American Heritage Rivers Updates

Volume 2 Number 4
July, 1999

Overview of Recent Events:

The highlight for the month of June was the week long River Navigator Orientation that was held in Washington, D.C. from June 14-June 18. River Navigators and/or Community Partners from all 14 American Heritage Rivers spent a jam-packed week in D.C. attending various information sessions where they were briefed on key governmental and private sector programs that river communities can use to implement their action plans. These sessions were held at various agencies throughout the city and included presentations by representatives of these agencies. Information gathered from these sessions will be compiled and made publicly available by electronic means later this summer.

RIVER UPDATES

Note: To jump to the update for a particular river, click on one of the following. Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, Connecticut, Cuyahoga, Detroit, Hanalei, Hudson, Lower Mississippi, New, Potomac, Rio Grande, St. Johns, Upper Mississippi, Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna, Willamette.

To go to the separate web page for each of the rivers, click on the capitalized heading below.

BLACKSTONE-WOONASQUATUCKET

On July 19, 1999, in Blackstone, MA, along the river at the Rhode Island border, the Blackstone-Woonasquatucket River communities will be celebrating the signing of the partnership agreement between the communities and the federal agencies. Members of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Congressional delegation, both Governors, and state and federal officials along with numerous groups and organizations have been invited to participate in the event. The ceremony will include booths set up for all the community groups that have been active on the rivers to highlight their work as well as canoe and boat rides along the river.

On June 19, both the Blackstone and Woonasquatucket hosted celebratory events honoring Rivers Day in Rhode Island. The Blackstone River events, sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, took place in various locations along the watershed in MA and RI and included canoe races, rides along the river, nature and cultural events and the honoring of Senator John Chafee with an award at a ceremony in Central Falls, RI for all his work on the Blackstone. The Central Falls event featured Governor Lincoln Almond, Senator Chafee and the Mayor of Central Falls and highlighted the improvements to the river and the plans for further economic and environmental restoration opportunities in the Central Falls area.

The Providence Plan, the non-profit organization that was a primary sponsor of the Blackstone-Woonasquatucket River nomination, hosted their annual Rivers Day Festival at Donigian Park in Providence. Mayor Buddy Cianci of Providence opened the celebration by dedicating the local park which had been restored. Several hundred residents of Providence attended the festivities which included free canoe rides on the Woonasquatucket, information booths about the river, the Greenway Project and other community based programs.

In early June, Johanna Hunter became the River Navigator for the Blackstone-Woonasquatucket Rivers. Johanna, a 16-year veteran of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was chosen because of her successful record of advocating for citizens involved in cleaning up hazardous waste sites. Most recently, she led an outreach team of six community groups involved in cleanups around New England and has extensive experience working with community groups, elected officials, states and media. Johanna will be based in three offices located within the two watersheds - two in RI at Providence and Woonsocket and one location in Worcester, MA. Her territory runs from the headwaters of the Blackstone in Worcester to Providence where the Blackstone and Woonasquatucket rivers converge to form the headwaters of Narragansett Bay.

CONNECTICUT RIVER

On July 1, 1999, a Core Group meeting was held at the Hooker-Dunham Arts Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. This well attended event was organized by the Connecticut River Watershed Council and the USEPA Regional Office. The Core Group is made up of the Community Project Sponsors, the New England Federal Partners, and elected officials from the four watershed states. This kick-off meeting provided the opportunity for the River Navigator and Federal River Pilots to hear presentations by the Community Project Sponsors on each segment of the Action Plan. The New England Federal Partners was given the opportunity to discuss the existing federal programs and services that could support the various projects. The Core Group will soon be pulled together again to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to support the implementation of the Connecticut River Action Plan.

The National Park Service is working with a loose federation (30 or so individuals) of museum, historical and environmental groups to frame the work needed to follow through on the "Connecticut River Valley: Special Resource Reconnaissance Study." The Natural Resource Conservation Service is working in the Massachusetts/Connecticut reach of the river to help inventory the lower valley's riverbanks for erosion sites and important habitat. This is to "mirror" and enhance work already undertaken in Vermont and New Hampshire. EPA may help fund this work as well as some implementation for erosion control in those states. Sponsors of this endeavor include the Connecticut River Conservation District Coalition, Connecticut River Joint Commissions, and Connecticut River Watershed Council. Riverfront Recapture has begun working with NRCS and others to control erosion in Hartford's and East Hartford's riverfront parks.

CUYAHOGA RIVER

On June 3 and June 23, the Cuyahoga River Partnership met. Items that were discussed included the Memorandum of Understanding between the Partnership and the Forest Service and the vacancy announcement for the River Navigator position. Karen Sykes is the interim River Navigator for the Cuyahoga River.

The next meetings of community partners will be on July 21 in Cleveland, and another July 22 in Burton, OH. The Upper Cuyahoga Watershed Association will host the later one. It is expected that both the Navigator candidate list and an MOU will be discussed.

On June 22, there was a ceremony at the newest addition to the Cleveland Metropark system. The Park Service has agreed to help support the River Navigator Position. They are planning to provide a vehicle and computer assistance the interim River Navigator. They are also providing both temporary and permanent office space. The Forest Service is the sponsoring agency for the Cuyahoga River. A press conference was held in order to bring attention to the accomplishments that have been made to the Cuyahoga and Ohio Rivers and the Erie Canal over the past 30 years. The event also showed off the new Ohio and Erie Canal Visitor Center, which is scheduled to open the week of July 19. Remarks were made by Congressman Stokes and John Hazel. Those in attendance where then invited to participate in a tour of the new Visitor Center.

On July 10 the Partnership will have a display and take part in the National Clean Boating Week in Cleveland. The week-long event will be sponsored by the Marine Trades Association. There are plans for a boat ride on the river.

DETROIT RIVER

John Hartig has been selected as the River Navigator for the Greater Detroit American Heritage River. John is a native of the Detroit area and currently serves as Secretariat to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission, interacting with senior-level environmental agency leaders for the U.S. and Canadian federal governments and the Great Lakes states and provinces. Dr. Hartig will be transitioning from the International Joint Commission to the full-time Navigator position later this summer. In keeping with the “One DOT” vision of Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, the sponsor of the Detroit River, the Navigator office will be set up in the U.S. Coast Guard Group Detroit Station on the Detroit River. The Detroit River Navigator position is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, but Mr. Hartig will work under the supervision of Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC) which serves as project manager for the Initiative, and the Federal Highway Administration. MAC is a distinctive public/private partnership of business, labor and government leaders that facilitates solutions for regional public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in Southeast Michigan.

This summer, events are being planned for celebrations that lead up to Detroit's 300th birthday, which will occur in 2001. The corporate and private foundation sectors in Detroit have undertakining major fundraising to leave a lasting legacy and have established an umbrella organization called "Detroit 300." The AHR team has strongly urged them to select a river project. One of the priority river projects is the restoration of Fort Wayne, which was the third American fort built in the early 19th Century because of tensions with the British in North America. It was used during the Civil Wars and both World Wars. Later, it was one of the largest induction centers during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Strategically located at a bend in the Detroit River, it comprises over 83 acres. It is also adjacent to an empowerment zone and next to a Corps of Engineers site, which together could create a delightful as well as historic one-mile riverfront.

HANALEI RIVER

The Hanalei Heritage River Hui has a new office at the Hale Halawai Ohana O Hanalei, a new family and community center. The Hui is planning a Hawaiian style celebration of the Memorandum of Understanding to be held sometime in September. The MOU states “In recognition of the importance of Native Hawaiian culture in Hanalei's identity and unique sense-of-place, Hawaiian rights are recognized and whenever appropriate, traditional Hawaiian protocols, terms and concepts are used.” “Hui” is a good illustration of this principle. Hui is defined as 1. “Club, association, society…partnership, union; to form a society or organization; to meet. 2. To join, unite, combine. 3. A plus sign.”

The designation of the Hanalei River as an American Heritage River allowed for substantial federal assistance ($1.2 million) for the replication of the historic, one-lane Hanalei Bridge. The 1912 Pratt Truss bridge crosses the Hanalei River just as you enter the valley floor, and is the only access, the gateway, to the North Shore. Construction should start in early 2000. The Hui will next participate in developing a 25 year plan for the rest of the roadway, which has seven more one-lane bridges.

HUDSON RIVER

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the sponsoring agency for the Hudson River, posted the announcement for the River Navigator position in May, and the deadline was June 4. The Hudson River Heritage Council will review the finalists and make a recommendation to Rick Swenson, the NRCS State Conservationist. The Hudson River Heritage Council was created by Governor Pataki's Executive Order No. 85 on August 5, 1998, to support the Hudson River American Heritage Rivers designation by coordinating state activities and cooperating with federal agencies and the River Navigator. With input from the head of the Heritage Council, Commissioner John Cahill of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Rick Swenson will make the final decision.

LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER

The River Navigator, Captain Bob Innes, arrived towards the end of June. One of his first official duties was to attend the week-long orientation conducted in Washington, D.C., from the June 14-18. Angela Falgoust, who is the community contact for the Lower Mississippi and hails from Ascension Parish, LA, also attended the orientation week.

The Louisiana AHR Community Partners held meetings on June 10 and June 28. This partnership consists of representatives from the 11 parishes that comprise the Louisiana portion of the designated area, a representative of the State of Louisiana who also represents the Mississippi River Commission, a community builder from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a representative of the Dow Chemical Corporation. The partnership is organized with an elected president and secretary from among the group (excluding the River Navigator and HUD representative). River Navigator Bob Innes was also in attendance. The June 10 meeting focused on two agenda matters: the introduction of the River Navigator and discussion of the upcoming orientation in Washington, DC. The June 28 meeting was directed at crafting an expanded Memorandum of Understand that currently exists between the City of New Orleans and the City of Memphis, as well as other "housekeeping" matters.

Upcoming events include a maritime industry outreach presentation in July and a possible meeting with the Commander of the Army Corps of Engineers for the Mississippi Division to update and discuss a number of community projects within their area of responsibility. The maritime industry outreach presentation will be sponsored by the Maritime Administration and will be held in New Orleans. Members of the Memphis partnership will hold a meeting on July 28.

NEW RIVER

The New River Community Partners (NRCP) developed a cooperative agreement to be signed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The signing will likely take place in Hinton, WV on August 7. The NRCP are planning to have one key event in each of the three states (NC, VA and WV) that are home to the New River during the Summer of 1999.

Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) is hosting a New River Conference in Dublin, VA on July 26, to help facilitate outreach and build a grass roots foundation to support future and present New River Community projects. The finished work plan will be released formally at the conference.

New River Community Partners recently hosted a meeting in Raleigh, with a wide spectrum of state agency personnel. Attendance was high, and all present representatives agreed to provide NRCP’s relevant funding and technical advice on the current project list. Similar meetings are planned for Richmond VA and Charleston WV. Also, The New River Community Partners hired their second full-time employee, three consultants and one intern. The increased staff will be a great asset in facilitating the completion of the 304 projects that is on the completed work plan.

West Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates passed a resolution in support of West Virginia’s participation in American Rivers Initiative. Executive orders are being sought by all three state governors to help strengthen state agency participation in the Initiative. Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has awarded New River Community Partners a $100,000 capacity building grant. The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was established in 1936, and has allocated over 270 million dollars to recipients in all North Carolina counties.

POTOMAC RIVER

Planning continues for the July 30 "Potomac River Day" celebration to commemorate the first anniversary of the designation of the Potomac AHR. The Friends of the Potomac, the lead Community Contact, and the National Park Service (NPS), the federal sponsor, are hosting events to recognize and celebrate the River, its values and the local leaders who are working to conserve, restore and maintain its special qualities. Events include a breakfast meeting, co-hosted by the Friends of the Potomac and the Potomac Electric Power Company, with corporate leaders supportive and interested in the Potomac AHR. In the afternoon the Friends and the NPS will convene on the Potomac to celebrate "The First Anniversary of the Potomac AHR". The program plans to include Congressional recognition of July 30 as "Potomac River Day"; awards for local and federal partnership successes; introduction of Potomac Corporate Partners; and federal agency technical and funding resources to aid revitalization efforts.

The River Navigator and Friends of the Potomac, the lead Community Partner for the Potomac River, held a Federal Land Stewardship workshop on June 29 with National Park Service (NPS) Park Managers from the basin to discuss the Potomac AHR. The meeting was in response to discussions with NPS Director Robert Stanton and interest from the parks in the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. NPS is the lead federal agency for the Potomac AHR. During a briefing with Bob Stanton, the Director indicated that he thought that "NPS park managers should lead the Potomac AHR effort by example. Our park managers should be exemplary of what it means to be a steward of land and water within the Potomac basin".

The discussion with Park Managers focused on the ways that the Potomac AHR can assist public land management efforts while NPS and other Federal agencies assist local communities. A summary of the results of the meeting is available from Glenn Eugster, the Potomac AHR Navigator. Additional federal land stewardship meetings are being planned.

The Friends of the Potomac and the Potomac Heritage Partnership, an unincorporated organization comprised of committed organizations within the basin who share the vision of a united effort to protect, preserve and promote the Potomac, hosted a meeting on May 25 to explore a collaborative approach to tourism in the basin. Approximately fifty community-based natural and cultural tourism efforts, with cross-jurisdictional boundaries, are underway within the Potomac basin and many more may be starting. The meeting involved various local, state and federal government and private sector representatives and included discussion on collaborative approaches for planning, marketing, interpreting and supporting locally initiated natural and cultural tourism on a watershed-wide basis. The group decided to continue to share information, expand the discussion to include more "heritage tourism" stakeholders, and support the development a joint venture. Harry Belin, President of the Potomac Heritage Partnership believes that "such a collaborative effort can be used by local and State leaders to promote and enhance the specialness of this place we call the National River".

RIO GRANDE

Plans for a Rio Grande Institute are underway. The Public Policy Information Fund (PPIF) is putting the finishing touches on plans for a virtual institute comprised of service centers focused on four needs of Rio Grande communities identified by Consortium of the Rio Grande (CoRio), which is the local partner on the Rio Grande in Texas: (1) GIS mapping and information resources, (2) technical assistance in writing and administering grants, (3) research, education and staff development, (4) state-federal relations. The Board of CoRio has instructed the General Secretary to develop an association with the Institute through a Memorandum of Understanding with PPIF. A major focus of this collaboration will be on distributing information resources, identifying funding opportunities and helping CoRio communities write, secure and administer grants from state and federal agencies. Satellite offices and service centers are envisioned for the Big Bend area, El Paso, Laredo and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Tyrus Fain, currently CoRio’s General Secretary, will direct the Institute from PPIF’s Austin office.

The Mayor of Laredo, Betty Flores, has launched the El Portal Riverfront Project. She invited “the best and the brightest” from federal agencies and community organizations to begin planning a major project on revitalization of the downtown riverfront along an eight-mile stretch of the Rio Grande. This “greenbelt” has great potential for development of a park and playground, a natural history and heritage center, a wetlands/bird sanctuary, a restored stand of native cottonwood and willow trees while accommodating the needs of law enforcement agencies and cross-border trade. Special guests at the June 17th event included officials from Nuevo Laredo and El Paso and Blanca Vela, the newly elected Mayor of Brownsville. HUD Community Builder Justin Ormsby and GSA’s Regional Administrator are organizing a follow-up meeting of federal agencies to determine the availability of resources once the community is ready to seek assistance.

The Rio Grande Community was well represented at the week-long orientation in Washington, DC from June 14-18. CoRio’s General Secretary Tyrus Fain was joined for the sessions by Bluford Sanders, an El Paso attorney, and Justin Ormsby, a Community Builder with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD has assigned Mr. Ormsby to provide assistance to CoRio and support for the incoming Navigator and the newly formed Rio Grande Institute. In addition to attending the training sessions, Washington office visits were arranged with Congressman Silvestre Reyes, VISTA, the Department of Education and AHR Task Force.

Events for the month of July include a town meeting in El Paso, which will be hosted by Congressman Silvestre Reyes. At this meeting, top officials from federal agencies will meet with local leaders and officials to discuss pending and proposed projects. The CoRio Board hopes to schedule a get acquainted and priority review meeting with its new River Navigator in late July. Planning meetings are being scheduled in Brownsville on control of aquatic plant infestations and bi-national cooperation on restoration of historic sites.

ST. JOHN'S RIVER

The St. Johns River Navigator, Dr. Barbara Elkus, visited Florida June 9-10, 1999. She met with members of the St. Johns River WMD Board, representatives of Volusia County, Putnam County, the City of Jacksonville, Florida DEP (Division of Recreation and Parks) and the National Park Service. She also toured the Timucuan Preserve via boat. In addition to meetings in Florida, Dr. Elkus met with several representatives of the St. Johns River community who visited Washington, DC. She also attended the Orientation/Training for River Navigators for the week of June 14-18 in Washington, DC, along with Margaret Spontak of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

On June 23, the River Navigator also met with Susan Lee, who is with the Astor Park Water Association. The Astor Park area is economically disadvantaged, and is served mostly by failing septic systems. The Association has raised some funds to begin construction of a sewage treatment plant, but is seeking more funds to complete the project and to hook up all members of the community.

The comment period on the Partnership Agreement closed on June 12, 1999. Six comments were received. These comments were generally positive, with suggestions about the composition and nomination process for the Steering Committee and the Advisory Committees. The signing ceremony is being scheduled for the early fall, as are the first committee meetings.

UPPER MISSISSIPPI

Everything seems to finally be in place for Owen Dutt, the Upper Mississippi River Navigator, to begin making those long awaited community visits with each of the 57 communities that make up the Upper Mississippi American Heritage River. The River Navigator will meet with community officials and collect detailed information to begin the process of matching community initiatives with Federal programs.

Representative of federal agencies met with Owen Dutt in Chicago June 22 to discuss how they could all work together to help the communities. Some of the tools for providing this assistance may include special workshops on specific federal programs of interest to several communities; team visits to communities that require more specific assistance; and increased communications with all communities regarding federal programs that are available. In addition to this, the River Navigator will be working closely with all of the “River Pilots” (federal representataves of agencies involved in the Upper Mississippi River), and other interested parties, through the use of a list server made available by the Univ. of Minnesota's "Bridging the Rivers Project.”

Mr. Dutt’s schedule for July is full of visits with community partners. He will also speak at the Mississippi Headwaters Board Meeting in Bemidji, MN and will attend Mississippi River Basin Alliance Conference, in St. Louis, MO July 9-10.

UPPER SUSQUEHANNA-LACKAWANNA

On June 21, the Susquehanna American Heritage Rivers Meeting/Workshop took place at Luzerne County Community College Auditorium in Nanticoke, PA. At the workshop, the action plan was introduced to the public, Congressman Kanjorski provided remarks, and other speakers gave discussions on their programs. Loretta Neumann, the National Director of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, toured the Watershed and then also attended and spoke at the public meeting. During the meeting, a preliminary inventory of projects was released.

According to Rep. Kanjorski, “It [the work plan] is meant to encourage public discussion of what projects should be undertaken as part of the American Heritage River program…It is a dynamic document that will continue to be developed as additional projects are added and work is performed on various projects. I encourage residents of Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania to review the Draft Work Plan and suggest additional projects that should be added to our list.” The Draft Work Plan was compiled by members of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed Steering Committee, which consists of representatives of the six counties that encompass most of the watershed and representatives of the group that played a major role in the drafting of the American Heritage River application. The Draft Work Plan is available on the internet at: http://paheritageriver.org

WILLAMETTE RIVER

The deadline for applications for the Willamette River Navigator position, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service, was June 16. Over thirty applications were received. An oversight committee, as established in the American Heritage Partnership Agreement, will work to select and hire the River Navigator, develop an annual AHR work plan, and evaluate program progress. Members of the Committee include Willamette Restoration representatives, watershed council coordinators, state and federal agency staff, local government representatives, environmental interests, and citizens. The Committee meets for the first time on July 2. For more information, please contact the Willamette Restoration Initiative at http://www.oregonwri.org/

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