Wetlands grants for 14 U.S. states

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Fourteen U.S. states will get a total of $18.8 million to restore or protect coastal wetlands, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett said Friday.

"This grant program helps protect, restore and enhance estuaries, coastal wetlands, and other coastal habitat through partnerships that are the hallmark of cooperative conservation," Scarlett said announcing funding from the National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program.

National Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall held a news conference at the Field Museum in Chicago with Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to discuss a grant to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"One of this program's many strengths is its support of the states' own coastal conservation priorities," Hall said. "The coastal areas supported by this program represent essential habitat for aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Not only will these funds be used to support recovery of imperiled species, they will also help prevent species from becoming threatened by restoring and protecting the coastal areas where they live."

States receiving grants are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.