Nevada City, CA —
The Sierra Fund is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from The California Endowment to begin working with a broad coalition of partners to build a multi-year environmental justice campaign that will leverage the scientific, engineering and policy resources needed to address “gold mining’s toxic legacy.”
Ever since gold was discovered in the
Mining has left a lasting legacy of toxic contamination that threatens the health of humans and wildlife throughout
The Sierra Fund’s new Mining Toxics Initiative will lay the groundwork for development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to remediate environmental problems, develop health interventions to reduce the risk to Sierra communities, and protect the health of humans and wildlife throughout the Sierra and the downstream communities of the
- Complete a comprehensive needs assessment that will lay out what is known about the environmental and the public health threats presented by historic mining in the Sierra and identify where more information is needed.
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Engage stakeholders in assessing the problem and designing needed responses; involve community members and policymakers in understanding and planning solutions for the legacy of mining toxics.
- Develop a “blue ribbon panel” that will oversee completion of a comprehensive plan for environmental remediation and public health treatment response, which will be completed within one year of the start of the planning process. The outcome of this plan will be to lay the groundwork for the implementation of a regional strategy to address mining’s toxic legacy.
Partners in this project include the South Yuba River Citizens League, the Northern Sierra Rural Health Network (composed of 47 rural and Indian health clinics), International Indian Treaty Council, the US Geological Survey, and the State Water Resources Control Board. Professors at CSU Chico's
The Sierra Fund will be hiring community organizers to perform some of the regional and community outreach supported by this grant from The California Endowment. More information on these activities will be announced in early June 2006.