News

1. Nominations Accepted for International Paper Environmental Education Awards

2. Nominations Accepted for Ogden Doremus Award

Policy Updates

3. Georgia Prepares to Address Mercury Pollution

4. Buffer Destruction Bill Passes Senate

5. Perdue Anti-Litter Bill

6. EPD Begins Statewide Water Planning

7. Judge Rejects Permit for Large Coastal Development Near Cumberland Island

Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items

8. Paddle Georgia 2006 Information Meeting - Atlanta

9. March DNR Board Meetings – Atlanta

10. Stream Restoration Workshops – Clemson

11. National River Rally – New Hampshire

12. Watershed Academy (Water Quality Monitoring) – Athens, GA

13. Backyard Conservation Webcasts

14. Webcast on Sustainable Financing for Watershed Groups

15. Registration Open for Canoochee River Race – Claxton

16. CRBI Canoe-a-thon, Race & Environmental Fair – Rome

17. Lobbying Rules for Non-Profits – Online Seminar

Resources

18. New Water Conservation Website

19. Water Efficiency Factoids

Fundraising Deadlines

20. Fundraising Deadlines

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1. International Paper and The Conservation Fund Accepting Nominations for

Conservation Partnership and Environmental Education Awards

Again this year, International Paper (IP) and The Conservation Fund (TCF) will provide national recognition and $10,000 cash grants to a conservation and an environmental education leader at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., this summer. IP partners each year with TCF to sponsor the International Paper Conservation Partnership Award and the International Paper Environmental Education Award. The $10,000 awards are unrestricted grants from the International Paper Company Foundation. Award nominations are being accepted through April 17, 2006. Nomination forms are available on IP’s website, www.internationalpaper.com and on TCF’s website, www.conservationfund.org. A panel of independent judges will select the winners. The recipients will be recognized in an awards ceremony on June 20, 2006 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The International Paper Conservation Partnership Award, in its 18th year, is presented annually to an individual who has achieved significant results in the protection of habitat through a cooperative relationship with a business or company. By demonstrating that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are not mutually exclusive, this person leads in a conservation effort benefiting the environment and encourages others to form similarly productive alliances with businesses. Nominees must have achieved significant results in the protection of terrestrial or wetland habitats in the United States and demonstrated the positive value of cooperative partnerships between business and the conservation community.

2. Accepting Nominations for The Ogden Doremus Award for Excellence in Environmental Law

Please submit your nomination for The Ogden Doremus Award for Excellence in Environmental Law. Named after the Honorable Ogden Doremus, a pioneer in environmental law in Georgia, co-founder of the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest, and one of the first trustees of The Georgia Conservancy in the 1970s, this award recognizes the critical role that lawyers play in protecting Georgia’s natural resources. The award will be presented to the recipient at an awards event hosted by the Georgia Center for Law in the Public to be held in Fall 2006 (date to be announced). This award will be presented to an individual who meets the following criteria:

Long-standing commitment to protecting Georgia’s natural resources in both his/her professional and personal life;

· Skilled at using the law in an ethical and professional manner to achieve the goal of protecting Georgia’s natural resources;
· Achieved excellent results on behalf of his/her clients that have had a significant impact on preserving or restoring our natural resources;
· Regularly assists other environmental lawyers to improve their practice of environmental law; and
· Serves as a role model and inspiration for attorneys and aspiring attorneys.

Nominations should be submitted to the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest either via U.S. Mail, email or facsimile no later than April 1, 2006 and should include a brief explanation of how the nominee meets the aforementioned criteria. Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest, 175 Trinity Avenue, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 , Phone: (404) 659-3122, info@cleangeorgia.org.

3. Georgia Prepares to Address Mercury Pollution

The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is currently developing rules to reduce mercury pollution in Georgia. EPD is currently proposing two options-“Option 1”, a tough standard that will reduce mercury pollution from power plants by 90% as early as 2012; and “Option 2”, a weaker standard that was developed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and could theoretically have little to no affect on mercury pollution in Georgia.

Georgia’s main source of mercury emissions is coal-fired power plants, accounting for 82% of Georgia’s mercury emissions, according to EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory.

Mercury pollution is a serious concern because it endangers our health, environment, and economy. Mercury pollution leads to severe developmental problems in children, such as delayed neurological milestones, cerebral palsy, reduced test scores, and delays and lifelong deficits in learning abilities. The most commonly identified at-risk populations are unborn and breast-fed babies who may be exposed to mercury when their mothers eat mercury-tainted fish, or children who ingest mercury-laden fish. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that between 8% and 21% of women of childbearing age have dangerous levels of mercury in their blood and has found that more than 20,000 children within Georgia, or nearly 15%, may be born with blood mercury levels of concern.

Currently, 41 of Georgia’s monitored waterbodies do not meet water quality standards because of mercury pollution. When waterbodies to not meet water quality standards and cannot support their designated uses, EPD must place them on the impaired waterways list, which is known as the 303(d) list. Once a waterbody is placed on the 303(d) list the state must spend its limited resources to develop, and put in place, a plan that will remove the impairment. Over 2,500 miles of rivers within the state and along the coast, and more than 41,000 acres of lakes, have fish consumption advisories because of mercury pollution, and mercury is the cause of 80% of all current fish consumption advisories in Georgia.

Besides the health effects of mercury, it is also costly to our economy. The lost productivity from mercury poisoning is estimated at $8.7 billion annually in the United States. Of this total, $1.3 billion annually is attributable to mercury emissions from domestic power plants.

In December of 2000, EPA determined that mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants should be reduced by 90%. In March 2005, however, EPA reversed its prior determination and declared that mercury was not a hazardous air pollutant and therefore, could be regulated through a cap-and-trade program. Through this program, no actual reductions will have to happen in Georgia, theoretically, in order to comply with the law. In fact, Georgia’s mercury emissions are projected to increase over the next 10 years, not decrease. Recent EPA studies show that about 70% of mercury emissions from power plants deposits locally. Approximately 1.25 million Georgia children live within 30 miles of a power plant.

However, Georgia has proposed a strong alternative to the weak federal rule. This alternative, “Option 1”, would require Georgia power plants to reduce their mercury emissions by up to 85% by 2010 and by 90% as early as 2012. But, EPD has not taken the weak federal rule, “Option 2”, off the table. Your support is needed to let EPD know you support “Option 1” and strong rules regulating mercury pollution. What you can do:

· Watch for Georgia Environmental Action Network (GEAN) alerts on this topic, and respond. Not a member of GEAN? You can join at www.protectgeorgia.net.

· Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Contact Georgia River Network for background info if you need assistance.

· Call the editor of your local paper. Ask for an article or an editorial on this important topic.

· Attend the April 6th Stakeholder Meeting hosted by Georgia EPD at Clayton State University in Jonesboro. For more information, contact the Georgia River Network.

3. Buffer Destruction Bill Passes Senate
The Georgia Senate voted 33 to 16 to pass Senate Bill 510. Although SB 510 sponsor Senator Chip Pearson amended the bill so that it is improved over previous versions, Senate Bill 510 will still make it easier for property owners to clear and build on land within the 150-foot buffers required on all water supply watersheds up to 7 miles upstream from the water supply intake. Senate Bill 510 remains a serious threat to downstream property values and our state’s drinking water supplies. By allowing local governments to opt-out of buffer requirements in favor of a stormwater ordinance that cannot be drafted and is unlikely to be enforced, and by allowing homes and other structures to be built inside the buffers that protect our drinking water supplies, the bill will only continue the degradation of Georgia’s streams. Senate Bill 510 now heads to the House and will be heard first in the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.

4. Perdue Anti-Litter Bill

The Governor’s Litter Bill - HB 1320 - increases penalties for littering and specifically includes penalties for littering in streams, rivers, lakes, and tidal and coastal waters. The Georgia Water Coalition supports this bill because it will help reduce trash in our waters.

5. EPD Begins Statewide Water Planning

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is developing the first Statewide Comprehensive Water Plan, to be completed and presented to Georgia’s Water Council by January, 2007. The 2004 Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Planning Act mandates the development of a statewide water plan, but does not define the way to create it. For this reason, EPD, using products from the 2001 Joint Water Study Committee, and with oversight of the Water Council, has selected four major water management objectives to guide the research and planning strategies for the plan:

· Minimize withdrawals of water by increasing conservation, reuse, and efficiency;

· Maximize returns to the basin through managing interbasin transfers, use of on-site sewage disposal systems, and land application of treated wastewater where water quantity is limited;

· Meet instream and off stream demands for water through surface storage, aquifer management and reducing water demands; and

· Protect water quality by reducing discharges of pollutants to streams and runoff from land, so as not to exceed the assimilative capacity of the streams.

EPD is organizing three different types of committees to provide feedback: a statewide advisory committee, 7 basin advisory committees, and several technical advisory committees. The Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) will provide technical and scientific input on each of four water management objectives, early in the process. The basin advisory committees and the statewide advisory committee will provide “regional” and “statewide” perspectives and input on the management objectives and potential policy tools and/or options. Information about the roles and members of the different advisory committees, as well as the whole planning process, can be accessed at www.gadnr.org/gswp.

Georgia River Network (GRN) Executive Director, April Ingle, has been appointed to the statewide advisory committee, and in this role seeks to represent the citizens and organizations working to protect and restore rivers throughout Georgia. GRN is assisted in this role by our partners in the Georgia Water Coalition. GRN encourages all river advocates and members to share their thoughts with April and with other appointees, especially appointees to your basin advisory committee. Anyone can attend the committee meetings.

Throughout the planning process, the Georgia Water Coalition will coordinate information sharing among its partners and provide analysis on each of the 4 management objectives and outcomes from the technical advisory committees.

6. Judge Rejects Permit for Large Coastal Development Near Cumberland Island

On February 20, 2006, the permit for Cumberland Harbour, a large-scale residential and commercial development, which includes the largest marina project ever to be permitted in Georgia, was rejected and sent back to the state. The development is sited directly across from Cumberland Island National Seashore.

The Judge ruled against the state and the developer, finding that the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee, the state committee charged with permitting marshland development, must consider the impact of the entire project on the state’s marshes, not just the portion to be constructed in the marsh. The ruling also calls for protection of critically endangered species like right whales, manatees and sea turtles in the reevaluation of the permit.

The plans for Cumberland Harbour include 900-1,200 homes and commercial facilities on the upland, as well as two large-scale marinas and community and private docks. The marinas would bring as many as 800 boats to the area, posing a severe risk of boat strikes to the federally and state protected species that inhabit the area, including manatees, sea turtles, and right whales – the most endangered large whale species in the world.

In April, 2005, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of the Georgia River Network, the Center for a Sustainable Coast, and Satilla Riverkeeper, challenged the decision of the Committee to issue the permit without considering the impact of the development on the marsh as a whole and adequately assessing and protecting the wildlife, marshlands, and tidal waters that will be impacted by the project.

The Court’s decision reaffirms the obligation of the state’s Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee to protect Georgia’s marshlands from the impacts of development by considering, among other things, the discharge of polluted stormwater runoff, the amount of roads, driveways, rooftops and other impervious surfaces, impacts to marine life, and the design and maintenance of natural buffers. This decision builds on prior legal rulings that required the state to consider impacts of entire projects to the salt marsh. The judge ruled that when a project involves construction both within and outside the marshlands, the entire development, and its impact on the marsh, must be considered. The state had previously asserted that the Committee was not required to regulate upland activities and could instead permit development in an “a la carte” approach that only considers those portions constructed in the marsh.

The Court also found that the Committee had prematurely granted the permit without sufficiently assessing the project’s impacts on protected animals. In fact, the Court found that the assessment was so incomplete, that it did not provide an adequate basis for the Court to conduct its review.

“Our coastal marshes are held in trust by the state of Georgia to benefit all Georgians. This decision solidifies the need for the Committee to make responsible decisions and not sacrifice our marshes for private gain. This decision calls on the Committee to protect our coastal property values and the right of all Georgians to enjoy the benefit of this unique, irreplaceable and truly priceless resource,” said April Ingle executive director of the Georgia River Network.

7. Paddle Georgia 2006 and Information Meeting - Atlanta

March 23, 2006 at 7pm-8:30pm

Paddle Georgia Presentation, REI Atlanta Store

Are you looking for a great paddling event to get involved in this summer? Come learn about Georgia's best paddling adventure - Paddle Georgia 2006 on the Etowah and Coosa rivers. A project of Georgia River Network, more than 200 paddlers are expected to make the seven-day, 120-mile journey from Dawsonville to Rome. Come learn about the event and how you can become part of the Paddle Georgia Navy this summer. Event staff will be in-store giving an informative slide presentation and question and answer session about this year's event.

Georgia River Network is proud to present Paddle Georgia 2006, a week-long, 120-mile canoe camping adventure on the Etowah River June 24 - June 30, from Dawsonville to Rome. The Paddle Georgia event will include educational programs on the river’s cultural and natural history, tours of facilities located along the river, a scientific research project, and nightly games and entertainment. Sponsors include Georgia Power, Goldkist, Earthfare, High Country Outfitters, Patagonia, Go With the Flow, Wenonah Canoe & Current Designs, The Outside World, REI, and Paddler’s Paradise Canoe Shop. To sign up or learn more, visit: http://www.garivers.org/paddlegeorgia/pghome.html.

8. DNR Board Meetings - Atlanta
March 28-29 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.

9. Stream Restoration Workshops – Clemson
April 26-27, 2006. Visit http://www.clemson.edu/extfor/calendar/index.htm.

10. National River Rally Registration Now Open – New Hampshire
May 5-9. Visit http://www.rivernetwork.org/rally to register and get full details.

11. Watershed Academy: Water Quality Monitoring, Planning and Restoration

Participants 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 time to explore Athens, GA. March 28-30, 2006. Visit http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/streams/academy5.htm.

12. Backyard Wetland Conservation Webcasts
The Izaak Walton League of America is broadcasting two live webcasts that will help you conserve wetlands and provide a home for wildlife near your home, office, or schoolyard. The Wetland-Friendly Lawn and Garden webcast will air on March 28, 8:00-10:00pm and Wet Spots into Wonderlands will air on April 25, 8:00-10:00pm. The webcasts will teach you simple techniques that will attract wildlife to your property, reduce stormwater runoff, and help to improve the water quality in your neighborhood. These programs will also be broadcast on television stations in North Carolina and may also be broadcast on other stations across the country. Visit http://www.iwla.org/ and click on the Wetland Webcast link to register and learn more, or contact Suzanne Zanelli at 301-548-0150 ext. 223 or email szanelli@iwla.org.

13. Webcast on Sustainable Financing for Watershed Groups
EPA sponsors monthly Webcasts to offer free training and information for watershed practitioners from around the globe. These two-hour audio Web broadcasts build local capacity and support the watershed pillar of EPA’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative by helping watershed organizations, agencies, municipalities, and private industry create more sustainable communities using a coordinated watershed approach. The next Webcast is slated for Wed., March 22, 2006. Wendy Wilson and Pat Munoz from River Network will explore the keys to effective fundraising, including organization essentials and top fundraising strategies and plans. Registration is available on a first-come/first-served basis and will open approximately one week before the seminar. Each Webcast includes a Web-based slide presentation with a companion audio portion that can be accessed either by phone or by streaming audio broadcast. For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts.

14. Registration Open for the 2006 Canoochee River Race, April 8th
Registration is open for the 2006 Canoochee River Race to be held on April 8th. This 11-mile flatwater race begins at US Highway 301 just north of Claxton, Georgia and ends at Groveland and US Highway 280. This fun event attracts hundreds of people from around the southeast to enjoy the Canoochee River’s tea-colored water and white sand banks. Space is limited to the first 100 boats, so sign up early to reserve your space! Registration forms and more information are available at www.ogeecheecanoocheeriverkeeper.org/canoocheeriverrace.html. The Canoochee River Race is part of the Georgia Flatwater Canoe/Kayak Series. All proceeds from the race benefit OCRK.

15. CRBI Canoe-a-thon, Race & Environmental Fair – Rome
May 6, 2006 join dozens of fellow paddlers on a 13-mile flatwater course down the Oostanaula River from Armuchee to Ridge Ferry Park in Rome to raise money for the Coosa River Basin Initiative. In addition to competing for fastest time trophies and prizes, paddlers can win a new Dagger recreational kayak from Terrapin Outdoor Center in Piedmont, AL, a two-night stay at Snowbird Mountain Lodge in Robbinsville, NC and more by soliciting Canoe-a-thon donations from friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. Individuals raising the most money win the prizes and anyone raising more than $150 may have their registration fees reimbursed. For more information and to register online, visit www.coosa.org.

16. Lobbying Rules for Nonprofits / Election Activity – Online Seminar

Lobbying Rules for Nonprofits: 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. Thursday March 16, 2006, 2:00 pm

The Rules of the Game: Election Activity by Nonprofit: This one-hour web-based training will cover the rules for election-related activity including candidate elections, voter guides, voting records, and candidate debates and forums. Friday March 31 2006, 2:00 pm, Eastern

For either workshop 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. Cost: $30. Register with Robin Powers at rpowers@afj.org or 202/822-6070.

17. New Water Conservation Website
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is pleased to announce the launching of its new water conservation website, www.conservewatergeorgia.net. This website is designed to educate and empower citizens of the state and water managers to conserve our precious water resources. This site includes links to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Water Conservation Requirements, Water Use and Conservation Facts, and Educational Tools. It is the goal to provide you with as much information as possible in support of conserving Georgia's water resources. They will be adding more information regularly, so please check back often!

18. Water Efficiency Factoids (from EPA)

Did you know that water-efficient clothes washers use about one-third to one-half the amount of water of older models? Water-efficient models use up to about 25 gallons per cycle, while some inefficient models use over 40 gallons per cycle. The most water-efficient models can use as little as 12 gallons per cycle.

Did you know that each average household that fully adopts water efficient products and practices saves 30,000 gallons per year? Enough to supply a year of drinking water for 150 neighbors?

19. 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”.

Captain Planet Foundation provides grants to organizations that promote an understanding of the environment and involve youth ages 6-18. Grants range from $250 - $2,500. Deadlines for submitting grant applications are March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. Visit www.captainplanetfnd.org to learn about Captain Planet Foundation guidelines.

The Community Foundation funds projects in the 23 county Metro Atlanta area. Visit www.atlcf.org. The foundation receives proposals between January and July.

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://www.envsc.org.

The Fund for Southern Communities is a publicly supported foundation established in 1981 to provide grants and technical assistance to progressive grassroots social change organizations working in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Fund invites applications from organizations fighting discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or physical and mental disabilities; struggling for the rights of workers; promoting self-determination in low-income and disenfranchised communities; protecting the environment; promoting and/or creating non-traditional arts and media; promoting peace. Regular grant deadlines are April 1 and October 1. Further information is available at the foundation’s website www.fund4south.org.

Hewlett-Packard Company will award up to 100 nonprofits in the U.S. and Puerto Rico with a wireless technology package valued at $17,000 and preference will be given to nonprofits in Atlanta and Alpharetta, communities near HP sites, among other communities. Grants are designed to provide tools to enhance nonprofits' effectiveness and support the use of mobile technology. Applicants must operate programs in one or more of the following areas: health and human services; workforce development; environment; arts and technology; or community and economic development. Applications and more info will become available Feb. 27 online. Visit http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants/us/programs/tech_community/.

The American Honda Foundation supports projects in the areas of youth and scientific education. The Foundation defines "youth" as prenatal through 21 years of age. "Scientific education" encompasses the physical and life sciences, mathematics, and the environmental sciences. The Foundation provides grants for K-12 education, higher education, and other nonprofit organizations that focus on youth and/or scientific education. Only projects that are national in scope will be considered for funding by the Foundation. Application deadlines are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 of each year. Visit http://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf.

Ittleson Foundation supports innovative pilot, model and demonstration projects that will help move individuals, communities, and organizations from environmental awareness to environmental activism by changing attitudes and behaviors. Initial letters of inquiry due by April 1st or September 1st. Visit http://www.ittlesonfoundation.org.

The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation promotes a sustainable and just social and natural system by supporting grassroots organizations and movements committed to this goal. The Foundation provides support to organizations nationwide in the following funding categories: Protecting the Health and Environment of Communities Threatened by Toxics; Advancing Environmental Justice; Promoting a Sustainable Agricultural and Food System; and Ensuring Quality Reproductive Health Care as a Human Right. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Visit http://www.noyes.org/.

The National Forest Foundation supports projects that address community-based forest stewardship, watershed health and restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, and recreation issues in proactive ways. Projects should complete innovative on-the-ground conservation work in partnership with other community groups. The Foundation’s matching awards program focuses on “action-oriented” projects that serve to demonstrate measurable outcomes. The program provides challenge cost-share grants, on a competitive basis, to community-based organizations to engage in on-the-ground conservation initiatives benefiting National Forests and Grasslands. The Program provides matching federal funds to private, non-federal dollars. During 2006, the Foundation will support organizations in Southern Appalachia (Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia), the Oregon Coast and Central Cascades, the Selway-Bitterroot area (Montana and Idaho), the Central Colorado Rockies, and the Central Sierra (California). Some 20 percent of the Program’s funds will be allocated to projects outside of these areas. The deadline of July 28 is for pre-proposals. Grant Range: $500 to $100,000. Contact Info: Alexandra Kenny, Director Grants Program, 2715 M St. NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC, 20007, Ph: 202-298-6740 Ext. 3, akenny@natlforests.org. Visit http://natlforests.org/consp_04_map.html.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation/Wal-Mart: Acres for America
Acres for America, a partnership between Wal-Mart Stores and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was established to provide funding for projects that conserve important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants through acquisition of interest in real property. The goal of the Acres for America program is to offset the footprint of Wal-Mart's domestic facilities on at least an acre by acre basis through these acquisitions. A project's endorsement by appropriate federal, state, and local government agencies and nonprofit conservation organizations that the acquisition is of high conservation value is a primary consideration. Preference will be given to acquisitions that are part of published conservation plans. The deadline for pre-proposals is April 1, 2006; invited proposals are due June 1, 2006. Applicants must apply online through the National Fish and Wildlife website at http://www.nfwf.org/programs/walmart/index.cfm.

The Fund for Wild Nature supports grassroots projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, including actions to defend wilderness and biological diversity. The Fund supports projects premised on effective, intelligent biocentric strategies on issues that are not receiving adequate national attention, and may not be fundable through mainstream sources. The Fund provides grants for advocacy, litigation, public policy work, development of citizen science, and similar endeavors. The remaining deadlines for 2006 are April 28 and November 3. For application guidelines and forms visit the website listed above. Visit http://www.fundwildnature.org/.

Norcross Wildlife Foundation primarily supports the environmental conservation efforts of local grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. The Foundation makes restricted grants for land protection, program-related office and field equipment, and public education/outreach materials. Grants range from $1,000 - $5,000. Applications are accepted year-round. Visit http://www.norcrossws.org for more information.

North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants
This small grants program promotes long-term conservation of North American wetland ecosystems, and the waterfowl and other migratory birds, fish and wildlife that depend upon such habitat. Visit http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/Small/index.shtm.

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

Town Creek Foundation - The Foundation supports programs that engage citizens in challenging the unsustainable use of natural resources and in protecting biological diversity. Strategies supported are grassroots activism, monitoring the enforcement of environmental laws, public policy advocacy, collaborative opportunities, media outreach, and model or demonstration projects fostering sustainable policies and practices. Deadlines are January 15, May 15, and September 15. Visit www.towncreekfdn.org.

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