Nevada City-based community foundation the Sierra Fund recently announced a new "micro" grants program aimed at providing public education assistance to organizations across the Sierra concerned about mining's toxic legacy.

Micro grants are available to nonprofit community organizations in the 22 counties of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy service region willing to host an event in 2009 on historic mining in the Sierra Nevada. Applications are available on the Sierra Fund's Web site and are due Feb. 20.

"Community-based organizations across the Sierra are working tirelessly on important environmental and public health issues every day," said Sierra Fund CEO Elizabeth "Izzy" Martin. "Often these organizations are doing this valuable and much-needed work on budgets that are already stretched thin. The Sierra Fund is both proud and grateful to be in a position to offer these 'micro' grants to groups wanting to hold public education events in their community."

There are nearly 50,000 abandoned mines in California.

The Sierra Fund released a report titled "Mining's Toxic Legacy" at a joint state assembly hearing in Sacramento last March. Since that time, the group has been engaging stakeholders and interested parties in building a coalition to address the impacts of legacy mining in the Sierra Nevada.

For more information, visit www.sierrafund.org or contact Kerry Morse at (530) 265-8454 ext. 13 or kerry.morse@sierrafund.org.