도시 용수 복원 프로그램(Urban Waters Restoration program)의 일환으로써 환경관리와 중요한 서식지를 보호하는 지역단체의 협력을 촉진하기 위해 Southern Company와 미국 야생 어류 및 동물 협회의 협력체가 180만 달러의 보조금을 전국의 53개 단체에 지급한다고 밝혔다.

미국 전기사업의 지수 회사이며 남미 기반의 Southern Company는 플로리다, 앨라배마, 미시시피, 조지아주의 3천300 피트 내둑, 강기슭 완충지 2만4천 피트와 약 195 에이커 회복을 돕기 위해 회사 시스템 서비스 지역 안에 있는 11개의 프로젝트를 후원했다. 

As part of the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program, Southern Company, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), has awarded more than $1.8 million in grants to 53 organizations nationwide to encourage environmental stewardship and community partnerships and to protect vital habitats.

Funding from Southern Company, an American electric utility holding company based in southern United States, directly supports 11 projects within the company's system service territory, helping to restore nearly 195 acres and 24,000 square feet of riparian buffer and 3,300 feet of stream bank in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.

The 53 nationwide grants are being awarded through a public-private partnership (PPP) that includes Southern Company, NFWF, the National Association of Counties, the Wildlife Habitat Council, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FedEx, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Urban Refuges Program, along with additional support by PG&E, Alcoa Foundation and Bank of America.

The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program provides financial assistance to diverse local partnerships for wetland, forest, streamside, and coastal habitat restoration with a particular focus on urban waters and watersheds. It also emphasizes results-based collaboration with diverse partners, including environmental groups, public agencies, non-governmental organizations, landowners, schools, businesses, and others.

Since 2006, Southern Company has contributed more than $1.9 million to 89 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grants, resulting in an on-the-ground conservation impact of more than $10.2 million. All together, these efforts are restoring more than 1,088 acres of wetlands and more than 126,000 square feet of riparian buffer in the Southeast.

Grant recipients were selected based on criteria such as critical habitat restoration, partnerships they have established with local government agencies and businesses, and their ability to provide educational and training opportunities for youth and the community at large. The 11 projects that have been awarded grants to implement wetland, riparian and coastal conservation initiatives can be viewed here.

[출처 = Water World / 2014년 8월 18일]