News
1. Statewide Water Plan Update
2. Nominate Now for Fox McCarthy Water Wise
Award
3. Buy Coffee, Support Rivers – A Great Holiday Gift Idea!
4. Call for Proposals
- UWG Water Conference
5. River Job Listings
6. Update Your GRN Directory Listing
7. CWP Forming Coastal Plain Network
Group Spotlight
8. Teaming With Wildlife
Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items
9. Save the Date – GRN Conference -
Rome
10. ICL Executive Director Leadership Program - MD
11. ICL Complete Fundraiser
Program - NC
12. Georgia Center For Non-Profits Workshops
13. Land Use and Growth Seminar – Atlanta
14. Alliance for Justice Online
Workshops
15. Non-Profit Board Seminars - Athens
Resources
16. Misconceptions about Writing Fundraising Letters
17. Four Steps to Evaluation
Success
18. What Do I Need to Know About Copyrights?
19. New Survey Looks at Giving from
a Different Angle
20. CWP Resource On Protecting Vulnerable Streams and Wetlands
at the Local Level
21. The Watershed and Wetland Protection Information Kit for
County Officials
22. Post Job Announcements on Foundation Center Website
23. Nonprofit Organization
Self Assessment Tool
Fundraising Deadlines24. Grants
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1. Statewide Water Plan Update
Speak Out for Enough Clean Water!
Georgia’s rivers, lakes, and streams are the lifeblood of our state.
A draft Statewide Water Plan was released this summer, and Georgia’s
Water Council is finalizing it now.
The GWC Wants a Water Plan that:
Protects downstream communities
Is adequately funded
Requires efficient water use everywhere, always
Ensures water clean enough to drink and fish safe enough to eat
Provides for public input and local action
The draft Statewide Water Plan does not meet these objectives because:
The draft Plan is just a plan to make a plan. It is not enforceable.
·
Specifically, the draft Plan cannot require the Metro North Georgia Water Planning
District to comply with its provisions.
· The draft Plan says that goals for water efficiency will be developed, but it is not clear that these goals will lead to significant measurable reductions in water use or that they will apply to all water users.
The draft plan proposes to use political boundaries rather than watershed
boundaries to do regional water planning for the state and proposes to use
political appointees rather than diverse groups of stakeholders to oversee
regional planning.
The draft Plan is dependent on annual appropriations from the General Assembly
and the Governor.
The draft Plan does not set a specific instream flow policy or provide a process
to develop one.
The draft Plan includes speculative water management schemes, such as aquifer
storage and recovery, nutrient trading, and desalination.
Re-writes of the plan were done by proxies, including special interest representatives
from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Water Policy Center.
If you are interested in downloading the latest version of the plan or reading the public’s comments on the plan, visit www.georgiawaterplan.org.
Action Needed #1:
Tell the Water Council that Georgia shouldn't settle for a watered down water
plan. Attend one of the six public hearings on the draft Statewide Water
Plan being convened on December 10 in Canton, Augusta, and Valdosta or on
December 11 in Macon, Columbus, and Midway. Specific locations are listed
below. This will be the last round of public hearings prior to the Water
Council’s submission of its plan to the 2008 session of the General
Assembly, so be sure your voice is heard! E-mail Shana Udvardy sudvardy@gaconservancy.org
for GWC’s talking points for these hearings. Comments on the revised
draft of the Statewide Water Plan (available online December 5) may be submitted
via e-mail, through regular mail, via the Water Council website (www.georgiawatercouncil.org),
or at the public hearings. Comments must be received no later than December
12, 2007 to be considered in the review process. The locations, dates and
times of the upcoming Water Council public hearings are listed below and
available on the Water Council's website and can be viewed at http://www.georgiawatercouncil.com/Documents/public_meetings.html
. If you would like to link to driving directions, please visit http://www.gadnr.org/gswp/Documents/calendar.html
and click on the meeting location you would like to attend.
December 10th
Canton City Hall
151 Elizabeth Street
Canton, GA 30114
Augusta Technical College
ITC Auditorium
3200 Augusta Tech Drive
Augusta, GA 30906
Valdosta-Lowndes County
Conference Center & Tourism Authority
Conference Room A
One Meeting Place
Valdosta, GA 31601
December 11th
Macon State College
Auditorium – Learning Support Building
100 College Station Drive
Macon, GA 31206
Columbus State University
Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center Auditorium
4225 University Avenue
Columbus, GA 31907
Midway Civic Center
(Old Liberty Elementary School)
9397 East Oglethorpe Hwy.
Midway, GA 31320
Action Needed #2:
Meet with your legislators. It is important for your legislators to hear from
you about the statewide water plan. Please plan a meeting with your State Senator
and/or State Representative to tell them you want a water plan that protects
downstream communities, is adequately funded, requires efficient water use
everywhere, always, ensures water clean enough to drink and fish safe enough
to eat, and provides for public input and local action. Please provide Jill
Johnson jill@gavoters.com with a report or summary of your meeting.
Water Council Meeting: December 21
Mark your calendars for the next Water Council meeting to be held Friday, December
21 in the DNR Board Room in Atlanta. On November 9, the Water Council reviewed
the revised Water Plan, after having received EPD’s revised plan (based
on comments during the public comment period from October 1-30) on November
2. EPD will again revise the plan based on a second public comment period.
See below. The DNR Board Room is located in Suite 1252 of the Floyd Towers
East, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334. For a complete
timeline of public hearings and water council meetings follow this link:
www.gadnr.org/gswp/Documents/public_hearings.html.
Help Energize Grassroots Efforts on the Water Plan
The Georgia Water Coalition kicked off a grassroots campaign to educate and
activate GWC partner organizations’ members on the statewide water
plan.
Contact Sarah Barmeyer (sbarmeyer@gwf.org) if you are interested in participating
in a meeting near you or hosting your own meeting. Also, please let Sarah know
if your organization is having a meeting and would like someone from the GWC
to attend and talk about the statewide water plan.
Submit a letter to the editor or an Op-Ed to their local paper. For sample
letters or Op-Eds contact April Ingle at ingle@garivers.org
Include an article in your next newsletter. For a sample article contact April
Ingle at ingle@garivers.org
2. Nominate Now for Fox McCarthy Water Wise Award
The Georgia Water Wise Council is pleased to announce that it is accepting
nominations for the 2007 Fox McCarthy Water Wise Award. This award will recognize
an outstanding water conservation/efficiency project or program implemented
by a water user in Georgia. Award nominations are due on December 15, 2007.
For more information, please visit http://www.gawp.org/pdf/2007foxmcarthyaward_nom.pdf.
3. Buy Coffee, Support Rivers – A Great Holiday Gift Idea!
This Holiday Season, serve, or give as a gift, a special coffee blend developed just for Georgia River Network by Café Campesino, Georgia's 100% Fair Trade, organic, shade-grown coffee roaster and proud supporter of the Georgia River Network. When you purchase this special blend from Café Campesino, they will donate 10% of your coffee sale to GRN. If you want to help ensure a clean water legacy for our beautiful state and like great coffee, this robust blend of Guatemala, Sumatra, and Nicaragua Dark is for you. Product ID: 181 – GA River Network Special Blend, Full City Roast – Fair Trade, organic. Visit http://www.cafecampesino.com/index.php?afc=garn. Cafe Campesino is the official coffee vendor of Paddle Georgia.
4. Call for Proposals – University of West Georgia Water Conference
February 21-22, 2007 - Second Annual University of West Georgia Water Resources
Conference - Strategic Water Management for the Future. Limit abstracts to
2100 characters. Please include a 1400 character biography. Abstracts and
bios will be published, presentations will be on UTV13 (carried in west Georgia
by Charter Cable), and Conference CD’s will be available. Undergraduate
and graduate students are encouraged to attend and submit for either an oral
or poster presentation. Abstracts and Bios must be submitted by January 4,
2008. If you are unable to submit online please contact Michael Aldrich at
678-839-6357 or maldrich@westga.edu. Some suggested topical areas are Reservoir
permitting/zoning/yield analysis, Wells/groundwater resources, Deliverability,
State Water Plan, Future consumption/demand, Conservation, Difficulty in
qualifying plant techs/availability of operators, Direct discharge – Pros & Cons,
Drinking water treatment, Sewage treatment, Storm Water, Sustainability,
Water quantity and water quality. Additional themes and proposals may be
submitted to Michael Aldrich at 678-839-6357 or maldrich@westga.edu.
5. River Job Listings
For links to the following job descriptions, please visit http://www.garivers.org/resources/jobs.html.
Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper, Development Director
Cobb County Watershed Program Assistant (Part Time)
American Rivers - Director of Outreach
6. Update Your Listing - GRN Watershed Group Directory
We are now updating our watershed group directory for the 2008 printing. Please
review your group entry and send us any new information by January 15, 2008.
Visit http://www.garivers.org/resources/directory.html.
7. CWP Forming Coastal Plain Network
The Center for Watershed Protection was recently funded by the Cooperative
Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology to develop a
Coastal Plain Watershed Network. The network will consist of scientists,
planners, engineers and watershed managers who work in the coastal plain
environment and will serve to adapt, test and transfer coastal watershed
protection tools to the communities who need them most. Coastal plains possess
physical constraints such as high water table and flat topography, unique
development patterns, and water quality concerns (e.g., nitrogen and bacteria).
However, much of the existing guidance and tools for watershed protection,
land use planning and site development does not take the unique characteristics
into account. Work on this project will begin this month and continue through
Fall 2009. In the next few months, a survey of coastal plain communities
big and small will be conducted to determine needs, challenges, key resources
and barriers.
8. Group Spotlight: Teaming With Wildlife and State Wildlife Plan
Created by Congress in 2001, the State Wildlife Grants program is our nation’s
core program for keeping wildlife from becoming endangered on a statewide level.
Once a species becomes endangered it is very expensive to bring it back from
the edge of extinction. This program prevents species from ever getting to
that point. Like most conservation programs nationwide, the State Wildlife
Grants program funding has been decreasing in recent years. In order to receive
more federal funds through this grant, Congress charged each state with developing
a state wildlife action plan (SWAP). These proactive plans will help conserve
wildlife and vital natural areas before they become too rare and costly to
protect. The Georgia plan, completed in 2005, identifies the rare species and
important habitats to be conserved and the conservation actions needed to protect
wildlife in Georgia.
The Teaming With Wildlife (TWW) Coalition is a group of conservation organizations, outdoor groups, hunting and fishing groups, businesses and other groups originally formed in the late 1990’s to help obtain government funding for managing wildlife in Georgia. The Teaming With Wildlife Coalition has now been revitalized and consists of more than 300 groups. The TWW objectives are to educate the public about the SWAP and to help the Wildlife Resources Division of the DNR with on-the-ground implementation of the plan. Various synergistic, cooperative conservation partners are needed to make the goals of Georgia’s SWAP real, tangible, effective and sustainable in the long term. TWW projects will include inventories of birds and amphibians, removal of invasive species of plants and animals, and education of the public about the SWAP. For more information about TWW and for a summary of the Georgia Wildlife Action Plan go to www.teaming.com and click on Georgia on the drop down menu.
9. GRN Conference – Rome
February 22-23, 2008, GRN’s 8th Annual Conference - “Working Together
for Clean Water” will be held on the beautiful Berry College campus in
Rome. Visit http://www.garivers.org/events/conferences/2008/home.html. The
conference will feature:
Keynote Addresses:
The Rich Biological Diversity of the Coosa River Basin
An Update on Georgia’s Statewide Water Plan and Current State Legislative
and Policy Issues
Introduction to the GRN Minigrants Program and Grant Recipients
Three informative tracks on Saturday:
o Statewide Water Plan: Ensuring Enough Clean Water -Featuring presentations on interbasin transfers, strategies for water conservation, instream flow policy, and regional water planning
o Shared Lessons-Featuring presentations on stormwater messaging, using model ordinances to improve water quality, and presentations from groups around the state who are addressing nonpoint source pollution in their watersheds.
o Beyond the Basics, hosted by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream-Featuring presentations on volunteer recruitment, using volunteer data for regulatory purposes, and workshops on Bacteria monitoring and using Adopt-A-Stream’s new online database to analyze your data.
Friday Workshops:
o “Big Money for Small Organizations” with Andy Robinson, featuring: Where’s the money? How do I ask for it? Turning members into major donors
o “Get the Dirt Out: Train the Trainer”: Train people in your community to spot problems on local construction sites, who to call if you see a problem, and how to follow up with the authorities to make sure the problems get fixed. Field trip included!
Plus:
-Friday night party, featuring a live and silent auction, live music, food
and drinks.
-Fourth Annual River Celebration Awards honoring Georgia’s watershed groups, volunteers and river conservationists.
-Networking opportunities and exhibits
Sponsors (to date):
Presenting Sponsor: Stack & Associates
Building the Grassroots Sponsor: Georgia Wildlife Federation
Party and Awards Sponsor: The Georgia Conservancy
Breakfast Sponsor: American Rivers
Contributing Sponsor: Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper
Environmental Support Center, Institute for Conservation Leadership
Registration will open mid – December. For information, visit http://www.garivers.org/events/conferences/2008/home.html
or call 706-549-4508.
10. ICL Executive Director Leadership Program - MD
The National Executive Director Program is a customized 9-month program to give executive directors the knowledge, skills, and support they need to lead their organization effectively. The program includes 2 sessions, interim/follow up coaching as well as interaction with a network of peers/other participants. Initial Workshop is April 6-11, 2008, Leadership Team Session November 9-12, 2008. Location of both sessions: Pearlstone Conference Center in Reistertown, MD. Visit http://icl.org/programs/2008NationalED.php. Applications are due January 15th, 2008.
11. ICL Complete Fundraiser Program – NC
The Institute for Conservation Leadership announces the 2008 Complete Fundraiser Program. The first workshop will be held February 17th - 21st, 2008 in North Carolina. Through three workshops and ongoing coaching and consulting support, participants gain fundraising skills and strategies to help lead their organizations in implementing new fundraising efforts. For complete information and to download and application, visit ICL’s website at www.icl.org. Apply by December 21, 2007.
12. Georgia Center For Non-Profits Workshops
Georgia Center for Non profits offers several organizational development workshops including fundraising, board governance, marketing, accounting and more. Visit www.gcn.org.
13. Land Use and Growth Seminar - Atlanta
Law Seminars International Offers a two-day conference on Land Use and Growth
in Georgia January 17 & 18 in Atlanta. This conference aims to bring
participants up-to-date on regulatory, legal, business, and policy developments.
Visit http://www.lawseminars.com/detail.php?SeminarCode=08LUGA.
14. Alliance for Justice Online Workshops
Lobbying Rules for Nonprofits Web Workshop (12/13) Want to know how your organization
can lobby for the public interest? This session will explain the federal
tax laws governing 501(c)(3) lobbying, including how to calculate your lobbying
limits under the insubstantial part test and the 501(h) expenditure test,
definitions of direct and grassroots lobbying, exemptions to the definition
of lobbying and the application of these rules to ballot measure activities.
Election Rules for Nonprofits Web Workshop (12/18) Want to know the role your organization can play during an election year? This session explains the federal tax rules regarding permissible electioneering activities for 501(c)(3)s, particularly voter registration drives, candidate questionnaires, candidate forums and legislative scorecards.
Strategies for Coalitions & Affiliated Organizations Web Workshop (12/20) Want to know how your organization can lobby for the public interest? This session will explain the federal tax laws governing 501(c)(3) lobbying, including how to calculate your lobbying limits under the insubstantial part test and the 501(h) expenditure test, definitions of direct and grassroots lobbying, exemptions to the definition of lobbying and the application of these rules to ballot measure activities.
Workshops last one-hour. You can register online or by calling Jeff Prior at (202) 822-6070. Workshop Registration is $25. Visit http://www.afj.org/.
15. Misconceptions about Writing Fundraising Letters
Want to write more effective fundraising letters? Throw out (most of) the
rule book. One of the most crippling misconceptions about letter writing is
that it's hard and something to labor over. Not so. The secret to writing
effective fundraising letters is to write quickly and naturally. To let the
words flow from your fingers, to talk a "blue streak" on paper.
Read more of this Guidestar article at http://www.guidestar.org/DisplayArticle.do?articleId=1178.
16. Non-Profit Board Seminars at UGA – Athens
The Nonprofit Program of the Terry College of Business, University of Georgia,
will conduct its Spring 2008 Non-Profit Board Seminars on the following Wednesdays:
January 23, February 20, and March 19. These seminars run from 8:30 a.m.
- 4:00 p.m. and cover the topics of Strategic Planning, Working with Volunteers,
Roles & Responsibilities of the Board, and Fund Raising. There is no
charge for these seminars and lunch is provided. Because of space limitations,
each organization is limited to four attendees at a given seminar, and you
must have a written, confirmed reservation to attend. Contact nonprofit@terry.uga.edu
or 706.542.3750 to register or if you have any questions.
17. Four Steps to Evaluation Success
When it's time to evaluate a program or project, most managers begin by reviewing
their original objectives. This approach has grave
flaws. Because the objectives were determined at an earlier time, they overlook
changes in the operating environment. Read this
article from GA Center for Nonprofits “Center View” by visiting
http://www.gcn.org/InFocus111807.aspx.
18. What Do I Need to Know About Copyrights?
There are two things to worry about: protecting original material that your
organization has created, and making sure that your organization isn't improperly
using material that someone else owns. This Board Café article can
be found on the Compass Point website at http://www.compasspoint.org/boardcafe/details.php?id=105.
19. New Survey Looks at Giving from a Different Angle
Big gifts get the headlines, but smaller donations make the philanthropic world
go round. A new survey by American Express and conducted in September 2007
has taken a different approach to examining the philanthropic habits of American
donors. By looking at individual gifts on a national scale rather than annual
donation amounts, the American Express Charitable Gift Survey—conducted
in partnership with the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University—offers
an intriguing look at how much is given in a single transaction, the differences
between on-line and off-line gifts, and the motivations that lead donors
to choose one method of giving over the other. To read more, visit http://www.guidestar.org/DisplayArticle.do?articleId=1181.
20. CWP Resource On Protecting Vulnerable Streams and Wetlands at the Local Level
The Center for Watershed Protection has released "The Importance of Protecting Vulnerable Streams and Wetlands at the Local Level," which makes the case for expanded local protection of vulnerable streams and wetlands that may not be fully protected by state or federal law due to their perceived isolation from perennial or navigable waters. This article summarizes state and local approaches to closing this gap. It is available for free download here: http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/articles.htm.
21. Watershed and Wetland Protection Information Kit for County Officials is a collection of resources that can assist county and local officials with efforts to protect and restore the multiple benefits of their community's water resources. The resources were compiled by the Center and the National Association of Counties (NACo) and are available online. Visit http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/naco.htm.
22. Post Job Announcements on Foundation Center Website
The Job Corner provides listings of current full-time job openings at U.S.-based foundations and nonprofit organizations. Organizations may submit up to ten postings a month at no charge. Visit http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/jobs/.
23. Nonprofit Organization Self Assessment Tool
Visit www.tacs.org/qa/TACS_organizationselfassessment.pdf.
24. 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 http://www.garivers.org/resources/tools/grants.html.
Acorn Foundation - The Acorn Foundation is interested in small and innovative community-based projects which preserve and restore habitats supporting biological diversity and wildlife; advocate for environmental justice, particularly in low-income and indigenous communities; and prevent or remedy toxic pollution. Deadlines January 15 and June 15. For more information, visit www.commoncounsel.org.
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. 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, 2008.
The Tellabs Foundation makes direct grants to eligible organizations, generally in the amount of $10,000 and above. Generally, grants will be considered for specific programs, rather than for general operating funds. The primary focus of the Foundation is to support programs in areas in which Tellabs employees live and work. (The Tellabs Southeast Regional Sales office is located in the Atlanta area.) Environment is one of three areas of special interest to the Foundation. It supports programs to encourage understanding and the protection of the environment - particularly in the areas of public health, clean air, clean water, recycling and waste reduction. The Tellabs Foundation Board meets quarterly, usually in January, April, July and October. The deadline for letters of inquiry or invited proposals is four weeks before the scheduled meeting. Proposals received after the deadline will be considered at the next meeting. It is recommended that letters of inquiry be submitted at least four months before funding is needed. Visit http://www.tellabs.com/about/foundation.shtml.
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Georgia River Network
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706/549-7791 fax
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