Rockwell Collins awards 41 Green Communities grants to locations worldwide

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (July 06, 2009) - Five feet of snow last winter took a heavy toll on the tree nursery at the Wildhaven Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. The nursery had been established in response to a previous disaster - the 2003 San Bernardino Mountains fire that destroyed 5,000 trees.

Thanks to a $2,500 Rockwell Collins Green Communities grant, the Wildhaven Ranch nursery will have new life. It is one of 41 grants totaling more than $80,000 distributed by Rockwell Collins this year. Grant projects range from post-flood restoration of natural areas in Iowa to establishing natural gardens in locations throughout the world.

"This year we emphasized natural disaster recovery projects and we're pleased by the quality and quantity of applications we received in this area," said Rockwell Collins Community Relations Manager Cindy Dietz. "We're also excited about the variety of grant projects from locations not affected by disasters and the impact that they will have in the areas where our employees work and live."

Diane Dragotto Williams, executive director of the Wildhaven Ranch and president of The San Bernardino Mountains Wildlife Society, said the Rockwell Collins Green Communities grant will help the area recover from the double dose of disaster.

"This generous grant will renew our forest habitat for wildlife by refurbishing our tree nursery," she said. "The money will go toward purchasing plants and trees lost in the snowstorm and they will be planted by Rockwell Collins employees in June."

Rockwell Collins selected projects based on criteria including:

• Tangible environmental benefits of the project
• Sustainability of the project benefits
• Participation in the project by Rockwell Collins employees and/or retirees
• Completion of the project within the calendar year of the grant award

Since 2004, Rockwell Collins has awarded 175 Green Communities grants. This year, grant awards range from $500 to $3,000, and only projects conducted or sponsored by qualified non-profit organizations were eligible.

$3,000 award

• Project AWARE (A Watershed River Expedition), Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Sioux City, Iowa

$2,500 awards

• Roadside Plantings, Regent Honeyeaters Project Inc., Benalia, Victoria, Australia
• High school rain garden beautification, Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District, Vinton, Iowa
• Taylor Elementary School Rain Garden, Cedar Rapids
• Post-flood restoration of Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation Camp, Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, Cedar Rapids
• Geneganslet Creek stream structure upgrade, Al Hazzard Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Owego, New York
• Sacred Heart School hand dryer project, Maquoketa, Iowa
• Shoreline improvement, Maquoketa River Water Quality Team, Delhi, Iowa
• Retain the Rain - Iowa/Illinois, River Action, Inc., Davenport, Iowa
• Butterfly garden, Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens, San Jose, Calif.
• City of Palo Educational Rain Garden, Palo, Iowa
• Anamosa's Arboretum, Anamosa Parks and Recreation Department, Anamosa, Iowa
• North Park Friendship Community Garden, Connecting Caring Communities, Abilene, Texas
• Native Interpretative Landscape at Wetland Discovery Point, Utah Botanical Center/Utah State University, Kaysville, Utah
• Common Ground Demonstration Garden, Common Ground Garden Supply Store and Education Center, Palo Alto, Calif.
• Service Learning Program: High School Students Creating Outdoor Classroom, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids
• Fantastic, It's Not Plastic: Keep Linn County Plastic Bag Free, Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, Hiawatha, Iowa
• Trout Run Prairie Project, City of Decorah, Calmar, Iowa
• 2009 Recovery Program for the San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains Wildlife Society, Lake Arrowhead, Calif.
• Recover, Replant, Restore project, Trees Forever Inc., Marion, Iowa
• Replant, Restore and Sustain Our Trees at YMCA Camp Wapsie, YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area, Coggon, Iowa
• Rochester Park Aquatic Plant Restoration, Groundwork Dallas, Inc., Dallas, Texas
• Trail Project Native Prairie Grass Planting, Linn County Trails Association, Cedar Rapids
• Green Americorps Energy Conservation Unit, Community Corrections Improvement Association, Cedar Rapids

$2,300 award

• Environmental Community Events, Earth Day Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

$2,000 awards

• Cycling Bus Development, Organisation Bus Cyclistes, Cornebarrieu, France
• REACH Mount Mercy, Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids
• Native tree planting and trail design, E.L. Rose Conservancy, Brackney, Pa.

$1,800 awards

• Time to Throw in the Towel, Area Substance Abuse Council, Cedar Rapids
• Butterfly Habitat Garden, Springmeier Community Library, Tiffin, Iowa

$1,700 award

• Winding Up the Wild Child Butterfly Nursery Garden, Wakoos Center for Children, Billingshurst, West Sussex, United Kingdom

$1,500 awards

• Bike to Work Week at Rockwell Collins, Iowa Bicycle Coalition, North Liberty, Iowa
• Embrook Junior School Environmental Project, Wokingham, Berkshire, United Kingdom

$1,300 award

• Green Trees Make a Community Green, Michigan Citizens Against Toxic Substances, Milan, Mich.

$1,250 award

• Upper Newport Bay Habitat, Engineers Without Borders, Newport Bay, Calif.

$1,000 awards

• Replace LED lights with energy efficient lights, Linn-Mar Community Schools, Marion, Iowa
• Cultivating Connections, The ARC of East Central Iowa, Cedar Rapids
• Ecological Restoration of Church Woods, Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, Royal Oak, Mich.

$750 award

• Natural Garden Playground Project, Rockwell Collins Child Development Center, Cedar Rapids

$500 awards

• Hardacre Community Garden, Cedar County Agricultural Extension District, Tipton, Iowa
• Vinton Nature Trail, Vinton Parks and Recreation Department, Vinton, Iowa

Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) has been a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, information management and simulation and training is delivered by nearly 20,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com.

Media contact:

Dave Gosch
319.295.2908
319.651.3042
djgosch@rockwellcollins.com

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