News

1. GRN Directory Update – Edits for Print Edition Due 2/14/05

2. GRN Announces Winners of 2005 River Celebration Awards

Group Spotlight

3. Friends of the Ogeechee River

Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items

4. GRN Annual Conference - Milledgeville

5. DNR Board Meeting – Atlanta

6. SE Land Trust and Watershed Association Conference – Chattanooga, TN

7. Alliance for Justice Worry Free Lobbying Training – Online

8. 2005 Water Conservation Workshop - Savannah

9. National Children’s Water Festival Planning Workshop - Dalton

10. Canoochee Riverkeeper Annual Meeting

11. ICL Announces Change of Date for Shared Leadership for Challenging Times

12. Southeastern Stormwater and Erosion Control Conference Call for Speakers

13. Watershed Protection Institute – West Virginia

Resources

14. Center for Watershed Protection Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series

Fundraising

15. Fundraising Deadlines

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1. Directory Updates Due by February 14
Please visit our online watershed group directory at www.garivers.org to make sure the information on your group is up to date. We will be doing a print version of this directory next week and would like to make sure all information is current. If you have any updates, please email info@garivers.org or call Dana Skelton at 706-549-4508.

2. GRN Announces Winners of 2005 River Celebration Awards
On Saturday, Feb 19, 2005, the winners of the first annual Georgia River Network River Celebration Awards will be recognized. The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 2005 Georgia River Network Annual Conference in Milledgeville. The awards recognize the successes and dedicated efforts of river advocates in Georgia. Honorees include the Canoochee Riverkeeper as Watershed Group of the Year, Gloria Taylor, of Hortense, as Volunteer of the Year, James Holland, of Brunswick, as Conservationist of the Year and the Steering Committee of the Etowah Habitat Conservation Plan with an Award of Special Merit. Honorees will receive a scholarship to attend the conference, a plaque of commendation, acknowledgement on Georgia River Network’s web page and newsletter, and a 1-year complimentary membership. Congratulations!

3. Spotlight on Friends of the Ogeechee River
The following article originally appeared in the February 2004 issue of RIBBITS, the official newsletter reporting on "The latest sounds and news from FROG." The article, written by Jim Abbott, provides a brief history of the organization.
About two years ago, Thomas Black, Geary Davis, Larry Hodges, and John Lewis were at a bit of a loss. They had just finished a bruising battle to keep Richmond County from spreading sewage sludge on farmland in Jefferson County - a battle they were sure they had won, right up until the last minute - and they were wondering, what next? That's when they decided to form Friends of the Ogeechee River. They did so in the belief that there are hundreds and even thousands of people who value the Ogeechee River for the resource and treasure that it truly is, and who are willing to contribute their time and money to protect it. With the help of Georgia River Network, the four sludge veterans incorporated Friends of the Ogeechee River (FROG). Today, FROG is a still small but growing volunteer organization working to maintain and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River Basin, stretching from Greene County to the coast. FROG's Board of Directors is currently focused on reducing or preventing pollution of the Ogeechee from landfills, waste treatment facilities, and land application of sewage sludge. FROG members support that work with their membership fees and donations and by volunteering their time to write legislators, conduct water quality testing, and assist with office tasks. Three canoe trips are planned for 2005 with the first trip scheduled for March 19. Visit FROG at www.friendsoftheogeecheeriver.com for more information on current initiatives and events in Ogeechee River Watershed.

4. GRN Annual Conference – Register Now
Georgia River Network Conference 2005 - "The Land-Water Connection"
February 18 - 20, 2005 at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA

Keynote Presentations
“ The Citizens' Agenda for Rivers: Mobilizing the River Movement Behind a Proactive Plan for Healthy Rivers” by Matt Sicchio, American Rivers
” Update on the Statewide Water Planning Process” by Nap Caldwell, GA EPD
" The Importance of Headwater Streams" by Dr. Sue Eggert, University of Georgia
" Meanderings in Biodiversity: From the World to a Tiny Pool in Georgia" by George Folkerts, Auburn University
Three informative tracks:
o The Land Connection - Presented by Center for Watershed Protection and the UGA River Basin Center

o Organizations That Make An Impact - Featuring a funders forum, information on how to work with legislators, tips for effective outreach programs and technology options for your watershed group.

o Understanding Your Watershed - Track Chaired by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream

· A Friday Night Pizza Social at the Lake Laurel featuring a presentation by Brad Sanders, author of "Guide to William Bartram's Travels"

· A Saturday night party featuring a live auction, River Celebration Awards, River Jam, food and drinks

· Field Trips - Conservation Flights by Southwings and tour of Georgia Power Plant Branch

· Networking Opportunities

· Office Hours with Techbridge - Sign up for a free half hour consultation with Techbridge. Techbridge helps organizations with all elements of technology infrastructure including websites, databases, online fundraising, server and network hardware and scheduled support. Hours will be from 10-3:30 on Saturday. Sign up at the conference or in advance by emailing Mickey Desai at mickey@techbridge.org.

· Exhibits

Cost
GRN Member Rate - $80 before February 11, 2005, $90 after February 11, 2005 or
GRN Non-member Rate- $95 before February 11, 2005, $105 after February 11, 2005.

Visit www.garivers.org for registration and information or call 706-549-4508.

Sponsored By Georgia College and State University: Department of Biological Sciences, School of Education and Office of Academic Outreach; University of Georgia River Basin Center and REM
River Jam Party / River Celebration Awards Sponsor - Georgia Water Coalition; Georgia Wildlife Federation Camouflage Coalition; Bron Cleveland and Associates
Saturday Breakfast Sponsor - Georgia Wildlife Federation
Lunch Sponsor - Georgia Wildlife Federation; Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Conference Sponsors – Canoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Wildlife Federation; Satilla Riverkeeper; Save Our Satilla; Stack and Associates

5. DNR Board Meeting
Details thanks to GEC
The next regularly scheduled DNR Board meetings are expected on Tuesday, February 22, beginning at 1 p.m., and Wednesday, February 23, beginning at 10 a.m., in the DNR Boardroom, Suite 1252, East Tower, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta (Sloppy Floyd Building). For details on DNR Board Meetings, visit http://www.gadnr.org/ (bottom left corner of home page). For an archive of the Georgia Environmental Council’s reports on board meetings, visit www.garivers.org and click on advocacy.

6. SE Land Trust and Watershed Association Conference – Chattanooga, TN
March 17-19, 2005 at the Chattanooga Marriott Convention Center
Sponsored by the Land Trust Alliance and SE Watershed Forum
For information, call 202-638-4725x340 or email registration@lta.org.
The Land Trust Alliance and the Southeast Watershed Forum invite you to join more than 100 of the Southeast's conservation leaders for a unique gathering of land trust and watershed association professionals,volunteers, board members, local, state and federal agency staff and allied conservationists. The Southeast Land Trust & Watershed Association Conference is an unmatched opportunity in the Southeast to hear expert speakers, network with colleagues, share lessons learned, and build new partnerships for protecting our southern landscapes. More than dozen Workshop sessions (on Friday, March 18) on topics including strategic conservation, understanding the new code of the Land Trust Standards and Practices, conservation easements, fundraising, land stewardship, volunteers recruitment and management, board development, designing successful local open space ballot referenda, and forest management and conservation connections. Breakout sessions to facilitate networking and explore collaboration possibilities between land trusts and watershed associations, including the Land Trust Standards and Practices, Land Protection Priorities for the Southeast, and Successful Fundraising Plans. More details about the conference and a registration brochure can be downloaded at http://www.southeastwaterforum.org/

7. Alliance for Justice Worry Free Lobbying Workshop – Online
Join the Alliance for Justice in its continuing series of online trainings for nonprofits as we explore the rules for lobbying by 501(c)(3)public charities. Want to know what your 501(c)(3) organizations can accomplish but don't have time to attend a training outside of the office? Sit at your desktop in your office or home and join the Alliance for Justice for a virtual lobbying training. This one-hour web-based training will cover the rules for 501(c)(3) lobbying activity, including lobbying limits, definitions of lobbying, and some notable lobbying exceptions. It will be held Tuesday, February 15th at 2:00. You will need a computer with internet access and working computer speakers in order to participate. Questions will be taken through an online chat mechanism, but not through voice, so you do not need a microphone. Once you've registered, we'll email instructions on how to log in to the training. Cost $30. Register directly with Robin Powers at rpowers@afj.org or 202/822-6070 or visit www.allianceforjustice.org.

8. 2005 Water Conservation Workshop - Savannah
February 17 and 18, 2005
Presented by American Water Works Association in partnership with the GA Water Wise Council and GA Section AWWA. Water conservation has been used for decades as a short-term measure to help utilities manage water supply during a drought. However, over the last several years, conservation has become increasingly recognized as a vital part of a comprehensive approach to water resources management-not only in the western states, but also throughout the country. This year's water conservation workshop program that has been developed to provide a context for conservation's role in long-term planning and addresses many of the conservation issues facing water managers today. Issues such as rate setting, revenue recovery, and keeping up with the latest innovations. This year's conference features speakers from around the country, further showing that more and more utilities are aware of the importance of long-term conservation initiatives. In addition to the presentations, the committee has also worked diligently to ensure that plenty of opportunities exist to meet your colleagues from other utilities. For more information and registration go to www.awwa.org/conferences/conserve/.

9. National Children’s Water Festival Planning Workshop
March 7 & 8, 2005 come and learn all about how to organize a children's water festival at the Groundwater Foundation's "2005 Festival Expedition" in Dalton, Georgia, March 7-8. Registration fees have been reduced thanks to a generous grant from the Water Systems Council. Visit www.eeingeorgia.org for details.

10. Canoochee Riverkeeper Annual Meeting
Saturday, February 12, 2005 from 12:00 pm – until at George L. Smith State Park
Please join us as we celebrate our successes over the past year and look ahead to what's in store for 2005. There will be fun and games for the whole family. This is our annual membership meeting, fish fry, and potluck supper. Canoochee Catfish is once again kindly providing the fish, and we're asking that people bring along their favorite side dish. Please let us know by Monday, February 7th, if you plan to attend, so that there's enough fish for everyone. We hope to see you there! RSVP: patsy@canoocheeriverkeeper.org or call Patsy at 478-289-6523.

11. ICL Announces Change of Date for Shared Leadership for Challenging Times I Program
The Institute for Conservation Leadership announces its Shared Leadership for Challenging Times I Program in Norcross, GA (near Atlanta) May 12-15, 2005. Apply by April 1, 2005. This is a program for a team of staff and board leaders who want to strengthen their organization and set a course for bringing their organization to the next level in its development. This program helps leaders build effective organizations in a changing world, engage new people with diverse perspectives and create successful partnerships. During the workshop, leaders will develop the abilities they need to effectively lead and govern their groups.

Participants in this three-day Shared Leadership I Workshop will:

*Enhance their personal leadership skills

*Work with their leadership team to assess and strengthen their organization

*Use tools for understanding difference in perspective or approach as a resource for their organizations

Each participating organization will receive consulting and coaching support in implementing their action plan. You get:

*Three-day workshop including lodging, meals, and all materials

*One-day of follow-up coaching and consulting assistance

*On-going group listserv
*Eligibility to receive additional training or consulting support from ICL at a reduced fee and to participate in the Shared Leadership II Workshop

Applications due April 1, 2005
For more information contact Peter Lane at peter@icl.org or 301-270-2900 or visit the ICL website at www.icl.org.

12. Southeastern Stormwater and Erosion Control Conference Call for Speakers
The sponsoring committee of the Southeastern Stormwater and Erosion Control Conference is pleased to announce a call for oral presentations, poster presentations, and exhibits for a conference in Peachtree City on October 2-6, 2005. The committee is looking for presenters, speakers, and experts to deliver presentations and exhibits of innovative products and programs. The conference will combine lecture and poster presentations with exhibits featuring industrial products, consulting services and educational programs. It is a forum to address specific issues facing Southeastern US and share successful programs and strategies by bringing together academic and government experts and industry professionals to exchange ideas and information. The goal of the conference is to strengthen the ability of professionals involved in stormwater management and erosion control to reduce non-point source pollution. For more information, visit http://www.griffin.uga.edu/grf/events/smescc.

13. Watershed Protection Institute – West Virginia
March 28-April 1, 2005 in Sheperdstown, WV – One Week Left to Register! Space is filling up fast for the Watershed Protection Institute (WPI)! For more information go online - http://www.cwp.org/. The WPI, focused on the protection of less developed watersheds, will provide an interactive learning experience with a committed community of watershed advocates, leaving participants with skills they can immediately begin using to make their own organizations more effective. For more information, contact Rebecca Winer, Center for Watershed Protection, phone: 410-461-8323; email: rrw@cwp.org.

14. Center for Watershed Protection Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series
The latest installment in the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series - Manual 4: Stream Repair Practices, is available. It concentrates on practices used to enhance the appearance, stability, structure, or function of urban streams. An electronic version of the manual can be downloaded for free for a limited time by going here - http://www.cwp.org/USRM_verify.htm. This page also directs you to our online store where you can purchase a hard copy. USRM Manuals 1, 8, 10, 11 are undergoing a facelift (changes include formatting and terminology changes for consistency purposes and a few fixes) and will be released by early February as Version 2.0. The downside of this news is that it marks the end of the free download period. Visit www.cwp.org.

15. Fundraising Deadlines
The following foundations are either new to our list of grants or have upcoming deadlines to submit proposals. To view grant makers that give throughout the year, visit our website at www.garivers.org and click on “Grants”.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program The Five-Star Restoration Program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supports community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects throughout the U.S. that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities. Projects must involve partnerships of five organizations that contribute funding, land, technical assistance, workforce support, and/or other in-kind services. Project partners should include schools or youth organizations, local or tribal government, local business or corporations, conservation organizations or local citizen groups, state and federal resource management agencies, and foundations or other funders. The application deadline is March 1, 2005. Visit http://www.nfwf.org/programs/5star-rfp.htm for more information

The FishAmerica Foundation and the NOAA Restoration Center announce the availability of up to $600,000 for hands-on, grassroots projects across the coastal United States to restore marine, estuarine and riparian habitats, including salt marshes, mangrove forests, and freshwater habitats important to anadromous fish species. The partnership will seek an increased number of projects from the Chesapeake Bay watershed and may provide limited funding for salmon and/or steelhead habitat restoration projects in the Great Lakes basin. Visit FishAmerica's web site at http://www.fishamerica.org for the complete announcement, funding guidelines and application. Please Note: The application for this partnership is new this year. Additional funding opportunities can also be found on the NOAA Restoration website at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/.

Community-based nonprofit organizations, such as local sporting clubs and conservation associations, as well as state and local agencies are encouraged to submit proposals. Projects must result in on-the-ground habitat restoration, clearly demonstrate significant benefits to marine,estuarine or anadromous fisheries resources, particularly sportfish, and must involve community participation through an educational or volunteer component tied to the restoration activities. The FishAmerica Foundation must receive applications and required documentation no later than February 25, 2005 by 5:00 PM. Electronic and faxed applications will NOT be accepted. Proposals must be submitted to: FAF/NOAA RFP - Grant Applications, FishAmerica Foundation, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 420, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

Project AWARE Foundation
The Project AWARE Foundation is committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment, both marine and freshwater, throughout the world. The Foundation funds projects that have a direct benefit to the aquatic environment such as public education, grassroots conservation and enhancement projects, environmentally focused research that leads to conservation measures, public awareness initiatives, environmental assessment and monitoring projects, and volunteer-supported community activism. Micro Grants of up to $1,000 are available for local grassroots efforts and Macro Grants of $1,000-$10,000 are available for regional, national, or international efforts. Community groups and grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. and internationally are eligible to apply. The next deadline for applications from the U.S. is February 15, 2005. Visit http://www.projectaware.org/.

National Forest Foundation
The National Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes the health and public enjoyment of the National Forest System, has initiated a new program, the Wilderness Stewardship Challenge, to improve the health of wilderness areas. The Wilderness Stewardship Grants provide matching funds of up to $50,000 for ecosystem restoration-related work in congressionally designated Forest Service Wilderness Areas. Nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, resource conservation and development districts, Native American tribes, educational institutions, and state and county governments are eligible to apply. A one-to-one non-federal cash match is required. The application deadline is March 4, 2005. Visit http://www.natlforests.org/wilderness_stewardship_info.html.

Sapelo Foundation
Sapelo Foundation's Environmental Protection Program addresses such issues as water and air quality, sprawl and sustainable development, corporate effects on rural communities, and the protection and management of natural resources. Currently, the primary focus is a strategic campaign addressing water resource management and policy in Georgia. The Trustees meet to consider grants twice each year. Deadlines for submission of proposals are September 1 and March 1. Grants range from $1,000 to $75,000. The average award is between $10,000 and $25,000. Visit http://www.sapelofoundation.org for more details.

Starbucks
The Starbucks Foundation funds local programs that serve low-income, at- risk youth (ages 6-18) through its Youth Leadership Grant Program. Grants range from $5,000-$20,000 and are given in two areas: Power of Literacy - programs that stimulate personal development and a commitment to social equity, justice, and environmental awareness through writing, literacy and expression in public forums; and, Leaders in Diversity - programs that teach the value of societal diversity and develop youth leadership skills to foster understanding between individuals, groups and communities. Grant applications are reviewed twice yearly, April 1st and October 1st. Visit http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/grantinfo.asp.

Tom's of Maine Corporate Giving Program provides support for nonprofit organizations nationally and internationally, with priority given to organizations impacting Maine. The company's areas of interest are the environment, human needs, the arts, and education. They are shifting their grant focus away from project-based grants (although they will still fund some projects) towards core mission and leadership grants. Proposals will be accepted between February 1 and April 1, 2005. Visit http://www.tomsofmaine.com/about/grant_guidelines.asp for more information.

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Georgia River Network has moved. Please note our new street address below.

Dana Skelton
Director of Administration and Outreach
Georgia River Network
126 S Milledge Avenue
Athens, GA 30605
706/549-4508
706/549-7791 fax
http://www.garivers.org

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