Land conservation grant funds available

State funds totaling $1.5 million are now available as grants to conserve land in Virginia. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the state’s land conservation board, is accepting applications through Oct. 24.

The grants are available to public bodies such as state agencies, local governments, regional park authorities and soil and water conservation districts and to tax exempt non-profit organizations. The minimum grant application is for $5,000. There is no maximum. All grants must have at least a 50 percent match.

Proposed projects must meet specific requirements in one of four specific categories: 1) Natural area protection, 2) Open spaces and parks, 3) Farmlands and forest preservation and 4) Historic area preservation

A two-hour grant workshop explains the grant process and scoring criteria. It runs from 10 a.m. until noon on Sept. 14 at the Fredericksburg Historic District Marriott, 620 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.

For more information on the grant process and to download a copy of the grant manual go to the DCR website at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/virginia_land_conservation_foundation/