FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 28, 2003	Contact:Brigitte Johnson 202.463.5163 bjohnson@forestfoundation.org

Washington, D.C. — Shared Streams in Maine, a series of projects developed by the American Forest Foundation (AFF) to improve habitat conditions for the endangered Maine Atlantic salmon, received a 2003 Project Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation. Award winners are recognized for their leadership in the cause of tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship.

The Shared Streams in Maine project works with private forest landowners to restore and sustain indigenous habitat of the salmon that has been lost to increased forestry activity. Practices implemented on four certified Tree Farms are being used as educational models of stream improvement techniques for other forest landowners.

The National Arbor Day Foundation honors award winners from around the country and world at its annual Arbor Day Awards celebration held in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The awards ceremony is part of the annual Arbor Day weekend celebration.

The Shared Streams project, administered through a regional partnership between the American Tree Farm System^® (ATFS), Trout Unlimited (TU), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Maine Forest Service and selected Maine certified Tree Farmers, offers a unique opportunity for organizations with diverse interests to collaborate with state and federal agencies to protect and enhance critical river ecosystems.

The following conservation efforts highlight the Shared Streams in Maine project.

• The Pleasant River project corrected an immediate threat to a crucial stretch of juvenile Atlantic salmon habitat. Nearly 1000 feet of eroding road was retired, removing an ongoing and growing source of sediment to the Pleasant River and restoring 150 feet of important riparian buffer and upland forest. The road constructed by a previous owner had not been re-vegetated and ongoing erosion had created several large gullies that were growing with every rain. The project re-graded the road, implemented erosion control measures, seeded with a ground cover crop for short-term erosion control and replanted with native tree species. Total wildlife habitat improved and a half acre of riparian buffer was established. Road retirement accounted for 1000 feet of erosion control improvements and 0.19 miles of road into Best Management Practices (BMPs) compliance.

• The Kenduskeag River project will fence livestock out of the river, provide an alternative watering source, reshape and seed the eroding gully and restore streamside vegetation including trees. Erosion control improvements will be installed along a 150-foot section of the river.

• The Narraguagas River project's conservation measures will close and stabilize 3,500 feet of a 100-year-old access road that contributes sediment to the river due to four-wheeler ATV traffic. The ATV traffic will be relocated to a more suitable area on public land. Controlling erosion is critical this protection of the river from sediment and non-point source contamination. In two areas, berms have caused the run-off to channel. Work is planned for summer 2002 to establish rooted vegetative cover by winter.

• The Boyden Stream project will establish a conservation education trail designed for permanent use as a self guided tour for adults and a guided tour for local schools. Interpretive kiosk panels will be designed and strategically placed along 1.5 miles of the forested trail that follows Boyden Stream. The panels will help visitors understand the links between forest health and the survival of Maine Atlantic salmon and other aquatic species.

The success of the Shared Streams in Maine proves that a landowner organization in partnership with a wildlife protection organization can develop voluntary conservation strategies that directly benefit landowners by providing living testimony and strategies to restore and sustain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of Atlantic salmon.

Shared Streams in Maine is a project of the American Forest Foundation's initiative, Shared Streams^®. The American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education and informed decision-making about our communities and our world.

For more information contact Brigitte Johnson, APR, at 202.463.5163, bjohnson@forestfoundation.org.