Conservation GIS Funding Opportunity

[Amy Karon]

Contact:
Amy Karon, CTSP: 415-979-0343 x306
Charles Convis, ESRI: 909-793-2853  x2488
Forrest Whitt, Hewlett Packard: 208-396-4018

Conservation and environmental non-profit organizations seeking to use 
computer mapping technology can apply now for Conservation Technology 
Support Program (CTSP) grants of computers, software and 
training.  Approximately 50 grant packages are available, using computers 
and printers donated by Hewlett Packard Company, and Geographic Information 
Systems (GIS) software by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 
(ESRI) and Clark Labs.

Interested groups should review the application guidelines at 
http://www.ctsp.org.  Applications are due January 7, 2000 and decisions 
will be made by mid-April 2000.  To be considered, an organization must be 
U.S.-based and have tax exempt status.  International groups with U.S. 
sponsors may be eligible and should refer to the CTSP guidelines on the web 
site.  All groups, be sure to check the news update link on the CTSP home 
page to get the latest information on software additions to the grant packages.

===================================
FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Conservation, sustainable development, and environmental justice non-profit 
organizations seeking to use computer mapping technology can apply now for 
grants of computer equipment and specialized software.  The Conservation 
Technology Support Program (CTSP) announced the release of guidelines for 
its 2000 Geographic Information Systems Grants, which will be awarded in 
April 2000 to approximately 50 groups.  Applications are due January 7, 2000.

To receive the guidelines and application, interested conservation groups 
should visit the CTSP web site at http://www.ctsp.org.  To be considered, 
an organization must be U.S.-based and have tax exempt status.  Some 
international groups with U.S. sponsors may also be eligible and should 
refer to the CTSP guidelines. All groups, be sure to check the news update 
link on the CTSP home page to get the latest information on software 
additions to the grant packages.

The CTSP program is sponsored by Hewlett Packard Company (HP), 
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI).  HP contributes 
computers, printers and other equipment, while ESRI and Clark Labs together 
contribute mapping software, data and training.  CTSP is one of the few 
technology granting programs in the U.S. to offer extensive training and 
support along with equipment and software.  "CTSP has been extremely 
effective," said HP's Forrest Whitt, "because it recognizes that 
non-profits doing computer mapping need training, support and connection to 
a community as much as they need technology tools."

The CTSP is focused on helping groups use Geographic Information Systems 
(GIS), a rapidly growing technology that can better show the location of 
issues in relation to information about those issues.  For example, using 
GIS, a conservation group could identify the habitat of endangered species 
and analyze the impact of public land use policies to determine the best 
course of balancing conservation and development.  "GIS is an essential 
tool for any group working to protect species or places", said Charles 
Convis, the head of ESRI's Conservation Program.  "Providing this tool to 
non-profits helps level the playing field and leads to better public 
decisions."

Established in 1995, CTSP has awarded nearly $6 million in grants to about 
260 conservation organizations throughout the United States.  "We're 
looking for groups that can make a real difference with GIS," said Larry 
Orman, the CTSP coordinator. "It doesn't matter if they're large or small 
groups -- they just have to be committed to conservation goals and willing 
to use the technology we're offering".

CTSP is managed by a board of directors consisting of representatives from: 
The Technology Project (Helena, MT), ESRI (Redlands, CA), GreenInfo Network 
(San Francisco, CA), Interrain Pacific (Portland, OR), Pacific Biodiversity 
Institute (Winthrop, WA), The Rockefeller Technology Project (New York, 
NY), Sierra Biodiversity Institute (North San Juan, CA), and The Wilderness 
Society, Northwest Office (Seattle, WA).

CTSP SUCCESS STORIES:

Examples of groups receiving recent CTSP grants include:

Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition -- This alliance of 15 organizations 
uses conservation biology to protect wooded lands in the Southern 
Appalachians, focusing especially on identifying the last wild areas and 
developing protection strategies for them.

People for Puget Sound  With over 2,100 miles of shoreline, the State of 
Washington's Puget Sound has remarkable natural resources.  People for 
Puget Sound is using GIS to coordinate citizen efforts to protect and 
steward shoreline areas.

Northern California/Forest protection cluster -- Four conservation groups 
were given multiple CTSP grants to enhance their work to save old-growth 
areas of Northwest California (groups included the North Coast 
Environmental Center, Institute for Sustainable Forestry, the Environmental 
Protection Information Center, and the Salmon River Restoration Trust and 
the Trees Foundation).

New York Public Interest Research Group -- NYPIRG has created the Community 
Mapping Assistance Project (CMAP), which supports a wide range of groups in 
the New York area on projects ranging from analysis of voting patterns to 
patterns of lead and other pollution.

Dine' Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment -- Dine' CARE is an advocacy 
organization working within the Navajo Nation to provide technical 
assistance to local communities that are opposing economic development 
projects not planned locally and which have negative impacts on local 
communities.

Sitka Conservation Society  The Sitka Conservation Society works to protect 
the natural environment of the Tongass Forest and surrounding waters of 
Southeast Alaska.  The recipient of two CTSP grants, SCS also serves as a 
center of GIS activity in southeast Alaska and has produced maps for 
numerous other local and regional organizations

Bastrop County Environmental Council -- Based in Texas, this small, 
all-volunteer group has made impressive use of GIS in promoting lifestyle 
and policy decisions that foster sustainable regional development and 
protect Bastrop County's natural resources.

The Nature Conservancy/Great Lakes Program  Since 1992, the Great Lakes 
Program has compiled and analyzed detailed natural heritage data in order 
to select and prioritize key sites that, as a whole, can sustain the 
biodiversity of the Great Lakes region over the long term.

Peregrine Fund Harpy Project  Focusing on the most powerful eagle in the 
world, this international organization is creating local systems to protect 
Harpy Eagles in Venezuela and Panama.

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Amy Karon, Program Manager
GreenInfo Network   201 Mission St, 4th Floor      San Francisco, CA 94105
tel (415) 979-0343 x306   fax (415) 979-0371   email:  amy at greeninfo.org