American Heritage Rivers Updates
Volume 2 Number 2
April, 1999
A variety of activities are underway with the 14 designated American Heritage Rivers.
Here is an overview of selected activities, followed by a river-by-river summary of recent
accomplishments.
Task Force: A small, interagency Task Force is helping to coordinate communications with the 14
designated rivers and other activities, such as arrangements for AHR participation in the National
Town Meeting. They have also been meeting with representatives of government agencies and
private organizations to identify existing programs that may benefit river communities. The task
force members are: Loretta Neumann, Director, representing the Maritime Administration,
Department of Transportation; Fran Eargle, Deputy Director, representing the Environmental
Protection Agency, and Roger Stephenson, Deputy Director, representing the Department of the
Interior. They can be reached through the Council on Environmental Quality (202) 395-5750.
River Navigators: We have been extremely busy working with each of the 14 designated rivers to
develop partnership agreements and position descriptions for River Navigators, who will serve as
the liaison between the Federal Government and the community clients who nominated the river.
Several navigators have already been chosen or are close to being named. Others are in the
works. Our hope is that most will be picked in time to participate in a training/orientation
program to be held the week of May 17 in Washington DC.
National Town Meeting - Detroit, May 2 - 5. The American Heritage Rivers Initiative will participate
in the National Town Meeting in Detroit, Michigan May 2-5, 1999. Sponsored by the
President's Council on Sustainable Development, the town meeting will feature presentations by
Vice President Al Gore and many other outstanding dignitaries. Events on two days will
specifically involve American Heritage Rivers.
Monday, May 3
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Rouge 2000, A Successful Strategy for Sustaining an Urban River. This
session will highlight an innovative community/business partnership that is helping preserve the
Rouge River (the Rouge is included n the Detroit River heritage designation). Speakers will
include U.S. Representative John Dingell, Ford Motor Company Chairman William Clay Ford,
Jr., and other representatives of local governments and the private sector. The session will be
held in Lovett hall at the Henry Ford Museum in nearby Dearborn, Michigan. (Bus transportation
will be available).
5:30 - 7:00 p.m. AHR River Rendezvous. An informal gathering of representatives from the 14
designated American Heritage Rivers - both government and private sector -- to meet each other
and discuss projects and other issues of mutual concern.
Tuesday, May 4
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. American Heritage Rivers- Creating Sustainable Partnerships that Work. A
learning session that will show how communities can use and learn from the American Heritage
River Initiative to preserve their history ad culture, protect and restore natural resources and
revitalize their economies. Providing prepared remarks will be: Loretta Neumann, Director, AHR
Task Force; Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant Extension, [Detroit River]; Victor
Miramontes, Managing Director, North American Development Bank, [Rio Grande]; Patrick
Woodie, Executive Director, New River Community Partners [New River], and Glenn Eugster,
Potomac River Navigator [Potomac]. Representatives from other American Heritage Rivers may
also participate in the discussions, respond to questions and distribute information.
Anyone interested in improving his or her communities should try to attend the National
Town Meeting. Further information is available on-line at www.sustainableamerica.org
RIVER UPDATES
Following are updates on the 14 designated rivers. For a list of contacts or to obtain further
information on any of the rivers listed below, click on the heading at the top of each item and
click on the river contacts.
BLACKSTONE-WOONASQUATUCKET
Members of both the Blackstone Valley Heritage Commission American Heritage River
subcommittee and the Woonasquatucket American Heritage River Steering Committee met with
prospective River Navigators and promoted the resource with morning and afternoon tours to
help applicants see local potential and challenges firsthand. The Environmental Protection
Agency, the sponsoring agency for the Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, expects to select the River
Navigator in late April.
CONNECTICUT RIVER
Several projects are capturing peoples' attention at the moment. These include a flow policy
study (supported by the Environmental Protection Agency), an agricultural marketing/specialty
foods study (supported by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture), and the Tri-State Scenic
Byway study (supported by the New Hampshire Office of State Planning and the US Department
of Transportation). Also underway are an anadromous fisheries restoration initiative (supported by
the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Fish and Wildlife Service, local land
trusts, and the U.S. EPA), and the Connecticut River Valley Partnership Program of small grants for
watershed improvement projects (supported by the National Park Service).
Whitty Sanford, Director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council, was invited by
Senator Edward Kennedy to speak at the 1999 Western Massachusetts Economic Summit sponsored
by a host of businesses, chambers of commerce and the US Small Business Administration. The
summit will include discussions and new ideas in promoting regional tourism.
Three of four governor's offices have indicated they want to sign the Connecticut River
Memorandum of Understanding, and local partners are working with the remaining state for a "home
run" on state participation. Prospective River Navigators met with local partners April 6, and EPA
expects to receive input from the partners before selecting a River Navigator in late April.
CUYAHOGA RIVER
The US Forest Service has agreed to be the sponsoring agency and to provide support for
a River Navigator. Additional support will be provided by the National Park Service, through
the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. The Department of Housing and Urban
Development has also indicated that it will provide part-time assistance of a HUD Community
Builder. Meanwhile, the Cuyahoga community organizations are working on plans for a special
exhibit to be opened as part of a new visitor center in September.
DETROIT
RIVER
On April 6, in a ceremony along the banks of the Detroit River, U.S. Department of
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater met with Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, Wayne County
Executive Robert McNamara and Business Executive Peter Stroh, to announce that the U.S.
DOT will be the sponsoring agency for the river and provide for the River Navigator. All three
television stations covered the announcement.
On April 19, Congressman John Dingell is holding a daylong conference on the
communities to the south of Detroit along the river. U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary
William Daley, is the keynote speaker and the activities of the river designation team will be
featured.
And, of course, preparations continue for the National Town Meeting, May 2-5. Vice President
Gore addresses the 3,000 expected participants on May 4 and later that afternoon, from 4:00 -
5:30 p.m., a session devoted to American Heritage Rivers will be held.
HANALEI RIVER
The Forest Service and the American Planning Association have assisted with meetings
this winter that have brought together representatives of government agencies, the private sector
and the University of Hawaii to discuss plans for the Hanalei River. The US Forest Service and
community partners are working together to support two local, part-time watershed coordinators
and a part-time administrative assistant. An interim administrative assistant is on board at this
time. The memorandum of understanding is being reviewed by federal agencies at the local
level; there are no plans for a public signing ceremony at this time.
HUDSON RIVER
The Heritage Council has revised the original action plan and upon final approval will
share with federal partners. The Heritage Council plans to solicit, through a forum identified in
the memorandum of understanding, ideas and priorities on ways to further enhance and protect
the river. Local governments and citizen groups will be important voices in the forum. The
Hudson partners are proceeding with the announcement for the River Navigator; the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is coordinating the advertising and will sponsor the
navigator. Meanwhile, in early April, AHR Task Force Director Loretta Neumann met with John
Cahill, Commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental conservation and his staff,
NRCS State Conservationist Rick Swensen, and other local officials in Albany. They discussed
selection of the River Navigator and project priorities for the Hudson River. Selection of the
River Navigator is expected by mid May.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI
The U.S. Department of Transportation, has agreed to provide a River Navigator for the
Lower Mississippi, which includes sections of the river around Memphis, Tennessee, and from
Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Louisiana. The Coast Guard, which is part of DOT, will support
the River Navigator.
Meanwhile, in Memphis, the mayor's office is developing plans to follow up on a February
riverfront workshop with community focus groups in June to flesh out projects that can be
delivered to the design stage. State and Federal transportation funds (TEA21) will be ready to
fund acceptable projects. Memphis also held a working group meeting in March and developed
an action plan that identifies which projects are ready for funding or will be in the next five
years.
In New Orleans, outreach efforts are underway to involve the parishes (counties) around the
Lower Mississippi River. In March, representatives of the mayor's office in New Orleans visited
Memphis and met with the Beale Street Management team about several possible "cultural
exchanges"--including one that would involve a "Bourbon Street on Beale/Beale Street on
Bourbon" project. Both streets are musical "Mecca's" for jazz and other forms of popular,
American music.
NEW RIVER
Patrick Woodie, formerly head of the local chamber of commerce, is now the Executive
Director of the New River Community Partners, and his new telephone number is (336) 372-8118. A local institution, the Blue Ridge Bank (a division of 1st Community Bank in Princeton,
West Virginia), has generously agreed to provide the New River Community Partners office
space in Sparta, North Carolina. Community Partners met River Navigators April 6 and 7 and
hope to advise the Army Corps of Engineers soon. Mikki Sagar and Patrick Woodie are
scheduled to address conference participants April 16 at the New River Symposium in West
Virginia. The community-based goals and objectives heralded by the New River Community
Partners have struck such a powerful chord that people in West Virginia and Virginia counties
asked to begin working together immediately, a process years ahead of the schedule anticipated
in the original application.
POTOMAC RIVER
On February 26, 1999, the Friends of the Potomac filed incorporation papers in the
District of Columbia. The Friends of the Potomac board held its first meeting on Tuesday, April
6 to make the requisite administrative decisions as well as to establish procedures for carrying
out the nomination plan, for addressing new requests for assistance, and for coordinating
activities with the River Navigator. On March 27, the annual Potomac River Clean Up was held,
sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Thousands of volunteers worked at 100 offices and
sites along the river. In a partnership with the National Park Service and the Environmental
Protection Agency, the River Navigator for the Potomac, EPA employee Glenn Eugster, has a
new "home" at the National Park Service's regional office in Washington DC. His new phone
number is (202) 619-7492.
RIO GRANDE
The Consortium of the Rio Grande (CoRio) the local partner on the Rio Grande in Texas,
is proceeding with both planning and information services to hundreds of Rio Grande
stakeholders. CoRio is testing broadcast - based information services, "Rio Clips", a compilation
of articles from newspapers along the Rio Grande. The Environmental Protection Agency is the sponsoring agency
for the Rio Grande.
ST. JOHNS RIVER
On April 19, Dr. Barbara Elkus, an experienced employee with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, was named the River Navigator for
the St. Johns River. As the River Navigator, Dr. Elkus will work to
identify assistance to help protect and enhance the water quality of the
St. Johns, revitalize waterfronts and preserve historic and cultural
resources in communities up and down the river.
"The St. Johns River is the perfect example of an American Heritage
River," said J. Charles Fox, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water. "A
tapestry of urban and rural communities, it plays host to our recreational
and commercial needs, and provides us with an important link to our
nation's history and culture. EPA is delighted to support the St. Johns
River and the President's American Heritage River Initiative by providing
Barbara Elkus as the St. Johns River Navigator. Her 10 years of
experience working on water issues at EPA will serve the St. Johns
River well."
Directed by the goals and needs of the community, the River Navigator
will help local governments and citizen groups enhance the historic St.
Johns River via a non-regulatory approach, and make the river more
attractive and commercially vibrant while preserving its unique
environmental characteristics.
"We welcome this support for our river," said Jacksonville Mayor John
Delaney, who with other elected officials from communities along the
river nominated the St. Johns as an American Heritage River.
"Barbara's expertise in water-related issues and broad knowledge of
federal programs is certain to benefit the St. Johns. She is a consensus
builder and I'm certain her skills will serve this effort well."
Projects in the Upper, Middle and Lower St. Johns River Basins will be
considered under the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. Advisory
Committees in each of the basins will be established to address
particular needs in each region. The draft partnership agreement,
drafted by the local community and reviewed by federal agencies,
should be available for public comment in the near future.
UPPER MISSISSIPPI
Owen Dutt has been selected as the River Navigator for the Upper Mississippi River and
has already met with Mayor Moloney of Hannibal, Mo, the leader of the coalition of mayors who
sponsored the Upper Mississippi American Heritage River designation. Owen Dutt is a graduate
of Fort Hays State University where he earned his BA in Zoology and MS in Botany. His federal
service includes work with the US Forest Service in Montana and the Bureau of Land
Management in Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. He is presently employed by the US Corps of
Engineers in St. Louis and has accumulated 26 years of experience on water resource initiatives
along the Mississippi River. He and his family live outside St. Louis. Mayor Moloney will
accompany the Army Corps of Engineers along the Mississippi and will meet members of the
Mississippi River Commission April 10 and 11.
Some good news straight from the Metropolitan Council's web-site: Anoka County Parks, in
cooperation with the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), is working on
new exhibits for the East Coon Rapids Dam Visitor Center in Coon Rapids. MNRRA has
provided $85,000 towards creating the exhibits, which will include a talking storm drain, hints on
how to fish the river, an aquarium, the MNRRA interactive kiosk, and more. The City of
Brooklyn Park has advanced a number of their projects toward completion, the first being their
West River Road Corridor Enhancements project. This project has now received their requested
$500,000 from the federal Transportation Enhancement Program. They also have two projects
that are a part of the Mississippi River Critical Area (MRCA) plan, in partnership with MNRRA,
Department of Transportation (DNR), Metropolitan Council, and neighboring communities.
UPPER SUSQUEHANNA - LACKAWANNA
On February 17, Representative Paul Kanjorski and the US Army Corps of Engineers
announced that $800,000 had been allocated to create a comprehensive ecosystem restoration
master plan using state-of-the-art geographic information system (GIS) technology. The
utilization of GIS technology will help local communities identify various environmental,
historical and cultural and economic problems and issues that are key to addressing the overall
restoration and revitalization of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed area.
An additional $140,000 federal grant was also awarded to a local GIS consortium that includes.
Wilkes University and Kings College. These funds will be utilized to supplement the GIS efforts
in the creation of the Watershed comprehensive ecosystem restoration master plan.
USEPA Region III awarded a grant to the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed for
purposes of providing organizational assistance for the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. The
grant will provide for enhanced Watershed educational and outreach activities, the creation of a
Communications and Administration center, and assist in the development of a Watershed
American Heritage Rivers web page. Congressman Kanjorski and the steering committee
continue to meet with regional and state Directors from the Federal departments.
WILLAMETTE RIVER.
The Willamette Restoration Initiative (WRI), the Governor's representative for the
Willamette American Heritage River, recently selected the Bureau of Land Management as
Sponsoring Agency of the Willamette AHR and established an oversight committee, comprised
of representatives from throughout the Willamette watershed, to manage the process of selecting
a River Navigator. The US Forest Service will fund the River Navigator position for the first
year. The WRI prepared final drafts of the memorandum of understanding and River Navigator
position description; it is anticipated that the memorandum of understanding will be ready for
signature by mid April.
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