Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced that its Wild Resource Conservation Program is accepting applications for grants to protect the state’s native biodiversity.

Overseen by DCNR, the program safeguards Pennsylvania’s non-game animals, native plants, and their habitat.

Grant applications will be accepted in three areas: species surveys, conservation, and management.

“These grants help support field research and on-the-ground conservation projects that protect some of our most vulnerable species,” Dunn said. “Programs to reintroduce river otters and fishers in Pennsylvania, preserve and protect rare plant species, and bridge the gap between scientific discovery and good conservation policy are just a few of the many efforts supported by these grants over the years through this program.”

Among this year’s grant priorities are surveys and projects focusing on edible and medicinal plants, effects of fire management on wildlife, the checkered sculpin fish, plant genetics, and more.

Launched in 1982, the Wild Resource Conservation Program encourages and supports research and protection efforts to conserve Pennsylvania’s diverse native wildlife resources, including bird and mammal species, amphibians and reptiles, insects, and wild plants.

Applications will be accepted through 4:00 P.M. on July 16.

Applications only will be accepted electronically through DCNR’s online grant application system.

Learn more about the Wild Resource Conservation Program and its 2021 grant priorities.