You’ve read the headlines. Twenty-nine workers killed in a West Virginian Massey Energy Company coal mine. More than 5,000 barrels of oil leaking a day in the Gulf of Mexico. Wildfires burn 100,000 acres of California forests. It’s enough to make you want to uncork a bottle of wine and down a glass or two just to keep calm.
Redwood Creek Wines understands this. They treasure the US environment and have granted $140,000 annually to various nonprofits in order to preserve our land and waterways. Now in its third year, they’ve selected 10 finalists with the help of a few judges, including Tonic columnist Ethan Zohn. The grand prize winner will take home $50,000 and the remaining nine will get $10,000 each.
Every week, we’ll introduce you to one of those finalists, and if you like what you read, head on over to the Redwood Creek Wines’ Greater Outdoors Project and vote for them. You have until August 31 to make a difference.
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
Similar to last week’s finalist, the Coosa River Basin Initiative, the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (HRWC) protects fresh waterways in Georgia. But the two organizations differ in that this watershed spans more than 2,700 miles in three states: Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The HRWC takes regular water samples to monitor pollution and better assist wildlife, and every summer, they run a camp for sixth graders to learn about the their local environment and what they can do to protect it.
If selected to win the $50,000 grant, the HRWC will conduct two projects: 1) They will build boat slips along a 13-mile length of the river that is currently unnavigable and 2) encourage riparian plants by eliminating invasive vegetation and replanting native ones.
Photos courtesy of Redwood Creek Wines.