Wetlands are an important part of our environment.
They help ensure clean water, prevent flood damage, are home to many rare or endangered plant and animal habitat, and contribute to beautiful landscapes found in our communities. The money donated by these companies can be leveraged as matching funds for additional municipal, private and federal grants. Dr. A. Wallace Hayes, Vice President for Product Integrity and Environmental Affairs at Gillette, which helped spearhead the creation of the CWRP, praised his fellow business leaders for joining the effort. Over the last several hundred years, the state has lost 230,000 acres of wetlands, which purify water running through them, provide clean habitat for wildlife and plants and act as recharge areas for vital drinking water. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to enact wetlands protections laws and has imposed additional strict wetlands restrictions, and with this new program, the Cellucci-Swift Administration remains vigilant in protecting this important resource.