DNR grant funds James River preservation project

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded the James River Basin Partnership a $600,000 grant to preserve and protect vegetation along the river.

The partnership will contribute another $400,020 during the four-year project, bringing its total cost to more than $1 million.

The project will focus on establishing and protecting riparian corridors - areas of vegetated land adjacent to water that provide a buffer, according to a DNR news release. The grant also will fund a project manager position and contract services for legal fees, land surveying and property assessments for conservation easements.

By re-establishing and protecting the riverside vegetation, the partnership is aiming to improve the corridors' natural functions, which include protecting the river from pollutants that are either carried to the river via rainfall, snowmelt or irrigation, or are traced back to a single source, such as a wastewater treatment facility, the release said.

To protect existing corridors, the partnership will attempt to establish conservation easements, which are agreements that limit certain types of land uses. Private landowners along the river will be able to voluntarily enter into the easements; a riverfront property guide and workshops will be developed to help landowners understand the situation.