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Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF)

The 2009 funding round is now open so it is time to start preparing your application form. Please note all applications must be submitted before 5pm Wednesday 1 July 2009.
This year you can apply online - click on the link below for further information and the online application form:

http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/funding--awards/environmental-initiatives-fund-eif/environmental-initiatives-fund-eif_home.cfm

What is EIF?

The EIF was established by the Auckland Regional Council in 1999 to support individuals and groups to improve and care for the region�s natural, cultural and physical environments.

Around $500,000 is available annually to support projects across the Auckland region and about 250 applications are received each year. The EIF is an umbrella for other funds including the Honda TreeFund.

Since the first funding round in February 2000, the ARC has given 1130 grants worth $2.6 million to community projects.

To be eligible for funding your project has to be consistent with the EIF vision and purpose and fit at least one of the funding outcomes. A number of workshops are available to help you get your application under way. Register your interest here: EIF information workshops 2009.

Monitoring opportunity
Posted On: Monday, 23 February 2009

March Monitoring and Koura Kraze 2009

If you are looking for the opportunity to be involved in a short-term national monitoring programme in addition to your Wai Care monitoring, here�s the chance� During March and April 2009, Environmental Monitoring and Action Project (EMAP) are running the March Monitoring Month and Koura Kraze which encourages people from all over the country to report details on any koura found when out doing stream monitoring activities. Koura are endemic to New Zealand and are also a species under threat. They can be used as an indicator of the relative health of the particular stream you sampled from. The aim is to map all the koura found on a map of New Zealand to look at their distribution and compare koura on a year to year basis

For schools there are loads of ideas on how to link to the curriculum � it�s all there plus there are some great prizes. See the link below for more information

http://www.emap.rsnz.org/events/marchmon/

Photo courtesy of Justine Coup

Great monitoring at Albany Junior High
Posted On: Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Albany school North Shore�s no. 1 Wai Care group

Albany Junior High School is North Shore�s number one monitoring and data gathering Wai Care group from 2008.

The group, which has grown substantially and now comprises three sub-groups, rotates responsibility for monitoring and entering stream data so that records are updated every fortnight.

Megan Beard says this means scientific records are more robust.

�The frequency that this data is recorded enables us to identify and analyse water quality trends with a higher degree of certainty,� she says.

The students at Albany Junior High School undertake their Wai Care monitoring as an extracurricular activity so have spent considerable time planning to spread responsibility evenly so everyone gets the chance to carry out tests.

The students� next goal is to organise a drain-painting design competition for Year 7 students.

Photo: Albany Junior High School Wai Care students testing water clarity

Summer reading
Posted On: Friday, 21 November 2008

NewSplash and the Wai Care Annual Report � two great reads�

Looking for a bit of light reading while enjoying the long evenings as summer approaches? If so, look no further than these two publications that are hot off the press. You can either click on the links for a PDF version or see your Co-ordinator for a hard copy.

NewSplash

The Wai Care NewSplash newsletter has great stories from across the city and comes to you twice a year.

In the November 2008 newsletter we highlight three key areas:

Actions that groups are taking like rubbish and replanting projects
The creative side of Wai Care showing new things that have been developed to help get the message out there about waterway health
Life in our streams, including some surprising finds

Left - adult stonefly and right - juvenile stonefly found at
the Waikopua Stream, Manukau

If you have any great Wai Care projects that you think would be good to show in our next newsletter (April 2009), let your Co-ordinator know. We are also always keen for story ideas for our website so get thinking and get talking to us!

Annual Report

Our annual report provides a summary of the work that we have all been doing during the July 2007 � June 2008 financial year. As you read it you will see that there has been much happening in the programme, and it�s not just water quality monitoring.

Wai Care groups have been involved in a huge range of activities throughout the year from stencilling stormwater drains with messages to remind people that these drain to the sea, to creating murals, growing native seedlings and planting streambanks.

It�s all in the annual report so take time out to have a read.