Parks and people will restore a degraded urban stream and support education and workforce development opportunities for young people in baltimore

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $1,340,859 Cooperative Agreement under its Habitat Conservation program (CFDA 11.463) to Parks & People, Inc., a Baltimore-based non-profit organization. The 4-year grant, beginning January 1, 2025, will support the restoration of a degraded urban stream and provide education and workforce development opportunities for young people in Baltimore. Key activities include:

• Restoring an urban stream and converting a private country club to a public green space, Hillside Park
• Implementing new community engagement initiatives and park programming, such as paid environmentally-focused internships for high school students and an environmental education summer camp
• Leveraging the restored green space to deliver educational and workforce development opportunities for Baltimore youth

This award is part of NOAA's broader efforts to support habitat restoration, conservation, and community engagement across coastal, marine, and Great Lakes ecosystems through its Habitat Conservation program.

This work is connected to a larger, ongoing effort to convert a private country club to hillside park, a future public green space to be open to the community. The project will support new community engagement initiatives and park programming, including paid environmentally-focused internships for high school students and an environmental education summer camp. ($1.3 million in first year; up to $2.1 million total over 4 years)