WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently announced that the City of Gulf Breeze is a recipient of a 2007 Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant. NACo will award $134,291 in grants through the Five Star Program partnership to support 10 projects,
located in 12 counties across the country to help implement locally-driven wetland and watershed restoration projects. The other partners that participate in the program are the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Habitat Council, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds and corporate sponsor Southern Company.

The 2007 NACo grantees are:

• Charles County, Md.;

• Trout Unlimited – Pendleton and Grant Counties, W.Va.;

• City of Lawrenceburg ¡V Anderson County, Ky.;

• Mobile County, Ala.;

• City of Gulf Breeze – Okaloosa and Escambia Counties, Fla.;

• BP St. Clair LPG Terminal/Dome Petroleum Corporation – St. Clair County, Mich.;

• Parish of Caddo, La.;

• Mitchell County Conservation Board, Iowa;

• Solano Resource Conservation Board – Solano County, Calif.;

• Ted TrueBlood Chapter of Trout Unlimited – Ada County, Idaho.

The City of Gulf Breeze will partner to restore 4 acres of emergent salt marsh and protect 1,240 feet of shoreline in the vicinity of Deadman’s Island. Project partners will place 240 artificial vertical oyster reef structures along approximately 1,240 linear feet of shoreline and use dredge
spoil behind the structures to establish the marsh. Vocational students from Escambia and Okaloosa county school districts will construct the reef structures and local green houses classes, school children and volunteers will plant the newly formed marsh. The ultimate goal upon
completion of the project is permanent protection of the site through incorporation into the adjacent Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve. Project partners include the Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves Office, Escambia County School District, Okaloosa County School District, University
of West Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and Florida Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas.

Five Star Restoration projects involve a high degree of cooperation, with local governmental agencies, elected officials, community groups, businesses, schools and environmental organizations working together to improve local water quality and restore important fish and
wildlife habitats.

The Five Star Restoration Grant Program Partnership will provide grants ranging from $4,400 to $20,000 to 42 county and community-based initiatives totaling more than $610,600. Major funding for the program comes from the EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
Additional funding comes from the EPA’s Gulf of Mexico office.

In addition to federal funding, last year Southern Company committed $1.2 million over five years to the Five Star partnership. This year, Southern Company is providing more than $230,000 to support 14 projects in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Since 1999, Five
Star has supported nearly 400 projects with more than $4 million in federal funds and $25 million in partner matching funds.

The Five Star partners are also extremely pleased to announce the newest member of this growing partnership. Beginning in 2008, Pacific Gas and Electric Company will commit $1.2 million over five years to fund additional restoration projects in California through the Five Star
Restoration Program.

“On behalf of the nation’s counties, congratulations to the 2007 NACo Five Star grantees,” said NACo President Eric Coleman, commissioner, Oakland County, Mich. “NACo is very proud of its longstanding support of the Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program. Counties and
their partners across the country are fostering environmental stewardship and building diverse partnerships that promise to restore and protect the environment well into the future.”

The Five Star funds act as seed money that leverages additional funds and services. On average, for each dollar of Five Star-sponsored funds, four additional dollars in matching contributions will be provided by local restoration partners in the form of funding, labor, materials, equipment,
or in-kind services. This year, communities have committed more than $2.1 million in matching contribution to these projects.

Since 1997, NACo has reached out and helped fund projects in 110 counties across the country, providing a total of over $950,000 for community-based environmental restoration and education.

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The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit
www.naco.org