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Southeastern Massachusetts CWRP The Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership was launched in May 1999 by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, The Gillette Company, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and is managed by the Wetlands Restoration and Banking Program (WRBP). The Partnership is a unique, voluntary, public-private partnership to restore coastal and freshwater wetlands that have been degraded by fill, pollution, or changes in water flow. The Partnership also includes non-profit organizations and academia. Since the program began in 1999, seventeen companies, primarily in the Greater Boston area, have signed on as CWRP partners, contributing more than $1 million in funds and in-kind services. (A list of corporate and non-profit partners is attached.) The Partnership now has grown to encompass Southeastern Massachusetts as well as Greater Boston. Introductory programs are being planned for other areas of the state. All corporations doing business in Massachusetts are welcome. Earlier this year, U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) announced the expansion of the Massachusetts Partnership to all of New England. Last month in Washington, DC, the National Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership was inaugurated by Gillette, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the federal office of Coastal America. This event will introduce local companies to the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, and to inform them of opportunities to partner with state and federal agencies and support communities in restoring valuable wetland resources of the region. CWRP is focusing on Southeastern Massachusetts as part of Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert Durand's Community Preservation Initiative to assist this high-growth area. Among the participants in the event will be PG&E Generating; Senator Marc Pacheco, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture; Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs; The Gillette Company, Associated Industries of Massachusetts; Sally Yozell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA; Lauren Liss, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Protection; other federal and state partners, and corporations. Please RSVP to Julie Keene at 617-292-5623 or julie.keane@state.ma.us. |