ATLANTA, GA, Aug. 18, 2014 -- 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.
See also:
"EPA awarding $2.1M to 17 states to revitalize urban waters"
"Nine wetland restoration grants awarded by Five Star Program"
About Southern Company
With 4.4 million customers and nearly 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, is a growing competitive generation company and a licensed operator of three nuclear generating plants, and specializes in fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company provides energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability, and retail electric prices below the national average. For more information, visit www.southerncompany.com.
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