CEC Announces Winners of First Grants under North American Environmental Fund

Canadian Environment Minister Sergio Marchi announced the 14 grant recipients during a one-and-a-half day meeting of the three North American environment ministers being held this week in Toronto. Minister Marchi along with Mexican Secretary for Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries Julia Carabias and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol M. Browner form the governing Council of the CEC.

“Today we are paying tribute to the dedicated people who are making a difference in communities across this continent,” stated Minister Marchi. “We are very pleased to present the first grants made available under the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation. This fund was established to support community-based sustainable development initiatives. Today’s three recipients are representative of the incredibly impressive proposals we received.”

Fourteen projects were awarded grants in Canada, Mexico and the United States with funding ranging from CAN $30,000 to $100,000. A second round of grants is expected to be awarded later this year.

The CAN $2 million-fund was created last October by the three North American environment ministers to support community-based projects in Canada, Mexico and the United States. For this first-round of grants, more than 450 groups from across North America submitted proposals on projects in the areas of environmental conservation, education and training.

“These grants represent an important milestone in the evolution of the CEC,” said Administrator Browner. “They will empower the recipients to become grassroots partners in a broad effort to overcome the environmental problems facing North America. The grassroots participation engendered by the fund will be critical to enabling the Commission to achieve its long-term objectives for environmental improvement throughout the region.”

The grant winners were decided by a committee composed of six members, two from each country. Committee members looked for projects that would produce results that could be shared and replicated in the other two North American countries.

The meeting of the environment ministers, held in Toronto, will conclude Friday, August 2, with the release of a final communiqué and a press conference. The ministers’ agenda includes high-level talks on biodiversity and the reduction of dangerous pollutants.

Border Ecology Project (Bisbee, Arizona, USA)
Development of cross-border strategies to diminish the social and environmental impact of mining in Mexico. ($100,000)

Buffalo River Stewardship Foundation (Harrison, Arkansas, USA)
Action plan for the Buffalo River watershed in northern Arkansas. ($10,000)

Chickaloon Village and MSB Energy Associates Inc. (Chickaloon, Alaska, USA)
Chickaloon hydro-electric power project and village development. ($100,000)

Corporation du bassin versant Ruisseau St-Esprit (St-Jacques-de-Montclam, Québec, Canada)
Comparison of watershed management approaches in the Ruisseau St-Esprit watershed. ($96,000)

Dedalus Alliance for Environmental Education (Delma, California, USA)
Binational educational workshop for a water quality monitoring program. ($100,000)

Estudios Rurales y Asesoría, A.C. (Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico)
Development of non-wood forest products in Oaxaca, Mexico. ($100,000)

Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, A.C. (Mexico, D.F., Mexico)
Management plan for the Brachea dulcis palm in a Nahua community in Guerrero, Mexico. ($100,000)

International Institute for Sustainable Development (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
Evaluation of sustainable development plans in three communities: Manitoba, Seattle and Guadalajara. ($94,000)

Proyecto Sierra de Santa Marta, A.C. (Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico)
An indigenous community will develop a plan for the conservation, regeneration and sustainable development of Ostion Lagoon in Pajapan, Veracruz. ($10,000).

Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio (Mexico, D.F., Mexico)
Biodiversity and ecosystem conservation in Sinaloa’s coastal estuary, including an evaluation of innovative fishing and shrimping technologies. ($47,000)

Río Bravo River Watchers (El Paso, Texas, USA)
Education and water quality monitoring project for colonia residents in El Paso County/Valle de Juárez. ($63,000)

St. Croix International Waterway Commission (St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada)
Cooperative transboundary management of a 40-mile international lake and river corridor. ($30,000)

Unión Regional Campesina de la Costa Chica y Montaña de Guerrero (San Luís Acatlán, Guerrero, Mexico)
Development of a reforestation and sustainable agricultural program that will use mushrooms and organic vegetables to supplement coffee production. ($100,000)