Department Of Interior

DOI News Header
Office of the Secretary
Tom MacKenzie, FWS
(404) 679-7291
For Immediate Release:May 25, 2004
Rick Ouellette, IP
(912) 238-6399
 
Secretary Gale Norton, International Paper to Sign Landmark Environmental Agreement to Protect and Manage Aquatic Resources
 

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and International Paper will sign the first-ever Aquatic Resources Conservation and Management Partnership Agreement, a landmark environmental partnership expected to significantly improve freshwater ecosystems across the Southeastern United States, at a ceremony on May 26.

The 10-year agreement covers 5.5 million acres of International Paper forestlands in nine Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Under the agreement, extensive ecological surveys and conservation projects will be conducted to recover imperiled aquatic species and restore their habitat.

WHO:
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton
George O'Brien, International Paper, Senior Vice President-Forest Products

WHAT: Signing ceremony and boat tour

WHEN: Wednesday, May 26, 11 a.m.

WHERE: The signing will take place on Butler Island (outside Darien, Ga.), located on the banks of the Altamaha River (hosted by The Nature Conservancy at its Southeast Georgia Conservation Office.) Lunch will be served immediately following the ceremony. Following the signing, media are invited to a boat tour/photo op with VIPs, featuring the Secretary, International Paper officials and University of Georgia (Athens) biologists who work with short-nose sturgeon on the Altamaha River.

Seating is limited. To reserve a place on the boat, please RSVP to Rick Ouellette, International Paper, (912) 238-6399 by Tuesday 5 p.m.

Directions:

From Savannah:
Take I-95 South to Exit 49 (Darien/outlet exit). Go east (left) to Highway 17. Turn south (right) on Highway 17. Pass through Darien. Cross two bridges. The Nature Conservancy is located on the right after the second bridge (look for a large, white three-story plantation home.)

From Jacksonville:
Take I-95 North to GA Exit 42 (Highway 99). Go east (right) to Highway 17. Turn north on Highway 17 (left). Cross two bridges. The Nature Conservancy is located on the right after the second bridge (look for a large, white three-story plantation home.)

 

-DOI-


Selected News Releases