News
1. Canoochee Riverkeeper and Friends of the Ogeechee Merge
Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items
2. July DNR Board Meeting
3. Field Tour of Restoration Projects on Hiawassee – Murphy, NC
4. Grant Writing Workshop - Swainsboro
5. Watershed Academy – Clemson, SC
6. River Lobby Day – Washington, DC
Policy
7. Water Rights At Issue: Judge puts Durango’s water withdraw permit on the auction block
Fundraising
8. Fundraising Deadlines
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1. Canoochee Riverkeeper and Friends of the Ogeechee Merge
In March, the boards of Canoochee Riverkeeper and Friends of the Ogeechee voted
unanimously to merge to form Ogeechee-Canoochee Riverkeeper to protect and
preserve the entire Ogeechee watershed. The Waterkeeper® Alliance approved
the proposal for Ogeechee-Canoochee Riverkeeper at their June board meeting.
The merger should be completed by the end of the summer. If you have any
questions regarding Ogeechee-Canoochee Riverkeeper, the rivers, or their
work, please contact the office at 478-289-6523.
Job Opening at OCRK: OCRK is currently looking to hire a highly motivated person as Development Director/Events Coordinator. This is a full-time position and will be based out of Swainsboro, Georgia. An expanded job description is available online at www.canoochee.org.
2. July DNR Board Meeting
There are no DNR Board Meetings in July. For details on DNR Board Meetings,
visit www.gadnr.org. For an archive of the Georgia Environmental Council’s
reports on board meetings, visit www.garivers.org and click on advocacy.
3. Field Tour of Restoration Projects on Hiawassee – Murphy, NC
The Hiawassee River Watershed Coalition (http://www.hrwc.net/) is hosting a field tour for the Southern Regional Watershed Restoration Program Team on August 11 & 12 starting and ending in Murphy, NC. The HRWC has over 7 miles of stream restoration projects on the ground and a wealth of information related to landowners, lessons learned, stream construction, and restoration monitoring. The field trip is limited to 25 people. Van travel and refreshments will be provided. Participants will be responsible for their own meals, lodging, and travel to and from Murphy, NC. If you are interested in participating in this field trip, please let Eve Brantley know by July 15 (brantef@auburn.edu). For tour details and lodging information, please see the website at http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/streams/fieldtrip.htm.
4. Grant Writing Workshop in Swainsboro, GA: July 26-27, 2005
The Grant Network will hold an intensive 2-day grant proposal writing workshop on the campus of East Georgia College. This workshop is designed for both the novice learning how to write a grant proposal and the grant writing professional seeking to streamline a development program. Attendees will learn how to obtain funding from foundations and corporations, as well as local, state, and federal government sources. The Grant Network gives workshop attendees a holistic view of the grant process, highlighting the relevance and importance of each phase. Participants in this course are taught each step of the grant process from researching grant leads to developing long-lasting relationships with funding sources. The workshop emphasizes the wide range of research tools available from traditional library resources to the best online databases. This 2-day workshop is being offered at a discounted rate of $350. Workshop attendees receive personalized grant research, 98 grant proposal samples, and grant writing software at no additional cost. Graduates of the course receive lifetime access to the Grantseekers' Forum, an online meeting place for grant writing professionals. Early registration is recommended as class size is limited. Registration may be conducted online at www.thegrantnetwork.com or attendees may call The Grant Network's toll free number to register with an associate at 1-888-GRANT-10.
5. Watershed Academy – Clemson, SC
Participants of the Watershed Academy: Principles of Water Quality Monitoring,
Planning, and Restoration will learn how to apply water quality and watershed
management principles to understand and solve complex water resource problems.
The Academy will mix classroom lectures and field work with free time to enjoy
autumn in the foothills of South Carolina. The Watershed Academy is September
13-15, 2005. More information is available at http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/streams/academy4.htm.
6. River Lobby Day 2005- September 12-13 in Washington, DC
Join American Rivers for River Lobby Day when activists from across the country
will descend on Capitol Hill to tell their elected officials the story of
a broad movement of people who care deeply about the health of rivers in
their communities. This is your chance to keep your elected officials accountable
for protecting river health. Never lobbied before? Not a problem. American
Rivers provides lobby training on Monday, September 12. Registration will
begin in May. There's no charge to participate. Scholarships will be available
to help offset the cost of travel and accommodations in D.C. For more information
contact Jamie Mierau at (202) 347-7550 or jmierau@americanrivers.org or visit
the River Lobby Day website at http://www.riverlobbyday.org/.
7. Water Rights At Issue: Judge puts Durango’s water withdraw permit on the auction block
On May 20, 2005, Judge Lamar Davis, Jr. issued an order in the bankruptcy proceeding of the bankrupt Durango Georgia Paper Company in St. Marys that established bidding procedures for an auction of its assets. Among those assets listed was Durango's permit to withdraw 44 million gallons of groundwater per day; this permit is to be broken up into 44 lots of 1 million gallons each and conditions the sale or assignment of this water on approval by the Department of Natural Resources. The Georgia River Network and the Georgia Water Coalition oppose this portion of the order because water is not private property that can be sold at an auction, and strongly supports the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s position that water permits issued by the agency do not constitute private property. Further, we support EPD’s position that it will not approve any sales or transfers of groundwater under the Durango Paper Company permit to other users, as part of pending bankruptcy proceedings.
On June 30, the State of Georgia and six conservation groups (Georgia Conservancy, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Center for a Sustainable Coast, Altamaha Riverkeeper, and Satilla Riverkeeper, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center) filed separate objections to the court’s order, asking the court to remove the water withdrawal permit from the auction. At a hearing in Brunswick on July 8, federal bankruptcy judge Lamar Davis Jr. refused this request, but did order the State and the bankruptcy trustee to submit additional language for inclusion in the order that better clarifies the State’s position that the company does not own the water and therefore cannot sell it.
8. 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”.
Patagonia
Patagonia funds projects that are action oriented, build public support and
involvement, are strategic and accomplish specific goals and objectives.
Patagonia supports small, grassroots activist organizations with provocative
direct-action agendas. They look for innovative groups that produce measurable
results, and like to support efforts to force the government to abide by
its own - our own - laws. Patagonia helps local groups working to protect
local habitat. Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $8,000. Proposals
must be postmarked no later than April 30 and August 31 each year. For more
information, visit http://www.patagonia.com/enviro/enviro_grants.shtml. You
can also apply for grants from the Atlanta Patagonia store which gives grants
in the amount of $1,000 - $4000 with applications due each May. Contact Leigh
Bost at 404.266.8182 or leigh_bost@patagonia.com for more information.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
USFWS is offering matching grants to organizations/individuals with partnerships
to carry out wetlands conservation projects under the North American Wetlands
Conservation Act (NAWCA) of 1989. NAWCA grants can be used to conserve wetlands
and wetlands-dependent fish and wildlife through acquisition (including easements
and land title donations), restoration, and/or enhancement with a grant request
between $51,000 and $1,000,000. You are required to obtain matching funds
that are nonfederal and at least equal to the grant request. The match is
eligible for up to 2 years before the year your proposal is submitted. The
deadline for submitting your proposal is July 30, 2004. Visit www.garivers.org
and click on grants to link to more information on this grant.
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Dana Skelton
Director of Administration and Outreach
Georgia River Network
126 S Milledge Avenue
Athens, GA 30605
706/549-4508
706/549-7791 fax
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