By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

HAMILTON, Ohio — Eight finalists were selected to compete for grants for local watershed improvement projects; MillerCoors and River Network are partnering to award the grants.

The goal is to bring farmers and water protection groups together in a common effort to preserve water, said River Network President Ezra Milchman.

“Water conservation and quality are key priorities for MillerCoors, as water is a primary ingredient in beer – used to grow the barley and hops, and flows through every stage of the brewing process,” said Kim Marotta, vice president of corporate social responsibility at MillerCoors.

“We are excited to team up with River Network, as we believe we have a great responsibility to local communities, some of which supply us with water to make our great beer.”

The Butler Soil and Water Conservation District project (see related article above) of Hamilton, Ohio, is just one of eight finalists; details for each of the other seven follow:

Cumberland River Compact, Nashville, Tenn. – The Cumberland River Compact’s project will provide tools for all types of farmers to aid in improving water and land stewardship, increasing profit and reducing overall inputs on Tennessee and Kentucky farms.

Louisiana Environmental Action Network/Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, Baton Rouge, La. – By educating the agricultural communities in the Ouachita River Watershed on proper farming techniques for fertilizer use, the project will reduce the nutrient runoff of agricultural operations that flow into the Ouachita River and ultimately reduce the nutrient overload in the Gulf of Mexico’s Dead Zone.

Gila Watershed Partnership, Safford, Ariz. – The San Francisco and Blue rivers have been greatly affected by E. coli bacteria. The group will work to clean the rivers by training the community in field research methods, developing and conducting an education program and bringing local groups together into a coordinated watershed improvement council.

Thornapple River Watershed Council, Caledonia, Mich. – The project will provide support for the installation of riparian buffers and sediment and nutrient control structures along a designated trout stream in the Thornapple River Watershed. This installation will also serve as an education-demonstration site for agricultural Best Management Practices for water quality.

Porter County Soil and Water District, Valparaiso, Ind. – The west branch of the Cornell Ditch has become an erosive gulley that deposits enormous amounts of sediment, runoff and debris off-site. The project will create a ditch with wetland plants and grasses to trap nutrients and chemicals from traveling downstream, which will also reduce flooding and create a shelter and food source for wildlife.

Dan River Basin Assoc., Eden, N.C. – The goal of the project is to improve the quality of the Dan River by protecting streamside buffers, promoting the Purple Sweet Potato as a less chemical-intensive replacement for the traditional tobacco crop, monitoring/reducing bacteria levels and assisting locally-based efforts to identify opportunities to conserve riparian land.

Valley Stewardship Network, Viroqua, Wis. – This project will educate citizens and promote local Best Management Practices implementation, assist farmers in obtaining cost-share assistance and document the change in the watershed health through water quality monitoring in the Kickapoo watershed.