HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Monte Sano Nature Preserve in Hunstville is one of the largest urban nature preserves in the U.S. And now, it's going to get more tender loving care from the Land Trust of North Alabama, thanks to a $24,000 Restoration and Resilience Grant from the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF).
NEEF established the Restoration & Resilience Grant, with major funding from Toyota, to assist nonprofits like the Land Trust conduct restoration and community engagement projects on public lands throughout the U.S. that have been impacted by natural disasters while also making those lands more resilient to future disasters.
With this grant, the Land Trust will be able to mobilize community volunteers and educate all of us about the importance of their actions and their relationship to the long-term sustainability of local public lands.
“NEEF has a history of partnering with public lands and spaces to ensure their sustainability and integrity for the public and surrounding communities,” said Meri-Margaret Deoudes, president and CEO of NEEF. “We are excited to continue to support these awardees as they work to improve our public lands for all Americans to enjoy.”
This is the second restoration grant that the Land Trust of North Alabama has received. A 2018 grant enabled volunteers to make improvements to the Bluff Line Trail at Monte Sano. It was damaged by drought and erosion.
This new grant will be used to renovate the High Trail, which connects the Land Trust's Monte Sano Nature Preserve to the Monte Sano State Park trail system.
“Our previous NEEF grant project was a learning experience that gave our staff and volunteers the hands-on training they need to apply sustainable trail building techniques to trail projects for Land Trust nature preserves and others," said Marie Bostick, Land Trust of North Alabama Executive Director.
"We all benefit from outdoor recreation and along with our partners we’re working to enhance our trails while also preserving them for the future. We’re grateful for the opportunity to continue improvements on Monte Sano Nature Preserve,” said Bostick.
NEEF awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process. For over 20 years, NEEF has partnered with Toyota to provide a variety of grants and awards to support national and regional environmental preservation projects.