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What	is the
Restoration Program?
•	180 Five Star projects selected from more than 750 applicants across the
United States received funding
•	Average grant award is $10,000, with actual award amounts ranging from
$5,000 to $20,000
•	Project partners are diverse and nontraditional, and they generally include at
lcttsl five (hrnrr. the Fivo Star) participants from local governments, corpora-
tions and businesses, schools and youth groups, environmental and citizen
organizations, and representatives of federal and state government agencies
•	Project sites can be public land, such as parks, streams, and school campuses,
or private land, such as corporate facilities
"I would like to add my personal
conyrululalions to the many voices
cheering the Five Star Grant award
winners. They provide us all with a
shining example of the New
Environmentalism—one defined by
widespread cooperation —that
President Bush and I hope to foster..."
—EPA Administrator
Christine Todd Whitman,
remarks at the National Association of
Counties 2001 Annual Confeieitce,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"I cannot express how much this
program has benefited our students
and our .community. The young men
and women who worked on this
project have been shining examples
of now hard work, determination,
and cooperation can lend such a
great benefit to the entire
community. The Five Star grant we
received acted as the catalyst to this
project - a project that will continue
and expand in the years to come."
— Diane Stulz
SFAS Program Manager
Worcester County, MD Public Schools
The Five Star Restoration Program brings together citizen groups, cor-
porations, students, landowners, youth conservation corps, and local, state,
and federal government agencies to restore streambanks and wetlands
across the country. It provides grants, technical support, and information
exchange to help communities build strong partnerships that work together
on restoration projects. Through education, outreach, training activities,
and some old-fashioned hard work, communities learn to build diverse
partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship.
The primary funding for the program is provided by the Wetlands
Division in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wet-
lands, Oceans, and Watersheds and the National Marine Fisheries Service's
Community-Based Restoration Program. They work with the National As-
sociation of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the
Wildlife Habitat Council to select projects and distribute funds.
Five-Star
Restoration
Program
1998 - 2001
Total Project
Sites: 180
Facts a
Five Star

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I he natural and cultural resources
located at Kohanaiki are vital to present
and future generations....the Five-Star
partnership brought together diverse
interests and demonstrated that we can
and must work together to build a
sustainable future."
-J. Curtis Tyler III
Council Vice Chair, Hawaii County, Hawaii
"The restoration activities that we've
completed under the Five Slur Grant
Program have educated and inspired
hundreds of watershed residents and
students in area schools. Landowners
who live in the villages in the Galisteo
Watershed are now equipped with the
knowledge and information to take
care of tneir land and prevent future
runoff, soil erosion, and pollution of the
Galisteo Creek."
— Jan-Willem Jansens
Executive Director
Earth Works Institute - Santa Fe, NM
The Proj
Most Five Star projects are part of community stewardship efforts. The
projects provide opportunities for different segments of a community to
work together, resulting in a sense of accomplishment and ownership. Piujects
achieve education, outreach, and community stewardship goals through on-
tlie-ground projects that restore wetland, riparian, or coastal habitats. Program
sponsors are encouraged to provide oppoituililies for students and at risk
youth to become involved in the welfare of their communities. Most projects
are labor-intensive, such as eliminating invasive species, collecting and plant-
ing native seeds, or removing blockades for tidal flushing or fish pathways.
When completed, projects are expected to show measurable ecological, ed-
ucational, social, or economic benefits to the community. The Five Star
Program favors projects with ongoing monitoring and protection plans.
After a Five Star project is completed, each partnership benefits from
having worked together and shared a success. These kinds of grassroots
efforts can make a significant difference in our landscape and make our
communities look better and feel better.
BH
Shooting
Stars...
Projects Making a Difference
Kohanaiki Anchialirte Pond Restoration
Students, scientists, and community members joined forces
to successfully improve a rare and valuable anchialine (brack-
ish water) pond on the J^ona Coast of Hawaii. Fifteen students
from the West Flawaii Explorations Academy recruited by
Kohanaiki 'Ohana, a local nonprofit organization, were the
backbone of the restoration team. Other project partners in-
cluded the County of Hawaii, scientists and teachers lrom the
University of Hawaii Tropical Agriculture Department, and
citizens from local community groups. Together they removed
90% of the invasive pickleweed plant from the pond.
In the second phase of the project, Academy students took
part in a community education program. They created poster
board displays for environmental fairs, wrote articles for school
reports and the Kahanaiki 'Ohana newsletter, and gave pre-
sentations about the restoration project to students at local
schools. The combined success of the restoration and the com-
munity education effort earned the project the Governor's
"Keep Hawaii Beautiful" award.

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The F
Each Five Star project represents a partner-
ship within the community where each party
contributes to the final outcome of the project.
A typical Five Star Restoration Project includes
at least five diverse partners, which can include
school or youth groups; public, private, or cor-
porate landowners; local, state, and federal gov-
ernment agencies; local community or environ-
mental Organizations, and universities or local
companies. The partners all contribute in some
way to the project, through funding, laud, tech-
nical assistance, workforce support, or in-kind
services. Most partnerships contribute more
than $40,000 for every $ 10,000 in project grant
money.
More important, the partnerships represent
the vested interest of the community as a whole.
When new partnerships form, lines of commu-
nication are created. Diverse groups working
together have the opportunity to learn from each
other's experiences. For this reason most Five
Star projects continue or even expand after the
grant is exhausted.
Documented Results
(Based on 68 past projects from which
results have been reported.)
Wetlands
•	46 projects
•	$443,000 in Five Star grants
•	1,960 acres restored
River Corridors/Streams
•	26 projects
•	$275,000 m Five Star grants
•	Over 28 miles restored
Shooting
Stars...
Projects Making a Difference
Decatur Works, Alabama
With the help of organizations and volunteers from the
Decatur community, BP created a 16-acre wetland inside the
facility's 530-acre wildlife habitat area. The project was funded
in part by a Five Star grant for $10,000. To complete the project,
BP initially contributed an additional $ 19,000. BP contributed
an additional $15,000 for enhancements in 2001. The com-
munity partnership worked together to restore the wetland and
constructed nature trails to make the area accessible to the
public. BP also built an environmental learning center, where
students learn about the importance of preserving wetland
plants and animals.
BP worked closely with its diverse partners throughout the
duration of the project. The Natural Resources Conservation
Service, Flint Creek Watershed Project, Tennessee Valley Au-
thority, Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation District,
and Wildlife Habitat Council all worked together to oversee cre-
ation of the wetland habitat. BP also worked with youth from
the City of Decatur Youth Services Corps, inmates from the
Alabama Department of Corrections, and students from the
Julian Harris Elementary School to construct the nature trails.
"The Decatur Wetlands Enhancement Five
Star Project demonstrates that we al! benefit
from working together in progressive,
inclusive partnerships that focus on
environmental improvemenl and education."
—Steve Elbert
Senior Vice President
BP, Docalui, Alubcima

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Tho Five Star Restoration Program provides a
unique opportunity tor foundations, corporations, and
other interested groups to participate as project or pro-
gram sponsors. Each year the program receives hun-
dreds of applications. A panel of experts from the
partnering organizations ranks the applications ac-
cording to their environmental, educational, and so-
cioeconomic merits The National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation maintains the ranked list of qualified ap-
plications seeking financial support and makes it avail-
able to any organization interested in lending support
to community-based restoration initiatives.
For a contribution ot as little as $5,000, an orga-
nisation nan become a Five Star project sponsor. On
average, each dollar of sponsor funds is matched by
four additional dollars in contributions provided by
the local restoration partners in the form of funding,
labor materials, equipment, or in-kind services. More-
over, the progiam provides a great opportunity foi
corporate sponsors to engage their employees in vol-
unteer projects in their communities. A bronze plaque
placed at each site by EPA and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration commemorates the
project sponsors' contributions.
Corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Ford Mo-
tor Company and Phillips Petroleum and several pri-
vate foundations have become project sponsors. With
a moderate contribution, they have helped communi-
ties improve open spaces, educate students, train
youth, and build long-term partnerships that will sus-
Lahi these initiatives.
—Mary Wigqins
Union County Youth Programs,
Training and Employment Consortium,
La Grande, Oregon
"This Five Star project was designed to
empower the youth with knowledge and
confidence to help them make ruture
personal and enreer choices. This
wasn't just a summer lob."

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The Program Partners
Natiunal Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the only con-
gressionally mandated foundation that works toward the con-
servation of fish, wildlife, plants, and the habitat on which
they depend. The Foundation is the managing partner of the
Five-Star Program. Web site: www.nfwf org.
National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only na-
tional organization that represents county governments in the
United States. More than 2,000 counties representing more
than 80 percent of the nation's population are members of
NACo. NACo provides members with legislative, reaoarch,
assistance, and public affairs services. Web site: www.naco.org.
The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a nonprofit, non-
lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and
amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private ami public
landa. WHC devoirs its resources to building partnerships with
corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that
balance the demands of economic growth with the require-
ments of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment.
Web site: www.wildhtchc.org
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office
of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds believes local citizens
play an important role in achieving a community's water
quality goals. EPA provides technical and financial assis-
tance and develops regulations and guidance to help com-
munities to meet their watershed challenges. Web site:
www.epa.gov/owow.
The National Orpanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Restoration Center manages the Community-based Restora-
tion Program to provide funding for restoration projects that
address important habitat issues concerning marine and anadro-
mous fish, endangered species, and marine mammals in coastal
communities. It has been amajor federal partner provided fund-
ing for coaotal projects Web site: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habi-
tat/rcstoration.
Jason Shedluck
1 lie National AiMKisHnn nf Counrips
110 First Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-393-6226
E-mail: jshedloc@naco.org
Tom Kelsch
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
202-857-0166
E-mail: kelsch@nfwf.org
Mandv Chesnutt
Wildlife Habitat Council
1010 Wayne Avenue Suite 920
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-8994
E-mail. mchesnutt@wildlifehr org
Connie Cahanap
Wetlands Division (4502T)
UbLPA Ariel KjoS Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-566-1382
E-mail: cahanap.concepcion@epa.gov
Alison Ward
NOAA Restoration Center
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-713-0174
E-mail: Alison. Ward@noaa.gov
EPA Wetlands Information Helpline:
1-800-832-7828
mi National Asso
(jUuiiuii SuiulUi iwjsrin
National Association of Counties
SEPA
anpirara
WILDLIFE HABITAT COUNCIL-

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