American Heritage Rivers Keystone Project Proposals 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Blackstone-Woonasquatucket River

1. Woonasquatucket River Watershed Restoration Initiative 1
2. Blackstone River Fish Restoration Project 3
3. Woonasquatucket River Heritage Trail 6

Connecticut River

1. Connecticut River Watershed Riverine Habitat Restoration Initiative 8
2. The Colt Gateway 13

Cuyahoga River

1. Conservation Easements 16
2. Coordinated Series of Signing and Interpretive Displays 18

Detroit River

1. Detroit River Shoreline - Bates Street Outfall (Detroit, Michigan) 20
2. Allen Park's Linked Greenway Trail Project 22
3. Belle Isle South Shore, Detroit, Michigan 24

Hanalei River

1. Hanalei River Sediment Study 26
2. Hanalei River Riparian Corridor Protection 28
3. Hanalei Cutoff Repair 30
4. Hanalei River Watershed Master Plan 32

Hudson River

1. Coordination with Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area 34
2. 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution - "Lighting Freedom's Flame" 37
3. Farmland Protection 39
4. Benthic Mapping Hudson River Estuarine Research - Request For Funding to Carryout Pilot Inventory of the Sub-aqueous Soil Resources as Part of the Hudson River Estuary Program 41
5. Implementation of the Hudson River Estuary Biodiversity Conservation Plan 46

Lower Mississippi River

1. Historic New Orleans High School Life Long Learning Center Program Expansion 48
2. Woodlands Trail and Park 51
3. Memphis Riverfront Development 54
4. Mississippi River Trail 58
5. Nonconnah Creek Restoration and Greenways Trails 61

New River

1. Blue Ridge Business Development Center 63
2. New River Sustainable Agriculture Initiative 66
3. New River Blueway Initiative 69

Potomac River

1. Congress for the Potomac 71
2. Ecosystem Farm Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Project 73
3. Naturally Nanjemoy: A Shared Vision for the Nanjemoy Peninsula 75

Rio Grande River

1. Brownsville Resaca Restoration Demonstration Project 77
2. The Rio Grande Riverpark, El Paso, Texas 80
3. Laredo El Portal Riverfront Project 82

St. Johns River

1. Enhancement of the Eco-Heritage Corridor 85
2. Development of Eco-Tourism Related Infrastructure 87
3. St. Johns River Trail 89
4. An Integrated Educational Network and Associated River Centered Curriculum 91

Upper Mississippi River

1. Implementation of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area -- Comprehensive Management Plan (MNRRA CMP) 93
2. Laclede Power Building 95
3. Mississippi River Trail 98
4. Trail of Two Cities 100
5. Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing 102
6. Mississippi Headwaters Board 105

Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Rivers

1. The Renovation of the Hotel Sterling 107
2. Resolution of Combined Sewer Overflow Problem Along the Susquehanna River 109

Willamette River

1. Mid-Willamette River Connections 111
2. Willamette Basin Technical Assistance Program 113

Introduction

The first set of Keystone Project Proposals for the American Heritage Rivers Initiative (AHRI) were prepared in 2000 to stimulate activity among participants in each designated watershed, and to provide tangible results from focused federal assistance called for in Executive Order 13061 which established the Initiative. Beyond celebrating their successes in partnership building and planning, river communities wanted help securing the needed funds or cutting through red-tape in the federal bureaucracy for specific important projects that focused on one or more of the three legs of the AHRI stool-environmental protection, historical/cultural preservation and economic development. Following the development of project proposals, champion agencies were identified, and a working group was developed to facilitate the completion of the projects. Many of the Keystone Projects proposed in 2000 have been accomplished, and some are partially implemented. The AHRI 2002 Annual Report, Rivers Uniting Communities, details these accomplishments.

Again in 2002, community partners and their River Navigators have identified projects to enhance the rivers and quality of life in each community. This report, a compilation of the second round of proposals for all 14 rivers, spans as wide a range of projects as the rivers are different. It is divided into sections by river, and cross-referenced at the end by federal champion agency. Some project proposals are continuations of activities already underway, while others are in the early stages of development. Therefore, the level of detail as to participants, costs, and other items varies substantially among the proposals. Overall, these "Keystones" are the top priorities of AHRI river communities on which they expect Federal agency partners to focus. The Keystone process is the single most important mechanism for translating local needs into Federal action under AHRI.

The AHRI Federal Interagency Working Group has developed a process to work with each river community as they jointly develop a team of the appropriate partners to implement each Keystone project proposal, shown on the next page. It is expected that these project proposals are starting points, and they will undergo adjustments and refinements as the AHRI Task Force and Working Group work with the River Navigators and community partners to shepherd the projects toward implementation. The river communities look forward to suggestions on how to improve the proposals or better describe the projects, and thoughts on which federal partner might be the best one to champion each project. It may require a back and forth process to map the best course through the many available federal agency programs and other mechanisms to implement each proposal.

Process for implementing the 2002 Keystones

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