The City of Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation Department received a grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program. The $164,970 REAP grant supports the River’s Edge Park Riparian Woodland Restoration Phase I. This grant will be used for woodland invasive species removal, improved wildlife habitat and the planting of pollinators. Additionally, it will fund the removal of dead tree material along the entrance to River’s Edge Park, caused by 2011 Missouri River flooding. Work will begin in 2018.
Council Bluffs was one of eighteen applicants, and one of five recipients. This is the third REAP grant the Parks and Recreation Department has received. The first two supported both phases of the ecological restoration of Fairmount Park in 2015 and 2016.
REAP invests in projects that enhance and protect Iowa’s natural and cultural resources. Fifteen percent of REAP funds are set aside for grants awarded to cities for projects that help establish natural areas, encourage outdoor recreation and resource management.
In its 28 years, REAP has benefited every county in Iowa by supporting over 15,000 projects with $300 million in state investments—leveraging two to three times the amount in private, local and federal dollars. Collectively, these projects have improved the quality of life for all Iowans with better soil and water quality, added outdoor recreation opportunities, sustained economic development, enhanced knowledge and understanding of our ecological and environmental assets, and preservation of our cultural and historical treasures.