Natural Lands and CCATO
Announce “Growing Greener Communities” Award 

Chester County Township to be Honored for Conservation Efforts

Natural Lands and the Chester County Association of Township Officials (CCATO) are calling for nominations for the Growing Greener Communities Award, which honors conservation-minded accomplishments by townships in Chester County.

The Natural Lands Growing Greener Communities Award was developed in 2013 to recognize municipalities that have engaged in dynamic initiatives to save land, steward natural resources, and/or connect people to nature. The award will be presented at the spring CCATO conference on March 8, 2018.

“CCATO is pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the successes of local government, the County of Chester, and Natural Lands in the area of open space preservation and maintenance,” said Dave Connors, president of CCATO. “Efforts to preserve open space will help to maintain the character of Chester County for years to come.”  

“Chester Counties’ communities have been true leaders in open space preservation, smart growth, and sustainable environmental policy,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands. “We believe it’s important to recognize the excellent work happening at the township level and celebrate the dedicated officials, staff, and volunteers who make it possible.”

Examples of qualifying projects include:

• Dynamic utilization of open space, such as a community garden or multi-use trail
• Efforts to care for land and water, such as a stream clean up, riparian buffer planting, meadow naturalization, or environmentally sensitive stormwater management
• Progressive, conservation-minded planning, such as ordinances that preserve community green space or improve commercial corridors with shade trees and other greening elements

Details on the award program and nomination forms can be found on Natural Lands website at https://natlands.org/growing-greener-communities-award/ , or by calling 610-353-5587 ext. 211.

Nominations must be received by February 16, 2018.