GEM awarded $1 million in new funding
December 13, 2005
Seventh District Congressman Dave Obey (D-WI) announced today that the recently-enacted budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes an additional $1 million that he secured for the Global Environmental Management (GEM) Education Center at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. That funding brings to $10 million the amount Obey has secured over the last four years to help establish GEM as one of the leading resources for environmental management and land use planning both in the United States and abroad.
"Educating and training community natural resource leaders is a critical part of building a secure and sustainable future," said Obey. "This funding will help GEM expand its work to produce the leaders in land use planning and management that we need to ensure healthy growth for both our local communities and the global community."
With these funds GEM will focus on indigenous knowledge for sustainable development, targeting efforts primarily in north/central Wisconsin and overseas in GEM "twinning studies." Tribal communities in Wisconsin will be linked with indigenous communities abroad to help local citizens address common problems, according to GEM Director Victor Phillips.
GEM is working in the mountainous Sierra Norte region north of Oaxaca, Mexico with partners from several Mexico universities.
