News

1. Georgia Water Coalition Updates: Durango Paper and Deadhead Logging

Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items

2. Georgia River Network Conference: Register Now - Milledgeville

3. January DNR Board Meetings – Atlanta

4. Stream Restoration Workshops – Clemson

5. National River Rally – New Hampshire

6. Educator Workshops – Waleska/Augusta

7. Conservation, Wildlife and Farmland Protection Workshops

Resources

8. The Purpose Prize

9. USACE Joint Public Notices

10. Activists Toolbox Online

Fundraising Deadlines

11. Fundraising Deadlines

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1. Georgia Water Coalition Updates
Durango – Paper Mill Sold at Auction

The auction for the Durango Paper Company’s assets commenced on December 6 in Savannah. After bidding by three other companies, the LandMar Group, a Florida-based developer affiliated with Duke Energy, won with a final bid of $36.5 million for most of the company’s assets. The LandMar Group proposes to develop a waterfront village and marina on the property. Other groups purchased the company’s timberland and the paper mill's machines and miscellaneous equipment, which sold for an estimated $5.6 million. No separate bidding developed for the water permit although it is part of the estate bought by LandMar, and auction documents indicate LandMar allocated $200,000 of the purchase price for the permit. The Georgia Water Coalition will continue to track any developments following the auction to determine any implications for the water permit.

Deadhead Logging - 11-3 vote passes $1.28 price per board foot

Despite receiving over 300 letters of protest and hearing several speakers criticize the proposed rule, the Board of Natural Resources passed the proposed rule change concerning deadhead logging on December 7. By a vote of 11-3, this rule sets a compensation rate for the deadhead logs of $1.28 per board foot of harvested timber. Following the vote, Board member Warren Budd asked the Board to vote to request an opinion from the Attorney General’s office as to whether the $1.28 price per board foot represents an under evaluation of deadhead logs and thereby violates the gratuities clause of the Georgia constitution. After some discussion, the Board then passed a motion 12-2 to seek “advice” rather than an “opinion” on the issue because the “advice” could possibly be obtained more quickly than a formal “opinion”. The Board hopes to have the advice from the Attorney General’s office by the next DNR Board meeting at the end of January.

The Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) staff will begin to process permit applications with the passing of this rule and will provide notice to all applicants that the price of the logs might change depending upon the advice from the Attorney General’s office. WRD will not grant any deadhead logging permits until the Attorney General’s office provides advice on the gratuities issues to the DNR Board and until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a general programmatic permit under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. This permit is required for any filling, excavation, or alteration within navigable waters of the United States. Please see our website for Deadhead Logging support documents.

2. Register Now: Georgia River Network Annual Conference and Awards

Georgia River Network Conference 2006 - "Knowing Your Resources"

February 10-12, 2006
Kilpatrick Hall, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA

Early Registration Deadline: January 31, 2006
Click here to view all conference details.

Conference Sponsors:

Georgia College and State University Department of Biological Sciences, School of Education and Office of Academic Outreach

The Georgia Conservancy

Georgia Wildlife Federation and Camo Coalition

Stack and Associates

Wilmington Trust – Atlanta Office

River Jam Party and River Celebration Awards Sponsor: Georgia Water Coalition and Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Saturday Breakfast Sponsors: Save Our Satilla and The Wilderness Society, Saturday Lunch Sponsor: The Georgia Conservancy, Sunday Breakfast Sponsors: UGA American Fisheries Society and the Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper, Contributing Sponsor: Oxbow Meadows, Special Item Donor: Terrapin Beer Company.

The Conference will feature:

(Click here to link to agenda)
Keynote Speaker - Bernard Sweeney, President, Director & Senior Research Scientist, Stroud Water Research Center
Keynote Speaker - Mac Rawson, Georgia Sea Grant Program

Three informative tracks on Saturday:

Land Protection Strategies -Featuring presentations on tools for land protection, conservation and land use planning. (Presented by the UGA River Basin Center)
Understanding Your Watershed-Featuring presentations on data interpretation, invasive and native species, mapping resources and more. (Presented by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream)
Technical Resources-Featuring presentations on erosion and sedimentation and septic system issues. (Presented by the UGA River Basin Center)

A Sunday Session on Issues Facing Coastal Rivers

A Friday Night Pizza Social at Amici's

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

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

Pre-Conference Workshops - including "Get the Dirt Out" and a Water Quality Monitoring Workshop

Networking opportunities

Exhibits

Registration Information

GRN Member Rate: $80 before February 1, 2006, $90 after February 1, 2006

GRN Non-member Rate: $95 before February 1, 2006, $105 after February 1, 2006 (Non-member rate includes a one year, individual membership)

For a discounted rate, please call 706-549-4508 or email info@garivers.org.

Members include any individuals that are current members of Georgia River Network at any membership level as well as staff or board members of member organizations. To check your membership status, you can email dana@garivers.org or call 706-549-4508.

3. January 24 DNR Board Meetings - Atlanta
For details on DNR Board Meetings, visit http://www.gadnr.org/ (bottom left corner of home page). To view the schedule, visit http://gadnr.org/documents/sched-agenda.html. For an archive of the Georgia Environmental Council’s reports on board meetings, visit www.garivers.org and click on advocacy.

4. Stream Restoration Workshops – Clemson
Feb 21-22 and April 26-27, 2006. See the following website for details: http://www.clemson.edu/extfor/calendar/index.htm

5. National River Rally Registration Now Open
Online Registration is now open for River Network’s 2006 National River Rally, May 5-9, at the Mount Washington Hotel near Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The River Rally is the most comprehensive national conference for people working to understand, restore and protect our nation’s rivers, lakes and watersheds. Please visit http://www.rivernetwork.org/rally to register and get full details.

6. Educator Workshops
January 21 and/or February 11
Georgia’s Native Waters and / or Project WET Educator Workshops
Funk Heritage Center, Reinhardt College, Waleska, GA

January 26 & 28 (Register by January 20)
Healthy Water Healthy People Teacher Workshop
Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, Augusta, GA

Visit http://eeingeorgia.org and check the calendar for further details on these events.

7. Conservation, Wildlife and Farmland Protection Workshops
Feb 4 in Waco, Feb 18 in Athens, March 4 in Tifton or March 11 in Statesboro. UGA Cooperative Extension will sponsor workshops to provide landowners information on how to participate in various conservation, wildlife and forestry programs.
Visit http://ugatiftonconference.org/events.htm for more information.

8. The Purpose Prize
The Purpose Prize awards $100,000 each to five innovators over age 50 who are taking on society's biggest challenges. It's for those with the passion and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs, and make lasting change. Visit http://www.leadwithexperience.org/prize/index.cfm.

9. USACE Joint Public Notices
The US Army Corps of Engineers posts public notices at https://sasweb.sas.usace.army.mil/jpn/. Watch for projects in your watershed.

10. Activists Toolbox Online
The Rainforest Action Network has a great resource center called the Activist’s Toolbox. You’ll find tips on how to host a media event, write a letter to the editor and how to pitch your story effectively. The Toolbox also has links to other media resource sites, along with a guide to developing a successful campaign strategy. You can access the site here: http://www.ran.org/action/toolbox/.

11. 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”.

Anheuser-Busch and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are seeking applications for the 2006 Budweiser Conservation Scholarship Program. This competitive scholarship program supports and promotes innovative research or study that seeks to respond to today’s most pressing conservation issues. The Conservation Scholarship Program is designed to respond to many of the most significant challenges in fish, wildlife and plant conservation in the United States, whether it is the sustainable use of natural resources, including sportfish and game, recovery of an endangered species, or control of invasive exotic species, by providing scholarships to eligible graduate and undergraduate students who are poised to make a significant contribution to the field of conservation. The Foundation welcomes applications from all qualified students. Under the 2006 Budweiser Conservation Scholarship Program, a minimum of ten scholarships of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to cover students’ expenses for tuition, fees, books, room and board and other direct expenses related to their studies. The complete application package must be submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and be postmarked no later than January 27, 2006. An announcement of the successful scholarship recipients will be made in May 2006. Visit http://www.nfwf.org/budscholarship/.

Beldon Fund - Beldon funds projects that emphasize "Human Health and the Environment". The Beldon Fund seeks to build a national consensus to achieve and sustain a healthy planet by supporting nonprofit advocacy organizations. The Fund's Human Health and the Environment program supports projects throughout the United States that engage new constituencies in exposing the connection between toxic chemicals and human health and in promoting public policies that prevent or eliminate environmental risks to people's health. Letters of inquiry will be accepted between January 25 and March 1, 2006. Click www.beldon.org for more information.

The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is seeking nonprofit groups to help educate mariners about good environmental habits with grants of up to $4,000 for clean boating projects. Clean Water grants are designed to educate boaters on issues such as petroleum pollution prevention, pumpout education, and littering prevention. For the 2006 Clean Water Grants, they are looking for projects that encourage boaters to learn to love their waterways - education projects that help boaters understand and appreciate their local boating habitat, as well as learn hands-on boating strategies that will keep the water and local habitat healthy and accessible for future boaters. To view previous grant projects, learn more about aquatic nuisance species, or download an application, please visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Cleanwater/grants. Applications must be e-mailed or postmarked by midnight February 1, 2006.

ConAgra Foods Foundation works to improve the quality of life in communities where ConAgra employees work and live. The Foundation focuses its resources in the areas of arts and culture; civic and community betterment; education; health and human services; and hunger, nutrition and food safety. Nonprofit organizations in communities with company facilities throughout the United States are eligible to apply. Consult your local phone directory or contact your Chamber of Commerce to find out if ConAgra Foods operates in your community. Applications are due the last working day of January, April, July, October. Visit http://www.conagrafoods.com/leadership/community_guidelines.jsp.

Corcoran Education Grant
In 2006, the North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA) is again offering up to $1000 to sponsor a project or projects to educate the general public about native North American fishes and their environment. The Gerald C. Corcoran Education Grant will fund such educational projects as: producing and distributing educational materials (books, brochures, posters, displays, video, Internet resources, etc.),stream surveys with public education as a primary goal, public lectures,nature center displays, school materials and displays, and teacher training workshops. The award was established in memory of past NANFA President Gerald C. Corcoran, who stressed public education regarding the continent's native fishes. NANFA is an organization made up of home and professional aquarists, university and other professional researchers, conservationists, anglers and naturalists. As its name implies, the group is dedicated to the study and conservation of North America's native fishes. Grant proposals are due March 31, 2006. Proposals will be evaluated and ranked by a review committee, and funding awarded on June 1, 2006. Qualifying applicants must be members of NANFA but non-members may submit their annual dues with their proposals. For additional information, contact: Robert Denkhaus at Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge at (817) 237-1111, email Robert.Denkhaus@fortworthgov.org or visit http://www.nanfa.org/corcoran.shtml.

The Environmental Support Center empowers grassroots environmental activist groups by helping to improve their management, planning, funding and communications capabilities. Grants are reviewed monthly. Visit http://envsc.org/.

The Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, provides grants on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects. Supported projects should build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities. The stars in "Five-Star" are the partners, funders, and participants necessary to complete the project. Projects should involve diverse partnerships of ideally five organizations, including schools, universities, businesses, community groups, local governments, nonprofit organizations, foundations, etc. Applications must be postmarked by March 10, 2006. Visit http://www.nfwf.org/programs/5star-rfp.cfm.

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation supports a wide range of organizations that improve the quality of life in communities where Georgia-Pacific operates, and where company employees live and work. (A map of the Georgia-Pacific facilities and locations is available online at: www.gp.com/facilitydirectory/index.asp.) The Foundation’s areas of interest include: education, community enrichment, and the environment. Grant applications are accepted between January 1 and October 31, annually. Visit http://www.gp.com/center/community/index.html.

National Safe Boating Council: Local Recreational Boating Safety Grant Program The goal of the National Safe Boating Council's Local Recreational Boating Safety Grant Program is to reduce boating accidents and enhance the boating experience by distributing grants for local recreational boating safety programs. Grants of up to $1,000 are available for projects including, but not limited to, improving the quality or quantity of essential safe boating services or materials; building on and supporting the North American Safe Boating Campaign to enhance safe boating at the local level; developing innovative ideas that can be replicated by groups in other areas to improve boating safety; providing an opportunity to improve boating safety for specialized activities; and developing children's programs or adaptive boating for the disabled. Nonprofit organizations, noncommercial organizations, volunteer boating groups, and local government agencies throughout the U.S. are eligible to apply. The application deadline is January 25, 2006. Visit http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/rbs.htm.

Project AWARE Foundation is committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment and its resources throughout the world. The Foundation will consider funding projects that focus on its priorities: coral reef conservation, shark protection, aquatic ecotourism, aquatic education (particularly for youth), and direct conservation activities in both marine and freshwater for up to $10,000. Projects which incorporate public education, grassroots involvement, and research that leads to conservation are examples of the types of projects the Foundation supports. The application deadlines are March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15, annually. Visit http://www.projectaware.org/.

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. Visit http://www.tomsofmaine.com/toms/community/grant_guidelines.asp for more information.

Grants for Educators
Visit http://eeingeorgia.org and click what’s new, grants, for a variety of funding sources of interest to educators.

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