Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation receives $25K DNR grant

Grant will be used to plant trees & remove invasive species in Central Park

Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation (CCPR) was awarded a $25,000 grant by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Forestry.

CCPR was one of 10 organizations/communities to receive a portion of the $238,000 grant to support tree planting and maintenance, education, tree inventory, and management projects.

The projects were selected by the DNR Community and Urban Forestry (CUF) program and are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Urban & Community Forestry program.

CCPR will use the grant to plant trees and remove invasive species across 36 acres in Central Park. Removing invasive species from parks and replacing them with native plants helps better the ecosystem and provide food and habitat to wildlife. Invasive species are non-native to a particular area, meaning they were intentionally or accidentally introduced. Invasive species outcompete native plants for resources such as water, sunlight, and soil nutrients. This displacement of native species causes harm to the environment, public health, and the economy.

Carmel Clay Parks Foundation will donate the grant funding match.

Klitzing

“This project reflects our commitment to ecology and conservation. CCPR Director and CEO Michael Klitzing said. “Central Park is our largest and most-visited park, and our citizens trust us to continue restoring its wide variety of native environments. We value Indiana DNR’s recognition of our work and welcome their support and involvement.”