PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — More than $3.75 million is being awarded to help Rhode Island communities and local organizations protect green space throughout the state.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Friday that 17 projects will receive matching grants to protect 889 acres of open space and farmland. The funding stems from the Green Economy Bond program, which was voters passed in 2016.

The initiative aims to invest $35 million to preserve open space, improve recreational facilities and clean up land and waterways.

The grants include $151,500 to acquire 15.6 acres at the headwaters of Little Creek in Portsmouth; $150,000 to acquire 75 acres on Saugatucket Road in South Kingston to help create a 120-acre stretch of protected land; and $400,000 to acquire 211.5 acres abutting Water Supply Board land in Cumberland.

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