In late August of 2007, more than a year after submitting a proposal, the Nisqually River Foundation, with NNRG as a partner, was a selected as a finalist for the EPA Targeted Watershed grant program.  The project was formally approved in early April, meaning the five year undertaking can finally begin in earnest.

The Nisqually Watershed was selected as one of only eight watersheds across the country for the 2006-2007 grant cycle and received a total funding package of $886,000 over the project period.  Grant funds will support the Nisqually River Foundation, NNRG, Stewardship Partners, and the Nisqually Land Trust and their efforts to develop collaborative market based conservation tools to preserve sustainable working lands and ultimately water quality within the Nisqually. 

The Nisqually Watershed is the only watershed in the country with its headwaters in a national park and its mouth in a national wildlife refuge. The watershed is also home to the Nisqually Indian Tribe, as well as 90,000 residents. Increased urban development is beginning to compromise the natural resources of rural forests and farms. This project will improve water quality by promoting marketing programs for forest and farm products produced in the Nisqually watershed allowing consumers to support sustainable land use practices.  Funds will also support development of innovative conservation easements and a water quality trading framework based on sustainable forest and farm management where credits can be awarded for verified management practices that lead to improved water quality and can be purchased by downstream entities.

The long term outcome of this project is to conserve the rural land uses in the watershed while enhancing and protecting their ecosystem services.  The project will focus on the environmental certification of forest and farm management as a primary strategy for assisting landowners to improve land management practices, gain public and consumer recognition of good land stewardship, and access emerging markets for sustainably produced forest and farm products and ecosystem services.  The program will also promote Low Impact Development Guidelines for building and undertake education and outreach activities to promote community involvement.  Long term funding through this EPA grant will give the Nisqually partners a real opportunity to work on implementing the Nisqually’s 50 year watershed plan.  Work on certification and water quality trading also has significant potential to be replicated elsewhere in Puget Sound and across the Northwest.