Coastal areas contain habitat essential for birds, fish and other wildlife. These areas also are vital to people, supporting maritime industries, providing recreation, and supporting towns and communities. The CWRP is one of several tools of the Coastal America Partnership, a joint venture between federal agencies and the Executive Office of the President working in collaboration with state and local partners. The CWRP was created to facilitate voluntary corporate involvement in restoring the Nation’s critical aquatic habitats in cooperation with governments and other organizations.

 

The CWRP began in Massachusetts in 1999 through the initiative of The Gillette Company, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), and a key Coastal America partner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Through CWRP, companies can donate matching funds or in-kind services for federally-supported projects to improve wetlands and other aquatic habitats. State CWRPs support projects that have been endorsed by Coastal America Regional Implementation Teams. Corporate participation in the CWRP is not a substitute for corporate compliance with federal or state requirements, however.

Coastal America federal partnership, corporations, state, tribal, and local governments; academia, National Level Management Committee, Regional Advisory Councils, State Advisory Boards, Duke Energy, The Gillette Company, and National Association of Manufacturers.

Now in its fifth year, the CWRP has more than 225 corporate partners and 100 other non-federal partners. Fifty projects have been completed and another 60 are in progress. More than 5,000 acres of wetlands and almost 500 miles of stream habitat have been restored. The CWRP Chapters have formed in 13 states, Canada and Mexico, with more to come.

 Examples of projects with CWRP support include:

• The Lonsdale Marsh Restoration Project restored 17 acres by removing an abandoned drive-in theater in an urban watershed, creating a continuous wooded riparian buffer. 

• The San Jacinto National Monument Project in Texas is  returning the San Jacinto battleground/marshland to its original 1836 appearance and restoring more than 200 acres of tidal marsh habitat. 

• The East Machias Dam Removal Project in Maine removed an abandoned dam as part of a military training exercise, opening more than 300 stream miles for Atlantic salmon. 

• The Barn Island Project in Connecticut added 144 acres of  private property, once permitted for a golf course, to the 869 acre Barn Island Wildlife Management Area.

• The Bridge Creek Project in Massachusetts installed culverts under an active railroad bed and a road, restoring tidal exchange to 40 acres of saltmarsh.