Release No. 0489.96

                                         Tom Amontree (202) 720-4623
                                        Sarah McCourt (202) 720-7173

GLICKMAN HIGHLIGHTS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AT COMMUNITY CLEANUP DAY IN
SOUTH BRONX

     SOUTH BRONX, New York, September 12, 1996--Agriculture Secretary Dan
Glickman and Under Secretary Jim Lyons joined community residents,
volunteers and corporate officials, including Viacom Chair and CEO Sumner
Redstone, for a community cleanup effort in the South Bronx.  The South
Bronx is one of a number of sites identified in New York City to receive
financial and technical assistance for environmental improvement projects
through the Department of Agriculture's Urban Resources Partnership.

     "We know the community spirit exists across the country for cleaner,
safer places for people to work and play," said Agriculture Secretary Dan
Glickman. "The Urban Resources Partnership, begun under the Clinton
Administration, is an opportunity for the federal government to connect with
urban communities and help residents identify and achieve their goals for an
enhanced quality of life.  It provides them with financial and technical
assistance necessary to help them work to protect and restore their
environment."

     "The Urban Resources Partnership combines the imagination and
initiative of community residents and the support of local businesses and
organizations with the expertise of federal agency staff and public funding
to create a climate where everyone wins.  The communities we've selected for
the URP program have tremendous resources right in their own backyards.
We're just trying to give that helping hand to make it that much easier,"
said Under Secretary Jim Lyons.

     The West Farms community is one of 19 environmental education and
enhancement in New York City, which is one of eight sites to receive funding
under the Urban Resources Partnership.  To date, the West Farms community
has received $183,000 for their Zooway Project, a pedestrian walkway and
greenspace network between the entrance to the Bronx Zoo and the local
subway station.

     The Urban Resources Partnership, which began in 1994, is a
collaborative effort among seven federal agencies that provides funding and
technical assistance to community-based groups participating in a wide array
of natural resource projects.  Federal agencies participating in the URP
program include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Forest
Service and Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service; the
Department of the Interior's National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife
Service; the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the
Environmental Protection Agency.

     Other URP sites are located in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, East St.
Louis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle.

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