CHEROKEE, NC, March
28, 2006—Cherokee Preservation
Foundation (CPFdn) announced today
that it has made eight grants totaling
more than $270,000 to support environmental
programs. Of these, four grants valued
at $114,400 have been awarded to organizations
assisting in efforts to revitalize
natural resources important to Cherokee
artists.
Revitalization of Traditional
Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR)
In
early 2005, Cherokee Preservation launched
RTCAR, an important multi-year
grantmaking initiative designed to
assist the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians in the EBCI’s efforts
to strike a balance between the cultivation
and use of natural resources that go
into traditional Cherokee crafts. Resources
such as river cane, young white oak
saplings and clay are in scarce supply
on the Qualla Boundary and other land
owned by the Tribe.
Through RTCAR,
the focus is on partnering with organizations
who want to undertake
habitat restoration projects, conduct
research on sustainable harvesting
development and develop cultural preservation
projects that will provide Cherokee
artisans with access to the natural
resources essential to their craft.
RTCAR is operated through Western Carolina
University’s Cherokee Studies
program.
The new RTCAR grants
just announced by CPFdn will enable
the following:
The
botanical garden at Oconaluftee Indian
Village will be enhanced by
replacing non-native species with
native, culturally relevant species
that are
in keeping with the original design
of the garden. When complete, the
garden will enrich the heritage tourism
offerings
available to visitors, and it will
provide an educational tool for Cherokee
school students and the entire local
community.
The long-term sustainability
of bloodroot (an essential dye plant
for Cherokee
basket makers) on the Qualla Boundary
will be determined. Research by North
Carolina State University will help
experts project the long-run availability
of the plant and lead to any actions
that may be necessary to ensure the
resource is available for future
generations of basket makers.
The University of
Tennessee (UT) will establish an experimental
white oak
orchard on the Kituwah property. UT
will plant 400 white oak seedlings
and utilize tree shelters designed
to protect the young trees while encouraging
the growth of long, limb-free trunks
that do not have the knots that disqualify
most white oaks for use in basket making.
Western
Carolina University will locate, map,
sample and test sources of clay
in Jackson and Swain Counties and on
the Qualla Boundary. The project will
produce a resource bank of local pottery
clays, and viable pottery clays will
be collected and prepared for storage
at Qualla Arts & Crafts and/or
the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.\
Other
Environmental Grants
Other environmental
grants announced by CPFdn will make
the following programs
and projects possible:
The Big Cove
Community Club will develop an outdoor
walking track and children’s
playground in Big Cove.
The EBCI will
upgrade its software and hardware infrastructure
to enable
Tribal connectivity to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s computer
system.
The Land Trust for the
Little Tennessee will preserve farmland
and
historical
sites in the Hiwassee River Valley.
It will also support the conservation
of the Cowee Mound and raise awareness
of this historic Cherokee treasure.
The
Little Tennessee Watershed Association
will create a documentary about the
watershed and its role in the life
of the different groups that have
lived on the banks of the Little Tennessee
River.
CPFdn
Has Made 41 New Grants
Overall during the Spring
2006 grant cycle just completed,
CPFdn announced
41 new cultural preservation, economic
development and environmental protection
grants totaling nearly $7 million.
As a result, since CPFdn began
making grants in 2002, it has made
more
than 300 grants in the region totaling
nearly
$25 million.
About Cherokee Preservation
Foundation
Cherokee Preservation
Foundation was established on November
14,
2000, as
part of the Second Amendment
to the Tribal-State Compact between
the
EBCI and the State of North
Carolina. It
is an independent nonprofit
foundation funded by the EBCI from
gaming
revenues generated by the Tribe.
CPFdn is
not part of or associated with
any for-profit
gaming entity.
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