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2008 MiniGrant Recipients
Colorado Wildlife
Federation CWF seeks to obtain
legislative protection of critical wildlife
habitat on public lands by inspiring a stronger
and sustained voice in the community. Oil
and gas companies plan to increase the number
of wells in Colorado over 100% in the next
decade. Securing protective, federal
legislation is key to conserving public land
habitat and a united push from the public is
key to securing that legislation. CWF
will create a report and a series of maps with
the goal of sparking action from the sportsmen
and women, wildlife conservationists, and
recreation enthusiasts who hold great influence
on the local and federal level. CWF's
plan will save important wildlife habitat as
well as increase their membership and
involvement, and prompt Coloradians to speak
out to protect their wild communities and
traditions.
Environmental Advocates of New
York Environmental
Advocates has a strong membership presence
online (via website, email, etc.) but also a
substantial portion of their members are
offline and receive communications from
Environmental Advocates by newsletters,
postcards, etc. Communication with
offline members is slowed by their current
membership organization methods, and
Environmental Advocates wants to improve these
methods, thus improving the efficiency of
communication with their members.
Increasing the use of the DonorPerfect database
will allow greater ease of organization and
communication, which provides Environmental
Advocates members with well-timed and important
information that will promote a formidable and
more active member base.
Mississippi Wildlife
Federation MWF has been actively
involved in the Adopt-a-Stream (AAS) program for
over ten years and recently got funding to
administer the AAS program in
Mississippi. Adults were the primary
participants in the past, but MWF sees an
opportunity to engage and educate a younger
crowd on the importance of water quality and
stewardship. Water quality is a serious
concern for many counties in Mississippi, and
MWF knows that it will be up to youth, not
adults, to carry on and maintain healthy
management of Mississippi's resources.
MWF's plan involves education and action
opportunities for local boy and girl scout
troops as well as Envirothon teams. Kids
learn about the importance of water quality and
get hands-on experience with World Water
Monitoring kits, laying the foundation for
informed and involved stewards for the
future.
South Dakota Wildlife
Federation SDWF sees greater
potential for their activist outreach by
utilizing Orchid Suites software. They
currently have an email-based activist list of
roughly 500 individuals
who receive daily updates and action
opportunities while South Dakota's state
legislature is in session. SDWF wants to
more effectively communicate with their
activist base by tracking grassroots
participation using Orchid Suites tools.
They will get information on who is
participating, how often and on what issues,
and if the message was forwarded to a
friend. This information will allow SDWF
to tailor their communication to match the
activists' interests, evaluate the level of
response, and identify the most likely
individuals to provide support and
participation in future campaigns. All of
this will intensify their grassroots
involvement and focus stronger action for
conservation efforts.
Tennessee Wildlife
Federation Before TWF started a
Camouflage Coalition in their state, there was
no organization to unite the sportsmen and
women and interested conservationists under the common
goal to protect Tennessee's natural
heritage. Currently, there are few
members in the newly created Camo Coalition,
and TWF wants to expand the outreach and
recruitment of the organization. Funding
and staff dedication will allow the Camo
Coalition to expand its membership base and
increase TWF's communication efficiency with
the Coalition. Action alerts via email
and hard copy newsletters will keep the
Coalition members updated with current issues
and action opportunities, and the Coalition in
turn will keep TWF aware of local issues
affecting fish and wildlife. Enhancing
the Camo Coalition strengthens the TWF and
their mission to conserve the state's wildlife
and natural resources.
Virginia Conservation
Network In an age of
accelerating technology, it is essential to an
organization to
stay up-to-date if they are to effectively
reach the public. Renovating their
website and electronic newsletter will allow
VCN to recruit more participants and members
and successfully reach more of their target
audience: college students and young
adults. VCN wants to bring the "armchair
environmentalists" to the front lines and
enhance their activist efforts. A vibrant
online presence increases communication
efficiency and feeds a larger, more responsive
membership base.