Texas Rural Innovators

Hill Country Master Naturalists

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:15:23 +0000

(from Bobby G.) This from the Hill Country Alliance:

The Hill Country Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist is now accepting applications for the 2012 training class from residents of Bandera, Gillespie, Kendall and Kerr counties. The research-based, scientific training is customized for the Hill Country area. Classes will be taught by experts from state universities and state and federal agencies. Topics are centered in wildlife and natural resource management with lessons in basic ecology, geology, range science, deer management, botany and more.

Chapter members volunteer for more than 75 projects in the four-county area to help conserve Texas’ natural resources and educate residents about the local ecology. Projects include wildlife research, bird counts, water quality monitoring, children’s education, citizen science activities and land management assistance for landowners.

The series of nature-oriented classes are from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Wednesdays from August 22 through November 14. Most meetings are held at the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville. Several Saturday field trips are highlights of the training program.

Following completion of training, graduates must volunteer 40 hours on approved projects and complete eight hours of advanced training to achieve certification.

Completed applications must be postmarked by July 13. For more information or an application, visit the Hill Country Chapter’s website, http://www.txmn.org/hillcountry, or contact Eileen Gotke at gotke@hctc.net or phone 367-4001. Those interested in receiving an application should include their name, mailing address, phone number and email address. For more information about the state-wide Texas Master Naturalist organization, visit http://www.txmn.org.

LCRA Grants for Creekside Improvements

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:10:33 +0000

(from Bobby G.) This from the Hill Country Alliance:

May 15, 2012
LCRA CREEKSIDE CONSERVATION PROGRAM
HELPS LANDOWNERS HEAL THE LAND
Media Contact: Clara Tuma (512) 473-3292
clara.tuma@lcra.org
Landowners in the lower Colorado River basin may be eligible to receive grant funding for conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and increase native plant and animal diversity.
By tapping a three year, $387,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 319(h) grant, passed through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, the Lower Colorado River Authority will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of certain conservation and land management projects for eligible landowners in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Colorado, Fayette, Lampasas, Llano, Matagorda, San Saba, Travis and Wharton counties.
The new grant augments the LCRA Creekside Conservation Program, a 22-year-old effort to help private landowners in the lower Colorado River basin implement pre-approved land management projects such as brush management, rangeland reseeding, cross fencing and alternative water source development. Traditionally, there has been a $10,000 reimbursement cap per landowner, but the grant raises the cap to $15,000 per landowner.
To determine eligibility and to apply for participation, landowners should contact their local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office.
For more information, visit the Creekside Conservation Program page on LCRA’s website or call 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7155.
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Texas Transfer of Wealth

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:59:59 +0000

(from Bobby) The RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship has developed a specialty in mapping out the huge inter-generational transfers of wealth and, together with other Nebraska-based partners, learned to use the studies to develop local philanthropy in rural communities. With government and foundation funding in its current state, capturing local wealth for strategic investment in your community is becoming critically important. The Center has conducted 50 or more such studies in many states and regions, but until now, never in Texas. Here’s an entry from their April newsletter:

“Transfer of Wealth (TOW) is getting traction in Texas. Recently, the Center started working on a TOW project for the East Texas Community Foundation. At the first Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, Center staff introduced the TOW concept and TAC members from the region and state identified issues relevant to East Texas. Retirees, oil/gas, vacation homes, and high net worth households are some of the relevant issues related to wealth holding in East Texas. This valuable local intelligence and insight provided the Center with direction for accessing resources to address these specific issues. The goal of our work is to help the East Texas Community Foundation combine a deep understanding of the region with TOW research to create an effective strategy to advance philanthropy in East Texas. The Center has had a number of requests from foundations in Texas for TOW studies in their service areas, giving us an opportunity to learn more about wealth holding and transfer in this important state. For more information about the Center’s TOW work, contact Ahmet Binerer at abinerer@e2mail.org.”

Rural Community Grants

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:44:49 +0000

(From Texas Rural Communities)

Texas Rural Communities, Inc. announces availability of grants funds for non-profits serving rural Texans.

Buda, Texas – September 23, 2011– Sandra Tenorio, Executive Director of Texas Rural Communities, Inc. (TRC) announced the availability of grant funds for rural communities. She said, “TRC may award up to $30,000 to non-profit organizations serving rural Texans and the grants are intended to fund environmental, economic or educational programs in local communities.” She said the community organizations had an opportunity to submit applications that would best fit their needs using the broad categories listed by TRC.

Two types of grants will be considered—Recognition Grants of up to $5,000 and Impact Grants from $5,000-$25,000. Recognition grants may be awarded to new or existing programs that are making or have the potential to make a significant difference in the communities they serve. Impact grants may be awarded to programs that also demonstrate innovation or have the potential to serve as model programs for other communities

TRC is a non-profit organization created as part of the New Deal in 1934 and has a long-term commitment to assisting rural communities, individuals and support organizations that improve or maintain the quality of rural life, through independent and cooperative ventures. In addition to its grant program, TRC offers small business loans and Farm and Ranch loans in partnership with the Farm Service Agency.

To receive more information about applying for the Grant, contact TRC by telephone at 800-787-2589 or by email at info@texasrural.org. The application criteria is available on the TRC website: www.texasrural.org. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 31, 2011

For More Information Contact:
Sandra Tenorio, Executive Director
Texas Rural Communities, Inc.
168 Cimarron Park Loop
Buda, TX 78610
800-787-2589 or 512-312-9029
sandra.t@texasrural.org

Texas Leadership Institute workshops

Member — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:03:20 +0000

(From Greg C.) Upcoming TLI workshops include:
Business Assessment Matrix (BAM) – 17 Keys to Your Business Success, Oct 11 at HOTCOG in Waco
Administering Local Hotel Occupancy Tax and Tourism Best Practices, Oct 13 in Giddings
Developing successful Festivals & Events, Oct 18 at Coastal Bend College in Beeville
Grant Writing for Community Leaders, Oct 25 in Abilene

The TCRE store has additional information: https://uze86461.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp

Three Things Entrepreneurs Do

Member — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:58:38 +0000

(from Greg C.) If you are into entrepreneurship at all you will enjoy this short sketchbook video from Carl Schramm of the Kauffman Foundation explaining three things that entrepreneurs do for your local economy. I can honestly say I have never seen such a unique presentation style. Not sure how they produce the video but it is both informative and fun to watch. Check it out!

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:51:30 +0000

(From Ginger M.) Here’s an interesting story about the Texas Public Facilities Capital Access Program. According to the article and Texas developers, small cities are helped by a reduction in the size of loans available.

http://m.reporternews.com/news/2011/aug/28/state-to-expand-city-loan-program/

TCEQ Drought Information

Member — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:01:07 +0000

(From Pam K.) For a wealth of information related to the drought, visit http://www.tceq.texas.gov/response/drought

Webinar on Youth Out-Migration

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:50:21 +0000

(From Bobby G.) Craig Schroeder of the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship is one of the country’s great advocates for doing something (!) about the brain drain – as opposed to just whining about it. If you are of a similar mind, you might be interested in this webinar: Proven Strategies to Address Youth Outmigration, featuring three experienced community leaders and their youth work in Atwood, KS, Barry County, MI and Brookfield, MO. The webinar is archived, so you can watch it any time that’s convenient.

AgriLife Webinar on New Census Data

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:38:04 +0000

(From Rebekka D.)

The Census Bureau released the local-level demographic information for Texas on August 11!

To help you easily access Census data from American FactFinder 2, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has created You Tube video tutorials available from the Community Data Resources link at http://ruralcommunities.tamu.edu. You will also find tutorials for accessing data from other federal websites as well as a short-list of data websites with the information community leaders and economic development professionals often need.

The Accessing Local Data Webinar on Friday, August 19, at 11 a.m. Central, will describe these data sets and how to access and use them in creating community profiles and compiling other community information. The webinar can be attended at: http://165.95.250.7/main/User/GuestAttend.jhtml?s_guid=00000006270b000001310c5bd336acb2&domain=/tce.

Questions? Contact Rebekka Dudensing, Assistant Professor & Extension Economist, Texas AgriLife Extension Servic, at 979-845-1719.