sonoran Institute and the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, and is run by a twelve-member Community Advisory Board.
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