WILMINGTON, IL – State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) attended the announcement of a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Coca-Cola on September 13. The partnership will work to restore and protect damaged watersheds on national lands.
The efforts of the partnership aim to return more than a billion liters of water to the National Forest System. The National Forest System provides drinking water to more than 60 million Americans.
The collaboration also includes the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The USDA’s Forest Service, Coca-Cola, the NFF and NFWF have worked together since 2012 on several other projects aimed at restoring natural resources. The partnership announced on September 13 will expand the already existing projects and create new ones around the country. One of the projects will be in the Chicago area to restore a wetland by replenishing the aquifer.
The U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola have signed an agreement that formally states both organizations are committed to the partnership through 2018.
Sen. Rezin is pictured with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (right) at the event. The announcement was made at Midewin Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington.