Prospect Heights Awarded Grant For Environmental Work By ComEd

Arlington Heights IL

26 July, 2021

1:50 PM

Description

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, IL — To support habitats and other open-space projects, particularly those that help mitigate impacts of climate change, ComEd and Openlands announced grants last week to 23 public agencies through the annual ComEd Green Region Program. The Prospect Heights Park District was chosen to receive a grant for the following project: Pollinator Boardwalk for the Prospect Heights Slough. This project will create a 450-foot-long boardwalk to increase educational and recreational access to a beloved wetland during its muddiest of conditions. It will also create a premium pollinator habitat by restoring a wetland and mitigate climate change for its vital inhabitants. Grantees each receive a one-time grant of up to $10,000 to support and improve natural areas in northern Illinois communities that are crucial to the quality of residents' lives according to a news release. These grants will fund a variety of projects, including those that focus on enhancing pollinator habitats and protecting certain species, such as butterflies and bees. "ComEd understands that it is critical for residents to have access to cleaner and more sustainable public spaces. We also recognize the economic challenges faced by communities to maintain these natural spaces and make them available to the public," said Melissa Washington, senior vice president of governmental and external affairs at ComEd. "We're proud to work with organizations like Openlands, which has a deep understanding of these needs, whether they are effective pollinator projects or plans that support climate resilience to benefit the people we're privileged to serve." This marks the ninth year that ComEd is partnering with Openlands. Since the inception of the Green Region Program in 2013, ComEd has awarded more than $1.5 million to municipalities across northern Illinois. This support has helped fund over 200 open-space projects, as well as restore and protect approximately 1,000 acres of land. ComEd provides the funding for the Green Region Program, and Openlands, one of the oldest metropolitan conservation organizations in the nation, administers the grants to local communities. "Climate change is here, and it is vitally important that we invest in nature-based solutions that will help mitigate the most severe effects. This includes protecting biodiversity, especially of pollinators," said Jerry Adelmann, president and CEO of Openlands. "We are grateful to ComEd for their partnership, and the municipal partners that will complete these innovative projects, protecting and restoring land and educating and engaging communities." Details of the ComEd Green Region Program can be found at Openlands.org/GreenRegion.