December 2008

 

In This Issue:

 

1. Message from the Executive Director
2. Trust Receives 14 applications for 2009 1st Quarter PIE Grants
3. Happy Retirement to Steve Moran
4. A Peek at the 2008 Annual Report
5. Upcoming Events

Message from the Executive Director

As we approach the end of 2008, I hope each of you reflect on the past year and are able to give thanks for many things.  Maybe it is your family, spiritual well being, career, health, friends or something else.  I hope you have an opportunity to help someone less fortunate than yourself this holiday season.  Whether it is a few coins in a red kettle, a new toy for an unfortunate child, or donating to your favorite charity, I guarantee it will make you feel at least as good as it does that person.

I recently donated a little pink bicycle to the Madd Dads program.  My 10 year old daughter had outgrown the bike and it was collecting dust in our garage.  I knew the Madd Dads were collecting bikes, tuning them up and giving them as Christmas presents to underprivileged kids or kids who had parents away in the Middle-East serving our country.  I couldn’t help but think of the smiling face of some young girl, just as my daughter had smiled not so long ago when she received that bike.     

Our 1st Quarter Board Meeting will be held at the Ferguson House on February 5th at 1:30 p.m.  Preliminary grant awards will be announced at that meeting.

I wish all of you and your families a Happy Holiday Season and a Great 2009!        

Mark A. Brohman
Executive Director 

Trust Invites Comments on 2009 - 1st Quarter Public Information and Education MiniGrants

The Trust received fourteen MiniGrant applications for its 2009 – 1st Quarter Public Information and Education (PIE) MiniGrants requesting a total of $34,789. This will be the first round of awards for 2009.

As part of the grant process, the Trust is seeking public input on the proposed MiniGrants before announcing final awards on February 5, 2009.  Written public comments will be accepted until February 4, 2009 at the Nebraska Environmental Trust, PO Box 94913, Lincoln, NE 68509-4913, or via e-mail at lisa.beethe@nebraska.gov. Please include your name, address and organization (if applicable), and be sure to reference the project name and number in your correspondence.  Comments can also be presented in person during a public hearing at our 1st Quarter Board Meeting on February 5, 2009, 1:30pm at the Ferguson House, 700 South 16th Street, Lincoln, NE.

The PIE grants are limited to $2,500 and are awarded quarterly.  They were created as a MiniGrant program for public information and education projects.  They support the presentation and dissemination of information and perspectives that stimulate enhanced environmental stewardship in any category eligible for Trust funding.  This grant program seeks to expand dialogue on important current conservation topics and to provide information on emerging or highly useful conservation methods. 

 

Steve Moran Retires from Rainwater Basin Joint Venture

Steve Moran, Coordinator, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture will be retiring as Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Coordinator in January.  Steve has served in this position since July 1994.  He has had a close association with the Nebraska Environmental Trust for all 14 years in this position.  After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1976, Steve went to work for the Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) and worked as a field engineer in north-central and central Nebraska.  He applied for the Joint Venture Coordinator position in an era of tense disagreement over the value of wetlands in an agricultural landscape.  He spent the second half of his career working to bring farmers and agency staff together for “win-win” solutions to natural resource management.  Steve received "The Friends of Nebraska Environmental Trust Award in October 2005 in appreciation for his service to Nebraska and his commitment to stewardship of the state’s resources.

A Caribbean-themed retirement party is being held on January 9, 2009 at the Interstate Holiday Inn, Grand Island.  Cash bar at 5:30pm and dinner at 6:30 pm. The cost is $12.95 per person.  If you would like to attend this fun event to honor – and roast – Steve, please e-mail or call Dianne Kelley at dkelley@ducks.org or (308) 382-8112 prior to January 2nd.

A Glimpse at the 2008 Nebraska Environmental Trust Annual Report

The 2008 Nebraska Environmental Trust Annual Report is expected to be out for distribution in the next coming weeks. This year's theme is "Sharing The Resource", which will highlight some of projects that are truly exemplary of the idea of sharing; the sharing of ideas, the sharing of information, the sharing of responsibility, the sharing of experience and education.

The Trust would like to take this opportunity to thank all grantees and partnership organizations that have contributed in one way or another through photographs, articles and other resources that have helped in the production of the Annual Report.

 

 

Important Dates To Remember:

 

• 1st Quarter Board Meeting - February 5, 2009 (Thursday), 1.30pm, Ferguson Center

• PIE Grant Application Deadline - February 6, 2009 (Friday)

 

Spread the Word

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Do you have an event you would like to announce in RESOURCE? Send your event details to Sheila Johnson and we will include it in our next mailing.