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Dave Heineman, GovernorBoard of TrusteesDistrict I |
Spring is here and summer is not far away. Schools will be getting out for the summer soon. The Legislature is finishing up and will adjourn three days early, something that has only occurred twice in recent history. Some Senators claim without Senator Chamber’s filibusters and discussions, they accomplished what they needed to and were able to finish early. Other Senators claim many bills did not get the scrutiny they have in past years. On May 13, 2009, the Governor signed two important bills. LB 286 eliminates the sunset provision in the State Lottery Act governing how funds are distributed to Lottery beneficiaries. These changes should enable the Nebraska Lottery to continue to maximize funds for its beneficiaries like the Environmental Trust. LB 98 extends the work LB 701 began by two additional years. The Riparian Management Task Force continues until June 30, 2011. There will be $500,000 from the Buffer Strip Incentive Cash Fund transferred to the Noxious Weed and Invasive Species Assistance Fund and the Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture is required to apply for grants from the Environmental Trust and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to fund the project. Don’t forget the Trust will be holding a roundtable this summer at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Kearney on Friday, June 26th to discuss our funding categories. We want to get the public’s input for our next five years. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors before the heat sets in this summer. Mark Brohman
The Trust will be organizing "The Nebraska Environmental Trust Categories Roundtable" on June 26, 2009 at the Kearney Holiday Inn. Grantees, partners and interested members of the public may attend the meeting to let their voices be heard in suggesting new categories of funding for the Trust or revising the existing ones. The Trust sets funding category areas for five-year periods, in a process involving members of the Nebraska public and conservation communities. Until July 2010, the Trust will consider funding proposals in the following priority areas:
Trust Board Funding Categories – Any project or portion of a project funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust must achieve one or more of the following Trust categories. These category areas are equally important. Here's a look at the complete funding category statements:Habitat: actions to preserve or restore native habitats and areas critical to at-risk, rare or endangered species; other preservation actions for at-risk, rare or endangered species including actions to understand ecosystem relationships which inform sound management; community habitat enhancement emphasizing native and ecologically appropriate plantings which provide food and shelter for wildlife; actions to inform and educate which contribute to the attainment of this category. Surface and Ground Water: actions to preserve or restore lakes, streams and ground water from degradation or depletion; actions to research, design or foster best management practices; actions to conserve water and/or efficiently and effectively manage water use; actions to inform and educate which contribute to the attainment of this category. Waste Management: actions promoting and implementing source reduction, waste management or toxicity reduction; actions promoting and implementing the development of recycling markets; actions promoting and implementing reuse and other disposal diversion actions; actions to inform and educate which contribute to the attainment of this category. Air Quality: actions promoting and implementing clean air strategies; actions to research, design or foster best management strategies; actions to inform and educate which contribute to the attainment of this category. Soil Management: actions and strategies to preserve, conserve and restore soil health; actions to research, design or foster the implementation and management of these strategies; actions to inform and educate which contribute to the attainment of this category.
Deb Rost has been named the new Executive Director of the Nebraska State Recycling Association (NSRA). Deb is a native of Albion, Nebraska and a graduate of Kearney State College (now UNK). She has lived in Omaha since 1983 and has always worked in sales and marketing. She has long been an advocate of recycling at home and at work, and has a reputation for rescuing antiques that were headed for the landfill. NSRA has functioned as the Grant Administrator for Nebraska Environmental Trust’s Small Equipment Grant for approximately 10 years. We welcome Deb and wish her well.
The MiniGrant program will be taken over by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences but no due dates have been established as of yet. Stay tuned to the Trust for more information on the MiniGrants. The PIE grants are limited to $2,500 and are awarded quarterly. They were created as a grant 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.
(Photos and Article submitted by Karma Larsen) ANSELMO—The trees were just planted a few weeks ago, but they’re already making a difference in this small community. Anselmo is one of the recipients of a Trees for Nebraska Towns (TNT) grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. With the newly-planted crabapples in full bloom, grant coordinator Robin Christen says she hears comments all the time about how beautiful they are. Like a lot of small towns, Christen says, “there simply is not funding for landscaping, so we really appreciate what we were able to do with this funding. A thousand dollars can go a long way in a town this small.” The ballpark in Anselmo hosts a lot of sports events for the area. Before the new TNT trees were planted, there were only a few cedars and one ornamental tree, and none of them provided any shade. Anselmo is on the edge of the Sandhills, so the plantings have to withstand hot, dry summers and challenging conditions. Christina Hoyt of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, TNT coordinator, said “I really enjoy working on small-town landscaping efforts like this where the whole community benefits from it.” The goals with this planting project were to provide shade and improve the appearance of the park. It will take a few years for the new bur oak, hackberries and lindens to provide shade, but the landscape is already much more appealing, Christen said, “we can’t wait for things to leaf out more.” TNT was developed to address tree loss in Nebraska and to improve the overall health, sustainability and species diversity of Nebraska’s community trees. It is coordinated by Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and is part of ReTree Nebraska’s efforts to plant a million trees by 2017. To help achieve these goals, the Nebraska Environmental Trust, a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery, is providing $1 million in grant funding to enable high-quality tree planting and associated landscaping in communities across the state.
If you know someone who would like to receive Resource every month, they can add their name to our e-mail list using the form at www.environmentaltrust.org You can also send an e-mail to Sheila Johnson to subscribe. 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. |
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