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MEDIA RELEASEwww.banffcentre.ca


August 18, 2003

Mountain Projects from Nepal to Jasper Receive Grants
from The Banff Centre

Six projects documenting mountain culture, from the mountain porters of Nepal to an activity book for children visiting the Canadian Rockies, will receive a total of $15,000 (CAD) in funding from The Banff Centre’s 2003 Banff Mountain Grants sponsored by Mountain Hardwear. These projects communicate the stories of mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value, and celebrate the spirit of adventure.

"We’re delighted to be able to support such a broad range of worthy mountain projects in different parts of the world," says Leslie Taylor, associate director, Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre. This year’s selection committee reviewed 47 grant applications from 10 countries. The 2003 recipients are:

The Friends of Jasper National Park, Jasper, AB for Rocky Mountain Junior Naturalist, an activity book for children visiting the mountains of the Canadian West — $1,000.

Prakaj Kumar, Mumbai, India, for Survival, a film about water resource management and sustainable development in India — $2,500.

Urpichallay/The Mountain Institute, Ancash, Peru for The house of our grandparents, a Cultural Centre in Vicos, Peru — $2,500.

Dr. Charles Houston, Vermont, USA for the final editing of his autobiographical video, including footage from historic Himalayan expeditions and high altitude physiology research — $2,500.

Wandering Eye Media, Vancouver, BC for Bharriya, a documentary on mountain porters in Nepal — $5,000.00

Ellen Pearlman, Brooklyn, NY, USA for a DVD on Tibetan Cham Dance and Achi Lhamo Opera — $1,500.

Banff Mountain Grants are awarded annually. Applications for 2004 grants will be available in January.
For more information, visit the Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre Web site at www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture

Mountain Hardwear sponsors the Banff Mountain Grants program. For more information on programs, expeditions, and athletes sponsored by Mountain Hardwear, visit their Web site at www.mountainhardwear.com


Media Contact:

For more information contact:
Shawn Hunter, Marketing & Communications Manager
Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre
Box 1020, Banff, Alberta T1L 1H5, Canada
phone: 403-762-6446 fax: 403-762-6277

email: shawn_hunter@banffcentre.ca
www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture


The Banff Centre is Canada’s centre for creative excellence in the arts, leadership development, mountain culture, and conferences. Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to
share – and find inspiration in – mountain experiences, ideas and visions.