------- 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 ------- 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. ------- 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 ------- 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." ------- 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- ------- |