The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored a Covington-based youth group for making Little Soos Creek homier for salmon.

The Institute for Community Leadership (ICS) was notified last month of its selection for a President’s Environmental Youth Award. The honor is in recognition of ICS integrating racially diverse young people in environmental restoration projects and for the educational work of linking the protection and promotion of a healthy environment with communities.

ICS helped organize youth and adults to restore native, streamside habitat to about a mile of salmon-bearing Little Soos in the Covington area. They took out invasive plants and harmful items left by humans and planted native shrubs and trees. The project involved property owners, tribes, public agencies, environmental organizations and more than 800 volunteers. The latter included students from Kent School District and 15 other school districts in the Puget Sound region.

Since 1971, the President’s Environmental Youth Award program has recognized young people across America for their efforts in environmental projects. Award recipients receive signed certificates from the president, official EPA patches and a formal citation.

ICS is a non-profit organization that focuses on youth programs advocating non-violence and education.