The Amador Community Foundation received the largest single grant in the first distribution of funds earlier this month by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy from a water quality bond approved by state voters in November 2006. Almost $2.8 million in total was awarded to fund 48 projects throughout the Sierra Nevada region.

The $173,780 grant to the Amador Community Foundation is designated for planning efforts associated with the Jackson Creek Watershed Management and Conservation Plan. That project is consistent with the conservancy's mission under Proposition 84 to administer funds to eligible organizations for the "protection and restoration of rivers, lakes and streams, their watersheds and associated land, water and other natural resources."

The grant application included a resolution of support from the Amador County Board of Supervisors and city of Jackson. District 4 Supervisor Louis Boitano is a member of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy board as an appointment of the south central Sierra subregion.

Amador County received an additional $100,000 in two separate grants to the Amador Fire Safe Council. Both $50,000 grants are for developing community conservation wildfire protection plans - one was awarded to the Pioneer/Volcano Planning Unit and the other to the Pine Grove Planning Unit.

"Amador County really should be proud that our combined efforts in the important area of watershed planning and natural resource protection have been recognized to this extent," said Shannon Lowery, executive director of the Amador Community Foundation.

"The Sierra Nevada Conservancy's jurisdiction is comprised of 25 million acres, all or part of 22 counties, 20 incorporated cities, 40 special districts and 212 communities," Lowery explained, "and so we have done very well in Amador County."

"This grant signals that the Sierra Nevada Conservancy recognizes the importance of supporting unique local programs," added foundation President Stan Lukowicz.

"We're very pleased with this first round of grants," agreed foundation Vice President Kim Still, "as it is consistent with our own foundation's commitment to local values."

For the Amador Community Foundation, the conservancy grant essentially leverages an initial dedication of $50,000 for the Jackson Creek Watershed planning effort.

"We used that money as a match to this larger grant to extend those initial resources in order to complete an overall watershed implementation plan," explained foundation Treasurer Terry Holland. "All our donor funds are managed for growth to provide the greatest amount of support for local needs. The conservancy program gave us an excellent opportunity in meeting that goal."

The foundation became the facilitator for administration of settlement funds as part of the resolution of a long-standing impasse between the Amador Water Agency and some affected landowners over plans for the Amador Transmission Project and installation of pipeline in the Amador Canal. It is the first major environmental project for the foundation, which has awarded more than $400,000 in grant funds from local donors across a wide spectrum of more than 100 Amador County nonprofit groups in the last five years.

The first step in the Jackson Creek Watershed project is establishing a plan to define both objectives and potential projects. The foundation will use that plan as the basis for awarding funds for specific land conservation and watershed stewardship projects. Any individual or organization within the watershed will be eligible to apply for project funding on the basis of the plan, which is expected to be completed within the next year.

Kim Carr, manager of the Mt. Whitney Area of the conservancy, which includes Amador County, visited the local area the week prior to the grant awards last month. She toured the watershed area with Jackson City Manager Mike Daly, Sen. Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) representative Dana Jorgenson, Jackson Creek Watershed representatives Bill Condrashoff and David Evitt, and John McCaull of the Law Offices of John McCaull and Jim Robins of Alnus Engineering. Earlier in the day she was hosted to a tour of the Knight Foundry. That organization is planning an application for a future grant award period.

The Amador Community Foundation meets local needs through the charitable contributions of local donors. In addition to specific projects such as the Jackson Creek Watershed program, a number of local individuals have established endowments or channel their charitable contributions to the Foundation to be used in grants to support local nonprofit groups. For more information about the Foundation, contact Lowery at 223-2148.