National Atmaatim ofCountia
  TJaVoice ofAmaria-s Counties
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WILDLIFE HABITAT COUNCIL"
 SOUTHERN
     COMPANY
    Pacific Gas and
    Electric Company'
                Building Partnerships...Empowering Communities...Restoring our Natural Resources

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                  "The Five Star Restora-
                  tion Program is an out-
                  standing model of the
                  collaborative partner-
                  ships that will accelerate
                  the pace of protecting
                  and conserving our na-
                  tion's environment. EPA
                  is proud to be a source
                   ' cooperation, and by
                    spiring communities to
 care for their aquatic resources we are help-
 ing to meet President Bush's challenge to re-
 store, improve and protect three million acres
 of wetlands nationwide by 2009."

                      Stephen L. Johnson,
                           Administrator,
        U.S. Environmental Protection Aqency
    ',<: i '-
                               U
"Raising awareness of the impaired status of the
watershed at the neighborhood level and imple-
menting on the ground restoration activities in
those neighborhoods with residents and youth,
is critical to sustaining clean-up efforts now and
in the future. As a result of our education pro-
gram, additional community stakeholders from the
private, public and non-profit sectors are  now
participating in long  range watershed planning
activities and funding strategies."

                            -Peggy  Davis
                        Education Director
                       Baton Rouge Green
                    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
 What  is  the  Five  Star

 Restoration  Program?

 * Provides grants, technical support and information exchange to help com-
   munities across the country build strong partnerships that work together on
   riparian, coastal or wetland restoration projects
 •k Grants act as seed funding to leverage additional community resources
 * Grantees work with partners to foster local natural resource stewardship
   through education, outreach, training activities and on-the-ground restoration
 •k Primary program funding for the Five Star Partnership is provided by the
   Wetlands Division of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Southern
   Company. The National Association of Counties, National Fish and Wildlife
   Foundation and Wildlife Habitat Council, coordinate with EPA and Southern
   Company to select projects and distribute funds.
Five-Star
Restoration
Program
1999-2005
Total Project
Sites: Nearly 400
                                              Facts About the  Program
* Average grant award is $20,000, with actual award amounts ranging from
   $10,000 to $40,000.
* Project partners are diverse and nontraditional, and they generally include
  at least five (hence the Five Stars) participants from local governments,
  corporations and businesses, schools and youth groups, environmental and
  citizen non-profit organizations and representatives of federal and state
  government agencies.
* Partners generally provide matching funds through in-kind services and
  donations.
* Project sites can be public land, such as parks, streams and school campuses,
  or private land,  such as corporate facilities.
* A bronze plaque is offered to each project site to commemorate partners'
  contributions.


What  are Wetlands?

A wetland is a unique place serving as the link between land  and water in a
community. Wetlands provide a  wide range of benefits to communities from
economic benefits  to protecting public health and safety, producing harvestable
products and providing recreation and education opportunities. In addition, wet-
lands are habitat for wildlife, birds and fish.

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The  Five Star  Projects

* Facilitate community stewardship, outreach and education goals.
* Encourage communities to get involved with on-the-ground
   restoration activities.
* Most projects are labor intensive, such as eliminating non-native
   plants, collecting and planting native seeds or removing blockades
   for tidal flushing or fish pathways.
* Upon completion, successful projects show measurable ecological,
   educational or economic benefits.
* Projects with long term monitoring and protection plans are
   preferred.
              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
             how hard work, determination, and coopera-
             tion 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
                              SEAS Program Manager
             Worcester County, Maryland Public Schools
            "The county and region benefited by develop-
            ing partnershipsthroughtheFiveStar Grant Pro-
            gram.  The  Shoreline Restoration  Workshops
            provided local officials and volunteers with the
            information and  tools they need to strike  an
            effective balance between public use and  re-
            source protection."
                                         — Mike Byerly
                                          Commissioner
                                Alachua County, Florida
                                                                                        Shooting
                                                                                          Stars...
                                                                                    Projects Making a Difference
                                                              Alachua County, Florida: Shoreline Restoration
        The Alachua County Board of Commissioners joined
forces with multiple state and local partners to improve water
quality within  their county and  throughout Florida.  Project
partners  coordinated three Shoreline Restoration Workshops at
Poe Springs Park on the Santa Fe River in Alachua County. Over
133 people from 17 counties learned about shoreline restoration
techniques and practiced these techniques at Poe Springs Park.
Most participants were waterfront property owners and state and
county agency staff members with the greatest ability to further
restoration in the county  and state. Their efforts at Poe Springs
restored  1.2 acres of wetlands and 1,389 feet of stream bank.
        The project also engaged many Floridians from around
the  state, who are now determined to implement shoreline
restoration in  their communities. Educational  signage  and
outreach materials at the popular park teach citizens how they can
help protect and restore their water resources. Project partners
included numerous community  volunteers, Alachua County's
Environmental Protection and Public Works Departments, Current
Problems, Inc., North Central Florida YMCA, Florida Springs
Initiative, the Florida Department  of Environmental Protection
and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences Cooperative Extension Service.

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The  Five Stars
Developing diverse partnerships is central to all Five
Star projects, and critical to success.

How many Partners?
   *  Typical projects include at least five diverse
      partners.

Who are the Partners?
   *  Partners can be school or youth groups;
      public, private or corporate landowners;
      local, state and federal government agencies;
      local community or environmental non-profit
      organizations; universities or K-12 schools;
      local businesses; rural electric cooperatives; or
      land trusts.

What do the partners provide?
   *  Partner contributions include: funding, land,
      technical assistance, workforce support or in-
      kind services.
Five  Star  Project
Results
      Since 1999, nearly 400 projects (out of 1,500
      applications) were funded in 50 states, DC,
      Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
      $4.13 million leveraged by an additional $25
      million in project contributions
      Results (from 174 completed projects)
      - Over 10,000 acres of wetlands managed
      or restored
      - Almost 90 miles of stream banks restored
      Over 18,000 community volunteers engaged
                       Shooting
                        Stars...
                   Projects Making a Difference
Russian River Riparian Restoration, California
       Working with community members, students, and
businesses along salmon streams in the Russian River watershed,
Circuit Rider Productions, Inc. (CRP) successfully implemented
twelve on-the-ground restoration projects, restoring sixty acres
of riverine habitat in California. Project  partners restored
this important habitat through an environmental education
program that involved high school students, landowners and the
community.
       The project expanded restoration work to several sites
owned by  farmers and wine producers. Two of these important
restoration sites were the Clos Du Bois Vineyard and Winery and
the Simi Vineyards and Winery. CRP also developed partnerships
with twenty-eight organizations, including the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, California Department of Fish and Game,
Sonoma County Grape Growers Association  and several
Foundations  and local school districts. CRP will  continue to
further  the original project into the future through its strong
network of partners.

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Benefits of wetlands
restoration:
* One acre of wetland = estimated value between
  $150,000-8200,000 for multiple functions and
  values.
* Public Safely
  • Flood Control- One acre of wetland can store 1
    to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater.
  • Coastal Protection- Coastal wetlands buffer
    communities against hurricanes and tropical
    storms.
* Habitat and Industry Benefits- Endangered and
  commercial species depend on wetlands. The
  fishing industry alone is a multibillion dollar
  industry.
* Improved Watershed Water Quality- Wetlands
  naturally filter pollutants and sediments.
* Increased Quality of Life and Properly Value-
  Wetlands increase the economic and aesthetic
  value of communities. For example, $18 billion
  in economic activity is generated annually by
  coastal wetland-dependent recreational fishing.
          |» '    * - •*£,
         *-   ^F

 Corporate partner, BP, created a 16-acre wet-
 land inside its facility with the help of organi-
 zations and volunteers from their Decatur,
 Alabama community.
                                      I
                                            Corporate  &
                                            Foundation
                                            Sponsorship
                                            Opportunities
The Five Star Restoration Program provides a unique
opportunity for foundations, corporations and other groups
to build stronger community ties by co-funding restoration
projects.

Sponsorship Benefits:
    *  Program sponsors gain the satisfaction of helping
       communities improve open spaces, educate students,
       train youth and build long-term partnerships that will
       sustain these initiatives
    *  Opportunities for corporate sponsors to engage their
       employees in volunteer projects
    *  A moderate contribution (as little as $5,000) will
       produce measurable results through the leveraging of
       project partnerships
    *  Projects attract attention from community leaders
       and news outlets because of the program's national
       recognition and the involvement of diverse local
       community partners

Current Sponsor:
    *  Southern Company-
       • Southern Region Lead Sponsor
       • Contributing $200,000 annually
    *  Pacific Gas and Electric Company-
       • Contributing $1.2 million over five years to fund
       projects in California

How to participate as a project or program sponsor?
    *  Contact the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
       for a ranked list of qualified applicants seeking
       financial support
    *  Or work directly with your community to develop a
       Five Star project proposal
       RESTORATION PROGRAM

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     The  Five  Star  Program  Partners
     National  Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the only
     congressionally mandated foundation that works  toward the
     conservation 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
     national organization that represents county governments in
     the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential
     services to the nation's 3,066 counties.   NACo advances
     issues with a unified voice before the federal government,
     improves the public's understanding of county government,
     assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions
     through education and research, and provides value-added
     services to save counties and taxpayers money.
     Web site: www.naco.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 assistance and
     develops regulations and guidance to help communities to
     meet their watershed challenges.
     Web site: www.epa.gov/owow.
      For  More
      I information
                          The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a nonprofit, non-
                          lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and
                          amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public
                          lands. WHC devotes its resources to building partnerships with
                          corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that
                          balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements
                          of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment.
                          Web site: www.wildlifehc.org.

                          Southern Company is the Southeast's premier super-regional
                          energy company. Along with its five operating  companies -
                          Alabama  Power,  Georgia  Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi
                          Power, and Savannah Electric - Southern Company works to
                          provide reliable and affordable energy for the people across
                          our region. We are committed to doing our part in making
                          sure the Southeast continues to be a great and environmentally
                          healthy place to live, now and for future generations.
                          Web site: www.southemcompany.com/planetpower.

                          Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) delivers gas,
                          electric and customer service to approximately 15 million
                          people throughout northern and central California.  PG&E
                          is  an industry leader in  slowing global  climate change,
                          incorporating energy sustainability into the communities  it
                          serves, harnessing the next generation of renewable energy,
                          and leveraging energy efficiency programs for its customers.
                          PG&E is a noted steward of its own watershed lands. Web
                          site: www.pge.com.
          Erik Johnston
 The National Association of Counties
    25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
            Suite 500
       Washington, DC 20001
          (202) 942-4246
     E-mail: ejohnston@naco.org


          Brian Kittler
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 900
       Washington, DC 20036
          (202) 857-0709
    E-mail: brian.kittler@nfwf.org
   WHC Five Star Coordinator
     Wildlife Habitat Council
   8737 Colesville Rd., Suite 800
     Silver Spring, MD 20910
         (301)588-8994
          Mvra Price
USEPA Wetlands Division (4502T)
      Ariel Rios Building
  1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
     Washington, DC 20460
        (202)566-1382
   E-mail: price.myra@epa.gov
                                                                        EPA Wetlands Information Helpline:
                                                                                 1-800-832-7828
           EPA Five Star Web site:
      www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/
Special thanks the following individuals and organizations for
contributing to this brochure:
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided funding
    The EPA's fact sheets provided details for the Benefits section
    Cover photo courtesy of the National Aquarium in Baltimore
    Five Star Grantees supplied photos and quotes
    Research and writing by Erik Johnston of NACo, Matthew Hurley
    of NFWF and Sarah Masengarb of NFWF; editing by Myra Price of
    EPA, Abigail Friedman of NACo, Tamika Hodnett of WHC and Tom
    Kelsch of NFWF
    Graphic design and layout by Sonia Chu of NACo
    The opinions in this publication are those of the contributors, and do
    not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA, NACo, NFWF, WHC,
    Southern Company, or PG&E.

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