The National Park Service, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency and Groundwork USA, announced the first recipients of the Groundwork Land Use Innovation grants.
These grants will "help communities transform brownfield areas into community assets," according to a May 23 news release.
"The National Park Service is proud to lead this effort with EPA and Groundwork USA to advance community-led conservation and outdoor recreation in under-resourced urban neighborhoods," National Park Service Director Charles F. Sams III said in the release. "Strengthening these important partnerships in local communities is a key component of our work to address long-standing environmental injustices."
According to the news release, the first five Land Use Innovation Fund grant recipients are Silver by the River Community Outreach, Groundwork Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Conn.; the Ludlow Park Waterfront Brownfield Community Plan, Groundwork Hudson Valley, Yonkers, N.Y.; Reimagining the Lawrence and Bennington Street Triangle, Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence, Mass.; the Foundation for an Ecodistrict: Cincinnati's Industrial Mill Creek as a Green Corridor, Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Cincinnati, Ohio; and West End Compost Hub, Groundwork Rhode Island, Pawtucket, R.I.
Groundwork Trusts, locally-based organizations that work with the park service, EPA and Groundwork USA, are already on the ground to transform underutilized spaces into community assets such as trails, parks, green spaces and community gardens, the release reported.
“EPA continues to be a proud partner with the National Park Service in support of Groundwork USA,” said Dr. Carlton Waterhouse, EPA deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, according to the release. “We are excited to see how these Land Use Innovation Grants will help the selected Groundwork Trusts educate and engage the communities around brownfield issues, including ways that sites can be safely reused for much-needed recreation and green space.”
This new program is part of the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to environmental justice, according to a February blog post on the Department of the Interior website.
