Several Los Angeles County projects aimed at planting trees, preserving open space and improving air quality will receive a share of more than $6.5 million in state funding, it announced Thursday.
The California Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with the California Transportation Commission, awarded grants through its Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation program to offset environmental impacts from transportation projects.
In Los Angeles County, the Koreatown Youth and Community Center was awarded $595,000 to plant 300 street trees in neighborhoods near the Metro Express to reduce emissions and urban heat, officials said.
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority received $1.5 million to acquire the 54.4-acre Saddle Peak Springs property, preserving open space, wildlife habitat and trail connections in the Santa Monica Mountains.
TreePeople was awarded $750,000 for a school-based project that will remove 30,000 square feet of asphalt, plant dozens of trees and hundreds of native plants and create outdoor learning gardens and a grass play area near a rail corridor.
State officials said the projects are intended to reduce pollution, improve ecosystems and expand green space in communities affected by transportation infrastructure.
“This work reflects a bigger commitment — to build for the future while being good stewards of the land that sustains us,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said in a statement. “California is showing that we can invest in infrastructure and care for our lands and waters at the same time.”
The grants are part of a broader package funding eight projects across six counties.
Officials said the projects will also contribute to the state’s goal of conserving 30% of its land and coastal waters by 2030.