Nation's Streams and Wetlands to be Restored Through Community-Led Efforts

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nation's Streams and Wetlands to be Restored Through Community-Led Efforts

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Jun. 26 -/E-Wire/-- The National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Wildlife Habitat Council today have awarded over $600,000 to 60 community-led conservation projects throughout the country. The Five Star Restoration Grant Program will provide $3,500 - $20,000 grants to community-based partnerships for support of wetland and streamside restoration projects. Major funding for these grants is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds of the Office of Water, and the NOAA Fisheries' Community-based Restoration Program for select grants in coastal areas. Participating communities have committed nearly $6.0 million in additional funding and resources to these programs.

Five Star Restoration projects involve a high degree of cooperation, with local government agencies, elected officials, community groups, businesses, schools, and environmental organizations all working together to improve local water quality and restore important fish and wildlife habitats. The winning projects were selected from a competitive pool of over 230 applications. Consideration for funding is based upon the program's educational and training opportunities for students and at-risk youth, the ecological benefits to be derived, and the project's other cultural and economic benefits to the community.

"I applaud the young people across the nation who pitch in to restore wetlands and rivers through the Five Star Program, said EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman. "It is a program that provides the resources for our young citizens to develop work skills and a sense of civic pride as they work to improve water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife. We thank the corporations, citizen groups and government agencies who put their support behind this program."

"NOAA Fisheries is proud to be a Five Star partner through our Community- Based Restoration Program," said National Marine Fisheries Service Assistant Administrator (Acting), Bill Hogarth. "The projects that will be accomplished through this partnership will produce on-the-ground results, and help foster an appreciation for the environment in communities across the nation."

Additional funding is provided by the Gulf of Mexico Program, which is a partnership underwritten by EPA, EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lockheed Martin Corporation and PG&E; Corporation. This is the third year that grants have been awarded under this innovative program. A list of projects receiving grants follows.

Five Star Restoration Challenge Grants 2001

Organization Project Name* Grant Amt Project Location State For more information, contact:

Youth Restoration Corp Southcentral Alaska Restoration Projects $20,000 Kenai AK Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Coconino County Parks and Recreation Department Pumphouse Greenway Habitat Restoration $10,000 Kachina Village AZ Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Muwekma Ohlone Sanctuary Muwekma Ohlone Sanctuary-Habitat Restoration $10,000 San Francisco CA Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Napa County Resource Conservation District Salvador Community Awareness Restoration and Stewardship $15,000 Napa County CA Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sierra Nevada Alliance Carson Creeks Community Work Days $8,500 Markleeville and Hope Valley CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Land Partners Through Stewardship Morrson Brothers Dairy Restoration $5,000 Santa Rosa CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Circuit Rider Productions, Inc Lytton Creek Riparian Restoration and Education $15,000 Geyserville CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Creative Environmental Conservation Lower Natividad Creek/Laurel Lake Restoration $10,000 Salinas CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sierra Foothill Conservancy Nature Center Riparian Restoration $11,500 Prather CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Mother Lode Job Training Mother Lode Ecological Restoration Partnership $20,000 Sutter Creek CA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

City of Aspen Marolt Wetland Construction $10,000 Aspen CO Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Bluff Lake Nature Center Bluff Lake Wetland Restoration $10,000 Denver CO Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Watershed Alliance of South Kent Hatch Pond East Bank Stabilization $10,000 South Kent CT Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Sense of Place: A School-Site Wildlife Habitat Project $10,000 Wilmington DE Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program 1912 Cortez Schoolhouse and Nature Preserve $10,000 Village of Cortez FL Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Marine Resources Council of East Florida Indian River Lagoon Initiative $10,000 Brevard and Indian River Counties FL Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance of Okaloosa Waltson Community College Choctawhatchee Bay Shoreline Restoration and Conservation Education $10,000 Deston Harbor and Okaloosa Island FL Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program The Estuaries Project $10,000 Sarasota FL Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Hawaii Chapter of the Wildlife Society Hamakua Marsh Restoration $15,000 Oahu HI Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Idaho Watersheds Projects East Fork of the Salmon River Restoration Project $8,100 Challis Ranger District ID Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Nature Preserve Foundation, Inc. Watershed Nature Center Wetland Restoration $10,000 Madison County IL Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Village of Orangeville Village of Orangeville Wetland Restoration $10,000 Orangeville IL Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

City of Derby 1st Step Riparian Restoration $10,000 Derby KS Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

City of Prospect A Cooperative Effort to Restore Harrods Creek $10,000 Prospect KY Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Chelsea Green Space and Recreation Committee Mill Creek Restoration $10,000 Chelsea MA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Town of Manchester-by-the Sea Sawmill Brook Smelt Habitat Restoration Project $8,000 Manchester MA Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Town of Plymouth Town Brook Herring Run Restoration $10,000 Plymouth MA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Worcester County Board of Education Worcester County Stream Restoration $9,365 Worcester County MD Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Project SHARE Washington Academy Restoration $10,000 East Machias ME Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Maine Department of Marine Resources Sebasticook Lake Outlet Fishway $15,000 Newport ME Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Holly Township Parks and Recreation Shiawassee Vantage Point $5,000 Holly MI Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Pope County Environmental Services Lakescaping Restoration $10,000 Pope County MN Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Great River Greening Working with Business for Mississippi River Restoration $5,000 Saint Paul MN Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Grace Hill Neighborhood Services Grace Hill Riverfront Restoration $10,000 Saint Louis MO Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association Lower Ozark Cane Restoration $10,000 Mountain View MO Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Montana Natural History Center Bitterroot Valley Riparian Restoration $10,000 Missoula MT Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Cape Fear River Assembly Little Cross Creek Restoration Project $10,000 Fayetteville NC Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

PTA of R.N. Harris Elementary School Rock Creek Restoration/Whole Community Classroom $7,224 Durham NC Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Town of Winchester Winchester Dam Removal $3,500 Winchester NH Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Franklin Township Environmental Education Center Wetland Restoration $9,913 Franklin Township NJ Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Save Barnegat Bay Barnegat Bay Estuary Restoration $8,000 Seaside Park NJ Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Earth Works Institute Galisteo Watershed Restoration Project $10,000 Santa Fe County NM Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Tioga Soil and Water Conservation District Wetland Development in the Cotatonk Creek Watershed $9,700 Spencer NY Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Town of Willsboro Vegetating Industrial Waste & Tertiary Treatment on an Adirondack salmon river $17,882 Willsboro NY Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Corey Creek Clam and Scallop Restoration $10,000 Southhold NY Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Cuyahoga Wetland Enhancement $10,000 Cleveland OH Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

City of Portland Environmental Services Zenger Farms Wetlands Restoration/Education Project $10,000 Portland OR Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Rogue Valley Council of Governments Bear Creek Riparian Planting Project $10,000 Central Point, Medford, and Talent OR Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Center in the Park Chestnut Hill Habitat Rehabilitation $10,500 Philadelphia PA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Town of Cheltenham Tookany Park Streambank Restoration $15,000 Montgomery County PA Abigail Friedman, [REDACTED-PHONE]

AMD & Art Vintondale Clarification Marsh $10,000 Vintondale PA Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council Riverside Mills Restoration $11,500 Olneyville RI Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Knox County Parks and Recreation Department Beaver Creek Riparian and Wetland Restoration $5,000 Knoxville TN Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Keystone Heritage Park, Inc. Keystone Wetlands Restoration $10,000 El Paso TX Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Clear Creek Environmental Foundation Clear Creek Riverbank Restoration $10,000 League City TX Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Riverview Farms Riverview Wetlands Restoration $10,000 Lake Creek TX Robert Johnson, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Turner's Bay Restoration $13,040 LaConner WA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Skaagit Fisheries Enhancement Group Native Plants for Riparian Areas $8,000 Sedro Woolley WA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association Students For Salmon $15,000 Countywide WA Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

O'Keefe Middle School O'Keefe Middle School Watershed Education and Restoration $10,000 Madison WI Malia Somerville, [REDACTED-PHONE]

* Note: a brief description of each project is available upon request

Malia Somerville is affiliated with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Abigail Friedman is affiliated with the National Association of Counties Robert Johnson is affiliated with the Wildlife Habitat Council

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

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