New England Grassroots Environment Fund: a Sampling of Recent Grants

— To buy equipment that citizen groups can use to monitor phytoplankton and intertidal marine habitats: $2,250 to the Knox-Lincoln County University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service (Waldoboro).

— To buy a computer and other office equipment and furniture: $2,250 to the Maine Wolf Coalition (South China).

— To provide valet parking for bicycles at large public events to reduce traffic congestion, cut pollution, and promote cycling: $2,000 to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine (Augusta).

— To recruit volunteers and members and to publicize the activities of a group seeking to conserve the American chestnut: $2,000 to the Maine Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation (Camden).

MASSACHUSETTS

— To help inform fishermen’s organizations and other groups about the potential impact on the North Atlantic fisheries of oil and gas exploration on the Georges Bank: $2,500 to the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association (Gloucester).

— To create a Web site and to promote local agriculture in the Berkshires: $1,500 to the Berkshire Regional Food and Land Council (West Stockbridge).

— To produce materials needed to phase out pesticide-dependent landscaping in favor of ecologically sound approaches: $1,250 to the Green Decade Coalition (Newton).

— To finance a campaign to stop power companies from using herbicides to control tree growth under transmission lines: $400 to Herbicide Free Power Lines (Plainfield).

— To finance scholarships to allow local activists to attend an annual training conference: $175 to the Toxics Action Center (Boston).

NEW HAMPSHIRE

— To hire an intern to set up a network of faith-based environmental groups and congregations: $2,500 to the New Hampshire Council of Churches (Concord).

— To help defray legal expenses for a lawsuit involving expansion of a landfill in Bethlehem, N.H.: $2,500 to Environmental Action for Northern New Hampshire (Bethlehem).

— To finance a workshop to train conservation commissioners about stewardship of town-owned conservation easements: $2,475 to the Monadnock Conservancy (Keene).

— To buy a meter to gather data on dissolved oxygen and other indicators of water quality: $900 to the Mascoma Lake Community Association (Enfield).

RHODE ISLAND

— To cover general operating expenses: $2,500 to the Saugatucket River Heritage Corridor Coalition (Wakefield).

— To establish the first community garden on Prudence Island, R.I., including a compost center: $2,500 to the Prudence Conservancy (Prudence Island).

— To buy a computer system to enhance communications, advocacy, and education programs: $2,000 to the Narrow River Preservation Association (Saunderstown).

VERMONT

— To help citizens analyze the effects of 18-wheel-truck traffic on small communities and develop alternate transportation options: $2,250 to Concerned Citizens of Brandon (Brandon).

— To finance the Neighbor Wildlife Habitat Program, which helps contiguous landowners coordinate the management of large blocks of woodland: $1,500 to Vermont Coverts: Woodlands for Wildlife (Craftsbury Common).

— To help finance legal and consulting fees associated with appealing an environmental permit issued to Barre Granite Quarries: $2,000 to Residents for Northeast Kingdom Preservation (Sheffield).

— To pay for attendance at a conference on forming groups to discuss behavior that promotes environmental quality: $400 to the Vermont Population Alliance (Norwich).