National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 32, No. 12 * June 26, 2000

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Nation’s streams and wetlands to
be restored through community efforts

By Swati Sheladia
environmental assistant

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NACo, along with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Wildlife Habitat Council, recently awarded more than $575,000 to 55 conservation projects throughout the country in conjunction with the Five Star Restoration Partnership.

Grants of $5,000–$20,000 will be distributed to community-based partnerships for support of wetland and streamside restoration activities. Winning projects were selected from nearly 200 applications.

This year’s winners committed more than $4.4 million of additional funding, materials, land and technical assistance and labor for their projects – nearly eight times the amount awarded.

“We are very proud to be a part of the Five Star Restoration Partnership.” said NACo President C. Vernon Gray.“These grants will help counties across the country take positive actions to restore and protect their local wetlands and streams. Preserving our communities’ natural heritage is crucial to preserving our sense of community.”

With partnership and community education as the cornerstone, Five Star Restoration projects seek to foster natural resources stewardship in the community. Many projects involve young people. In Washington State, the Methow Summer Restoration Team Project will match high school students with experienced restoration professionals to form a summer restoration crew that will complete a range of activities in the Methow watershed.

The Okanogan County Job Corps, Methow Natives, Pacific Watershed Institute, the Methow Valley School District and other government and non-profit organizations are involved.

Other projects involve a broad cross section of community participants such as landowners, schools and volunteers in restoration activities. For example, the Elk Creek Restoration Project in Lewis and Clark County, Mont., involves a large community education component. As part of the project, ranchers and landowners will be educated on long-term grazing management techniques to protect Elk Creek. Restoration ecology will be incorporated into local school class discussions. In addition, students and volunteers will be directly involved in restoration activities.

Five star projects provide an opportunity to train and educate youth on restoration, foster natural resources stewardship and complete needed restoration work.

“This important initiative demonstrates the benefits of innovation in government and the power of public-private partnerships to address environmental challenges facing our country,” said Carol M. Browner Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator.

The Five-Star Restoration Program is funded by the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds of the EPA Office of Water and the National Marine Fisheries Service Community-Based Restoration Program for select grants in coastal communities.

Additional funding is provided by EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Program Office, the National Wildlife Service and Lockheed Martin Corporation. For more information, visit http://www.naco.org/programs/environ/wetlands/grants.cfm, or contact Swati Sheladia at 202/942-4252 or ssheladi@naco.org.