Grants will help communities monitor environment and human health

The funds are distributed through the CEC's North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC) in recognition of the important role played by community groups and nongovernmental organizations in protecting the North American environment.

The projects awarded this year will focus on "environmental monitoring and assessment related to human health," including activities to increase citizen participation in implementing local solutions to environmental problems.

Since the fund was established in 1995, the CEC has distributed 195 grants totaling C$9.36 million. Grant recipients can receive up to C$40,000, US$25,000 or P$250,000 per project.

An independent selection committee composed of six members, two from each country, selects grant recipients. Committee members look for projects that produce concrete results and make the link between local community work and the North American environment.

The governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States established the CEC to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and promote the effective enforcement of environmental law.

The 2003 NAFEC grants are listed alphabetically by recipient, as follows (amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars):

Water Action Chelsea/Action-eau Chelsea (Canada)
Action Chelsea for Respect of the Environment (ACRE), Chelsea, Québec, Canada ($40,000)

The Impacts of Environmental Contamination on Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) and Wabauskang First Nation (Canada)
Asubpeechoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation), Grassy Narrows, Ontario, Canada ($40,000)

Human Health Protection Through Airshed Management Using Environmental Monitoring & Assessment and Community Involvement in the Bulkley Valley and Lakes Districts of BC (Canada)
BC Lung Association (BCLA), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada ($40,000)

Sustainable Municipal Planning in Maruata, Mexico: Building Capacity in Indigenous Communities (Mexico-USA)
Boston University, School of Public Health (BUSPH), Boston, Massachusett, USA ($40,000)

Documentation of Harm to Health, Toxic Substances and Human Rights along the Atoyac River (Mexico)
Centro Fray Julián Garcés Derechos Humanos y Desarrollo Local A. C., Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico ($40,000)

New York Bucket Brigade Community Monitoring Project (USA)
Citizens' Environmental Coalition, Buffalo, New York, USA ($40,000)

Young People's Environmental Tracking and Assessment for Health in the Yucatán Hydrological Basin (Mexico)
Cuerpos de Conservación Mexicanos, A.C., Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico ($40,000)

Putting Factory Farms to the Test (Canada)
Environmental Defence Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ($28,000)

Reduction of Exposure to Lead Monoxide in the Purhepechas Pottery-producing Communities in Santa Fe de la Laguna and Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán, Mexico (Mexico)
Grupo Interdisciplinario de Tecnología Rural Apropiada (GIRA), A.C., Patzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico ($40,000)

Environmental Health and Healing in Baja California's Indigenous Communities (Mexico)
Instituto de Culturas Nativas de Baja California, A.C. (CUNA), Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico ($40,000)

Environmental Monitoring for the Ecological Regulation of the Atoyac River High Basin (Mexico)
Instituto de la Naturaleza y la Sociedad de Oaxaca, S.C. (INSO), Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico ($36,200)

Iowa CCI's Grassroots Water and Air Monitoring Project (USA)
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (IowaCCI), Des Moines, Iowa, USA ($40,000)

Beneficial Management Practices Demonstration: A Residential Project (Canada)
Oldman River Basin Water Quality Initiative - ORBWQI, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada ($40,000)

The Border Environmental Health Tracking Project (Mexico-USA)
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Washington, DC, USA ($40,000)

Citizen Information and Training for the Sustainability of the Sonora River (Mexico)
Red Fronteriza de Salud y Ambiente, A.C., Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico ($40,000)

Mexico-US Collaboration on the Santa Cruz River: Improving Human Health and Restoring Riparian Corridors (Mexico-USA)
Sonoran Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA ($40,000)

Reducing Contamination in the Yukon River Watershed and Food Chain Through Improved Monitoring, Assessment, and Coordination (USA)
Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Anchorage, Alaska, USA ($40,000)

For more information about NAFEC, please visit: <http://www.cec.org/grants>.