The city of Sioux Falls awarded a Sustainable Community Grant to Friends of the Big Sioux River, a nonprofit aimed at protecting and restoring the Big Sioux River and its watershed.
"The Big Sioux River is an important resource for us as a community. And it's vital we continue to proactively protect and conserve it for the environmental, social and economic benefits it provides to us," said Holly Meier, the sustainability coordinator of the city of Sioux Falls.
Friends of the Big Sioux River previously received funding from the Sustainable Community Grant in 2021 to support river cleanups and river water testing.
"With support from grant dollars, Friends of the Big Sioux River held 11 river cleanups that year and tested the river at 18 sites for five months. Water testing data is important to quantify current conditions understand areas to focus on for improvements and also to track those improvements," said Meier.
The organization will receive of $9,785 this year to support their goal of educating the community.
“This funding will help us to continue building out our water quality education that will bring hands-on education to 6th to 12th grade classrooms, and 4-H and FFA groups. With this project, we aim to increase public knowledge surrounding water quality issues, particularly in the next generation of leaders and community members,” said Travis Entenman, managing director of Friends of the Big Sioux River.
For more information, visit friendsofthebigsiouxriver.org.