$9,890 Raised via Crowdfunding Website for River Restoration Projects

For Immediate Release: Friday September 20, 2013

Greenfield, MA – Three river restoration projects in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts have received a total of $9,890 in donations via the “crowdfunding” website CleanWaterFuture.org – which links people, businesses and organizations to conservation projects that improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, erosion control, and access.

All three projects are located in the Connecticut River watershed. The Massachusetts project – located on Kinne Brook in the Westfield River watershed – was sponsored by Trout Unlimited. The Vermont project – located in Woodstock, VT on the banks of the Ottauquechee River – was sponsored by Sustainable Woodstock and focused on creating a community park and removing streamside Japanese Knotweed (an invasive plant). The New Hampshire project – which focused on control and removal of invasive species in the Upper Valley – was sponsored by the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRC), who also administers the CleanWaterFuture.org website.

“Our goal is to give communities the opportunity to support on-the-ground conservation projects,” said Andrew Fisk, Executive Director of CRC. “These projects will result in meaningful improvements in water quality, habitat and the overall health of the Connecticut River watershed.” Donations for this round of projects ranged from $10 to $1,500 and came from individuals, businesses and organizations.

Nearly $55,000 has been raised through CleanWaterFuture.org for 17 separate projects over the past several years. Donations are made by credit card through the CleanWaterFuture.org website at any giving level that suits the donor. CRC will continue their effort to improve the health of the Connecticut River watershed by launching new projects on the Clean Water Future website later this year with additional project sponsor organizations.

###