Tennessee Titans Foundation Awards Grant to KTC

Kids To The Country, Plenty’s project to benefit inner city kids from Tennessee, received a grant of $5,000 from the Foundation of the Tennessee Titans, the pro football team based in Nashville. Players had raised $70,000 in a Charity Golf Tournament, which they distributed among 13 Tennessee non-profits. Bud Adams, owner of the Titans, presented the check to Mary Ellen Bowen, KTC founder and Director, at a luncheon for the recipients in Nashville on June 11. See press release!

Environmental Education Project Funded on the Carib Territory, Dominica, West Indies

Plenty recently received a $7,000 grant from New England Biolabs Foundation for the second phase of the Carib Land Use Reform Initiative (CLURI) project in Dominica. This funding will help the Carib people complete the process of establishing new land-use agreements that will protect and improve management of forest and water resources on their community-owned and managed territory. The CLURI project is managed by WAIKADA, a Carib NGO and the Carib Council, groups which are spearheading environmental education efforts on the Carib Territory. Plenty has had a long term relationship with the Carib people and assisted in the development of this project. Our sincere thanks to NEBF for their support.

Huichol Soy Project in Mexico Receives Donation of Seed from University of Illinois

A professor at the University of Illinois, Randall L. Nelson, who is also the Curator of the Soybean Germ Plasm Collection of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, has donated 100 each of 34 varieties of soybean seed for soybean variety trials on Huichol lands in Mexico. The seeds are now being planted and records will be kept about their growth to determine the best varieties for the region. Plenty soy programs advisor, Louise Hagler, plans to visit the project in July.

Flooding in Belize

Just as we were going to press with this Bulletin we got word from our Belize staff about serious flooding in the Toledo District. Because of the heavy loss of vegetation due to Hurricane Iris, Toledo is more vulnerable than ever to floods during the rainy season (June to November). The entire village of Blue Creek had to be evacuated. This photo shows damage to a bridge linking three villages to the rest of Toledo. The highway linking all of Toledo with the rest of Belize is also closed due to flooding. (photo: Melanie Reimer)

SPECIAL APPEAL: Due to the continuing expansion of our projects in Belize, and the on-going economic and environmental crises our staff is mobilized to address, we have an urgent need of a fuel-efficient pick-up truck or the funds to purchase one in Belize.