STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Blaine County has been awarded a $99,000 grant from the Climate Smart Communities Initiative to help with climate resilience strategies that will protect Wood River Valley residents, wildlands and water and infrastructure from the growing impacts of climate change.

The funding will support work between Blaine County, the Wood River Land Trust and The Keystone Concept to address nature-based solutions that have been identified. Those projects include planting shade trees, improving forest management practices and restoring riparian areas to improve water retention, habitat and reduce the risk of wildfire.

Projects will also improve public health and enhance biodiversity.

“Our communities have been feeling the effects of wildfire, drought, and extreme temperatures firsthand,” said Andrew Mentzer, sustainability manager for Blaine County. “This investment helps us strengthen our response using nature-based strategies that are cost-effective, locally appropriate, and aligned with our long-term resilience goals.”

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative is a national program designed to support under-resourced communities prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and climate-related disruptions. It awarded $2.2 million this year to 21 communities selected from a pool of 118 applicants spanning 35 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The Initiative is supported by a public-private partnership that includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Climate Resilience Fund and other nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.