By Air and By Sea: Understanding Kodiak's Sea Ducks

Kodiak Refuge is welcoming a great public talk to the Center this Friday, February the 26th (lobby opens at 6:30 pm)--"By Air and By Sea: Understanding Kodiak's Sea Ducks." Robin Corcoran, Kodiak Refuge bird biologist, will be sharing the latest in Refuge sea bird winter bird surveys, just completed last week and will have some beautiful images to share. This talk also syncs up with our temporary exhibit of the tribe Mergini--19 amazing sea duck carvings on loan from Nancy Hillstand's collection. We'll have the whole Center open special for the evening event! Fore more information, folks can call our information desk, 487-2626.

February 19th Program

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council: 18 March 2010

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council is seeking public comment on proposed focus areas for remaining restoration funds, concurrent with a NEPA update of its 1994 Restoration Plan. Comments are due by April 1, 2010 For more information, and instructions for submitting comments, please visit www.evostc.state.ak.us/nepa.

If you need special accomodations to participate, please call our office at 907-278-8012 or Toll-Free at 800-478-7745. The following public meetings will also be held to obtain input and comments from members of the public:

February 16, 2010 - Homer, Alaska

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center
95 Sterling Highway
Homer, AK 99603


February 17, 2010 - Anchorage, Alaska

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center- Kahtnu Room #1
600 West 7th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501


February 18, 2010 - Cordova, Alaska

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cordova Public Library
622 First Street
Cordova, AK 99574

March 16, 2010 - Seward, Alaska

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
K.M. Rae Building
125 Third Avenue
Seward, AK 99664


March 17, 2010 - Valdez, Alaska

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Valdez City Council Chambers
206 Pioneer Drive
Valdez, AK 99686


March 18, 2010 - Kodiak, Alaska

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center
402 Center Street
Kodiak, AK 99615

TogetherGreen 2010

Applications are now being accepted for Round III of the TogetherGreen Innovation Grants and Conservation Leadership programs! (See below for more info.)

In addition, year II of Pennies for the Planet has launched and we'd love your help in getting additional publicity for this program. It will be benefitting three conservation programs:Panther Island in Florida, the coastal marshes in Louisiana, and the protection of the Western Snowy Plover and other species on the California coast. And finally, for those of you interested in the Volunteer Days program, applications and information will be released on March 1, 2010.

Deadlines: Applications for Year 3 of the Conservation Leadership program and the Innovation Grants program will be due May 7th, 2010. The application process will again be online. Applications for Volunteer Days grants will be due on March 29th and will be distributed by March 1 via email by Chuck Remington, Director of the Volunteer Days program.

To Find Out More: To see the new materials and information, please visit:

INNOVATION GRANTS: http://togethergreen.org/grants

Innovation Grants Planning Grants: Once again, those wishing to conduct preliminary work for a potential Innovation Grant project are encouraged to apply for a planning grant of $5,000 or less. We will award three to five planning grants again this year. Preliminary work might include building a relationship with a prospective partner, establishing credibility with a prospective audience, or conducting mapping work to determine priority conservation areas.

Details about how to apply can be found at http://togethergreen.org/Projects/PlanningGrants.aspx.

FELLOWS: http://togethergreen.org/fellows

Pennies for the Planet: Pennies for the Planet Year II is well underway! The program is designed to help kids learn more about conservation and what they can do in their communities, and help support three important conservation projects around the country. This year, all three programs focus on coastal and wetland projects. Find activities, donations forms, and more here: www.penniesfortheplanet.org.

Thank you all for your guidance and help in making the first two years of TogetherGreen such a great success. We are now in the middle of our second year and have learned a tremendous amount thanks to the great feedback we've received from many of you, including last year's applicants and our current Grantees and Fellows. You'll see much of this feedback incorporated into this year's application materials. We also will be conducting online training for potential Innovation Grant applicants during the application period to answer any questions they might have about the application process or the program.We are anticipating another great group of Innovation Grant projects, Volunteer Days participants, and Fellows this year - and look forward to seeing the applications. Please talk to your staff and colleagues to let them know about the program and continue to build a buzz about TogetherGreen and the opportunities for funding.