On Tuesday, May 14th, a few lucky people got a sneak peak at the newest Toledo Metropark, The Middlegrounds, for an exciting announcement about the Urban Waters Federal Partnership. This complex partnership connects several federal, regional and local agencies with the purpose of not only restoring rivers but bringing people closer to waterways by encouraging the economy with involvement and improved health of our community around our rivers. The Western Lake Erie Basin has been selected as one of 11 new sites for reconnecting urban communities to our river ways along with other sites across the country.

At the press conference on Tuesday, May 14th, guest speaker Marcy Kaptur and several other speakers discussed how important rivers are to this community and how the Urban Waters Federal Partnership promotes efficient and effective use of federal resources. It does this by recognizing and building on local efforts and leadership, working with local officials and local organizations for resources to boost our economy and integrating lessons from the past for future successes. Lead agencies for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership are US EPA, US Army Corps of Engineers and USDA. In addition, many other federal, regional and local agencies are looking forward to the working together to bring us, as a community, together to rally around our rivers, which is truly something to celebrate. To learn more, visit http://www.urbanwaters.gov/pdf/WLakeErieBasinBackgrounder.pdf.