Pennsylvania Governor Honors DU for Protecting Water Resources

Ducks Unlimited
Wednesday, 24 April 2002

Pennsylvania's Governor Mark Schweiker has recognized Ducks Unlimited for its commitment to watershed restoration and environmental protection. DU was one of 24 organizations from across Pennsylvania selected to receive the prestigious Governor's Award for Watershed Stewardship for 2002.

"It is my great honor to congratulate the winners of the 2002 Governor's Award for Watershed Stewardship," Gov. Schweiker said. "These individuals and organizations are reclaiming abandoned mine lands, protecting and restoring our valuable watersheds and reaching out to our communities to educate them about the importance of Pennsylvania's natural resources."

For two years now, DU has been running a multi-million dollar watershed restoration program known as Clean Water PA. A broad-based initiative, Clean Water PA provides funding for conservation programs across the Commonwealth, focusing on the most significantly impacted watersheds within each of Pennsylvania's major river basins. The scope of the initiative makes this a huge undertaking, but it's one that DU is very capable of handling.

Launched in spring 2000, Clean Water PA has proven to be very successful at getting conservation projects up and running. With funding from Growing Greener, Clean Water PA addresses specific problems associated with the development of riparian forest buffers on agricultural lands and supports Pennsylvania's "No Net Loss" initiative by restoring significant and vital wetlands. Projects have been completed in all the major river basins across Pennsylvania, including the Ohio/Great Lakes, Susquehanna/Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River basins. DU and its partners have exceeded their initial goals, having restored 706 acres of wetlands, 461 acres of associated upland and 86.6 miles of forested riparian buffers.

"DU is dedicated to protecting and restoring wetlands and riparian buffers in Pennsylvania and we're proud that Governor Schweiker and DEP Secretary Hess have recognized us for our efforts," said Bob Hoffman, PhD, Director of Conservation Programs. "The energy and enthusiasm of our volunteers and community have been key to our success in protecting and enhancing Pennsylvania's natural waterways and native wildlife for the enjoyment of future generations."

This year's winners have proven their commitment to sustaining the health of Pennsylvania's watersheds. Collectively, they have removed 142,760 pounds of trash; installed 25,783 feet of streambank fencing; stabilized 3,752 feet of streambank; created 810 acres of wetlands; reclaimed 200 acres of abandoned mine land and improved 48.5 miles of mine drainage-polluted streams. The effects of these accomplishments have been immediate and invaluable.

This year marks the second annual Governor's Award for Watershed Stewardship. In 1999, former Governor Tom Ridge signed into law "Growing Greener" - the largest-ever investment of state funds to address Pennsylvania's critical environmental issues. Since then, watershed groups, local governments and conservation districts have taken advantage of these state dollars to implement watershed protection projects. These awards honor the individuals and organizations engaged in safeguarding and enhancing our environment across Pennsylvania.

Projects are evaluated by an independent panel of judges, who select winners based on a variety of criteria, including economic and environmental impact, pollution prevention, teamwork, public service and educational efforts.

For more information, or to contact Ducks Unlimited, see their website at: www.ducks.org