Resource: January 2012

March 2012

In This Issue:

Executive Director's Corner
2012 Grantee Seminars Coming Up!
Reminder to Grantees
Solar Clean Initiative
1st Quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants Update
Mini Exhibition - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation at the Rotunda, State Capitol
Upcoming Events
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Executive Director Corner

Spring has officially arrived, even though it has seemed like we have already had a couple weeks of spring weather setting new high temperature records across the State. Some areas, especially in the west are rapidly falling behind the annual precipitation averages and farmers and ranchers are getting concerned. The northward bird migration seems to have come early and the trees and flowers have been fooled.

The legislature is starting to wind down with the planned last day to be April 12th. No legislation impacted the Trust significantly this session. There are some very important budgetary concerns that must be solved before the Legislature adjourns.

Our next Trust board meeting will be April 5th in Lincoln at 1:30 pm in the Ferguson House. The 2012 grants will be finalized at the meeting. We will have our annual Grantee Seminars for those receiving new grants, in Lincoln on April 10th and Kearney on April 13th. The Trust will also be participating in several Earth Day celebrations and events in April.

Enjoy the spring weather and let’s hope for no hail or tornadoes.

Mark A. Brohman
Executive Director

2012 Grantee Seminars Coming Up!

It's that time of the year where Trust staff members are gearing up for the 2012 Grantee Seminars in Lincoln and Kearney. Invitations will be sent out soon to 2012 grant recipients to attend the seminar nearest to you. The seminars will cover all aspects of managing your grant such as grants reporting, budget management and publicizing your Trust grant according to your grants contract.

The Lincoln Grantee seminar will be held on April 10, 2012 (Tuesday) at the Lincoln Woman's Club and Kearney Grantee seminar will be held on April 13, 2012 (Friday) at the Headwaters Corporation.

Reminder to Grantees

Reminder to Grantees: If you have an Environmental Trust grant with a June 30, 2012 expiration date, please review your grant to see if you are ready for your grant to close. If you have uncompleted projects and remaining funding, you may need to request an extension prior to the expiration date. Please contact Marilyn Tabor, Grants Administrator with any questions at 402-471-5541 or marilyn.tabor@nebraska.gov

Solar Clean Initiative

Solar energy is one of the hot topics for homeowners and businesses. The Solar Clean Air Initiative will educate and establish a new generation of solar instructors, installers and entrepreneur’s throughout Nebraska, energizing community demand for solar applications.

Energize Nebraska developed the idea of presenting solar seminars in collaboration with all six community colleges and University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) to promote solar education and develop the industry statewide. They received a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 2011 to begin the seminar series.

The solar seminars are especially designed for trade instructors, HVAC, electricians, plumbers, home builders, general contractors, business owners, and consumers. Participants will learn how to perform a site assessment, sizing, equipment and installations fundamentals of solar hot water and solar electric (PV) systems. The objective of this seminar is to provide the trades with solar education so they can expand their business by offering solar products to their customers. There will be model systems for solar hot water for hands-on experience. Examples of solar air and electric systems will also be shown.

solar

Solar Workshop at Milford

A solar system is installed at a home or business to provide supplemental hot water, electricity and warm air to reduce/eliminate the use of conventional generation sources. “Developing a solar industry in Nebraska can spur local economic development and has the potential to create or save jobs in our communities” said, Ed Toribio, Director of Energize Nebraska, main sponsor of this initiative.

To register for one of the seminars, please log on to Energize Nebraska’s website: www.energizenebraska.org

1st Quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants Update

The Nebraska Academy of Sciences, Inc. received 11 applications totaling $29,719 for the first quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Grant applications were submitted by: Nebraska State Recycling Association – Understanding Nebraskans Views on Recycling; Madison Public Schools – Taylor-Union Watershed Project; Elmwood Motion Picture Co, INC. – Truck Farm Edible Education; City of Oakland – Recycling Education for Oakland Citizens and Businesses; The Nature Conservancy – Have You Seen Mary? Book Project; Raptor Recovery Nebraska – Advancing Raptor Recovery and Rehabilitation through Education and Outreach; Loup Rivers Scenic Byway – 2012 Prairie Chicken Festival; Nebraska Natural Resources Districts – Adventure Camp about the Environment; Nebraska’s Bird Partnership – Nebraska’s Big Year; Lower Platte Weed Management – Lower Platte Riparian and Urban Habitat Education and Involvement Program; and Sandhills Scenic Byway – Exploring the Natural Treasures Along the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway Children’s Booklet.

Applications were reviewed at the PIE review meeting on February 8, 2012 and recommendations to fully fund five grants were forwarded to the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Executive Committee. Grants were awarded to: Madison Public Schools – Taylor-Union Watershed Project; Elmwood Motion Picture Co, Inc. – Truck Farm Edible Education; City of Oakland – Recycling Education for Oakland Citizens and Businesses; Loup Rivers Scenic Byway – 2012 Prairie Chicken Festival; and Nebraska Natural Resources Districts – Adventure Camp about the Environment.

The 2012 second quarter PIE grant application deadline is April 6th and the third quarter deadline will be July 6th, 2012 provided the Trust approves another year of funding. Please consider applying for a PIE grant. Online submission is encouraged with a hard copy to follow in the mail. Hard copies must be postmarked by the application deadline.

For more information on the Public Information and Education Mini grants, contact: Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 302 Morrill Hall, 14th and U Streets, Lincoln NE 68588-0339 or call 402-472-2644.

Mini Exhibition - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation at the Rotunda, State Capitol

The Trust will hold a mini-exhibition at the Rotunda of the State Capitol building the week of July 9-13 in conjunction with its 20th Anniversary this year. We look forward to celebrating this event with all our grantees and Nebraska citizens to showcase what has been done to preserve Nebraska natural resources for the last two decades. Stay tuned for more information on the event and mark your calendars!

Upcoming Events

- April 5, 2012 (Thursday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 2nd Quarter Board Meeting, Ferguson House, Lincoln.

- April 10, 2012 (Tuesday) - Lincoln Grantee Seminar, Lincoln Woman's Club, Lincoln.

- April 13, 2012 (Friday) Kearney Grantee Seminar, Headwater Corporation, Kearney.

- April 21, 2012 (Saturday) - Earth Day Omaha, Elmwood Park, Omaha.

- April 22, 2012 (Sunday) - Lincoln Earth Day, Antelope Park, Lincoln.

- May 8, 2012 (Tuesday) - The Annual Children's Groundwater Festival, Grand Island.

- June 9, 2012 (Saturday) - 4th Biennial Waterfest, Holmes Lake, Lincoln

- July 9-13, 2012 - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation with the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Rotunda, State Capitol, Lincoln

- July 19-20, 2012 (Thursday/Friday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 3rd Quarter Board Meeting, Ft. Robinson State Park.

- September 4, 2012 (Tuesday) - General and Recognition Grant Application Deadline

- November 8, 2012 (Tuesday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 4th Quarter Board Meeting, Ferguson House, Lincoln.

Dave Heineman, Governor

Board of Trustees

District I

District II

District III

Agency Directors

Trust Staff

March 2012

In This Issue:

Executive Director Corner


	A Monthly Publication of the Nebraska Environmental Trust
Dave Heineman, Governor Board of Trustees District I Vincent Kramper - Dakota City Rodney Christen- Steinauer James Stuart Jr.- Lincoln District II John Campbell - Omaha Paul Dunn - Omaha Robert Krohn - Omaha District III Sherry Vinton - Whitman Barbara Batie - Lexington Gloria Erickson - Holdrege Agency Directors Rex Amack, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Greg Ibach, Nebraska Department of Agriculture Mike Linder, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Brian Dunnigan, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Dr. Joann Schaefer, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Trust Staff Mark A. Brohman Executive Director Marilyn Tabor Grants Administrator Kacey Nelkin Pedersen Grants Assistant Lori Moore Administrative Secretary Sheila Johnson Public Information Officer The Nebraska Environmental Trust 700 S 16th Street PO Box 94913 Lincoln, NE 68509-4913 web site: environmentaltrust.org	March 2012 In This Issue: Executive Director's Corner 2012 Grantee Seminars Coming Up! Reminder to Grantees Solar Clean Initiative 1st Quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants Update Mini Exhibition - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation at the Rotunda, State Capitol Upcoming Events Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and find us on YouTube Executive Director Corner Spring has officially arrived, even though it has seemed like we have already had a couple weeks of spring weather setting new high temperature records across the State. Some areas, especially in the west are rapidly falling behind the annual precipitation averages and farmers and ranchers are getting concerned. The northward bird migration seems to have come early and the trees and flowers have been fooled. The legislature is starting to wind down with the planned last day to be April 12th. No legislation impacted the Trust significantly this session. There are some very important budgetary concerns that must be solved before the Legislature adjourns. Our next Trust board meeting will be April 5th in Lincoln at 1:30 pm in the Ferguson House. The 2012 grants will be finalized at the meeting. We will have our annual Grantee Seminars for those receiving new grants, in Lincoln on April 10th and Kearney on April 13th. The Trust will also be participating in several Earth Day celebrations and events in April. Enjoy the spring weather and let’s hope for no hail or tornadoes. Mark A. Brohman Executive Director 2012 Grantee Seminars Coming Up! It's that time of the year where Trust staff members are gearing up for the 2012 Grantee Seminars in Lincoln and Kearney. Invitations will be sent out soon to 2012 grant recipients to attend the seminar nearest to you. The seminars will cover all aspects of managing your grant such as grants reporting, budget management and publicizing your Trust grant according to your grants contract. The Lincoln Grantee seminar will be held on April 10, 2012 (Tuesday) at the Lincoln Woman's Club and Kearney Grantee seminar will be held on April 13, 2012 (Friday) at the Headwaters Corporation. Reminder to Grantees Reminder to Grantees: If you have an Environmental Trust grant with a June 30, 2012 expiration date, please review your grant to see if you are ready for your grant to close. If you have uncompleted projects and remaining funding, you may need to request an extension prior to the expiration date. Please contact Marilyn Tabor, Grants Administrator with any questions at 402-471-5541 or marilyn.tabor@nebraska.gov Solar Clean Initiative Solar energy is one of the hot topics for homeowners and businesses. The Solar Clean Air Initiative will educate and establish a new generation of solar instructors, installers and entrepreneur’s throughout Nebraska, energizing community demand for solar applications. Energize Nebraska developed the idea of presenting solar seminars in collaboration with all six community colleges and University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) to promote solar education and develop the industry statewide. They received a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 2011 to begin the seminar series. The solar seminars are especially designed for trade instructors, HVAC, electricians, plumbers, home builders, general contractors, business owners, and consumers. Participants will learn how to perform a site assessment, sizing, equipment and installations fundamentals of solar hot water and solar electric (PV) systems. The objective of this seminar is to provide the trades with solar education so they can expand their business by offering solar products to their customers. There will be model systems for solar hot water for hands-on experience. Examples of solar air and electric systems will also be shown. Solar Workshop at Milford A solar system is installed at a home or business to provide supplemental hot water, electricity and warm air to reduce/eliminate the use of conventional generation sources. “Developing a solar industry in Nebraska can spur local economic development and has the potential to create or save jobs in our communities” said, Ed Toribio, Director of Energize Nebraska, main sponsor of this initiative. To register for one of the seminars, please log on to Energize Nebraska’s website: www.energizenebraska.org 1st Quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants Update The Nebraska Academy of Sciences, Inc. received 11 applications totaling $29,719 for the first quarter 2012 Public Information and Education Mini-grants funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Grant applications were submitted by: Nebraska State Recycling Association – Understanding Nebraskans Views on Recycling; Madison Public Schools – Taylor-Union Watershed Project; Elmwood Motion Picture Co, INC. – Truck Farm Edible Education; City of Oakland – Recycling Education for Oakland Citizens and Businesses; The Nature Conservancy – Have You Seen Mary? Book Project; Raptor Recovery Nebraska – Advancing Raptor Recovery and Rehabilitation through Education and Outreach; Loup Rivers Scenic Byway – 2012 Prairie Chicken Festival; Nebraska Natural Resources Districts – Adventure Camp about the Environment; Nebraska’s Bird Partnership – Nebraska’s Big Year; Lower Platte Weed Management – Lower Platte Riparian and Urban Habitat Education and Involvement Program; and Sandhills Scenic Byway – Exploring the Natural Treasures Along the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway Children’s Booklet. Applications were reviewed at the PIE review meeting on February 8, 2012 and recommendations to fully fund five grants were forwarded to the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Executive Committee. Grants were awarded to: Madison Public Schools – Taylor-Union Watershed Project; Elmwood Motion Picture Co, Inc. – Truck Farm Edible Education; City of Oakland – Recycling Education for Oakland Citizens and Businesses; Loup Rivers Scenic Byway – 2012 Prairie Chicken Festival; and Nebraska Natural Resources Districts – Adventure Camp about the Environment. The 2012 second quarter PIE grant application deadline is April 6th and the third quarter deadline will be July 6th, 2012 provided the Trust approves another year of funding. Please consider applying for a PIE grant. Online submission is encouraged with a hard copy to follow in the mail. Hard copies must be postmarked by the application deadline. For more information on the Public Information and Education Mini grants, contact: Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 302 Morrill Hall, 14th and U Streets, Lincoln NE 68588-0339 or call 402-472-2644. Mini Exhibition - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation at the Rotunda, State Capitol The Trust will hold a mini-exhibition at the Rotunda of the State Capitol building the week of July 9-13 in conjunction with its 20th Anniversary this year. We look forward to celebrating this event with all our grantees and Nebraska citizens to showcase what has been done to preserve Nebraska natural resources for the last two decades. Stay tuned for more information on the event and mark your calendars! Upcoming Events - April 5, 2012 (Thursday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 2nd Quarter Board Meeting, Ferguson House, Lincoln. - April 10, 2012 (Tuesday) - Lincoln Grantee Seminar, Lincoln Woman's Club, Lincoln. - April 13, 2012 (Friday) Kearney Grantee Seminar, Headwater Corporation, Kearney. - April 21, 2012 (Saturday) - Earth Day Omaha, Elmwood Park, Omaha. - April 22, 2012 (Sunday) - Lincoln Earth Day, Antelope Park, Lincoln. - May 8, 2012 (Tuesday) - The Annual Children's Groundwater Festival, Grand Island. - June 9, 2012 (Saturday) - 4th Biennial Waterfest, Holmes Lake, Lincoln - July 9-13, 2012 - Celebrating 20 Years of Preservation with the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Rotunda, State Capitol, Lincoln - July 19-20, 2012 (Thursday/Friday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 3rd Quarter Board Meeting, Ft. Robinson State Park. - September 4, 2012 (Tuesday) - General and Recognition Grant Application Deadline - November 8, 2012 (Tuesday) - Nebraska Environmental Trust 4th Quarter Board Meeting, Ferguson House, Lincoln. Like us on facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and find us on YouTube: