48th ANNUAL GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA CONSERVATION FORUM
Energy, what is the future?
Climate science is beginning to project how climate might affect regional weather. Estimating climate change impacts also requires projecting society’s future actions, particularly in the area of energy use. How we meet our energy needs is the single greatest challenge to slowing climate change. The forum will feature two knowledgeable speakers. Dr. Thomas D. Peterson, Executive Director, the Center for Climate Strategies, Senior Research Associate and an Adjunct Professor at Penn State University, will share with us some of the causes of global warming and  Dr. James L. Kelly, Professor Emeritus of the Nuclear Engineering Department at University of Virginia will discuss aspects of nuclear power, including safety, environment and waste disposal.
Location: Stratford Hall, Stratford, Virginia
Date:Thursday, November 9 from 10:00am to 12:20pm
To Register: fill out the form located at www.vcnva.org/events/index.php.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY SEMINAR
Saturday, November 11, 2006 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location:
Ottari Boy Scout Camp, South of Radford, Virginia
Sponsored by: Virginia Forest Watch and Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative
For more information and registration forms visit: http://www.virginiaforestwatch.org/events/SFSNov06.html
*Registration Deadline is November 3, 2006

LIGHT RAIL CONFERENCE
Friday, November 17, 2006 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club's Restore the Core Committee and the Virginia Association of Railway Patrons at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond for a light rail conference.
For details on the conference and registration materials visit http://www.varprail.org/lt_rail_symp_nov06.html 

APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY FUND - ANNUAL GENERAL FUND GRANTS PROGRAM
Deadline: November 1, 2006
The Appalachian Community Fund was founded in 1987 to bring new resources and provide grants to groups for community
organizing and social change in the central region of Appalachia  (East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, and all of West Virginia). Grants are given to community-based organizations that address underlying causes of economic and social distress in  the region.The General Fund was established to create a responsive and flexible fund for grassroots groups' work. Funds may be used for specific projects and for operational support. The average grant award last year was $6,000. Applicant organizations must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor in order to receive ACF funding, and must be based in the Appalachian counties of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, or West Virginia (the fund uses the Appalachian Regional Commission designation for Appalachian counties in these states). If an applicant organization is based outside the region, the proposal must include a specific work plan for the Appalachian portion of the work.
For More Information:
Visit www.appalachiancommunityfund.org/ACFgrantprocess.htm

THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY- WILDLIFE ACTION OPPORTUNITIES FUND
Deadline: Preliminary Proposals due November 17, 2006
This fund is meant for 501 (c)(3) organizations working to implement State Wildlife Action Plans State Wildlife Action Plans which were created when Congress charged each state and territory with developing a comprehensive wildlife plan as a condition of receiving federal funding. Also known as Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies, these proactive plans will help conserve wildlife and vital natural habitats before they become too rare and costly to protect.
For more detailed information, links to State Wildlife Action Plans and progress on implementation in your state:
visit the Teaming with Wildlife website at http://www.teaming.com/
Criteria:
Awards through the Wildlife Action opportunities Fund will be made in the range of $20,000 to $200,000. These grants will support projects that advance the implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans such as projects that:

integrate State Wildlife Action Plan priorities with other land use planning efforts at the local, regional or national level;

involve pilot or demonstration landscape-scale habitat restoration or stewardship projects;

improve the existing Plans so as to better facilitate implementation (e.g., developing maps of focal conservation areas);

help direct mitigation funds or environmental damage awards toward State Wildlife Action Plan priorities; or

engage citizens in science projects that are linked to State Wildlife Action Plan priorities.

Funding priority will be placed on projects that are feasible and practical in 1-2 year time periods, are closely aligned with goals of State Wildlife Action Plans, involve multiple organizations, and may serve as models for conservation that can be replicated elsewhere. Please note that these funds cannot be used to support land acquisition or conservation easements, political lobbying and advocacy, or capacity building of organizations.

To Apply:
A full outline of the RFP process and the grant making priorities of the Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund is available at the program's web site http://www.wcs.org/wildlifeopportunity. The deadline for pre-proposals is November 17, 2006 at 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time.

For more information Contact:
Wildlife Conservation Society Grants Program Officer Darren Long (dlong@wcs.org) at 406-522-9333 x103 or Craig Groves (cgroves@wcs.org) at 406-522-9333 x109.

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES -COUNTY LEADERSHIP IN CONSERVATION AWARDS
Deadline: November 17, 2006
A call for applications for a national award recognizing leadership in county-wide land conservation programs has been made jointly by the Trust for Public Land and the National Association of Counties. The County Leadership in Conservation Awards recognizes leader-  ship, innovation, and excellence in local land conservation and park creation by county leaders across America.

Since 1988, there have been 370 county conservation finance measures on ballots nationwide. Of these, 276 have passed, generating over $13 billion supporting investments in public open space, parks, watersheds, recreational lands, and wildlife preserves. To support and recognize the initiatives of counties promoting these substantial public investments, three awards will be
presented each year to NACo-member counties based on small, medium, and large county populations. The awards will be
presented as part of the NACo National Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., in March 2007.

Applications will be judged based on a broad range of criteria, including leadership, innovation, benefits to underserved
populations, and benefits to quality of life and environmental quality.

For More Information:
Visit http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=18657&folder_id=2867

EPA ANNOUNCES WATERSHED GRANTS
Deadline: November 15, 2006
EPA plans to award up to $19 million in grants to help clean up and restore the nation's waterways. Proposals must reach EPA by November 15, 2006, for project-implementation grants. Implementation grants involve actions such as protection and preservation.

For More Information:
Targeted Watershed Grants: http://www.epa.gov/twg
Grant process: http://www.grants.gov
2005 Annual Report: http://www.epa.gov/twg/2005annualreport
Contact: Carol Peterson (202) 566-1304 / peterson.carol@epa.gov