ReNewport Executive Director, Josh Tuning, said “I wanted to share some good news we got at the end of last week as the press release for it should be going out later today. Earlier in the year, ReNewport, City of Newport, Urban Canopy Works and the Westside Citizens Coalition/Buena Vista Historic Foundation teamed up to apply for funding through the Inflation Reduction Act Urban Forestry Program with ReNewport being the grantee. We applied for $1,000,000 in funding, knowing it would be a long shot and hoping if anything and if we were lucky, we could get the minimum award of $100,000. Well as it turns out we got the full funding amount ($998,750 to be exact)! This will be the largest green/environmental investment in Newport's history! A big part of the application was showcasing the history of the neighborhood planting and taking care of trees and of course this could not have happened without the continued support of you and the Campbell County Extension Service over the years that has been supporting these efforts since day one. We wanted to send a special thank you to you and the Campbell County Extension Service for the support you've given us over the years and what it has now led to! I am sure we will be reaching out quite often as we have an incredibly busy few years ahead of us now for planting trees and removing concrete in West Newport!” – September 21, 2023.

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/campbell-county/newport-community/newport-receives-1-million-to-plant-1-000-trees

They Extension Service has supported Newport for the past seven years in identify areas of the city that are deficient of tree canopy cover, facilitating the removal of concrete to create new tree wells, utilization of vacant tree wells, species section, proper planting techniques / care, volunteer management and accountability. Overall, 600 street trees have been planted in Newport in the past 7 years.

The environmental stewardship project program created by the Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources and Environmental Management and funded by the Campbell County Extension District Board provides resources for cities, schools, and other community organizations to implement projects that improve the environment and increase community engagement and health. Since 2017, the Campbell County Extension District Board has funded nearly 70 projects totaling about a $70,000 investment in the county. The Agent provides technical assistance, educational information, and reporting / accountability requirements.