Niobrara High School Student Receives Scholarship from Foundation
The Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Education Foundation (CNREF) partnered with other sponsors, to help fund Niobrara High School Students attendance to the
21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference in San Jose , California . This class will be awarded the Most Outstanding Project in the National Youth Leadership Council for their work in controlling Purple Loosestrife along the Missouri River near Niobrara , Nebraska .
There were two main parts of the project, the actual work with the control of
purple loosestrife (PLS) and the study of the economic impact it has on
the community of Niobrara . The results were sobering; it shook the students to realize how much we depend on the wetlands.
The CNREF Boarded voted to deviate slightly from its purpose to help fund a student to attend the award ceremony. They, along with their partners, felt this work with Purple Loosestrife will pay big dividends for the Corps and surrounding communities far into the future and deserved special recognition.
February 16, 2010
CENREF Board adds two new membership categories.
The Corps Foundation is excited to add two new member categories
Entry Level Active Corps Employee (GS-9 or lower) - $25 per year.
Corps Lake Project - $300 per year
The Entry level membership rate will apply until the employee advances above the GS - 9 level.
In this video, Corps Foundation Board members Debby Chenoweth, Rich Deline , and Peter Lewis, describe the purpose and potential of the Corps Foundation as well as some of the opportunities it presents. The meeting was hosted by Bonnie Eckert , at the Army Corps Seattle Headquarters on E. Marginal Way .
The Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Education Foundation (CNREF) has
announced the selection of three projects for which it will seek partners in 2009. Please read our press announcement for all of the details.
The Foundation will seek corporate partners to provide promotional giveaways for
Kansas City/Tulsa District’s Water Safety Team. These items will be used as prizes
for members of the public who take the Team’s water safety quiz at various
community events in the region. According to the terms of the proposal, the
promotional items will carry the partner’s logo and a water safety message.
CNREF will seek a partner or partners to acquire sufficient funds to complete
design and initiate construction of an expansion to the Caesar Creek (Ohio) Visitor
Center serving 80,000 visitors annually. The Foundation will assist in raising a
minimum of $121,687 in funding to add to $100,000 already acquired by the Friends
of Caesar Creek.
The Corps Foundation chose to self-fund the third project of 2009, the production
and release of the Friends of Barren River Lake website at Barren River Lake, KY,
to enhance the Friends group’s fundraising and growth potential.
SPREADING THE WORD
On 14 October, 2008, Darrell Lewis represented CNREF by chairing a panel entitled "Foundations and Friends Groups: A key to Value-Added Funding". The this year's National Recreation and Parks Association Congress in Baltimore . The panel included Ms. Diane Wood, President, National Environmental Education Foundation, Ms. Fran Mainella, Visiting Scholar, Former Director National Park Service, Clemson University .
The session drew over 70 attendees. Mr. Lewis described the steps involved in establishing a new foundation. A lively dialogue with attendees followed the panel's presentations. Please click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.
From the Office of the President
September 24, 2008
Open letter to Founding Members:
As we approach the end of F/Y 2008, I am delighted to tell you the Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Education Foundation is growing regularly. We gain new members every month. We have made significant progress since signing the MOU in San Antonio just eleven months ago. Our website is in place at www.corpsfoundation.org . The "Request for Information" (RFI) proposal form is available on the website. By the way, this year's deadline is September 30th . Several proposals have been received already!
The Foundation is actively participating in the "New Strategy for the Recreation Mission of the US Army Corps of Engineers." We are working with the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) and twenty other organizations on this initiative. We are specifically leading an effort for stronger national and regional partnerships.
Corps Foundation Director and Treasurer (and Former Chief of NRM for the COE ) Darrell Lewis has met with several stakeholder organizations in Washington DC . He also attended the ARC's annual "Partner's Outdoors" conference in Utah last January. All who hear of it, from dozens of perspectives, embrace the Foundation. This is a good idea and you are a Founding Member!
Our two-year plan and the longer range five-year plan are being updated. In order to attract the broadest possible stakeholder support (read: project funding), we are initiating a plan to recruit additional Foundation Directors.
In the coming months we will announce our first projects and partners, name new Directors; and with your help, we will move our mission forward. All of us on the board always look forward to hearing from members and we reply to every inquiry. If you don't get a response in a few days, please send a second request. And patience please - we are all volunteers!
Thank you for being part of these exciting times for the Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Education Foundation. Tell your friends and enjoy the growth!
Peter B. Lewis
Board President
Army Corps of Engineers launches natural resources foundation
For download the official press release from the Army Corps. Please Click Here .
As any good manager will tell you, you need the right tools to get the job done. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Natural Resources Management Community of Practice just added another tool to their toolbox that will significantly enhance their partnership capabilities. The tool is called the Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Education Foundation (CNREF).
LTG Robert Van Antwerp, Chief of Engineers, and Peter B. Lewis , President, Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Education Foundation (CNREF) Board of Directors, signed a Memorandum of Understanding marking the beginning of this landmark partnership during the Environmental and Natural Resources Conference in San Antonio , Texas , Oct. 30.
CNREF breaks new ground as the only national non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to stewardship of environmental, cultural, educational and outdoor recreational resources associated with the Corps' national Natural Resources Management mission. The foundation will bring potential partners together with the Corps to support approved but unfunded natural resources projects. The foundation's specific goals include:
providing additional financial and volunteer support for Corps recreation and natural resources projects;
assisting local and regional Corps of Engineers advocacy groups in raising funds for enhancement projects;
facilitating partnerships between the public and private sectors and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers; and
educating decision-makers and the public about the importance of the Corps' stewardship mission in conserving natural and cultural resources and providing public recreation opportunities.
Once the foundation receives information from Corps projects, it will determine whether there are activities that meet its supporting criteria of emphasizing long-term community engagement with the Corps, volunteerism, education and interpretive services and environmental stewardship. Activities the foundation decides to support must have the necessary environmental clearances, planning documentation and partners already engaged or identified.
CNREF will also support the Corps through individual and corporate memberships open to everyone, including current Corps employees and Corps alumni. Through CNREF, Corps officials envision benefits to project sites that include improvements to hiking trails, development of interpretive brochures, campground rehabilitations, development of teacher education materials, habitat restoration and protection of cultural sites. The foundation will also promote the Corps' recreation values of providing high quality, family oriented recreational opportunities close to home, healthy lifestyle, and conservation and sustainment of natural resources for future generations.
"The Corps is extremely proud to enter into this innovative partnership with CNREF," said Mary Coulombe, Chief of Natural Resources Management. This foundation will allow the Corps to work on many different environmental and recreation projects, improving visitor experiences and environmental conditions. Our financial and human resources are limited, visitor demands are increasing, and our facilities are aging. This partnership will be vital to provide additional support for the Corps Natural Resources Management mission, and facilitate additional partnerships between the public and private sector."
