America's Wetland Foundation

America's Wetland Foundation (AWF) is a front group created in 2002 by Shell, and funded by the American Petroleum Institute, BP and a host of other oil industry companies. The group advocates for taxpayer assistance for coastal restoration in the wake of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The group has been described by the Huffington Post as the "oil industry using a perfectly-named front group to solicit taxpayer assistance for BP's cleanup bill."

The Foundation came to prominence recently when actress Sandra Bullock withdrew from the Restore the Gulf campaign, run by Women of the Storm and sponsored by America’s Wetland Foundation. New Orleans resident Sandra Bullock severed her involvement in a campaign to call attention to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, after learning that it was a greenwashing effort by the oil industry.

AWF also accepts funding from Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Citgo, British Gas, Spectra, Hornbeck, the American Petroleum Institute, Marathon Oil, Entergy and BP, which AWF claims are "for purely scientific or ecological functions."

Cooperating organizations
A few of the many include:
 * American Fisheries Society
 * Earth Island Institute
 * Federal Highway Administration
 * National Audubon Society
 * National Park Service
 * National Wildlife Federation
 * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Use of Marmillion & Company PR firm
Marmillion did PR work for America's Wetland Foundation and has a case study on their website. The PR firm said that it "created outreach events and opportunities, while utilizing comprehensive print and electronic media strategies. In order to support the dissemination of the campaign's messages and materials to key audiences, a strong network of cooperating organizations was developed, an educational infrastructure for children and adults was built, and private campaign funding was secured."

The results according to the Marmillion PR website:
 * Since 2002 earned media placements that have reached billions through the world, through coverage of the issue and the campaign by Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN, NOW with Bill Moyers, Boston Globe, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Newsday, Seattle Times, Houston Chronicle, and many others
 * Over 3.5 million hits a year on campaign website americaswetland.com
 * Establishment of the America's WETLAND Conservation Corps an AmeriCorps program
 * Won more than 40 awards for campaign partnership, print, broadcast, and electronic advertising
 * Cooperating Organization network of close to 150 organizations representing varied interests like the The National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the National Audubon Society

Services provided:
 * Ad development/placement
 * Coalition building
 * Design and branding
 * Focus groups and surveys
 * Grassroots organizing
 * Media relations
 * Promotion and publicity
 * Publications/Newsletters

Staff

 * R. King Milling Chairman

Contact details
365 Canal Place, Suite 1475 New Orleans, LA 70130 Email: americaswetland AT mcopr.com Web: http://www.americaswetland.com

Their website also contains contact info for their PR firm Marmillion & Company.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Greenwashing

External articles

 * Melissa Landry, America's WETLAND Foundation and Ashley Berthelot, LSU Media Relations, "America's Wetland Foundation Announces $300,000 Donation to Forever LSU to Establish New Coastal Sustainability Studio", LSU News, July 14, 2009.
 * Darwin Bond-Graham, "Women of the Spill - and the Oil Men Who Love Them", Truthout, August 10, 2010.