Cherokee Preservation Foundation Will Provide Matching Funds For Mountain Landscapes Projects Involving Area Youth

CHEROKEE, NC, October 20, 2008 – Cherokee Preservation Foundation announced today it will provide $50,000 for the final phase of the Mountain Landscapes initiative, a regional planning process to understand and address mountain land use challenges.  The funds will be used to provide matching grants to communities, agencies and non-profits on the Qualla Boundary and in the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina that want to implement elements of the toolbox of planning and development solutions assembled in an earlier phase of Mountain Landscapes.  The Cherokee Preservation Foundation grant is earmarked for projects and programs that involve regional youth.

Other funding sources supporting the Mountain Landscapes’ Next Steps Fund are the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the North Carolina Rural Center and the Appalachian Regional Commission.  The Southwestern Commission and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina have spearheaded the Mountain Landscapes initiative and will administer the Next Steps Fund.

The Next Steps Fund is the third phase of the Mountain Landscapes initiative.  The initial phase consisted of outreach efforts in each of the seven counties and on the Qualla Boundary to determine residents’ primary concerns.  Through a series of community meetings and a video that documented perspectives of residents throughout the region, the big questions that emerged were:  1) How can we grow our mountain region without threatening the natural assets that attract new investment?  2) How do we adjust to inevitable change without sacrificing community character and sense of place?

Based on the public input gathered, during the second phase of Mountain Landscapes nationally known designers and planners convened and put together a toolbox of successful solutions undertaken by other communities, dealing with everything from steep slopes to river bottoms, revitalization of historic towns and green building techniques. 

“The Next Steps Fund completes the connection between the extensive outreach process that defined community needs, the experience and creativity ideas of the land use experts who assembled a toolbox that addressed the community’s needs, and the implementation phase that will satisfy those needs,” said Susan Jenkins, executive director of Cherokee Preservation Foundation.  “The projects and programs that communities undertake with matching monies from the Next Step Fund will produce meaningful results in WNC residents’ lives for generations to come.

“That’s why Cherokee Preservation Foundation has elected to put all of its support into projects that engage youth.  Earlier financial support from Cherokee Preservation Foundation made it possible to successfully involve youth in the planning phase of Mountain Landscapes, and now we want youth to be a full participant in implementing community solutions.”

About Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Cherokee Preservation Foundation (www.cpfdn.org) 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. Since CPFdn’s inception in 2000, it has made 487 grants totaling nearly $40 million to EBCI and regional projects and programs that address cultural preservation, economic development and job creation, and environmental renewal and protection. Every dollar of CPFdn support has been matched by $1.41 in secured grants or other funding or in-kind resources, making CPFdn’s total contribution to the region more than $95 million.

For more information, contact Cherokee Preservation Foundation at 828/497-5550.