Chehalis, Washington, March 23, 2009 —The Educational Service District 113 (ESD 113) has received a grant that will allow it to help save both salmon and a local farm. The project will use ESD 113 students, and Chehalis River Council and Chehalis River Basin Land Trust volunteers, to restore over 2,500 feet of riparian salmon habitat on the Boistfort Valley Farm. The project will provide much-improved habitat for salmon, while stabilizing stream banks and providing a vegetated buffer to reduce flooding.

“This is a big gain for both the fish and the farmer,” says Kathy Marcella Jacobson, Chehalis Basin Education Consortium Coordinator for ESD 113. “Our work will prevent valuable farmland from eroding into the river, and the new trees will create a natural barrier to minimize the damage from future floods. And, it will improve habit for fish and create a wonderful educational and volunteer experience for the children and citizens of this community.” 

The grant comes from the Pioneers in Conservation program which pays for projects on farm and forest lands that help both the fish and a farm or forest business. “If we are to save our salmon,” says Don Stuart, of American Farmland Trust, “we need to also save our farms. This program shows how viable farms and healthy salmon go hand in hand—each can help with the survival of the other.” American Farmland Trust is a national nonprofit organization that helped create the Pioneers in Conservation program and currently assists with its administration.

Funding for the Pioneers in Conservation program is provided through the Washington State Conservation Commission and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). NFWF administers the program. A new round of Pioneers grants has recently been announced with a deadline of March 31, 2009. The new request for applications and details about the application process are available online at the NFWF website at: www.nfwf.org/pioneers. 

For further information about the grant and project, contact: Kathy Marcella Jacobson, Education Service District 113, 360-464-6722; kjacobson@esd113.k12.wa.us. 
For information about the Pioneers program, contact:

• Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley, Evergreen Funding Consultants, Phone: (206) 691-0700,
  Email: bferrasci-omalley@evergreenfc.com, or
• Cara Rose, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Western Partnership Office,
  Phone: (503) 417-8700, Email: cara.rose@nfwf.org, or
• Don Stuart, American Farmland Trust, Phone: (206) 860-4222,
  Email: dstuart@farmland.org.

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