A new breed is setting the standard for business along the Elizabeth...and it's anything but usual! Entering it's 13th year, the River Stars program features industries, businesses, organizations and government entities that have shown the way to success--in environmental  achievement as well as in business.

In 2009, this latest galaxy of Stars has documented:

• 50 acres of wildlife habitat created or conserved

• 11 million pounds of pollution reduced

• 31 million pounds of other materials reduced and/or recycled

Since the program began in 1997, River Stars have documented:

• 1,043 acres of wildlife habitat created or conserved
• 215 million pounds of pollution reduced
• More than a billion pounds of other materials reduced and/or recycled

Kinder Morgan Elizabeth River Terminals and Virginia Zoo received top honors as Model Level River Stars. The Model Level is awarded to companies or organizations that demonstrate exceptional efforts in pollution prevention and wildlife habitat restoration or conservation and that are also recognized as a community leaders in environmental stewardship.

Fiddler crabs, fish and wading birds herald a restored wetland
Kinder Morgan's Elizabeth River Terminal (ERT) is a dry bulk terminal with 12 warehouses on 110 acres of the Elizabeth River's southern branch at Money Point. Materials handled at this location include fertilizer, ores, minerals, feeds and grains that are transported by ship, rail and truck.

Kinder Morgan's ERT partnered with the Elizabeth River Project to restore 3.4 acres of tidal wetlands and 3.4 acres of forested shoreline (buffer). With 50 percent of the Elizabeth River's tidal wetlands being lost since the 1940s, projects like these are key to restoring critical wildlife habitat, filtering pollution and controlling erosion. Already, thousands of fiddler crabs and a variety of fish and wading birds have laid claim to the nearly 7 acres of restored territory.

"We are very proud of our community involvement and with the results of this project," said Phil Stedfast, Kinder Morgan's ERT operations manager . "We look forward to more improvements to the wildlife area and future projects to benefit our environment and the river."

More than 400,000 visitors get the environmental message through Virginia Zoo's clearly demonstrated success.

The Virginia Zoo, located along the Lafayette River, uses its River Star involvement to make a "positive impact on our local environment, an important component of the Zoo's mission in the region," says Mark Schneider, Virginia Zoo horticulturist.

A voluntary wetland restoration, a green roof, rain barrel and rain garden exhibits offer important demonstrations. Another project covered a .57 acre tidal wetland along the Elizabeth River, removing rubble, regrading and then replanting 9,000 native grasses, trees and shrubs as well as featuring an oyster reef, osprey platform and special environmental paving allowing for healthy filtering of rain water.

Download the Recognition Luncheon program for details and photos of all the latest River Stars and their amazing, innovative accomplishments.

Learn more about th River Stars program how it is making a very real and documentable difference in the health of our own Elizabeth River system!