Environmental Education Grant Descriptions
Map of EPA RegionsSince 1992, a total of 3,859 environmental education (EE) grants have been awarded by EPA nationwide for a cumulative total of $85,105,990. The table below provides information about each of those EE grants. See also: National Statistics
Columns shown below:
- Year: The year in which the grant was awarded by EPA.
- State: The state in which the recipient organization is located.
- Region: The EPA Region in which the recipient organization is located.
- Grant Project Description: Includes the recipient organization, the value of the EPA grant, the title of the grant project, and a brief description of the grant project.
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| Year | State | Region | Grant Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | State | Region | |
| 1992 | AL | 4 | Creekview Elementary School -- $4,284 Alabaster, AL 35007 Environmental Protection The purpose of this project is to teach environmental protection to educators and students using the natural area around the school and other learning materials. The curriculum will educate teachers and pupils using the school setting as an instructional resource. |
| 1992 | AL | 4 | Elmore County Board of Education -- $2,208 Wetumpka, AL 36092 Pass it Down - A Study of Nature "Pass it Down - A Study of Nature" is a school yard nature center curriculum for 4th through 6th grade pupils that includes on-campus field study, wetlands preservation, high technology microscopy, and computer data analyses. The curriculum uses school-owned land as the nature center. |
| 1992 | AL | 4 | Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation -- $4,715 Gadsden, AL 36092 Alabama Wetlands Exhibit The "Alabama Wetlands Exhibit" is a museum exhibit that is used as a communication device to promote the aesthetic and environmental value of Alabama's wetlands. The exhibit includes both the art and science of a wetland. |
| 1992 | AL | 4 | Gulf Coast RC&D Area -- $5,000 Bay Minette, AL 36507 Gulf Coast RC&D Composting Education Project The "Gulf Coast RC&D Composting Education Project" provides the public with practical knowledge about composting through a public information and education campaign. The program teaches why home and farm composting is useful and how it can be done. |
| 1992 | AL | 4 | Montgomery Clean City Commission -- $4,964 Montgomery, AL 36024 Puppet Show for Conservation and Recycling This grant funds a puppet show to teach children in kindergarten through 3rd grade how to conserve resources and recycle used products. The project includes activity pages and brochures for parents to use at home after the show to reinforce topics discussed. |
| 1992 | AK | 10 | Business Park Wetlands Coalition -- $5,000 Anchorage, AK 99501 99501 Swamp Art The "Swamp Art" project is a community-based hands-on learning experience that combines science and art at a newly developed nature center and business wetlands park. |
| 1992 | AK | 10 | Joy Elementary School-Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools -- $8,346 Fairbanks, AK 99707 In Our Back Yard The "In Our Back Yard" project was developed to create interior Alaska ecosystem learning activity kits for elementary school children and to train educators in the use of the kits. |
| 1992 | AK | 10 | Lathrop High School-Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools -- $4,940 Fairbanks, AK 99707 EcoNet An environmental computer bulletin board, called EcoNet, was created with this grant. The purpose of the bulletin board is to communicate with peers across the country concerning local environmental efforts, problem solving, and the initiation of joint projects. |
| 1992 | AK | 10 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District -- $1,629 Palmer, AK 99645 Envira-Ware This grant funds a project called "Envira-Ware." For this project, the Willow School will use computer and laser videodisc technologies to organize, expand, and reinforce the study of environmental issues. The pilot run of the program reached 25 6th grade students, but the program will expand to include students from kindergarten through 6th grade. |
| 1992 | AZ | 9 | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality -- $25,000 Phoenix, AZ 85012 Educators' Academy This grant funded a project to develop an Educators' Academy that will focus on environmental issues facing Arizona, such as water pollution and use, hazardous waste dumping, and riparian habitat preservation. The Academy will also provide practical ideas for environmental activities through the exploration of curriculum resources and the development of regional and state networks of environmental educators. The Academy seeks to increase knowledge about effective instructional methods. |
| 1992 | AZ | 9 | Chandler Unified School District -- $4,900 Chandler, AZ 85224 Environmental Play This project involves an environmental play performed locally, which will utilize acting, song, and dance to teach content, explore problem-solving strategies, and encourage individual and group action toward projects related to the environment. Prior to the performance by elementary school students, teachers will test student knowledge and attitudes towards topics such as recycling, water conservation, ozone depletion, acid rain, and others. |
| 1992 | AZ | 9 | Resource Center for Environmental Education -- $4,704 Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Solid Waste Alternatives This program involves in-service training for educators for kindergarten through 12th grade to increase awareness and knowledge of solid waste alternatives in an area where open dump burning is common. |
| 1992 | AZ | 9 | Tucson Audubon Society -- $5,000 Tucson, AZ 85705 Biodiversity Identification in the Classroom Students from the inner city will attend classroom sessions to identify plants, birds, and animals in their neighborhood. The students also will be transported to three nearby desert habitats to compare and contrast them with their local neighborhoods. |
| 1992 | AR | 6 | Henderson State University -- $5,000 Arkadelphia, AR 71999 Putting Waste in Its Place in Arkansas "Putting Waste in Its Place in Arkansas" is a project that teaches educators about solid-waste management during the statewide Math and Science Leadership Conference and the Arkansas Science Teachers Association conference. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Evans Community Adult School -- $5,000 Los Angeles, CA 90012 The Earth, Our Shared Cultural Heritage This grant funds a teachers' workshop, entitled "The Earth, Our Shared Cultural Heritage," which will provide training for English-as-a-second-language instructors. The curriculum will focus on two areas: the study of environment from prehistory to the present and the study of biogeography to enable students to see beyond their neighborhoods to an expanded view of natural communities. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Live Oak School District -- $5,000 Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Classroom Rainforest Project This project is a classroom rainforest project which uses the tropical rainforest as a theme to explore the interaction of humans with their environment. Students will construct a three-dimensional tropical rainforest in the classroom and will create and monitor rainforest terrariums which simulate tropical ecosystems. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Marin County Office of Waste Management -- $5,000 San Rafael, CA 94913 Composting Program This school composting program is designed to develop an education program on yard- and worm-composting for selected elementary and middle schools in Marin County. The program includes development of curriculum on composting, training of educators, classroom demonstrations, purchase of compost systems, and design of a marketing program. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Mount Diablo Unified School District -- $4,690 Concord, CA 94519 Sampling the San Francisco Bay/Delta This project will allow fifth grade science teachers to gather data and analyze samples collected from the San Francisco Bay/Delta using the latest scientific method and equipment. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Napa Valley Unified School District -- $16,835 Napa, CA 94558 Millions of Trees The project "Millions of Trees" is designed to promote student, faculty, and community proactive environmental involvement. Students will raise conifers to be sold as living Christmas trees and a variety of native plants to reforest local areas. The students also will read significant non-fiction and fiction material related to the project; run scientific experiments on tree growth, and participate in other activities. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | National Audubon Society -- $25,000 Tiburon, CA 94920 Adopt a Threatened Plant or Animal This project will encourage students to "adopt" a local threatened plant or animal and develop a plan to help their "adoptee" survive. Participating schools will create a report of their activities and submit it in a statewide contest. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Pacific Primary School -- $5,000 San Francisco, CA 94117 Water is Life "Water is Life" is a project that includes the development of kindergarten curriculum that will create an awareness of the environment among pre-school children. The curriculum will focus on the issue of water, including its vital uses, its importance as a natural resource, and the critical need for water conservation. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | San Diego State University Foundation -- $4,999 San Diego, CA 92182 Radiation and the Human Environment The "Radiation and the Human Environment" project is a curriculum for public health officials and students. A graduate-level course will be developed to familiarize the students with principles and issues related to exposure of the public to various sources of radiation. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Conservation Corps -- $4,531 San Francisco, CA 94110 Corps to College Environmental Education The Corps to College Environmental Education project is a proposed curriculum based on the principle of interdependence among culture, community, and ecology. The curriculum will be taught to 18 to 25 young people for four hours a week for one semester. Corps members will learn about how those people in their ethnic history related to the environment, and how the communities in which they live are influenced by the environment. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | San Mateo-Foster City School District -- $4,850 San Mateo, CA 94403 Training in Chemical Education This project includes teacher training in chemical education and is a collaborative effort between the school district and the Chemical Education for Public Understanding (CEPUP) at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. Teachers from the district's middle schools will be trained in using CEPUP materials to develop a curriculum which will be used by 7th and 8th grade students to improve their understanding of chemical concepts and processes related to current environmental health risks. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Shasta Natural Science Association -- $4,950 Redding, CA 96001 Carter House Museum Those working on the Carter House Museum project will design, demonstrate, and disseminate a wetlands curriculum and hold in-service training for educators in the region. |
| 1992 | CA | 9 | Ventura County Solid Waste Management Department -- $4,979 Ventura, CA 93009 Backyard Composting Demonstration Garden The Backyard Composting Demonstration Garden project is a partnership between the Cities of Ojai and Ventura County to motivate residents to adopt habits that benefit the environment while helping to meet California's waste-reduction goal. A demonstration garden will be used as an educational tool to teach citizens to compost. |
| 1992 | CO | 8 | Educational Resources Association -- $4,500 Longmont, CO 80503 Materials and Training for Conservation Education This grant funds an expansion of a nationally-validated science program which will provide materials and training in conservation education to students and teachers nationwide. |
| 1992 | CO | 8 | E-Town -- $25,000 Boulder, CO 80306 Radio Broadcasts of Environmental Education This project consists of a radio station broadcasting environmental education in-between music segments. |
| 1992 | CO | 8 | Putnam-Fullana Elementary School -- $4,482 Fort Collins, CO 80521 Students Assess Local Ecological Conditions This program will teach 3rd and 4th graders to use science tools to assess local ecological conditions. |
| 1992 | CO | 8 | San Luis Valley Board of Cooperative Services -- $5,000 Alamosa, CO 81101 Outdoor Environmental Education Program This project is an outdoor environmental education program that will increase the opportunities for teachers and students to experience and learn about their environment. |
| 1992 | CO | 8 | Transportation 2000 -- $5,000 Boulder, CO 80301 Educational Video Series This grant funds an educational video series for classrooms, public television, and for individual and institutional use. |
| 1992 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Environmental Education -- $24,000 Hartford, CT 06106 Environmental Education Computer Programs This project revises and disseminates novel computerized environmental education programs that deal with risk communication and public outreach on toxic substances which have been piloted to youth and adults in the state through a coalition of environmental, health, and educational agencies. |
| 1992 | CT | 1 | Rainbow Recycling, Inc. -- $5,000 New Haven, CT 06511 Rainbow Recycling, Inc. and Students United for a Rebirth of Excellence (SURE) Rainbow Recycling, Inc. and Students United for a Rebirth of Excellence (SURE) seek to introduce community youth groups about solid waste reduction through development of a curriculum on composting and the construction of compost bins from recycled materials. |
| 1992 | DE | 3 | Cape Henlopen High School -- $5,000 Lewes, DE 19958 Teen Environmental Network The "Teen Environmental Network" project develops a grassroots link among all of the high school environmental clubs in Sussex County, Delaware. |
| 1992 | DE | 3 | Delaware Academy of Science -- $4,995 New Castle County, DE 19702 Habitat Enhancement Education Project The "Habitat Enhancement Education Project" is designed to help landowners and community groups enhance wildlife habitat with the use of recycled garbage and organic sludge while developing a curriculum for educators. |
| 1992 | DC | 3 | Friends of the Earth -- $12,000 Washington, DC 20005 Guide to Environmental Education Resources This grant funds a project to develop and distribute a printed guide of available environmental education resources and activities for Washington, DC students, senior citizens, and others. |
| 1992 | DC | 3 | The Terrene Institute, Inc. -- $4,993 Washington, DC 20036 Water Pollution Board Game This grant funds a project to develop a simplified version of a board game that teaches students and the public about basic principles of water-pollution control, including the relationship among water-quality standards, land-use practices, and the installation of best management practices for pollution control in a free-market system. |
| 1992 | FL | 4 | American Lung Association of Southeast Florida -- $5,000 West Palm Beach, FL 33407 Air Conservation This project is a 45-minute-long program on air conservation designed for students from kindergarten through college. The program includes a group discussion, written materials, and a slide presentation that focuses on environmental concerns in Palm Beach County, FL. |
| 1992 | FL | 4 | Brevard County School District -- $4,800 Melbourne, FL 32940 Compost Curriculum This project involves curriculum for high school students to develop a compost method suitable to the local biome and then to use their organic compost to fertilize a simple square-foot garden they design. |
| 1992 | FL | 4 | University of Miami -- $4,952 Coral Gables, FL 33124 Quality Function Development (QFD) This grant funds a broad-based secondary school course in environmental science and engineering, which uses Quality Function Development (QFD). A by-product of the activity will be development of a methodology that can be replicated and used for other educational levels. |
| 1992 | GA | 4 | Elachee Nature Science Center & Creative Museum -- $87,500 (HQ Grant) Gainesville, GA 30504 If Everyone Lived Like Me... "If Everyone Lived Like Me..." involves the creation of an interactive video software program for school children and adults to inspire individual action and educated choices on consumer behavior with the goal of reducing global pollution. |
| 1992 | GA | 4 | Elbert County Board of Education -- $5,000 Elberton, GA 30635 Rivers and Watersheds "Rivers and Watersheds" is a curriculum about rivers and watersheds designed to increase the awareness of students and educators in grades 6 through 8 of plant and animal diversity within the river, the benefits of rivers to humans, and how human activities can affect rivers. |
| 1992 | GA | 4 | Oconee Clean and Beautiful Commission -- $4,600 Watkinsville, GA 30677 Kids Environmental Talk Show The "Kids Environmental Talk Show" project involves six environmental talk shows featuring 12 students each that will be videotaped. The shows will be shown nationwide on the local public television stations. Six classroom presentations and field trips will be used to prepare 5th through 8th graders for the talk show. |
| 1992 | GA | 4 | University of Georgia -- $5,000 Eatonton, GA 31024 Discovery Pond Laboratory Project The "Discovery Pond Laboratory Project" is a curriculum and outdoor pond for the hands-on instruction of more than 16,000 students in grades 3 through 8 yearly. Curriculum will include water quality, lake habitat, lake biology, and demonstrations of modern measuring and diagnostic equipment. |
| 1992 | GA | 4 | Woodward Academy -- $15,880 College Park, GA 30337 Air, Soil, and Water Laboratory Exercises This grant funds instruction and laboratory exercises for grades 7 through 12 to teach about the air, soil, and water. The project provides middle school and secondary school teachers and students with a short course in pollution detection and mitigation. |
| 1992 | HI | 9 | University of Hawaii -- $5,000 Honolulu, HI 96813 Water-Quality Monitoring Training The Water-Quality Monitoring Training project trains selected high school teachers and students in the field method of collecting and analyzing water samples. Teachers will participate in a five-day summer workshop which will cover the basic issues of marine pollution, indicators of pollution, collection of water samples, and recording of results. Teachers would then nominate students who would be eligible to take an oceanography lab course in which they would study water pollution, the history of pollution in Pearl Harbor, and learn how to collect and analyze water samples. |
| 1992 | ID | 10 | Idaho Conservation League -- $4,809 Boise, ID 83701 Water Watch Program The "Water Watch Program" fosters citizen involvement in water quality protection efforts by providing opportunities for hands-on activities. A "Water Watch" group will eventually be developed for particular streams, rivers, wetlands, and lakes. |
| 1992 | ID | 10 | Idaho State University -- $4,904 Pocatello, ID 83209 Water Quality in Agriculture The grant funds the development and testing of a unit for grades 7 through 12 on water quality in agricultural areas of the Intermountain West. The project also includes development of background materials for students and teachers, a pilot curriculum, and a follow-up test at a rural high school. |
| 1992 | ID | 10 | The Nature Conservancy -- $5,000 Picabo, ID 83348 Silver Creek Preserve The Silver Creek Preserve environmental and wetlands education program provides a location for students to learn about wetlands ecology, water issues, and natural areas management. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Amundsen High School -- $12,861 Chicago, IL 60625 Environmental Studies Laboratory This grant will help to establish an environmental studies laboratory to service the entire student body at the Amundsen High School in Chicago. This high school has recently converted the focus of its entire curriculum to that of an environmental magnet school. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Chicago Academy of Sciences -- $117,825 (HQ Grant) Chicago, IL 60614 Ecological-Citizenship Project "Ecological-Citizenship" incorporates environmental education into the urban community's culture. Designed specifically for urban areas, Eco-Cit involves students, teachers, parents, and the community. The core element of the program is a multi-disciplinary ecology program involving hands-on exploration of environmental issues that affect the community. The Academy proposes to create a model program that can be used to introduce environmental education in inner-city settings throughout the country. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Gaia Theater -- $4,875 Chicago, IL 60645 Energy Curriculum This grant funds the development of a theatrical presentation and curriculum package on energy conservation and consumption geared toward Chicago Public School students in grades 4 through 8. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Illinois State University, Department of Health Sciences -- $5,000 Normal, IL 61761 Environmental Education Curriculum The project involves the development, implementation, and evaluation of a 1st grade environmental education curriculum with a teacher workshop. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Marist High School -- $2,250 Chicago, IL 60655 WEATHERFAX This grant funds the installation of the WEATHERFAX system to allow students to interact with live, continuous, incoming weather satellite images that can be applied to the school's physics and laboratory science classes. The project also involves teacher education. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Millikin University -- $4,700 Decatur, IL 62522 Freshwater Ecosystems This project introduces high school students to freshwater ecosystems. Students participate as field investigators in a six-day course, in which they learn methods of identification, collection, and the development of a plan of study. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Skokie Park District, Emily Oaks Nature Center -- $4,380 Skokie, IL 60076 Earth Education Program This grant funds the development of sequential two-year cumulative hands-on earth education program consisting of a nature center and school-based activities. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | South Suburban College -- $5,000 South Holland, IL 60473 Teacher Workshop for Environmental Science This project establishes a teacher workshop to conduct hands-on environmental science experiences in their respective classrooms. The project also establishes a science hotline for district teachers. |
| 1992 | IL | 5 | Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary, Schaumburg Park -- $5,000 Schaumburg, IL 60194 Environmental Education Outreach Program and Nature Center This project involves the formulation of an environmental education outreach program and nature center. |
| 1992 | IN | 5 | Indiana Department of Environmental Management -- $6,807 Indianapolis, IN 46205 Enviro-mobile This grant funds the development of an Enviro-mobile. The Enviro-mobile is a self-contained interactive mobile learning center that will accompany environmental education in the Northwest Indiana area. |
| 1992 | IA | 7 | Colo-Nesco Community School -- $5,000 Colo, IA 50056 Waste Not, Want Not The "Waste Not, Want Not" project helps students understand and assess certain environmental issues. The project also helps educators design and demonstrate environmental curricula that foster international cooperation by addressing environmental issues. |
| 1992 | IA | 7 | Eastern Iowa Community College -- $4,300 Davenport, IA 52801 Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies Workshop The "Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies Workshop" provides a one-week workshop for 25 educators at the high school level for the following disciplines: English, all basic sciences, and social studies. |
| 1992 | IA | 7 | Neighborhoods United -- $4,537 Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Expansion of Iowa's Adopt-A-Stream Program The "Expansion of Iowa's Adopt-A-Stream Program" fosters active and ongoing stewardship of our waterways by local residents and will improve the environment for all the area. |
| 1992 | IA | 7 | St. Joseph School District -- $1,500 Earlville, IA 52041 Rethinking Our Use of Recyclables The "Rethinking Our Use of Recyclables" project contains methods for developing a recycling curriculum for grades 1 through 6. |
| 1992 | KS | 7 | Ellis County Unified Schools -- $5,000 Hays, KS 67601 Creative Solutions to Plant and Water Solution This grant, titled "Creative Solutions to Plant and Water Solution," provides tools for expanding students' knowledge by providing opportunities for first-hand observations in an outdoor classroom. The project enables students to generate creative solutions and to disseminate those solutions to the public. |
| 1992 | KS | 7 | Ft. Hays State University -- $12,216 Hays, KS 67601 Environmental Workshop for Teachers The "Environmental Workshop for Teachers" project involves enrolling 24 western Kansas educators, kindergarten through 12th grade, in a week-long workshop. |
| 1992 | KS | 7 | Haskell Indian Junior College -- $25,000 Lawrence, KS 66046 Multi-Cultural Environmental Education Curriculum This grant at Haskell College proposes a multi-cultural environmental education curriculum involving four key components: an environmental science curriculum development program, an environmental education resource center, an ongoing series of environmental workshops, and an environmental outreach program. |
| 1992 | KS | 7 | Olathe South High School -- $3,750 Olathe, KS 66062 Growing Plants This program will allow students to learn about various methods for growing plants under conditions that are environmentally safe. |
| 1992 | KS | 7 | Queen of the Holy Rosary School -- $5,000 Overland Park, KS 66204 Earth and Environmental Science Curriculum The goal of this project is to develop an earth and environmental science curriculum that allows for students to become active participants in examining specific environmental issues. |
| 1992 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Tech - Harrison County Center -- $5,000 Cynthiana, KY 41031 Testing Residential Water Supplies This two-week long curriculum will require students to test the purity of samples taken from the South Fork of Licking River, residential water supplies (from wells and cisterns), and the effluent of a major local drainage outfall. A videotape will be made of the course for instructional purposes. |
| 1992 | KY | 4 | Madison County Clean Community -- $806 Richmond, KY 40475 Ground Water Pollution Program The "Ground Water Pollution Program" is a three-dimensional model and videotape presentation for 4-H Club members, farmers, and visitors to the Madison county fair. The program will provide an overview of the geology specific to Madison County and the effects of routine activities on the potential to pollute ground water. |
| 1992 | LA | 6 | Nature Conservancy of Louisiana -- $5,000 Baton Rouge, LA 70821 Environment and the Economy in Your Backyard: Forested Wetlands and Agriculture This grant, titled "Environment and the Economy in Your Backyard: Forested Wetlands and Agriculture," will provide the tools necessary to design, develop, and distribute an educational curriculum. A sideshow will be presented that will address the functions and value of forested wetlands and their relationship to the economy. |
| 1992 | LA | 6 | Southern University -- $170,000 (HQ Grant) Baton Rouge, LA 70813 Environmental Education and Training The goal of this project is to achieve increased minority participation in environmental education and management initiatives through a two-phase, multi-site environmental education and training program. Groups that will be affected include elementary, middle and high school students, and educators; parents; college students; and members of community organizations. The program will be simultaneously implemented in the 17 communities served by member institutions of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions Environmental Technology and Waste Management Consortium. |
| 1992 | LA | 6 | University of Southwestern Louisiana -- $23,962 Lafayette, LA 70504 Environmental Training Institute This grants funds a collaborative project between the University's College of Education and Gulf States Utility Companies to present a summer environmental training institute for educators and college students who plan to become educators. The project will focus on environmental issues such as wetlands and on-shore and off-shore oil drilling. |
| 1992 | ME | 1 | Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Gorham, ME 04092 Groundwater and Drinking Water Curriculum This grant funds a project to develop and disseminate an integrated, goal-oriented environmental education curriculum on groundwater and drinking water issues. The project will focus on investigation and evaluation skills and citizenship action issues for students in grade 9 through 12. |
| 1992 | ME | 1 | Maine Audubon Society -- $4,998 Falmouth, ME 04105 Wetlands Education Project The"Wetlands Education Project" will provide relevant and accessible educational materials and programs to teachers and concerned community members that includes wetlands curricula, slide shows, videos, brochures, and posters. |
| 1992 | ME | 1 | Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife -- $3,750 Augusta, ME 04333 Wetlands and Wildlife Interpretation Area The "Wetlands and Wildlife Interpretation Area" project, located in Gray, Maine, will focus on methods in which the public can protect or enhance wetland habitat, including areas located on their own property, in order to attract wildlife. |
| 1992 | ME | 1 | Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association -- $5,000 Augusta, ME 04338 Seed-To-Table Farm Stewardship Exhibition The "Seed-To-Table Farm Stewardship Exhibition" is a project for farmers and consumers to make them more aware of the environmental impacts on food choices. The exhibit will include a portable, walk-through display that will use models, games, stories, photographs, and performers to demonstrate the proper farming practices used to protect natural ecosystems. The exhibit will travel to major agricultural and environmental events across New England. |
| 1992 | ME | 1 | Saint Joseph's College Department of Biology -- $5,000 Windham, ME 04062 Remote Sensing in Southern Maine This grant funds a project that incorporates the analysis of remote sensing satellite images into a curriculum for undergraduate students and the public. The project is designed to educate students on the impacts of environmentally destructive processes occurring in southern Maine. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | Hillcrest School District -- $3,660 Catonsville, MD 21228 Environmental Education Curriculum This project involves creating and implementing a comprehensive environmental education curriculum for students in kindergarten though 5th grade. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | Howard B. Owens Science Center -- $4,000 Lanham, MD 20706 Project Gain This grant, titled "Project Gain," focuses on designing a composting project and curriculum that encourages food waste composting at three local schools and backyard composting at home. The project will be designed for high school, middle school and elementary school students, and other county residents of Prince Georges County. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | Howard County Public School System -- $22,440 Ellicott City, MD 21042 Building a Wetland This project focuses on designing and building a wetland using recycled materials. The project also involves developing associated study areas and an educational curriculum for the community, including local departments and businesses, national companies, and scientific organizations. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | Maryland Environmental Trust -- $4,950 Annapolis, MD 21401 Land Preservation Education and Training The "Land Preservation Education and Training" project focuses on educating Maryland local land trusts on the legal, technical, and financial aspects of land conservation. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | Maryland Envirothon -- $1,000 Annapolis, MD 21401 Natural Resource Problem Solving Competition This project involves hosting a statewide student competition for high school students on natural resource problem solving. |
| 1992 | MD | 3 | National 4-H Council -- $50,000 (HQ Grant) Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Computer Simulation of Environmental Process This grant funds a project on developing a computer-based simulation of environmental processes for 9 to 11 year-olds. The game will be part of a youth program called Environmental Stewardship that will focus on cultivating personal commitment to responsible resource management. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Commonwealth Zoological Corp.'s Franklin Park Zoo -- $13,340 Boston, MA 02121 Black Scientists in the Environment Festival -- 1993 The "Black Scientists in the Environment Festival -- 1993" project provides an educational and fun environmental science program for urban, minority youth and access to role models in the environmental sciences. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society -- $4,958 Easthampton, MA 01027 Water Quality Assessment Curriculum This grant funds a project to design and demonstrate a hands-on, long-term, multi-disciplinary water quality assessment curriculum for 5th graders. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society -- $5,000 Milton, MA 02186 Endangered Species/Habitat Destruction Project The Endangered Species/Habitat Destruction Project at Blue Hills Trailside Museum introduces awareness of endangered and threatened species to 4th graders. The project involves a field trip to 4th grade classrooms with live animals. The purpose of the field trip is to discuss the factors leading to species decline and includes a day-long environmental education workshop for educators. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society -- $5,000 Worcester, MA 01604 Blackstone River Watershed Education Project The "Blackstone River Watershed Education Project" prepares high school educators and students to conduct intensive water quality monitoring and computer networking projects. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Quebec-Labrador Foundation -- $84,125 (HQ Grant) Ipswich, MA 01938 Atlantic Riverkeepers Program This grant funds a model community-based environmental education and conservation project in northern New England and eastern Canada called the Atlantic Riverkeepers Program. The purpose of the program is to provide education, training, and other enrichment opportunities in targeted communities, including the St. John, St. Croix, and Connecticut Rivers. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Reading Memorial High School -- $5,000 Reading, MA 01867 Vernal Pool Curriculum Project The "Vernal Pool Curriculum Project" involves educating high school students in Middlesex and Essex Counties in vernal pool certification, gathering of water quality data, and investigation of organisms and habitat. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | Technical Education Research Center (TERC) -- $99,988 (HQ Grant) Cambridge, MA 02140 Smog Watch This grant funds "Smog Watch," a project that involves a study of ground-level ozone, a key component of smog. The project will be conducted at 11 museums and science and nature centers nationwide for youths and their families. Participants will learn the causes and effects of ozone as well as individual lifestyle choices that impact the ozone problem. |
| 1992 | MA | 1 | West Roxbury High School -- $5,000 Boston, MA 02132 Environmental Quality of School Campuses This project involves development of a science program for 9th grade English, special education, science, and conservation classes that raises student awareness of major environmental science topics that may improve the quality of school campuses and surrounding "urban wilds." |
| 1992 | MI | 5 | Holy Family Middle School, Diocese of Saginaw, Vicariate VIII Catholic Schools -- $5,000 Bay City, MI 48708 Ecosystems of the Great Lakes This grants funds a project for middle school students to investigate, analyze, and evaluate five ecosystems in the Great Lakes watershed for their biological, physical, and chemical properties. Limnological and other testing kits and microscopes will be provided for the school's 5th through 8th grade science classes. |
| 1992 | MI | 5 | Onaway Area Community Schools -- $977 Onaway, MI 48765 Water Quality of the Black River This project will allow for several area high schools to purchase sophisticated water quality testing equipment to complete tests on the Black River. The information collected as part of this project will be used to develop an educational curriculum for biology classes. |
| 1992 | MI | 5 | Washtenaw County -- $20,000 Ann Arbor, MI 48107 Washtenaw County Environmental Internship Program The "Washtenaw County Environmental Internship Program" project will involve developing and implementing an environmental internship program for junior and senior high school students of color. The program will provide six-week-long paid internships for eligible students. |
| 1992 | MN | 5 | Education Coop Service Unit of the Metro Twin Cities Area -- $9,212 St. Paul, MN 55104 Aquatic Ecology and STELLA Models This grant funds a workshop for 20 high school math and science educators. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce the educators to current issues in aquatic ecology using STELLA software. Necessary testing equipment will be made available to participants for use at their schools. |
| 1992 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Extension Service -- $4,800 Clarkfield, MN 56223-0128 Environmental Education Camps This project will focus on educating more than 360 youths, grades 4 to 11, using environmental education camps. The camps will provide a hands-on approach to environmental education and will draw on assistance from other state environmental agencies. |
| 1992 | MN | 5 | Northwoods Audubon Center -- $20,000 Sandstone, MN 55072 Ecological Education Curriculum This project will focus on developing an experiential ecological education curriculum program for multi-cultural populations and young people with disabilities. |
| 1992 | MN | 5 | Regents of University of Minnesota, Morris -- $5,000 Morris, MN 56267 Environmental Education Curriculum Development This project involves developing and testing a pre-service educator training model that focuses on infusing environmental concepts, issues and methodologies into an educational curriculum. The project will involve a full-day workshop for pre-service educators for kindergarten through 6th grade. |
| 1992 | MS | 4 | Keep Clarksdale Beautiful, Inc. -- $5,000 Clarksdale, MS 38614 Solid Waste Curriculum This project involves developing a curriculum in local schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. The purpose of the project is to: (1) educate workshop participants about the proper handling of solid waste, (2) identify effective methods for reducing solid waste streams in the community, and (3) address specific problems of the Mississippi delta region. |
| 1992 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $5,000 University, MS 38677 Traveling Trunk Environmental Program The "Traveling Trunk Environmental Program" project will introduce environmental responsibility and stewardship concepts to local youths. Two trunks, containing educational material formatted at a 4th grade level, will travel to and be presented at schools in a 12-county area in northern Mississippi. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Climax Springs, R-IV -- $4,920 Climax Springs, MO 65324 Biomonitoring for Students This grant funds a project that will enhance environmental science educational opportunities for students in grades 7 through 12. Students will be allowed to perform biomonitoring of their environment, including analysis of a local creek and a watershed of the Climax Springs Cave system. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Jackson County Extension -- $4,650 Independence, MO 64057 Minimizing Waste Streams This project will address the technical and educational needs of municipalities, small business operators, and citizens with regards to minimizing waste streams for 11 counties. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Kansas City Southwest Science/Math -- $4,608 Kansas City, MO 64106 Surface Water Monitoring in Kansas City The purpose of this project is to enable students to assess and monitor the quality of the primary surface water body in the Kansas City metropolitan area. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Kansas City, Missouri School District -- $5,000 Kansas City, MO 64106 Environmental Education Lesson Plans The purpose of this project is to design educational methods and techniques, such as lesson plans, related to environmental issues. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Lincoln University -- $5,000 Jefferson City, MO 65101 Environmental Conflict Resolution This grant funds a project that will expose students to the social, ethical, economic, and political aspects of environmental conflict resolution and decision-making. The project will encourage active participation in the resolution of such issues. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary -- $5,000 Liberty, MO 64068 Teacher Training Workshop The Teacher Training Workshop project focuses on training educators in the Liberty Public School District in environmental education. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $16,538 St. Louis, MO 63166 Water Quality in St. Louis The purpose of this project is to increase awareness of aquatic ecology and water quality and the factors affecting water pollution in St. Louis. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Shenandoah Valley Kindergarten -- $200 Chesterfield, MO 63017 Energy and Fiber Resource Conservation This project will promote energy and fiber resource conservation and recycling. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | The Magic House -- $3,600 St. Louis, MO 63122 Early Childhood Educator Workshop This grant funds a workshop for educators that is specifically geared towards examining the classroom methodology used by early childhood educators. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Waynesville Middle School -- $3,585 Waynesville, MO 65583 Environmental Community Issues This grant funds a hands-on laboratory project that promotes student interest in community issues and encourages decision making skills. |
| 1992 | MO | 7 | Westport Senior High School -- $5,000 Kansas City, MO 64111 Soil Testing This project will develop methods to test soil in the urban environment. |
| 1992 | MT | 8 | Bozeman Public Schools -- $4,500 Bozeman, MT 59802 Yellowstone Habitats This project will involve sixth graders conducting habitat analysis of the Yellowstone ecosystem. |
| 1992 | MT | 8 | Butte-Silver Bow Health Department -- $5,000 Butte, MT 59701 Prevention of Lead Poisoning This program will focus on educating children in the prevention of lead poisoning. |
| 1992 | MT | 8 | Missoula City/County Health Department -- $4,995 Missoula, MT 59802 Air Pollution Kits The grant funds the development of kits for studying air pollution in the valley. |
| 1992 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association (MEEA) -- $5,000 Dillon, MT 59725 Environmental Education Curricula and Statewide Network This project focuses on increasing the general public's knowledge and understanding of environmental issues and ecological principles by enhancing the skills and curricula of educators and by building a statewide network of educators committed to integrating environmental education into existing school curricula. |
| 1992 | MT | 8 | Northern Montana College -- $18,750 Havre, MT 59501 Environmental Technology Education Partnership This grant funds a project for representatives of educational institutions to establish a partnership for environmental technology education in the Northwest region. |
| 1992 | NE | 7 | Educational Services Unit #3, Omaha, NE -- $5,000 Omaha, NE 68137 Identifying Environmental Education Needs This project will allow environmental specialists to work with educators from area school districts, kindergarten through 12th grade, in identifying the environmental education needs of this area. |
| 1992 | NE | 7 | Governor's Council to Keep Nebraska Beautiful -- $4,887 Lincoln, NE 68508 Train the Trainer This "Train the Trainer" project will provide an opportunity for 40 Nebraska elementary educators to attend one of four one-day workshops. |
| 1992 | NE | 7 | Lakeview High School -- $750 Columbus, NE 68601 Groundwater Testing Lakeview chemistry students have been testing the quality of the groundwater in Platte County for 11 different substances. This grant will allow the project to be expanded. |
| 1992 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska, Veterinary Science -- $24,850 Lincoln, NE 68583 Livestock Waste Management Curriculum The purpose of this project is to develop a curriculum for teaching important principles and practices related to livestock waste management. |
| 1992 | NV | 9 | Sierra Nevada College -- $5,000 Incline Village, NV 89451 Environmental Education in Elementary Classroom The Environmental Education in Elementary Classroom project is a series of workshops for elementary educators. The workshops will provide participants with the techniques to integrate environmental science subjects into their curricula. Participants also will study pertinent local issues such as desert management, smog, drought, recycling, etc. |
| 1992 | NH | 1 | Harris Center for Conservation Education -- $17,620 Hancock, NH 03449 Monitoring Ambient Air Quality This project involves educating high school students and teachers in the research methods of monitoring ambient air-quality in the Monandnock Region through interdisciplinary learning and analysis of data. |
| 1992 | NH | 1 | Lake Sunapee Protective Association -- $4,993 Georges Mills, NH 03751 Sunapee Lakes Regional Environmental Laboratory The "Sunapee Lakes Regional Environmental Laboratory" project educates junior and senior high school students on the skills necessary to conduct reliable analyses of water-quality samples from the region's lakes. The project involves training students in the laboratory techniques used by water-quality professionals. |
| 1992 | NH | 1 | Proctor Academy Environmental Program -- $3,000 Andover, NH 03216 Environmental Outreach Program This grant funds a project that focuses on the development of an environmental outreach program that promotes environmental issues and awareness throughout high school campuses in northern New England. |
| 1992 | NJ | 2 | Cherry Hill Public Schools -- $4,135 Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Project Earth For "Project Earth," two high school environmental clubs will establish environmental programs in district elementary schools to address natural resource conservation, pollution, and recycling issues. The project also will implement a district-wide environmental curriculum in the schools. |
| 1992 | NJ | 2 | Collier Services -- $3,745 Wickatunk, NJ 07765 Wetlands: Save or Pave The "Wetlands: Save or Pave" program at the Kateri Center will expose handicapped and at-risk youth to environmental issues concerning ponds, wetlands, and other water systems. The program also will educate the youth on the need for conservation practices in these aquatic settings. Hands-on activities will include field investigations of water chemistry and macro- and microscopic biota. |
| 1992 | NJ | 2 | Montclair Board of Education -- $5,000 Montclair, NJ 07042 Courtyard Conservation: An Environmental Education Project This grant funds the "Courtyard Conservation: An Environmental Education Project" which involves developing an outdoor site for educating participants about environmental issues. For this project, participants will learn to design a curriculum that maximizes the educational uses of the facility. |
| 1992 | NJ | 2 | Pinelands Regional School District -- $5,000 Tuckerton, NJ 08087 Pinelands Environmental Experience The "Pinelands Environmental Experience" project provides educators in-service training on methods for integrating existing curricula with the Pinelands Environmental Experience residential program. The project will provide an enhanced, hands-on approach for participants. |
| 1992 | NM | 6 | Moriarity Municipal Schools -- $5,000 Moriarity, NM 87035 Operation Desert Grow The "Operation Desert Grow" project will allow students to explore water conservation issues through activities that emphasize exploration, scientific process skills, and discovery learning. The activities of this project will be conducted in the following settings: classroom laboratory, garden plots, a greenhouse, a nature trail, and a composting area. |
| 1992 | NM | 6 | New Mexico State University -- $127,500 (HQ Grant) Las Cruces, NM 88003 Project del Rio This grant funds "Project del Rio" which seeks to expand participation by high schools in monitoring the water quality of the Rio Grande on both sides of the border. This project will: (1) provide greater coverage of water-quality monitoring; (2) enhance educational curriculum by incorporating newly available resources; (3) address specific water-quality concerns within the Rio Grande watershed; (4) establish partnerships with citizen-monitoring groups; and (5) draw upon the resources of Mexican educators. |
| 1992 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources -- $24,750 Santa Fe, NM 87505 Statewide Source Reduction Public Information Campaign This grant funds the "Statewide Source Reduction Public Information Campaign" project which will focus on expanding the state's present programs by creating task force audit teams to promote commercial source-reduction audits and to recommend effective source-reduction methods. |
| 1992 | NM | 6 | Road Runners Recyclers, Inc. -- $5,000 El Prado, NM 87529 A Recycled Playground This grant funds a project to construct a playground out of discarded materials in a low-income housing area. The project will demonstrate methods of teaching recycling, reuse, and reduction techniques that can be implemented throughout communities nationwide. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | American Lung Association -- $4,990 Albany, NY 12205 Clean Indoor-Air Super-Sleuths The "Clean Indoor-Air Super-Sleuths" project involves designing, implementing, and evaluating a program to enhance environmental studies for grades 3 through 5. The curricula developed for this project will focus on increasing awareness of health and environmental hazards in the home. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Board of Cooperative Educational Services (TST BOCES) -- $4,900 Ithaca, NY 14850 Stream Analysis at TST Boces Middle School The "Stream Analysis at TST Boces Middle School" project will involve having participants perform water-quality studies at small, urban streams near the middle school. The results of the project will contribute to the integration of science studies into the general curriculum of the middle-school students. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Bolton Central School -- $5,000 Bolton Landing, NY 12814 Water Monitoring and Analysis of Watershed in Junior High Science The "Water Monitoring and Analysis of Watershed in Junior High Science" project involves developing a monitoring program for seventh grade students as part of the River Watch Network. Participants of the program will use Lake George as a living laboratory. Sampling equipment will be acquired for the project to monitor and analyze nearby streams, ponds, lakes, river beds, marshes, mixed forest, and urban areas. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment -- $25,000 Brooklyn, NY 11215 Environmental Education Teacher Training and Class Field Study Subsidy Program The "Environmental Education Teacher Training and Class Field Study Subsidy Program" will prepare Brooklyn school children to recognize and understand issues and concerns related to water-quality management and water pollution. The program will provide training for educators, single and multi-session field trips, and on-going support for educators through follow-on consultations and a newsletter. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | City of Rye -- $5,000 Rye, NY 10580 Rye Nature Center Summer Environmental Science Institute The Rye Nature Center Summer Environmental Science Institute is a joint venture of the Rye Nature Center and the City School District. The institute will provide educators of kindergarten through 6th grade with a progressive study core curriculum of 42 units that will be suitable for interfacing with middle and high school science programs. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ontario County -- $2,250 Canandaigua, NY 14424 A Citizen's Guide to Water Resource Protection This grant funds "A Citizen's Guide to Water Resource Protection," which involves enrolling high-school seniors in Participation-in-Government classes. Through this project, participants will develop a better understanding of the environmental, governmental, and economic issues impacting the management of ground water and surface water resources in local communities. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | County of Madison -- $5,000 Wampsville, NY 13163 Waste Reduction and Recycling Education Project The "Waste Reduction and Recycling Education Project" involves developing and designing a waste-reduction and recycling curriculum for elementary schools. Participants will be involved in the demonstration, field testing, evaluation, and dissemination of the curriculum through workshops for educators held across the country. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Greenbelt Conservancy, Inc. -- $4,984 Staten Island, NY 10306 Identification and Evaluation of Wetlands This grant funds a project to research, develop, and implement a pilot program for the identification and evaluation of wetlands. The program will target 3rd through 5th grade students and will focus on evaluating an urban wetland area. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Network for Social Justice -- $24,961 New York, NY 10003 ACTS: Active Change Through Schools The "ACTS: Active Change Through Schools" project is sponsored by Innovative Community Enterprises with Community School District #16 with the participation of New York University, the New York City Board of Education's NYCNET, the Crown Height Youth Collective, All Boro Recycling, Inc., and seven Brooklyn members of the Community Recycling Alliance. The project will involve developing an integrated, inter-disciplinary environmental curriculum that will be widely applicable to students throughout New York City. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Canandaigua, NY 14424 WATERWORKS Project The "WATERWORKS Project" focuses on developing a curriculum for middle-school students with special emphasis on water quality issues. The project will provide training for educators and will involve the participation of water-quality specialists and public officials and field trips. As part of the project, course material will be revised for use in environmental education programs offered in area schools. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Port Washington Union Free School District -- $3,600 Port Washington, NY 11050 Long Island Sound: A Past, Present and Future Project The "Long Island Sound: A Past, Present and Future Project" provides experience-oriented learning activities related to the condition and future of Long Island Sound. The project will be cooperative effort with the Science Museum of Long Island and will include field trips on a schooner. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Research Foundation of the State University of New York (SUNY) -- $5,000 Albany, NY 12201 Computer Simulation of the Environmental Impact of Modern Conveniences The "Computer Simulation of the Environmental Impact of Modern Conveniences" project involves developing a computer program and accompanying curriculum to educate participants on the impacts to the environment of the use of everyday goods and services such as fossil fuels and electricity and through the production of products such as plastic, paper, and metal. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Syracuse University -- $5,000 Syracuse, NY 13224 Environmental Issues and the Community The "Environmental Issues and the Community" project will provide participants with an understanding of the problem-solving skills required to evaluate various environmental issues. The project will consist of a series of seminars involving adults and government employees. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Teatown Lake Reservation -- $5,000 Ossining, NY 10562 Water Quality Monitoring in the Classroom This project involves a series of workshops that will provide educators with the skills required to develop a classroom water-quality monitoring program. The workshops will focus on issues related to prevention of water pollution and on techniques for monitoring water quality and evaluating data. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Ticonderoga Central School District -- $5,000 Ticonderoga, NY 12883 Education/Action: Dual Strategy for Environmental Conservation of Ticonderoga The "Education/Action: Dual Strategy for Environmental Conservation of Ticonderoga" program aims to enhance environmental education in an economically depressed area. The program will include a course introduction and plans for establishing a Conservation Corps to develop and implement a recycling and energy-conservation program. |
| 1992 | NY | 2 | Town of Cheektowaga -- $5,000 Cheektowaga, NY 14227 Town of Cheektowaga, NY, Environmental Education The "Town of Cheektowaga, NY, Environmental Education" program will use a town park as a laboratory to develop and implement an environmental education program and curricula. On-site training sessions will be held for area educators. |
| 1992 | NC | 4 | Frank Porter Graham Elementary School PTA -- $24,950 Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Hands on the Environment This grant funds the "Hands on the Environment" project that will involve developing a science program for elementary school students. Participants of this program will learn to build and use a loop trail and will study aspects of soil quality, plant and wildlife habitat, erosion, and weather. The activities of the project will be integrated into several different areas of study and a user manual will be prepared for educators and other instructors. |
| 1992 | NC | 4 | McDowell High School -- $4,951 Marion, NC 28752 Environmental Science II The "Environmental Science II" project involves developing a science curriculum for advanced high school students to research and report on environmental issues, perform field studies, and communicate with the appropriate authorities on the results of the project. |
| 1992 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service -- $4,490 Asheville, NC 28802 Project Earth Angel This grant funds "Project Earth Angel" which focuses on educating consumers on making more environmentally-responsible decisions. The project will attempt to demonstrate to participants how their behavior can impact the environment and how their behavior may be improved. |
| 1992 | NC | 4 | Pines of Carolina Girl Scout Council -- $5,000 Raleigh, NC 27612-0294 Pines of Carolina Girl Scouts Care for the Earth The "Pines of Carolina Girl Scouts Care for the Earth" project will attempt to promote a better understanding of recycling as a multi-faceted issue and a social problem among 1,600 Girl Scouts and adult leaders. The project will: (1) provide training workshops for adult voluntary leaders, (2) encourage community-based cooperative ventures, and (3) challenge each Girl Scout to implement recycling programs in her own household. |
| 1992 | ND | 8 | North Dakota State University -- $25,000 Fargo, ND 58105 Environmental Education for Native American Youth The purpose of this program is to develop and implement a series of lessons in environmental education for Native American youths. |
| 1992 | OH | 5 | Bowling Green State University -- $4,956 Bowling Green, OH 43403 Early Childhood Environmental Education Network This project will involve an international network of more than 60 individuals who will establish an information-sharing network focusing on the development, expansion, and evaluation of quality programs in early childhood environmental education. |
| 1992 | OH | 5 | Miami University, Department of Zoology -- $1,986 Oxford, OH 45056 Lake Erie and Local Endangered Species This project will involve developing and implementing enhancements to curricula for educators of kindergarten through 6th grade, on Lake Erie and local endangered species. |
| 1992 | OH | 5 | Northeast Ohio Greens -- $2,500 Cleveland, OH 44133 Growing Food Without Pesticides This grant will fund a project to educate low-income and area students on how to grow and preserve nutritious food without the use of pesticides. Participants will use vacant lots and low-income housing areas to grow their crops. |
| 1992 | OH | 5 | Tuscarawas Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 New Philadelphia, OH 44663 Impacts of Non-point Source Pollution This project will involve educating elementary, high school, and college students to identify the impacts of nonpoint source pollution on the county. The project will demonstrate land management techniques through the establishment of six land lab sites throughout the county and using a curriculum booklet. |
| 1992 | OK | 6 | Mid-Del Schools -- $4,753 Midwest City, OK 73140 Wild Classroom The "Wild Classroom" project will involve creating an outdoor classroom for students in kindergarten through 6th grade and educating teaching staff on developing training that will be incorporated into the student's educational curriculum. |
| 1992 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma 4-H Foundation -- $4,650 Stillwater, OK 74078 Environmental Exhibit This grant funds a project to develop an exhibit that addresses issues such as global climate change, ozone depletion, solid waste management, water quality, and household hazardous substances. The exhibit will include an interactive weather Mesonet system. |
| 1992 | OK | 6 | Project Learning Tree -- $1,272 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Tree Trunks Project The "Tree Trunks Project" involves developing or purchasing educational material such as videos, slide programs, hand lenses, field guides, computer programs, posters, naturescopes, and forestry equipment that will be displayed in an artificial tree trunk. |
| 1992 | OK | 6 | Shawnee Conservation District -- $5,000 Shawnee, OK 74801 Environmental Education Workshop This grant funds a project to conduct workshops in outdoor classrooms for educators and community leaders on utilizing environmental education programs. The project will include a newsletter and a scholarship program. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | Administrative School District #10 -- $4,060 Seaside, OR 97138 Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP) The "Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP)" will allow local schools, communities, and city governments to protect intertidal habitat through educational programs and through a new concept of protective stewardship. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center -- $5,000 Benton County, OR 97339 Wildlife Rehabilitation This grant funds a project that involves using wildlife rehabilitation efforts as an experimental learning method for use in public educational systems. CWRC staff, in partnership with area educators, will integrate knowledge about debilitated wildlife into the local public educational system. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | Eugene School District -- $5,000 Eugene, OR 97402 Cal Young Middle School Stormwater-Wetland Study The Cal Young Middle School Stormwater-Wetland Study involves educating students about creating and implementing environmental solutions in their community through a environmental education curriculum. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | Oregon Department of Agriculture -- $5,000 Salem, OR 97301 Small Farm/Rural Homesite Water Quality Education Project The Small Farm/Rural Homesite Water Quality Education Project provides funding for printing and disseminating a handbook of recommended pollution control practices for rural homeowners and noncommercial farms. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | Oregon School for the Blind -- $4,866 Salem, OR 97301 Stream Enhancement and Fish Habitat This grant funds a summer environmental workshop for students and staff to work with Oregon Fish and Wildlife personnel in planning and implementing a stream enhancement and fish habitat improvement project. |
| 1992 | OR | 10 | University of Oregon -- $5,000 Eugene, OR 97403 Environmentally Sustainable Development The "Environmentally Sustainable Development" project involves a two-term course that will assess the long-term environmental sustainability of various development strategies. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Cumberland Valley Education Association -- $4,975 Mechanicsburg/Cumberland, PA 17055 Spotlight on the Environment This grant funds a project for fifth grade students to produce environmental videos that put a "spotlight on the environment". |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Montgomery County Intermediate Unit -- $5,000 Erdenheim, PA 19118 Electronic Environmental Database This grant funds a project to develop and train students to use an electronic environmental database on Montgomery County schools. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Morraine Preservation Fund -- $5,000 Zelienople and Butler Counties, PA 16001 Environmental Education Curricula This project involves developing environmental education curricula for students of public schools and Slippery Rock University and providing for educators throughout western Pennsylvania electronic links to environmental education databases. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Penn State Cooperative Extension -- $1,300 Towanda, PA 18848 Water Quality Monitoring This project aims to generate interest in and motivate 4-H members, students, and pond and lake owners to protect ground water and surface water through effective monitoring of water quality. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Penn State Harrisburg -- $16,269 Harrisburg, PA 17057 Preventing Pollution During Road Construction This project involves developing for the Pennsylvania Local Roads Program an environmental curriculum, handbook, and training course for use in educating municipalities on how to prevent pollution during the construction of roads. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania Department of Education -- $5,000 Harrisburg, PA 17126 Learn About Environmental Education Projects This grant funds a project to familiarize Pennsylvania educators with 15 regional and national environmental education projects. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission -- $4,300 Altoona, PA 16602 Water Resources Curriculum This project involves developing and distributing to school districts in the drought-stricken Southern Alleghenies region curriculum packages on water resource management and conservation. |
| 1992 | PA | 3 | The Philadelphia School -- $5,000 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Urban Forestry Curriculum This grant funds a project for students in kindergarten through 8th grade to develop and test an urban forestry curriculum. |
| 1992 | RI | 1 | Community Preparatory School, Inc. -- $12,500 Providence, RI 02907 Earthworks Project The "Earthworks Project" focuses on assisting non-science educators, grades 4 through 8, to integrate environmental education curricula into their subjects. |
| 1992 | RI | 1 | Washington Park United Methodist Church -- $5,000 Providence, RI 02907 Childhood Lead Action Project The "Childhood Lead Action Project" involves implementing for young children and parents in Rhode Island grass-roots education and outreach programs in the prevention of childhood lead poisoning. |
| 1992 | SC | 4 | Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service -- $5,000 St. George, SC 29477 Workshop for Environmental Education Techniques The "Workshop for Environmental Education Techniques" focuses on educating county council members, educators, and school administrators, through tours and lectures by experts, about the effects local and regional activities have on natural resources. Participants will learn to develop a lesson plan for educating students about environmental issues. |
| 1992 | SC | 4 | Mead Hall -- $4,800 Aiken, SC 29801 Environmental Education Curriculum This grant funds a project to develop an environmental education curriculum that can be readily integrated into a 5th grade science program. Students will participate directly in the development of environmental education material, ecological field techniques, and methods of environmental assessment. |
| 1992 | SD | 8 | Aurora County Conservation District -- $3,652 Plankington, SD 57368 Cultivation of Shelterbelts This grant funds a project that will demonstrate techniques for cultivation of shelterbelts in the county. |
| 1992 | SD | 8 | Pennington County Air Quality Board -- $5,000 Rapid City, SD 57701 Air Pollution Campaign This grant will implement a public education campaign on air pollution. |
| 1992 | TN | 4 | Cleveland-Bradley Keep America Beautiful, Inc. -- $5,000 Cleveland, TN 37311 Waste Disposal This grant funds a project for trained community volunteers to educate students in kindergarten through 6th grade using nine lessons about waste disposal in order to make students more aware of the value of proper waste handling as a key to improving the quality of life at school and in the community. The lessons will involve examining the environmental impacts of constructing a new landfill in the area. |
| 1992 | TN | 4 | Recycle Signal, Inc. -- $4,000 Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Recycling This grant funds a program to motivate children and parents to take an active part in working towards a solution to the problem of solid waste. |
| 1992 | TN | 4 | Sevier County 4-H Club -- $3,600 Sevierville, TN 37862 Solid Waste and Water Quality Program This grant funds a program to educate 4-H Club members about solid waste disposal and water quality issues in Sevier County and to teach members methods to reduce solid waste disposal and to increase awareness of solid waste issues. The project aims to encourage the public's participation in dealing with local solid waste issues and eliminating excessive and wasteful habits. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Cameron Independent School District -- $5,000 Cameron, TX 76520 Water Quality Monitoring This grant funds a project to educate students and science teachers about monitoring of water quality and watershed issues on the Little River Basin watershed in Central Texas. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Coastal Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,673 Beaumont, TX 77706 Environmental Education Libraries This grant funds a project to promote environmental education in a highly industrialized area along the upper Texas Gulf Coast by developing and disseminating environmental education libraries to targeted schools with grades 4 to 6. The project will provide training for educators and other assistance. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District -- $5,000 Grapevine, TX 76051 Environmental Science Curricula This project involves disseminating curricula to environmental science classes at Grapevine High School. The project will focus on educating students in wildlife biology, ecosystem stability, natural resource conservation, and ecology. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Houston Botanical Society -- $5,000 Houston, TX 77024 Discovery Boxes for the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center This project involves creating six Discovery Boxes for the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center for the multi-level participatory education of children ages 3 to 12. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Keep San Antonio Beautiful, Inc. -- $5,000 San Antonio, TX 78238 Teachers Earth, Inc. This grant funds a project to develop materials on solid waste reuse and recycling for Teachers Earth, Inc. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | National Audubon Society, Texas -- $15,948 Brownsville, TX 78523 International Youth Alliance This grant funds an International Youth Alliance project to raise the awareness of local community members and students of Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico concerning local environmental issues. The project promotes international communication and cooperation in approaching environmental problems and solutions. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Sierra Club Foundation -- $5,000 Austin, TX 78767 Environmental Education Video Project The "Environmental Education Video Project" involves producing and disseminating a video to schools and the public about how their daily decisions impact the environment. The video is intended to motivate citizens to take a more active role in solving environmental problems. |
| 1992 | TX | 6 | Upshur-Gregg Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Longview, TX 75604 Upshur-Gregg Soil and Water Conservation District This grant funds a project to develop outdoor environmental classrooms for schools in Upshur and Gregg Counties, Texas. |
| 1992 | UT | 8 | TreeUtah -- $1,025 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 TreeUtah This grant will go towards planting trees in Utah. |
| 1992 | UT | 8 | University of Utah/Fuels Engineering -- $5,000 Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Air Pollution Education Materials This grant will fund the design and development of educational materials that support the university's course on air pollution. |
| 1992 | UT | 8 | Utah State Lands and Forestry -- $5,000 Salt Lake City, UT 84180-1204 Project Learning Tree (PLT) This grant will help fund the Project Learning Tree (PLT) program currently being administered to educate teachers. |
| 1992 | VT | 1 | Montshire Museum of Science -- $13,500 Norwich, VT 05055 Community Environmental Education Program This project involves the development of a community environmental education program for 5th and 6th grade students aimed at forging a partnership between public schools and municipal environmental facilities such as solid waste and wastewater treatment plants. Participants will learn to develop techniques and curricula materials. |
| 1992 | VT | 1 | University of Vermont, Department of Geography -- $4,986 Burlington, VT 05405 Water Resources Workshop This grant funds a project to conduct a workshop for educators in Vermont on water resources and environmental analyses. |
| 1992 | VA | 3 | Alliance for Environmental Education -- $250,000 (HQ Grant) The Plains, VA 20198 Public-Private Partnership Among The Alliance, EPA, and Warner Brothers The "Public-Private Partnership Among The Alliance, EPA, and Warner Brothers" project involves developing an environmental education campaign capable of reaching 50,000 educators, hundreds of thousands of students, and most of the households in the United States during its first year. "Tweety's Global Patrol," a national media program aimed at all households, is one of the featured school-based programs. The project's first campaign will highlight the importance of controlling solid waste and will emphasize the project's theme "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle." |
| 1992 | VA | 3 | Flint Hill Elementary School -- $5,000 Vienna, VA 22180 Community Environmental Concerns This grant funds a project that will help elementary students, parents, and siblings develop a better understanding of local environmental concerns and how they can influence day-to-day community service activities. |
| 1992 | VA | 3 | Friends of the North Folk Shenandoah River -- $4,902 Woodstock, VA 22664 River Rangers Project The "River Rangers Project" will promote an ongoing awareness of the resources of the North Folk Shenandoah river. The project will initially target 4th grade students. |
| 1992 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $5,000 Blacksburg, VA 24061 Water Conservation Training This grant will fund a project to train educators in water resources and conservation issues in an attempt to increase environmental education awareness in rural Giles County, Virginia. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Gonzaga University -- $3,145 Spokane, WA 99258 Air Pollution Workshop This grant funds a workshop for primary and secondary educators in Spokane on the control of air pollution. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Marine Science Society of the Pacific Northwest -- $4,996 Poulsbo, WA 98370 Water World Kits The "Water World Kits" project involves developing an environmental education curriculum that will serve as the pilot for an extensive program to design, test, and disseminate hands-on environmental study kits for junior high students. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Mt. Baker School -- $24,900 Deming, WA 98244 Connections The "Connections" project will allow educators and students from kindergarten through 12th grade to participate in research and problem solving activities that involve local solid waste activities. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Quileute Tribal Council -- $5,000 La Push, WA 98350 Marine Science Program This grant funds a project that will initiate a marine coastal science and stewardship program in the Tribal School. The project will involve developing a diverse library of educational resources for use by educators and students who also will participate in Adopt-A-Beach activities. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Seattle Solid Waste Utility -- $26,625 (HQ Grant) Seattle, WA 98104 Kids for Recycling The "Kids for Recycling" project will provide a school-based recycling education program for students in kindergarten through 5th grade using a variety of methods to encourage and support children in their understanding of solid waste issues. The program includes a kick-off magic show, faculty training on the use of a Learning Box filled with hands-on activities, site visits, community resource references for in-class assistance, field trip subsidies, and incentives geared towards reaching specified recycling and waste reduction goals. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Seattle University -- $4,990 Seattle, WA 98102 Streamwater in the Urban Environment The "Streamwater in the Urban Environment" project at Seattle University will involve a week-long summer educational program for 25 minority middle school students and five middle school educators. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Snake River Nature Center Foundation -- $5,000 Tacoma, WA 98405 Self-Assessment Resource Station for Watershed Citizens This Self-Assessment Resource Station for Watershed Citizens project is designed to provide opportunities for students and visitors to perform self assessments using a touch-screen computer application. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | Spokane County Conservation District -- $21,481 Spokane, WA 99202 Upper Palouse Habitat Restoration Project The "Upper Palouse Habitat Restoration Project" will promote environmental stewardship opportunities for students in kindergarten through 12th grade by incorporating principles of ecology and activities related to native habitat restoration. |
| 1992 | WA | 10 | YMCA of Greater Seattle/Earth Service Corps -- $4,900 Seattle, WA 98104 YMCA Earth Students This grant funds an environmental education symposium for up to 400 YMCA Earth Students from western Washington high schools. The symposium will provide a scientific foundation for the students' understanding of environmental issues and for becoming active, educated leaders. |
| 1992 | WV | 3 | West Virginia Environmental Education Training Center -- $15,470 Ripley, WV 25271 Environmental Education Curriculum Workshop This grant funds a project to present environmental education curriculum workshops to elementary, intermediate, and secondary science educators in a state with a large rural population. |
| 1992 | WV | 3 | West Virginia State Soil Conservation Committee -- $5,000 Charleston, WV 25305 Farmer/Landowner Workshop This grant funds a project to provide workshops for 100 farmers and landowners to educate them about non-point source water pollution. |
| 1992 | WI | 5 | Midwest Nutrition Education Research Council -- $5,000 Brookfield, WI 53045 Health and Environmental Education Activity Book This project involves developing, testing, and distributing a coloring and activity booklet for 5- to 7-year-old children that addresses heath and environmental education issues. The booklet will be distributed during school field trips to grocery stores in northern Illinois and Wisconsin. |
| 1992 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point Native American Center -- $4,696 Stevens Point, WI 54481 Pre-college Summer Program This grant will partially fund a two-week, pre-college summer program for 42 Native American students from eleven tribes across the U.S. who range in age from 14 to 18. |
| 1992 | WY | 8 | Carbon County School District #1 -- $5,000 Rawlins, WY 82301 Environmental Tool Kits This grant funds a project to develop "toolkits" that will be used in model classrooms, grades kindergarten through 8. These kits, on various environmental topics, will be developed by teams of educators, businesses, agencies, and other local community members. |
| 1992 | WY | 8 | Carbon County School District #2 -- $5,000 Saratoga, WY 82331 Greenhouse Project This project will allow students to plan and build a greenhouse. The students will be involved in researching, planting, and caring for plants that grow well in the xeriscape landscape. |
| 1993 | AL | 4 | Foley High School -- $5,000 Pam Henson, Pride Place, Foley, AL 36535 Take A Class Outdoors: The Key to Introducing Environmental Issues The "Take A Class Outdoors: The Key to Introducing Environmental Issues" project will develop an outdoor environmental laboratory, arboretum, and nature study center for use by 1,300 students from Foley High School and seven other schools, as well as for teachers in-service activities. |
| 1993 | AL | 4 | Poarch Band of Creek Indian -- $5,000 James T. Martin, HCR 69, A Box 85-B, Atmore, AL 36502 Non-point Source Pollution and Tribal Surface Waters The purpose of this project is to develop and implement an environmental education program to address non-point source pollution of tribal surface waters. The program includes hands-on, field demonstration projects and production of instructor and student program manuals. |
| 1993 | AK | 10 | Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies -- $5,000 Penny Hodges, P. O. Box 2225, Homer, AK 99603 Oceanography Project This oceanography project provides a forum for studying cruises in the south central Alaska area. The project will include hands-on activities for students and teachers while on the cruises. Also pre-trip classroom preparations and follow-up class activities will be developed. |
| 1993 | AK | 10 | Chugachmiut -- $4,999 Barbara Miklos, 3300 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99503 Household Hazardous Wastes This grant funds a project to develop and provide consumer education on Household Hazardous Wastes to the Alaska Native residents of the Chugach Region. A pamphlet, poster, and public service announcement will be developed and printed or broadcast in Alutiiq, the Alaskan Native language. |
| 1993 | AK | 10 | Fairbanks North Star Borough School District -- $15,122 Susan Creventsen, Ticasuk Brown Elementary School, P. O. Box 71250, Fairbanks, AK 99707-1250 Where Do the Geese Go? This project, entitled "Where Do the Geese Go?" - From Alaska to Washington: Environmental Education With A Bird's Eye View, has four elementary schools in Alaska, Canada, and Washington exploring environmental issues affecting Canadian Geese as the geese are tracked by satellite on their fall and spring migration. |
| 1993 | AS | 9 | American Samoa Community College -- $4,400 Don Vargo, P. O. Box 2609, Pago Pago, AS 96799 School Garden Pilot Project The "School Garden Pilot Project" generates a partnership between the community college and South Pacific Academy, a private elementary school, to develop and implement a curriculum for grades 3 through 5 which will include nutrient cycles, the role of recycling, and integrated pest management. Using small individualized vegetable plots, the children will produce fast-growing, high-demand vegetable varieties while practicing low-input, sustainable, environmentally friendly organic growing techniques. |
| 1993 | AS | 9 | American Samoa Government, EPA -- $5,000 Sheila Wiegman, Pago Pago, AS 96799 Environmental Education for Elementary Teachers The "Environmental Education for Elementary Teachers" project initiates a college course for public and private elementary school teachers covering solid waste management, water pollution, Samoa's wildlife, wetlands, and sustainable development. An essential element of the course will be the establishment of communication networks for the teachers enrolled and with environmental specialists. |
| 1993 | AZ | 9 | Casa Grande Elementary School District -- $5,000 Yvonne Billingsley, 1460 North Pinal Avenue, Casa Grande, AZ 85222 Environmentally Smart Students The "Environmentally Smart Students" project will provide for an outdoor environmental education center consisting of a garden, aviary, ponds, and a meeting area. The project features hands-on activities for 90 at-risk students in partnership with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Arizona Department of Game and Fish, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
| 1993 | AZ | 9 | Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona -- $25,000 John Lewis, 4205 North 7th Avenue, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85013 Environmental Education Curriculum Project The "Environmental Education Curriculum Project" implements a program for teachers of kindergarten through 8th grade in schools on reservations and communities of 19 member tribes in Arizona. Teachers will receive training in knowledge, skills, and attitudes to teach a curriculum consisting of endangered species protection, solid waste management, clean air, and clean water. Arizona Clean and Beautiful, Desert Botanical Garden, and Arizona Indian Education Department will participate in the development of the curriculum. |
| 1993 | AZ | 9 | Payson Unified School District #10 -- $5,000 Roy Sandoval, P. O. Box 919, Payson, AZ 85547 Enhancing Student and Community Environmental Awareness through the Use of Portal Sites Specific Modules The "Enhancing Student and Community Environmental Awareness through the Use of Portal Sites Specific Modules" project creates a network between the school district, government agencies, and commercial businesses to develop a curriculum and materials for grades 4 and 8. Students will use field techniques to gain an insight on local environmental issues of water conservation, air quality, forest management, range and riparian management through field trips to desert, chaparral, conifer, and alpine sites within a 30-mile radius of Payson. The training of instructors will require that they experience the field activities as a "student" before leading a group. |
| 1993 | AZ | 9 | Pima County, Department of Environmental Quality -- $4,800 John A. Bernardo, 130 West Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701-1317 Clean Air Concepts This project introduces clean air concepts to students in grades 1 through 3 at Tucson schools. The project will offer teacher training workshops, three to five demonstrations in the classroom featuring a puppet show, detailed lesson plans, follow-up activities, and a help hotline for teachers' questions. |
| 1993 | AR | 6 | Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Suzanne Smith Hirrel, P. O. Box 351, Little Rock, AR 72211 4-H Environmental Stewardship "Green Team" In this project, 150 youth and adults will be trained as 4-H Environmental Stewardship "Green Team" members. Participants will develop outreach plans for their local communities and conduct environmental education activities with the ultimate goal of reaching 10,000 people. |
| 1993 | AR | 6 | Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture -- $5,000 Luke Elliott, 1 Meadowcreek Lane, P. O. Box 100, Fox, AR 72051 Workshops for Teachers This grant funds workshops that will be held for 100 junior high school teachers and curriculum provided to 366 schools. Topics will include organic gardening, efficient lighting, solar ovens and alternative energy. Activities will help students understand how they can make decisions which affect change. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | American River Land Trust -- $4,631 Debra Jensen, 8913 Highway 49, P. O. Box 562, Coloma, CA 95613 Habitat Restoration and Field Studies Partners The "Habitat Restoration and Field Studies Partners" project involves youth service groups and students in kindergarten through 12th grade in El Dorado County in habitat restoration by providing hands-on training in field methods. Students will be introduced to important ongoing field projects by agency and organizational professionals from the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (Forest Service), U.S. Geological Survey, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | City of San Buenaventura -- $5,000 Johnji Stone, P. O. Box 99, Ventura, CA 93002 Habitat Conservation Education Programs for Middle Schools "Habitat Conservation Education Programs for Middle Schools" introduces an interactive interpretive habitat awareness curriculum to 792 7th and 8th grade students and their 24 teachers. In a mock trial role-playing activity, students will stand accused as suspects in the murder of a coastal sage plant and must defend their actions in the community. During the classroom presentation, students will visit a series of stations and develop their defense from response cards. The activity concludes with a summary of basic community dynamics and the need for species diversity and habitat conservation. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Golden Gate National Park Association -- $5,000 Louise C. Burnham, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123 Environmental Education Program at Crissey Field, Grades 6-8 The "Environmental Education Program at Crissey Field, Grades 6-8" sets up an outdoor conservation and marine science program by National Park staff at Crissey Field in the Presidio for students in 6th through 8th grade from nine schools with ethnically diverse populations in San Francisco and Oakland. Teacher workshops will precede and follow the student field trips where lessons specifically geared to grade level curriculum will enable students to study the ecology of the area in a site-specific way. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Humboldt State University Foundation, Center for Indian Community Development -- $137,110 (HQ Grant) James A. Hamby, Student & Business Services Bldg., Room 295, Arcata, CA 95521 Environmental Protection and Land Development in Native American Communities The "Environmental Protection and Land Development in Native American Communities" program will ensure the environmental and cultural integrity of Native American lands by preparing tribal communities to make informed decisions about land development. They will use toxic waste disposal as a thematic focus for land development issues. The project will expand upon existing environmental education programs and materials such as Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, and NatureScope and will reach out to regional and international Native American communities in the United States and the Canadian Pacific Northwest. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Humboldt County Office of Education -- $4,950 Garry Eagles, 901 Myrtle Avenue, Eureka, CA 95501 School Waste Reduction Task Force The "School Waste Reduction Task Force" project establishes a county-wide task force of administrators, maintenance personnel, parents, students, and teachers. Not only will the task force encourage waste reduction at each site by providing useful information to implement day-to-day activities in the school and the classroom, but it will also establish a vehicle of communication both on-site and among participating schools regarding other environmental issues. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Kern County Water Agency -- $5,000 Jim Beck, 3200 Rio Mirada Drive, P. O. Box 58, Bakersfield, CA 93302-0058 Water Education Spanish Program The "Water Education Spanish Program" translates a workbook on water conservation into Spanish for distribution to English a second language and bilingual teachers of grades 4 through 6 in Kern County. Through the use of the workbook, students will perform experiments that present water conservation principles as a vital element in daily activities. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Los Angeles Educational Partnership -- $25,000 Patricia C. Dung, 315 W. Ninth Street, Suite 1110, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Los Angeles River Ecosystem: Past, Present, and Future The "Los Angeles River Ecosystem: Past, Present, and Future" project connects a team of 60 teachers from 30 schools in the vicinity of the Los Angeles River with university and industry scientists. The teachers will participate in workshops and field study presentations focusing on land and water use, human impact on the ecosystems, water quality, and pollution. Following the workshops, students will conduct a field experiment on water quality, soil analysis, wildlife, and engage in discussions on environmental issues with university and industry scientists and with students from other participating schools through a telecommunications network. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Petrolia School, Inc. -- $5,000 Seth Zuckerman, P. O. Box 197, Petrolia, CA 95558 Integrated, Interdisciplinary Environmental Curriculum for High Schools This grant funds the "Integrated, Interdisciplinary Environmental Curriculum for High Schools" project which offers a curriculum linking science and social studies with an emphasis on environmental issues both local and global. Restoration of salmon runs, reforestation and erosion control projects, and controversies over logging in ancient forests will serve as the context for teaching basic skills. The curriculum will be designed and tested during the year's instruction, and then refined, publicized, and made available to other educators. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Sacramento Zoological Society -- $5,000 Kimberly Parker, Development Director, 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822 Project Edzoocation "Project Edzoocation" forms a partnership with the California State University, Sacramento, to offer four teacher workshops consisting of practical and technical assistance in using the zoo more effectively as a resource for environmental education. The workshops will incorporate ideas and activities for teachers to take back to their classrooms and enhance daily lesson plans. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Bay-Delta Aquatic Habitat Institute -- $4,820 Kathryn Kramer, Building 1801, 301 South 46th Street, Richmond, CA 94804 Exploring the Estuary The "Exploring the Estuary" project supplies 25 junior and senior high school teachers and their classes with a computer software display of the San Francisco Bay and Delta and the Gulf of the Farallones, accompanying resource guide and materials packet. The institute will also hold a training workshop to assist teachers in the use of the program. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | University of California, Berkeley -- $3,184 Neil Maxwell, Sponsored Projects Office, 336 Sproul Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Environmental Education Across the Curriculum The "Environmental Education Across the Curriculum" project is a four session seminar for teams of high school teachers from four schools in Contra Costa County. Seminar leaders and representatives from business, industry, and the community will demonstrate how teachers can identify and assess ecological conditions at a particular school site. They then will develop remediation plans and identify tools and activities that students can engage in to understand the problem and to propose and implement a solution. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall) -- $5,000 Neil Maxwell, Joseph L. Sax, Sponsored Projects Office, 336 Sproul Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Bay Area Environmental Law Clinic This grant establishes the Bay Area Environmental Law Clinic, which will provide law school students with opportunities to design and practice field work techniques in the emerging field of environmental law. The clinic will offer students supervised practical professional work experience on environmental problems that affect traditionally under represented groups in the community. |
| 1993 | CA | 9 | Yucca Loma School, Apple Valley Unified School District -- $4,880 Paul Swick, 21351 Yucca Loma Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307 Yucca Loma School Environmental Education Project The "Yucca Loma School Environmental Education Project" sets up an outdoor biological and earth science center equipped with a seismograph, weather station, and greenhouse. Through the use of the outdoor study area, staff development, and accompanying curricular materials, teachers will be equipped to provide hands-on activities for elementary students to develop critical thinking skills as they conduct investigations and solve problems. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | City of Englewood, Environmental Services -- $3,000 Dana C. Glazier, 3400 South Elati Street, Englewood, CO 80110 Environmental Law The purpose of this project is to conduct an environmental education seminar that educates small- to medium-sized businesses about environmental laws and issues, as well as ways to reduce pollution. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | City of Northglenn -- $3,804 Kipp E. Scott, 11701 Community Center Drive, Northglenn, CO 80233 Water Education Program, Department of Natural Resources This program will expand the education program of the Water Festival program from one secondary school to three. It will include class presentations by various water agencies designed to cover areas such as groundwater pollution, water quality, wastewater treatment, water rights, aquatic habitats, endangered species, and others. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Colorado Creative Education -- $10,555 P. O. Box 1383, 120 Grand Avenue, Paonia, CO 81428 Science Curriculum that Makes a Difference This project will establish Public Interest Research Projects (PIRP) where students work with local community groups and experts to collect data or disseminate environmental information that will be of use to the community at large. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Denver Audubon Society -- $4,890 Jan White, 8751 East Hampden Avenue, Suite A-1, Denver, CO 80231 Urban Education Project This grant funds an outdoor, hands-on environmental education program for children 8 to 12 years old in three schools with high minority populations. The project emphasizes environmental awareness and respect for natural surroundings, recruiting minority adult and teen volunteers for training as role models. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Eco-Urban Habitat Project -- $24,840 Carol Bylsma, 6060 North Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 Urban Environment Education Program - Eco Urban Habitats Program, CDOW-CWHF-CDOE COLORADO This program will design and target urban populations with hands-on projects applying natural resource concepts to improve and sustain environmental quality and awareness and to serve as a national model in the field of environmental education. The project also will establish lasting collaborations and liaisons between the urban communities. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | E-Town -- $120,000 (HQ Grant) Nicholas Forster, 1729 Spruce Street, P. O. Box 954, Boulder, CO 80306 Support for a National Public Radio (NPR) Program Promoting a More Informed and Environmentally Responsible Citizenry This grant will fund the second year of a program titled "Support for a National Public Radio (NPR) Program Promoting a More Informed and Environmentally Responsible Citizenry." The project will provide NPR radio listeners with a weekly, hour-long message of community and environmental responsibility on such topics as pollution prevention, sustainable development, energy efficiency, waste minimization, and public health with an emphasis on personal responsibility and action. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Hygiene Elementary School -- $4,850 Billie G. Pett, 11698 North 75th Street, Longmont, CO 80503 Project S.O.S - Save Our Species This project will consist of a complex, year-long study of important environmental issues and conservation methods with the core focus on endangered species and habitat destruction. The project is designed to provide the school with an environmental education model that teaches the students about the vital link between habitat interference within an ecosystem and the resulting species endangerment. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Pitkin County Resource Recovery -- $5,000 Chris Hall, 76 Service Center Road, Aspen, CO 81611 Regional Roaring Fork Recycling and Household, Hazardous Waste Educational Program The goal of this project is to provide the public with a means of targeting manufacturers to encourage them to recycle by reducing packaging. The grant will fund the development of a brochure to educate the public and the production of a slide show, both of which will be designed to reach the local Spanish-speaking community. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Regents of the University of Colorado -- $5,000 Carol McLaren, Campus Box 19, Boulder, CO 80309-0019 Science Discovery Program, School of Education The Science Explorers program will focus on the topic of water and the Colorado environment, using activities from existing resources and water curriculum in a unique method of teacher training. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Rocky Mountain Nature Association -- $5,000 Mark De Gregorio, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO 80517 Heart of the Rockies Adventure Guide This grant funds production of a curriculum guide. The purpose of the guide for grades 6 through 9 is to provide interactive opportunities that weave multi disciplinary environmental themes into an existing school curriculum to help teachers structure a learning experience that provides continuity for students visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | San Juan National Forest Association -- $3,500 Laurie Gruel, P. O. Box 2261, Durango, CO 81302 ForestWorks The goals of this project are to bring nature back into the lives of youth and to emphasize the importance of community involvement in public land management. Four one-day sessions will be held discussing evaluating current environmental issues facing southwestern Colorado, installing birdhouses, river and campsite cleanup, and reseeding disturbed areas. |
| 1993 | CO | 8 | Thompson School District R2-J -- $16,255 Rob R. Buirgy, 535 North Douglas Avenue, Loveland, CO 80537 Thompson River Project This grant funds a watershed-based environmental studies course that has students examine the quality and character of the Big Thompson River and its watershed by studying specific aspects such as plant and animal communities, and water quality. The goal of the project is to determine how to manage that quality and character into the future. |
| 1993 | CT | 1 | 20th Century Trends Institute, Inc. -- $4,149 Mary McLaughlin, 720 West Lake Avenue, Guilford, CT 06437-1305 Resources on Environmental Topics This project provides teachers of grades 5 through 8 at three intermediate schools in the New Haven school system, with access to a wide range of resources and perspectives on environmental topics. The program will allow teachers in this urban setting to more easily incorporate lessons and activities into all aspects of their curricula. |
| 1993 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Geographic Alliance -- $4,996 Judith W. Meyer, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269-2148 University of Connecticut The grant funds a project called the "Connecticut's River Basin: The Physical and Human Ecology of the Connecticut River." The project is a weekend advanced training institute where teachers of kindergarten through 6th grade work with Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection experts to study a variety of wetland and other habitats in the Basin, including participation in demonstration lessons that illustrate how the content can be used in the classroom. |
| 1993 | DE | 3 | Delaware 4-H Foundation -- $5,000 Ted Palmer, 122 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19717-1303 University of Delaware Cooperative Extension's 4-H Program Through this grant, volunteers will teach younger students about environmental issues and how to take action to resolve them. Partnering with state agencies, the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension's 4-H Program will develop a curriculum from existing materials which is tailored to students involved in the statewide environmental network, 4-H programs, and other student leadership programs. |
| 1993 | DC | 3 | District of Columbia Public Schools, Paul Junior High School -- $12,750 Geraldine C. Okwesa, 8th & Oglethorpe, NW, Washington, DC 20011 Outdoor Laboratory Center This grant provides funding for an outdoor laboratory center, designed by the industrial arts students at the high school to create a commitment by minority 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders to improve attitudes, behaviors, and practices concerning environmental protection. |
| 1993 | DC | 3 | League of Women Voters Education Fund -- $39,117 (HQ Grant) Elizabeth Kraft, 1730 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 Managing Solid Waste Community Education Train-the-Trainers Program This grant funds a national workshop, which is part of Phase II of the League of Women Voters two year "Managing Solid Waste Community Education Train-the-Trainers Program." Phase II will train state and local League members nationwide on municipal solid waste management issues (including source reduction and recycling) and options. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | DaySpring Conference Center -- $5,000 Ellen Anne Manning, P. O. Box 661, Ellenton, FL 34222 Educational Equipment for a Nature Center The purpose of this project is to purchase educational equipment and materials to augment a nature center and to facilitate environmental education for more than 200 visiting classroom teachers and groups of school students. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | Florida Atlantic University -- $5,000 Patricia A. Welch, 6301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33415 Pine Jog Environmental Education Center of Florida Atlantic University The Pine Jog Environmental Education Center of Florida Atlantic University will improve environmental education teaching skills through instructional design procedures and a teacher education workshop series for teachers of kindergarten through the 5th grade. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | Florida State University -- $16,942 Ellen Granger, 109 Herb Morgan Bldg. R-23, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1047 Saturday-at-the-Sea (SATS) The Saturday-at-the-Sea (SATS) educational program will expand to a week-long, summer, marine, ecology, research, day camp program for female and minority middle school students from Florida's panhandle. Students will apply current technology, basic math, computer, and statistical skills to environmental issues through hands-on experience in the natural environment. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | Pinellas County Cooperative Extension Service -- $4,880 Sheila Smith, 12175-125th Street North, Largo, FL 33770 4-H Earth Connections The "4-H Earth Connections" projects is designed for youth in kindergarten through 6th grade who are enrolled at 25 summer program sites and will receive hands-on experience through experiments, demonstrations, games, and workbook activities utilizing the "Earth Connections" curriculum. The purpose of this project is to help them understand the environmental and stewardship issues associated with soil, air, and water conservation and quality. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | Reef Relief, Inc. -- $5,000 DeeVon Quirolo, P. O. Box 430, 210 William Street, Key West, FL 33041 Coral Reef Awareness Program This grant funds the "Coral Reef Awareness Program." The program includes field trips and school activities for kindergarten through 5th grade students in five elementary schools on the lower Florida keys. The program will foster their understanding of Florida's coral reef ecosystem and encourage active efforts by them to protect it. |
| 1993 | FL | 4 | Roosevelt Elementary School -- $5,000 Ann B. Ziehl/Daniel Moore, 3205 Ferdinand Street, Tampa, FL 33629 Curriculum for Nature Area This project involves the development of curriculum for use with an indigenous nature area at the school and purchase of equipment for use with the curriculum. Students will contrast and compare habitats, analyze environmental problems, and evaluate solutions. |
| 1993 | GA | 4 | Atlanta Fulton County Zoo, Inc. -- $5,000 Vicki Davison, 800 Cherokee Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30315 Environmental Activity Boxes This grant funds a project to develop multidisciplinary, interactive, educational activities for 20 middle and high school teachers. Ten environmental "activity boxes" will be developed for use during the one-day workshop and for use in the zoo's discovery area; the boxes will be made available to teachers for classroom use. |
| 1993 | GA | 4 | Clairemont Elementary School -- $5,000 Judy Greene, 155 Erie Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030 Clairemont Elementary School This project will educate students and parents in identifying and correcting non-point source pollution and erosion, tree and vegetation identification, stream buffer preservation, and wetland and stream protection. Field trips to the Chattahoochee River will be scheduled. |
| 1993 | GA | 4 | Griffin-Spalding County School System -- $4,985 P.O. Drawer N, Griffin, GA 30224 Outdoor Environmental Laboratory (ODEL) The "Outdoor Environmental Laboratory (ODEL)" project provides for the development of an outdoor classroom and environmental trail for use in holding environmental workshops for elementary and middle school teachers. These facilities will emphasize hands-on activities that teachers can duplicate in the classroom. |
| 1993 | GA | 4 | Montgomery County Board of Education -- $4,930 Arthur D. Strickland, P. O. Box 315, Mt. Vernon, GA 30445 Solid Waste Education and Recycling The grant funds a project to develop an environmental education program for the Montgomery County, Georgia school system. The project focuses on solid waste education and recycling. An environmental education curriculum center will be developed along with teacher workshops and special programs for adults. |
| 1993 | GA | 4 | Park Pride Atlanta, Inc. -- $5,000 Allison Ickes, 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30308 Atlanta Urban Tree House The Atlanta Urban Tree House is an urban, community-based program to help minority children understand natural resource conservation concepts and careers. This project will provide instructional training to professionals who teach environmental education lessons to urban communities through two environmental workshops. |
| 1993 | HI | 9 | Hawaii State Department of Education -- $23,399 Colleen Murakami, Office of Instructional Services, General Education Branch, P. O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804 Developing Environmental Stewards The "Developing Environmental Stewards" project targets science, social studies, and language arts students and teachers throughout the state of Hawaii. Teachers and students will team with field experts, business representatives, and community members to study and suggest solutions to current environmental issues. The project will develop an inquiry-based instructional guidebook and action strategies that build citizenship behaviors so that an increased number of students and teachers will be aware of environmental issues and know how to apply the process for resolving them. |
| 1993 | HI | 9 | Pacific Whale Foundation -- $5,000 Dr. Paul Forestell, Director of Research and Education, 101 North Kihei Road, Kihei, HI 96753 Ocean Van Project The "Ocean Van Project" proposes a visitation program of marine educators with both teaching and field experience to elementary and intermediate schools. Project educators, working closely with classroom teachers to build on established curricula, will present one of three themes: endangered marine mammals, tropical reef dynamics, or marine debris. Follow-up activities encourage community efforts to improve marine and shore environments. |
| 1993 | HI | 9 | University of Hawaii, Sea Grant College Program -- $4,908 Bruce J. Miller, Office of Research Admin., 2540 Maile Way, Spaulding 253, Honolulu, HI 96822 Global Environmental Change: An Institute for Educators This grant funds the "Global Environmental Change: An Institute for Educators." The project provides for a two and a half day seminar for 46 public, informal educators from museums, aquariums, and nature centers to become involved in active discussion and investigation of global issues. By participating in the seminar, each person will be certified as a global education trainer and will conduct training for 15 other educators in his or her local community. |
| 1993 | ID | 10 | Boise State University -- $5,000 Richard McCloskey, Biology Department, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725 Boise River Ecology The purpose of this project is to use the Boise River ecology to increase an urban public's (Ada County, Idaho) awareness about the environment. Environmental education lessons and activities will be developed to help visitors and residents better understand the ecological processes at work in Idaho's environment. |
| 1993 | ID | 10 | Bonner County School District #82 -- $5,000 Susan Seaman, Priest River Elementary School, Box 489, Harriet Street, Priest River, ID 83856 Wildlife Ecology Project The "Wildlife Ecology Project" provides environmental conservation outreach with hands-on activities for kindergarten through 6th grade students. Two outdoor classrooms will be established on school grounds. One will have a focus on wildlife plantings and the other classroom will be a reclamation project. |
| 1993 | ID | 10 | University of Idaho -- $21,500 Leland Mink, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, Morrill Hall 106, Moscow, ID 83843 Wellhead Protection Training This project involves public education through a wellhead inventory training program. The training will actively involve community members in conducting wellhead protection area inventories and teach them about groundwater contamination and protection. |
| 1993 | IL | 5 | American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine -- $5,000 Susan Adamowski, 55 West Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Environmental Medicine Core Curriculum The purpose of this project is to develop a core curriculum in environmental medicine aimed at educating health care professionals so that they can serve as environmental educators in their communities. The curriculum will enable the physicians to instruct on the subject of environmental risks. |
| 1993 | IL | 5 | Heartland Water Resources Council -- $5,000 Michael Platt, 5823 Forest Park Drive, Peoria, IL 61614 Water Monitoring for High School Students The grant funds a project intended to teach high school students about environmental damage caused by non-point source pollution by involving them in a water-monitoring program. Students will sample and measure streams and sediment deposition and present their findings to city councils and the public. Project results will be presented to 200 schools in 14 states at the March 1994 Illinois Rivers Project Student Congress. |
| 1993 | IL | 5 | Illinois Benedictine College -- $4,997 Theodore Suchy, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532 Teaching Aids for Elementary Teachers The purpose of this project is to develop a series of teaching aids, curricular materials, and workshops which support and improve the efforts of local elementary teachers. Workshops will show teachers hands-on science strategies that focus on the Midwest ecosystem. |
| 1993 | IL | 5 | Illinois Department of Public Health -- $21,658 Sharron LaFollette, 525 West Jefferson, Springfield, IL 62761 Reduction of Lead Poisoning This project pilots an educational program on lead poisoning and reduction in one of the most impoverished communities in the nation: East St. Louis, a high-risk, low-income community in Illinois. Funds will be used to develop a videotape and accompanying booklet on strategies for identifying and reducing sources of lead cost-effectively. The Illinois Department of Public Health will work closely with community leaders and families so that homeowners understand how to minimize risks from lead exposure. |
| 1993 | IL | 5 | Robert Crown Center for Health Education -- $3,850 Cyndi Weingard, 21 Salt Creek Lane, Hinsdale, IL 60521 Saving Mother Earth The "Saving Mother Earth" project is an environmental/human ecology program aimed at 2nd and 3rd graders. The program uses multimedia instruction to empower young students so that they understand their role in preserving the environment. The program will reach more than 207,000 students in the Chicagoland area. |
| 1993 | IN | 5 | Geography Educator's Network of Indiana -- $5,000 Frederick Bein, IUPUI Department of Geology, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140 Stimulating Environmental Education in Indiana: A Geographical Assessment of Critical Environmental Issues The purpose of this project is to sponsor a three-week environmental institute entitled "Stimulating Environmental Education in Indiana: A Geographical Assessment of Critical Environmental Issues." An outcome of the institute will be more than 50 classroom-ready lesson plans with a geographical focus for the teachers to use in the upcoming year. |
| 1993 | IN | 5 | Grand Cal Task Force -- $5,000 Dorreen Carey, 2400 New York Avenue, Whiting, IN 46394 Grand Cal Task Force The purpose of this project is to broaden an educational program aimed at educating students in at least 30 middle schools and high schools in Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, Indiana. Grand Cal Task Force will travel to schools with a slide presentation and teach the predominately minority student population about local environmental problems in that Great Lakes Area of Concern. |
| 1993 | IN | 5 | Indiana University -- $5,000 David Borneman, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, P. O. Box 1847, Bloomington, IN 47402 Bradford Woods Outdoor Center Waste Education A comprehensive, integrated waste education project will be developed at its Bradford Woods Outdoor Center through this grant. The program will teach 6,000 elementary students, 600 physically disabled persons, and 15,000 people in the community about responsible waste management. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Benton Community Schools -- $4,644 Rick Heldt, 400 First Street, Van Horne, IA 52346 Environmental Curriculum by Grade Level The purpose of this project is to develop an environmental unit of study for each grade level, kindergarten through 5th grade. The environmental curriculum packages will focus on a map and use it as part of the activities to educate the children. The classroom experience, combined with the outdoor activities, will provide the basis to motivate the children to weigh the various sides of environmental issues and to make informed, responsible decisions. The cooperative efforts between the teachers and environmental specialists will ensure the material is not only grade level appropriate but also technically sound. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Clarinda Lutheran School -- $5,000 Duane Miller, 707 W. Scidmore, Clarinda, IA 51632 Integrating Environmental Awareness into the School Curriculum This project will integrate environmental awareness into the school curriculum and provide hands-on conservation and preservation experience. The grant provides funds to enhance existing wetlands, create a shallow pond, increase woodland species by planting 100 trees, establish a native prairie grassland, develop a naturalist club, and develop a field study notebook and chronology of the project and the wildlife population. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Davenport Community School District -- $5,000 Carol Webb, 902 E. 29th Street, Davenport, IA 52801 Outdoor Environmental Education Laboratory The purpose of this project is to improve elementary environmental education by enhancing environmental teaching skills. The method is development of an outdoor environmental education laboratory in which students will confront the issues of habitat destruction, species loss, and waste disposal. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Hazardous Materials Training Research Institute -- $99,174 (HQ Grant) Pat Berntsen, 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard, SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Distance Supported Local Education Community College Model for Innovation and Expansion of Environmental Education and Training The "Distance Supported Local Education Community College Model for Innovation and Expansion of Environmental Education and Training" program will provide environmental health and safety job training to students at four community colleges in Iowa, through teacher training sessions, the development of multi-media curricula, and the design and delivery of two environmental education courses. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Iowa Arboretum, Inc. -- $5,000 Rae Boysen, 1875 Peach Street, Madrid, IA 50156 Tree Collections This grant funds a project to place instructional signs at the entrance to each collection of trees. By doing so, the Iowa Arboretum will be able to provide information on the qualities of each collection including conservation benefits, soil and water requirements, history, wildlife uses, food or crop production, and aesthetic value. The sign also may describe special care needs so that visitors can make informed decisions about plant choices. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation -- $4,934 Wayne Petersen, 238 Stevens Drive, Iowa City, IA 52240 Environmental Impacts of Agriculture This project involves a series of workshops that will provide exposure and training to the non-farm sector on the environmental impacts of agriculture. The workshops will provide classroom training combined with field tours of farms and agri-business facilities. The project will provide hands-on exposure to a target audience of teachers, members of the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Development Program, representatives of local environmental groups, and the business and university community of Iowa City. |
| 1993 | IA | 7 | Kirkwood Community College -- $5,000 Douglas Feil, P. O. Box 2068, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Teaching Packages for Pre-school and Elementary School Teachers This project is designed to improve environmental education at the pre-school and lower elementary level by enhancing environment teaching skills. The project will result in the development of four teaching packages. These packages and printed instructional guides will contain a working model that will assist teachers in organizing and presenting material for visual learners and will provide the teacher with hands-on training. |
| 1993 | KS | 7 | Haskell Indian Junior College -- $25,000 Charles E. Haines Jr., 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046 Multi-cultural Environmental Education Program This project proposes a multi-cultural environmental education program with four key components: environmental science curriculum development, environmental education resource center, and an ongoing series of environmental education workshops and an environmental outreach program. Each of these components will combine advanced technological research and development in environmental education with traditional Native American perspectives and sensitivity to the earth and its products. |
| 1993 | KS | 7 | Hesston Unified School District 460 -- $5,000 Sandra Thies, 150 N. Ridge Road, Box 2000, Hesston, KS 67062 Environmental Data Collection This grant funds the purchase of equipment to facilitate environmental data collection as part of an outdoor environmental education site. Adjacent to the outdoor site will be an indoor laboratory with equipment for observation, measurement, and analysis of environmental data. The project's purpose is to improve teachers' knowledge and instructional skills and to enhance environmental learning experiences for students. |
| 1993 | KS | 7 | Kansas Department of Health and Environment -- $13,200 Janet Neff, 900 SW Jackson, Room 1051, Topeka, KS 66612-1290 Stream Sampling Techniques This project funds the development of a videotape and guidebook with optional field exercises for citizen stream sampling techniques. Sixth graders from Berryton Elementary School will participate in production of the videotape. The materials developed will target upper elementary students through general adult audiences. |
| 1993 | KS | 7 | Kansas Wildscape Foundation -- $25,000 Richard B. Bailey, P. O. Box 4029, Lawrence, KS 66046 100 Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites (OWLS) This grant funds the development of 100 Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites (OWLS) to involve students in interdisciplinary hands-on activities designed to increase their appreciation of wildlife and their understanding of the dependency of wildlife on specific habitats. The goal for the year is to fund 25 OWLS. This is a partnership venture with the schools, the OWLS program, the Kansas Advisory Council, Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, Kansas State and Extension Forestry, Soil Conservation Service, Project Learning Tree and Project Wild. |
| 1993 | KS | 7 | Kickapoo Nation in Kansas -- $5,000 Sharon Kabeah-Benson, P. O. Box 271, Horton, KS 66439-0271 Kickapoo Nation This project initiates steps that will integrate, through the educational process, the Kickapoo Nation's natural heritage and relationship with the historic environment and current environmental conditions and ecosystems of the reservation. The project incorporates a historical perspective of the environmental conditions encountered by the early forefathers of the Kickapoo. |
| 1993 | KY | 4 | Council of State Governments -- $4,700 Karen Marshall, Iron Works Pike, P. O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910 Environmental Indicators in the Classroom The "Environmental Indicators in the Classroom" project goal is to develop a secondary education curriculum about issues investigation, using environmental indicators as the teaching method. In-service education will enable teachers to carry out, evaluate, and disseminate project results for use in other classrooms. |
| 1993 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools - Lassiter Middle School -- $4,915 Joyce Paul, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 Environmental Issues for the Community This program will be held at a local middle school and will include environmental issues seminars for the community, a student-prepared environmental newsletter for parents and other community members, multi-generational community gardens, and an environmental celebration for the entire school community. |
| 1993 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Tech - Harrison County Center -- $5,000 Steve Slade, 551 Webster Avenue, Cynthiana, KY 41031 Drinking Water Information Centers The purpose of this project is to develop a drinking water awareness program with classroom education and laboratory research about drinking water purification systems. Drinking Water Information Centers will be established in feeder school libraries, and a Drinking Water Education Bulletin Board will be developed on existing computer modem network systems. |
| 1993 | KY | 4 | Oldham County Middle School -- $5,000 Linda D'Antoni, P. O. Box 157, La Grange, KY 40010 Coal: Energy vs. Environment The "Coal: Energy vs. Environment" project will develop interdisciplinary units and group research projects to enhance middle school students' knowledge of coal and its relation to the environment and energy production. The project seeks to actively engage students in assessing environmental risks and formulating solutions for risk reduction. |
| 1993 | LA | 6 | City of Shreveport -- $5,000 Bill Robertson, P. O. Box 3602, Shreveport, LA 71133-3602 Caddo Parrish Environmental Education Mobile Unit Recycling The grant funds for this project will be used to purchase and develop display materials and projects about recycling for the Caddo Parrish Environmental Education Mobile Unit. The mobile unit will educate students about recycling at public schools and additional private schools in remote locations. |
| 1993 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University Agricultural Center -- $85,588 (HQ Grant) Karen Overstreet, P. O. Box 25100, Baton Rouge, LA 70894-5100 Baton Rouge Environmental Fridays Program The "Baton Rouge Environmental Fridays Program" will empower citizens of all ages, in low-income and minority neighborhoods through workshops, newsletters, and public service announcements on such issues as indoor air quality, mosquito-borne diseases from poor solid waste disposal, household hazardous waste, energy conservation, and curbside recycling and composting. |
| 1993 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University Agricultural Center -- $5,000 Bill Branch, Knapp Hall, University Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Environmental Issue Resolution Workshops At "Environmental Issue Resolution Workshops," adult 4-H leaders and youth will develop their critical thinking skills in evaluating and resolving environmental issues identified in Louisiana's Comparative Risk Ranking Project. Workshop participants are expected to train youth and adults in their communities upon completion of the workshop. |
| 1993 | ME | 1 | Department of Environmental Protection -- $3,000 Nick Archer, 1235 Central Drive, Presque Isle, ME 04769-2053 Mr. & Mrs. Fish "Mr. & Mrs. Fish" is a 3rd grade water education program designed to introduce and teach water conservation and reuse. It utilizes scripts tailored to specific geographic locations, and will reach at least 400 students in rural Aroostook County during the first year. One character, Ebenezer Sewage, is visited by three aquatic spirits before he learns not to waste water which "all earthlings depend on for survival and sustenance." |
| 1993 | ME | 1 | Laudholm Trust -- $5,000 Henrietta E. List, P. O. Box 1007, Wells, ME 04090 Pathway to Change The "Pathway to Change" project expands an outreach program that has reached 6,000 students in kindergarten through 8th grade in eight school districts since 1990. The project provides a summer teaching institute for grades 7 through 12, teaching what estuaries are, why they are important, and how each of us affects and is affected by the health of estuaries. The project also enables teachers to enhance their understanding of the science of ecology and critical thinking skills. |
| 1993 | ME | 1 | Threshold to Maine Resource, Conservation, and Development Area -- $5,000 Jim Chandler, 67 Shaker Road, Gray, ME 04039 Maine ENVIROTHON This project develops and offers a hands-on environmental decision-making institute for high school teachers to strengthen the "Maine ENVIROTHON," a competition focusing on environmental assessment and problem solving in the areas of soil, water, forestry, and wildlife. The Institute is designed to enhance teaching skills by involving the teachers in current case studies coupled with real-life problem situations and data gathering, such as watershed survey work, habitat analysis. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | Baltimore City Public Schools, Booker T. Washington Middle School -- $4,680 Mary Cherry, 1301 McCulloh Street, Baltimore, MD 21217 MISSION Possible Through MISSION Possible (Maryland Inner-City Self-esteem enhancement, Skill-development, and Instruction in Outdoor Natural Sciences), middle school students from inner city public housing will learn about wetland ecology, and serve as mentors for next year's students. At the same time, their teachers will participate in classroom and field experiences from which they will develop a field study. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | Environmental Concern, Inc. -- $22,350 Mark Kraus, P. O. Box P, St. Michaels, MD 21663 Guidebook for Student Action Projects This project involves the preparation of a guidebook for high school teachers to provide a single source of technical ideas and technical instructions for student action projects, addressing the functioning, hydrologic regime, and plant communities of North American wetlands. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | Harford Day School -- $5,000 Sandra A. Conway, 715 Moores Mill Road, Bel Air, MD 21014 Environmental Satellites in the Classroom The purpose of this project is to learn how behavior influences the environment. An environmental satellite receiver, installed in the classroom, will enable students in pre-school through the 8th grade to participate in real scientific investigations by using data sets captured on a real time basis. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | Maryland Environmental Trust -- $4,798 Nick Williams, Maryland Land Trust Alliance, 275 West Street, Suite 322, Annapolis, MD 21401 Training in Conservation For this project, training opportunities will be offered to Maryland local land trusts in conservation methods through lunch-time seminars, conservation conferences, and specialized training. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | Queen Anne's Soil Conservation District -- $5,000 Jeffrey Opel or Mary Ann Skilling, 505 Railroad Avenue, Centreville, MD 21617 Outdoor Curriculum This project involves a week-long teacher training workshop to develop curriculum and teaching techniques for grades kindergarten through 8, expanding on the Queen Anne School District's Outdoor Classrooms. |
| 1993 | MD | 3 | University of Maryland System Cooperative Extension System, Baltimore City Office -- $2,750 Jon Traunfeld, 17 S. Gay Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Composting for Baltimore Residents Residents of the City of Baltimore will be taught composting principles and techniques by on-site demonstrations at an arboretum and through traveling demonstrations at farmers' markets, major fairs, and festivals. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club -- $5,000 Walter Graff, 5 Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108 North Country Environmental Education Network The "North Country Environmental Education Network" is a new educational program for secondary school teachers. The project is designed to launch a resource center for the 37 secondary schools in northern New Hampshire. The project fills an existing communication gap and promotes environmental education through a newsletter and bi-annual workshops. It also ensures teachers are provided with the most current information, and creates a forum to share ideas about teaching methods. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Center for Ecological Technology, Inc. -- $5,000 Amanda Graham, 112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Environmental Interactive Video and Teleconferences This project involves the production and broadcast of interactive video teleconferences on environmental themes to high schools throughout Berkshire County. The project uses an innovative environmental education method, the purpose of which is to stimulate critical thinking and discussion about the impact of people on local, national, and global environmental issues. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | City of Boston Fund for Parks and Recreation -- $5,000 Michael T. Quinn, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 ENVIROCATION This project will make the existing Boston Park Rangers' ENVIROCATION program more widespread and accessible in the Boston Public Schools. It will create five 30-minute videotape lessons and materials aimed at 4th and 5th grade students and teachers. The Boston Park Ranger will serve as the adult role model, with 14 through 17-year old youths, primarily from minority populations, serving as peer role models. The videotape program will be promoted over the school system's cable television channel and through other methods. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Connecticut River Watershed Council -- $5,000 Tom Miner, One Ferry Street, Easthampton, MA 01027 River Education Program This grant funds the creation of a model river education program that reinforces an awareness and understanding of the watershed region which covers four states and 11,000 square miles. The council's methods include teacher-training workshops, written material, and community presentations to encourage public involvement and participation in the program. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District -- $13,263 Lynn Rose, 324 Wells St., Greenfield, MA 01301 Beyond 3Rs This project, entitled Beyond 3Rs, is a solid waste education program for grades 7 through 12 which provides students and teachers with the tools to make responsible environmental choices before, during, and after the point of purchase. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation -- $24,060 Tubal Padilla-Galiano, 165 Brookside Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Eco-Ciudadanos (Eco-Citizens) The "Eco-Ciudadanos" (Eco-Citizens) initiative is designed for Spanish-bilingual environmental education training and curriculum development. It provides teachers with the knowledge, skills, and resources to make the environment an integral part of all their teaching. The project involves a core group of twelve teachers who will participate in sixteen intensive workshops to develop classroom activities and materials in each of four environmental subjects. The results of the project will be a resource booklet that will be disseminated to other Spanish-speaking teachers at a day-long training conference. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | The Children's Museum -- $24,967 Marianne Galvin, 300 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210-1034 Green Facts "Green Facts" is a three-part environmental survey that will lead to a teaching guide to make environmental content more accessible to children through public education. The program will assess what environmental information children know, what they have been exposed to, how they have internalized that information, and the level of understanding and misconceptions they possess. Results will be made available to educators and museum professionals through national conferences, workshops, and direct mail. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Watertown Public Schools - Cunniff School -- $4,100 Kevin Cushman, 165 Warren Street, Watertown, MA 02472 Project CURRENT (Community Use of River Resources for Encouraging Noteworthy Teaching) "Project CURRENT (Community Use of River Resources for Encouraging Noteworthy Teaching)" is a long-term, thematic multi-grade-level, cross-curricula project focusing on the Charles River. It involves a summer planning and professional development workshop, development of five activities (one each in science, math, social studies, language arts, and arts), a professional article on the effort, and a student-organized river resources day. |
| 1993 | MA | 1 | Wilbraham Middle School -- $5,000 Tarin Weiss, 466 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095 Outdoor Learning Laboratory This grant funds the development of an environmental education program for 6th grade science teachers, including the creation of an outdoor learning laboratory on school grounds. The project encompasses a site assessment of the trail system, documenting the biology, geology, geography, land-use history, and meteorological specifics. The framework of the program will be described through a teacher's guide, containing outlines for class activities. |
| 1993 | MI | 5 | Ecology Center of Ann Arbor -- $4,800 Ruth Kraut, 417 Detroit Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Solid and Household Hazardous Waste Issues The purpose of this grant is to educate teenagers in low-income housing and low-income residents of public and subsidized housing about solid and household hazardous waste issues. Students will develop and carry out several educational initiatives on waste in their communities. |
| 1993 | MI | 5 | Fair Winds Girl Scout Council -- $4,585 Mary Lorah-Hammond, 2029-C South Elms Road, Swartz Creek, MI 48473 Girl Scout Environmental Service Projects This project promotes learning about the environment by involving Girl Scouts in the design and implementation of environmental service projects in their communities. |
| 1993 | MI | 5 | Hannahville Indian Community -- $5,000 Kenneth Meshigaud, N14911 Hannahville B-1 Road, Wilson, MI 49896 Native American Teachings and Groundwater Education The purpose of this project is to incorporate Native American cultural beliefs and teachings into already-existing groundwater education materials. Hannahville will educate Tribal council members, school children, and the Native American community about the current state of their local environment and ways they can protect their water source. |
| 1993 | MI | 5 | Ingham County Health Department -- $5,000 Jim Wilson, 5303 S. Cedar Street, P. O. Box 30161, Lansing, MI 48909 Chemical House of Horrors The "Chemical House of Horrors" project will produce a portable household hazardous waste learning center to educate civic groups, school children, senior citizens, and environmental groups about household hazardous waste. The Chemical House of Horrors will consist of a series of rooms including a kitchen, bathroom, garage, and basement that contain hazardous products on one side, and their less toxic alternatives on the other. |
| 1993 | MN | 5 | District 14 Community Council -- $4,910 Deborah Meister, 320 S. Griggs Street, St. Paul, MN 55105 Reduce Waste This project aims to change behavior so that consumers learn to make purchases that reduce waste. The District 14 Community Council will also work with buyers to evaluate current packaging alternatives that reduce waste at the source. |
| 1993 | MN | 5 | St. Olaf College -- $5,000 Gary Deason, 1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057 School Area Nature Project (SNAP) The "School Area Nature Project (SNAP)" is designed to extend to ten economically-depressed, rural schools in southeastern and southwestern Minnesota. The funding will enable SNAP to establish nature areas within walking distance of each school and assist teachers in integrating outdoor learning activities into existing curricula. |
| 1993 | MS | 4 | The University of Southern Mississippi -- $25,000 Rosalina V. Hairston, SS Box 5157, Hattiesburg, MS 39406 Wetlands Watch This project involves an intensive, two-week " wetlands watch" summer institute for teachers focusing on fresh water and wetlands. The community-based environmental action project is led by teachers and high school students in grades 9 through 12. |
| 1993 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $1,988 Clifford A. Ochs, Department of Biology, University, MS 38677 Biology Laboratory for Non-majors The purpose of this project is to develop a college biology laboratory exercise for non-biology majors to examine causes and consequences of nutrient pollution of an aquatic system and to understand ecological principles related to dependency and interaction of human beings and the environment. Laboratory exercises will include field sampling and testing. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Cave Springs Association -- $710 Marilyn Appleby, 8701 E Gregory Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64133 Environmental Awareness for Urban Children Six workshops will be held for this project, with 20 teachers who work in the urban elementary school attending. The project aims to empower the educators to demonstrate environmental awareness to urban children. In addition, the program will produce a resource booklet for use in the classroom. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Clark County R-1 School District -- $5,000 Monte Morris, 427 W. Chestnut Street, Kahoka, MO 63445 Illinois River Project The Illinois River Project is an integrated science, technology, and society project developed to introduce water quality dimensions into high schools. The project involves science, history and English students in an integrated study of their local river and community. Science students conduct water quality tests; history classes evaluate the cultural and historical impact of the river, along with its relationship to water quality; English students use this information to create a collection of writings about river life that is published. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Ferguson-Florissant School District -- $5,000 Judith J. Huck, 1005 Waterford Drive, Florissant, MO 63033 Training in Environmental Issue Identification and Investigation This grant funds training in environmental issue identification and investigation for 6th grade teachers. The staff development is focused on ecological foundations, issue identification, issue analysis and investigation, and citizenship action and responsibility. A hallmark of the curriculum will meet the needs of the physically disabled and of minority students. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Francis Howell High School -- $5,000 Gerry Boehm, 7001 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63304 Wildlife Observation This project provides a hands-on, laboratory-based course, allowing students the opportunity to collect data and observe wildlife in their native habitat. Schools throughout the St. Charles community will be able to visit the outdoor classroom trail site, arboretum, and ecological displays and exhibits constructed by the students involved in the environmental study course. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Jackson County Extension Council -- $5,000 Leon A. Moon, 2820 S. Highway 291, Independence, MO 64057 Four Phase Environmental Education Curriculum This grants funds the Four Phase Environmental Education Curriculum. Phase 1, which involves training for 4-H members in 15 clubs about water awareness, composting, and recycling. Phase 2 involves the development of handbooks as a school enrichment program for grades 3, 4, and 5. In Phase 3, Jackson County 4-H youth, in cooperation with the city of Independence, will put into effect a "Storm Drain Stenciling" project. Phase 4 involves area High Schools with Community Service graduation requirements who will cooperate for specific training for their youth in the various curriculum for utilization in the elementary school (cross-age) programs. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Jackson County Parks and Recreation -- $5,000 Marty Swindell, 22807 Woods Chapel Road, Blue Springs, MO 64015 Environmental Work/Study for Juvenile Offenders The Environmental Work/Study for Juvenile Offenders program is a unique environmental education summer program for juvenile offenders, a portion of the population with little or no access to outdoor educational opportunities. The program will also develop a leaders' manual, introduce participants to outdoor activities which enhance their appreciation and enjoyment of park lands, collect specimens and artifacts for the Kemper Outdoor Recreation Center, design and develop a three mile nature trail, and aid participants in realizing their personal rehabilitation goals. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Linn R-11 School -- $4,650 James P. Symmonds, One Technology Drive, Linn, MO 65051 Radio Broadcasts Concerning Environmental Problems The project involves the development and dissemination of information concerning environmental problems using a student operated public service FM radio station. The target audience is high school and college students, and the anticipated listening audience is 30,000 citizens within central Missouri. Students will conduct research, write and edit scripts, and broadcast the reports. An advisory committee will monitor all broadcasts for accuracy. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Otahki Girl Scout Council, Inc. -- $3,750 Elsie B. Miller, 1432 Kurren Lane, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Environmental Education for Girl Scouts The purpose of the grant is to provide plans and materials for use by 450 adult volunteers who deliver services to Girl Scouts. The materials will increase environmental awareness, expand environmental knowledge, and inspire pro-environmental activity for 2,700 Girl Scouts who are served by the Council. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | River Bluffs Audubon Society -- $2,000 Linda Landon, 611 Belridge Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109 Yard Waste Display The purpose of this project is to establish an informational display relating to yard waste, to be exhibited in a public area. The society will then embark on a community educational campaign to encourage home composting instead of burning. The project was developed in response to a vote in 1992 to return to open burning of yard waste in the Jefferson City area. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Southeast Missouri State University -- $4,275 Stephen Overmann, One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Workshop on Waste Management Education This grant funds an in-service, continuing education credit workshop on waste management education offered to kindergarten through 12th grade teachers. Seminars for public officials and public servants will also be conducted. The project includes development of a training program for community volunteers, a composting demonstration site, and a waste management education program tailored to the needs of elderly citizens. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | University of Missouri -- $5,000 Syed E. Hasan, Office of Research Administration, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499 Training for Integrated Waste Management The project provides training for 30 science teachers in integrated waste management. The topics discussed in the course will be compiled in a notebook given to each participant for use during the course and for future reference. |
| 1993 | MO | 7 | Waynesville Middle School -- $2,595 Herbert Turner, 403 School Street, Waynesville, MO 65583 Integrated Field Study and Stewardship of Roubidoux Creek The Integrated Field Study and Stewardship of Roubidoux Creek program includes the development of a simple, usable environmental curriculum which can be used or modified by educators. The project also includes development of a water quality monitoring program. |
| 1993 | MT | 8 | Missoula City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division -- $3,778 Peggy Schmidt, 301 West Alder Street, Missoula, MT 59802 Educational Materials for Air Pollution This project will add educational materials to an existing set of three kits on the subject of air pollution in the Missoula Valley. The project also will provide funding for a Missoula-based non-profit organization to administer a program where local teachers may borrow the kits for classroom use free of charge. |
| 1993 | MT | 8 | Montana State University, Extension Service -- $4,630 Michael P. Vogel, Taylor Hall, Room 203, Bozeman, MT 59717 Community Involvement in Environmental Education The primary purpose of this project is to involve community and tribal volunteers in environmental education by providing them with the tools, training, and follow-up support necessary to reach the public in rural isolated areas through a program that will be created, marketed, implemented, and evaluated in Montana. |
| 1993 | MT | 8 | The Nature Conservancy, Pine Butte Preserve -- $3,306 Mary Sexton, HC 58 Box 34B, Choteau, MT 59422 Grizzly Bear Ecology The purpose of this project is to develop curriculum and field trip opportunities that will focus on the study of grizzly bear ecology followed by the investigation into and comparison of two sub-groups of the grizzly bear population. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | Educational Service Unit #3 -- $5,000 Patrick T. Geary, 4224 S. 133rd Street, Omaha, NE 68137 Environmental Education Needs For this project, environmental agency specialists work with educators of kindergarten through 12th grade students to create a vision of environmental education needs. Curriculum and materials will be used by 25 school districts serving nearly 100,000 students in the Omaha area. This is the second year of a three-year Master Plan developed under the 1992-93 project which is funded by EPA. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | Governor's Council to Keep Nebraska Beautiful -- $7,280 Jane Polson, 605 S. 14th, Suite 411, Lincoln, NE 68508 Train the Trainer The "Train the Trainer" teacher workshops will be conducted in four locations throughout the state with 48 teachers chosen to attend. The immediate goal of the project is to provide classroom activities for students in grades kindergarten through 6 using an environmental curriculum entitled Waste in Place. The secondary goal is to have the 48 teachers share their knowledge with at least 480 additional classroom teachers through in-service training. This project could, in the end, reach as many as 12,000 to 24,000 additional students. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Groundwater Foundation -- $5,000 Susan C. Seacrest, P. O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558 Children's Groundwater Festival Educators Workshop The Children's Groundwater Festival Educators Workshop demonstrates, promotes, and facilitates the effective use of hands-on groundwater education in the classroom. Workshop objectives include: training 200 Nebraska upper elementary teachers to use hands-on activities to teach about groundwater, distributing 200 copies of the festival's "how-to" manual Making Waves, and motivating 100 teachers to use workshop activities in their classrooms during the 1993-94 school year. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | Prairie Plains Resource Institute -- $5,000 William S. Whitney, 1307 L. Street, Aurora, NE 68818 Summer Orientation About Rivers (SOAR) Summer Orientation About Rivers (SOAR), is a two-week day camp for 112 students from grades 3 through 6. The primary purpose of the program is to expose elementary-aged students to watershed concepts, biodiversity, and ecological interrelatedness. Concentration will be on aquatic and terrestrial aspects of the Platte River ecosystem. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska -- $5,000 David Keith, Department of Entomology, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 Pest Management in an Urban Setting The project involves the development of materials demonstrating how integrated pest management principles can be applied in the urban setting to reduce chemical use in homes, lawns, trees and shrubs and, ultimately, runoff in surface waters. School children will develop an understanding of insects and learn that most insects are in fact harmless or beneficial. Children will learn the benefits and risks of pesticide use and develop an understanding of food production. |
| 1993 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska -- $5,000 Robert H. Stoddard, 303 Administration Building, Lincoln, NE 68588-0135 Crane Meadows Nature Study Center This grant funds the creation and publishing of an activity packet of educational materials for the Crane Meadows Nature Study Center to enhance the lessons of classroom teachers who teach about the environmental issues of the Platte River region. The activity packets will contain materials on migratory birds, the geography of the flyway, and the complex human environmental interactions of the region. |
| 1993 | NV | 9 | Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada -- $5,000 Beth Shervey, 919 Highway 395 South, Gardnerville, NV 89410 Willow, Environmental Project The "Willow, Environmental Project" develops a partnership between the tribe and the school district of Douglas County, Nevada, to present a cross-cultural environmental education curriculum for 4th grade students. The curriculum will not only expose students to a variety of environmental issues, but will also introduce Native American traditions in a scientific context rather than through social science or arts and crafts. |
| 1993 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Dick Obyc, Concord Center, P. O. Box 2042, Concord, NH 03302-2042 New Hampshire ENVIROTHON The "New Hampshire ENVIROTHON" is a high school educational and competition program designed to increase responsible approaches to environmental issues through a hands-on approach. Twelve teams from ten schools will compete in this, the second, year of the program. State winners will compete in the National ENVIROTHON. |
| 1993 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services -- $5,000 Jody Connor, P. O. Box 95 - 6 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 Interactive Lake Ecology Program The "Interactive Lake Ecology Program" is designed for students in grades 5 through 8 to promote environmental consciousness through an understanding of the impacts humans can have on lake ecosystems. The program provides students with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions, especially regarding their activities in and around lakes. The program reaches out to teachers and students in less advantaged school districts that demonstrate the most financial need. Teacher workshops are conducted with the active participation of biologists from the state's environmental division. |
| 1993 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire -- $24,995 Barrett Rock, Office of Sponsored Research, 107 Service Building, Durham, NH 03824 A Space Age Approach to Environmental Education "A Space Age Approach to Environmental Education" is a video-based environmental monitoring curriculum targeted to middle, junior high, and high school teachers across New England. The project will support production of two, thirty-minute broadcast-quality television programs designed to show teachers how to incorporate environmental monitoring research activities into their science curricula. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | Bridgeton School District -- $4,875 Douglas Frost, Bridgeton Board of Education, P. O. Box 657, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 Green Plant Program The "Green Plant Program" will train elementary and high school teachers to use plant identification and field practices to teach environmental principles. High school students will work with elementary school students in plant identification and conduct field work to study the ability of local plants to concentrate heavy metals. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority -- $4,480 Bridget M. O'Connor, P. O. Box 610, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 Shoe Box Teaching Kit The "Shoe Box Teaching Kit" project will develop classroom-ready, interesting kits, by and for teachers, for use in environmental education in Cape May County. Each kit will include background information for teachers, lesson plans, and the necessary equipment. County personnel will be involved in teacher training and materials evaluation. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | Englewood Public Schools -- $5,000 Richard Segall, 12 Tenafly Road, Englewood, NJ 07631 Outcomes-Based Environmental Curriculum This "Outcomes-Based Environmental Curriculum" project will result in at least eight interdisciplinary units and a core of teachers prepared to implement them. The units will explore human impact on the environment and develop a strategy to effect change. Summer workshops and follow-up sessions will develop teacher-guided units in elementary, middle, and high schools. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $5,000 Deborah Hadley, 303-9 Washington Street, Fifth Floor-Room 2, Newark, NJ 07102 Weatherwatch The "Weatherwatch" project will involve the students in five schools and their 20 teachers in a study of meteorological phenomena and the impact they have on the local environment. The project will also develop an information network with five other New Jersey schools and partnerships with professional meteorologists. "Weatherwatch" will improve the environmental consciousness of Newark's predominantly African-American and Hispanic youth. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | Mercer County Soil Conservation District -- $2,182 Craig C. Halbower, 508 Hughes Drive, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 Envirothon This project will initiate a statewide Envirothon, a national hands-on, environmental competition for high school students. A reference handbook will be devised to guide preparation in the following areas: soil, forestry, aquatics, wildlife ecology, and environmental issues. The target audience will include New Jersey high school environmental clubs and youth organizations. |
| 1993 | NJ | 2 | South Branch Watershed Association -- $2,750 Winnie Fatton, 45 Emery Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822 Compiling a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) The "Compiling a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI)" and "Student Environmental Exchange (SEE)" projects will complement and expand the elementary science curriculum in this school district. Teachers will be provided with needed assistance in conducting outdoor field studies and maintaining an NRI. The project provides students with an understanding of the watershed and improves communication among schools. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Bernalillo, New Mexico -- $5,000 Belinda Casto-Landolt, P. O. Box 640, Bernalillo, NM 87004 Ecology of the Bosque del Apache The purpose of this project is to develop an environmental education curriculum which will focus on the unique local ecology of the Bosque del Apache, a major flyway for sandhill cranes, snow geese, Canadian geese, and raptors. Students will use an outdoor laboratory to gain understanding of the problem of disappearing bosques. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science -- $4,960 Letitia Morris, 1801 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-1375 Compost Bins Exhibit An exhibit of replicable compost bins, including a worm bin, will be designed and installed under this project at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, which is visited annually by 350,000 tourists. The simple graphics and text will encourage home composting by explaining its benefits and the need to reduce landfill use. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Northern New Mexico Community College -- $5,000 Connie Valdez, 1002 N. Ornate Street, Espanola, NM 87532 The Environment: A Summer Workshop for Teachers "The Environment: A Summer Workshop for Teachers" project will provide five days of intensive training for 30 teachers who work directly with students and parents in the eight Northern Indian Pueblos tribes. Instruction will include hands-on training in the use of monitoring equipment. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Pojoaque Pueblo -- $5,000 Rey Ann Nastacio, Route 11, Box 71, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Making Connections The "Making Connections" project will educate area residents to make decisions and take action to prevent further groundwater contamination in the valleys. Nine workshops are planned for 500 attendees who will organize grassroots committees to plan further environmental education activities. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Rio Grande Community Development -- $5,000 Julia A. Stephens, P. O. Box 12791, Albuquerque, NM 87195-2791 Constructed Wetlands/Wildlife Sanctuary Education The "Constructed Wetlands/Wildlife Sanctuary Education" project will educate the public about using constructed wetlands as an alternative to conventional sewage treatment. Thirty households will participate in a pilot workshop which will be developed as a model for replication in other communities. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Sol Y Sombra Foundation -- $23,600 Cheryl Charles, 4018 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Watershed Rehabilitation Leadership and Volunteer Education Program The "Watershed Rehabilitation Leadership and Volunteer Education Program" will promote ecological restoration projects in watersheds by developing educational materials, promoting informed volunteerism for environmental quality, conducting workshops, and conducting and evaluating actual site projects. |
| 1993 | NM | 6 | Western Network -- $5,000 Rosemary Romero Morris, 616 Don Gasper, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Open-Air Classroom Environmental Project The "Open-Air Classroom Environmental Project" will develop a model environmental education program for rural northern New Mexico schools. Resources from a variety of state and federal land and resource management agencies will be used. Three parcels of land will be acquired through the Environmental Education Easement program to use in teaching about such topics as soil, vegetation, and wildlife. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Audubon Society of New York State, Inc. -- $4,600 Jean T. Mackay, 131 Rarick Road, Selkirk, NY 12158 Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Schools The "Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Schools" project integrates conservation practices, habitat enhancement, and environmental education. Teachers, students, and members of the local community will be involved in projects that create sanctuaries for wildlife on school property. As they examine their schools and lives, students will explore ways to enhance wildlife habitats, conserve natural resources, and act on their decisions. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- $5,000 Yvonne Presha, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) project will expand its successful "Project Green Reach" to four under-served high schools with a special emphasis on attracting minority and female students to careers in the environment. The project will involve 200 students and eight teachers featuring teacher training, classroom instruction, a workshop, and a tour at BBG and greening projects in the students' communities. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment -- $18,400 John C. Muir, The Tennis House, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 11215-9992 Environmental Education Teacher Training and Class Field Study Subsidy Program The "Environmental Education Teacher Training and Class Field Study Subsidy Program" will bring together young children, their teachers, and parents as they explore and enjoy water in the urban environment. Teacher and parent workshops, Environmental Family Days in Prospect Park, and a field study program for early childhood classes expect to reach more than 3,000 participants. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Central Park Conservancy -- $5,000 Cheryl Best, The Arsenal, 830 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10021 City Naturalists: An Environmental Studies Program for Early Childhood Teachers The "City Naturalists: An Environmental Studies Program for Early Childhood Teachers" provides preschool through 3rd grade educators with training in science, natural systems, and the environment. Utilization of city parks as environmental science resources will be an integral part of this project which seeks to reinforce the natural curiosity of children with appropriate environmental studies. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Citizens Committee for New York City, Inc. -- $130,000 (HQ Grant) Michael Clark, 3 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001 Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute The "Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute" project will train more than 450 neighborhood leaders from low-income minority neighborhoods throughout New York City to reduce exposure to water and air pollution, lead poisoning, and hazardous wastes. The program includes leadership and environmental workshops for community leaders and the development and distribution of organizing kits for neighborhood groups. It develops a partnership with the City University of New York and the Urban Fellows Program. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation -- $5,000 Alexander R. Brash, 1234 Fifth Avenue, Room 114, New York, NY 10029 Parklands Partnership The Parklands Partnership is a forest project in an urban environment. Young people and their teachers learn how to care for the forests in their local parklands. This grant will provide for development of a teacher guide to provide additional activities and support teachers who wish to remain involved in restoration projects. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Columbia-Greene Community College -- $5,000 Ronald S. Payson, Box 1000, Hudson, NY 12534-0327 Habitats of the Hudson River This project will involve a wide audience in on-site work at local habitats and the Hudson River. Teachers, students, and the general public in these two rural counties will participate in a number of educational field experiences to develop an awareness of ecosystem management and the interconnected nature of the estuarine environment. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Community School District 4 -- $5,000 Camille Aromando, 319 East 117 Street, New York, NY 10035 Early Childhood Environmental Studies Curriculum Design and Development The "Early Childhood Environmental Studies Curriculum Design and Development" project will be undertaken by this school district located in East Harlem. The project will develop an early childhood curriculum framework taking full advantage of nearby Central Park as a classroom and laboratory. Students will acquire knowledge of the effects of human choices as they relate to the environment. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Cortland Enlarged School District -- $12,450 Per Omland, One Valley View Drive, Cortland, NY 13045-3297 Outdoor Environmental Education Classroom Educational materials will be developed for an Outdoor Environmental Education Classroom. Project coordination, curriculum development, provision of supplies and equipment, and development of a teacher's manual will enable this rural county to provide its young people with a reality-based center of study. Project implementation includes field activity in a community with concerns related to its water supply. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Friends of the Buffalo River, Inc. -- $5,000 Margaret Wooster, 84 Vandalia Street, Buffalo, NY 14204 Watershed Learning Project The "Watershed Learning Project" will involve students in the U.S. and Canada in a study of the Buffalo-Niagara River Watershed. Building on an earlier project developed by the Friends of the Buffalo River, this project expands on the pilot to encompass this larger bioregional study. Project materials will be distributed to more than 40 school districts within the study area. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Henry Street Settlement -- $5,000 Christine Koenig, 265 Henry Street, New York, NY 10002 The Greening Challenge: Youth For Ecology This grant funds "The Greening Challenge: Youth For Ecology" project, which is a summer education and employment program for young people from low-income families living in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Local environmental groups will be involved in educating area youth and preparing them for careers in the environment. Combining work experience and education, this project facilitates Henry Street Settlement's partnership with the New York City Department of Employment. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Hunters Point Community Development Corp. -- $5,000 Thomas V. Sobczak, 47-43 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101 Community Recycling Project Through the "Community Recycling Project" young people will develop and manage a recycling project involving the employees of local businesses. Participants will develop an improved understanding of waste management techniques. The project encourages environmental awareness, business management, communication skills, and respect for members of the local community. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Keuka Lake Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Peter Landre, P. O. Box 415, Hammondsport, NY 14840-0415 Keuka Lake Adopt-a-Stream Program The "Keuka Lake Adopt-a-Stream Program" will develop an educational program in which local citizens participate in stream stewardship activities on a continuing basis. This project includes development of a three-phase stream adoption process, training educators for outreach programs, a program demonstration on a highly visible stream, and the recruitment of volunteer stream stewards. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Madison County Soil and Water District -- $1,000 Michael Johnston, P. O. Box 189, Morrisville, NY 13408 Community Water Resource Education Program The "Community Water Resource Education Program" will increase understanding of water quality and nonpoint source issues and encourage public stewardship of water resources through a student water resource education program. The teachers of Madison County will participate in work sessions to select appropriate materials which will accomplish these goals. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | New Paltz Central School District -- $4,946 Debora Banner, 196 Main Street, New Paltz, NY 12561 School Grounds Water Study Project The New Paltz Central School District, in partnership with the Mohonk Preserve, will design the "School Grounds Water Study Project". Primarily targeting teachers in grades 5 and 6, workshops will enable teachers to build on field trips to the Mohonk preserve. Students will conduct field studies at wetlands and ponds on their school grounds. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Oneida Indian Nation of New York -- $9,935 Jane Booher, 101 Canal Street, Canastota, NY 13032 Curriculum Development and Demonstration Project on Native American Environmental Ethics The "Curriculum Development and Demonstration Project on Native American Environmental Ethics" will use traditional Native American stories and legends to teach elementary school children about the web of life and how humans can live in harmony with and have respect for other species on this planet. Students in grades 4 through 6 are the target audience in three school districts. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Port Washington Union Free School District -- $3,636 William B. Heebink, 100 Camous Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 Citizen's Impact on Long Island Sound Families of all 2nd through 5th graders in the Port Washington School District will participate in family learning sessions emphasizing the citizens' impact on Long Island Sound. Parents and students will learn about the effects their recreational, gardening, and personal habits have on the Sound and discover ways to change them with the Sound's ecology in mind. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Red Hook Central School District -- $5,000 Michelle Hughes or Sharon Mascaro, Mill Road, Red Hook, NY 12571 Water! The "Water!" project will integrate the study of water into literature, writing, and mathematics in this small, rural school district on the Hudson River. Students will learn about river and estuary issues from local groups. School science curricula will enhance the project with a study of water as a chemical substance, habitat, and resource. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Research Foundation of the State University of New York -- $4,773 Ray W. Spear & Robert D. Simon, P. O. Box 9, Albany, NY 12202 Training Environmental Educators Project The "Training Environmental Educators Project" will develop the environmental teaching skills of secondary education biology majors at SUNY-Geneseo. The students will share problem solving exercises on environmental issues with regional high school teachers. This work will be the foundation for a regional environmental education workshop. (Dept. of Biology, SUNY-Geneseo, Geneseo, NY 14454). |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Saratoga-Warren BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) -- $4,600 John Rizio, 112 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Teacher Training Program in Outcomes-Based Environmental Curricula The "Teacher Training Program in Outcomes-Based Environmental Curricula" will provide teacher training for 30 educators in an interdisciplinary, environmental curriculum that promotes reverence and stewardship for the earth. Teacher workshops will focus on the curriculum and its implementation. Participating teachers will then act as trainers for other teachers in the district. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Starflower Experiences, Inc. -- $4,630 Laurie Farber, 79 Martin Court, Jericho, NY 11753 Here Comes the Water Patrol An educational experience, "Here Comes the Water Patrol", will incorporate puppets, costumes, rhyme, and rap music with creative dramatics and humor to teach important lessons about water. Information about the water cycle, Long Island's sole-source aquifer, water conservation, and aquifer protection will be taught in an educational experience designed for 3rd and 4th graders. |
| 1993 | NY | 2 | Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary, Inc. -- $5,000 Mary E. Richard, 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 Groundwater and Solid Waste Curriculum This project maximizes field trip and accompanying activities in the classroom to teach environmental education. Ten workshops will familiarize educators with the sanctuary and its educational activities. Three thousand curriculum guides will be produced which will, using the sanctuary as a resource, teach about groundwater and solid waste issues. |
| 1993 | NC | 4 | Bessemer City Junior High School -- $10,000 Jerry J. Bostic, P. O. Box 624, South Skyland Drive, Bessemer City, NC 28016 Weaving Our Way To a Better Future The purpose of the "Weaving Our Way To a Better Future" project is to develop an outdoor classroom for use in teaching inter-departmental curriculum which will include hands-on environmental content. Teaching stations will emphasize the efficient use of natural resources and protection of environmental quality. The project is designed to involve parents and the community in the learning cycle. |
| 1993 | NC | 4 | Fred A. Anderson Elementary School -- $2,960 Nancy Jones Piner, P. O. Box 264, Bayboro, NC 28571 Good News for the Neuse This project, entitled "Good News for the Neuse," involves 25 academically gifted 4th graders, who will develop awareness of the estuarine system and examine present and possible future ecological problems related to the Neuse River. Students will share local environmental concerns with other students, regionally and globally, using the AT&T Learning Network and an environmental youth summit. |
| 1993 | NC | 4 | Long Branch Environmental Education Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Paul B. Gallimore, Route 2, Box 132, Leicester, NC 28748 Composting and Organic Gardening This outdoor science project will teach grade school and high school students in seven western North Carolina counties resource conservation through composting and organic gardening. The project will emphasize participation with an integrated curriculum approach. |
| 1993 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Science and Mathematics Alliance, Inc. -- $5,000 Robert P. Cullen, 410 Oberlin Road, Suite 306, Raleigh, NC 27605 Environmental Laboratory This grants funds an elementary school program that will integrate science into the school's overall education program by focusing on the environment and developing an open, hands-on, environmental laboratory at the school's site for use in the program. |
| 1993 | NC | 4 | North Carolina State University, Department of Mathematics and Science Education -- $24,802 Dr. Harriet S. Stubbs, Sci-Link, 1509 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606 SCI-LINK Goes to Camp Wannagoma "SCI-LINK Goes to Camp Wannagoma" will develop and test a model program for teaching kindergarten through 5th graders about the impact of nonpoint source pollution in estuarine environments. The project will include a summer training workshop for teachers and a summer camp for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. |
| 1993 | ND | 8 | North Dakota Forest Service -- $10,150 Glenda Fauske, First and Brander, Bottineau, ND 58318 Project Learning Tree, Info & Education This program will implement the revised Project Learning Tree (PLT) curriculum guides and modules in North Dakota to provide teaching aids through a group of volunteer facilitators comprised of teachers and local and state government employees. |
| 1993 | ND | 8 | Willing Kids Recycle Project, Inc. -- $5,000 WKRP, P. O. Box 02, Washburn, ND 58577-0002 Willing Kids Recycle Project The purpose of the WKRP project is to conduct training seminars on implementing rural recycling programs and source reduction to tribal community leaders and youth. |
| 1993 | OH | 5 | Marietta College -- $4,000 Dorothy J. Erb, Marietta, OH 45750 Women in the Sciences The purpose of this project is to enhance Marietta College's Academic Alliances for Environmental Education network. The network consists of public school teachers, college science faculty, and specialists from local industry. Participating 5th through 8th grade teachers will field test lesson plans under the mentorship of college science faculty and environmental industry specialists. Students seeking certification to teach science will also work with the teachers during the field testing. |
| 1993 | OH | 5 | Northeast Ohio Greens -- $4,500 Alanna Meyers, 1328 West 59th Street, Cleveland, OH 44102 Growing Together Organically The "Growing Together Organically" project uses local garden sites to teach organic gardening and composting methods to elementary students in low-income areas, homeless women and children, and runaway adolescents in the Cleveland area. This project will build on an environmental education grant that the organization was awarded by EPA in 1992. |
| 1993 | OH | 5 | University of Findlay -- $4,870 Natalie Abell, Division of Teacher Education, 1000 N. Main Street, Findlay, OH 45840 Pest Management Alternatives This grant funds a project to conduct pre-service teacher training seminars to graduate-level elementary and middle school teachers on integrated pest-management alternatives. Teachers will expose more than 900 students to the strategies and data they learned at the workshop. Students will apply their knowledge beyond the classroom to farm settings. |
| 1993 | OH | 5 | Wooster City Schools -- $4,280 Kevin Hennis, 144 N. Market Street, Wooster, OH 44691 Stream Monitoring Program This project will allow high school math and science students to engage in a stream monitoring program. Students will collect and statistically analyze data on the biological, chemical, and physical factors of a stream that flows through Wooster. |
| 1993 | OH | 5 | WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. -- $5,000 Julie Ward, P. O. Box 590, 109 S. Front Street, Fremont, OH 43420 Health Hazards of Indoor Air Pollution The purpose of this project is to educate more than 4,000 economically-disadvantaged senior citizens about the health hazards of indoor air pollution. Problem-solving modules will be developed that emphasize pollution prevention and energy conservation. Once piloted, WSOS will disseminate materials through a network that reaches 153 grassroots organizations in the states surrounding the Great Lakes. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma Department of Transportation -- $5,000 Joann Orr, 200 NE 21st, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Don't Lay That Trash on Oklahoma "Don't Lay That Trash on Oklahoma" is the slogan for a statewide poster contest, which is part of this project to teach solid waste awareness. More than 15,000 school children, teachers, and adults are expected to participate, and -- $2,000 will be awarded in cash. The first prize poster will be developed into a poster for state schools. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation -- $3,500 Lisa Anderson, 1801 N. Lincoln, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Oklahoma Natural Resource Trunk Program The purpose of this project is to develop workshops to train teachers how to use the Tree Trunks available through the Oklahoma Natural Resource Trunk Program. The trunks, used by teachers statewide, contain educational materials such as videos, posters, curriculum guides, and other hands-on materials and guides for environmental education activities. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $5,000 Donald French, Department of Zoology, Stillwater, OK 74078 Wetlands Laboratory The purpose of this project is to enhance learning at a hands-on wetlands laboratory. Computer-based video presentation stations will be developed to supplement the existing material. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $5,000 Tim O'Hara, 139 Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 Computer Quiz Program on Forests The result of this project will be a refined computer quiz program about the forest environment which is planned to be introduced into the Oklahoma school system in grades 3 through 6 during the next year. A user's manual and a quiz on recycling will be developed. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department -- $5,000 Tom Creider, 500 Will Rogers Building, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Water Pollution Problems in Oklahoma This grant funds a project to develop videotapes and materials to heighten the public's awareness of Oklahoma's water pollution problems. The result will be a public which is better informed on conservation practices in their homes and at state parks. |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | Redlands Community College -- $5,000 David Dawkins, 1300 South Country Club Road, El Reno, OK 73036 Environmental and Ecological Education Through this grant, an annual program will be developed to teach educators and other citizens how to promote environmental and ecological education and how to initiate their own community programs |
| 1993 | OK | 6 | University of Oklahoma -- $5,000 Mark Meo, Office of Research Administration, 1000 Asp Avenue, Room 314, Norman, OK 73019 Management for Total Environmental Quality This project is a joint effort between the colleges of Engineering and Business at the University of Oklahoma to produce curriculum for teaching "Management for Total Environmental Quality. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | City of Salem -- $4,998 Tina Schweickert, Public Works Department, 555 Liberty Street, SE, Room 325, Salem, OR 97301 Adopt-a-Stream The Adopt-a-Stream Project provides teacher training and coordination for student monitoring and assessment of local streams. Six teachers and students from elementary to high school will participate in adopting a section of a local stream and will record information. A Salem Youth Watershed Summit will be held for students to report on their projects and share information. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | Columbia Basin Institute -- $22,000 William H. Bean, P. O. Box 3795, Portland, OR 97208 Hispanic Environmental Education Demonstration This grant funds an Hispanic environmental education demonstration and publications to educate the Spanish-speaking residents regarding environmental issues in the Columbia Basin area. Four informational and motivational presentations and a question and answer meeting with regulatory agencies will be held to discuss Hispanic environmental concerns. A bilingual manual also will be written. The project is located in Washington. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | Columbia River Estuary Study Task Force (CREST) -- $5,000 Carol Rushmore, 750 Commercial Street, Room 214, Astoria, OR 97103 Columbia River Estuary Natural Resource ArcView Educational Pilot The "Columbia River Estuary Natural Resource ArcView Educational Pilot" project provides GIS end-user training to teachers in Seaside, Oregon's Coastal Studies and Technology Center designed for 9th through 12th grade students. The project will assist those teachers to develop GIS curriculum for students using the natural resource GIS database of the Columbia River Estuary, which was developed by CREST. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | Northwest Film and Video Center -- $5,000 David S. Mayne, 1219 S.W. Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205 Paths to a Sustainable World Project The purpose of the "Paths to a Sustainable World Project" is to develop a five-part documentary film series that demonstrates new methods and technologies that preserve the environment. The project will provide a communications link between various groups pursuing environmentally sustainable projects and can also be used in the high school and college level classrooms. The film will be designed for both broadcast and Multimedia applications. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | Oregon 4-H Foundation -- $5,000 Virginia Thompson, 5390 4-H Road NW, Salem, OR 97304 Wetland Wonders The implementation of a "Wetland Wonders" study program in Oregon for 30 to 50 elementary school teachers is the goal of this project. This grant will provide program components with equipment and supplies for classroom activities and printing costs for the curriculum and program leader's manual. |
| 1993 | OR | 10 | The Wetlands Conservancy -- $21,449 Anthony Laska, P. O. Box 1195, Tualatin, OR 97062 The Oregon Wetlands Stewardship Program The Oregon Wetlands Stewardship Program will enable citizens, through The Wetlands Conservancy's Site Evaluation Program and Wetlands Watch Program, to distinguish types of impacts in wetlands they are monitoring. A Wetlands Permits Primer for training will be developed. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center -- $4,958 Valerie L. Minor, 835 S. 59th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143 The Environmental Scholars Program The summer session of "The Environmental Scholars Program" is a community-based project that will introduce minority students to career opportunities through a stream study and its surrounding community. The project also will allow the opportunity for older students of a High School Academy Program to mentor younger students. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Easton Area School District -- $5,000 Bernard T. Matus, Easton Area High School, 811 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 18042 Groundwater Database This project allows for the coordination of a public-private partnership that will result in the development of a database for high school students to use on groundwater issues in the Lehigh Valley. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Glinodo Conference Center -- $10,000 Patricia Lupo, OSB, 6270 E. Lake Road, Erie, PA 16511 Lake Erie - Great Lakes The Lake Erie - Great Lakes project will train teachers to educate students in kindergarten through 12th grade about the Great Lakes and their key environmental issues. Erie County residents will be educated through a cooperative effort for Earth Day '94. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Group For Recycling in Pennsylvania -- $5,000 Julie Murphy, P. O. Box 4806, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Senior Citizen Environmental Education Program This project involves the development of a one-hour environmental education program designed to teach senior citizens methods of identifying and disposing of household products that become hazardous waste in the home. The program will be incorporated into regularly scheduled training for local senior centers and their staff. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Litter Control & Beautification Program of Monroe County -- $4,900 Patricia K. Eveland, Monroe County Courthouse, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Pollution Prevention This grantee will team with East Stroudsburg University to train teachers to educate pre-school through 6th grade children about pollution and its impact on the environment. Pollution prevention will be a highlight of the program. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Sierra Club - Allegheny Group -- $5,000 Donald L. Gibbon, 205 Elysan, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 Greenprint for Allegheny County This project seeks to create a grassroots base of influential citizens in the Pittsburgh area through a high-level program of public education in conservation and biodiversity. This group will help implement the "Greenprint for Allegheny County," which includes the development of a regional biodiversity center. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education -- $24,900 Nancy E. Christie, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128-1998 Regional Environmental Education Program (REEP) Seventy-three teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade will participate in the third-year of the "Regional Environmental Education Program" (REEP) curriculum and evaluation study, which will culminate in national publication. |
| 1993 | PA | 3 | Widener University, School of Management -- $4,996 Mary L. Williams, University Place, Chester, PA 19013 Environmental Management Curriculum This grant funds the development of an environmental management curriculum designed for faculty to offer new courses to graduates and undergraduates, focusing on economics and environment. |
| 1993 | PR | 2 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR) -- $20,185 Eddie N. Laboy, P. O. Box 363255, San Juan, PR 00932-3255 Inter American University of Puerto Rico Environmental Education Workshop The Inter American University of Puerto Rico will develop an environmental education workshop for elementary and junior high school teachers from southeastern Puerto Rico to strengthen their teaching methodology. Forty-five science teachers will be involved in a program to enhance their teaching skills and develop interpretive materials and a teacher's guide about the estuarine environment. Hands-on experience and critical thinking activities will be incorporated into the program. |
| 1993 | Palau | 9 | Republic of Palau -- $4,998 Kloulbak Philip, Environmental Quality Protection Board, P. O. Box 100, Koror, Palau 96940 Living Green in Palau The result of the "Living Green in Palau" project will be to distribute a handbook of environmental lessons and activities for students in grades 7 and 8. Instructors will use the handbook, published in both English and the Palauan languages, at the intermediate school level and also for adult education evening classes. |
| 1993 | RI | 1 | Audubon Society of Rhode Island -- $5,000 Eugenia Marks, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI 02917 Bay Animals Like It Clean and Salty The "Bay Animals Like It Clean and Salty" project provides a curriculum and kit about the effects of pollution on Narraganset Bay. The target audience, students in grades 7 and 8 and their teachers, will learn about watershed pollution and its impact on the ecosystem of receiving waters of this and other estuaries. |
| 1993 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management -- $14,525 Elizabeth Scott, 291 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 Water for Today and Tomorrow The "Water for Today and Tomorrow" project involves the dissemination of a water conservation curriculum, teacher training, and video production of an original musical puppet show entitled "Saven R. Drinkwater Speaks." The program teaches primary grade children the basics of what water is, where it comes from, how it is used, where it goes, and how dirty or polluted water becomes reusable. |
| 1993 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island Zoological Society -- $4,940 Anne Savage, Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 An International Perspective on Water Conservation The project entitled "An International Perspective on Water Conservation" includes monitoring ecosystems in Rhode Island and Colombia. The project involves training teachers in both countries in water quality monitoring techniques and exchanging data on selected local sites between schools. Through this program, students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds not only address local environmental issues, but also explore global water conservation issues. |
| 1993 | RI | 1 | University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography -- $140,447 (HQ Grant) Lynne Carter Hanson, Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI 02882 Middle School Teacher Institute on Global Change and Health Issues The "Middle School Teacher Institute on Global Change and Health Issues" project is intended to train middle school teachers, through workshops and curriculum development in science, mathematics, and social studies to supplement current state mandated health curricula for grades 5 through 8. The project develops partnerships with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Roger Williams Park Zoo, and the State of Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. |
| 1993 | RI | 1 | University of Rhode Island -- $4,979 Ernest Morreira, Research Office, 70 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 Classroom Worm Composting Demonstration The "Classroom Worm Composting Demonstration" project provides teachers with a curriculum, materials, equipment, and training and support in the curriculum's use. The project enables the teachers to educate 4th through 9th graders in municipal solid waste. The worm, as a "natural waste manager," is the focus for teaching the concepts and practices of environmental risk reduction of solid waste. |
| 1993 | SC | 4 | Consolidated School District of Aiken County -- $4,200 Karey M. Santos, 843 Edgefield Avenue, NW, P. O. Box 1137, Aiken, SC 29802-1137 Wild and Wonderful Wetland The "Wild and Wonderful Wetland" program at the Millbrook Elementary School will enable elementary school students to study environmental issues through laboratory work, field experiences, research projects, and observations. |
| 1993 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Dept. of Health & Environmental Control -- $5,000 Richard L. Chesley, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201 Solid Waste and Recycling Curriculum For this project, teachers will review, edit, and make final recommendations about the state's solid waste and recycling curriculum for grades 9 through 12. The curriculum affects 171,000 students in more than 200 schools. Teachers will also help train other teachers on how to use and promote the curriculum statewide. |
| 1993 | SD | 8 | Capital University Center -- $1,500 809 East Dakota, Pierre, SD 57501-3312 Project SAVE Education These grant funds will be used to help finalize the production of a board game, the CAN MAN. This game was developed to work in conjunction with a hands-on environmental education program on waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and to work as a bridge to other environmental issues and concerns. |
| 1993 | SD | 8 | Sinte Gleska University -- $4,130 Georgia Hackett, Tribal College/University, P. O. Box 490, Rosebud, SD 57570 Workshops for the Rosebud Sioux Reservation The Sinte Gleska University proposes to sponsor two environmental workshops designed for the Rosebud Sioux Reservation targeting the general public, tribal and agency officials, tribal council representatives, community chairpersons, and all those who have some impact on tribal and local policy decisions. The objective of the project is to encourage participants to network and develop partnerships to implement a reservation-wide environmental management plan and monitoring effort. |
| 1993 | TN | 4 | Chattanooga's Kids on the Block -- $5,000 Robbye Lewis, 865 East 3rd Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Project Take Action "Project Take Action" involves twenty puppet performances, which will be presented in Hamilton County and Chattanooga to increase elementary school-aged children's environmental knowledge, especially of solid waste problems and solutions. The project also aims to have those children develop and complete projects related to environmental education. |
| 1993 | TN | 4 | Sevier County 4-H Club -- $4,500 Glenn K. Turner, 125 Court Avenue, Room 102, Sevierville, TN 37862 Water-A Resource for Life to Sevier County This grant funds the "Water-A Resource for Life to Sevier County" environmental education program, which will educate youth and the community about water quality and conservation. Methods used for the project will include demonstrations, videos, educational packets, tours of water treatment plants, a speech contest, a poster contest, an essay contest, a well-testing day, and a stream monitoring program. |
| 1993 | TN | 4 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center -- $5,000 Barbara Clinton, P. O. Box 567 Station 17, Nashville, TN 37232 Service Training for Environmental Progress The "Service Training for Environmental Progress" program trains graduate and undergraduate students to provide technical assistance through environmental education to low income community groups confronting environmental health threats in the southeast. The program also aims to enhance classroom instruction of students interested in environmental careers. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Austin Independent School District -- $5,000 Claudia Tousek, 1111 W. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78703-5399 Building Pests Out The goal of the "Building Pests Out" project is to eliminate pesticide spraying at schools by using a multi-disciplinary approach to environmental education. The plan includes environmental education activities, campus landscaping, development of an outdoor learning center, and shaping a model for introducing the program to other schools. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Galveston Bay Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Linda R. Shead, 17324-a Highway 3, Webster, TX 77598 Marsh Grass Outdoor Education Project The "Marsh Grass Outdoor Education Project" focuses on the major problems of habitat degradation and loss in the Galveston Bay system. Participants in the project will develop and test a curriculum for a hands-on outdoor education program. Specific activities will include smooth cordgrass plantings and scientific measurements. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Keep Austin Beautiful -- $12,785 Robin Loving, 206 East 9th Street, Austin, TX 78701 The Green Classroom In "The Green Classroom" senior citizens will team with young school children to gain knowledge about the environment and share in the decision-making process. The focus for learning will include organic gardening, landscaping, water and energy conservation, and waste reduction. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Kountze Independent School District -- $4,992 Jennifer Robbins, P. O. Box 460, Kountze, TX 77625 Big Thicket Environmental Curriculum Guide Under this project, the existing Big Thicket Environmental Curriculum Guide will be revised for secondary school students and tested in a summer camp. Materials will be disseminated through publications, teacher in-service training, and a traveling exhibit of student work and student art. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Nolan Catholic High School -- $4,366 Joseph F. Kuban, 4501 Bridge Street, Fort Worth, TX 76103 Water Quality of Lake Arlington This project will be a two-year water quality analysis of Lake Arlington which provides water for the city of Arlington, Texas and surrounding communities. Students and teachers will gain a better understanding of the Lake Arlington system while learning water sampling techniques and data analysis. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Prude Ranch Environmental Educational Center -- $5,000 John Robert Prude, P. O. Box 1431, Fort Davis, TX 79734 Prude Ranch Environmental Education Center The Prude Ranch Environmental Education Center, in conjunction with Sol Ross University, will conduct two three-week training sessions for 4th through 8th grade teachers in the West Texas Permian Basin education planning region. Participants will earn college accreditation through classroom instruction, field trips, hands-on learning, and by writing a term paper. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Sam Houston State University -- $5,000 Joel Bass, P. O. Box 2119, Huntsville, TX 77341 Workshop for Impacts of Energy Choices For this project and in cooperation with Gulf State Utilities, the university will conduct a three-week teacher workshop focusing on the impact of energy choices on the environment. The 22 science and social studies teachers for kindergarten through 12th grade will visit sites which illustrate the potential environmental impact of energy production and usage. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Sierra Club Foundation -- $5,000 7070 Skillman, #1065, Dallas, TX 75231 Inner City Outings The "Inner City Outings" program provides outdoor experiences like hiking, camping, and canoeing to economically disadvantaged youth, mentally handicapped individuals, and senior citizens. Activities include educating participants on the inter-relationships of all living things and the need to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Texas Tech University -- $5,000 Cynthia McKinney, 203 Holden Hall, Lubbock, TX 79409-1035 Xeriscaping This project will provide a facility for teaching the principles of xeriscaping to educators, students, nursery professionals, and the general public. A demonstration xeriscape will be designed as a model to other universities and municipalities that want to implement water saving programs. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | Texas Water Commission -- $4,530 John Janak, P. O. Box 13087, Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711 Environmental Education and Magic For this project, a professional magician will develop a standardized presentation for use by district staff of the Texas Water Commission on visits to community schools. Key environmental topics to be covered will include water conservation, solid waste issues, and managing automotive wastes. Magical illusions will visually reinforce the concepts presented. |
| 1993 | TX | 6 | The Nature Conservancy of Texas -- $5,000 James Bergan, P. O. Box 163, Collegeport, TX 77428-0163 Mad Island Marsh Conservation Education Program The "Mad Island Marsh Conservation Education Program" will be designed to educate the public and environmental educators. Marine and wetland ecology, wetland restoration, wildlife and marine biology, water quality, and coastal prairie ecology will be explored in the preserve's living laboratory. |
| 1993 | UT | 8 | Hawthorne Elementary School/KOPE -- $5,000 Sheri Lyn Sohm, KOPE (Kids Organized to Protect our Environment), 1675 South 6th East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105 Outdoor Classrooms: Organization and Curriculum Guide The expected results of this program are the production of a teacher's guide, Outdoor Classrooms: Organization and Curriculum Guide; networking and in-service support for teachers interested in outdoor classroom education; and planning and implementing a model outdoor classroom site. |
| 1993 | UT | 8 | Snow College -- $4,962 Katie Jean Larsen or Kerry Hansen, Great Basin Environmental Education Center, 150 College Avenue, Ephraim, UT 84627 Environmental Education for Inter-Mountain Region The primary purpose of this project is to stimulate environmental education for a large inter-mountain region by designing and disseminating practices, methods, and techniques into proposed and existing courses through the training of faculty in a specific geographical region. |
| 1993 | UT | 8 | The Summit Land Conservation Association -- $5,000 Wendy E. Fisher, Environmental Education Curriculum, P. O. Box 680921, Park City, UT 84068 Land Stewardship Curriculum This program will produce a localized land stewardship curriculum sensitive to the value of a diverse and rural community. The program will use existing ideas and programs, and will integrate the conservation and open space ethic of the Summit Land Trust with the Forest Service philosophy of a shared citizen and government responsibility for public land stewardship. |
| 1993 | UT | 8 | UCC WHALE Center -- $25,000 David W. Randle, 9844 Glendover Way, Sandy, UT 84092 Eco Action The purpose of the Eco Action Project is to facilitate the educational development and motivation for action among diverse age and interest groups by creating a climate of respect and caring. The project also will enhance leadership skills and provide tools to inspire a sense of common purpose and responsible action among individuals representing a variety of ages, social, cultural, and business concerns. |
| 1993 | VT | 1 | Vermont Land Trust, Inc. -- $4,725 Preston Bristow, 8 Bailey Avenue, Montpelier, VT 05602 Monitor Training Curriculum and Handbook The "Monitor Training Curriculum and Handbook" project involves the development of a training program for monitors of conservation easements held on 280 privately-owned properties in the state. Monitors will include community volunteers, local land trust organizations, town conservation commissions, and student interns. Broadening the monitoring effort to keep up with a growing number of properties requires formal training. |
| 1993 | VT | 1 | Vermont Public Interest Research Group -- $4,050 Michael A. Veitch, P. O. Box 721, Bellows Falls, VT 05101 Missing Links: A Community Outreach, Education and Training Program "Missing Links: A Community Outreach, Education and Training Program" closes the gap between the citizen's desire to implement sound waste reduction and recycling, and their level of knowledge and ability to accomplish those goals. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) will help form working groups in the schools and communities of southern Vermont. Once organized, VPIRG will provide ongoing technical support and follow-up contact with the groups' leaders. |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. -- $5,000 Harvey Olem, 1020 Elden Street, Suite 205, Herndon, VA 20170 Water Monitoring Program This grant funds the development of a water monitoring program for middle and high school students to stimulate involvement in protection of water resources. Through this program, students will decide what streams to monitor. |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District -- $3,540 Patricia J. McIlvain, 30H Catoctin Circle, S.E., Leesburg, VA 20175 Living Aquatic Exhibit This grant will fund the construction of a living aquatic exhibit for elementary students and the public to increase understanding of water quality issues and encourage protection of natural resources. |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | Shenandoah Natural History Association -- $4,900 Greta Miller, Route 4 - Box 348, Luray, VA 22835 Workshop Addressing Key Environmental Issues This project includes workshops for teachers in eleven school districts near the Shenandoah National Park. The workshops will stress a hands-on approach to six key environmental issues, which will then be incorporated into classroom instructions. |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | The River Foundation -- $4,950 Virginia P. Webb, Environmental Education Center of Virginia, 101 S. Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011 Student Environmental Network The "Student Environmental Network" will result in communication by students using computers concerning how to start an environmental club at the high school level, what projects have been tried by existing schools, and determining what works best. Training sessions and a conference will be held. |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science of the College of William & Mary -- $5,000 Frances Lee Lawrence, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 Virginia's Public Education Network (VAPEN) For this project, small group assistance will be provided to all teachers for grades kindergarten through 12 in Virginia schools, enabling them to access environmental education teaching materials and news items by computer on Virginia's Public Education Network (VAPEN). |
| 1993 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $5,000 Mike Ellerbrock and Sandra Batie, Center for Economic Education, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0249 Environmental and Resource Economics: Contents and Strategies During a two-week summer institute, teachers will field test curriculum materials for the grade school level, which will be published and disseminated to Virginia schools. The goal of the project, entitled "Environmental and Resource Economics: Contents and Strategies," is to enhance understanding of the inter-relationship of economics and environmental protection. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Benton Conservation District -- $4,395 Jack Chenoweth, 618 8th Street, Prosser, WA 99350 Air and Water Quality Curriculum The purpose of this project is to set up an environmental curriculum and teaching unit for enhancing air and water quality available to high school teachers in the Yakima Valley schools. Participants will work with agricultural educators in the development of the curriculum. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Bethel School District -- $5,000 Cathy Patterson, 516 E. 176th Street, Spanaway, WA 98387 Woodland and Meadowland Wilderness Laboratories The Woodland and Meadowland Wilderness Laboratories project will give district students hands-on opportunities to study a basic environmental curriculum at two wilderness laboratories that the school district will establish. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Chautauqua Northwest -- $5,000 Jane Hardy, 1510 IBM Building, 1200 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101-1127 Water Quality in the Puget Sound This project is designed to educate senior citizens in the Puget Sound region regarding water quality concerns and practices. The participants will be involved as instructors and students. The project involves one-hour presentations to 20 target audiences of active retiree organizations, using senior presenters, guest experts, educational video, and take-home materials. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Kettle Falls School District #212 -- $4,790 Al Kowitz, Kettle Falls, WA 99141-0300 Water Quality in the Colville River Watershed For this project, high school environmental science students and community members will learn about ways of preserving water quality in the Colville River watershed. Two public workshops will be held after data is collected by the students. A problem-solving format will be used to discuss water quality and best management practices. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | King County Department of Development and Environmental Services -- $4,420 Ken Carrasco, Environmental Education Section, 3600 136th Place S.E., Suite C, Bellevue, WA 98006-1400 Workshop on the King County Senstive Areas Ordinance This pilot program involves two 3-day environmental education training workshops for 50 teachers of grades 7 through 12, community college teachers, and advanced students. The workshop is based on the King County Sensitive Areas Ordinance which addresses wetlands; streams; and hazardous areas involving erosion, flood, volcanic, seismic, and historic coal mining. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Public Utility District #1 of Kitsap County -- $5,000 Kathy Dickerson, Water Quality Education, P. O. Box 1989, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Stream Watcher The Stream Watcher curriculum for the Kitsap County Girl Scouts will provide water quality education materials prepared for Junior Girl Scouts in the 4th through 6th grades. The curriculum will teach a method of biological monitoring for water pollution. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Seattle Audubon Society -- $5,000 Kathy Malley, 8028 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Finding Urban Nature Program The "Finding Urban Nature Program" is comprised of volunteers leading 4th graders in 15 Seattle public schools through a series of nine separate hands-on nature oriented science explorations over the course of a school year. The intent of the program is to teach children about nature and science, and the basics of scientific investigation. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | University of Washington -- $4,930 Nan Little, Department of Chemistry, BG-10, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 Science Role Models The Science Role Models course will include women and minority students in the science outreach program. College students will make environmental education presentations at high schools, especially targeting Native American, women, and other minority students. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction -- $249,948 (HQ Grant) Cheryl Lemke, Old Capitol Bldg., P. O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200 Environmental Education in the School Culture: A Systemic Approach This grant is funding a statewide project entitled "Environmental Education in the School Culture: A Systemic Approach." The project will ensure interdisciplinary instruction in the sciences, social studies, and the humanities on conservation, natural resource, and environmental issues, including the link between the natural environment, the well-being of the populace, and the health and sustainability of the economy. The project will focus on wetlands and ecosystems and will create a state model enabling schools across the state to access the knowledge, skills, research, and support to design and implement community-based environmental education programs in their schools. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | Yelm School District -- $5,000 Mary Zodrow, P. O. Box 476, Yelm, WA 98597 Nisqually River Basin: Ecology Plus Mathematics The "Nisqually River Basin: Ecology Plus Mathematics" curriculum will be developed for an environmental math and science high school class which will use the streams of the Nisqually River basin as its field laboratory. In the field, the participants will study the geology, hydrology, habitats, natural and cultural history, and economy of the basin. |
| 1993 | WA | 10 | YMCA of Greater Seattle/Earth Service Corps -- $5,000 Mary Smith, 909 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 Earth Service Corps For this project, 250 students and teachers from 40 high schools in western Washington will be involved in planning and preparing for an environmental education symposium. At the symposium they will learn from a variety of community experts about the realities of science, engage in role-playing real life environmental dilemmas, and resolve issues among diverse interest groups. From this experience, the teachers and students then will create and carry out community service follow-up projects. |
| 1993 | WV | 3 | Pocahontas Communications Cooperative Corporation -- $5,000 Gibbs Kinderman, State Route 28, Dunmore, WV 24934 Impacts of the Logging Industry on the Environment This grant funds a hands-on, informal education program on the impact of the logging industry on the environment. The program will be presented to approximately 1,500 summer visitors to the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. |
| 1993 | WV | 3 | Southern Appalachian Labor School -- $5,000 John P. David, P. O. Box 127, Kincaid, WV 25119 Identification of PCB Hot Spots Through workshops, research, and site identification, Labor School staff will work with at least eight community groups to identify sources of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination from coal mining operations and report "hot spots" to EPA. Citizens will learn about the health risks of PCBs and how to prevent the risks. |
| 1993 | WV | 3 | West Virginia Community Action Directors Association -- $5,000 Dave Treharne, P. O. Box 4007, Parkersburg, WV 26104 Workshops for Social Service Employees Through four regional workshops, social service employees will learn about the environmental issues faced by low-income families in the 55 counties they serve. The ultimate goal of the project is to teach these families how to effectively deal with environmental problems. |
| 1993 | WI | 5 | Mercer School District -- $3,990 Steven Stevenoski, P. O. Box 567 Margaret Street, Mercer, WI 54547 Forest Research Program The purpose of this project is to develop a forest research program on the school's 40-acre parcel of forest and an accompanying outdoor-based school curriculum. Flora and wilderness trails will be used by more than 200 elementary and secondary students for educational purposes, and the funding will enable a study station to be established in the forest to enhance the study of soils, insects, forestry, and plant and animal life. Project results will be distributed to 19 other schools impacting more than 9,000 students. |
| 1993 | WI | 5 | Sokaogon Chippewa Nation, Mole Lake Band -- $25,000 Holly YoungBear-Tibbetts, Rte 1, Box 625, Crandon, WI 54520 Tribes at Risk The purpose of this project is to teach all 11 tribes in Wisconsin about the findings of the recently released EPA comparative risk analysis report entitled, "Tribes at Risk." The report is the first study in the U.S. that evaluates environmental risks to particular groups of Native Americans. The project will educate Native Americans to be aware of and minimize potential environmental risks that they face in their communities. Interactive computer technology and video will accompany presentations to tribal government staff, local communities, and secondary science educators. |
| 1993 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin - College of Agricultural and Life Science -- $13,738 Elaine Andrews, 216 Agriculture Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 Community Leader Training Materials on Residential Indoor Quality This grant funds a project designed to create a partnership between the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension to create community leader training materials on residential indoor air quality. The partnership will enable the grantees to supply county extension agents with hands-on educational materials in 72 Wisconsin and 90 Minnesota county offices. |
| 1993 | WY | 8 | Little Snake River Conservation District -- $5,000 Larry Hicks, Box 355, Baggs, WY 82321 Biological Water Monitoring The purpose of this project is to educate students and residents in the district on the importance of water quality through a program of biological water monitoring that helps to evaluate best management practices related to livestock grazing. |
| 1994 | AL | 4 | Poarch Band of Creek Indians -- $3,500 James T. Martin, HCR 69A Box 85B, Atmore, AL 36502 Water Quality Assessment This project involves a classroom presentation to high school students concerning water quality assessment. The presentation includes identification of pollution sources and reinforcing the understanding of the methods of abatement. |
| 1994 | AK | 10 | Alaska Pacific University -- $3,941 Richard Myers, 4101 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508-4672 Environmental Science Kits For this project, the university will construct environmental science kits, primarily for water testing in rural Alaskan villages. Workshops will be held to train teachers on the use of the kits, which will be distributed statewide, even to isolated village schools. The intent of the project is to enable educators to increase residents' awareness of their environment. |
| 1994 | AK | 10 | Kenai Peninsula School District -- $5,000 Diane Borgman, 150 Park Ave., Soldotna, AK 99669 Kenai Peninsula School District The Kenai Peninsula School District will introduce environmental education to the students by infusing it into existing curricula using thematic units at each grade level. To accompany the thematic units, a series of seven tubs (educational materials) will be developed for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Tubs will contain materials designed with hands-on activities. Facilitators will be hired to train the teachers at a pilot school in the use of the materials. |
| 1994 | AK | 10 | Prince William Sound -- $4,710 Nancy Bird, P. O. Box 705, Cordova, AK 99574-0705 Visit the Prince William Sound For this project, a team of educators will visit Prince William Sound communities and present a series of interactive environmental education activities in each of the elementary schools. The activities will be tailored to meet the needs and concerns of each community. The educators will bring self-contained education kits and provide environmental education resources and extension activities to the community school. |
| 1994 | AS | 9 | American Samoa Community College -- $5,000 Don Vargo, P. O. Box 2609, Pago Pago, AS 96799 Tree Production Project Through the "Tree Production Project," the American Samoa Community College will team with Manumalo Baptist School in a forest conservation project. Students will learn about the role trees play in Samoan culture and the fundamentals of forestry as they nurse seedlings along until they are ready for transplanting. |
| 1994 | AZ | 9 | Growing Connections, Inc. -- $5,000 Linda Herzog, 2123 E. Grant Rd., Tucson, AZ 85719 Workshop on Environmental Gardens Organic gardening and nutrition are the themes of the two-day workshop which will be presented twice for 32 elementary school teachers. Teachers will then guide their students in planting environmental gardens. Parents will be surveyed to determine if students' eating habits or other behavior has been affected. |
| 1994 | AZ | 9 | Hualapai Tribe -- $5,000 Thomas Gordon, P. O. Box 179, Peach Springs, AZ 86434 Hualapai Environmental Education Program The "Hualapai Environmental Education Program," aimed at all community members, will also have particular emphasis for high school youth. Community activities will include recycling workshops, clean-up days, poster contests, and an Earth Day Fair. An environmental education summer camp and habitat study will be conducted for the tribal youth. |
| 1994 | AZ | 9 | Rough Rock School Board, Inc. -- $5,000 A. Keith Warner, P. O. Box 217 RRDS, Chinle, AZ 86503 Reservation Environmental Science Education Training The "Reservation Environmental Science Education Training" project includes staff development training in the environmental science curriculum. The project allows Native American students to get involved in hands-on projects that address daily environmental problems of waste management and water pollution on the Navajo Reservation. |
| 1994 | AZ | 9 | Southwest Center for Education & Natural Environment -- $5,000 Kathryn Kyle, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2512 Workshop on the Effects of Urbanization on the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem The effects of urban development on the Sonoran Desert ecosystem is the theme of this teacher workshop designed to transform scientific content into classroom environmental education activities. The grant will also help to identify gaps in the database of existing environmental education materials and offer teachers training in accessing the database. |
| 1994 | AZ | 9 | Tempe Unified High School District -- $4,965 Mike Trimble, 500 W. Guadalupe Rd., Tempe, AZ 85283 Investigating the Desert This project will provide training for 24 high school students who will investigate and explore the fragile and varied desert environment. Their observation of key wildlife species, riparian ecosystems, and the relationship of human influence on these species and habitats will form the basis of a report to be disseminated at Arizona teacher conferences. |
| 1994 | AR | 6 | Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology -- $18,000 Gregg Patterson, 8001 National Dr., Little Rock, AR 72209 Arkansas Water Education Team The purpose of this project is to purchase equipment to support the "Arkansas Water Education Team" program in which students will monitor a water resource near their community and study the results to better understand the impact of surrounding land use practices on water quality. |
| 1994 | AR | 6 | Arkansas Recycling Coalition -- $4,000 Maureen Rose, P. O. Box 190825, Little Rock, AR 72219 Workshops on Solid Waste Management This grant funds workshops for elementary and junior high school teachers from central and southeastern Arkansas. The focus of these workshops will be on solid waste management, recycling, and source reduction. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Armory Center for the Arts -- $5,000 David Spiro, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103 Interactive Science Education This project brings together teaching staff from the arts and sciences to promote interactive science education through observation, experimentation, data gathering, classification, and problem solving. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Atascadero Unified School District -- $3,842 Gene Elsdon, 5601 West Mall, Atascadero, CA 93422 Creek School Using Atascadero Creek and the Salinas River as environmental education laboratories, high school students will join with faculty to present "Creek School" workshops to elementary students and teachers. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Calaveras Unified School District -- $5,000 Betty White, P. O. Box 788, San Andreas, CA 95249 Environmental Education for Kindergarten and Elementary School This project presents an interdisciplinary, thematic, environmental education program to students in kindergarten through 6th grade with the goal of encouraging environmental literacy, which should lead to more environmentally-responsible lifestyles. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Daedalus Education Foundation -- $4,840 Merle O'Neil, 12702 Via Cortina #201B, Del Mar, CA 92014 Environmental Education Teacher Training Institute The "Environmental Education Teacher Training Institute" project provides for training of 120 teachers in Tijuana, Mexico. The content of the training will focus on the environmental issues linked to water, health, solid waste, land and resource management, and human interaction with the surrounding environment. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee -- $4,850 Jun Lee, 255 S. Grand Ave. #2203, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Education A one-day conference, called "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Education," will bring together high school teachers with representatives of government agencies and private conservation organizations. The task of the workshop participants is to develop a sample teaching plan which employs endangered species themes for an interdisciplinary curriculum for four pilot high schools. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Friends of the San Francisco Estuary -- $5,000 Marcia Brockbank, P. O. Box 2050, Oakland, CA 94604-2050 Cleaning Estuary Habitats This project will target two inner city classes and their teachers for a ten-week project. As part of these activities, the students, working with local resource agents, will clean up and enhance estuary habitats near their schools. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Konocti Unified School District -- $5,000 Olga Clymire, P. O. Box 6630, Clearlake, CA 95422 A Child's Place in the Environment The "A Child's Place in the Environment" project includes demonstrations on how an environmental education program can be organized through integration of the traditional elementary school subjects. The program will be offered in teacher workshops in four geographical regions of California. Teachers will participate in hands-on activities and develop a plan to assist their students to select and implement environment-enhancing projects. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Napa Valley Unified School District -- $5,000 Dr. Barbara Pahre, 2425 Jefferson Street, Napa, CA 94558 The New 3 R's: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Through "The New 3 R's: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle" project, pollution prevention becomes an issue that students can effect on a daily basis through their hands-on involvement in gardening and composting, which are components of this waste reduction curriculum. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Outward Bound Adventure, Inc. -- $4,948 Helen Mary Williams, P. O. Box 202, Pasadena, CA 91102 Curriculum for Water and Conservation Grant funds will be used to prepare a curriculum focusing on water and conservation concepts which will provide for six 1-day field trips for 24 middle school students to sites that are linked to the delivery and use of water to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Selected students (12 from Markham Jr. High in Watts and 12 from Washington Middle School in Pasadena) also will prepare for a seven-day High Sierra environmental study trip that will be funded from other sources. Through this project, students will have the opportunity to trace a drop of melted snow from the mountains to their own neighborhood. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Regents of the University of California -- $108,000 (HQ Grant) Neil Maxwell, Lawrence Hall of Science, Regents of the University of California, Sponsored Projects Office, Sproul Hall, Room 336, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Environmental Education School Action Projects The "Environmental Education School Action Projects" will develop a model school action and public education program in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. It will provide teachers, students, and community volunteers with an opportunity to work together to develop projects designed to solve local environmental problems. The project will include an environmental education teacher institute for primary and secondary school teachers and community volunteers and will draw hands-on curricula from existing programs that teach responsible decision making and action. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Rising Sun Energy Center -- $5,000 Michael Arenson, P. O. Box 2874, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 Solar Energy Education For the "Solar Energy Education" project, student interns from the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will be trained in solar energy and conservation to develop lessons and activities that are compatible with Santa Cruz school district's science education goals. The interns will make in-class presentations at four public elementary schools. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Sacramento Science Center -- $5,000 Patricia McVicar, 3615 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95821 Workshops on Water Resources This grant funds three workshops for separate groups of 20 elementary school teachers which will emphasize the stewardship of water resources. Each participant will create an educational kit for subsequent use in their classrooms. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | San Bernardino County -- $5,000 Phyllis Hebbard, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92415-0160 Video on Hazardous Household Products For this project, the San Bernardino Health Services Department will offer a video and lecture presentation to public and private schools in the county to increase awareness of hazardous household products, less toxic alternative products, the dangers of improper hazardous waste disposal, and the location of hazardous waste collection centers. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Bay Delta Aquatic Habitat Institute -- $11,259 Kathryn Kramer, 1301 S. 46th St. #180, Richmond, CA 94804 Kids in Creeks: A Creek Exploration and Restoration Program The "Kids in Creeks: A Creek Exploration and Restoration Program" will provide educators in Contra Costa County with two and a half days of training in creek ecology, access to a lending library, and support for conducting community-based action projects with their classes. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | San Joaquin Office of Education -- $5,000 Judi Wilson, P. O. Box 213030, Stockton, CA 95213-9030 Kids Make a Difference: Environmental Projects for Elementary Students For the "Kids Make a Difference: Environmental Projects for Elementary Students" project, 50 teachers will be trained to use projects related to an environmental issue that children at differing developmental levels can share perspectives and work together to arrive at a common solution to the problem. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District -- $4,998 Jane Orbuch, 6134 Highway 9, Felton, CA 95018 Monitoring the San Lorenzo River The San Lorenzo River and its watershed provide the unifying theme for this project, which will involve students in kindergarten through 12th grade in hands-on monitoring, measuring, and classifying water quality, riparian vegetation and wildlife, status of aquatic organisms, sedimentation and erosion, and human uses and impacts. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District -- $14,438 Sheila Adams, 1301 Redwood Way Suite 170, Petaluma, CA 94954 Adopt-a-Watershed Curriculum The "Adopt-a-Watershed Curriculum" project will provide in-service training for participating teachers in Sonoma Valley and Petaluma schools. This training will assist teachers in providing their students with increased environmental sensitivity through outdoor field observation and experimentation. |
| 1994 | CA | 9 | Tree People -- $10,000 Diane Hunt, 12601 Mulholland Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90201 The Magical City Forest "The Magical City Forest" project involves three teacher workshops for 150 teachers of kindergarten through 6th grade which will emphasize hands-on training in the curriculum. The curriculum will link information about the cycles of the earth, air, trees, wildlife, fresh water, and oceans with children's everyday lives in Los Angeles. To give students a sense of where they fit in the ecosystem, the curriculum addresses the realities of urban living. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Bauder Elementary School -- $4,970 Mary Joyce Fink, 2345 W. Prospect Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80526 Environmental Literacy for Families (ELF) Program This project involves the development and implementation of an Environmental Literacy for Families (ELF) program. The overall purpose of this project is to target environmental education at the family level, focusing on air pollution, land management, water pollution, energy conservation, solid waste management, and human co-existence with other animal species. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Biological Sciences Curriculum Study -- $25,000 James Ellis, 830 N. Tejon Suite 405, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Improving Teaching Skills in Science This program is part of a five-year project that will improve the background in science content and teaching skills of teachers of 4th through 6th grades and will support the implementation of effective instruction in science, with an emphasis in environmental education. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Bookcliff Middle School -- $2,698 Teri Lindauer, 2935 Orchard Ave., Grand Junction, CO 81504 Ecology Community Service Projects This project is designed to motivate students to be more environmentally conscious and to make informed decisions through hands-on involvement in environmental education. The school will conduct ecology-based community service projects by converting the campus into an environmentally sensitive recreation area and developing it as a learning environment. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Clean Air Campaign of the Pikes Peak Region -- $3,450 Linda Lewis, 219 W. Colorado Ave. Suite 210, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Workshops and Curriculum for Air Pollution This project proposes to improve environmental education teaching skills by conducting educator workshops and distributing the curriculum and accompanying kits to each participant for classroom use. The overall purpose of the project is to educate the community to solve air pollution problems through pollution prevention activities. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, Inc. -- $5,000 Walt Blackford, P. O. Box 101744, Denver, CO 80250 Database for Environmental Education Training The overall purpose of the project is to significantly improve a statewide database and clearinghouse service of environmental education training, curricula, materials, and other resources. This project will develop more capacity for the dissemination of environmental curricula and resources to a statewide network of environmental education organizations and individuals. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Colorado Bird Observatory -- $24,910 Michael Carter, 13401 Piccadilly Rd., Brighton, CO 80601 Birds Beyond Borders This program will develop Birds Beyond Borders, an international educational program designed to link teachers and students from different countries and cultures through shared environmental issues and natural resources, using migratory birds as the focus. Workshops will be offered in Colorado and in Jalisco, Mexico, that will equip teachers with information they need to encourage government support of environmental education. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Colorado Division of Wildlife -- $5,000 Karen Hardesty, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 Workshops for Inner City Teachers The project seeks to improve environmental education teaching skills through a series of advanced workshops for teachers who use inner city places and people to enhance environmental awareness. It will target teachers of urban student populations to develop an increased self-confidence in their abilities to teach environmental education in any neighborhood setting. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Colorado Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (CHHE) -- $5,000 Patricia McClearn, 2140 S. Holly St., Denver, CO 80222-5607 Workshops on Recycled Paper and Soy Ink Using these grant funds, CHHE will hold three workshops in Denver, Pueblo, and Grand Junction to educate participants about recycled paper and soy ink to promote their increased use for hospital print materials. This project has the potential to become a model for other industries in helping them to participate in source reduction to solve the solid waste problem. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Colorado State Forest Service -- $4,800 Mike Way, Project Learning Tree, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Demonstration and Dissemination of Project Learning Tree and Project Wild The overall purpose of this project is to enhance the demonstration and dissemination of Project Learning Tree and Project Wild (PLT/PW) environmental education curricula materials. This project will recruit and train a group of PLT/PW workshop trainers and facilitators from the ethnic minority community in the Denver area, with special attention on cultural diversity and at-risk students. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Food, Land, and People -- $35,000 (HQ Grant) Roxanne Brickell, National Steering Committee, Project Food, Land, and People, 643 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206 Environment and Agriculture This project will teach students in kindergarten through 12th grade about the interdependencies between the environment and agriculture. It will emphasize a holistic learning of environmental and agricultural issues, such as relating to water quality, solid waste management, natural resource management, soil conservation, pest management, food production, sustainability, biotechnology, and land use. Participants in the project will use existing materials, complete the development of new materials, and translate key lessons into Spanish. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Hallett Elementary School -- $5,000 Cynthia Kahns, 2950 Jasmine St., Denver, CO 80207 Eco-Urban Sensory Garden The Eco-Urban Sensory Garden project will be an outdoor science laboratory for teachers and students in an urban neighborhood of Denver. This project is part of the school renewal program, and is designed to improve the teaching of elementary science to students and their families through a hands-on approach in ecology, plant growth, and habitat development in the urban environment. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | The Keystone Center -- $18,031 Jon Thompson, P. O. Box 8606, Keystone, CO 80435 Training for Rural Educators The goal of this project is to develop an institute that will provide a six-day, intensive training program to educators from rural communities about environmental issues. The institute will provide a scientific framework for the teachers to use in diverse issues investigations, will offer specific hands-on activities, and will instruct educators on methods to develop and implement their own classroom plans. The participants also will conduct a mediation role-play to demonstrate the public policy process. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Thorne Ecological Institute -- $18,750 Susan Foster, 5398 Manhattan Circle Suite 120, Boulder, CO 80303 Guidebook on Chatfield State Park's Ecology This program will improve efficiency in educational outreach and increase participation by educators and children through trained volunteers. A guidebook will be developed to provide background on Chatfield State Park's ecological setting. Human history and critical environmental issues will be addressed during hands-on workshops that can serve as a model for replication elsewhere. |
| 1994 | CO | 8 | Woodland Park School District RE-2 -- $2,191 Fred Wall, P. O. Box 1808, Woodland Park, CO 80866 Wetlands Learning Environment The purpose of this project is to provide a wetlands learning environment for students and to control the flow velocity of the water downstream from the school property. Controlling this flow of water will provide a hands-on study experience for science students and help to create a wetlands environment. |
| 1994 | CT | 1 | Farmington River Watershed Association -- $4,975 Maryon Attwood, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070 Phase I, Adopt-A Stream The "Phase I, Adopt-A Stream" portion of the Farmington River Green Way project will identify and create a plan to focus on the unprotected lower portion of the Farmington River. The project will facilitate the partnership of diverse groups through environmental education and community stewardship activities. The groups to be targeted include community civic groups, town officials, and businesses in seven area communities. Eventually, more than 600,000 people may be affected. The collection of natural resource data and the subsequent adoption of sections of the river by these different groups will lead to a river corridor conservation plan that affects many towns. |
| 1994 | CT | 1 | Science Center of Connecticut/Roaring Brook Nature Center, Inc. -- $7,790 Beth Dal Negro, 70 Gracey Rd., Canton, CT 06019 Roaring Brook Nature Center The Roaring Brook Nature Center project will establish a partnership with 17 developmental pre-schools, comprising 680 four-year-old children, more than 70% of them African American or Hispanic, in the Hartford Public School system. These developmentally at-risk pre-school children will begin to understand the interconnectedness of the natural world of people, plants, and animals. The project, which consists of an initial teacher workshop, in-class program, and field trip to the Nature Center, will lead to an increase in the children's familiarity with the natural world and greater environmental consciousness. |
| 1994 | CT | 1 | The Nature Conservancy -- $4,586 Stephen R. Patton, Box 1162, Weston, CT 06883 Interactive Interpretive Trail Guide The "Interactive Interpretive Trail Guide" will provide visitors to the Lucius Pond Ordway - Devil's Den Preserve education in watershed protection, ecosystem function, and conservation of biological diversity. Through these interactive, outdoor educational and walking tours, visitors of varying backgrounds will learn about watersheds, habitats, and wildlife migratory routes on their own while walking a two-mile loop within the 1,660-acre preserve. |
| 1994 | CT | 1 | University of Connecticut -- $24,494 Richard Cooper, 1084 Shennecossett Rd., Groton, CT 06340 Aquanaut Program The National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut, through its "Aquanaut Program," will facilitate environmental research partnerships between high schools and research scientists. All high schools in Rhode Island will be provided with a brochure promoting the program. Highlights of the program include the use of the scientific method and its application using modern, in situ technology. Teachers and students will gain experience in hands-on research through the Narragansett Bay summer research cruise which will provide access to and promote regional geographic relevancy of environmental issues. |
| 1994 | DC | 3 | Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments -- $25,000 Stuart Freudberg, 777 North Capitol St., NE, Washington, DC 20002 Public Education about Non-point Source Pollution from Vehicles The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will establish a public education campaign to teach minority communities about reducing non-point source pollution generated from vehicles. The goal of the project is to increase used oil recycling and antifreeze, battery, and tire returns in minority communities by 10 percent. The environmental objective is to increase awareness of non-point source pollution in such communities. |
| 1994 | FL | 4 | Broward County Audubon Society, Inc. -- $5,000 Karen Mauck, 616 NW 22 Court, Wilton Manors, FL 33311 Broward Outdoor Natural Urban Studies Project The Broward Outdoor Natural Urban Studies project will train 150 teen and adult volunteers to conduct hands-on, outdoor, nature and science activities for 1,200 4th grade students in a series of investigations of the living things found in the elementary schoolyard. |
| 1994 | FL | 4 | Broward County School Board -- $5,000 Frank Mandley, 600 Southeast 3rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Plantation High School ECO-LAB This grant funds the Plantation High School ECO-LAB, which will provide high school students with an opportunity to investigate, observe, and experiment with a small scale southern Florida ecosystem. |
| 1994 | FL | 4 | Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc. -- $4,675 Joy Duperault, 10941 Burnt Store Road, Punta Gorda, FL 33955 Curriculum for Charlotte Harbor Watershed The purpose of this project is to adapt an existing estuarine curriculum to the Charlotte Harbor watershed region and conduct middle school teacher workshops in the use of the curriculum. |
| 1994 | FL | 4 | Northwest Florida Water Management District -- $5,000 Carol Pugh, Route 1, Box 3100, Havana, FL 32333 Activities to Reduce Storm Water Run-off and Surface Water Degradation This project includes field trips and hands-on environmental science activities for middle school students and teachers that focus on environmental actions to reduce storm water run-off and surface water degradation. Approximately 30,000 teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade and their students will be involved in the project. |
| 1994 | FL | 4 | Tampa Palms Elementary School -- $5,000 Charmaine Jones, 6100 Tampa Palms Blvd., Tampa, FL 33647 Curriculum for the Hillsborough River This project will provide all teachers at the Tampa Palms Elementary School with hands-on curriculum materials and workshops to heighten their awareness of the Hillsborough River as an important resource needing environmental protection. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Bleckley County School System -- $4,990 Donald M. Turknett, P. O. Box 516, Cochran, GA 31014 Environmental Education Center This grant funds the development of an environmental education center for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, which includes an outdoor classroom and natural resource study stations to emphasize hands-on learning activities. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | City of Atlanta -- $4,735 Commissioner Remedios K. del Rosairo, Department of Water, 68 Mitchell St., Suite 5700, Atlanta, GA 30335 Water Sourcebook This project helps to build a partnership with the Atlanta Water Department, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Georgia Water Wise Council, and the Atlanta Public Schools to introduce the Water Sourcebook to 36,000 students in grades 3 through 5 and 1,400 teachers. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Friends of Geosphere -- $5,000 Deron Davis, 8615 Barnwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30022 Working in the Magic Garden The Working in the Magic Garden project will provide a training program for 30 teachers of kindergarten through 5th grade to establish Wildlife Sanctuary Outdoor Learning Centers at five economically-depressed, urban elementary schools. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Georgia State University -- $24,906 Jack Hassard, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303 Teacher Preparation for Global Thinking Project The purpose of this project is to conduct a summer teacher preparation institute based on the Global Thinking Project, a computer-based distance learning curriculum, and convene a Global Summit. The Summit consists of two days of workshops and seminars on global thinking and environmental science for eight elementary school teachers, two high school teachers, and 800 ethnic minority and low-income students in grades 5 through 7. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Area -- $4,450 Jerome Brown, 1016 Lowe Road, Albany, GA 31701 Operation Clean Participants in "Operation Clean" will develop a solid waste collection and composting demonstration site and conduct a high school teacher workshop to increase county residents' awareness of environmental issues and encourage them to take an active role in addressing environmental problems. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Griffin-Spalding County School System -- $5,000 Ann Nunan, P.O. Drawer N, Griffin, GA 30224 Outdoor Environmental Laboratory Urban Model The "Outdoor Environmental Laboratory Urban Model" will emphasize ecology and biodiversity to demonstrate how elementary environmental education can be implemented in a limited natural resource environment. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | Medlock Bridge Elementary School -- $4,995 Virginia C. Smiley, 10215 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30022 Living Classroom II The "Living Classroom II" will develop an outdoor classroom area and utilize the site as a teaching laboratory to train kindergarten through 5th grade teachers in Project Learning Tree and Project Wild workshops. |
| 1994 | GA | 4 | SciTrek, Science and Technology Museum -- $24,000 Bernadette M. Peiffer, 395 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Water Sourcebook The purpose of this project is to disseminate to grades 3 through 5 the "Water Sourcebook," using a teacher training model and community partners. The project will seek to establish 200 teacher/trainers across Georgia and establish 12 partner site learning communities. |
| 1994 | HI | 9 | American Lung Association of Hawaii -- $4,860 Shirley Robinson, 245 N. Kukui Street, Honolulu, HI 96817 Health Hazards of Indoor Air Pollution The American Lung Association is joining with Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hawaii Children's Museum, and the State Department of Education in an outreach project expected to extend to 10,000 students, promoting awareness of potential health hazards associated with indoor air pollution. At the end of the educational unit, students and their parents will be able to recognize indoor air pollution hazards and know how to minimize and control them in their home and school environments. |
| 1994 | HI | 9 | County of Maui -- $5,000 Steve Parabicoli, 200 S. High St., Wailuku, HI 96793 Wastewater Education The "Wastewater Education" seeks to establish an educational partnership between the Wastewater Reclamation District and the county's schools by combining classroom presentations with tours of the wastewater reclamation facilities. |
| 1994 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Nature Center -- $20,000 Tamar Chotzen, 2131 Makiki Heights Dr., Honolulu, HI 96822 Field Study of Wetland Endangered Species This project will provide teacher training and produce resource guides for field study of wetland endangered species. This training, affecting as many as 11,000 elementary school students, focuses on the preservation of wetland endangered species and conservation of their habitat. |
| 1994 | ID | 10 | Better Living -- $5,000 Loreca Stauber, Route 1 Box 54, Genessee, ID 83832 Workshops for Hands-on Environmental Education Workshops for youth leaders, teachers, and high school students will be designed to enhance their skills in hands-on environmental education and to give them a better understanding of ecological concepts. The workshops will take place at an environmental park site in Moscow, with an emphasis on ecological implications of Moscow's land use practices. |
| 1994 | ID | 10 | Boise State University -- $5,000 Richard McCloskey, 1910 University Dr., Boise, ID 83725 Workshop on Parks, Zoos, Botanical Gardens, and Natural Areas For this project, Boise State University will hold an elementary and secondary teacher workshop on how parks, zoos, botanical gardens, and natural areas can be used to teach scientific skills and develop students' knowledge of English, reinforcing writing skills through the use of journals and children's literature. The workshop will include investigations of river ecology and will demonstrate hands-on activities that can be used to reinforce concepts with students. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago -- $5,000 Ellen Glantz, 625 W. Jackson, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60661 Community Network for Solid Waste Management Education This project will seek to develop a community network for solid waste management education. With the grant funds, the organization will offer bilingual workshops that will result in improved recycling practices and reduction of waste in the Lathrop Homes Community. Lathrop Homes is comprised of 1,000 families, predominately African American and Hispanic. The workshops, which will be presented in partnership with other Chicago non-profit organizations and local government offices, will be targeted toward parents and emphasize family recycling. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | DeWitt County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Carol Thompson, 804 W. VanBuren, P. O. Box 617, Clinton, IL 61727 Habitat Enhancement The goal of this project is to collaborate on an environmental education program with Weldon Springs Foundation and State Recreational Area that will offer some 2,087 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Clinton, Illinois the opportunity to learn about habitat enhancement and the local ecosystem. Funds will be used to develop a teacher workshop and lesson plans that present the park as a living classroom. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | Environmental Education Association of Illinois -- $5,000 John Beaver, 47 Horrabin Hall, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 1994 Midwest Environmental Education Conference This project will assist the Environmental Education Association of Illinois in its sponsorship of the 1994 Midwest Environmental Education Conference. Funds will support educational programming at the conference which will be held October 27-29, 1994, at the Eagle Ridge Resort and Conference Center in Galena, Illinois. Sponsorship of the Midwest conference rotates between Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The theme of this year's conference in Illinois is "Environmental Education: Making the Right Connection." The conference, which will offer workshops, interactive sessions, presentations, and networking opportunities, is open to all Midwest environmental educators. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,913 Larry Firkus, P. O. Box 482, Edwardsville, IL 62025 Environmental Education Programs for the Community This project will facilitate in the delivery of environmental education programs to the community. Funds will be used to hire an environmental education coordinator to work in cooperation with several local organizations. The Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District environmental education coordinator will work to integrate environmental education in 14 school districts throughout the county, make presentations to city officials on erosion control and storm water management, and assist rural landowners with sustainable agriculture research. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | Mark Sheridan Magnet School -- $5,000 Susan O'Neill, 533 W. 27th Street, Chicago, IL 60616 Environmental Education for the Mark Sheridan Magnet School The purpose of this project is to add a strong environmental education component to the Mark Sheridan Magnet School's math, science and art curriculum. Funds will be used to teach ten classroom teachers and five artists to integrate environmental issues into their classroom curriculum and focus on the ecosystems of Southeast Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Workshops will foster higher order thinking and learning by teaching environmental education through the arts. The project will serve as a model for teacher training at 43 other schools throughout Chicago's sixth school district. |
| 1994 | IL | 5 | Native American Educational Services College (NAES) -- $24,995 Faith Smith, 2838 West Peterson, Chicago, IL 60659 Environmental Education Program for the Native American Education Services The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive environmental education program at the Native American Education Services (NAES) College campus located on the Menominee Reservation in northeastern Wisconsin. With the grant, NAES College will develop a bachelor's degree program in natural resources, formalize a community service training program with the Tribe, integrate environmental instruction into Native American study for kindergarten through 12th graders, and create a local library resource related to the environment for Menominee community members. The project will reach more than 2,000 Menominees. |
| 1994 | IN | 5 | Clarksville Riverfront Foundation -- $5,000 Kenny Karem, 430 Marriott Dr., Clarksville, IN 47130 Ecosystem Education Program The purpose of this project is to develop a hands-on ecosystem education program for the nearby Falls Interpretive Center. The center will serve more than 800,000 people in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. The project will enable the Falls Interpretive Center, which will be established in 1994, to offer teacher education workshops and student programs that focus on the diverse habitat found on its 1,400-acre wilderness area. |
| 1994 | IN | 5 | Indiana Recycling Coalition -- $16,000 Jane St. John, 1040 W. 17th St., Bloomington, IN 47404 Environmental Education Master Teacher Network This project will establish the "Environmental Education Master Teacher Network" and sponsor environmental education workshops for master teachers in sixteen counties of southern Indiana. Master teachers will then educate other teachers so that the program could potentially reach 24,000 students In kindergarten through 12th grade. The workshops will revolve around an interdisciplinary environmental curriculum developed by the Heritage Education Foundation of Indianapolis called, "Partners with the Earth." |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Bettendorf High School -- $5,000 Barb Jacobsen, 33333 18th St., Bettendorf, IA 52722 Search, Solve, Create and Share The project is an environmental source reduction education project conducted in four stages using a new methodology called Search, Solve, Create and Share developed by researchers at the University of Iowa. The goal of the project is to involve others in environmental education in an active role. Along with workshops for teachers and students, an activity booklet related to solid waste issues will be developed. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Eastern Iowa Community College District -- $4,250 Ed Stoessel, 306 W. River Dr., Davenport, IA 52801-1221 Environmental Resources Workshop The Eastern Iowa Community College will provide high school teachers with the opportunity to discover environmental resources and experience environmental education through a five-day workshop. Participants will receive an environmental science resource instructor guide and a sampler of an environmentally-centered English composition anthology comprising classical, journalistic, and technical selections. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Grant Wood Area Education Agency -- $24,974 Dean Hartman, 4401 6th St. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404-4499 Save Our Water Project The "Save Our Water Project" is designed to improve the quality and quantity of environmental education teaching skills in the upper elementary grade levels. Teacher workshops will use new, interactive hands-on tools and techniques. A locally-relevant water quality resource guide will be developed. An increased partnership among educators, students, parents, and the soil and water conservation personnel in the community is expected to evolve. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Hoover Elementary School -- $30,000 (HQ Grant) Roberta Dardyshire, Hoover School, 1002 Spring Street, Davenport, IA 52803 Instruction on the Importance of Preserving the Environment This project will add several weeks of instruction to the school year to teach preschool through 3rd graders about the importance of preserving the environment and providing them with stewardship skills. The majority of the school's students are considered to be at-risk; they are from low income and minority families or test at or below grade level in reading and mathematics. Teachers will use existing curricula that use an interdisciplinary approach to learning and that emphasize student interaction with the natural and social environment. Curricula from programs such as Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Project Aquatics will be used. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Iowa 4-H Foundation -- $4,989 Beverly Berna, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 Environmental Education Curriculum Integration for Classroom Educators This project will improve environmental education teaching skills by providing curriculum integration and modeling of classroom in-service to educators. Classroom educators or learning center teachers will be empowered to teach their students with an age-specific, integrated, sequential curriculum. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community projects such as paint recycling and household hazardous waste reduction. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Education -- $5,000 Duane Toomsen, Grimes State Office Bldg., Des Moines, IA 50319 Volunteer Wilderness The goals of the "Volunteer Wilderness" project are to enhance teaching skills through a wilderness awareness and ecological restoration workshop for educators, to enable educators to communicate this experience with a presentation, and to expand the knowledge base within the community so that community members will make more positive environmental choices. The program will affect more than 1,500 people and will be developed in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Education, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Fish and Game, the University of Northern Iowa, and the Iowa State University Extension Youth and the 4-H Program. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | Kirkwood Community College -- $5,000 Douglas Feil, P. O. Box 2068, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Curriculum for Literate Adults and Families The purpose of this project is to develop a curriculum package that will motivate marginally literate adults and their families to be environmentally conscious, informed, and responsible. It does so by coupling environmental issues with the Adult Basic Education curricular emphasis on family literacy and life skills. This curriculum will teach basic environmental responsibility using hands-on activities adapted from the pre-reader program that was funded and successfully administered last year. |
| 1994 | IA | 7 | University of Iowa -- $24,862 Susan M. Blunck, Van Allen Hall, University of IA, Iowa City, IA 52242 The Iowa Floods Follow-up Project "The Iowa Floods Follow-up Project" will be a means of improving environmental teaching skills. The project will build on a nationally recognized teacher in-service program known as the Iowa Chautauqua Program, which is a model science in-service program. The focus will be on the effects in Iowa of the floods of the summer of 1993. Teachers will use information from their investigations during visits throughout the state to create modules that can be used in the classroom. The university will coordinate teacher planning and design of resource modules for summer workshops. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Emporia State University -- $3,735 Thomas Eddy, Box 4050, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801 Kansas School Naturalist: Role of Animals in Succession The purpose of the project is to publish one issue of the Kansas School Naturalist that deals with the newly understood role of animals in succession. The Kansas School Naturalist integrates birds, insects, and other animals as co-determiners of succession through seed dispersal and soil development. The issue will be maintained and referenced over the years by those attending libraries in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Emporia State University -- $3,735 William P. Lanier, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801 Kansas School Naturalist: 1993 Flood of Upper Mississippi The purpose of this project is to publish one issue of the Kansas School Naturalist that deals with the 1993 flood of the upper Mississippi region, which continues to affect the populations of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The proposed issue of the Kansas School Naturalist will address certain aspects of flood science and will provide problem-solving activities along with basic science behind common flood phenomena. The issue will be maintained and referenced over the years by those using school libraries. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Geary County Fish & Game Association -- $5,000 Kathy Brown George, P. O. Box 631, Junction City, KS 66441 Environmental Education Workshop The purpose of this project is to develop a teacher workshop that will blend discussion sessions with hands-on activities designed to supply information through the full range of education from elementary to secondary and special education classes. The workshop will reach beyond the science curricula instructors to emphasize the blending of science, mathematics, social studies, and language arts into a connected pattern of learning that includes environmental education. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Johnson County Parks & Recreation District -- $3,705 Bill McGowan, 909 N. Highway 7, Olathe, KS 66061 Ecology Encounters The purpose of this project is to improve the aquatic education program, Ecology Encounters, which is a 4th through 6th grade field trip accompanied by hands-on reinforcement activities. This project will reach five school districts in Johnson County, Kansas; schools in Kansas City, Kansas; schools Kansas City, Missouri; and numerous private schools. Based on figures from past years, the expected goal is to reach 700 to 800 students with the program. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Kansas State University -- $6,676 Carol Shanklin, KSU, 2 Fairchild Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-1103 Workshops for Food Service Managers This grant funds train-the-trainer workshops for food service managers and personnel that will address environmental problems and alternative approaches for managing solid waste and preventing air and water pollution from food service operations. Participants will use the knowledge learned to present training sessions to their employees or other food service managers. |
| 1994 | KS | 7 | Olathe East High School -- $5,000 Brad Williamson, 14545 W. 127th, Olathe, KS 66062 Monarch Butterfly Tagging The purpose of this project is to expand the monarch butterfly tagging effort and to implement new student-based research projects related to the migration phenomenon. A workshop will give teachers necessary skills and materials to culture the monarchs under different light regimens. Protocols for investigation will be developed in a collaborative manner and piloted by the core schools. The tagging aspect of the monarch project will involve teachers and students from the Midwest. It provides the opportunity for students to learn science by working in collaboration with a professional researcher. |
| 1994 | KY | 4 | Jessamine County Middle School -- $750 Grant Felice, 851 Wilmore Road, Nicholasville, KY 40356 Water Analysis in Jessamine County The "Water Analysis in Jessamine County" project will integrate life, earth, and physical science into the 6th through 8th grade curriculum, using water quality testing as an environmental education medium. |
| 1994 | KY | 4 | Kentucky School For The Deaf -- $5,000 Angela K. Wilson, P. O. Box 27, South Second St., Danville, KY 40422 Workshops for Teachers of the Hearing Impaired For this project, a series of workshops will provide teachers with the tools to give pre-school through high school hearing-impaired students a wide range of non-sheltered environmental education experiences, such as trips to nature centers and telecommunication projects with Kentucky Educational Television. |
| 1994 | LA | 6 | Imperial Calcasieu Resource Conservation and Development Council -- $5,000 Jim Neveu, 2422 Port Dr., Jennings, LA 70546 Forestry Awareness Project The "Forestry Awareness Project" will target sixth grade students in Allen and Northers Evangeline Parishes. Educators will use hands-on activities to address issues of multiple use of forests. |
| 1994 | LA | 6 | Sam Houston High School -- $5,000 Linda Wygoda, 880 Sam Houston Jones Pkwy., Lake Charles, LA 70611 Workshop for Water Monitoring This grant funds a week-long workshop that will train educators to use hands-on water monitoring activities for the intensive study of the Calcasieu River. |
| 1994 | LA | 6 | Southern University and A&M College -- $18,000 Chukwu Onu, Southern Branch Post Office, Baton Rouge, LA 70813 Environmental Awareness and Career Training The "Environmental Awareness and Career Training" program will use a variety of environmental education activities and hands-on experiences to improve decision-making skills of non-technical, minority college students and community leaders. |
| 1994 | ME | 1 | Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District -- $4,900 Forrest Bell, 381 Main Street, Suite 3, Gorham, ME 04038 The Campers' Lake Ecology Book "The Campers' Lake Ecology Book" will provide campers and camp staff within the Sebago Lake Watershed area with information on soil and water resources. Specifically, it will explain to younger "lake users" (ages 6 through 10) how lakes function, how they are threatened, and how they can be protected. The project makes use of a variety of activities including puzzles and illustrations. The goal of the "Camper's Book" is to teach about lake ecology while stressing the importance of the water quality of their lakes to young campers. |
| 1994 | ME | 1 | Department of Environmental Protection -- $3,600 Nick Archer, 1235 Central Drive, Presque Isle, ME 04769-2053 Mr. and Mrs. Fish The St. John River "Mr. and Mrs. Fish" water quality education program will market its project focusing on enhancing the understanding of water ecosystems among students living on the American and Canadian banks of the river. The program, directed at 3rd grade students and their teachers, consists of a teacher workshop, performance for students, and a training package. The project will provide teachers with the resources to introduce water quality lessons in the classroom curriculum. Furthermore, the project will enhance partnerships between local school systems, municipalities, and regional natural resource agencies, all on behalf of the water quality of the area's St. John River. |
| 1994 | ME | 1 | Maine Audubon Society -- $4,998 Maureen K. Oates, 118 U.S. Route 1, P. O. Box 6009, Falmouth, ME 04105 Casco Bay Water Quality and Watershed Education Project "The Casco Bay Water Quality and Watershed Education Project" will provide middle and high school teachers with hands-on experience in water quality and watershed issues. Teachers will participate in interactive workshops and use watershed models and topographic and watershed maps for wetland education in the classroom. The Casco Bay Watershed program is the vehicle which will establish a student and community water quality monitoring project on Casco Bay and foster ongoing "mentoring" relationships between citizens and the schools. |
| 1994 | MD | 3 | Alliance for Community Education -- $5,000 Anne Pearson, 5103 North Crain Hwy., Bowie, MD 20715 Non-toxic Lawn and Garden Care The Alliance for Community Education will start an adult education program, primarily for minority students, about non-toxic lawn and garden care. The goal of the project is to provide jobs and to launch "green gardens," which will treat lawns and gardens as an ecosystem. The environmental objective is to reduce non-point source pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 1994 | MD | 3 | Baltimore Metropolitan Council -- $24,954 Jack Anderson, 601 N. Howard St., Baltimore, MD 21201 Reservoir Watershed Protection Project With these grant funds, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council will launch a Reservoir Watershed Protection project that will result in staff training and curriculum development. |
| 1994 | MD | 3 | Baltimore School District (Sussex Elementary) -- $4,955 Kathy Brauer, 515 S. Woodward Dr., Baltimore, MD 21221 Water Quality Project For this project, the Baltimore County Public School System (Sussex Elementary) will fund a water quality project using the ChesNet forum on the Metnet bulletin board system. This project will create a network of teachers and students who have been trained in both environmental and telecommunications technologies. |
| 1994 | MD | 3 | The Loading Dock, Inc. -- $15,900 Hope Cucina, 2523 Gwynns Falls Pkwy., Baltimore, MD 21216 Guide to Successful Building Recycling The Loading Dock, Inc., a nonprofit building materials recycler, will publish A Guide to Successful Building Recycling and provide technical assistance, one-on-one, to improve methods of materials reuse, as well as alternative means to supporting the creation of low-income housing. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Boston Private Industry Council, Inc. -- $119,956 (HQ Grant) George Moriarty, Boston Private Industry Council, Inc., 2 Oliver St., 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02109 Green Tech "Green Tech" is an environmental career school-to-work transition program for South Boston High School students, 73% of whom are from minority communities. The program is designed to teach students that what they learn in the classroom and through work experience is fundamental to future employment opportunities. The program will increase student awareness about environmental career opportunities through classroom instruction and on-site experiences such as internships and summer jobs in environmental agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) -- $80,000 (HQ Grant) Lori Colombo, Environmental Careers Organization, Inc., 286 Congress Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02210-1009 Environmental Studies: 2000 Project The "Environmental Studies: 2000 Project" is a national program to assist those designing university environmental studies programs to prepare for environmental workforce needs and to assist students in preparing for environmental careers. The goal of the program will be to disseminate the results of an ECO study which assesses the needs of environmental employers to the environmental studies departments and minority academic institutions through workshops at national conferences. Activities will include developing environmental career strategies and creating lasting partnerships between educators and employers. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies -- $5,000 Alan Harris, 430 Potomska Road, P. O. Box 87037, South Dartmouth, MA 02748 Docent Program The "Docent Program" will train volunteers to lead school children in explorations of their local environments. There will be ten workshop sessions, including coastal field studies, wildlife in the school yard, and marine organisms. The workshops will provide volunteers with the ability and access to materials necessary to lead students in hands-on investigation. The program will reach a diverse audience of adult volunteers and children from across New Bedford, promoting and enhancing environmental education in the area. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Manomet Observatory -- $58,880 (HQ Grant) Janis Burton, Manomet Observatory, 81 Stage Point Rd., Plymouth, MA 02345 Save Our Migratory Birds "Save Our Migratory Birds" will emphasize the global nature of environmental and natural resource issues by teaching middle school students in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Argentina how to protect local habitats used by migratory birds. This "think globally, act locally" project includes a partnership between non-profit conservation and education organizations in all four countries. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society/Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary -- $5,000 Anthony Symasko III, 127 Combs Rd., Easthampton, MA 01027 Summer Environmental Field Trip The Arcadia Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, a local arm of the Audubon Society, will expand its six-week summer environmental field trip program to eight weeks and continue serving 350 Holyoke Hispanic children, ages five to eleven, in their increasing awareness of their natural environments. The expansion of the program will allow for emphasis on adult workshops, the hiring of an additional part-time professional educator, the training of assistants in the use of observation and sampling equipment, and additional hours for children to participate at the sites and at community meeting halls after the field trips. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society/Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary -- $5,000 Christine Brothers, P. O. Box 236, South Wellfleet, MA 02663 Project Pond Through classroom sessions, field trips, and summer interpretation, "Project Pond" will educate 240 tenth grade biology students in the natural history and management of the Outer Cape's kettle ponds. The program will expose the students to scientific research, natural resource management, and work experience in environmental management. The participants then will use these skills and knowledge to educate town residents and visitors who use the ponds. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council -- $7,965 Brenda Rich, 95 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116 Trails to Action "Trails to Action," a weekend workshop, will provide approximately 150 Girl Scout troop leaders with environmental materials and curricula which will enable them to bring environmental education to the scouts, volunteer staff, board members, and committee members. The goal of the project is to have the leaders and the girls display environmental awareness in all aspects of their lives and make environmentally-conscious decisions. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Reading Public Schools -- $4,990 Leo P. Kenney, 62 Oakland Rd., Reading, MA 01867 Vernal Pool Education Project Through its "Vernal Pool Education Project," the Reading Public Schools seek to improve environmental education in Massachusetts by involving high school students and their teachers in the identification, study, and certification of vernal pools in their communities. Through a series of workshops, students and teachers from approximately 60 high schools in Middlesex County will become involved in data gathering, study and certification of vernal pools. The workshops will use an investigative, hands-on approach using color-infrared aerial photographs to identify and plot vernal pools on U.S. Geological Survey maps, eventually leading to applications for vernal pool certification. The goal of the project is to promote partnerships with agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection Wetland Conservancy Program and the Essex County Greenbelt Association. |
| 1994 | MA | 1 | Westport River Watershed Alliance -- $5,000 Gay Gillespie, 1151 Main Rd., P. O. Box 3427, Westport, MA 02790 Watershed Education Project (WEP) The Westport River Watershed Alliance's "Watershed Education Project (WEP)," will expand its environmental program by using hands-on, grade-specific curriculum kits, expanding teacher workshops, and developing Family Nights wherein students will share with parents and friends the activities resulting from the WEP kits. This program seeks to incorporate communities within the Westport River's watershed, like Fall River and Freetown, Massachusetts and Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island, which were previously not included in the project. The expansion of WEP will increase the students' and public's awareness of the environmental health of the watershed. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians -- $5,000 Robert Kewaygoshkum, 2605 NW Bay Shore Dr., Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Environmental Education for the Ottawa and Chippewa Indian Communities The goal of this project is to build tribal capacity to develop and deliver an environmental education program to the Ottawa and Chippewa Indian communities. EPA funds will enable the Grand Traverse Band to develop a first-ever tribal plan for environmental education by convening a task force and identifying existing resources and gaps. In addition to earmarking goals and objectives for a holistic environmental education program, the Tribal Plan will describe demonstration projects that combine Native American cultural practices with local natural resources. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Ingham Soil Conservation District -- $4,747 Ann Nebe, 521 N. Okemos Rd., P. O. Box 236, Mason, MI 48854 Sycamore Creek Watershed This grant funds a project to educate students, adults, community members, and businesses in the Sycamore Creek Watershed about their local watershed and about the environmental importance of small streams. Further education will focus on how individual actions can eventually impact the Great Lakes. Funds will be used to support forums to reach residents and businesses and to involve students in actual water quality sampling. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University Division of Science Education -- $5,000 Clarence Suelter, 302 Admin. Bldg., East Lansing, MI 48824 Workshop in Physical Environmental Science Participants in this project will offer a three-week, interdisciplinary workshop in physical environmental science for 30 high school chemistry, physics, and earth science teachers. The workshop will incorporate the use of science, technology, and society to demonstrate the complexity of environmental issues involved with water usage and reclamation. The workshop will stress the need for multidisciplinary approaches to solving problems by challenging teachers to work through different environmental scenarios. Teachers who participate in the workshop will be required to either share their experience with their peers or give a presentation on the program at the Michigan Science Teachers Association conference. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Muskegon Area Intermediate School District -- $23,239 Tom Green, 630 Harvey St., Muskegon, MI 49442 River and Groundwater Project The purpose of this project is to expand the school district's river and groundwater project, which involves students in cooperative study of the history, geography, hydrology, biology, chemistry and politics of the Muskegon River and White River watersheds. EPA funds will enable the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District to reach 1,000 additional middle and high school students in four additional districts. Muskegon School District ultimately aims to establish the program in 10 to 20 regional sites in Michigan. Students will share data they gain from the watersheds through the Global Rivers Environmental Education computer network. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Urban Options, Inc. -- $5,000 Marisa McGlue, 405 Grove St., East Lansing, MI 48823 Workshops on Energy Efficiency and Conservation The purpose of this project is to deliver a series of workshops to elementary teachers on energy efficiency and conservation. EPA funds will be used to support the first year of a four-year plan for an in-service program aiming to reach 200 teachers. Urban Options will survey existing energy curricula in order to use hands-on energy activities with the teachers that complement Michigan's educational science objectives. |
| 1994 | MI | 5 | Washtenaw County -- $23,241 Rebecca Head, 220 N. Main St., P. O. Box 8645, Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8645 Environmental Equity Community Outreach This grant funds the development of a new program entitled "Environmental Equity Community Outreach," which aims to form partnerships between Washtenaw County government agencies and low income, diverse communities in the county. The goal of the program is to increase citizen awareness of the county's environmental programs and services and to gain input from citizens to ensure that county programs meet the expressed needs of under represented communities of color. Citizens will participate in community workshops, presentations, and environmental projects. The project builds on a 1992 EPA environmental education grant awarded to Washtenaw County to run an Environmental Career Internship Program for students of color. The former interns will assist in cultivating community contacts for this program. |
| 1994 | MN | 5 | Bell Museum of Natural History -- $5,000 Don Luce, 1100 Washington Ave. South, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN 55415 Public Understanding of Endangered Species The purpose of this project is to develop and conduct a series of focus groups to assess public understanding of issues surrounding endangered species in the north central region of the United States. Bell Museum will use data collected from these focus groups to shape a series of exhibitions the museum is now developing in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The exhibit's goal will be to challenge visitors to think about the extended consequences of their actions on the natural world and to further develop their conservation ethic. Some of the exhibitions will be used to travel to classrooms and will actively engage viewers by including dioramas, graphics, interactive objects and videos, learning kits, and games. |
| 1994 | MN | 5 | Prairie Island Tribal Council -- $26,260 (HQ Grant) Lin Nelson, 118 Island Blvd., Prairie Island Tribal Council, Welch, MN 55089 Curriculum on Community Environmental Issues This project will enhance environmental awareness and motivate area school children, tribal members, and visitors to the reservation community to be more environmentally conscious in making decisions that affect the environment. The project will develop a culturally sensitive curriculum that addresses a wide-range of environmental problems on the reservation, including problems associated with air and water pollution, woodland ecology, and solid waste disposal. |
| 1994 | MN | 5 | Red Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) -- $5,000 Irene Hill, Route 1, Box 31B, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 Value of Wetlands The purpose of this project is to offer outdoor education on the value and benefits of wetlands to local educators. Funds will enable the Red Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District to reach at least 20 educators who will then teach more than 400 local students about wetland biology, plant identification, water quality, adjacent land use, and other related subjects. |
| 1994 | MN | 5 | The International Coalition for Land/Water Stewardship in the Red River Basin -- $4,120 Karla Parkinson, P. O. Box 127, Moorehead, MN 56561-0127 Smart Shoppers The "Smart Shopper's" program is currently disseminating environmental education materials through grocery stores. The funds from this grant will expand this program to include new waste reducing tips and also add "WaterWise" tips promoting the more efficient use of water. The goal of the program is to educate, inform, and help the grass roots population address these important issues. Please note that although the mailing address for this project is in Minnesota, the project is taking place in North Dakota. |
| 1994 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $5,000 Bonnie J. Krause, Graduate School/Office of Research, University, MS 38677 Traveling Trunk Environmental Education Program The purpose of this project is to develop a "Traveling Trunk Environmental Education Program" on soil conservation and conduct 3 workshops to train teachers and volunteers in a 20-county area in northern Mississippi in the use of the materials. The program is designed to serve about 1,750 elementary students and 20 teachers. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Francis Howell School District -- $10,000 Gerry Boehm, 7001 Hwy 94 South, St. Charles, MO 63304 River Project This grant will fund the introduction of other local high schools to this already functioning project. The River Project has focused on teachers training teachers and will improve on that model by having teachers instruct students, who will then train students from other high schools. The project will create an environmental education partnership and deliver environmental education training to St. Charles County high schools. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Meadow Heights R-II School -- $5,000 Cheri Fuemmeler, Hwy 72E, Box 210D, Patton, MO 63662 Outdoor Classroom For this project, the Meadow Heights teachers of kindergarten through 4th grade and science specialists teaching 5th through 12th grade will create an outdoor classroom to provide real-life contact with nature. Summer workshops will enable teachers to improve instructional skills, incorporate environmental studies into existing curriculum, and incorporate the outdoor classroom as a laboratory for regular science instruction. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Meramec Regional Planning Commission -- $4,038 Bonnie Prigge, 101 W. 10th St., Rolla, MO 65401 Household Hazardous Waste Workshop This project is designed to provide education about household hazardous waste and includes a workshop for representatives from a six-county area. The training will include issues relating to proper disposal methods and use of alternative products. The goal of the project is to reach elected officials, educators, and students who will be able to share their experiences and knowledge in their communities, schools, and local governments. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Meramec Regional Planning Commission -- $4,728 Bonnie Prigge, 101 W. 10th St., Rolla, MO 65401 Backyard Composting The goal of this project is to educate the public on backyard composting and generate interest and participation in waste reduction and reuse through composting. The project will consist of six hours of classroom instruction and three hours of hands-on field work. Participants will be selected from each community in the district and will serve on the environmental speakers bureau, reaching a broad spectrum of the Ozark River's Solid Waste Management District. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Metropolitan Energy Center -- $24,910 Peter Dreyfuss, 3808 Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64109 Improving Lighting Efficiency This project will educate school staff and students about the management and control of lighting and the environmental impact of improving lighting efficiency. It involves students in conducting a lighting audit as an educational tool and provides workshops for educators to learn basic principles of energy-efficient lighting. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Niangua R-V School -- $4,000 Roy W. Manion, P. O. Box 77, Niangua, MO 65713 Teacher Training on Water Sampling This grant will provide additional environmental education material for teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade to incorporate into their general curriculum. The training will include an emphasis on water sampling for students. Information will be shared with the community in hopes that the community will become more aware of problems, possible solutions, and the need for clean rivers, creeks, and water. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | River Bluffs Audubon Society -- $4,972 Celeste Koon, 1017 Holly, Jefferson City, MO 65109 Environmental Education Partnership This project will facilitate an environmental education partnership among the local government, the local school district, and the River Bluffs Audubon Society. Funding will be used to prepare a traveling display, fliers, and public service announcements to promote recycling and strengthen the public's awareness of how individual actions can create or reduce pollution. |
| 1994 | MO | 7 | Waynesville R-VI Schools -- $3,750 Herbert Turner, 403 School St., Waynesville, MO 65583 Studying the Roubidoux Creek This project is a continuation and expansion of hands-on laboratory activities and a stewardship program involving the Roubidoux Creek. The project encompasses a year-long study of creek conditions and will result in the development of a simple environmental curriculum that can be used or modified by other educators. Eighth-grade students act as mentors for the elementary grades. Participants in the water quality monitoring program have identified, and will continue to monitor for, minor problems early so that the community can react and make corrections as needed. |
| 1994 | MT | 8 | Butte-Silver Bow Health Department -- $5,000 Barbara Popovich, 25 West Front St., Butte, MT 59701 Lead in Our Environment The purpose of this project is to encourage students in grades 4 through 8 and educators to take an investigative and scientific approach to understanding the influence of lead as an environmental substance. Health department staff will go into the classroom to explain about lead in our environment, suggest projects for discovering more about the effects of lead, and offer assistance to develop these projects. The grant funds will be used for awards given through a regional science fair. |
| 1994 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association -- $4,500 Carol Soth, P. O. Box 928, Dillon, MT 59725 Outreach Program The purpose of this project is to extend a pilot outreach program to rural school districts to further the integration of environmental education into the kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum. The project seeks to expand the Resource Lending Library, install a toll-free telephone line, conduct five to eight additional residencies in rural schools, and conduct five to eight additional in-service programs for teachers around the state. |
| 1994 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Groundwater Foundation -- $9,480 Susan Seacrest, P. O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558 Groundwater Festival The purpose of this grant is to help the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation to match secondary students with an interest in groundwater with environmental professionals in a mentor relationship. Student and mentor recruitment, training, and recognition will be built on established Groundwater Festival partnerships with state agencies, higher education, and natural resource districts. Specific objectives of the project includes the creation of a visual product suitable for public demonstration while promoting communication and cooperation between students and groundwater professionals. |
| 1994 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska -- $4,000 Joel Cahoon, South Central Research & Extension Center, P. O. Box 66, Clay Center, NE 68933 Irrigation Workshop The primary goals of this project are to demonstrate and evaluate techniques that reduce deep percolation of irrigation water below the active root zone in furrow-irrigated fields and to narrow the gap between irrigation application amounts and the actual amounts of water extracted by the crop. The results of the project will be presented at an irrigation workshop in Clay County and at the Central Plains Irrigation Short Course and Equipment Expo, which annually attracts more than 300 irrigators from three states. |
| 1994 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska -- $5,000 Shirley Niemeyer, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588 Interactive Computer Program for Pollution Prevention The goal of this project is to transfer existing pollution prevention technology to consumers and householders through the use of a touch-screen, interactive, multimedia computer program. The multimedia program has the potential to improve environmental education teaching through use in educators' workshops, conventions, or displays. It builds on state and local government capacity to develop and deliver environmental pollution prevention educational programs. |
| 1994 | NV | 9 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas -- $11,000 Roberta Williams, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004 Science and Society Course This grant will fund the development of the Science and Society course. The course will target teachers from rural Nevada and residents of Clark County and will provide insights into national and local environmental issues. Participating teachers will be encouraged to conduct workshops at their home schools to extend to their peers the hands-on experiments, instructional materials, and critical thinking about environmental issues they have learned through the course. |
| 1994 | NV | 9 | Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada -- $5,000 Sherry Smokey, 919 Hwy 395 South, Gardnerville, NV 89410 Willow Project Expansion The "Willow Project Expansion" will provide teacher training and curriculum activity kits for 4th grade teachers in Alpine County, California and Carson City, Nevada. The model, currently in use in the schools of Douglas County, Nevada, offers a cross-cultural environmental curriculum and presents Native American traditions in a scientific context. |
| 1994 | NH | 1 | Connecticut River Joint Commission -- $12,350 Sharon Francis, P. O. Box 1182, Charlestown, NH 03603 Guide to the Connecticut River Watershed Working as a joint commission, the Connecticut River Watershed Council and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will promote environmental literacy by developing, publishing, and distributing an illustrated guide which will serve as an educational tool for teachers, students, and citizens of the Connecticut River watershed. The guide will focus on combating non-point source pollution by suggesting actions that can be taken to prevent and control pollution and serving as a reference guide for best management practices. In addition to the guide, workshops such as "The River that Connects Us," and publications such as Environmental Management will provide the teaching tools necessary for numerous interest groups, especially teachers and students in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. |
| 1994 | NH | 1 | Harris Center for Conservation Education -- $5,000 Marian K. Baker, 341 Kings Highway, Rte. 1, Hancock, NH 03449 AIRNET AIRNET, an air quality monitoring project, will create partnerships between the Harris Center, town and state officials, and ten local, private, and public high schools in New Hampshire. This grant will be used to expand the existing AIRNET monitoring project, which promotes environmental education through interdisciplinary learning. Activities include workshops, team teaching, computer networking, multidisciplinary research, and analysis of data. The goal of this unique program is to increase the interest and knowledge of air quality issues throughout the community. |
| 1994 | NH | 1 | Raymond Parks and Recreation Department -- $5,000 Richard C. Bates, Raymond, NH 03077 Environmental Education Programs for Citizens of Raymond The Raymond Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Raymond School District, will manage environmental education programs which enlighten and empower the citizens of Raymond to actively monitor environmental health. Specific projects include evaluating wetlands, monitoring water quality, and finding alternatives to landfills. Students from high schools in Raymond will be trained as environmental docents -- providing environmental lectures, demonstrations, and tours to elementary and middles school classrooms and community organizations. Also, in the summer, environmental education will be incorporated into the summer youth program as the docents or other students work as Junior Conservation Counselors. A part-time environmental education coordinator will be hired to schedule workshops and other relevant community events to complement the students' efforts. |
| 1994 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire -- $4,999 Ihab Faraq/Linda Kahan Meier, Office of Sponsored Research, 107 Service Bldg., Durham, NH 03824-3585 P2 Consortium In conjunction with the Pollution Prevention Consortium of New England Universities, the University of New Hampshire plans to sponsor a regional conference facilitating the transfer of pollution prevention technology to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. The "P2 Consortium," the first of its type, will encourage demonstrations, discussions, and dissemination of pollution prevention activities and information. Students will get an opportunity to present pollution prevention projects and foster greater awareness and understanding of pollution prevention. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | American Littoral Society -- $18,500 D.W. Bennett, Highlands, NJ 07732 ESTUARIES Workshops The American Littoral Society will sponsor teacher workshops in the New York Harbor area using an existing curriculum, ESTUARIES. This program is designed to motivate teachers to introduce estuarine-related studies to students, introduce interdisciplinary curricula related to estuaries, complement efforts in the public and private sectors in environmental education related to harbor and estuary programs, and demonstrate how individuals can protect estuaries. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | Genesis Farm, Inc. -- $5,000 Sister Patricia Daly OP, 41a Silver Lake Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825 Teacher Workshops on Ecosystems Genesis Farm embodies the ideal of "living lightly on the earth." This program will consist of teacher workshops for elementary school educators, which will provide them with materials for classroom implementation and current scientific understanding of ecosystems. The workshops will enable teachers to collaborate on the development of environmental education programs and share information regarding effective models. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $5,000 Deborah Hadley, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor Room 2, Newark, NJ 07102 Weatherwatch Pilot Program With this grant, the Weatherwatch Pilot Program will continue and expand a pilot project to measure the impact of meteorological phenomena and pollution on the environment by creating partnerships between Newark schools and nonprofit environmental organizations. This phase of the program that began in 1993 will reach ten schools, enabling educators to use the hands-on weather curriculum with an estimated 400 students. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | New Jersey Department of Education -- $224,583 (HQ Grant) Sylvia Kaplan, NJ Department of Education, 225 E. State St., CN 500, Trenton, NJ 08625 Project CLEEN "Project CLEEN" will prepare New Jersey vocational technical students for environmental careers. It will identify ten occupational areas throughout the state which have the greatest pollution problems, develop environmental management curriculum resources to address problems at these sites, host educator workshops, and disseminate curriculum and professional development materials nationwide. The focus of the project will be to prepare individuals to prevent pollution in the workplace. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | New Jersey Audubon Society -- $24,000 Peter Bacinski, 790 Ewing Avenue, P. O. Box 125, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 New Jersey Audubon Society's Bridges to the Natural World This grant funds the New Jersey Audubon Society's Bridges to the Natural World, the first natural history guide providing educators with information specific to New Jersey. The guide will be the basis for teacher and facilitator workshops, which will reach educators throughout New Jersey. The goal of the project is to empower the educators to make environmental education relevant, exciting, and accessible in urban, suburban, and rural settings. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | Warren County 4-H Leaders Association -- $5,000 Carol Knowlton Ward, 165 County Road, Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823 Training for Teens The New Jersey 4-H Conservation School will be a hands-on program for teens, introducing them to environmental issues such as waste management and water quality. State, county, and private sector partners also fund this program that will draw youth from throughout New Jersey. Participants learn about the environment and how to relate their concern about environmental issues to policy makers. |
| 1994 | NJ | 2 | Washington Township Board of Education -- $4,000 Helen E. DiPascale, 234 Sharon Road, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 Family Learning for Environmental Education This grant will fund "Family Learning for Environmental Education." The project will involve students in grades 4 through 6 and their parents. It provides them with the opportunity to learn about the environment and prepares them to make informed decisions. The family learning sessions will be conducted in evening and Saturday morning sessions. |
| 1994 | NM | 6 | Carlsbad Caverns-Guadalupe Mountains Association -- $5,000 Teresa M. Jaskiewicz, P. O. Box 1417, Carlsbad, NM 88221 Partnerships with Carlsbad Caverns Teacher Workshops The "Partnerships with Carlsbad Caverns Teacher Workshops" will train teachers to prepare students for visits to the national park and to lead tours through the park. |
| 1994 | NM | 6 | Gadsden Independent School District -- $5,000 Pamela Donaldson, 2500 W. Washington Ave., Anthony, NM 88021 Water Quality Curriculum Under this grant, materials and curricula will be developed and equipment purchased for this school district. Teachers will be trained to guide high school students as they teach 5th graders about water quality issues in the Gadsden area. |
| 1994 | NM | 6 | Santa Fe Community College -- $5,000 Mary Ann Walz, P. O. Box 4187, Santa Fe, NM 87502 Teacher and Counselor Environmental Workshop The "Teacher and Counselor Environmental Workshop" will focus on how to incorporate 50-minute environmental lessons into existing curricula. Workshop content also includes environmental career counseling and promoting awareness of environmental concerns in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area. |
| 1994 | NM | 6 | Youth Development, Inc. -- $18,000 Augustine C. Baca, 6301 Central NW, Albuquerque, NM 87105 Children Develop Educational Tools For this project, children will develop multi-cultural, bilingual educational tools, including a coloring book, to raise awareness of groundwater contamination and other environmental issues. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | American Lung Association of Nassau-Suffolk -- $13,200 Madelon Goldberg Givant, Program Department, 214 Marcus Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788 Future Workers' Education Project This project will provide educator workshops for school personnel working with students in occupational education classes in public and private educational institutions in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The Future Workers' Education Project provides young people and adults entering the work place with the knowledge, skill, and understanding that will enable them to minimize exposure to lung hazards. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Bronx High School Science Foundation, Inc. -- $20,500 75 West 205th Street, Bronx, NY 10468 Ecology Training Institute The summer Ecology Training Institute will use the Inwood Hill Park Spartina marsh and Van Cortlandt Park freshwater wetlands as urban habitat themes. New York City(NYC) teachers will receive training on how to design and disseminate NYC-based aquatic ecology lessons and use the parks as outdoor laboratories. This project will establish an Ecology Resource Center for middle school teachers at the Bronx High School of Science. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- $5,000 Ann T. Schwartz, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220 Brooklyn GreenBridge This grant will support the pilot phase of a community environmental education program, "Brooklyn GreenBridge." Using gardens as an educational vehicle to create stronger communities also enhances the quality of the local environment. Brooklyn GreenBridge targets school groups in under served urban neighborhoods, bringing them together with community educators to create teaching gardens in vacant lots. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation -- $5,000 Alexander R. Brash, Urban Park Rangers, 1234 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029 Teacher's Guide for the Urban Forest Ecology Center For this project, a teacher's guide for the Urban Forest Ecology Center and surrounding Van Cortlandt Park will be developed enabling educators to use the park to teach urban forestry and restoration ecology. The guide will support teacher efforts to continue their involvement with restoration of urban natural areas. This model program seeks to draw a more diverse population to conservation-related careers. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension -- $5,000 Ann Herriott, Environmental Issue Team, East Kirkbride Road, P. O. Box 1000, Thiells, NY 10984 Home Composting This project will educate the community about the environment and encourage citizens, through hands-on learning, to take responsibility for processing most of their yard and food waste through home composting. The project promises to be a model for Rockland County and seeks to demonstrate the economic and horticultural benefits of home composting in a community venture. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Cornell University, Institute on Science and Environment for Teachers -- $4,873 Arlene Hansen, Office of Sponsored Programs, 120 Day Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 Aquatic Research Projects and Training This funding will extend the resources of the Institute of Science and Environment for Teachers by focusing on experimental aquatic research projects and offering regional training workshops, equipment loans, and ongoing support on a computer network. The project supports the teaching of aquatic environmental science using open-ended, student-generated, original empirical research. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Earth Day New York -- $5,000 Pamela Lippe, 10 East 39th St., Suite 601, New York, NY 10016 Earth Day Education Program "The Earth Day Education Program" proposes to build a distribution network to disseminate existing curricula and teaching guides and make them available directly to schools at every grade level, in every school, in every state, impacting students across all social and ethnic lines. The program will establish partnerships between schools through a network of Earth Day coordinators, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. By motivating and instilling an environmental ethic in children, the general public will reap the rewards of their enlightened environmental consciousness in the years ahead. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Educational Broadcasting Corporation -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Rose Tatlow, Foundation and Government Underwriting, Educational Broadcasting Corp., 356 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 Nature Trail "Nature Trail" is a 13-week television series that will appear in 30-minute increments and will educate children about their everyday natural world. The program will demonstrate to young people that they do not need go outside of their immediate environment to experience nature; they can learn about the importance of protecting the environment from suburban backyards, city streets, neighborhood streams, and urban parks. Educational materials will be developed with the series to be disseminated to schools and environmental education organizations. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Friends of the Anderson Program, Inc. -- $4,974 Helen Krasnow, The Anderson Program at P.S. 9, 100 West 84th Street, New York, NY 10024 Anderson Program The Anderson Program serves inner city, culturally-diverse, gifted students. The project focuses on wetlands and wetland preservation in and around the Metropolitan New York area. Students do field work including research, observation, and comparison at various estuarine sites. A major aspect of this project involves 4th graders working with kindergarten students cooperatively and as mentors. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. -- $5,000 Kate Mitchell, 112 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 Clearwater's Teacher Training Workshops The overall purpose of the Clearwater's Teacher Training Workshops project is to promote a sense of stewardship of the Hudson River and other waterways. Using A Hudson River Primer, created for workshop use, in partnership with Scenic Hudson, the project will reach educators in the Hudson Valley to improve their understanding of and access to riverfront ecology. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Niagara Falls City School District -- $5,000 Cynthia A. Bianco, 607 Walnut Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY 14301 Paddle to the Sea: A Great Lakes Journey The "Paddle to the Sea: A Great Lakes Journey" project is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary environmental education regarding pollution in the Great Lakes using technology and the Internet system. Specific objectives include development of interdisciplinary units for grades 6 through 8. The units will contain techniques for developing projects for each grade and include ways in which teachers can assess performance. The project will train educators in telecommunications and seeks to improve student problem solving strategies and thinking skills. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | NYC Board of Education, Community School District 19 -- $4,892 Anthony DeLucia, 557 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207 Project ECOLE Plus "Project ECOLE Plus" expands an environmental education apprenticeship for teams of regular and special education classroom teachers. The aspect of the program this grant will fund will develop skills and knowledge teachers need to apply from ECOLE field experiences. Workshops will combine classroom instruction with field experiences for teachers in the East New York section of Brooklyn. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | NYC Board of Education, Community School District 75 -- $5,000 Susan Erber, P.S. 233, Blue Mini Building, 204 Street and 109 Avenue, Hollis, NY 11412 Environmental Recycling for Multiple Handicapped Students "Environmental Recycling for Multiple Handicapped Students" is an educational program promoting re-utilization of waste materials from school meals at this school that serves 260 severely handicapped students, ages 5 to 21 years. An objective of the program is the development of students' environmental and recycling awareness and skills, such as packaging materials that are taken to recyclers and composting organic waste in the school garden. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, Inc. -- $4,800 Samuel S. Sadove, 278 East Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, NY 11946 Marine Ecosystems This project will provide multi-media, multi-subject programming using current teaching techniques. Concentrating on marine mammal and turtle populations and their ecology in the New York region, materials and activities will be combined with visuals to educate students in grades 4 through 12. The project will investigate how human activities have impacted the marine ecosystem. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Orleans-Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services -- $5,000 Jean K. O'Connell, 4232 Shelby Basin Road, Medina, NY 14103 The Many Fa(u)cets of Water Four school districts, Lewiston Porter Central, Niagara Falls City, Niagara Wheatfield Central, and Wilson Central, will participate in "The Many Fa(u)cets of Water." This program will educate students about the area's water resources, including nearby Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. In-service workshops and field trips will enable teams of teachers to develop a course of study for use in area classrooms. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Public Policy and Education Fund of New York -- $5,000 John Stouffer, 94 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 Waste Prevention and Recycling Curriculum This project will result in the development and publication of a waste prevention and recycling curriculum for public housing projects. Employing participatory educational techniques, the project will identify attitudes towards solid waste issues, test existing materials for suitability, and develop workshops to enable peer educators to work with residents of public housing units. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Rome Teacher Resource Center -- $4,950 Louis V. Campola, Marine Midland Bank Building, 199 Liberty Plaza, Rome, NY 13440 Open Space, Defining-Assessing-Deciding The "Open Space, Defining-Assessing-Deciding" project will stress the profound impact current decisions on open space have on the future. The project will involve designing a course to teach open space use principles, present the course to key representatives of the community, and disseminate programs and activities to interested groups. Community representatives will include those from education, business, industry, local government, and special interest groups. |
| 1994 | NY | 2 | Wave Hill, Inc. -- $5,000 Marilyn Oser, 675 West 252 Street, Bronx, NY 10471 Wave Hill Project The Wave Hill project seeks to develop a kit for use by visiting elementary school teachers. Wave Hill educators will work with teachers from New York City School District 11, the Bronx, to develop kits containing materials and instructions. By enabling teachers to bring their own classes through this outdoor learning facility, and not requiring a Wave Hill leader, this outdoor facility becomes more accessible to more students who can benefit from the outdoor educational experiences. |
| 1994 | NC | 4 | East Carolina University -- $36,551 (HQ Grant) Roger Rulifson, Biology Dept., Howell Science Complex, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Project TEACH "Project TEACH" will provide elementary and junior high school science teachers with the knowledge and instructional skills to teach students about coastal environmental problems in eastern North Carolina. It will educate students about basic ecological principles and the role of people in the balance of nature, and develop student skills in analyzing data and solving local environmental problems. Teachers will become acquainted with local environmental problems, given a variety of classroom field activities suitable for their grade levels, and aided in integrating these activities into their science curriculum. |
| 1994 | NC | 4 | Wake County Public School System -- $5,000 Geraldine Ritter, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27611 Training for Pond Habitat and Butterfly Garden This project will provide training and educational materials for kindergarten through 5th grade teachers at the Underwood Elementary School to fully utilize the school's planned, on-site pond habitat and butterfly garden. |
| 1994 | OH | 5 | Clintonville Academy -- $4,600 Christine Sellers, 3916 Indianola Ave., Columbus, OH 43214 Assessment of Adena Brook This grant funds a project to give elementary students the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive educational experience through stream and watershed assessment of the Adena Brook. The project will initially serve 40 5th and 8th grade students and will include delineation of drainage boundaries, biological assessment, chemical sampling, and an environmental exchange program with another school. |
| 1994 | OH | 5 | Environmental Health Watch -- $5,000 Stuart Greenberg, 4115 Bridge Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113 Indoor Air Issues The purpose of this project is to raise the general public's awareness of indoor air issues and help citizens make informed and responsible decisions that affect their home environment. Funds will be used to develop a decision-maker's guide for families and to support presentations on household pollutants to a wide variety of civic organizations. The guide will walk homeowners through the risk assessment and management process to enable them to determine whether there is a need for action in their homes and which course of action to take to minimize risk from indoor air pollutants. |
| 1994 | OH | 5 | Rural Action -- $5,000 Heather Cantino, 36 S. Congress St., Athens, OH 45701 Pest or Guest? The purpose of this project is to carry out an educators' training project in integrated pest management entitled "Pest or Guest?" Funds will enable at least 75 teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade to participate in workshops that prepare them to teach integrated pest management curricula to students in five local school districts. Workshops will teach educators to engage students in interdisciplinary, community-based, problem-solving related to pollution prevention. |
| 1994 | OK | 6 | Cushing Public Schools -- $4,986 Denise Parish, 123 E. Broadway, Cushing, OK 74023 Studying About Vitalizing Ecology The "Studying About Vitalizing Ecology" project will provide children with awareness and appreciation of nature and wildlife and teach the consequences of human activity in relation to wildlife resources. |
| 1994 | OK | 6 | East Central University -- $16,545 Nancy Heitland, Center of Continuing Education, Ada, OK 74820 Water Conservation Seminar This grant will fund a two-week graduate level seminar for ten teachers to develop a water conservation and water quality program for their classrooms. |
| 1994 | OK | 6 | University of Oklahoma -- $4,963 Cheryl M. Patton, 1000 Asp Ave., Room 314, Norman, OK 73019 Resources for Sold Waste Management For this project, graduate-level students will develop a data and resource book concerning integrated solid waste management in small communities in Oklahoma. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | Central Oregon Environmental Center -- $5,000 Peter Geiser, 16 NW Kansas St., Bend, OR 97701 Central Oregon Household Ecoteam Program The "Central Oregon Household Ecoteam Program" will consist of households forming community-based "EcoTeams" to work on specific environmental projects. The objectives of this project are to educate the public about environmentally sustainable lifestyles, to help team members achieve measurable reductions and efficiencies, to promote partnerships with community and public organizations, and to empower the community to make informed and responsible environmental decisions. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation -- $5,000 Kathleen Kanury, P. O. Box 1433, Corvallis, OR 97339 Wildlife Rehabilitation This project will use wildlife rehabilitation resources to bring environmental education to the public. Students from the Corvallis School District will apply problem-solving techniques to local environmental problems contained in wildlife rehabilitation records. The students will produce and publicly display information about living with wildlife in a shared environment. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | City of Hillsboro -- $15,651 Patrick Willis, 123 W. Main Street, Hillsboro, OR 97123 Wetland Education Broadcasts For this grant, the City of Hillsboro will design and implement a wetland education program for broadcast over the Oregon Ed-Net satellite video-telecommunications system. The program will consist of a 10-week educator training session with classroom student discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on laboratory experiences. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | Columbia Education Center -- $21,941 Ralph Nelsen, 11325, SE Lexington, Portland, OR 97266-5927 Learning About Biodiversity The project, "Learning About Biodiversity," will involve students in environmental issues, investigations, evaluation, and resolution. A two-week summer training will be held for 20 teachers from public and private schools in Oregon and Idaho. These teachers will set their schools up as demonstration sites. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | Jacksonville Woodlands -- $5,000 Larry Smith, P. O. Box 252, Jacksonville, OR 97530 Visit to Jacksonville Woodlands The purpose of this project is to prepare students and teachers before their visit to the Jacksonville Woodlands. Participants in this project will produce a woodlands educational videotape and supporting teachers' materials. |
| 1994 | OR | 10 | Monument High School -- $5,000 Ron Gaither, North Street, Monument, OR 97864 Water Quality Monitoring for John Day Watershed In coordination with state and local organizations, the Student Watershed Enhancement Team from Monument High School will assist in the collection and processing of John Day watershed data. The team will establish a water quality monitoring network. This grant will allow the team to acquire the computer power to analyze the data and communicate results in a professional manner. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | Heritage Conservancy -- $10,000 Carol Quay, 85 Old Dublin Pike, Doylestown, PA 18901 Heritage Conservancy Education Program The Heritage Conservancy's two-year educational program will lead to informed landowner decisions regarding native plants, heighten awareness in the community at large, encourage permanent native plant protection strategies, and create a better understanding of the value of native plants among school children. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council -- $5,000 Carol Sheetz, Rd. #7 Box 368, Kittanning, PA 16201 Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council The Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council will feature water monitoring workshops to include hands-on awareness activities for scouts and teaching methods for adults leaders. The Council will work with the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks and a nonprofit organization, Alliance for Acid Rain Monitoring. The natural resource objective of this project is water conservation. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | Laurel Mountain Environmental Education and Research Institute -- $5,000 Lawrence Bonino, 244 Pine Court, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Guidebooks on Environmental Issues For this project, the Laurel Mountain Institute will develop guidebooks on environmental issues. These guidebooks will be used to conduct teacher training workshops in western Pennsylvania and at the Pennsylvania Alliance for Environmental Education Annual Conference. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | North Museum of Natural History and Science -- $5,000 Robert Gingerich, P. O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604 Museum Exhibit on Environmental Issues Using funding from this grant, the North Museum of Natural History and Science will design an interactive exhibit on complex aspects of environmental issues. This exhibit, developed in English and Spanish, will complement the museum's activities to reach out to the Latino community in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | Penns Valley School District -- $4,369 Stephen Boston, R.D. 2 Box 116, Spring Mills, PA 16875 Environmental Curriculum Training For this project, the Penns Valley Area School District will hold educator workshops that will train teachers from kindergarten through high school. With this training, educators will be able to use the newly-designed curriculum material and their environmental center. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $2,500 Ethel Goldberg, 21st St. & the Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Habitat Preservation Under this grant, the School District of Philadelphia's Fels High School is planning a hands-on project for African American, White, Asian, Indian, and Hispanic inner-city school students. With the help of local experts, Fels students will begin to understand more about habitat preservation as they create a butterfly habitat in their school yard. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | South Western School District -- $5,000 Philip Hempfing, 225 Bowman Rd., Hanover, PA 19173 Teacher Environmental Awareness Workshop For this project, the South Western School District will hold a teacher workshop that will result in greater environmental awareness for both students and teachers in York and surrounding counties. |
| 1994 | PA | 3 | Wyoming County Conservation District -- $5,000 Denise Coleman, RR#3 Box 178-B, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Water Quality Workshops Funds from this grant will go to the Wyoming County Conservation District to conduct a series of water quality workshops designed to train teachers from all grade levels. The developers of the project hope to reach teachers from five school districts. |
| 1994 | PR | 2 | Mayaguezanos por la Salud y el Ambiente, Inc. -- $5,000 Henry L. Beauchamp, Claudio Carrero #293, El Mani, Mayaguez, PR 00680 Classroom Presentations on Recycling This program will specifically target communities in western Puerto Rico and orient environmental education activities by taking into account the cultural and social reality of this area. Teacher resources and materials will be developed and used in workshops to enable educators to develop classroom presentations on recycling, a critical issue in western Puerto Rico. |
| 1994 | RI | 1 | Childhood Lead Action Project -- $5,000 Eleanor Freda, 421 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI 02907 Childhood Lead Action Project "The Childhood Lead Action Project" will train a myriad of outreach workers providing services to families of young children by making lead poisoning prevention a basic component of their work. Through workshops, partnerships will be established among diverse agencies like Visiting Nurses Associations, Early Start Programs, and Parents as Teachers. In this way, knowledge of lead poisoning and of the ways to prevent it will lead to a lead-safe environment throughout Rhode Island. |
| 1994 | RI | 1 | Save The Bay -- $5,000 Fred Massie, 434 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908 Narragansett BayWork The "Narragansett BayWork" project is designed to increase environmental awareness and pollution prevention using a specially-designed poster and brochure program. The program will target adults in the workplace, including 15 businesses, blue and white-collar, located throughout southeastern New England. Through the use of the posters and brochures, the program seeks to increase the environmental literacy of employees from low-income minority communities and create partnerships between area businesses and Save The Bay. |
| 1994 | RI | 1 | Southern Rhode Island Conservation District -- $5,000 Carl Sawyer, 5 Mechanic St., P. O. Box 1145, Hope Valley, RI 02832 Pawcatuck Watershed Education Program Curriculum Guide This grant funds the development of the Pawcatuck Watershed Education Program Curriculum Guide, which will serve as the basis for teacher training workshops to be provided to seven elementary and middle schools in the Pawcatuck Watershed area. A part-time employee will promote, organize, and conduct the workshops. The goal of the workshops is to have the teacher incorporate environmental awareness and heightened appreciation for the watershed in their school year curricula. The project will also foster partnerships among the district, educational institutions, and government and nonprofit organizations. The guide's effectiveness will be evaluated using pre- and post-tests to be administered by the teachers. |
| 1994 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Wildlife Federation -- $3,000 Patricia L. Jerman, P. O. Box 61159, Columbia, SC 29260 Schoolyard Habitat Teacher Workshops This grant will fund the Schoolyard Habitat Teacher Workshops. The purpose of the workshops is to enhance the ability of 50 elementary and middle school teachers to develop outdoor nature study areas and school yard habitats at their schools. |
| 1994 | SD | 8 | Sinte Gleska University (SGU) -- $5,000 Georgia Hackett, P. O. Box 490, Rosebud, SD 57570 Workshops for the Rosebud Sioux Reservation Sinte Gleska University proposes to sponsor two environmental workshops designed for the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. The workshops will target community members, tribal and agency officials, and teachers in the local education districts who are responsible for tribal educational matters. The objective of the program is for participants to learn terms and facts regarding solid waste, water and air quality, and radon detection, and to design a work plan for recycling and reuse on the reservation. |
| 1994 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Conservation League -- $25,000 L. Kay Linder, 300 Orlando Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209 Multi-media Environmental Education Unit This grant will fund a project to develop a multi-media environmental educational unit for middle and high school classrooms. The unit will include a video program, teaching guide, and other written materials to encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making about biodiversity issues. |
| 1994 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Technological University -- $4,999 Edwin Lamberth, Box 5034, Cookeville, TN 38505 Environmental Agriscience Workshop The Environmental Agriscience Workshop is an eight-day, in-service workshop in environmental agriscience for 20 high school agriculture teachers. Workshop sessions will focus on teaching techniques and development of instructional and resource units on conservation. |
| 1994 | TN | 4 | Williamson County Schools -- $25,000 Judy Butler, 1320 West Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064 Harpeth River Environmental and Educational Project The Harpeth River Environmental and Educational Project will use the river as an outdoor classroom to provide hands-on experience in the theory and practice of historical, chemical, biological, and sociological research. The project will include a student field trip, two one-week summer workshops for middle and high school teachers, and partnerships to train teachers to replicate the project across Tennessee. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Austin Nature Center -- $2,300 Louise Morell, 301 Nature Center Dr., Austin, TX 78746 Your Back Yard Ecoguide This grant will help to print 4,000 copies of Your Back Yard Ecoguide. The guide will be handed out at the Nature Center's exhibit, "for Birds, Bats, Butterflies and More." The guide will explain how to reproduce native plant and animal habitats seen at the exhibit. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Bryan Independent School District -- $4,275 Laura North, 101 North Texas Ave., Bryan, TX 77803 Environmental Science Through Gardening The purpose of this project is to teach students at Sul Ross Elementary School earth stewardship and environmental sciences through gardening. Funds will go to the purchase of gardening tools, equipment and materials for two purple martin houses and a pond. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Clean Pearland, Inc. -- $2,900 Delores Fenwick, P. O. Box 3041, Pearland, TX 77588 Waste: A Hidden Resource This project involves a teacher training workshop for the "Waste: A Hidden Resource" curriculum. This project will fill an existing gap between the environmental education program in the elementary schools and Clean Pearland's education and information for adults in the community. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Fort Worth Clean City, Inc. -- $3,744 Carolyn Bellah, 4100 Columbus Trail, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Earth Kids Project "Earth Kids" involves youth in the Summer Day Camp at Fort Worth's Handley-Meadowbrook Center. Activities will include recycling, litter reduction and beautification projects. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Galveston Bay Foundation -- $5,000 Linda R. Shead, 17324-A Highway 3, Webster, TX 77598 Galveston Bay Training This project will train volunteers (Galveston Bay Ambassadors) to give educational programs about Galveston Bay issues to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Scientific study sheets also will be developed. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Houston Clean City Commission, Inc. -- $4,816 Robin Blut, 2700 Post Oak Blvd., #1728, Houston, TX 77056 Waste: A Hidden Resource This grant funds the presentation of workshops for secondary school teachers in the Houston area. The workshops will include hands-on training in use of the "Waste: A Hidden Resource" curriculum. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Lower Clear Fork of the Brazos Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,949 Tommy L. Hailey, Rt. 1, Box 146 B, Albany, TX 76430 Bobwhite Brigade Participants in this project will develop the "Bobwhite Brigade" program. The program will use trained volunteers to deliver presentations centered around quail conservation practices to youth and adults in their communities. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Pedernales Falls State Park -- $5,000 Rod Rylander, Rt. 1, Box 450, Johnson City, TX 78636 Ecology of Texas and Mexico These grant funds will provide environmental education training for bilingual teachers from Mexico in methods for teaching youth about the regional flora and fauna. The goal of the project is to create an understanding about the ecological relationships of Texas and southern Mexico. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Sam Houston State University -- $5,000 Joel Bass, P.O. 2119, Huntsville, TX 77341 Workshop on Water Quality, Pollution Prevention, and Recycliing For this project, a workshop will be conducted with Gulf Coast Utilities for elementary and junior high teachers in the East Texas Gulf Coast region. Important issues discussed during the workshop include water quality, pollution prevention, and recycling. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Texas A&M Research Foundation -- $5,000 Lori Wilkinson, Box 3578, College Station, TX 77843 Geography Curriculum The purpose of this project is to develop a geography curriculum for teaching environmental education and to design model teacher workshops for social studies and science teachers of kindergarten through the 12th grade. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Texas Department of Transportation -- $5,000 Karen LaFevre, 125 E. 11th Street, Austin, TX 78701-2483 Vegetation Management Curriculum Funds from this grant will go to produce curriculum and outreach materials and create a volunteer program to educate Texans about the value and importance of appropriate vegetation management on approximately 800,000 acres of highway right-of-way. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | Texas Marine Education Association -- $3,000 Pamela Stryker, 3112 Ammunition Dr., Austin, TX 78748 Aquatic Workshops Participants in this project will conduct two aquatic environmental workshops for teachers. The workshops will include laboratories, hands-on activities, and field trips. Topics discussed will include organism and habitat protection and the effects of pollution on the entire ecosystem. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | University of Texas Health Science Center -- $69,594 (HQ Grant) Irena Cech, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77225 Outreach for Community Health Workers The "Outreach for Community Health Workers" project will expand existing environmental education and field demonstration outreach efforts to help meet the environmental health education needs on the U.S. and Mexican border. It will provide environmental health training for community nurse-practitioners, doctors, and other health care providers to enable them to recognize and address environmental causes of ill health in the communities they serve. Environmental health problems to be addressed include those relating to inadequate treatment and management of sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural and mining wastewater. |
| 1994 | TX | 6 | University of Texas at El Paso -- $18,000 Randy Neeb, 500 W. University Dr., El Paso, TX 79968 Water Quality Curriculum The purpose of this project is to adapt water quality and other environmental curriculum for teachers in the U.S. and Mexico. Funds will also be used to design and coordinate a water quality monitoring program for both countries and to conduct teacher training. |
| 1994 | UT | 8 | Greater Ogden Community Nature Center -- $5,000 Mary Cox, 966 W. 12th Street, Ogden, UT 84404 Nature Education Program Guide By publishing a Nature Education Program Guide, this program seeks to (1) significantly enhance the quality of the experience for groups who attend naturalist-led programs, (2) make nature education programs available to new groups not previously able to use the program, and (3) facilitate effective planning and use by making the guide available to teachers for their ongoing research needs. |
| 1994 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $17,500 Vern Fridley, 230 South 500 East Suite 280, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Environmental Education Teacher Network (EETN) The proposed Environmental Education Teacher Network (EETN) will develop capacity to improve teaching skills by providing resource materials, consultation with experts, and workshops. The network seeks to integrate environmental education into the school curriculum state-wide. The EETN will serve as a model of how to develop communication between formal and non-formal educators and state and federal agency specialists. |
| 1994 | UT | 8 | Wasatch Fish and Gardens Project -- $11,030 Cara Cahoon, P. O. Box 2924, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-2924 Urban Garden Ecology Project The aim of the "Urban Garden Ecology Project" is to provide city residents with hands-on training in biointensive gardening and landscaping techniques and to encourage resource conservation and source reduction of chemical pesticides and herbicides at the household and neighborhood level. Participants in the project will demonstrate gardening techniques that reduce water and resource waste and consumption and decrease the use of hazardous materials. |
| 1994 | VT | 1 | Montshire Museum of Science -- $13,589 David Goudy, P. O. Box 770, Norwich, VT 05055 Solid Waste Reduction Program In conjunction with the Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, the Montshire Museum of Science expects to establish a model program to disseminate information on solid waste source reduction to eight communities in rural Vermont and New Hampshire. The training program will use curricular and logistical materials to train middle school students during training sessions and workshops at the museum. Ultimately, the intent is for these students to initiate and formalize the information transfer by creating partnerships with their own local communities, business, public works operations, and other citizens. |
| 1994 | VT | 1 | River Watch Network -- $4,896 Sharon Behar, 153 State St., Montpelier, VT 05602 Clean Water Institute River Watch Network will host its "Clean Water Institute," a week-long conference at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, for a team of 20 teachers and community members from throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The training program will teach pollution prevention and encourage the use of hands-on science in the classroom setting. The Institute will build partnerships with existing environmental groups and schools, design river monitoring projects, and create teams of teachers and community representatives, affecting more than 900 people. |
| 1994 | VI | 2 | University of the Virgin Islands -- $4,994 Marcia G. Taylor, Eastern Caribbean Center, Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service (VIMAS), Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI 00802 Marine Field Service Curriculum For this project, the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service will develop marine field service curriculum materials for the Virgin Islands Department of Education. These materials, which will be suitable for use in any tropical environment, will serve as a pilot program in St. Croix Central High School's field studies center. The project will expand the school's marine science curriculum and educate students about local marine resources. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. -- $5,000 Harvey Olem, 1020 Elden St. Suite 205, Herndon, VA 20170 Watershed Puzzle For this project, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. will develop a watershed puzzle and a companion teacher's guide to be used for teacher training. The environmental goal of this project is to teach non-point source pollution prevention. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Charlotte County School Board -- $4,998 George Jones, Randolph Henry HS Agriculture Dept., P. O. Box 790, Charlotte, VA 23923 Impacts of Traditional Irrigation Systems The Charlotte County School Board's Randolph-Henry High School Agriculture Department will teach vocational students and area farmers about the environmental impacts of traditional irrigation systems, comparing them to new irrigation systems. The natural resource objective of this project is water conservation. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Chesapeake Volunteers In Youth Services, Inc. -- $5,000 Donald Marx, Jr., 301 Albermarle Dr., Chesapeake, VA 23220 Habitats for Wildlife The Chesapeake Volunteers In Youth Services, Inc. project will result in a visible benefit to the public. Using native plants, at-risk youth will develop and maintain a habitat project that will provide a sanctuary for wildlife. This sanctuary is planned as an outdoor classroom for local residents and visitors. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River -- $5,000 Patricia Maier, 122 South Commerce St., Woodstock, VA 22664 Water Quaility and Monitoring Training Under this grant, the Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River will train 4th grade students, in all four Shenandoah County elementary schools, about water quality and water monitoring. This program will reach 16 4th grade classes and approximately 400 students. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Keep Fauquier Clean -- $4,999 Patricia Katzen, 78 West Lee St., Suite 100, Warrenton, VA 20186 A Garden with a Message This grant funds the creation of a project titled "A Garden with a Message" by the nonprofit organization, Keep Fauquier Clean. The environmental garden will include a constructed wetlands demonstration site. The anticipated environmental benefits include better use of water, less expensive waste water treatment, and a reduction of non-point source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Virginia Commonwealth University -- $4,997 Elske Smith, Box 568 MCV Station, Richmond, VA 23298 Renewable Energy For this project, the Virginia Commonwealth University will hold a workshop on renewable energy for Richmond-Petersburg area teachers of 5th through 12th grades. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science of the College of William and Mary -- $33,175 Ginger Smith, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 Estuarine Monitoring This project will train Virginia middle and high school science educators to incorporate real environmental monitoring data on estuarine debris into their instructional materials. The goal of the project is to disseminate educational materials through a computer network and through various existing marine science programs. |
| 1994 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $4,991 James Parkhurst, 301 Burruss Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0249 Workshop on Wetlands Under this grant the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife will train county-based cooperative extension educators. The university will develop a workshop where these educators will learn about wetlands and wetland-related issues. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Adopt-A-Stream Foundation -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Tom Murdoch, Adopt-A-Stream Foundation, Snohomish County Admin. Bldg. 4th Floor, 3000 Rockefeller, Everett, WA 98201 Northwest Region Streamkeeper Network The "Northwest Region Streamkeeper Network" will train volunteers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia to become watershed stewards by monitoring the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams and developing action plans for protecting them. The project places emphasis on establishing and maintaining partnerships between citizen volunteers, community leaders, and the Adopt-A-Stream Foundation. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Bainbridge Island School District -- $21,942 Brent Peterson, 8489 Madison Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Watershed Characterization The purpose of this project is to develop and integrate a school district-wide education program with the Bainbridge Island watershed management planning process and to develop action plans that protect the quality of Bainbridge Island's watersheds. Teachers will be trained in watershed characterization techniques and the process of student action and project implementation. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Department of Ecology -- $5,000 Sandi Newton, P. O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Maintenance of Motor Vehicles to Ensure Air Quality Funding from this grant will be used to develop a workshop, instructional videos, and classroom materials for high school driver education, automotive shop, science, and social studies teachers to educate and train students on the proper use and maintenance of motor vehicles to ensure air quality. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Washington -- $5,000 Russ Hanbey, P. O. Box 4122, Bellingham, WA 98227 Project Diversity "Project Diversity" addresses a state-wide need to bring under-represented populations into the mainstream of environmental education and to bring the environmental education community closer to minority and under-represented communities. This grant will fund localized workshop series, held throughout the state, which will include recommended approaches in structured problem solving, interactive hands-on exercises, and community action strategies. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | North Cascades Institute -- $5,000 Saul Weisberg, 2105 Highway 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284 Watershed Restoration Education This project, "Watershed Restoration Education," will make practical connections between classroom instruction and field applications in watershed restoration. Teacher training will be provided for middle school classroom teachers on how to involve children in environmental restoration and how to lead restoration projects for 6th grade classes. This is a cooperative partnership with children, school districts, natural resource agencies, the three Skagit River Indian Tribes, and the business community. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Northwest Chicano Network -- $5,000 Amelia Ramon, 120 Sunnyside Ave., Granger, WA 98932 Pollution Prevention and Environmental Equity Program Participants in this project will work with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and schools to implement an environmental education program, with a focus on pollution prevention and environmental equity (waste reduction, household hazardous waste, and pesticides). The goal of the project is to motivate the general public to make informed and responsible decisions that impact the environment. Materials printed in both Spanish and English will be developed. Existing brochures and focus sheets will be translated into Spanish. Radio public service announcements, call-in programs, and surveys will be used to provide environmental information. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Olympic Peninsula Foundation -- $4,985 Betsy Carlson, 1200 W. Sims Way Suite 201, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Tutoring Program on Wetlands In partnership with the Olympic Peninsula Foundation and Port Townsend School District, this project will create a tutoring program on wetlands for 7th and 8th grade students working with 3rd and 4th grade students. A two-week 8th grade wetland tutoring curriculum will be created to instruct younger students. To improve their understanding of and protection for local wetlands, 3rd and 5th grade students will participate in classroom and outdoor workshops on wetlands. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Pacific Lutheran University -- $7,800 Rachel Nugent, 12180 121st St., Tacoma, WA 98447 Watershed Evaluation and Planning Using funds from this grant, Pacific Lutheran University will conduct a four-week summer course for teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade, providing hands-on, inter-disciplinary approaches to watershed evaluation and planning with the focus on the Clover Creek Watershed. The course facilitates cooperative relationships among the university, a nonprofit citizen organization, and the county by involving them in a cooperative process of gathering, interpreting, and disseminating data and analysis. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Pacific Science Center -- $5,000 Suzanne Tripp, 200 Second Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98109 Mercer Slough School Program This project will support the development of the Mercer Slough School Program for elementary school groups. Hands-on learning experiences will be offered for classes on field trips to the slough. The classes will study the ecosystems of the freshwater peat bog and its surrounding scrub-shrub and forest wetland communities. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Seattle Audubon Society -- $5,000 Kathy Malley, 8028 35th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Finding Urban Nature Program The "Finding Urban Nature Program" uses volunteers to lead 3rd and 4th graders in Seattle Public Schools through a series of eight separate hands-on, nature-oriented science explorations over the course of a school year. The goals of these explorations are to teach children about nature and science and the basics of scientific investigation, and to show the children that nature can be appreciated in all areas, even on the school grounds. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Spokane Conservation District -- $9,663 Christine Armstrong, North 222 Havana, Spokane, WA 99202 Watershed Education This existing project incorporates watershed education into the social studies, science, and language arts curricula. Approximately 1,000 high school and middle school students will work on the Upper Palouse Habitat Restoration Project. Students have spent time in the field learning about riparian habitat and doing actual restoration work. This grant will fund the portion of the project that will help the students to develop an understanding of the individual and cultural choices which impact water quality. They will study the history of areas to provide the context in which these choices have been made. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Thurston Conservation District -- $4,992 Rochelle Rothaus, 6128 Capitol Blvd. South, Olympia, WA 98501 Project GREEN For this project, a training session will be provided for teachers in six schools on applying Project GREEN to the Budd/Deschutes Watershed. The training will include instruction on monitoring, telecommunications, and global change. The training will make use of an action research and community problem solving approach to education. Students and teachers will be able to participate in field work with community members. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | University of Washington -- $4,751 Nan Little, Dept. of Chemistry BG-10, Seattle, WA 98195 Science Role Models Program The Science Role Models program was developed to address issues of science-based environmental education and to increase the number of women and minorities entering careers in science. This project targets Native Americans, women, and other minority students to research and make environmental education presentations at local high schools. |
| 1994 | WA | 10 | Washington State University Cooperative Extension -- $14,623 Craig MacConnell, Courthouse Annex-1000 N. Forest St., Bellingham, WA 98225 Lake Whatcom Watershed School and Community Partnership Project The "Lake Whatcom Watershed School and Community Partnership Project" is designed to promote interaction among watershed volunteers, science students, and the public. Participants will work together on the study of Lake Whatcom, the municipal water supply and its outlet, Whatcom Creek. They will collect and analyze data. This data will be used by the residents of Whatcom County to make informed decisions when developing the watershed management plan. |
| 1994 | WV | 3 | Monogalia County Health Department -- $4,995 Sally Taylor, 453 Van Voorhis Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505 Drinking Water Contaminants For this project, the Monogalia County Health Department will sponsor three workshops: one for the public, a second for plumbers and contractors, and another for State Health Department Environmental Specialists. The environmental objective of this project is to protect drinking water from contaminants. |
| 1994 | WV | 3 | The Woodlands Mountain Institute -- $5,000 John Eckman, Main & Dogwood Streets, P. O. Box 907, Franklin, WV 26807 Environmental Assessment Under this grant, the Woodlands Mountain Institute will train 100 youth in West Virginia about environmental assessment. The environmental benefit of this project is that after the training students will return to their communities to begin local environmental action or environmental assessment projects. |
| 1994 | WI | 5 | Friends of Riverside Nature Center -- $4,300 Else Ankel, 3368 N-Bartlett Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211 Lead Poisoning Prevention--A Pilot Project for Community Education in Milwaukee The funds from this grant will help to carry out a program entitled "Lead Poisoning Prevention--A Pilot Project for Community Education in Milwaukee." The program aims to increase knowledge about the health risks of ingested lead paint and to provide information about removing lead paint from the home. Outcomes of the project include educating more than 100 community residents about lead poisoning and prevention, conducting educator workshops on lead to middle-school teachers in eight schools, training 15 community members to safely remove lead paint from their home, and testing 30 homes for the presence of lead paint. |
| 1994 | WI | 5 | Lac du Flambeau Public School -- $3,969 Karen Crisman, 2899 Highway 47, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538 Environmental Education Curriculum The purpose of this project is to incorporate environmental education in the new school's curriculum. Funds will be used to integrate environmental concepts, outdoor education, and Native American culture across the school's curriculum and to develop teacher workshops for kindergarten through 8th grade that promote the environmental curriculum focus. The school, which opened in the 1993-94 school year, is located on the Lake Superior Chippewa Indian reservation. More than 90 percent of the school's student population is Native American. |
| 1994 | WI | 5 | River Alliance of Wisconsin -- $5,000 Sara Johnson, 122 State St., Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703 Workshop on Rivers and Watersheds The purpose of this project is to hold an interactive workshop at Wisconsin's 1994 state-wide conference on rivers and watersheds that will convene partners in watershed management to discuss societal aspects of river use and protection. Funds will be used to provide stipends for workshop facilitators and scholarships for Native Americans, farmers, and other under-represented individuals. The workshop will use consensus building and conflict resolution techniques to first find common ground and then to develop long-term solutions for preserving Wisconsin's rivers. |
| 1994 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point -- $100,411 (HQ Grant) Abby Ruskey, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin, 1900 Franklin, CNR Bldg., Stevens Point, WI 54481 Environmental Education Demonstrations State Project The "Environmental Education Demonstrations State Project" will build state governmental capacity to develop and deliver environmental education programs in five states -- Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Illinois. The goal of the project is to assist these states in developing and implementing comprehensive state-wide environmental education action plans which may include the development of state coordinating councils and pre-service and in-service teacher training. |
| 1994 | WY | 8 | Uinta County School District #1 -- $5,000 Craig Patterson, 701 W. Cheyenne Dr., Evanston, WY 82931-6002 Teaching Statistical Techniques This project is designed to use computers and software as a new approach to teaching students about environmental impacts and environmental sciences and to upgrade the school's current ecology and environmental science curriculum. The results of the project will provide a new teaching tool which will reduce time required to teach students to use statistical techniques when quantifying data. |
| 1995 | AL | 4 | Huntington College -- $4,100 Douglas McGinty, 1500 E. Fairview Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36024 Environmental Education Outreach Program This project will develop an assortment of environmental education modules covering the following issues: pollution prevention, land use, wildlife, water, atmosphere, energy, population, and "Our Backyard". The target audience for the project is 5,404 students enrolled in 33 schools serving students in grades 5 and 6 in the Montgomery County Public School System. Teacher workshops will be an integral part of the project. |
| 1995 | AK | 10 | Alaska Center for the Environment -- $20,000 Kevin Harun, 519 W. 8th Avenue #201, Anchorage, AK 99501 Green Star in the Schools Experimental Learning Project The goal of this project is to develop a Green Star pollution prevention and recycling program in 25 Anchorage schools involving students of all ethnic backgrounds. It will teach students to develop life-long pollution prevention habits, hands-on problem solving skills, and respect for the environment. Students will implement specific Green Star standards for each school by creating student environmental councils that will be responsible for developing solutions to actual school and neighborhood environmental problems. |
| 1995 | AK | 10 | Tanaina Child Development Center -- $2,150 Monica Milbradt, 3221 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508 Tanaina Child Development Center Teacher Training Workshop This project will provide general environmental education training to the teaching staff of the Tanaina Child Development Center (five lead teachers and five assistants). Workshops will be method oriented and provide hands-on training that will prepare the teachers to go into the classroom and implement what they have learned. A curriculum will be used to show the teaching staff that science can be fun and relatable to young children. Tanaina will focus on preventing the wasteful use of everyday resources that are abundant in Alaska now, but still need to be used with care. |
| 1995 | AZ | 9 | Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. -- $17,500 John R. Lewis, 4205 North Seventh Avenue, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85013 Environmental Education Workshops for Teachers Employed on Indian Reservations This project will provide a model environmental education curriculum for kindergarten through 8th grade. Ten educators' workshops also will be held for teachers employed on reservation schools. The project director will work with school boards and parents in the Native American community to institutionalize environmental education into the overall curriculum in schools on tribal lands. |
| 1995 | AZ | 9 | Madison Simis Elementary School -- $4,857 Lisa J. Dent, 7302 North Tenth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020 Water Conservation: A Creative Children's Workshop This project seeks to enroll elementary school students in a four-week summer institute during which students will investigate water quality and conservation issues. In a second phase of the project, representatives of the teaching staff will join the students for a three-day interactive workshop. In the fall semester, the student institute participants will co-present with the classroom teacher the units they developed during the summer to the classes directly below in grade level. |
| 1995 | AZ | 9 | Pima County Department of Environmental Quality -- $5,000 Beth Gorman, 130 West Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701-1317 Clean Air Teacher Training This project will provide workshops for as many as 65 elementary school teachers in Sunnyside School District, a culturally diverse neighborhood on the southside of Tucson. With knowledge gained by the teachers and conveyed to the students and their parents, the population of this area will learn the effects of air pollution and what steps the public can take to reduce this pollution for a healthier future. |
| 1995 | AZ | 9 | Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment (SCENE) -- $5,000 Kathryn Kyle, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2512 Building Local Environmental Education Capacity through a Living Resource for Schools The goal of this project is to connect high school teachers in Maricopa County and outlying rural and tribal communities with science professors and graduate students at Arizona State University. The clearinghouse will link secondary schools with science experts for telephone consultations, for guest speaker classroom visitations, and for access to the university campus to participate in environmentally-related scientific research. |
| 1995 | AR | 6 | Arkansas Department of Health -- $16,000 Harold R. Seifert, 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 37, Little Rock, AR 72205-386712 Environmental Youth Education Volunteer Training Program The purpose of the project is to develop a youth environmental education training program and train water industry volunteers to enter classrooms in their communities and teach environmental concepts about drinking water treatment and conservation. The target audience is public school children in every county of the state of Arkansas. Volunteers will be trained in regional workshops. Instructional materials will be developed and provided to each volunteer. |
| 1995 | AR | 6 | Fayetteville Youth Center -- $2,027 Dale E. Clark, 915 California Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Nature Discovery Camp: A Summer Environmental Education Program for Youth 6 to 15 The purpose of this project is to provide an environmental education program for the youth of Fayetteville that will enable them to become more knowledgeable and appreciative of the surrounding environment, including the forests, streams, lakes and habitat of northwest Arkansas. The target audience includes all youth from the ages of six to fifteen. Environmental education will be conducted through a youth summer camp. Existing curriculum materials will be adapted to address the following specific environmental issues: habitat destruction, overdevelopment, and endangered species. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Apple Valley Unified School District -- $2,150 Paul Swick, 21351 Yucca Loma Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307 Yucca Loma School Solid Waste Reduction Project This project will involve the entire student body of Yucca Loma School with sorting, measuring or weighing, and recording solid waste produced in the school's classrooms, office, and cafeteria. Students will experiment with composting techniques and worm bins to seek efficient solutions for reducing quantities of waste requiring disposal. They will produce a documentary video of their efforts to provide a model for other schools to replicate. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Citizens for a Better Environment -- $22,800 Michelle Sypert, 605 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Southeast Los Angeles Lead Poisoning Environmental Education Project This project will alert parents in southeast Los Angeles to the hazard of lead poisoning by conducting four bilingual community workshops for as many as 800 attendees and by distributing 5,000 educational flyers in door-to-door visitations. Follow-up interviews will be conducted with as many as 200 parents who respond and are interested in seeking testing and treatment, if necessary, for their children. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Conservation Science Institute -- $5,000 Thomas A. Okey, 1826 Nason Street, Alameda, CA 94501 Habitat Restoration at a Closed Military Base: A Case Study of Coast Live Oak Restoration at Alameda Naval Air Station This project will initiate steps to restore a natural habitat at the Alameda Naval Air Station through the propagation and nurturing of oak seedlings by middle school students for subsequent transplanting on the closed military installation. A classroom unit on the area's natural history will be followed by a field-oriented experimental science project on germination and growth of Coast Live Oaks. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium -- $4,600 Bill Brush, 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, CA 90731-7012 Hands on Marine Environments: Educator Workshops This project will offer four workshops on marine environment issues for 20 teachers at each session. Workshop activities and follow-up consultations with aquarium staff will permit the 80 trained teachers to encourage their students to use problem-solving and decision-making techniques as they relate to water pollution, endangered species, recycling, and habitat preservation. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Friends of the San Francisco Estuary -- $5,000 Ron Sokolov, P. O. Box 791, Oakland, CA 94612 Water Quality Monitoring and Education Program This project will encourage school-based or community-based water quality monitoring and education programs in the Corte Madera Creek watershed in Marin County. A two-day educators' workshop for teachers and Boy and Girl Scout leaders will teach techniques which will allow the attendees to recruit, train, and supervise volunteers for the creek monitoring project. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Greater Long Beach Girl Scout Council -- $4,950 Betty Irving, 4040 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90808 Project Water: Hands-On Introduction to Surface and Groundwater Problems in Southern California Communities for Young Children This project will introduce 150 girls in grades 3 to 6 and their scout leaders to environmental issues relating to surface water and groundwater management. Led by members of the Association of Women Geoscientists and using a Girl Scout campground in the San Jacinto Mountains as their outdoor classroom, this project will allow the young people and their leaders to explore activities with soil and groundwater and to experience erosion problems firsthand to learn their causes, effects, and remediations. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Long Beach Unified School District -- $4,928 Christopher J. Steinhauser, 701 Locust Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90813 Project Future! This project will train a staff member of Signal Hill Elementary School in three local environmental concerns of high priority to the community. The teacher will then train the rest of the staff and will provide leadership for school activities related to the following identified themes: nonpoint source pollution, composting, and petroleum refinery emissions. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Mattole Unified School District -- $5,000 Pamela Sturgeon, P. O. Box 211, Petrolia, CA 95558 Partnership for Implementing Adopt-A-Watershed Curriculum This project will generate a partnership among the school district, the Bureau of Land Management, and a community advisory council to implement the Adopt-a-Watershed curriculum in the kindergarten through 12th grade. Training provided to the community's teachers, land owners, and other residents will allow them to define local needs and desirable outcomes, to identify ecologically responsible actions, and to support projects that sustain the environment. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Rural Community Assistance Corporation -- $33,750 (HQ Grant) Elizabeth Ytell, 2125 19th Street, Suite 203, Sacramento, CA 95818 Closing the Loop The purpose of this project is to conduct teacher training workshops on waste management to assist the State of California in reaching its waste management and waste prevention goals. "Closing the Loop" will focus on disseminating and demonstrating the use of an existing waste management curriculum approved and adopted by the State of California. The target audience will be kindergarten through 12th grade educators in low-income, rural areas and in school districts that serve American Indians and other racial minorities. The project will include a needs assessment to tailor workshops to these communities, and follow-up technical assistance to assist educators in incorporating the environmental curriculum into their existing lesson plans. The project will reach 350 teachers with 10 workshops throughout California. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Sacramento Zoological Society -- $2,480 Kimberly Parker, 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822 Teacher Training Environmental Workshops This project will provide orientation to environmental education curriculum materials developed by the California Department of Education and practical ways to apply them. Presenting two cycles of teacher workshops, three in the fall of 1995 and three in the spring of 1996, the society will offer attendees problem solving and investigative approaches to learning with exciting games and activities. Additional presentations will be made at regional elementary and secondary science teacher conferences. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society -- $5,000 Amy Hutzel, P. O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560 Trekking the Refuge: A Field Trip Program for Educators and Parents This project will establish a field trip program at the Wildlife Refuge for educator's, students, and parents to teach about wetlands, endangered species, migratory birds, and what the public can do to preserve these resources. The program anticipates serving 50 educators, 300 parents, and 1,500 students annually. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | The Bayview Opera House, Inc. -- $25,000 Rochelle Frazier, P. O. Box 24086, San Francisco, CA 94124-0086 Bayview Opera House Environmental Education Project This project will employ the creative vehicle of visual arts to educate at-risk students in three Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood elementary schools about environmental issues. Artists from the Bayview Opera House will join with the faculty from the three schools in a planning workshop to determine the project's curriculum and the role that each party will perform. Over a six-month period, artists from Bayview Opera House will present weekly lessons cooperatively with classroom staff to provide students with a basic knowledge of environmental issues while enabling them to express their ideas and concerns through their artwork. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | The Oakland Museum of California Foundation -- $13,436 Sandy Bredt, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607 Global Warming: An Interactive Exhibition and Environmental Education Program This project will present an interactive exhibit on global warming, accompanied by a four-month long series of educational programs for students, teachers, and adults in the nine Bay Area counties. The program will include student workshops, teacher seminars, preparation of curriculum materials, and public presentations. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | The Regents of the University of California (Santa Cruz) -- $5,000 Gary Griggs, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Windows to Discovery This project will strengthen marine science education programs in local schools of the tri-county Monterey Bay area through teacher training, supporting curricular material, and school site follow-up visits. The activities of the project are geared to stimulate student interest in marine science and conservation of the environment. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Tides Foundation Community Focus -- $5,000 Malka Koppell, 170 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133 Air Quality Education and Organization Project for Middle School Students The participants in this project will assemble a team of students and parents in a San Diego middle school to study air quality issues and suggest solutions for their area. The team will design and implement a trip reduction plan for their school community. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Office -- $14,600 Celeste Boyd, 175 South Fairview Lane, Sonora, CA 95370 Teaching About Forests The outcome of this project will be a week-long educators' workshop on forest health and management for 50 kindergarten through 12th grade teachers from counties near the mountains (Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador) and the San Joaquin Valley urban communities of Stockton, Lodi, and Modesto. Topics to be covered include plant and tree identification, forest practices and harvesting, wildlife diversity, soils and geology, development of recreational opportunities, and pollution prevention strategies. |
| 1995 | CA | 9 | Yosemite Community College District -- $5,000 Bennett Tom, P. O. Box 4065, Modesto, CA 95352 Using Retired Scientists to Help Implement a Child's Place in the Environment The purpose of this project is to match up retired scientists with 25 rural elementary school teachers. Following training in the California Department of Education environmental curriculum, A Child's Place in the Environment, the scientists and their partner teachers will implement the curriculum in schools in San Joaquin, Tuolumne, and Calaveras Counties. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | City of Steamboat Springs, Colorado -- $5,000 Gretchen Schell, P. O. Box 775088, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 Project Seed This project will assist youth who are 14 to 19 years old in acquiring the skills necessary to analyze, assess and resolve environmental issues. Specialists in multidisciplinary fields and a wilderness course curriculum will be used to instruct the youth on current local and global environmental issues. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | Clean Air Campaign -- $3,375 Christine D. Regan, 219 W. Colorado Avenue, #210, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Clean Air Campaign of the Pikes Peak Region The purpose of this project is to educate the community to solve air pollution problems through pollution prevention activities. Workshops will be held for educators who will teach approximately 30 students who will take the information home to their families. Hands-on education through the WHIFF curriculum and accompanying kits will reach members of the community. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | Colorado Hospitals for a Healthy Environment -- $5,000 Patricia B. McClearn, 2140 South Holly Street, Denver, CO 80222 Colorado Hospitals Campaign for a Blue Sky The purpose of this project is to motivate people in the Denver metropolitan area to be more aware of air pollution, its effects on their health, and what they can do about it. Approximately 100 to 150 hospital employees, volunteers, physicians, visitors, and the general public will attend a seminar with the objective of increasing knowledge and awareness of air pollution and its health effects. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | Eco-Cycle, Inc. -- $3,900 Cyndra Dietz, Eco-Cycle, Inc., P. O. Box 19006, Boulder, CO 80308 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A Waste Reduction Activity Kit The proposed Solid Waste Teaching Training Institute will be held for 60 participants chosen from every district in Colorado. The purpose of the project is to improve educators' environmental education teaching skills through curriculum entitled "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A Waste Reduction Activity Kit." The kit will provide hands-on activities and all of the necessary materials for implementing a program to encourage various forms of waste reduction, including collection and recycling of materials. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | Environmental Component of Young AmeriTowne -- $4,865 Barbara Berv, 311 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80206 Young Americans Education Foundation Funding from this grant will be used to cover the cost of the environmental component of the Young AmeriTowne program. The project involves teacher education on recycling and other environmental issues that will demonstrate to 5th and 6th graders throughout the greater metropolitan area that participation in commerce can and must involve environmentally sound decisions and practices. |
| 1995 | CO | 8 | Environmental Science and Technology -- $4,965 David Boon, 3645 West 112th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80030 Front Range Community College The purpose of the Pollution Prevention (P2) Education and Training project is to develop, test, and disseminate a comprehensive P2 instructor manual, and conduct two P2 instructor workshops. The audience targeted will be students, and the workshop is designed to enhance teaching strategies for teachers in colleges and universities. Project organizers expect to reach more than 500 faculty with diffusion to thousands of students through EPA Region 8 and the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE). |
| 1995 | CT | 1 | 20th Century Trends Institute, Inc. -- $4,500 Mary McLaughlin, 720 West Lake Ave., Guilford, CT 06437-1305 "The Source" Environmental Topic Books This project will expand an existing program to three additional intermediate schools (grades 5 through 8) in the city of New Haven, Connecticut. The total student population of these schools is 1,736. Approximately 90 science and language arts teachers will have access to "The Source" environmental topic boxes. Teachers are trained in workshops on how to incorporate the materials into lessons and hands-on activities. |
| 1995 | CT | 1 | Soundwaters, Inc. -- $4,988 Ruth Ann Shapiro, 4 Yacht Haven Marina, Washington Blvd., Stamford, CT 06902 Science of the Sound Learning Station This project will educate students and adults within the Long Island Sound watershed about factors that affect the health of the Sound. Objectives of the program include: 1) expanding the existing program to add water chemistry and geology components; 2) providing students with the opportunity to witness the impacts of human population on the watershed; and 3) encouraging students to make informed decisions about their lifestyles. To meet these objectives, the program must purchase equipment, upgrade curricula, and provide teachers with new options for studying Long Island Sound. |
| 1995 | CT | 1 | South Arsenal Neighborhood Development Corp. -- $20,000 Karen O. Lewis, 45 Canton Street, Hartford, CT 06120 SANDCLEAN The purpose of this project is to educate members of the community through an environmental education and action program for 75 6th graders. These students are empowered to be community organizers, researchers, or journalists for the school year. The program culminates with a student-led conference that showcases their experiences for their parents and neighbors, and challenges the adults to address the issues they have identified as important to the community. |
| 1995 | CT | 1 | The New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. -- $4,968 Oliver D. Barton, West Rock Nature Center, P. O. Box 2969, New Haven, CT 06515 Teacher Training Workshop This project will fund a field-based workshop that will be held in eight weeks to plan curriculum to improve the environmental education teaching skills of 15 elementary and 15 middle and high school teachers in New Haven, Connecticut. The project includes the collection of implementation plans connected to the curriculum in the teacher's class, and on-site field studies with each class with the support of a scientist and educator. Thirty inner-city classes (approximately 600 students) directly benefit from the effort. |
| 1995 | DC | 3 | ASACC Student Association Environmental Education Program -- $5,000 Carol Cross, 1643 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 ASACC Student Association Environmental Education Program This project will enable student leaders to educate members of their community about pollution prevention and recycling issues using the grassroots network of community college student activities associations. The audience will be comprised of at least 1,000 community college students representing the students attending two-year colleges across the country. |
| 1995 | DC | 3 | World Wildlife Fund -- $39,850 (HQ Grant) Judy Braus, 1250 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037-1175 Windows on the Wild The purpose of this project is to increase environmental literacy of middle school students, strengthen the links between formal and nonformal educators, and enhance training for educators at formal and nonformal institutions by using biodiversity as an organizing theme. "Windows on the Wild" will test biodiversity training materials and hold training workshops for educators in Seattle and Chicago to develop a national model for biodiversity education. Educators targeted for training include school teachers and nonformal educators at the middle school level from local zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and environmental education programs such as Project Wild and Project Learning Tree. |
| 1995 | DC | 3 | New Columbia Audubon Society -- $4,651 Pat Durkin, P. O. Box 15346, Washington, DC 20003 A Model Community-Composting and Butterfly Habitat Restoration in a Racially Diverse Neighborhood in Downtown Washington, DC This project will serve as a model for the use of native plants and community-created compost to restore extirpated butterflies on fragmented urban landscapes and to encourage environmental awareness, connection to nature, and a sense of cooperative stewardship among residents of racially and culturally diverse inner-city neighborhoods. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | Arbor Ridge Elementary School -- $5,000 Ralph Hewitt, 2900 Logandale Drive, Orlando, FL 32817 Project EPIC: Environmental Preservation Through Integrated Curriculum This project increases elementary students' awareness of the various ecosystems in and around the community. The project also facilitates student action regarding the use and conservation of resources by improving teaching skills through workshops which focus on environmental education using an integrated curriculum model. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | Broward County Department of Natural Resources Protection -- $4,995 Laura L. Geselbracht, 5218 SW 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Least Toxic Pest Management for the Lawn & Garden This project is designed to increase citizen awareness and knowledge of pesticide use. The participants will be informed about why one approach may be the best under a specific set of circumstances. The participants will make selections of the best pest management approach for various scenarios. Results of these problem solving exercises will be discussed. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. -- $31,629 (HQ Grant) Susan B. Cook, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Ft. Pierce, FL 34946 Mangroves, Mosquitos, and Man This project will update and expand an existing environmental education program to address the ecological and economic importance of managing the flora and fauna populations in the mangrove marsh habitats along the Indian River Lagoon. "Mangroves, Mosquitos, and Man" will teach students and teachers in the 4th grade how carefully managed seasonal flooding of the mangrove marsh habitats is used to control the local mosquito population which has greatly affected the economic development of the region. At the same time, students and teachers will learn how careful management of the flooding minimizes the ecological impact of this action. Through hands-on field activities and teacher training workshops, students and teachers will be introduced to the technologies involved in monitoring and controlling water levels, and gain an increased understanding of the relationship between environmental and socioeconomic issues. The project will reach six teachers and 200 students, many of whom are from minority populations. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | Joyce Bullock Elementary School -- $3,200 Kristen E. Russell, 130 SW Third Street, Williston, FL 32696 Teacher Training Environmental Workshop: Schoolyard Ecosystem and Environment This project introduces the concept of the Schoolyard Ecosystem as a tool for teaching environmental education. The students will be able to observe, restore, and experience a natural environment containing local, easily-accessible plant and animal life and understand their ability to have a positive impact on the environment. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Diane D. Neill, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415-1311 Kids for Composting The purpose of the Kids for Composting project is to implement a successful composting program at one public school to serve as a model for other schools wishing to achieve similar educational results. The project is designed to increase the awareness of students; educate students and administrators; and successfully compost the food, yard, and paper waste generated in a public school. |
| 1995 | FL | 4 | The School Board of Broward County -- $5,000 Frank Mandley, 600 Southeast Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Broward Co. Fern Forest Wetlands Restoration and Succession Seed Bank and Revegetating Survey This project focuses on the mitigation and restoration efforts in Fern Forest or a similar Florida Ecosystem. Student groups are required to develop a hypothesis for the project in cooperation with an environmental professional and assigned faculty mentor. Field trips for research and a curriculum are an integral part of the project. The project will be conducted at Stranahan High School and will involve approximately 1,400 students. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | Dunwoody Nature Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Deron Davis, 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody, GA 30338 Nature Makes Sense This project focuses on educating members of the community through a grassroots, community-based organization. It provides environmental education experiences for preschool children with an emphasis on preserving the environment. The project includes three major components: conducting environmental education classes for Head-Start Program participants, developing a "Nature Makes Sense" exhibit for pre-school children, and training community volunteers to work with pre-school children. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. -- $4,450 Jerome Brown, 712-R County Street, Blakely, GA 31723 Operation Clean Environment Operation CLEAN will facilitate environmental education partnerships between educational institutions, governmental agencies, and the Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Area. Environmental education curricula will be purchased and distributed. A shredder will be purchased and used for composing demonstrations. The project is designed to motivate and educate high school students in solid waste management. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | Northside Elementary School -- $4,936 Brenda A. Douce, 1815 North Chestnut Avenue, Tifton, GA 31794 Outdoor Education Classroom This project is designed to complete an outdoor classroom area at Northside Elementary School that is currently under development. The "outdoor science" laboratory will extend teaching and learning of science beyond the confines of classroom walls. The project will serve 600 students in kindergarten through 4th grade. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | Savannah-Chatham County Schools -- $4,935 Bethany Hunton, 208 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31401 Oatland Island Education Center Outdoor Discovery Area Demonstration Site The project is designed to develop an appreciation and understanding of indigenous wildlife through provision, maintenance and observation of habitat settings. A demonstration site exhibiting various wildlife habitats will be developed. Teachers, parents, and other community members will be trained in the methods used to attract wildlife to outdoor learning areas. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | SciTrek, The Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta -- $24,982 Bernadette M. Pfeiffer, 395 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Water Source Book Dissemination and Network Project This project targets 3rd through 5th grade teachers by creating teacher-trainers across Georgia who will train other teachers in their local partner site learning communities and involve the larger community in the students' study of water resources. The teacher-trainers will disseminate the Water Sourcebook and elicit community support and involvement in the program. |
| 1995 | GA | 4 | Wilderness Southeast -- $4,255 Kelly Cichy, 711 Sandtown Road, Savannah, GA 31410 True Project: Teaching Responsibility, Understanding, Ecology The Teaching Responsibility, Understanding, and Ecology (TRUE) program is designed to educate public housing neighborhood youth through a grass-roots, community-based organization in cooperation with the housing authority. The participants will participate in a week-long coastal ecology camp. |
| 1995 | HI | 9 | Hawaii State Department of Education -- $105,000 (HQ Grant) Colleen Murakami, P. O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804 Developing Environmental Stewards The purpose of this project is to improve their instructional delivery of environmental education throughout the Hawaiian Islands. "Developing Environmental Stewards" will use a nationally-recognized investigative and problem-solving approach to the study of local environmental concerns relating to non-point source pollution, the introduction of alien species to an existing ecosystem, and energy use. The ultimate goal of the project is to foster responsible environmental action to protect Hawaii's fragile ecosystem. The project will provide teacher training to science and social studies teachers of grades 6 through 12 (the vast majority of whom are of Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Filipino descent), compile a handbook of instructional strategies on investigating and evaluating environmental issues and actions, develop an instructional video of case studies, and establish a communication network for teachers. The project trains 120 teachers and 24 teacher trainers. |
| 1995 | HI | 9 | Honolulu Zoological Society -- $5,000 Joe D. Kimmins, 151 Kapahula Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815 How To Effectively Use Honolulu Zoo To Teach About Nature And The Environment This project will offer 16 workshops, each attended by 20 teachers, to make zoo visits more meaningful in terms of environmental conservation. The workshops will equip teachers to offer more creative and environmentally motivated lessons to their students in preparation for a zoo visit. |
| 1995 | ID | 10 | Idaho Department of Water Resources -- $5,000 Dick Larsen, 1301 N. Orchard Street, Boise, ID 83706 Water Awareness Week This grant will provide support to the Water Awareness Week 1996" project, sponsored by eight federal, state, and local government agencies and two private sector companies. Water Awareness Week is a 6th grade science curriculum program designed to educate more than 5,000 students in Boise and Meridian school districts on environmental and resource issues and to educate the community to become more environmentally conscious. The program uses existing water and environmental education materials and consists of a specially designed, five-day course of water curriculum taught primarily in the science segment of all 6th grade classes. |
| 1995 | ID | 10 | Owyhee Soil Conservation District -- $4,400 Bob Bartholomew, P. O. Box 486, Marsing, ID 83639 Irrigation Induced Erosion Agricultural Producer Education The goal of this project is to educate members of the local agricultural community through demonstration days and workshops held by the Soil Conservation District with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service. These demonstrations and workshops will encourage the discussion and adoption of new and existing technologies to reduce nonpoint source pollution due to irrigation-induced soil erosion. These activities will be focused towards 60 producers operating within the Jump Creek Watershed, which has serious irrigation-induced erosion. |
| 1995 | ID | 10 | University of Idaho - Department of Chemical Engineering -- $4,900 Margrit Von Braun, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3142 1995 Idaho Science Camp Through this grant, the University of Idaho will conduct the Idaho Science Camp, a summer science and mathematics workshop for 50 students, in grades 8, 9, and 10. Recruiting emphasis is on Native Americans, Hispanics, young women, and other minority populations under-represented in science and math academic programs and careers. The theme of the workshop is "Environmental Discovery" and includes a variety of innovative, hands-on modules for environmental problem-solving and incorporates math and science into actual problems. The workshops also will include field trips and guest speakers. Special topic areas include pollution prevention, fisheries management, groundwater hydrology, and other water, air and solid waste issues. Classes will be taught by the university faculty and junior high science teachers; graduate and undergraduate student assistants will be used to help with the instruction and serve as role models for the program. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Alexander Dumas Chicago Public Elementary School -- $2,319 Linda Bloise, 6650 S. Ellis, Chicago, IL 60637 The Prairie Garden Funds from this grant will go toward the purchase of seeds and equipment to enable elementary students to plan, prepare, plant, and maintain a prairie at the school site. Dissemination of the project to other schools through a newsletter will draw in partnerships throughout the school district. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Chicago Legal Clinic -- $15,000 Keith Harley, 2938 E. 91st Street, Chicago, IL 60617 "Toxic Watch" Sessions: EE in Northwest Indiana The Chicago Legal Clinic will develop and offer 15 "Toxic Watch" educational sessions in partnership with PAHLS, an environmental organization in northwest Indiana. Sessions will empower residents of northwest Indiana to form a well-grounded understanding of the nature and extent of toxics and their use and emissions at area facilities. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Chicago State University - College of Arts and Sciences -- $5,000 Tim Beall, 9501 South King Drive, Chicago, IL 60628 Environmental Impact Analysis Course The result of this project will be the development of an Environmental Impact Analysis course for college students and local citizens. The course will culminate in a project which requires that participants conduct an environmental analysis of a current issue in southeast Chicago. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Herbert Spencer Chicago Public Elementary School -- $4,850 Sandra Givens, 214 N. Lavergne Avenue, Chicago, IL 60644 Great Lakes Education Program for Urban Students The purpose of this project is to educate 130 6th graders on the importance of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Students will learn how to protect this ecosystem through the use of hands-on classroom activities and exposure to the issues through field trips. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Illinois Audubon Society -- $5,000 Susie Schreiber, P. O. Box 608, White Thorn Road, Wayne, IL 60184 Building a Network Environmental Education Coalition in Illinois In collaboration with the Illinois Environmental Education Advocacy Consortium, Illinois Audubon will build a networking coalition of environmental education providers throughout the state in order to establish statewide, comprehensive environmental education policies and promote environmental literacy. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Illinois Benedictine College - Jurica Nature Museum -- $4,989 Father Theodore Suchy, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532 Elementary Outreach in Environmental Education The purpose of this project is to develop a series of workshops and discovery boxes for teachers in 150 schools in Dupage County. The focus of the workshops and boxes is on the museum's passerine and water bird collection. The project extends a 1993 EPA grant that funded the development of 14 discovery boxes for teachers to borrow and use in their classrooms for investigative, hands-on activities. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health -- $22,751 Bill Knorr, 525 W. Jefferson, Springfield, IL 62761 East St. Louis Schools Lead Poisoning Prevention Education Program The purpose of this project is to provide educational modules and workshops on lead poisoning prevention to more than 800 primary and secondary school teachers and nurses in 29 East St. Louis schools. Modules will be translated into Spanish. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Mark Sheridan Math and Science Chicago Public Magnet School -- $5,000 Susan O'Neill, 533 W. 27th Street, Chicago, IL 60616 Teacher/Artist Environmental Education Curriculum Implementation This project will provide a full school teacher in-service program using the arts as a mechanism for teaching environmental education. An integrated environmental curriculum developed by science teachers and artists under an EPA 1994 environmental grant will be used. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | McHenry County Defenders -- $5,000 Cynthia Skrukrud, 132 Cass Street, Woodstock, IL 60098 Young Defenders: Parents and Children Investigating Local Ecology Organizers of this project will recruit and train community volunteers to offer proven, hands-on environmental education activities to groups of 8 to 12 year old children and their families. The Young Defenders Project is part of Volunteers in Neighborhood Ecology Network (VINE) of the North American Association for Environmental Education. |
| 1995 | IL | 5 | Winnebago/Rockford Clean and Beautiful -- $2,615 Nancy Kalchbrenner, 6602 N. Second, Rockford, IL 61111 Wheel of 3R's Game Organizers of this project seek to design, construct, and demonstrate a selective shopping education program called "Wheel of 3R's" that will be presented in game format. The game will be presented at schools, fairs, and conferences with the goal of encouraging purchasing habits which support waste minimization and source reduction. |
| 1995 | IN | 5 | Geography Educator's Network of Indiana -- $5,000 Rick Bein, Dept. of Geography, Indiana University-Purdue Univ. at Indianapolis, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140 Stimulating EE in Indiana: A Geographical Assessment of Critical Environmental Issues Funds from this grant will partially support a three-week commuter institute for Indiana teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade entitled, "Stimulating Environmental Education in Indiana: A Geographical Assessment of Critical Environmental Issues in the Evansville Region." The institute will offer presentations and field trips on topics such as the symbiotic nature of life, climatic changes, land-based degradation and conservation, and photo-chemical pollution. |
| 1995 | IN | 5 | Grand Cal Task Force -- $5,000 Dorreen Carey, 2400 New York Ave, Ste. 303, Whiting, IN 46394 Northwest Indiana Ecosystem: The Community Connection, Executive Director The Grand Cal Task Force will give seminars to churches, neighborhood and community groups, and civic organizations on how to promote pollution prevention, sustainable community development, and environmental improvement in northwest Indiana. Seminars will reach 1,500 community members using a slide show and educational presentation developed under a 1993 EPA grant. |
| 1995 | IN | 5 | Sierra Club -- $24,300 Patricia Werner, 960 E. Washington St., Suite 200B, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Teacher/Facilitator Training for Wetlands Curriculum The purpose of this project is to educate 240 teachers of kindergarten through 8th grade throughout the state and 60 teacher-trainers on wetlands using the Sierra Club's Integrated Environmental Curriculum Wetlands Component. The project will be carried out with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Indianapolis Zoo, and Indiana Department of Education. Other outcomes include establishing a wetlands network throughout the state. |
| 1995 | IA | 7 | Cedar Rapids Community Schools -- $4,900 Joyce Fowler, 346 2nd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404-2099 Outdoor Learning Lab The purpose of this project is to develop and maintain an outdoor learning lab on the school campus. A subcommittee of teachers will use existing environmental educational references to create a handbook of environmental thematic units. Another subcommittee will plan activities to disseminate information to families and the community and actively involve them in the project. |
| 1995 | IA | 7 | Des Moines County Conservation Board -- $17,364 Sharon Kaufman, 512 M. Main St., Burlington, IA 52601 Landowner-Mentor Training for Water Quality Monitoring This is a pilot project in which six area landowners will be trained to monitor the water quality within the waterways of the Flint Creek (Des Moines, County) watershed. They will be trained to serve as mentors to students from West Burlington Middle School who are also studying water quality issues, water quality monitoring, and the relationship between water quality and land use practices within the floodplain. The project will serve to educate members of the communities in and around Burlington and West Burlington, opening lines of communication between grassroots farming and non-farming agencies and organizations by training area landowners to monitor water quality and by providing opportunities for the landowners to serve as mentors to middle school students. |
| 1995 | IA | 7 | Polk County Conservation Board -- $24,423 Wendy Zohrer, Lewis A. Jester Park, Granger, IA 50109 The City as an Ecosystem Project Video The purpose of this project is to develop a video targeting urban youth that complements the urban environmental education curriculum about environmental investigations. The video will provide an overview of the city as an ecosystem, highlighting urban environmental issues and demonstrate hands-on investigations by urban, multicultural, youth from the upper elementary level. |
| 1995 | IA | 7 | University of Northern Iowa -- $24,675 Carl W. Bollwinkel, Price Laboratory School, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-3593 Wetlands Issue Instruction This project will train 30 educators of kindergarten through 12th grade to guide students in making wise decisions relating to wetlands issues. The project also will pilot an educational program appropriate for science centers and museums to educate about wetlands and to initiate educational programming for a "Wetlands Discovery Park." |
| 1995 | KS | 7 | Maize High School, Maize Unified School District -- $5,000 William Kruse, Maize, KS 67101 Workshop on Educator's Water Quality Analysis Training The initial phase of this project is to train 266 science teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade and student mentors to sample water quality in the Arkansas River Basin using curriculum developed in the Illinois River Project. The training will create a network of teachers having direct contact with the Arkansas River. The result will impact approximately 2,000 students representing agricultural, urban, and industrial populations forming a partnership among school districts along the Arkansas River. |
| 1995 | KS | 7 | Topeka/Shawnee County Litter Control Commission -- $5,000 Chiquita Cornelius, 2933 SW Woodside Dr., Suite C, Topeka, KS 66614-4181 Teachers Training Workshop on Solid Waste Management Funds from this grant will go toward developing two, one-day workshops for approximately 100 Shawnee Country teachers, providing them with training related to solid waste management. The target audience will be high school teachers in the four public schools in the county. The benefit is to introduce Keep America Beautiful (KAB) solid waste curricula into the schools of Shawnee County, Kansas. |
| 1995 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $4,925 Joyce Barnes, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 Lassiter Middle School Environmental Education Program This project expands a multi-generational community garden to include a downtown zone and continues the development of an environmental center with the addition of weather-related equipment and air testing facilities. The project also develops a student-oriented library that focuses on environmental issues based on student research. |
| 1995 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Tech. - Harrison Center -- $5,000 Steve Slade, 551 Webster Ave, Cynthiana, KY 41031 Expansion of Know H2O Bulletin Board System This project expands the WATER project to include a CD-ROM on the Know H2O Bulletin Board System to allow local access by educators and the public to the National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training's CD-ROM environmental education resources. |
| 1995 | KY | 4 | Oldham County Board of Education -- $5,000 Rhonda Hale, 8120 W. Highway 42, Goshen, KY 40026 Liberty Elementary Environmental Theater The organizers of this project will develop an outdoor environmental theater and provide environmental education to 459 rural and suburban students through the school's science program and the environmental and science clubs. The program also will be used during the summer extended school period. |
| 1995 | LA | 6 | Baton Rouge Green -- $5,000 Peggy Glynn Davis, P. O. Box 66418, Baton Rouge, LA 70896 Trees For Our Children's Future The purpose of this project is to educate public school children in kindergarten through 12th grade, within East Baton Rouge Parish, on the importance of trees in the environment. The project will produce an environmental education curriculum focusing on the reforestation of native trees. To reach the target audience, teachers will be provided training through workshops and environmental instructional materials. In addition, area schools will be provided a professionally designed tree planting plan, supervised volunteer labor to install the trees, maintenance workshops for tree care, and mulch delivery and tree inspections. |
| 1995 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University and A & M College -- $16,000 Nancy L. Sidener, 117-D David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Investigating Louisiana's Environmental Problems and Solutions Through Economic Analysis The purpose of the project is to show, through integrated methods, the interdependence of problems on the environment and the rest of the economy. The target audience is 20 science teachers and 20 social studies teachers from middle schools around the state of Louisiana. The project will include the establishment of an enlightened group of educational leaders who can take back to their schools an understanding of the ramifications for society of environmental problems. |
| 1995 | ME | 1 | Maine Environmental Education Association -- $5,000 Marianne Dubois, P. O. Box 9, Wiscasset, ME 04578 Earthminders: Topics in Environmental Education Earthminders, a coalition of organizations promoting environmental education in Maine, conducts a state-wide teacher training program by means of an interactive television series. The target audience for this project is 1,200 elementary and secondary school teachers. The program will reach them in remote locations and allow them to participate to the same extent as teachers in the more populous southern region of the state. The eight, 60-minute programs will be broadcast from the University of Maine to 78 school sites state-wide. |
| 1995 | ME | 1 | Passamaquoddy Tribe-Indian Township Tribal Government -- $12,000 Veronica Smith, P. O. Box 301, Princeton, ME 04668 Reservation Environmental Education Needs Assessment Funds from this grant will go to conduct a needs assessment on the Indian Township Reservation to identify local environmental issues and determine how tribal members wish to be educated and involved. The project will engage tribal adults in defining water quality on the Reservation, nonpoint source pollution, energy consumption, water usage, and excess packaging issues. Participants in the project also will conduct a needs assessment for a kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum, and create five, one- to three-minute public service announcements for the tribal cable access channel. |
| 1995 | ME | 1 | University of Southern Maine/Maine Geographic Alliance -- $7,915 Pamela L. Wilson, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103 Summer Teacher Training Institute This project involves a one-week residential workshop designed to improve the ability of 20 Maine teachers (10 two-teacher teams, grades 7 through 12) and members of 10 communities to address fresh water issues. This pilot project will reach 570 Maine citizens in its first year and will establish an ongoing network of support among the participants. |
| 1995 | MD | 3 | Clean Islands International, Inc. -- $5,000 8219 Elvaton Drive, Pasadena, MD 21122 Environmental Lessons on Video "Environmental Lessons on Video is a U.S. Virgin Islands Education Project consisting of teacher workshops for Virgin Islands educators and a video for those unable to participate in the workshops. Goals of the project include development of methods to promote environmental awareness, conservation practices relevant to the resources and restrictions of island communities, and effective decision making for solid waste disposal alternatives. |
| 1995 | MD | 3 | Prince George's County Public School - Nicholas Orem Middle School -- $3,975 Richmond Myrick, 6100 Editor's Park Drive, Hyattsville, MD 20782 Teacher Training Workshop-Courtyard Habitat This project proposes a series of teacher workshops to inform and to plan a multi-disciplinary environmental curriculum for students. The project would result in a product of a wildlife habitat within an existing school courtyard. The initial audience would be 10 classroom teachers and 250 students. An additional 350 to 500 people would be invited to participate in adult education opportunities. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Boston Private Industry Council, Inc. -- $119,685 (HQ Grant) Lois Ann Porter, 2 Oliver St., 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02109 Green Tech This project is the second year of a multi-year program to prepare South Boston High School students to make the school-to-work transition through environmental careers. "Green Tech" is designed to teach these students, 73% of whom are from minority populations, that what they learn in the classroom is central to their future employment opportunities and that both training and work experience are necessary to gain access to well-paying jobs. The program will increase student awareness about environmental career opportunities through multi-disciplinary classroom instruction and internships with environmental agencies and businesses. Central to this project is the formal collaboration which exists between the Council, the high school, and the area's government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector businesses. The project will reach five teachers and 1,000 students. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Center for Ecological Technology -- $5,000 Nancy Nylen, 112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Environmental Teleconference Project This project is a collaborative effort among schools, community organizations, and businesses to produce and broadcast interactive video teleconferences. The project deepens middle school students' understanding about local environmental issues in 10 urban and rural towns in the Central Berkshire Regional School District. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Groton-Dunstable Regional School District, Tarbell School -- $5,000 Nancy Turkle, 73 Pepperell Road, West Groton, MA 01472 Groton Compost Corporation Funds from this grant will go to a project supporting 30 high school students who form the core of a community organization which learns methods and develops plans to handle institutional organic waste more efficiently. These students use their group to educate fellow students, community residents, and school and municipal authorities on the nature and economic viability of composing options for waste management. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Ipswich River Watershed Association, Inc. -- $4,400 Kerry Mackin, 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield, MA 01983-1999 Water Education for Conservation Commissioners Funds from this grant will support a model program designed to educate 120 volunteer conservation commissioners in the cities and towns which comprise the Ipswich River watershed on how to protect the watershed from pollution, loss of wildlife habitat, and fisheries decline. The project will adapt existing curricula, develop a handbook, and provide a series of workshops to enhance understanding of the resources that must be protected. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Joseph P. Manning School -- $5,000 Lorraine S. Theroux, 130 Louder's Lane, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Teacher Training Environmental Workshop This project involves curriculum development on urban gardening and soil contamination for inner-city elementary school teacher training. Following the education of 65 4th and 5th grade students, project organizers hope that they will make a positive contribution to their community by writing about and publishing one of two newsletters for the benefit of the adult audience and the press. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) Education Fund, -- $20,000 Amy Perry, 29 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 The "Make It Recycled","Buy It Recycled" Project This project targets three important "consumer" populations: the general public, the purchasing managers of public agencies and other institutions, and owners and operators of the 25 largest manufacturers in one Massachusetts solid waste management district. It includes the development, printing and distribution of education materials and workshops to increase awareness of and promote the purchase and use of products made from recycled material. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Mount Holyoke College/Environmental Studies Program -- $4,988 Jens Christiansen, 115 Skinner Hall, South Hadley, MA 01075 A Bi-National (U.S.-Mexico) Environmental Studies Course This project is a collaborative effort with the International University of Mexico to develop a bilingual course syllabus and pilot environmental studies course entitled, "Life, Environment, and Society." The focus of the project is on development of supporting materials to make the course especially relevant to issues of environmental justice in developing countries in general, and Mexico in particular. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | New England Board of Higher Education -- $112,000 (HQ Grant) William P. Fenstemacher, Ph.D., 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 A Regional EE Partnership for New England's Colleges and Universities "A Regional EE Partnership for New England's Colleges and Universities" is designed to upgrade training and awareness for college environmental faculty and administrators about what is working and not working to better prepare students to undertake environmental careers. It also will establish an environmental science and engineering academic support network to enhance minority student preparation for environmental careers, and increase the accessibility of information on environmental education and research programs at the region's colleges and universities to government and industry. The target audience includes New England state government representatives in higher education, environmental protection, and economic development; presidents and faculty at New England's public and private colleges; and business and industry associations such as the Environmental Business Council. The project will reach 260 colleges and universities and numerous government officials and businesses in six states. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association -- $9,930 23 Ames Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) will develop educational materials for 6th to 10th grade teachers in New Jersey and New York. The materials will be designed to develop student and teacher awareness about transportation choices and the impacts their actions and decisions have on air, land, and water pollution. NESEA's materials, which stress the use of renewable energy and energy conservation, will be disseminated prior to and during the 1996 Tour de Sol, an annual electric vehicle educational event and race. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association -- $9,930 Nancy Hazard, 23 Ames Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Creating Transportation Education Materials for Grades 6-10 The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), an energy education association, proposes to develop educational materials for 6th through 10th grade teachers in New Jersey and New York. The materials are designed to develop student and teacher awareness about transportation choices and the impacts their actions and decisions have on air, land, and water pollution. NESEA's materials, which stress the use of renewable energy and energy conservation, will be disseminated before and during the 1996 Tour de Sol, an annual electric vehicle educational event and race. NESEA will use its partnerships and communication channels to distribute the materials in both states. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Pioneer Valley Girl Scout Council -- $5,000 Barbara Bilz, 40 Harkness Avenue, East Longmeadow, MA 01028 Inner City Wetlands Environmental Education Project Funds from this grant will support a wetlands environmental education program for 150 Girl Scout leaders and other interested adult leaders who live in the inner city of Springfield, Massachusetts. The project includes a series of three educational workshops which focus on providing hands-on learning opportunities, skills, and knowledge necessary to teach approximately 600 girls about wetland ecology in their communities. |
| 1995 | MA | 1 | Triton Regional School District -- $4,988 Ann Ringling, 112 Elm Street, Byfield, MA 01922 The Parker River Watershed Study Program This project will develop a model for 248 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students that moves environmental education both physically and conceptually out of the classroom and into the natural world which surrounds them. The project forms a partnership with the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Plum Island Sound Project, providing teacher training and curriculum development. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Central Michigan University -- $5,000 Claudia Douglas, Central Michigan University EE Collaborative, Biology Department, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48848 Neithercut Nature Center The organizers of this project hope to expand the use of Central Michigan University's (CMU) 160-acre property called Neithercut Nature Center. CMU will offer four, one-day workshops to 100 teachers of kindergarten through 8th grade to expose them to this educational resource. Workshops will build upon environmental education materials which already exist in Michigan. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Ecology Center of Ann Arbor -- $5,000 Michael Garfield, 417 Detroit St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Education for Environmental Justice Organizers of this project will develop and disseminate a handbook describing the field methods and techniques used in a model youth education program about environmental justice. The handbook will be available nationwide and initially distributed to 1,000 people directly. Funds will also support the application of environmental justice field techniques in three southeast Michigan communities. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians -- $25,000 Robert Kewaygoshkum, 2605 N. West Bay Shore, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Tribal Environmental Education Initiative on Water Quality Funds from this grant will launch the first component of a tribal education program by using the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network's (GREEN) water quality monitoring program. The project organizers seek to train five adult coordinators and 16 Native American youth to serve as peer educators for the Ottawa and Chippewa community. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative -- $24,965 Jeanna Paluzza, 3197 Logan Valley Road, Traverse City, MI 49684 School-Based Watershed Education Program This project will provide training and support to 15 5th through 12th grade teachers on water quality monitoring based on Stapp's Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring. The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed initiative will provide a two-week summer institute for teachers, provide follow-up support for fall and spring monitoring activities, and culminate the year's efforts with a student congress. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Leslie Public School District -- $5,000 Net Curtis, 432 N. Main St., Leslie, MI 49251 Wild 100 Nature Center Funds from this grant will be used to involve 400 high school students in the design and development of an outdoor 100-acre natural learning center called, "Wild 100 Nature Center." The nature center will become part of the high school curriculum and available for community use. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Macomb County-Michigan State University Extension, -- $5,000 Patrick Livingston, 21885 Dunham Rd., Clinton Township, MI 48036 Great Lakes Environmental Education Teacher Training The purpose of this project is to build the environmental teaching skills of 4th grade teachers by expanding the Great Lakes and Clinton River Education Program, an experiential environmental education program that teaches about the importance of the Great Lakes Watershed. |
| 1995 | MI | 5 | Michigan Water Environment Association -- $4,930 Paul Freedman, P. O. Box 82410, Rochester, MI 48308-2410 The Water Sourcebook The purpose of this project is to introduce the Water Sourcebook education program, produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority with funding from the EPA, to 300 middle school teachers in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The Michigan Water Environment Association will host workshops and provide follow-up support to teachers once they have returned to the classroom. |
| 1995 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Environmental Education Association, -- $5,000 Jennifer Gasperini, 3815 E. 80th Street, Bloomington, MN 55425 1995 Midwest Environmental Education Conference Funds from this grant will partially sponsor the 1995 Midwest Environmental Education Conference held in Rochester, Minnesota in the fall. The conference will draw more than 500 formal and nonformal environmental educators and offer a broad range of workshops, seminars, and exhibits. |
| 1995 | MN | 5 | Southwest State University, -- $4,996 Elizabeth Desy, 1501 State St., Marshall, MN 56258 Field and Lab Experiences in Prairie and Wetland Conservation The purpose of this project is to hold a three-day workshop for teachers of kindergarten through 6th grade in southwest Minnesota on investigating water and habitat quality in wetlands and prairies. |
| 1995 | MN | 5 | The International Coalition for Land/Water Stewardship in the Red River Basin -- $4,728 Julie Goehring, P. O. Box 127, Moorhead, MN 56561-0127 The International Coalition for Land/Water Stewardship in the Red River Basin The purpose of this project is to develop 10 different flyers and distribute them to residents of the Red River Valley. Organizers of the project hope to promote land and water conservation among cafe and gas station owners. |
| 1995 | MN | 5 | Twin Cities Public Television -- $95,200 (HQ Grant) Richard Hudson, 172 East Fourth Street, St. Paul, MN 55105 Newton's Apple The goal of this project is to develop a series of environmental education video segments to be broadcast nationally on the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) as part of their long-running science series "Newton's Apple." "Environmental Adventures" will address ecosystem protection, environmental justice, pollution prevention, and the role of science in environmental protection. "Newton's Apple" is carried on more than 300 PBS stations nationwide; the environmental education segments are expected to reach five million viewers (one-third children and two-thirds adults). The segments and supporting educational materials will be disseminated further to 50,000 educators as well as on cable services, videotape, videodisc, and CD-ROM through commercial distribution channels and various environmental education resource centers. |
| 1995 | MS | 4 | Alcorn State University -- $70,000 (HQ Grant) Jerome Burton/Theodore Pinnock, P. O. Box 479 (ACEP), Lorman (Claiborne County), MS 39096 Empowering a Grassroots Community This project will educate community leaders, residents, and volunteers in two rural counties in Mississippi about conditions such as waterborne diseases and other contaminants that threaten the area's surface water quality. "Empowering a Grassroots Community" is designed to educate poor rural residents about the importance of sustaining water quality in their communities; to identify public health risks associated with contaminated water reservoirs; and to assist local, state, and federal water quality agencies in developing solutions to reduce prevailing public health risks. Training activities will include a surface water preservation science fair and discovery program, adopt-a-water workshops, and community service projects. A key partner in the project is the Hermanville Ruritan Club which is responsible for recruiting community volunteers. The project will reach 600 community leaders, residents, and volunteers. |
| 1995 | MS | 4 | Puckett Attendance Center -- $16,175 Joe Ann Clark, P. O. Box 40, Pucket, MS 39151 Aqua Fair This project will be a year-long water study involving classroom activities, field trips, seminars, investigative studies, and a water quality fair. The study will be initiated by an on-campus Aqua Fair with booths staffed by water quality specialists from universities and local, state, and federal agencies. Activities will be structured so that students in kindergarten through 12th grade will learn about environmental problems and their solutions. |
| 1995 | MO | 7 | Macon County University Extension Council -- $5,000 Wanda Eubank, 119 North Rubey, Macon, MO 63552 Mark Twain Water Quality Initiative Workshop for Educators This project involves a water quality workshop for classroom teachers, assistants, professionals, and volunteers working with youth groups. The train-the-trainer model will result in reaching 5,000 youth the first year, and 5,000 the following year. The target audience is 50 teachers and youth educators from a 16-county northeast extension region of Missouri. These educators will be provided with 40 hours of instruction on water quality issues and will improve the understanding of public policy and decision-making skills. |
| 1995 | MO | 7 | Metropolitan Energy Center -- $13,574 Peter Dreyfuss, 3808 Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64109 Extend School Building Efficient Lighting Program Services to Community The purpose of this project is to educate occupants of school buildings about management and impact of improving lighting efficiency and energy use. The target audience is high school students and their teachers. The expected results would be an increased awareness of the environmental issues surrounding air pollution and some possible solutions. The method of implementing the project will be to provide workshops, educational materials, and consulting services at the Energy Center to the target audience. |
| 1995 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $12,136 Larry DeBuhr, P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63026 Aquatic Biology and Water Quality Curriculum to New Teacher Audience This project will disseminate an existing, field-tested, curriculum to teachers in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Twenty-five teachers from grades 4 through 8 will have a one-week training in aquatic biology and water quality curriculum and will assemble three instructional materials kits for circulation throughout the schools. |
| 1995 | MO | 7 | Ozark Mountain Center for Environmental Education -- $57,731 (HQ Grant) Becky Horton, P. O. Box 466, Alton, MO 65606 Ozark River Project This two-year project will empower communities to address local environmental problems in various rural and economically depressed areas in the Ozarks. The "Ozark River Project" will focus on water quality problems in five Ozark rivers to help the community understand the implications of land use practices, waste disposal options, and economic development upon surface and subsurface waters. The project uses already existing nationally-recognized curricula, and will provide students and teachers in grades 7 through 12, and various community organizations, with the skills and tools needed to conduct water quality testing. A mobile laboratory will be used to gather this data, and training workshops will be provided for teachers, students, and volunteer monitors to assist them in conducting the field activities. The project will reach 5,000 students and teachers in 21 schools and will be open to community participation. |
| 1995 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $25,000 Dennis Nelson, Culbertson Hall #210, Bozeman, MT 59717-0057 Project WET The funds from this grant will support Project WET, a leadership training and network building initiative in EPA Region 8. |
| 1995 | MT | 8 | Western Montana College of University of Montana -- $24,700 Susan Dejmal, WMC Box 100, Dillon, MT 59725 Pioneering Discoveries The purpose of this project is to train 30 teachers, who will reach 800 students, in a holistic approach to environmental education through the ECOSYSTEM curricula. The project will result in the development of the "Pioneering Discoveries curriculum and three teacher workshops in 1995 that focus on natural resources protection and conservation. |
| 1995 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality -- $25,000 Elbert Taylor, P. O. Box 98922-Statehouse Station, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 Hanna's View: An Interactive Theater Production on Water Quality The organizers of this project seek to develop an interactive theater production on water quality to be performed over 100 times state-wide to 4th through 8th grade students. A training kit for other theater groups will also be produced to duplicate the performance. The play will give students accurate knowledge about water quality and teach them age-appropriate actions to prevent water pollution. |
| 1995 | NE | 7 | Omaha Tribe of Nebraska -- $24,825 Mark Versch, Dept. of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 368, Macy, NE 68039 Environmental Education Initiative of the Omaha Tribe This project will initiate an "Environmental Education Council" to coordinate and encourage environmental studies in elementary and junior high curricula, and to disseminate consumer education on household hazardous products, waste, and related environmental issues. Participants will conduct a train-the-trainer session on household hazardous products and wastes. A lending library of household hazardous and waste management reference materials and resources also will be developed. |
| 1995 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska, Lincoln -- $24,903 Marion H. O'Leary, 206 Biochemistry Hall, Department of Biochemistry, Lincoln, NE 68583-0718 The Nebraska Distance Learning Water Research Program The purpose of this project is to produce a distance-learning program (using Nebraska's Neb*Sat satellite system) for Nebraska science teachers. The primary target audience is 100 Nebraska science teachers who participate in the SEER distance learning program. The secondary target audience is approximately 10,000 students. The project is expected to increase knowledge of Nebraska's water quality and to increase students' understanding of science, the environment, and research. |
| 1995 | NV | 9 | Northern Nevada Natural Resources Educational Council -- $5,000 Lorre Moyer, 10510 Chestnut, Reno, NV 89506 Great Basin Eco-region This project will sponsor ten, one-day field trips for at-risk Washoe County 6th grade students for an outdoor, interdisciplinary education experience at Great Basin eco-region. Students will explore the unique Great Basin environment through learning experiences and activities consistent with state curriculum guidelines. |
| 1995 | NH | 1 | Hillsborough County Conservation District -- $2,864 Jo-Ann Turner, 468 Route 13 South, Milford, NH 03055-3442 Soils Training for Educators This project involves training about soil with a soil educational toolkit for Hillsborough County's 50 elementary and middle school teachers. The purpose of the project is to fill a gap in knowledge of basic soil science. The knowledge gained through a variety of soil-related activities will cause students to become more aware of the importance of soil, and help prevent erosion and other actions which create land and water pollution and food shortages. |
| 1995 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 R. J. (Dick) Obyc, 10 Ferry Street, P. O. Box 2042, Concord, NH 03302-2042 School Environmental Education Program The Envirothon program helps New Hampshire high school students learn the process of group dynamics concerning real life issues affecting the ecology and how to make sound environmental decisions. The project is a unique partnership formed among the students, educators, volunteers, and resource persons from the state, private, and federal organizations. This year's subject is groundwater. |
| 1995 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department -- $4,900 Judith K. Silverberg, 2 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 Teacher Workshops Using Facilitator Model This project is based upon a widely-distributed document, Homes for Wildlife - A Planning Guide for Habitat Enhancement on School Grounds. The project organizers will develop the necessary support materials and conduct a three-day workshop for 10 facilitators who are in the process of establishing schoolyard habitat sites for wildlife. Facilitators, in turn, conduct 20 workshops in diverse community settings, resulting in the training of 200 teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade. |
| 1995 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire, Durham -- $4,999 Ihab Farag, Office of Sponsored Research, 107 Service Bldg., Durham, NH 03824-32585 Pollution Prevention in Hawaii's Construction Industry: A Workshop for Faculties and Students in Architecture, Engineering, and Urban Planning This project will offer a workshop in Honolulu to increase awareness of pollution prevention concepts among university students and faculties of disciplines with the largest impact on the construction industry. Co-sponsored by the Hawaii Department of Health, organizers of the workshop anticipate attracting 100 students and 50 professors from architecture, engineering, and urban planning departments of the University of Hawaii, community colleges, and private colleges in the state. |
| 1995 | NJ | 2 | Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority -- $2,250 Herman B. Engelbert, 1645 Ferry Avenue, P. O. Box 1432, Camden, NJ 08101-1432 Environmental Education Workshop Program The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) will develop an interactive computer program depicting operation of a secondary wastewater treatment facility. The computer program can be adapted into an animated instructional video. The CCMUA will produce, duplicate, and distribute the materials to 220 schools in Camden County. CCMUA professional staff will be available to provide supplementary discussions before and after use of the materials. |
| 1995 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy and Education Fund -- $5,000 Ralph Scott, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Paterson Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Education Project The Citizen Policy and Education Fund (CPEF) of New Jersey will educate families with children under six years of age about lead poisoning, the importance of lead screening, and how Paterson's lead poisoning prevention law can enhance lead poisoning prevention practices. CPEF will translate a brochure they developed into Spanish and Arabic. The Spanish translation will target a community that makes up more than 40% of the population. The Arabic translation will serve a population that is smaller, but substantial. This will be the first systematic lead poisoning education effort to target Paterson's Arabic population. |
| 1995 | NJ | 2 | City of New Brunswick, Bureau of Recycling -- $5,000 Donna Y. Caputo, 78 Bayard Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Recycling in Multi-Family Dwellings This project will educate multi-family residents, superintendents, and city management about recycling. Multi-family dwelling recycling has not reached the level of success which single family dwelling areas have demonstrated. This program will produce and disseminate print materials in multi-language format and provide presentations to building managers and supervisors on recycling. The plan will be implemented by a local cooperating committee which is comprised of representatives from residents and the local government. |
| 1995 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $5,000 Deborah Hadley, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Rm 3, Newark, NJ 07102 Teacher Training: Water Quality Projects for Newark Elementary Students The Greater Newark Conservancy proposes through the Water Quality Project to train nine upper elementary and middle school teachers in three inner-city Newark schools. Through four workshops and on-going technical assistance, educators will be empowered to use hands-on activities from existing appropriate environmental curricula. As a result, more than 300 students will learn about the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and issues related to water quality. Each participating school will receive curricular materials and water testing equipment to enable students to assess local water pollution problems. |
| 1995 | NJ | 2 | University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) -- $24,589 Audrey R. Gotsch, 681 Frelinghuysen Road - P. O. Box 1179, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1179 Bilingual Environmental Education and Training Project This project will reach Latino students and their families with environmental health science education. Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) will, in collaboration with educators, adapt an existing successful curriculum, "Healthy Environment-Healthy Me," to meet the needs of bilingual (Spanish/English) and English as a Second Language (ESL) educators and students. The grantee will prepare a bilingual supplement to its curriculum for kindergarten through 3rd grade and hold environmental education workshops for bilingual educators. The curriculum focuses on ecology, pollution prevention, solid waste management, safe handling and reduction of hazardous household products. Objectives include developing skills to evaluate, prevent, or avoid environmental health risks. |
| 1995 | NM | 6 | Navajo Community College -- $4,500 Mark C. Bauer, P. O. Box 580, Shiprock, NM 87420-0580 Incorporating Environmental Education into Children's Science Summer Program This project will add an environmental education component to the "Summer Science Enrichment Program for Navajo Youth." The six-week program will enroll 80 Navajo students in grades 4 through 8 from the Four Corners area. Problems relating to solid waste management, drinking water quality, river water quality, air pollution, and hazardous waste management are issues to be included in the science curriculum. |
| 1995 | NM | 6 | Northern New Mexico Community College -- $5,000 Karen S. Young, 1002 N. Onate Street, Espanola, NM 87532 The Environment: A Summer Workshop for Teachers The purpose of this project is to improve the environmental teaching skills of teachers. The target audience is the teachers of the five day schools and the Head Start programs of eight Northern Pueblos. The result of the project will be teachers who are well-informed about the environmental problems and issues faced on reservations. The project will deliver the education through a five-day workshop and instructional materials. The instruction will address issues relative to water pollution, habitat, waste disposal, and hazardous materials on reservations. |
| 1995 | NM | 6 | Talking Talons Youth Leadership -- $16,000 Wendy C. Aeschliman, P. O. Box 2020, Tijeras, NM 87059-2020 School-Based Peer to Peer Environmental Leadership The purpose of this project is to educate an elementary school population in environmental education year round through ongoing environmental leadership classroom presentations by peers. The project calls for training approximately 25 elementary students bi-weekly to give presentations in assemblies and in classrooms. The emphasis will be on health, habitat preservation, and environmental science. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Central Park Conservancy -- $5,000 J. Lennox Hannan, 10 Columbus Circle, Suite 2155, New York, NY 10019 City Naturalists Institute The City Naturalists Institute will reach 60 early childhood educators in two, five-day sessions. Institute participants will receive training in using New York City parks as a resource for environmental education and develop original curricula incorporating outdoor activities. A resource manual and curriculum resource guide will assist educators in their efforts to reach young children. This series of sessions will also focus on incorporating environmental education into early childhood language arts. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Chenango County Environmental Management Council -- $4,400 Cassie Stevenson-Rose, 5 Court Street, Norwich, NY 13815 Lead Paint Abatement Program The Chenango County Environmental Management Council, whose members are appointed, unpaid volunteers, proposes to educate Chenango County residents about lead. The program will include public service announcements, printed materials, seminars, school education projects, and presentations to local organizations. The education program will include discussions of the health hazards of lead paint, testing, short-term and permanent abatement measures, disposal, local government contacts, and legal implications for homeowners and landlords. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Citizens Committee for New York City, Inc. -- $148,000 (HQ Grant) Michael E. Clark, 305 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute This project will expand an existing program which trains grassroots neighborhood leaders to work within their communities to reduce the number of New York City residents exposed to harmful environmental pollutants (for example, air and water pollution, lead poisoning, and hazardous wastes). The "Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute" will train more than 700 grassroots neighborhood leaders from low-income and minority neighborhoods throughout New York City, the vast majority of who are Latino, African-American, and Asian, through various leadership and environmental workshops. The expanded program includes new workshops on collaborative environmental problem-solving and environmental equity, and will reach out to residents of the Bronx and Queens for the first time. The project continues to be developed in partnership with the City University of New York and various environmental and community organizations and local government agencies. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | City of Syracuse -- $5,000 Linda DeFrancisco, 419 City Hall, Syracuse, NY 13202 Syracuse Environmental Education Program The City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs; the Syracuse City School District; Year Round Syracuse; and the Alternatives for Reaching Independence Through Services and Engineering (ARISE) group will develop materials using Elmwood Park as a resource for environmental education. Project participants will improve environmental aspects of the park, take students on walking tours, inform the public about the environmental education program, and assist in maximizing accessibility including production of Braille materials. The program is directed towards students from kindergarten through 6th grade also will be made available in several translations reflecting the diversity of this urban population. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County -- $5,000 John Scotti, 39 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901 Long Island Marine Environment-Peconic Bay Estuary Primer Filling an existing gap in environmental education materials for school-aged children, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will develop a curriculum and supportive educational resources entitled Long Island Marine Environment-Peconic Bay Estuary Primer. In addition to the curriculum development, the program objectives include involving students in community projects and recreational activities, conducting teacher training workshops, and establishing a resource education team responsible for coordinating the overall program. The Peconic Bay Estuary System has been included in the National Estuary Program since 1992. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Dutchess County Cornell Cooperative Extension; Dutchess County Environmental Management Council (EMC), -- $5,000 Barbara Kendall, Route 44, Box 259, Millbrook, NY 12545 Waste Prevention Program for Dutchess County The Waste Prevention Program for Dutchess County will involve the community, educate the public, and undertake problem solving activities. The project will address the twofold problem of waste quantity and waste toxicity in Dutchess County. The project addresses problems posed by the cost of disposing of ash from a county resource recovery facility. The Environmental Management Council proposes to target residential and business communities and government officials to encourage the removal of materials from the waste stream which produce high levels of lead and cadmium. The project would also create models of waste prevention for businesses, institutions, and governments to demonstrate the benefit of waste prevention. Small business and consumer workshops in conjunction with a range of educational materials will be used. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Genesee Valley BOCESBoard of Cooperative Educational Services) -- $4,955 JoAnn Schlachter, 27 Lackawanna Avenue, Mt. Morris, NY 14510 The Earthling Children in kindergarten through 3rd grade are the target audience for The Earthling Environmental Literacy Program. The centerpiece of the program is a live performance by The Earthling, symbolizing the environment in a way in which young people can relate. Children participate in an interactive performance in which they learn about pollution prevention. Follow-up materials for school and home reinforce the lessons learned. The program channels youthful willingness to help the environment into a foundation of positive and thoughtful environment attitudes. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. -- $5,000 Kate Mitchell, 112 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 The Hudson River: An Environment for Learning Clearwater will offer an accredited course in environmental education methods for educators through the State University of New York at New Paltz. Clearwater's goal is to institutionalize Hudson River studies as part of the regional school curriculum. The six-week course will be held at Clearwater's riverfront education center with an intensive three day session on board the sloop, Clearwater. It will build on previously developed curricular materials and workshops. The program aims to enable participating educators to incorporate Hudson River estuary issues into existing curricula or initiate experiential Hudson River classwork for students. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Institute for Economic Growth Local Development Corporation -- $5,000 Carol Lutker, 94 Cove Road, Northport, NY 11768 Environment Values and Decision Making for Homeowners The Institute for Economic Growth's target audience for this project is Long Island, New York homeowners considering remodeling. The objective is to help homeowners consider the environmental impact of their remodeling plans and to make home improvement decisions which both provide energy and resource savings while improving the quality of life within the home. The institute will conduct interactive workshops and provide individual advisement at the Home Improvement and Energy Expo at the Nassau Coliseum. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Long Island Pine Barrens Society -- $4,935 Richard Amper, P. O. Box 429, Manorville, NY 11949 Executive Director, Considering Remodeling-Pine Barrens Curriculum and Resource Guide The Long Island Pine Barrens Society seeks to educate Long Island teachers about the newly-designated Pine Barrens State Preserve. The society seeks to educate teachers on the critical drinking water and habitat resources of the Pine Barrens and supply them with materials on this eco-system. The program will cover the hydrological and ecological importance of the Pine Barrens, highlight the role citizen action has played in preservation, and present the new management plan governing acquisition. Materials will be provided to every Long Island district and school. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Montgomery County Water Quality Committee -- $1,500 Thomas Bielli, 4001 State Highway 5 South, Fultonville, NY 12072-1721 Teacher Training Workshop: Local Water Quality Issues The Montgomery County Water Quality Committee will hold workshops for 5th grade teachers from the six county school districts. In order to assist them in incorporating water resources related issues into their lesson plans, the program will use a surface water and groundwater model and develop lessons which address county-specific issues. Workshops will be held to train educators in both the lessons and use of the model and make the model available to educators to teach water-related issues. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Museum of the Hudson Highlands -- $5,000 Charles I. Keene, The Boulevard, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520 Water Education Program for Middle Schools The Museum of the Hudson Highlands proposes to implement a project to revise and demonstrate a secondary school water education program on wetlands, water quality, and groundwater. Local information and examples will be the basis of illustrating general concepts. Educators will provide input on the educational materials to focus the materials and design appropriate evaluation materials. The materials will be piloted in the classroom. The program itself will become part of the museum's series of hands-on, interpretive classes provided to the school districts. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | New York City High School for Environmental Studies -- $5,000 Alex Corbluth, 444 W. 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 Principal, An On-Site/On-Line Teacher Training Program The New York City High School for Environmental Studies (NYC HSES) will implement a training program for educators in New York State interested in teaching a comprehensive course in environmental science. The training program will consist of a two-day workshop at NYC HSES and a permanent "Online Conference" on Econet or Nysernet. The course curriculum models current research on effective teaching and curriculum planning. The online component allows teachers to maintain a dialogue about curricular and instructional strategies after the workshop is conducted. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | New York City High School for Environmental Studies -- $5,000 Alex Corbluth, 444 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 Principal, Development of the First High School Environmental Law Course The purpose of this project is to promote environmental education by developing, in cooperation with the New York State Board of Regents and other appropriate organizations, the first environmental law course designed to culminate with a New York State Regents Exam. The development of a Regents Environmental Elective will promote the inclusion of environmental studies in the course of study for students working towards a New York State (NYS) Regents diploma. The course would also increase the likelihood that schools across the state would offer an environmental elective. The initial target audience will be the juniors and seniors at the New York City High School of Environmental Studies (NYC HSES). The NYC HSES will work with the NYS Board of Regents, NYS and Pace University Environmental Law Center. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Patchogue-Medford School District -- $4,896 Susan Kahl, 241 South Ocean Avenue, Patchogue, NY 11772 An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Water Conservation and Preservation This project will develop an ongoing program for middle school students to increase their understanding of Long Island water resources. Objectives of the project include: modification of existing curricula to provide an ongoing, interdisciplinary investigation of Long Island water issues, development of an understanding of attitudes towards environmental issues and historical changes beginning with Native American studies, and empowering students to take action to change practices related to water conservation and preservation. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Schoharie County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,910 Brenda Weaver, 41 S. Grand Street, Cobleskill, NY 12043 Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Program The purpose of this project is to increase the understanding of nonpoint source pollution problems and introduce students and the public to methods which can prevent these problems in Schoharie County. The project is aimed at 4th through 6th grade students and teachers in six school districts, and youth, adult, and community organizations. Participants will learn how nonpoint sources of pollution affect water quality, practices that cause pollution, and ways to prevent this pollution. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development -- $6,720 Janet Crawshaw, Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406 Catskill Water Resource Protection The grantee will revise and expand curricular materials of the Streamwatch Program, a water quality education and stream monitoring program involving students in grades 4 through 6, their teachers, and community volunteers. Participants become actively engaged in the program through teacher training workshops and student field experience. Environmental groups and New York State and City watershed protection agencies will be partners in this effort to expand a successful program into a five-county area. Training workshops will be held for teachers and volunteers. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary -- $5,000 Mary E. Richard, 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, Nassau, NY 11771 International Program with Mexican Students The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary will cooperate with the El Secreto del Boque in Santa Rosa, Mexico to increase awareness of declining populations of neotropical birds in Oyster Bay, New York and Santa Rosa. The project will motivate students to take action to solve problems facing these migratory birds. Students in both the U.S. and Mexico will be encouraged to examine the causes and effects of species loss at locations in both countries. Students will generate local solutions to habitat loss issues. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Ulster County BOCES -- $5,000 Donna J. Moss, 175 Route 32 North, New Paltz, NY 12561 Ulster Board of Cooperative Educational Services Underwater Simulation Planning Project This program will build on existing curricula for grades 6 through 8 in the Ulster County BOCES and mid-Hudson region. This project will involve development of an environmental education program using telecommunication and underwater simulations. The redesigned program will complement the New York State curriculum Framework for Math, Science and Technology. Using a mobile underwater simulation vehicle, students will learn about Hudson River issues and develop inquiries and solutions drawing upon the science and math skills. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Village of Williamsville -- $5,000 Teressa Cummins, 5565 Main Street, P. O. Box 1557, Williamsville, NY 14221 Exploration for Grades K-5: Teacher Training The Village of Williamsville will develop and implement an environmental education program at the Noll Nature Center to improve educators' abilities to teach about the environment and provide training to elementary school educators at Elliott Creek about pond and creek life and the effects of pollution. Four workshops will be conducted for teachers to learn about pond and creek habitats and the effects of human population on habitats and wetlands. Educators will receive training and materials that also enable them to use the habitats and learning laboratories. |
| 1995 | NY | 2 | Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,600 Dave Wick, 51 Elm Street, Warrensburg, NY 12885 Warren County Water Quality Education Project The Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County will implement an educational program to raise public awareness about issues related to the ground and surface waters of Warren County. Ground and surface water flow models will be used by an intern working with county students and teachers. The adult population also will be reached through presentations at functions and meetings of appropriate organizations such as planning boards, lake association events, and educational workshops. Emphasis will be placed on prevention of water pollution. The long-term effects should include improved decision making on land use. |
| 1995 | NC | 4 | Haw River Assembly -- $5,000 Elaine Chiosso, P. O. Box 187, Bynum, NC 27228 Haw River Assembly River Watch Project This project creates and trains a community of stream watchers in the Haw River Basin to monitor the health of the river and its tributaries. Individuals and teams will adopt sites which they will monitor at least quarterly to collect biological, physical, and chemical data. A database will be developed to store and analyze the information. |
| 1995 | NC | 4 | North Carolina State University -- $5,000 Linda Jackson, Box 7514, Raleigh, NC 27695-7514 Pollution Prevention Enhancement for Advanced Degree Education This project provides opportunities for students with advanced degrees to receive industrial in-plant education about leading-edge pollution prevention research. Students will spend two to three months at industrial facilities obtaining pollution prevention information from industrial practitioners. |
| 1995 | OH | 5 | Talawanda City Schools -- $5,000 Sharon Edwards, 131 W. Chestnut St., Oxford, OH 45056 PAWS: Projects to attract wildlife to schools The purpose of this project is to train 45 teachers of kindergarten through 4th grade on how to use school grounds to learn about habitat improvement methods. Workshops will focus on using the scientific method with students and feature sessions on how to conduct biotic surveys. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Broken Arrow Public School District -- $5,000 Sharon Vereyken, 601 South Main Street, Tulsa, OK 74012 Country Lane Applauds Wetlands Science (CLAWS) The purpose of this project is to improve educators' environmental education teaching skills. The target audience is elementary school teachers in the Broken Arrow School District. Two teacher/leaders will develop the environmental curriculum and train their peers to implement it. Existing curriculum guides and instructional materials will be adapted to train the teachers. The project curriculum addresses how unplanned development may threaten wildlife habitat: teachers and students will study, analyze, and identify ways to reestablish an ecosystem to benefit plant and animal life. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Kaw Nation of Oklahoma -- $4,401 Rita Anderson, Drawer 50, Kaw City, OK 74641 Disseminate Environmental Curriculum and Provide Teacher Training The purpose of this project is to provide training in environmental education for teachers who work primarily with Native American students. The target audience will be teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade. Resource materials will be provided to the teachers who complete the course. Oklahoma State University will deliver the instruction through a one-hour course. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust -- $16,000 Alaina Anderson, 420 N. Main, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Elementary School Curriculum and Continuing Education for Teachers The purpose of the project is to provide water resource education for teachers. The target audience is all teachers of grades 1 through 3. The product, delivered during a teacher workshop, includes teacher guides and student learning packets. The primary issue is prevention of water pollution. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University Div. of Ag. Sci. & Natl. Resources -- $5,000 Champe Green, 139 Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 Construction and Demonstration of a Trailer-Mounted Stream Hydrology Model for Youth & Adult Education The purpose of this project is to build a trailer-mounted stream hydrology model to improve educators' capacity to deliver visual, hands-on demonstrations of stream hydrology processes that will make an impact. The model will be used for instruction in surface and alluvial water flow, stream bank stabilization, sedimentation, and stream dynamics. The target population includes secondary school teachers, county extension agents, extension specialists, professors, and other natural resource professionals. The model will be available for the target population to use in an educational setting. Extension newsletters, state-wide television presentations, and links using county agents will assist in promoting the availability and utility of the model as a teaching tool. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $4,680 Sarah Kirby, 139 Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 Household Hazardous Waste Environmental Awareness Briefs The purpose of the project is designed to motivate the public to be more environmentally conscious in making informed decisions and taking responsible action for household hazardous waste through the use of print media. The target audience is the general public. The product consists of eight household hazardous waste briefs entitled, "Environmental Awareness Briefs." The briefs will be displayed in seven counties in Oklahoma. The environmental issues addressed are the use and disposal of household hazardous waste. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $5,000 Ivan D. Geddie, 900 North Portland Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73107 Environmental Workshop for K-12 Teachers and Administrators The purpose of this project is to improve environmental education in schools in Oklahoma City. The target audience is teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade and administrators in Oklahoma City. The delivery will consist of a three-day seminar using existing materials that have been adapted for the seminar. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma Wildlife Federation -- $5,000 Mary Dennis, 3900 N. Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Oklahoma Water Watch Community Outreach Project The purpose of this project is to educate community members and educators through hands-on workshops which will increase the understanding of water quality issues and the public's role in monitoring and maintaining a clean water supply. The target audience is educators. Advanced water chemistry kits will be used to train the educators. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Osage County Conservation District -- $3,078 Joe Sweeden, P. O. Box 937, Pawhuska, OK 74056 OCCD Environmental Education Institute This project will provide for an institute for teachers and others who work with young people. The primary topics will be using natural resources and sharing the earth with wildlife. The institute will address water quality and habitat management. |
| 1995 | OK | 6 | Roosevelt Elementary School -- $4,500 Vicki Medlin, 4250 West Tecumseh Road, Norman, OK 73072 Outdoor Classroom: A Place for All Learners The purpose of this project is to expand the use of an existing overgrown area on the school grounds as an outdoor classroom, make it accessible to students, and to model preservation of wildlife in a suburban area. The target audience consists of 250 students in kindergarten through 5th grade, their teachers, and their parents. Thirty-six students are identified as handicapped. The project will result in an integration of the environment into arts and language curricula easily accessible to all students. A path will be constructed to provide for wheelchairs. An artist-in-residence will articulate the outdoor environment into creative lessons. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | Columbia Education Center -- $75,490 (HQ Grant) Ralph Nelsen, 11325 SE Lexington, Portland, OR 97266 Science Improvement Through Environmental Studies (SITES) The Columbia Education Center has requested -- $75,490 in support of a project to expand their program to establish environmental education demonstration sites at public and private schools in five states. "Science Improvement Through Environmental Studies (SITES)" will use a nationally-recognized investigative and problem-solving approach to the study of the ecological, environmental, and social principles associated with biodiversity. The project will include a two-week summer training institute for middle school teachers to address ways to use and improve existing curriculum and to provide teachers with the skills needed to organize and lead effective in-service sessions. Following the training, the Center will monitor the teachers' implementation of their programs and certify qualified teachers to serve as state-level volunteer Peer Leaders to provide post-project in-service programs for their colleagues in the region. Once completed, the Center plans to market their project nationally by, for example, submitting it to the U.S. Department of Education for possible inclusion in the National Diffusion Network. The project will reach 60 teachers and 6,000 students. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | Concordia College -- $4,800 Charles J. Kunert, 2811 NE Holman, Portland, OR 97211 Hands-On Environmental Experiences for Future Teachers This project is aimed at all (1,500) Concordia College undergraduate students with special emphasis on the 300 students enrolled in elementary and secondary education. The class is called Problems in Science and is designed to assist students in gaining skills and understanding of environmental concepts which will transfer to their subsequent teaching experiences. The college will take these students to two environmentally-important sites and involve them in such hands-on activities as measuring and monitoring changes in the environment and the effects of harmful practices. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | Douglas County School District #77 -- $5,000 Jim Docherty, P. O. Box E, Glendale, OR 97442 K-12 Environmental Education and School-Wide Recycling Program The purpose of this project is to create the first environmental education recycling program for this kindergarten through 12th grade school district which serves 625 students. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality curriculum for waste reduction will be used and adapted to the rural school setting. A school-wide recycling and waste reduction program also will be implemented. Through this project, the objective is to increase the understanding of recycling and waste issues by the students, staff, and school patrons. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | LaGrande High School -- $14,734 Dolores Carmichael, 708 "K" Avenue, LaGrande, OR 97850 Watershed and Forest Health Education Program This project will educate 941 high school students in the biological, social, and political issues involved in watershed and forest management using an outdoor laboratory setting. Aquatic survey data from the Five Point Creek Watershed and pre-reforestation data from the Rebarrow Experimental Forest will be gathered and compiled by a trained teams of students. The students will analyze that data using mathematic skills and computer technology. Working with federal and state agencies, landowners, tribes, and industry, they will develop a habitat restoration and enhancement plan. Some of the restoration and enhancement projects will be monitored to evaluate and adjust for watershed and forest health. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | Multnomah Education Service District -- $20,000 Kris Persson, P. O. Box 301039, Portland, OR 97230-9039 Environmental Educator Training Partnership The Outdoor School, a residential environmental education program for all 6th grade students in the Multnomah County area, will link its landscape ecology-based curriculum to middle school natural science instruction. It will use the environment to teach, build upon previous learning, provide hands-on activities, and include preparation and follow-up plans at 66 middle schools. The goal of the project is to improve the skills of the 40 teachers, 20 field instructors, and 35 program leaders by providing training for them and building the capacity of local schools to provide an integrated, applied environmental and natural science curriculum consistent with Oregon's school reform law. |
| 1995 | OR | 10 | Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,947 Ron Graves, 2325 River Road, #3, The Dalles, OR 97058 Fifteenmile Creek Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Pilot Project This project will educate members of the local landowner community and high school students under leadership of the local Soil and Water Conservation District. By directly involving 115 families (550 people) owning property adjacent to streams in the Fifteenmile Creek Watershed, and approximately 300 high school students in environmental monitoring and analysis, this project will increase the awareness of both water quality and fisheries resource issues and show that local resource management decisions can make a difference. Landowner and student workshops will be held to provide background on the nature of the problems, teach necessary, hands-on skills in monitoring, and provide information to enable data interpretation. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Air & Waste Management Association -- $58,132 (HQ Grant) Joel Anne Sweithelm, One Gateway Center, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Air & Waste Management Association The purpose of this project is to develop an air quality environmental resource guide for grades 9 through 12. The supplementary curriculum will address a broad range of air quality issues, including ozone, global climate change, acid rain, criteria pollutants, alternative fuels, and pollution prevention approaches. The materials will be written and field tested by teachers using interdisciplinary and problem-solving approaches to learning. The materials will be included in the Association's existing teacher training program which has conducted more than 70 workshops and reached 1,500 teachers in its first three years. The Association expects to reach 500 teachers who will, in turn, reach 15,000 students during the first year after the materials are developed. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | California University of Pennsylvania -- $5,000 Robert Vargo, 250 University Avenue, California, PA 15419-1394 Instilling Local Environmental Awareness Through an Environmental Walking Tour: A Community-University Partnership Organizers of this project will develop and implement a new 1.5 mile Environmental Walking Tour and booklet that will increase the general public's awareness of local environmental issues such as river flooding, mine subsidence, slope instability, and water quality problems. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Cambria County Conservation District -- $2,686 Joseph Emerick, P. O. Box 187, Ebensburg, PA 15931 Environmental Education Slide Presentation Promoting Wildlife Preservation and Natural Resources Conservation This project will result in educating the school students, teachers, and adults in Cambria County about the community's natural resources, specifically focusing on the protection of the local wildlife and the preservation of their habitats. The workshops will encourage critical thinking and decision making. The audience is comprised of more than 9,000 participants yearly. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Chestnut Hill College -- $5,000 Helen Burke SSJ Ph.D, 9601 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 Chemistry Faculty Workshops in the Use of Microscale Techniques Specific objectives of this project include increasing the use of microscale techniques in the general and organic courses in area colleges by providing faculty training and reducing the volume of chemical laboratory waste generated in the area by employing safer solvents and synthetic procedures. Four, two-day workshops will be offered for faculty training. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | City of Pittsburgh -- $4,980 Kathleen Cowles, 400 City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 "Let's Dream a City!": Teaching Children to Critically Explore Urban Environmental Issues "Let's Dream a City!" will be offered to children in grades 1 through 6 at 10 schools throughout the city of Pittsburgh, primarily those located in under-served, low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The purpose of this program is to motivate children to think more clearly about environmental issues that affect them now and to teach them the skills to make better informed decisions as adults. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Eastern Lancaster School District -- $1,603 Marlene Haas, 117-119 Custer Avenue, New Holland, PA 17557 Identify Habitat Study Sites to Provide Field Lab Experiences in Life Sciences Class at Garden Spot Middle School For the Eastern Lancaster School District, this project will identify habitat sites for field study, create a new field lab experience for 7th grade students in life science classes, and connect the classroom study with a field lab experience. Organizers seek to educate a wider audience and address the environmental education standards set by local, state, and national curriculum initiatives. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Elwyn, Inc. -- $22,638 111 Elwyn Road, Elwyn, PA 19063 Training and Demonstration of the Curriculum for Environmental Education of the Disabled (C.E.E.D.) The purpose of this project is to develop training modules for Davidson School teachers and graduate and undergraduate student teachers from West Chester and Temple Universities. The curriculum fosters environmental awareness and actions by students with developmental disabilities. National distribution of the curriculum is planned. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Girl Scouts of Delaware County -- $5,000 594 S. New Middletown Road, Media, PA 19063 Environmental Education In the Classroom: The City of Chester This project is a hands-on teacher training program designed to assist local under-served schools in meeting the criteria of the Pennsylvania School Code. "Environmental Education in the Classroom" is designed to help teachers in the county's under-served schools become more confident in their ability to teach environmental education in the City of Chester. The program hopes to develop an environmental "ethic" for at least 500 4th and 5th grade students by teaching fundamental concepts in outdoor education and training at least 25 teachers using existing, age-appropriate curricula. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Lower Merion-Narberth Watershed Association -- $5,000 Michael G. Weilbacher, 206 Price Avenue, Narberth, PA 19072 Streamwatch: Citizen Restoration of the Mill Creek Watershed This project will train adult residents in the basic techniques of chemical and biological monitoring, and use those residents to systematically collect data on the chemical and biological conditions of Mill Creek, the largest creek in Lower Merion/Radnor, Pennsylvania. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Pocono Environmental Education Center -- $4,902 Christina Russo, RD 2, Box 1010, Dingman's Ferry, PA 18328 Environmental Education Teacher Workshops: Water Resources and Air Pollution This project will target an audience of 90 inner-city middle and high school teachers from the tri-state region, which includes New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, for three professional development workshops. The workshops, designed to improve the environmental education skills of educators through hands-on activities, lecturers, and discussions, will focus on water and air pollution. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Riverbend Environmental Education Center -- $4,970 Cynthia V. Roberts, P. O. Box 2, 1950 Spring Mill Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035-0002 "A Watershed Year" Environmental Education Teacher Workshop This project is a series of hands-on teacher workshops designed to improve educators' environmental education teaching skills by creating a model that teachers will use to design a comprehensive watershed study near schools. The target audience is middle and senior high school teachers in southeast Pennsylvania. Through five workshops, the project will include 100 teachers, with a total audience of 2,500 students per year. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) -- $5,000 Ethel K. Goldberg, 21st Street South of the Parkway, Room 204, Philadelphia, PA 19103 North Philadelphia Urban Arboretum This project will enhance the teacher's environmental education teaching skills with a living laboratory so that students can learn practical ways to abate pollution and enhance their ecosystem. Approximately 2,200 students will benefit from this project. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia-John Bartram High School -- $3,183 Ethel K. Goldberg, 21st Street South of the Parkway, Room 204, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Lead Paint Kit Project For this project, teachers will learn about lead pigments, how they are used in paints, how to perform chemical tests for the identification of lead in paints, how widespread lead poisoning is, and what health effects lead may have on the general population. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Temple University -- $4,600 John Sorrentino, 821 Ritter Hall Annex, Temple University 004-00, Philadelphia, PA 19122 What Price Mother Nature? A Conference on Energy, Ecology and Economy (3-Es) This project revolves around a two-day conference on energy, ecology, and economy (3-E) for 30 junior and senior high school teachers at Temple University's Ambler Campus. Using a hands-on approach, the overall purpose of the project is to establish a network of teachers who have been exposed to 3-E. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Andrew S. Brundage, 98480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128-1998 Regional Environment Education Program (REEP) This project focuses on the improvement of the environmental teaching skills of 45 secondary teachers from urban, suburban, and rural schools in the greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area by providing teachers with Regional Environment Education Program (REEP) curriculum materials, training them in their use during an intensive, week-long workshop, and gleaning their reactions by means of a curriculum evaluation and a workshop designed to obtain feedback. |
| 1995 | PA | 3 | Widener University -- $5,000 Charles Beehler, Hyatt Hall, 1 University Place, Chester, PA 19013-5792 Experimenting to Teach Scientific Thinking and the Human Ecology of Watersheds For this project, Delaware County teachers will learn water quality monitoring techniques, collect data with their students in the three major streams in the county, and conduct a student-directed symposium on water quality. This project potentially could reach 1,200 secondary school students per year. |
| 1995 | PR | 2 | Hoy Desde Salinas, Inc./ComitT Comunal Playa-Playita, Inc. -- $5,000 Ruth Santiago, Apartado 467, Salinas, PR 00751 Teacher Training at Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve Hoy Desde Salinas is a community newspaper incorporated to inform communities in and outside Salinas, Puerto Rico. In this project, Hoy Desde Salinas will facilitate the design, demonstration, and dissemination of environmental education curricula by a group of 20 low-income youth from five communities in Salinas. The youth will receive training in organizing grassroots groups to teach Salinas residents about pollution prevention issues. |
| 1995 | PR | 2 | Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve -- $24,510 Alexis Molinaras, P. O. Box 4747, San Juan, PR 00902-4747 Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico The Conservation Trust will initiate a one-year, in-service workshop series for intermediate-level teachers. The program will expand use of an environmental education curriculum which focuses on the Cabezas de San Juan Nature Center. Teachers enrolled in the 18 session workshop will be encouraged to develop materials that infuse environmental education into current curricula. A special event as part of the workshop series will promote parental interest and involvement. The project will take place in Fajardo, an area of Puerto Rico where students are challenged by a history of high unemployment and the increased pressure on the environment from expanded tourism. |
| 1995 | PR | 2 | Mayaguezanos por la Salud y el Ambiente, Inc. -- $5,000 Juan C. Martinez-Cruzado, Calle Aduana 257, Suite 274, Mayaguez, PR 00680 Environmental Education Radio Broadcast This project consists of an environmental education radio broadcast to increase public awareness about environmental problems and issues. The broadcasts will be developed to stimulate the public to design the solutions to problems and participate in solutions. The estimated audience is 300,000 residents of western Puerto Rico. Government agency members, leaders of communities, and volunteers from Mazaguezanos por la Salud y el Ambiente will do the broadcasts in cooperation with the faculty of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and other universities in the region. Topsoil conservation and the conservation of coastal areas and river basins are issues of primary concern. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | Childhood Lead Action Project -- $5,000 Eleanor Freda, 421 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 Community Education Project This project is a lead poisoning prevention initiative providing education and training for community-based service providers. Individuals are trained in culturally-appropriate approaches to lead poisoning prevention using existing materials, translated as needed. The program targets children under six and their families in low income, mostly minority neighborhoods of Rhode Island. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island 4-H Foundation -- $4,000 Kim Anderson, 17 Smith Ave., Greenville, RI 02818 Series: "Science Experience & Resources for Informal Education Setting" The purpose of this project is to improve elementary educators' environmental education teaching skills and develop teams of teen instructors through state-wide training in the use of the SERIES curriculum. This teen-led science education program reaches approximately 2,000 youth throughout the state, increasing their understanding of environmental science through the use of creative thinking and the hands-on experience of obtaining and analyzing scientific data. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island Zoological Society -- $4,992 Anne Savage Ph.D., 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI 02907 An International Perspective on Water Conservation, Roger Williams Park Zoo Through a partnership with Colombia that focuses on developing an effective conservation plan for the highly endangered cotton-top tamarin, this project includes workshops for seven U.S. teachers and three Colombian teachers, with a goal of reaching 360 students. The subject matter concentrates on global issues in water conservation and how it effects not only the lives of humans in the U.S. and Colombia, but some of the world's most endangered species such as the cotton-top tamarin. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | Roger Williams University -- $11,000 Susan Pasquarelli, Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809-2921 Water Supply and Conservation Curriculum This project is a collaborative effort with the State's Department of Environmental Management's Division of Water Supply to provide 6th grade teachers with an inquiry-guided water supply conservation curriculum; provide 6th grade students with tools for authentic scientific inquiry; and raise the awareness of Rhode Island citizens through a student-led community survey. The target audience includes 600 6th grade teachers, 12,000 6th grade students, and 5,000 citizens for the survey. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | Southern Rhode Island Conservation District -- $5,000 Carl Sawyer, P. O. Box 1145, 5 Mechanic Street, Hope Valley, RI 02832 Active Watershed Education Program This project adapts an existing curriculum to include activities on groundwater to meet the needs of the local community. The curriculum then will be used to train 20 teachers in the watershed to incorporate a watershed education program into their existing curricula. Assuming 25 students per class, a total of 500 students will be reached with this project. |
| 1995 | RI | 1 | The Nature Conservancy -- $10,000 Kevin Doyle, P. O. Box 1287, Block Island, RI 02807 Green Gateways: Sensitizing Block Island Visitors This project reaches 250,000 to 500,000 visitors per year at Block Island with the message that people have input to the ecosystem of the island. The instructional method used includes educational display boards strategically placed at various gateways to the island: airport terminals, ferry docks, and natural and cultural landmarks such as Great Salt Pond. The environmentally-responsible message will also reach Block Island's residents and schoolchildren. |
| 1995 | Saipan | 9 | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands -- $5,000 Department of Lands and Natural Resources, , Saipan 96950 Environmental Science Textbook Organizers of this project will complete the development of a high school environmental science textbook presently in draft form. The text will specifically address the unique environmental characteristics and problems of the Northern Mariana Islands. |
| 1995 | SC | 4 | Coastal Carolina University -- $4,963 P. O. Box 1954, Conway, SC 29526 Development and Evaluation and Educator Wetland Science Workshop Organizers of this project will develop an educator wetland science workshop integrating mathematics and environmental issues. In particular, a curriculum activities package will be developed for use in the middle and high school science and mathematics classrooms. |
| 1995 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources -- $17,474 2221 Devine St., Suite 222, Columbia, SC 29205 Local Watershed Investigation for Middle School The goal of this project is to test and implement an integrated environmental education program for middle school students that uses hands-on activities to develop an understanding of watershed management in their local communities. The project also will reinforce essential mathematical skills and critical thinking skills. The department will work with teachers to develop a program that requires middle school students to investigate whether changes in land use of the local community caused changes in watershed management and the non-point source pollution associated with it. |
| 1995 | SD | 8 | Girl Scouts of the Black Hills Council -- $5,725 140 North St., P. O. Box 1846, Rapid City, SD 57701 Project Our Water This project seeks to teach girls and parents how to protect their water systems. The goal of the project is to develop a resource training guide for Girl Scout leaders focusing on water quality and conservation activities. |
| 1995 | SD | 8 | University of South Dakota -- $9,683 1 East Main Room 103, Vermillion, SD 57069 Historical Preservation Information Service For this project, teachers and students will gain a better understanding of how human cultural development has been affected by environmental transformations in the Great Plains region over the past 12,000 years. Project organizers will use hands-on activities in a classroom setting and a traveling exhibit to deliver their message. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Clinch-Powell RC & D Council -- $5,000 Route 2, Box 423, Rutledge, TN 37861 Garbage Busters This project is designed to teach 2nd grade students what can be recycled, how to recycle, and why to recycle. The students also will be taught about the concept of green shopping. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Earth and Sciences Institute, Inc. -- $3,500 Jeff Farris, 210 E. Depot St., Shelbyville, TN 37160 Outdoor Environment Education Program This project is designed to promote critical thinking and problem solving by allowing middle school students to actively engage in outdoor instructional projects at a variety of sites. The sites include a fish hatchery, a wildlife management area, a historic mill, a state archaeological area, and the Duck River. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Fountain City Elementary School -- $3,810 Cathy L. Summa, 2910 Montbelle Ave., Knoxville, TN 37918 The Green Neighbor Project The Green Neighbor Project is designed to teach students in kindergarten through 5th grade the fundamentals of organic gardening and how to reduce waste through composting in their own backyards. The general public will have access to the site to learn the principles of backyard recycling through self guided tours. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Freedom Intermediate School -- $5,000 George Badon, 840 Glass Lane, Franklin, TN 37064 Technology Comes to a 21st Century Eden "Technology Comes to a 21st Century EDEN" is a model project designed to motivate students to be more environmentally conscious. The Eco-Dome is a sealed environment that is ideal for students to enter and perform experiments measuring air and water quality, temperature, modulation, and experience a working model of symbiosis. All district teachers and students will be able to visit EDEN. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Global Village Institute -- $5,000 Cathy Chow, 560 Farm Road, Summertown, TN 38483 The Ecovillage Organic Garden Project The Ecovillage Organic Garden Project is designed to educate participants through ongoing seminars and workshops in planning, planting, and cultivating ecologically sound and highly productive gardens using only small plots of land similar to those available to persons living in retirement communities. |
| 1995 | TN | 4 | Williamson County Schools -- $25,000 Judy Butler, 1320 W. Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064-3706 Improvement of Educators Environmental Education Teaching Skill The goal of this project is to familiarize high school students with the interrelationships of biology, chemistry, math, and the use of computer graphics, relational databases, and geographic information system (GIS) technology in assessing the Cumberland River drainage basin. Teachers will be trained on the use of existing and new curricular materials. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | American Institute for Learning -- $4,971 Richard H. Halpin, 422 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701 Environmental Corps Watershed Project "Bouldin Creek Watershed" The purpose of this project is to educate members of the community about watersheds through studying a working model -- the East Bouldin Creek Watershed. The target audience for the project consists of at-risk youth and 3rd graders at Becker Elementary School who will use a model of the East Bouldin Creek Watershed. At-risk students will be involved in creating and sharing information with elementary school students about water quality and conservation. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Austin Independent School District -- $3,000 Tom Case, 6700 Arroyo Seca, Austin, TX 78757 Brentwood Outdoor Natural Science Academic Instruction The goal of this project is to create a natural science center at Brentwood Elementary School for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Parents and community members will provide advice and assistance on gardening, composting, and native plants. The Community Resource Group, Inc. will provide materials and direct assistance in the area of water conservation, water supply, and water quality. Brentwood teachers will develop new curriculum that incorporates basic natural sciences into an experiential teaching and learning method wherein students can directly apply their knowledge to environmentally compatible projects. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | City of Arlington (Texas) -- $5,000 Jerome F. Ewen, 101 W. Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76010 Nonpoint Source Pollution and Water Quality Workshop for Junior High Students The purpose of this project is to create an awareness of water quality issues among junior high school students in the Arlington Independent School District. The target audience are junior high school students. The project proposes to train a group of science teachers in water quality testing techniques. Each trained science teacher will take back to campus lesson plans, reference materials, videos, and a water quality test kit with replacement reagents. The environmental problem addressed is preserving water quality. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Galveston Bay Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Linda R. Shead, 17324-A Highway 3, Webster, TX 77598 Science of Galveston Bay The purpose of this project is to increase the awareness and knowledge of Galveston Bay and to provide participants with some problem-solving skills for addressing the issues facing the bay system. The target audience includes middle school students who will make use of the instructional tools and materials developed by participants that concern the ecology of the Bay area. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Keep Texas Beautiful -- $9,000 Elizabeth J. Howie, P. O. Box 2251, Austin, TX 78768 Project BEE: Better Environment Through Education This project will emphasize pollution prevention in areas around the state of Texas where information may be lacking. Curricula on pollution prevention will be developed and training will be delivered through workshops for elementary and secondary school teachers. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Lower Colorado River Authority -- $4,635 Nora Mullarkey, P. O. Box 220, Austin, TX 78767 In Concert with the Environment: Educating Hispanic Families in Central Texas This project will provide environmental education to a greater percentage of 7th grade students and parents from Spanish-speaking households in the Lower Colorado River Authority's service territory. "In Concert with the Environment" will be translated into Spanish, distributed to students, and evaluated. Course materials will include lesson plans, descriptions of activities, a teacher's guide, a video, and student handbooks. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | National Migrant Resource Program, Inc. -- $33,803 (HQ Grant) E. Roberta Ryder, 1515 Capital of Texas Hwy., So. Austin, TX 78746 Training Farm Workers This project will coordinate "train-the-trainer" workshops to educate farm workers on pesticide safety, emergency response, and federally mandated workplace safety requirements. This program is directed at meeting federally mandated requirements to protect agricultural workers, the vast majority of whom are poor and of Hispanic origin, from possible adverse human health effects from pesticide exposure. The training workshops will be lead by an EPA-certified trainer and will draw national audiences of migrant health care providers, health educators, and farm worker peer educators. Training materials will include a Spanish/English video, trainer curriculum, and farm worker training guide developed in conjunction with and approved by the EPA Office of Pesticides' Occupational Safety Branch. The project will reach 90 trainers in three regional training workshops who will, in turn, make a commitment to train at least 100 farm workers each (for a total of 9,000) over the next year. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Neighborhood Service Council -- $5,000 Janis Reid Dumas, 7700 Spring Valley Road, Dallas, TX 75253 Cottonwood Creek Environmental Project The purpose of this project is to create a nature trail along a small section of Cottonwood Creek and adjacent to the existing Cottonwood Park. The target audience comprises residents of the surrounding park area. The result will be a clear, safe, well-marked nature trail suitable for adults and children. The project will provide for a general cleanup of the banks of the creek and addresses the issue of environmental ecological awareness of the public. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Texas A & M Research Foundation -- $4,999 Judy Owens, Box 3578, College Station, TX 77843 Developing a World Wide Web Public Access Site Organizers of this project will create a tool that educators throughout Texas can use to more easily gain access to environmental resources that are on the World Wide Web (WWW). The target audience are science and environmental middle and high school teachers in Texas working to develop a Texas WaterNet Home Page which will make many environmental resources and materials more readily available. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Texas A & M University, Texas Agricultural Extension Service -- $4,930 Matt Tarpley, Administration Bldg. Rm. 104, College Station, TX 77843 Water Conservation The purpose of this project is to educate youth in urban areas about water conservation and protecting water quality. The project will reach 4-H members in Texas who will be trained in water conservation. Self-contained Water Conservation Project Guides will allow adult leaders to work with and train the individual youths. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | Texas A & M University -- $16,000 Harold L. Stone, 1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 702, Bryan, TX 77802 Adopt a Ditch--A Holistic Approach to Watershed Education The purpose of this project is to trace the water from a local ditch through the various land uses downstream, while studying how each affects water quality, and how changes in the water affects the estuary at its point of overflow. The target population consists of educators, elementary students, and secondary students. Existing environmental curricula will be expanded with tools and activities and environmental training will be expanded to include area social service providers. Training will be conducted through field experiences and six watershed modules. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | The Green Classroom -- $4,950 Carla Marshall, 1701 Briar, Austin, TX 78704 Clean and Green Teacher Workshop The purpose of this project is to improve environmental education teaching skills of the 13,000 teachers in the Austin Independent School District. The project will show teachers how to make and use non-toxic cleaning kits as part of their instruction. Instruction will be distributed to teachers through four workshops that address water quality issues. |
| 1995 | TX | 6 | The Woodlands Recycles -- $5,000 Kathie G. Herrick, P. O. Box 9934, The Woodlands, TX 77387 Water Resource Environmental Education Center Organizers of this project will establish a regional environmental education center for water conservation education for The Woodlands, Texas, and all of Montgomery County, Texas. The center will be provided with media and printed materials and information about the center will be distributed through a Water Fair. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $20,000 Janet Ross, P. O. Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535 Four Corners School of Outdoor Education This project will provide an environmental education experience that will become a county-wide integrated program for five rural elementary schools in San Juan County, Utah. It will provide information and hands-on experience to students so that they are better able to make informed, knowledgeable decisions about public, Navajo, and Ute reservations lands and natural resources. It will also provide training to teachers in environmental education subjects and techniques. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Greater Ogden Community Nature Center -- $5,000 Mary Cox, 966 West 12th Street, Ogden, UT 84404 Greater Ogden Community Nature Center The Greater Ogden Community Nature Center proposes to create three, interactive exhibits that explore strategies for reducing hazardous wastes, household wastes, and energy consumption in order to motivate the general public to be more environmentally conscious. The project will reach more than 36,000 people who will view the Center's updated exhibits and as many as 250,000 more by taking the exhibits to outside venues. The results organizers hope for will be the reduction of environmental pollution and the demand for use of our natural resources in a more productive manner. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Park City Conservation/Recycling Association -- $5,000 Mary Morrison, 613 Main St., P. O. Box 2548, Park City, UT 84060 Project Recycle The purpose of this project is to help students in the Park City School District become more aware of their environment. Organizers hope to increase awareness of waste minimization and participation in recycling by using activity books, videos, and slides. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $19,500 350 South 400 East, Suite G-4, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Two Resource Centers for Environmental Education This project will establish two pilot resource centers, provide quantitative and qualitative evaluation, and find locations for two additional centers for future development. It will increase access to environmental education resources in rural communities, serve as "hubs" for rural teachers and local environmental organizations, and develop skills in using resources through various workshops and programs. A directory of the materials has been placed in the "Environmental Gopher" on the Internet, and the centers will be continuously updated on the Internet. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Utah Sovereign Lands & Forestry -- $5,000 Joan Dolph, 3 Triad Center #425, Salt Lake City, UT 84180-1204 Project Learning Tree The goal of this project is to bring Project Learning Tree workshops to teachers through an in-service workshop for teachers of kindergarten through 8th grade. Approximately 20 workshops will be held in order to reach at least 200 teachers to discuss ecological concepts and natural resource education. |
| 1995 | UT | 8 | Utah State University: Utah Water Research Laboratory -- $5,000 UMC 1415, Logan, UT 84322-1415 Teacher Training for Environmental Education This project seeks to train 10 substitute teachers, responsible for 2,500 elementary students in rural Cache County, in techniques and concepts behind environmental education. |
| 1995 | VT | 1 | Lyndon State College -- $9,663 Frances Barhydt or William Laramee, Lyndonville, VT 05851 "Energy and the Environment" This project involves a teacher training program provided by the Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP), a business-education partnership for public school teachers of kindergarten through 8th grade. The project fills a gap in teacher training by providing resource materials, equipment, and follow-up support. The project uses an energy-scientist-in-the-classroom residency method, and inquiry-based, constructivist, thematic teaching methods. |
| 1995 | VT | 1 | Winooski Valley Park District -- $5,000 Jennifer Ely, Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, VT 05401 Partnership for Wetland Education This project customizes an existing wetlands curriculum for easier and more effective use at three to five Vermont parks with exemplary wetlands. The curriculum complements boardwalks with educational signage and brochures. Area teachers are offered at least three, 7 1/2-hour workshops in the use of the educational kits; each kit includes a curriculum guide and educational props. Thereafter, these materials will be made available as part of a traveling wetlands exhibit, on location at boardwalks, and included in school mailings. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Hollymead Elementary School -- $5,000 Deborah P. Newman, 2775 Powell Creek Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22901 Outdoor Classroom: An Experimental Science Lab and Presentation Area in a Natural Setting This project is designed to improve the teaching of elementary science to students through a hands-on approach in habitat renewal, ecology, and organic gardening in a rapidly developing suburban environment. The development of this outdoor classroom will provide an experiential science lab and presentation area in a natural setting which allows for a better method of presenting and applying life and earth science concepts. The project is designed to reach an audience of approximately 700 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Mathematics & Science Center Foundation -- $24,750 Julia H. Cothron, 2401 Harmon Street, Richmond, VA 23223 Environmental Studies: The Chesapeake Bay and Its Tributaries This project will provide environmental education activities for teachers and students to better understand the Chesapeake Bay, provide a marine ecology class for 15 teachers who will reach approximately 2,000 students, and provide educational resources for participating schools. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Maymont Foundation -- $3,000 Mary Buckwalter, 1700 Hampton Street, Richmond, VA 23220 Environmental Education Activity Kits Using these grant funds, Maymont Foundation will upgrade and duplicate a series of environmental activity kits and provide teacher recertification workshops that demonstrate how to use the kits and present environmental education in general. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Northern Virginia Community College -- $115,730 (HQ Grant) James A. Mustachio/Rosemary Craft, 15200 Neabsco Mills Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191 Northern Virginia Community College This project will improve the environmental education teaching skills of public school teachers in Northern Virginia by focusing on local environment and development issues. Through teacher training workshops, seminars, and college courses, teachers will gain the knowledge and skills needed to teach environmental science, awareness and understanding of local environmental issues, and the ability to make informed decisions about development in their communities. The project will target teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade in Prince William, Fairfax, Stafford, and Fauquier Counties and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The project will serve as a vehicle for ensuring that the Commonwealth of Virginia's newly adopted science "Standards of Learning" are integrated throughout local schools. The project will reach 500 teachers who will, in turn, be required to design and conduct environmental studies activities for students, other teachers, or members of their communities. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Radford University -- $5,000 Roy Ramthun, Box 6963, Radford, VA 24142 Environmental Education Training Workshop The purpose of this project is to provide participants training in curriculum materials from Project Wild, Project Adventure, and the Institute for Earth Education. The teachers will develop their outdoor teaching skills while organizers create a pool of resources that teachers can subsequently use to conduct environmental education programs at their schools or facilities in a rural area of Virginia. The project will be offered to 10 to 12 individuals who will then gain hands-on experience with environmental education skills by offering a program for 25 to 30 elementary school students. |
| 1995 | VA | 3 | Reston Environmental Education Foundation -- $5,000 Nancy Herwig, P. O. Box 3421, Reston, VA 20190 Hose-Hands-On Solar Energy This project is designed to disseminate knowledge about solar energy to youngsters attending the summer camps operated by the Reston Association, and at a later time, to the public at large. The program will be tailored to meet the needs and learning styles of children ages 3 through 15. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Brookside Elementary - Shoreline School District -- $5,000 Rick Stendera, 17447 37th Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98155 Developing Hillside Creek The Brookside Elementary School will create a stream where there is now a cement culvert adjacent to the school. Once the stream enters this new corridor, it will become a migration route for salmon headed further upstream. The school and community will provide 1,000 feet of protected salmon habitat and a living laboratory for the students to do hands-on research and discovery. The students (504 in kindergarten through 12th grade) will test water quality, explore the role of debris and invertebrates in the water, discover the contributions each type of plant makes to riparian health, and examine the life cycle of the salmon. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Clark County Environmental Services Department -- $5,000 Peter DuBois, 1300 Esther Street, Vancouver, WA 98668 A-Way with Waste Teacher Workshop Clark County will produce an environmental education video and new educational materials to be used by 200 Clark County teachers who have completed A-Way With Waste Workshops. The county will encourage the teachers to use the video as a classroom teaching tool to help empower students to solve environmental problems using an investigative learning approach. The video will explain what happens to Clark County's household waste and recycling after it leaves the curb. The video will follow a bag of trash as it moves to the landfill and trace curbside recycling collection, processing, and re-manufacturing into new products. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Department of Ecology -- $5,000 Susan Campbell, P. O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Clean Air Week Teacher Workshops The Washington Department of Ecology, the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency, and the American Lung Association will sponsor three teacher workshops during or near Clean Air Week in May 1996. The workshops will be held state-wide to reach 60 teachers in low income and rural communities to educate them about air quality and air pollution issues and how to prevent, reduce, and possibly eliminate environmental problems through the education of their students. The workshops will present available air quality curricula to the teachers in an interactive setting and make use of hands-on, problem solving activities and an investigative approach. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Gonzaga University - Department of Civil Engineering -- $5,000 Noel Bormann, Spokane, WA 99258 On-Site Environmental Analysis Workshop and Course The University will have six high school educators and six university level students majoring in education and science participate in the analysis of environmental contamination while visiting sites during a university-sponsored workshop. Mobile laboratory equipment will be used to enable project participants to prepare detailed laboratory notebooks of the analysis; photograph sampling techniques; study analytical procedures and the effects of contamination at the site visited; and prepare a paper at the conclusion of the workshop. The educators and students will work together to collaborate in the analyses and interact throughout the project. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Jemtegaard Middle School -- $5,000 Mark Miller, 35300 SE Evergreen HW, Washougal, WA 98671 Jemtegaard Environmental Education Project This project will enable the school to complete a discovery trail which will allow all students in kindergarten through 12th grade to gain access to Gibbons Creek, an on-site stream. This opportunity will allow students to study environmental conditions, improve riparian habitat for both plants and animals, and maintain a part of their natural environment. During construction, students will learn how to design and build the discovery trail, landscape for wildlife, and create an enhanced riparian zone along Gibbons Creek. Completion of the trail will increase the faculty's ability to teach skills, provide classes in a natural setting, promote awareness, and encourage environmental consciousness. This model facility will be available not only to all 2,000 Washougal School District students, but also to community education groups. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Mason County Conservation District -- $4,975 Susan Hayward, 615 W. Alder, Suite 3, Shelton, WA 98584 Farmer-to-Farmer: A Mentor Program Mason County Conservation District will educate 100 members of the community through a grassroots, community-based organization about the use of Best Management Practices (BMP) to protect water quality and conserve and manage natural resources. Community volunteers will be used as mentors to educate the landowners. After mentors are recruited, a training session will be provided for them. A community workshop, using the mentors, will be held to promote BMPs, and a tour of mentor sites will be organized. A reference guide of existing educational material will also be developed. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | North Canal Shellfish Coalition -- $20,000 James Donaldson, P. O. Box 327, Quilcene, WA 98376 Quilcene Brinnon Schools-Shellfish Farm Program The North Canal Shellfish Coalition will develop a self-supporting shellfish farm for hands-on application of science, math, business, and leadership skills. Thirty teachers from Quilcene and Brinnon schools have been trained to use shellfish as a mechanism to present and teach environmental awareness and stewardship to 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. These students will learn about water quality, marine habitats, and watershed interaction and produce an educational video on the school farm, the bay, and a history of shellfish culture in the area. The communities will serve on advisory boards, attend field trips, and assist the students. The existing curriculum will be expanded to include working shellfish farms for Puget Sound schools. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | North Cascades Institute -- $5,000 Saul Weisberg, 2105 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284 Changes in Our Own Backyard -Padden Creek Watershed For this project, the North Cascades Institute will develop and implement a series of four teacher workshops for Larrabee Elementary School. Project organizers will develop materials for the students that will encourage effective critical-thinking and problem-solving skills around watershed issues in their community, and they will lead field trips for each class. The project will initially involve 225 children, 19 teachers and other staff, and 20 community members. The workshops will offer new materials, develop existing curricula further, provide a model for sequential watershed education in the community and throughout local school districts, and address a high priority issue, watershed degradation and protection. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | North Mason School District -- $20,000 Marie Pickel, P. O. Box 167, E. 50 N. Mason School Rd., Belfair, WA 98528 Bringing Project GREEN to the Lower Hood Canal Watershed This project will integrate Project GREEN into the North Mason School District's existing curriculum. The project seeks to train students and teachers in action research and water quality monitoring, while completing monitoring projects with various partners like the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nine hundred students and 20 teachers will be directly involved in this project the first year. Through community outreach and agency interaction, many others are expected to be involved. Because many visitors come to the Hood Canal, the project will be highly visible as a public education tool. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Snohomish School District -- $5,000 Ardi Kveven, 1601 Avenue D, Snohomish, WA 98290 Elementary Teacher Training in Science Kits and Field Work The purpose of this project is to develop a new 2nd grade science kit, provide in-service on the use of the kit, plan and coordinate the field work, and use high school students as mentors on site. Teachers will be given knowledge about the local environment and existing hands-on curriculum that integrates CD-ROM technology. The organizer of the project will plan and implement field work at the 2nd grade level, teaming each group of five elementary students with a high school student in order for the children to learn about salt water communities. The focus will be on the Snohomish Watershed and estuarine habitats. Seven hundred and fifty 2nd grade students will work with 30 teachers and 30 high school advanced oceanography students and their teachers on the project. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority (SCAPCA) -- $4,879 Lisa Woodard, 1101 West College, Suite 403, Spokane, WA 99201 Two Live Cable-Delivered Classroom Enrichment Programs The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority (SCAPCA), in conjunction with the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System and the Spokane County Water Quality Management Program, will develop a series of two live, interactive cable programs for teachers and their students in kindergarten through 6th grade in the Spokane and Seattle areas. The programs will be available to the Spokane City elementary schools (40,000 students) and the Seattle Schools Instruction Broadcast Center, which will include the programs as part of its after school weekly hands-on science series, "Eye on Science." Existing curriculum and hands-on activities will be modified for the television series. The programs will increase the students' awareness of environmental issues involving air quality, water quality, and solid waste management in a way that is relevant to their lives. These two programs are an expansion of an existing Spokane City school assembly program, hands-on environmental curriculum, and two live televised enrichment programs. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | Thurston Conservation District -- $4,965 Rochelle Rothaus, 6128 Capitol Boulevard, Olympia, WA 98501 Teacher Training Environmental Workshop and Student Field Work Budd/Deschutes Project GREEN will conduct a workshop for 30 teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade to learn methods for integrating environmental education using watershed investigation as a theme, to develop an understanding of the significance of water quality to watershed health, to be trained in water quality monitoring and analysis, and to provide opportunities for teachers and students in participating schools to work collaboratively with community members on action projects. Instruction will be designed to lead teachers toward implementing an action research and community problem-solving approach. At the workshop, teachers will meet local resource managers and community members. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | University of Washington - Dept. of Environmental Health SC-34 -- $5,000 David Eaton, Seattle, WA 98195 Risky Business Teacher Training Workshop This teacher training workshop will consist of a hands-on training session which will prepare 10 high school teachers to use new environmental educational materials from curriculum under development at the University entitled, "Risky Business: Living in an Chemical World." The first unit, "Environmental Genetic and Cells," teaches basic biology and chemistry incorporating principles of environmental health and toxicology. This new teaching strategy will introduce computer-aided teaching and learning which allows students to work at their own pace in a non-linear fashion, and to choose how much biology and chemistry review they need before proceeding on to an environmental health application of basic scientific principles. The teachers will be provided with materials to use in their classrooms, such as video discs, CDs, transparencies, and printed materials. |
| 1995 | WA | 10 | YMCA Earth Service Corps -- $5,000 Kara Palmer, 908 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 Environmental Education Symposium The YMCA Earth Service Corps will enhance the design and dissemination of its one-day Environmental Education Symposiums through a series of experiential learning activities. At these symposiums, students and teachers learn from community experts about current regional environmental issues, engage in role-playing real environmental dilemmas, and apply win-win techniques to resolve issues among diverse interest groups. To add to the symposium, the YMCA will work with students, teacher advisors, and community volunteers to develop a series of related activities such as curriculum that may be used in the classroom before the Symposium and following it; field trips; carrying out action projects at schools or in the local community; and an Earth Day event that brings together the different issues addressed at the symposium. Participation by low income and minority youth will be increased at the symposium. |
| 1995 | WV | 3 | Boone County Board of Education -- $5,000 David Cooke, 69 Avenue B, Madison, WV 25130 Alternative Rural Waste Water Systems for the Southern West Virginia Counties: A Real-Life Laboratory The goal of this project will be to build local capacity to develop and deliver solid environmental education programs through application of existing knowledge in a site specific manner - an outdoor laboratory aimed not only at school children but all residents of the area. The main objective will be site identification and analysis of appropriate alternative wastewater systems in Boone County and development of one site as a working system. The target audience for the project is all residents not hooked up to a municipal wastewater system, and for whom conventional septic systems are not feasible. |
| 1995 | WV | 3 | East Fairmont High School Foundation, Inc. -- $24,500 Terry Kerns, 1993 Airport Road, Fairmont, WV 26554 Acid Mine Drainage Project This project proposes to develop a model on how acid mine drainage should be taught, how schools can be linked by electronic transmission, and how resource materials can be made available to schools with computer hook-ups in an economical manner. Initially the project will be aimed at approximately 10 teachers and their students in three or four states in the Appalachian region. Each teacher then will conduct a workshop for 10 or more teachers in his or her local area. |
| 1995 | WI | 5 | Brodhead School District -- $5,000 Greg Wells, 1400 21st St., Brodhead, WI 53520 Educate to Improve and Maintain Water Quality The purpose of this project is to provide workshops and field trips for teachers of kindergarten through 5th grade on stormwater management, land use, and water quality as it relates to the Sugar River, the area's important watershed. |
| 1995 | WI | 5 | Friends of Hixon Forest Nature Center -- $4,950 Brenda Haug, 2702 Quarry Rd., LaCrosse, WI 54601 Promoting Environmental Education Funds from this grant will enable the nature center to expand its program to reach 1,200 additional elementary students in the LaCrosse area. Curriculum offered as part of the program has already been developed under a Wisconsin Environmental Education Board grant. |
| 1995 | WI | 5 | International Crane Foundation -- $5,000 James Harris, P. O. Box 447, E-11376 Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI 53913-0447 Schools Involved in Sandhill Crane Research The International Crane Foundation will partner with students and teachers from five schools to engage in the study of the Sandhill Crane. Students will track cranes using radios in the field, analyze data, and assess the conflicts that arise between agriculture and ecology. |
| 1995 | WY | 8 | The Nature Conservancy -- $3,750 Ann Humphrey, HC 30 Box 107, Tensleep, WY 82442 Tensleep Preserve This project will be a long-term program in which participants will gain an enthusiastic sense of stewardship and an understanding of how biological diversity is important to their lives, while making real and significant contributions to the conservation efforts. The program will reach mostly rural residents, and will build state and local capacity to develop and deliver programs through an outdoor research laboratory. The one-week programs will be developed according to the season and the group's abilities and will emphasize habitat restoration. |
| 1995 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Geographic Alliance -- $10,884 Linda Marston, University of Wyoming Box 3371, Laramie, WY 82071 Environmental Education Institute for Wyoming Teachers The goal of this project is to improve geographic environmental information in elementary and secondary schools. Lesson plans will be developed by twenty Wyoming teachers and tested by approximately 500 students. Project organizers hope to reach approximately 100 to 200 teachers and 600 to 1,500 students during the in-service activities. |
| 1995 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Nature Conservancy -- $9,194 Kim Palmer Parfitt, Red Canyon Ranch, 298 Main St., S. Lander, WY 82520 Red Canyon Ranch No Summary Available. |
| 1996 | AL | 4 | Central Florida Muscogee Tribe, Inc. -- $5,000 Dr. Margaret B. Bogan, c/o EDRS Jacksonville State Univ., 700 Pelham Rd. N., Jacksonville, AL 36265-9982 Nature Trail Development Participants in the Nature Trail Development project are building a system of nature trails, on tribal lands, through cypress, riverine swamp and low wetlands. A trail guide will be published to describe the plants found along the trail. The purpose of the project is to increase tribal capacity to deliver environmental education programs and to use the trail as a tool to educate tribal members about the ecology of tribal grounds. |
| 1996 | AL | 4 | Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden -- $4,965 Melanie Garton, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave., Huntsville, AL 35805 Introducing Environmental Science to Teachers Grades K-6 The purpose of this project is to introduce environmental science to teachers of kindergarten through sixth grade. A teacher workshop on water, ecology and plant life will be conducted. The workshop will use visits to field sites, exhibits and outdoor classrooms as a vehicle. The target audience is 50 elementary teachers who have demonstrated leadership in science education. |
| 1996 | AK | 10 | Anchorage School District - Central School of Science -- $5,000 Dwight Taylor, P. O. Box 196614, Anchorage, AK 99519-6614 Chester Creek Stream Ecology and Pollution Project The Chester Creek Stream Ecology and Pollution Project instructs 700 multi-ethnic middle school students from low income backgrounds about neighborhood pollution problems. Students learn about stream ecology and pollution, conduct water quality tests, and gather and classify stream micro and macro invertebrates. The students also research, prepare, practice, and deliver lessons in the classroom and on field trips. The teachers and parents are involved by teaching the "Living in Water Curriculum," developed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This curriculum is the project's source of lesson material. |
| 1996 | AK | 10 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District -- $4,700 Susan Dent, 125 West Evergreen Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645 Wetlands Education Program The purpose of this project is for ninth and tenth grade students to explore watersheds in the Cook Inlet. The students demonstrate their understanding of environmental science issues by constructing a nature trail with ponds and wetlands that can be used by the general public and other educational institutions and also by constructing model streams for use in each science classroom. These activities are helping the students engage in critical-thinking and problem-solving activities while creating projects for use by the community. |
| 1996 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska - Fairbanks, Center for Global Change -- $24,379 Elena Sparrow, P. O. Box 757740, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7740 Global Change Environmental Education in Alaska The University of Alaska is piloting an interactive broadcasting training course on global change to 50-60 teachers in five sites in Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Bethel, and Barrow). This course enables participants to successfully teach topics on global change through their existing curriculum, form partnerships with scientists, and use technology with their students to access scientific information and participate in science projects. The course is reaching more than 2,000 students. |
| 1996 | AZ | 9 | American Lung Association -- $4,000 Liz McAuliffe, 102 West McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85003 Open Airways Indoor Air Quality Education with Emphasis on Second-Hand Smoke This project identifies elementary school children who are at-risk for asthmatic illness in three metropolitan Phoenix school districts. Working with school nurse staff, the association conducts twice weekly sessions for three weeks to educate the children about asthma and the effects of environmental pollution, with special emphasis on second-hand smoke. Follow-up support seminars showing the effect of the disease on school attendance are being held for parents and school staff of asthmatic students. |
| 1996 | AZ | 9 | Northern Arizona University -- $15,000 Anita Polehla, Box 4130, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Strategic Environmental Plan for the Hopi Nation This grant generates a plan for the Hopi Tribe to assess current and potential environmental education materials and practices with reference to their cultural appropriateness for use on reservation schools. The study is producing clear guidelines for allocating time and resources to curricula which have a significant impact on improving the quality of life, health, and heritage within the Hopi community. |
| 1996 | AZ | 9 | The Nature Conservancy -- $15,000 Val Little, 300 East University Boulevard, Suite 230, Tucson, AZ 85705 Riparian Ecology Education Program (A teacher-training environmental education program) Training under this grant is provided for 40 high school teachers from Maricopa and Yavapai Counties in water quality issues and riparian ecology. The sessions are conducted at Hassayampa River Preserve, one of the few places in Maricopa County where the Sonoran Desert is graced with perennial water, offering a wide array of plant and animal life. The workshop trains teachers to use curriculum which explores issues of resource allocation of natural elements, human use, and economic sustainability. The follow-up study involves field trips attended by classes of the trained teachers and is expected to attract 1,500 students to the preserve. |
| 1996 | AR | 6 | Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Darlene Barker, P. O. Box 391, Little Rock, AR 72203 4-H Project S.T.O.P. Through this project, Environmental Stewardship Youth Manuals and a teachers guide are being developed and training provided. The Stop Trashing Our Planet (STOP) and Respect the Land, Air and Water (LAW) program targets youth (ages 5 through 19), 100 extension professionals, and 125 volunteers. |
| 1996 | AR | 6 | Cossatot Technical College -- $5,000 Laura Brand, P. O. Box 960, DeQueen, AR 71832 Water Quality Analysis Lab A classroom water quality analysis laboratory will be developed and equipped for basic water quality analysis through this project. In addition, a course on water quality testing will be created to give environmental technology students extensive hands-on experience. The lab also will be used by chemistry and science classes to introduce those students to the basic concepts of water quality testing. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | American Lung Association -- $3,114 Jan H. Cortez, 2740 - 4th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 Kids for Clean Air - School Based Clean Air Education Program This grant provides curriculum materials on air quality issues for up to 250 elementary school teachers in San Diego County. The curriculum kit contains a lesson plan incorporating the relationship between clean air and respiratory health. Students are encouraged to express their understanding of the concepts presented by submitting a drawing for a poster contest. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Capistrano Unified School District -- $15,000 Kristen Nelson, 32972 Calle Perfecto, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 The Dana Hills Environmental Center and Nature Canyon The Capistrano Unified School District is creating an environmental education center in a canyon on city grounds adjacent to Dana Hills High School. The completed educational center and trail system will offer local outdoor field trip study of plant and animal life for students throughout the school district and provide environmental career opportunities for high school students who manage the center and act as docents. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | City of Oakland -- $4,998 Karen Greenspan, 1333 Broadway, Suite 330, Oakland, CA 94612 Piralta Creek Community Education Project This grant will support the implementation of a plan to reduce residential creek pollution to Peralta Creek by organizing a team of 15 high school youth to coordinate volunteer community workdays to clean up and revegetate a portion of the creek. The focus of the project is to teach residents that the health of the creek has a direct impact on the health of the watershed and ultimately on their community. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Community Environmental Council -- $4,923 Cay Sanchez, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 Teacher Training Environmental Workshops in Closing the Loop This grant allows the Community Environmental Council to conduct ten training workshops for teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade in Santa Barbara County to implement the recycling curriculum, "Closing the Loop. The curriculum, available in English and Spanish and distributed free to each teacher who attends a workshop, promotes techniques and habits which lead to significant reductions from the waste stream. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Daedalus Alliance for Environmental Education -- $5,000 Merle Okino O'Neill, 12702 Via Cortina, Suite 201B, Del Mar, CA 92014 Adopt-A-Watershed Twenty teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade from Imperial Beach are being trained in an urban adaptation of the Adopt-A-Watershed curriculum. Using field inspection methods developed for city workers, the teachers visually inspect storm drains and monitor water quality at specified outlet points into the estuary and the bay. The data the teachers collect will be made available to students, other teachers, and community groups for long-range study and analysis. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Earth Island Institute -- $5,000 Mandy Billinge, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133-3312 Pollution Reduction and Safe Bay Food Consumption An orientation workshop is being conducted for the faculty of Franklin Elementary School in Berkeley about the sources of pollution entering San Francisco Bay and the effect of these pollutants on the Bay estuary ecosystem and on human health. There will be a follow-up series of 10 three-hour workshops for four selected teachers and their classes. These sessions consist of hands-on investigative activities leading to projects to reduce pollution and to make informed choices about Bay food consumption. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Rising Sun Energy Center -- $5,000 Michael Arenson, P.O Box 2874, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Solar Energy Teacher Training This grant supports a one-day workshop for 12 fourth through sixth grade teachers in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in renewable energy curriculum. Project personnel provide continuing support by presenting a demonstration lesson in each teacher's classroom and continuing to work with teachers to produce three additional lessons on renewable energy during the school year. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners -- $35,515 (HQ Grant) Mohammed Nuru, 2088 Oakdale Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124 Lead Empowerment Action Demonstration The San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) project empowers San Francisco residents from low income and ethnically diverse communities to take action to reduce adult and children's exposure to lead in the soil. The Lead Empowerment Action Demonstration is accomplishing this goal using intensive one-day workshops that provide 500 families with immediate, tangible knowledge about the hazards of lead in the soil. The demonstration also teaches them how to limit their exposure to lead through landscaping and hardscaping strategies. SLUG is constructing a demonstration bed of barrier plants and hardscapes useful for preventing human access to lead-contaminated soil and offers free soil tests and landscape consultations to workshop attendees. The target audience for this project is low income, ethnically-diverse neighborhoods and communities. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society -- $3,000 Amy Hutzel, P. O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560 San Francisco Bay Models to be Used with Field Trip Orientation Workshops The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society's project adds two models of the southern portion of San Francisco Bay to the exhibits at the Visitor's Center in Fremont and the Environmental Education Center in Alviso. The models, depicting open sections of the bay, and upland, salt marsh, salt pond, and slough habitats, are used for orientation and interpretation for teachers and parents in preparation for class field trips to the Wildlife Refuge facilities. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Unified School District -- $15,000 Carmelo Sgarlato, 2550 - 25th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116 The Environmental Leadership Initiative Training is being provided for 16 high school teachers in an inquiry-based science curriculum, called "Issues, Evidence, and You," developed by the University of California Lawrence Hall of Science. Working in teams of two, the teachers will introduce a common ninth grade science program based on local environmental issues at their eight schools. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Santa Monica Malibu School District -- $5,000 Pixie Beery, Will Rogers Elementary School, 2401 - 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Project Plants: A Community Outreach to Encourage Environmentally Friendly Gardening The Santa Monica Malibu School District is bringing together members of the Native Plant Society, Coalition for Clean Air, and the City of Santa Monica with the fourth grade classes at Will Rogers Elementary School, an inner city school with a predominantly minority enrollment. The project educates the community through a brochure written and distributed by students that encourages residents to use plants compatible with the environment and by installing a demonstration garden on campus that exhibits the plants. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Save the Whales -- $5,000 Maris Sidenstecker, P. O. Box 2397, Venice, CA 90291 Whales on Wheels (AWOW): A Hands-on Educational Program Offered in Spanish For this project, classroom presentations will take place targeting the Spanish bilingual program in Los Angeles schools to encourage students to take a participatory role in protecting oceans. The project emphasizes pollution reduction actions students can take to protect human and marine health. |
| 1996 | CA | 9 | Student Conservation Association -- $5,000 Brenda Cercone, 655 - 13th Street, Suite 304, Oakland, CA 94612 Bay Area Conservation Career Development Program: College Participants Educate Younger Peers This grant supports a project to provide training for college mentors to lead 28 students, selected from six Oakland high schools, through a series of overnight outdoor education sessions at three Bay Area sites. The students will analyze geology, vegetation, ocean, and estuary habitats at Marin Headlands, Point Reyes Seashore, and Golden Gate Wildlife Refuge in the context of how they relate to the students' home communities. |
| 1996 | CO | 8 | City & County of Denver, Colorado -- $120,000 (HQ Grant) Steve Foute, Denver Environmental Protection Division, Department of Health and Hospitals, Public Health, 605 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80204-4507 Denver-CONNECT Environmental Education Teacher Training Project The City & County of Denver project improves environmental education training skills for teachers using a training and teaching site in the metropolitan area. Denver-CONNECT Environmental Education Teacher Training Project--Stapleton Site establishes and operates an environmental education site centered around a retired National Weather Service Station at decommissioned Stapleton International Airport. The project builds school district capacity to deliver and improve environmental education programs for teachers and students and provides education on the impact of pollution on public health. The project partners are upgrading the site and instruction modules, which will be used to train teachers on hands-on/minds-on observation, investigation, and analysis of real world environmental conditions and problems to teach students critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Several hundred teachers and 70,000 students are being reached. These students are: 44% Hispanic, 30% White, 20% African American, and 6% other. |
| 1996 | CO | 8 | Colorado State University -- $11,285 Marcella Wells/Betty Eckert, Sponsored Programs, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Infusing Environmental Education into Math Curriculum The Infusing Environmental Education into Math Curriculum project determines if an experiential outdoor approach to teaching math skills is more effective than traditional methods and if the Colorado Board of Education State Standards are being met. The project involves students and teachers at a middle school in Loveland, Colorado. |
| 1996 | CO | 8 | Green City Data Project -- $5,000 Linda Baggus, 3800 S. Glencoe, Denver, CO 80237 Green City Data - Teacher Training The Green City Data project focuses on teacher training in outdoor education for middle and high school students. The students collect data for planning and management of urban natural areas. Low income, minority students examine ecosystems in their own neighborhoods as part of the project. |
| 1996 | CO | 8 | The Keystone Science Center -- $5,000 Chris Chopyak-Minor, P. O. Box 8606, Keystone, CO 80435 Wilderness Box This urban outreach environmental education program, through the use of the Wilderness Box teaching curriculum, provides a hands-on educational curriculum to inner-city and urban teachers in Denver. The project focuses on wilderness values and preservation of wild lands. It is used with students from kindergarten through eighth grade. |
| 1996 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection -- $12,500 James Murphy, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06102-5127 Environmental Issues Traveling Exhibit In conjunction with the University of Connecticut's Museum of Natural History, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is creating an Environmental Issues Traveling Exhibit for display at public venues statewide. The exhibit is communicating two primary ideas to exhibit viewers: 1) that the communities in which we live are the product of natural and cultural processes, which, when understood, can help us make more informed choices about how to use the land in the future; and 2) that the choices people make in their everyday lives affect the quality of life in their communities. |
| 1996 | CT | 1 | Save the Sound, Inc. -- $5,000 T. Robin Brown, 185 Magee Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902-5939 Long Island Sound Watershed Workshops for Connecticut Elementary School Teachers Save the Sound, in conjunction with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System, proposes training 100 upper-elementary school teachers from communities within the Long Island Sound watershed on how to integrate information about preservation and restoration of the Sound into their curriculum. The workshops will be held at five locations within the watershed and 15 to 30 teachers will receive ten hours of training. The training will include hands-on learning activities about the Sound, its watershed, and water quality to help them feel comfortable teaching this subject matter to their students. |
| 1996 | DE | 3 | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control -- $10,500 Nancy Rolli, 89 Kings Highway, P. O. Box 1401, Dover, DE 19903 Statewide Telecommunications for Delaware Educators This project will train educators to integrate environmental education into existing curricula developed by Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, Aquatic WILD, and Project WET. The project will emphasize critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. |
| 1996 | DE | 3 | University of Delaware -- $5,000 Jo Mercer, 210 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716 Building Wild Life Habitat This project will build wildlife habitat on school grounds to enhance environmental knowledge and commitment of elementary school students and teachers. Participants include 620 students and 56 teachers and assistants. |
| 1996 | DC | 3 | American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) -- $5,000 Dr. Jonathan Deason, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001 Lead-Based Paint Abatement Curriculum Development Participants in this project will develop a curriculum for teaching employees of the industry lead-based paint abatement practices to protect human health and the environment. |
| 1996 | FL | 4 | Clay County District Schools -- $5,000 Susan H. Helmey, 900 Walnut St., Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 Careers To Go The Careers To Go project is providing students with knowledge of environmental careers. A partnership will be developed between fourth through eighth grades and high school students, government agencies, and private industry experts in environmental fields. An environmental career kit will be developed called Go Carts, which consists of models, videotapes, curriculum materials, pamphlets, brochures, and other resources. The Go Carts will be a complete environmental resource kit for teacher use. |
| 1996 | FL | 4 | Imaginarium Hands-on Museum -- $5,000 Pam Burt, 2000 Cranford Ave., Ft. Myers, FL 33916 Environmental Awareness and Activism for Everyone... Look Toward Tomorrow Environmental Awareness and Activism for Everyone... Look Toward Tomorrow is educating teachers students, and the general public about potential human health problems associated with environmental pollution. The project will reach 18,000 school children and 1,000 teachers. They will develop scientific investigative skills as they learn about groundwater contamination and remediation. Displays of remediation methods and projects developed by students will be exhibited at Imaginarium. |
| 1996 | FL | 4 | Pinellas County Schools -- $14,428 Dr. Edward A. Brown III, 301 4th Street, SW, Largo, FL 33770 Teacher Training Environmental Technology Workshops The Teacher Training Environmental Technology Workshops project creates a four-year, high school, program of study that prepares students for environmental careers. Two interdisciplinary teams of teachers representing vocational education, mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies will develop a curriculum. The curriculum will be developed by conducting a Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) Study to determine the necessary competencies for employment in environmental fields. It is anticipated that 90 percent of the graduates will enter environmental fields of employment. The workshops are designed to prepare the teachers for curriculum implementation. |
| 1996 | FL | 4 | School Board of Alachua County -- $4,974 Dr. Donna Omer, 620 East University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601 Gum Root Swamp The Gum Root Swamp project is providing physically handicapped students with interdisciplinary learning and job development while it increases student interest in ecology-related classes and careers. In cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District, the students co-manage an environmentally sensitive area called Gum Root Swamp. Students conduct field work that includes an inventory of major habitat regions, confirmation of existing habitat maps, and establishment of a trail system to connect various habitats. |
| 1996 | GA | 4 | Chattahoochee Nature Center -- $4,995 Michelle Stripling, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA 30075 The Wonders of the Woodlands and Wetlands The Wonders of the Woodlands and Wetlands is a workshop that is providing environmental education skills for 25 teachers. The workshop focuses on the importance of feeling at ease teaching outdoors. The workshop will emphasize using the natural environment in developing lesson plans and curriculum units while increasing awareness of the center's resources and programs that complement the classroom curriculum. |
| 1996 | GA | 4 | Gordon County Schools, Gordon Central High School -- $4,800 Ms. Judy Peterson, 205 Warrior Path, Calhoun, GA 30703 The Wetland and Watershed (WE3) Management Program The Wetland and Watershed (WE3) Management Program is initiating and implementing an integrated environmental education program for teachers that uses hands-on activities to develop the understanding of teachers and students regarding wetland and watershed management in the community. The primary vehicle for delivery will be workshops and outdoor classroom activities. |
| 1996 | GA | 4 | Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Fund, Inc. -- $5,000 Sally Bethea, P. O. Box 7338, Atlanta, GA 30357-0338 Chattahoochee River Adopt-A-Stream Network Chattahoochee River Adopt-A-Stream Network is an educational effort to develop six new Riverkeeper groups consisting of 100 individuals in the Chattahoochee River Watershed during the next year, and to empower citizens to take action within their own communities. Riverkeeper will assist citizens in actions to prevent or curtail pollution of the watershed. A quarterly newsletter will be distributed to inform the communities of the condition of the river and its watershed. |
| 1996 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Audubon Society -- $4,800 Wendy Johnson, 1088 Bishop Street, Suite 808, Honolulu, HI 96813 Teacher Training Environmental Workshops: Programs and Processes Relating to Hawaiian Resource Conservation The Hawaii Audubon Society is partnering with the State Department of Education to offer workshops to 600 middle and high school science teachers on programs that address native Hawaiian environmental issues. The workshops supply teachers with the tools they need to motivate students to question, examine, and explore such issues as the extinction of endangered native species, the transition from agrarian to urban development, water rights, and Hawaiian sovereignty. |
| 1996 | HI | 9 | Sea Life Park Marine Research Education Foundation -- $5,000 Vanessa Keliiholokai, 41-202 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI 96795 Beach Detectives - Investigating Marine Environments This grant supports a project that combines nine teacher training workshops with a one-hour educational television program "KidScience" to present a curriculum for fifth and sixth graders that identifies sources and impacts of pollution affecting beach and marine environments. Follow-up class field trips take participants to community beach sites to implement the "Beach Detectives" curriculum and activities. Data collected from student beach research is posted on the KidScience Internet home page. |
| 1996 | ID | 10 | Idaho Department of Water Resources -- $5,000 Dick Larsen, 1301 North Orchard Street, Boise, ID 83706 Idaho Water Awareness Week This grant provides support to the Idaho Water Awareness Week, which is sponsored by 25 federal, state, and local government agencies, irrigation and municipal water systems, and utility and private sector companies. Support is in cooperation with approximately 25 Idaho school districts and the Boise Public Schools Educational Foundation. This program for sixth graders uses existing science curricula specifically focused on water and environmental education issues. Curriculum and support materials are provided to the teachers to use in structured classroom activities. |
| 1996 | ID | 10 | Valley Boys and Girls Club -- $5,000 Bob Liming, P. O. Box 1627, Lewiston, ID 83843 Outdoor Education Resource Center The participants in this project are developing an outdoor education resources center at Camp Wittman, a local family farm site for environmental education activities near Lewiston County. The participants will assemble a comprehensive variety of curriculum materials and support equipment to facilitate quality natural resource education during camp sessions. They also will provide a centralized reference base for outdoor educators and environmental educators to receive training and support for planning their own environmental education programs. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago -- $4,696 Ron Burke, Director, Environmental and Occupational Health, 1440 West Washington, Chicago, IL 60607 Asthma Train-the-Trainer Program The Asthma Train-the-Trainer Program has the goal of training health-care providers on how to reduce the prevalence and severity of asthma among low-income minorities. Health-care providers will transfer the training to their patients and teach them how to evaluate and abate home environmental asthma-causing exposures. The training will be evaluated and shared with other health-care institutions. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | Center for Instruction, Staff Development, and Evaluation -- $110,187 (HQ Grant) Trudi L. Volk, 1925 New Era Road, Carbondale, IL 62901 Environmental Education for Responsible Citizenship The Center for Instruction, Staff Development, and Evaluations project improves environmental education teaching skills for teachers and nonformal educators through workshops. Environmental Education for Responsible Citizenship trains 300 teachers and related personnel in Illinois to use existing research-proven environmental curricula with middle and secondary school students. The project helps these educators to conceptualize critical environmental issues and acquire and apply investigation skills for evaluation of environmental issues. These individuals are developing methodological skills to implement issue investigation and evaluation in classrooms. The project reaches 300 teachers and 10,000 students, including minorities. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | Eugene Field Chicago Public School -- $4,358 Neal Schwartzberg, Science Lab Instructor, 7019 North Ashland, Chicago, IL 60626 Lake Links Teacher Education Program The Lake Links Teacher Education Program is building on the partnership the Eugene Field School has developed with the Chicago Academy of Sciences in order to educate fourth through eighth grade teachers about the school's Great Lakes curriculum entitled, Lake Links. Workshops will focus on issues that are relevant to the local Lake Michigan ecosystem and will engage teachers in water quality testing. School to home connections and community involvement will be integrated throughout the project. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | George Pullman Chicago Public School -- $4,650 Patricia Scott, Teacher, 11113 S. Forrestville, Chicago, IL 60628 Strategic Technological Environmental Project Strategies for an Ecological Utopia Through the Strategic Technological Environmental Project Strategies for an Ecological Utopia the George Pullman Elementary School body is learning about local environmental issues in southeast Chicago and developing a school-wide conservation plan. Staff, parents and the community are participating in action-oriented projects with the students related to water quality, recycling, toxic emissions, and gardening. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | Illinois Environmental Education Advocacy Consortium -- $5,000 Nan Buckardt, Treasurer, c/o Environmental Education Association of Illinois, 2060 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 Training Workshop for Nonformal Environmental Education Providers The Illinois Environmental Education Advocacy Consortium is refining an in-service training workshop it recently developed for nonformal educators statewide. The workshop covers environmental education pedagogy, state learning standards, assessment, and environmental education resources. The workshop is enabling nonformal educators to incorporate the latest environmental education developments into programs they offer to Illinois classroom teachers. |
| 1996 | IL | 5 | Regional Office of Education #40 -- $5,000 Kyle Hlafka, Executive Director, 220 North Broad Street, Carlinville, IL 62626 H2O Below The Regional Office of Education is providing educator training and follow-up networking sessions to 15 rural districts and eight private schools using H2O Below, an interdisciplinary groundwater education program. Teachers will learn how to conduct a well history survey and test water quality. Teachers will also learn how to use Beaver Dam State Park and McCully Heritage Project as outdoor learning laboratories. |
| 1996 | IN | 5 | Clarksville Riverfront Foundation -- $5,000 Dani Cummins, Director of Development, P. O. Box 741, Jeffersonville, IN 47131-0741 Interdisciplinary Environmental Summer Institute The Clarksville Riverfront Foundation is conducting a five-week Interdisciplinary Environmental Summer Institute at the Falls of Ohio Interpretive Center State Park and National Wildlife Conservation area. The program involves 15 teachers and 150 students from school districts in Indiana and Kentucky. Teachers participate in two-day workshops and then lead a week-long experience for students using curriculum materials Clarksville developed under a previous EPA grant. |
| 1996 | IN | 5 | Heritage Hills Middle School -- $4,500 Michael Schriefer, North Spencer County School Corporation, P. O. Box 416, Lincoln City, IN 47552 Thematic Instruction Environmental Workshops In the Thematic Instruction Environmental Workshops project, Heritage Hills Middle School is training its teachers about the delivery of thematic instruction related to environmental issues, and engaging students in research and hands-on activities. Parents and community members will join students in the design of an outdoor teaching laboratory to be developed on the forest area of the school campus. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Andrew Jackson Demonstration Farm Corp. -- $4,725 Theresa H. Weiss, 201 W. Platt St., Maquoketa, IA 52060 Teacher Training Workshop The Teacher Training Workshop project trains middle school teachers to use a watershed approach to agriculture and the environment. Participants in the project are developing an outdoor environmental education site at the Andrew Jackson Demonstration Farm. A workshop is being held for the teachers to demonstrate what is available for outdoor education at the site and how it can be used to teach environmental education activities. The model developed for the project can be used by schools, organizations, or local government agencies to establish similar sites in Iowa. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Cedar County Conservation Board -- $5,000 Hector Ibarra, 1400 Cedar St., Courthouse, Tipton, IA 52772 Rings of Life: Learning and Growing Together The Rings of Life: Learning and Growing Together project provides long-term learning experiences that require students, faculty, and community commitment and involvement. Rings of Life brings the community, businesses and schools together. The project is a three-year cycle of instruction involving four middle schools that are: planting trees; testing water and soil; analyzing core boring; writing reflectively on their findings; creating an Internet Web site; and developing computer-generated multimedia presentations while constructing a WILD School Site. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- $3,300 Larry L. Bean, Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0034 Wind Energy Seminar and Workshop The Wind Energy Seminar and Workshop provides a forum to improve environmental education skills for teachers, faculty, and nonformal educators knowledgeable in the area of wind energy production and use. Through direct mailings and other media activities, the project also is educating rural citizens of Iowa about the environmental benefits and economic value of using the wind to produce energy. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Kiwanis Nature Island -- $4,920 Cindy Blobaum, 111 Ninth St., Suite 180, Des Moines, IA 50314 Watching Our Water (WOW) The Watching Our Water (WOW) project is assembling a team of knowledgeable urban, minority high school students who can actively educate others about the environmental and health issues surrounding the state-wide debate concerning the development of large-scale hog confinements and their potential effect on water quality. WOW is teaming with the Kiwanis Nature Island Naturalist and 20 Science Bound students from North High School who are learning about the source, potential contaminants, and treatment of water. They participate in valid scientific measurements and become an active agent of environmental education. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | North Cedar Community Schools -- $5,000 Margaret Sandeghpour-Kramer, 400 Ball St., Clarence, IA 52305 Teacher Training This project instructs teachers, administrators, and community volunteers in environmental and service learning education to facilitate developing the joint school-community trail and gardens system. The target audience includes 12 teachers, one administrator, sixth and seventh grade students, and 300 community participants. The results will include the establishment of a trail and garden system and the cleanup and restoration of a nearby stream. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Page County Soil & Water District -- $5,000 Kevin McCall, 1213 5th Avenue, Shenandoah, IA 51601 Environmental Education Program for Southwest Iowa The Environmental Education Program for Southwest Iowa provides four in-service training sessions and supporting material for more than 75 teachers and administrators. As many as 2,500 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade have access to quality environmental education not previously available to them. The project will organize 25 environmental education programs for local community groups. The project's goal is to expand public understanding of Iowa ecology, dependence on the ecosystems, attainment of a sustainable life style, and to increase teaching skills involved in outdoor education. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Willow Creek Field Lab Foundation -- $4,630 Dan Towers, 114 N. Chestnut, Courthouse, Jefferson, IA 50129 Willow Creek Wetland Field Lab: Problem Solving Techniques The Willow Creek Wetland Field Lab: Problem Solving Techniques project is improving environmental education teaching skills for educators from 13 public school districts and seven parochial schools in four counties, to engage almost 11,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in on-site learning activities at a significant wetland complex. A series of workshops offered throughout the year, lead by local environmental specialists from various state and local agencies and organizations, present materials appropriate for the region. The project builds capacity within Iowa for developing and delivering wetland-based environmental education programs and will reach communities with a grassroots community-based organization which actively encourages wetland protection, development, and restoration. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Winnebago County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $771 Mark Sandvik, 163 First Avenue, E. P. O. Box 85, Thompson, IA 50478-0085 Equipment to Teach Water Ecology for the Lake Catherine Learning Center. The project will focus on providing eighth graders a hands-on experience in comparing the ecology of wetlands to man-made impoundments. The study will focus on how wetlands filter pollutants and store eroded sediments. The sessions will combine field and laboratory work. The result will give the students an understanding of the biological diversity of wetland ecosystems. |
| 1996 | IA | 7 | Wright County Conservation Board -- $750 Bruce Voigts, 1768 O'Brien Avenue, Clarion, IA 50525 Water Testing of County Streams and Rivers in Wright County The project will focus on educating teachers, students, and the general public about human health problems associated with environmental pollution from animal waste draining into the waterways of the county. |
| 1996 | KS | 7 | Haskell Indian Nations University -- $16,658 Bill Welton, 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046 Environmental Education Practicum The Environmental Education Practicum brings American Indian students and teachers or elders from various Indian nations together to accomplish objectives of a pollution prevention program to benefit an American Indian community. The target audience is 21 junior and senior high school students, three teacher and elder facilitators, and three student facilitators. The home communities who benefit from the exposure of these American Indian teachers and students are empowered to enhance environmental justice locally for culturally-diverse and low income populations. |
| 1996 | KS | 7 | Turner Unified School District #202 -- $4,999 Jim Benz, 800 S. 55 St., Kansas City, KS 66106 Expanding Water Studies into High School The Expanding Water Studies into Turner High School and Neighboring Wyandotte County Schools project promotes environmental careers for high school students by expanding the current water studies program into the high school curriculum and into neighboring schools. The target audience is 600 students in ninth through twelfth grades in Turner High School and other Wyandotte County schools. This audience is being reached using the Missouri Stream Teams program and is being taught in the chemistry and biology classes. |
| 1996 | KY | 4 | Clay County Board of Education (Clay County High School) -- $4,000 Jocelyn Wolfe, 248 Richmond Road, Manchester, KY 40962 Development of an Outdoor Classroom This project is creating an outdoor environmental research center that will be used by 12 teachers, 700 students and 15 community members for presentations, demonstrations, field trips, mentoring, and environmental lessons. Major emphasis will be on soil, water, and weather learning stations as well as a wetland area with raised walkways, and a garden and crop study area using environmentally friendly chemicals. |
| 1996 | KY | 4 | Learning Pursuits, Inc. -- $4,859 Jeanette McDermott, 1016 Baxter Ave., Louisville, KY 40204 No Place Like Dome The No Place Like Dome project is helping high school students see the possibilities of the environmental career options available to them. The project provides a setting which allows students to work with industry and government environmental professionals in the process of planning, designing, and constructing a solar-powered demonstration classroom and greenhouse. |
| 1996 | LA | 6 | Zachary Historical Association -- $5,000 Lois Hastings, P. O. Box 1144, Zachary, LA 70791 Environmental Awareness and Testing Program The Environmental Awareness and Testing Program involves 1,000 local middle school students (of whom approximately 50 percent are from a minority population), including special education students with mental and physical handicaps. At the Zachary Historical Association's unique facility, the students are learning research and testing techniques through hands-on experiences. |
| 1996 | ME | 1 | Aroostook Literacy Coalition -- $9,650 Ervin MacDonald, P. O. Box 190, Houlton, ME 04730 Pollution Prevention Education Project for the General Public The Aroostook Literacy Coalition is a diverse, nonprofit organization that proposes to educate people in the state's northernmost, rural county about pollution prevention by offering a seminar series in each of six locations throughout the county. Topics in the Pollution Prevention Education Project for the General Public are based upon a statewide survey done under the "Maine Environmental Priorities Project" and include "Eco" tourism, air quality, sustainable forestry practices, drinking water quality, and regulations for recreational vehicle usage. Seminars are being designed so that participants can develop strategies to balance economic development, tourism, recreation, and preservation in their communities. |
| 1996 | ME | 1 | Houlton High School -- $5,000 Christy Fitzpatrick, P. O. Box 190, Houlton, ME 04730 Yard Waste Composting: Community Service Curriculum The Yard Waste Composting: Community Service Curriculum project is developing a core of trained students to set up and monitor a pilot project on yard waste composting during the 1996-1997 school year. It will educate local citizens on the importance of composting yard waste, allow students and teachers a chance to use an experimental science class designed around a real-life project, and provide citizens of the Houlton area with a local site to compost yard waste. Students will create experimental plots to test various compost recipes, rates of turning, and physical arrangements for compost formation. |
| 1996 | MD | 3 | Calvert County Public Schools -- $24,975 Jo Ann Roberts, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Workshop - Creating and Using a School Yard Habitat This project involves the development of a teacher workshop prototype to create and enhance a wildlife habitat area on school grounds. Training will be provided by a team from state, federal, and local agencies. |
| 1996 | MD | 3 | Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Lynn Hoot, 53 Slama Road, Edgewater, MD 21037 Envirothon Maryland high school students will learn through competition at the annual statewide "Envirothon. The goal of the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts is to expand the competition from 21 Maryland counties to all 24 counties. Also, this year they plan to start a noncompetitive summer program for middle school students. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club -- $5,000 Kevin T. Knobloch, 5 Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108 The Urban Stewards Program The Urban Stewards Program is a community-based conservation project, as well as an environmental careers training program, for urban youth in the diverse and disadvantaged community of Chelsea. Participants in the program are teaching outreach and advocacy skills through the process of planning, promoting, and implementing a neighborhood environmental service project. The project is providing youth with the necessary training to become more competitive candidates for employment in the environmental and recreational fields. It also will help young people establish a community base for the maintenance of local parks and green spaces and to provide support for environmental issues. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | E.N. Rogers Middle School, Lowell -- $5,000 Joseph Mastrocola, 89 Appleton Street, Lowell, MA 01852 The Merrimack River: Our Ecological and Industrial Lifeline The Merrimack River: Our Ecological and Industrial Lifeline project will focus on educating teachers, students, and the public about human health problems from environmental pollution. The E.N. Rogers Environmental School, in collaboration with several partners, will use an environmental thematic curriculum to have students: examine the effects of water quality on an urban river; collaborate over the Internet with students from Great Britain on historical comparative research; and develop critical thinking, problem solving, decision making and laboratory skills. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Harvard School of Public Health -- $9,000 Marshall Katler, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 Environmental Health Education Project The Environmental Health Education Project, which is an expansion of an existing Harvard School of Public Health program, aims to increase awareness of the environment and its effects on health among fifth grade public school students by sharing technical expertise with teachers and students. The project is a hands-on educational outreach program that brings high quality instruction about human health and its relation to the environment to inner-city school children. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society, Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary -- $5,000 Tony Symasko, 127 Combs Road, Easthampton, MA 01027 An Urban Collaborative Providing Environmental Field Trips Through this project, the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, in partnership with local organizations, provides summer environmental field trips for minority youth in Holyoke. Hispanic children between the ages of five and 12 who live in Holyoke housing development projects or are served by social agencies or nonprofit agencies are being introduced to environmental science through field trips to nearby natural areas, hands-on activities, and simple biological testing techniques. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary -- $5,000 Deborah Carey, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester, MA 01604-3346 Urban Youth: Bridging the Gap to Nature The Urban Youth: Bridging the Gap to Nature project is educating the underserved, minority residents of Worcester through the program. Participants will be engaged in one of the following types of activities: after-school workshops for elementary students, teen parenting programs, summer programs in the parks, and preschool workshops. The emphasis is on hands-on, inquiry-based, self-directed learning, in which the minds and hearts of students are engaged. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Environmental Law Enforcement, Riverways Program -- $20,000 Maria Van Dusen, 100 Cambridge Street, Room 1901, Boston, MA 02202 Riverways Shoreline Surveys for Massachusetts Communities The Riverways Shoreline Survey promotes the protection and restoration of rivers in Massachusetts by teaching citizens about the components of healthy rivers and encouraging active stewardship through stream adoption. Community groups will conduct shoreline surveys using Adopt-A-Stream manuals and supported by Riverways staff. Each survey will provide baseline data on nonpoint source pollution, stream flow, and riparian habitat so the groups can determine priorities for their stream section and implement their action plan with the assistance of local citizens, municipal governments, businesses, civic organizations, and Riverways staff. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Metropolitan District Commission -- $4,500 Karl Pastore, 20 Somerset Street, Boston, MA 02108 Environmental Education Obstacle Course The Environmental Education Obstacle Course is offering metropolitan Boston area teachers and community group leaders an experiential program that fosters an understanding of key environmental concepts and enhances their environmental teaching skills. The project involves a 0.75 mile loop trail with four stations. Using a workbook provided, teams of teachers will perform a variety of tasks, including such things as water quality sampling and map reading, and answer a series of questions related to the environment. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | The Thoreau Society, Inc. -- $20,000 Tom Harris, 44 Baker Farm, Lincoln, MA 01773 The Environmental Teacher Workshop The Environmental Teacher Workshop focuses on the capacity of teachers to teach environmental studies across disciplines and to raise the environmental consciousness of high school students to prepare them to be committed, environmentally literate adults. This project will be accomplished by means of a six-week summer workshop at the Thoreau Institute in Lincoln. During the workshop, high school teachers are learning a multidisciplinary approach to environmental studies and will have an opportunity to work with world-class Thoreau scholars, botanists, geologists, environmentalists, and other professionals to prepare lesson plans for units to be taught the following fall. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | University of Massachusetts Extension Service -- $5,000 Robert Schrader, 215 Stockbridge Hall, Amherst, MA 01003 Model for Community Environmental Education The Model for Community Environmental Education project is completing the "Taunton River Watershed Connections Curriculum" for students in sixth through twelfth grades. The curriculum has been in development for four years. It will serve as a model for watershed outreach in pollution prevention from the school to the local community and businesses. The project team of scientists and educators will test, evaluate, and finalize the curriculum and disseminate the final product along with resource kits through workshops for teachers in the Taunton River watershed. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School -- $5,000 Margaret Wise, 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Summer Exploratory Program in Environmental Technologies The Summer Exploratory Program in Environmental Technologies project is attracting students into the school's Environmental Technology Program and ultimately into environmental careers by providing seventh and eighth graders with a summer exploratory education program. As a result of this project, students increase their awareness of the environment, become more knowledgeable about careers in the environmental field, and enroll in an environmental technology career pathway. |
| 1996 | MA | 1 | Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head -- $12,555 Philippe Jordi, 20 Black Brook Road, Gay Head, MA 02535 The Aquinnah Environmental Education Project The Aquinnah Environmental Education Project is using existing environmental curricula and case studies to develop a tribal environmental handbook. The goal of the project is to protect the Tribal lands' ecologically sensitive watershed from pollution, loss of wildlife habitat, and fisheries decline. It also includes hands-on field investigations and workshops to provide project participants with the skills they need to make informed environmental policy decisions. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | Allegan Intermediate School District (ISD) -- $5,000 Linda Gan, Supervisor, Special Programs and Projects, 310 Thomas Street, Allegan, MI 49010 Applied Environmental Education and Community Involvement in Allegan County The Applied Environmental Education and Community Involvement project in Allegan County involves a partnership with the local village and community and Allegan County Intermediate School District to teach students about the local watershed and municipal and wastewater treatment systems by engaging them in water quality testing. Students are gathering and analyzing the data with the local village and Department of Natural Resources, and students will present the information to the community through local forums. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District -- $5,000 Robert W. Ling, Jr., Director, Clear Lake Education Center, 2525 Third Avenue South, Escanaba, MI 49829 Multicultural Forestry Camp The Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District is conducting a Multicultural Forestry Camp for African American, Native American, and Pacific Islanders to teach math and science and encourage the pursuit of environmental careers. Hands-on problem solving exercises are being led by natural resource professionals at the Hiawatha National Forest, Clear Lake Education Center, and the Michigan Technological University campus. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | Glencairn Elementary School -- $5,000 Kari L. Naghtin, Associate Principal, 939 N. Harrison, East Lansing, MI 48823 Wetland-Watershed Environmental Education Project In partnership with Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Michigan State University, and the Lansing Area Groundwater Management Board, the Wetland-Watershed Environmental Education Project is educating its teachers about groundwater, wetlands, and watersheds. Along with their 225 elementary students, the teachers monitor and protect the school's wetland and use it as a training ground for hands-on education. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $5,000 Joan Schumaker-Chadde, Education Outreach Specialist, Regional GEM Center, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295 Watershed Education Program The Watershed Education Program consists of various professional development opportunities for formal and nonformal educators in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Included are one-day awareness workshops focused on cross-curriculum integration of existing water education resources; a one-week in-depth, hands-on workshop in water sampling, including chemical and biological water assessment and computer technology work; and a mini-grant program so workshop participants can purchase supplies for the classroom. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | The Greening of Detroit -- $5,000 Denise Wecker-Seipke, Executive Director, Whittier Towers, 415 Burns Drive, Detroit, MI 48214 Treekeepers Tree-Keepers Training Workshops assist community residents and volunteers in reforesting and revitalizing the empowerment zone in Detroit. Once trained, the treekeeper teams work closely with neighborhood groups to select, plant, and maintain tree stock on public lands. |
| 1996 | MI | 5 | U-SNAP-BAC, Inc. -- $6,450 Linda Smith, Executive Director, 11101 Morang, Detroit, MI 48224 Environmental Negotiations Skills Seminars Environmental Negotiations Skills Seminars are two-day seminars offered by U-SNAP-BAC and several partners to residents in the east side of Detroit. The seminars teach participants how to negotiate with financial institutions, developers, and state and local governmental agencies on residential, commercial, and industrial redevelopment of Brownfields and other urban sites. Brownfields are abandoned or under-used industrial sites. These model seminars employ an innovative role-play technique and include a feedback tool that enables groups to monitor their negotiation behaviors and evaluate progress. U-SNAP-BAC will develop a final product that describes the process of planning and offering these seminars to enable other communities to offer similar programs. |
| 1996 | MN | 5 | Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota -- $5,000 Kevin Williams, Curator of Exhibitions, 10 Church Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Making Urban Students Environmentally Aware Through Object-Based Learning The Making Urban Students Environmentally Aware Through Object-Based Learning project provides professional development opportunities on environmental issues such as wetlands, soils, and habitats for teachers in ten urban, alternative schools of Minneapolis. Workshops employ object-based learning and will be followed up with class visits by educators in museums to assist teachers in the transfer of materials and teaching strategies to the classroom. |
| 1996 | MN | 5 | Dakota County Environmental Education Program -- $5,000 Charlotte Shover, Environmental Education Coordinator, 821 Third Street, Suite 100, Farmington, MN 55024 Dissemination and Embellishment of Project WET Materials Dissemination and Embellishment of Project WET Materials involves a partnership with the Minnesota Zoo to support Project WET teacher workshops by providing and disseminating resource materials throughout the county. The environmental education coordinator is developing water history trunks and is purchasing materials that educators can use after they attend Project WET workshops. Dakota County also will work to connect teachers interested in water-quality education with city staff working on water quality and natural resource issues. |
| 1996 | MN | 5 | Minneapolis Public Schools -- $4,820 Linda Bjorklund, Development Coordinator, 807 Northeast Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55413 Lincoln Environmental Project The Lincoln Environmental Project enhances teacher effectiveness in the teaching of science at Lincoln Fundamental, a public elementary school located in a federally-designated enterprise community. Along with parent and community volunteers, Lincoln's staff will be trained to design and establish a natural environment on the school grounds. Once trained, the teachers will lead their students through hands-on experiences in order to beautify the school grounds. |
| 1996 | MS | 4 | Keep Mississippi Beautiful/People Against Litter -- $5,000 Sharon M. Buckner, 4785 I 55 N. Suite 103, Jackson, MS 39206 Teacher Environmental Workshop The Teacher Environmental Workshop is introducing the Keep America Beautiful elementary curriculum - A Waste In Place - to educators for use in their classrooms. The emphasis of the program is reduction of solid waste and litter prevention through waste reduction, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy programs, and landfills. A series of nine workshops will target 223 teachers across the state of Mississippi. |
| 1996 | MS | 4 | Piney Woods Country Life School -- $4,500 Shayne Banks, P. O. Box 99, Piney Woods, MS 39148 Interdisciplinary Summer Institute Environmental Education Camp The Interdisciplinary Summer Institute Environmental Education Camp project is encouraging students to explore environmental careers by introducing them to environmental issues and the management and preservation of natural resources. A camp for youth from 11 to 15 years old will be conducted. The camp will put emphasis on developing critical-thinking skills as applied to environmental issues and stimulating students' minds relative to general environmental issues and concerns. |
| 1996 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $14,012 Dr. Larry DeBuhr, P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166 Dissemination of Environmental Science Curriculum The Dissemination of Environmental Science Curriculum project improves environmental education teaching skills of teachers of second to fifth grades by disseminating an existing environmental science curriculum to new audiences using the Internet and World Wide Web. The immediate target audience is teachers at 5,000 elementary schools already using The Environment video series. The video series shows children how to investigate an environmental issue and identify ways to help solve environmental problems or change their own behavior. |
| 1996 | MO | 7 | University of Missouri - St. Louis -- $24,660 Marvin Beckerman, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, MO 63121-4499 Environmental Citizenship This project improves environmental education skills of the teachers involved in the project and those education majors who serve as facilitators for the project. The project involves 150 students from six middle schools in St. Louis and St. Louis County. The focus will be on four issues: toxic waste, solid waste, air pollution, and mass transit. An investigative approach is used where students investigate the issues, discuss, develop, and implement a plan. |
| 1996 | MT | 8 | Blackfeet Community College -- $5,000 Carol Murray, P. O. Box 819, Browning Glacier County, MT 59417 Environmental Careers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation The purpose of this project is to establish a natural resources camp to educate the general public and promote environmental careers for the youth on the reservation. Presentations provide a hands-on learning experience to increase knowledge of environmental issues. This project educates the students, parents, and volunteers about natural resource issues important on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. |
| 1996 | MT | 8 | Montana State University Extension -- $5,000 Sherry Lajeunesse, 334 Leon Johnson Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717 Electronic Landscape This project creates an electronic home and garden center which uses state-of-the-art communication measures to educate and modify homeowner behavior. The project provides research-based, un-biased information to teach homeowners to solve their own landscape, home, and garden problems through multi-disciplinary approaches. |
| 1996 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $5,000 Mike Cavey, Room 203 Tatlor Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717 Montana Project Learning Tree This project is for kindergarten through 12th grade teachers. It develops state capacity for promoting environmental education and outdoor education. Teachers learn ways to infuse environmental education into existing curricula. Efforts are being made to secure participation by Native American teachers. |
| 1996 | MT | 8 | Northern Plains Resource Council -- $5,000 Denise Roth/Teresa Erickson, 2401 Montana Avenue, #220, Billings, MT 59101 Pollution Prevention Project This pollution prevention project, focused in the Yellowstone County community, motivates and increases the level of citizen involvement in environmental issues. Citizens adopt strategies to reduce or prevent health impacts from various forms of pollution. |
| 1996 | MT | 8 | Salish Kootenai College -- $39,296 (HQ Grant) Kimberly Skyelander, P. O. Box 117, Highway 83, Pablo, MT 59855 Flathead Indian Reservation Pollution Prevention Education Program The Salish Kootenai College project educates the population of Arlee, Montana about the human health problems that will result from an unsafe drinking source for the community. Participants in the Flathead Indian Reservation Pollution Prevention Education Program are developing a public outreach program using local media to spark interest and curiosity among Arlee residents about the quality of their water. They also are developing pollution prevention education workshops to educate the community about the threats to their water supply and discuss potential strategies to protect it. Finally, the program offers technical support to the Arlee community to implement their pollution control strategies. The target audience is the general population of 489 residents in Arlee on the Flathead Indian Reservation, half of whom are Native American. The project uses existing partnerships and can be duplicated on other reservations. |
| 1996 | NE | 7 | Educational Service Unit #13 -- $25,000 Penny Businga, 4215 Avenue 1, Scottsbluff, NE 69361 Exemplary Teacher Training The Exemplary Teacher Training project improves environmental education teaching skills for teachers of kindergarten through eighth grade by the development and implementation of an environmental education curriculum and teacher resource guide unique to western Nebraska. Teaching skills are enhanced by training lead teachers and through the dissemination workshops at which the guide will be available in both printed and electronic (Internet) form. The target audience is 500 teachers and 6,200 students within 20 school districts throughout western Nebraska. |
| 1996 | NE | 7 | Lincoln Children's Museum -- $4,825 Lindy Bull, 121 S. 13th St., Lincoln Square, Lincoln, NE 68508 Water Resources Exhibit & Workshop Lincoln Children's Museum Water Resources Exhibit & Workshop increases public understanding of urban and rural water sources and the impact of human activities as they relate to the quality and quantity of these sources. The target audience includes preschool and elementary-age children and their families. An interactive exhibit allows children and their families to explore the sources of community and rural water supplies. Workshops are being conducted for the general public using groundwater models. |
| 1996 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Association of Resources Districts -- $15,000 Craig Gottschalk, 601 S. 12th St., Suite 201, Lincoln, NE 68508 1996 National Envirothon Competition The 1996 National Envirothon Competition enhances student and teacher interest and participation in environmental education. The project increases state participation from 30 to 40 states, Canadian participation from one to four provinces, and participation from three states of Mexico. Envirothon stimulates accelerated growth of the Nebraska state environmental education program. |
| 1996 | NE | 7 | Nebraska State 4-H Camp -- $5,360 Bernie Lorkovic, P. O. Box 87, Halsey, NE 69142 The NatureLink Family Outdoor Education Weekend The NatureLink Family Outdoor Education Weekend is a family-oriented outdoor environmental education program designed to link people to nature and the environment and in doing so, helps to educate the public to appreciate and conserve natural resources. The target audience is approximately 100 people from urban and suburban families who spend a weekend to incorporate hands-on experiential environmental education activities. |
| 1996 | NE | 7 | Prairie Plains Resource Institute -- $5,000 William S. Whitney, 1307 S. Street, Aurora, NE 68818-2126 Summer Orientation About Rivers (S.O.A.R.) Summer Orientation About Rivers (S.O.A.R.) is a two-week day camp for 120 students from grades three through six. The primary purpose is exposing elementary students to watershed concepts, biodiversity, and ecological relationships. Concentration will be on aquatic and terrestrial aspects of the Platte River ecosystem. A secondary purpose is the use of classroom teachers which will result in a teacher training program. |
| 1996 | NV | 9 | Clark County School District -- $15,165 Carol Tipton, 2832 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121 Improving Teaching in K-5 Environmental Sciences: Field-based Experience with Environmental Scientists for Elementary Teachers and Follow-up Development of Model Instructional Guides With assistance from this grant, a model is being developed for enhancing training for teaching elementary school-level environmental science using the district's Whitney Mesa Preserve and the Bureau of Land Management's Red Rock Canyon. Scientists from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Desert Science Institute, and Southern Nevada Water Authority are collaborating with 24 teachers to produce a field-based instructional guide which will be used to spread the program in subsequent years throughout the school district. |
| 1996 | NV | 9 | Shoshone-Paiute Tribe -- $5,000 Walden Townsend, P. O. Box 219, Owyhee, NV 89832 One-Week Workshop for Junior Hight Students from Owyhee Combined Schools to Survey Solid Waste Practices and to Identify and Make Recommendations of Alternatives to the Tribal Council The Shoshone-Paiute Tribe is conducting a one-week workshop for junior high school students at Duck Valley Reservation, which is led by tribal members enrolled at Boise State University. During the workshop, students survey solid waste generation and disposal on the reservation, identify reduction strategies, and deliver a formal report to the Tribal Council. |
| 1996 | NV | 9 | Washoe County School District -- $5,000 Stacey Endres, 425 East 9th Street, Reno, NV 89520 Teacher Training in Interdisciplinary Great Basin Curriculum and Outdoor Classroom Activities The Washoe County School District is providing a three-day outdoor environmental education experience at Great Basin for 180 sixth-grade students. The project trains 10 to15 teachers to use the Great Basin Interdisciplinary Curriculum. After receiving training, they can lead 25 high school students in a two-day outdoor education training field trip. Ultimately, the high school students will serve as mentors to the elementary students for their three-day program. |
| 1996 | NH | 1 | Granite State Association of the Future Farmers of America -- $4,313 Richard L. Barker, c/o NH Dept. of Education, 101 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301 Teacher Education in Integrated Pest Management and Pesticides Application The Teacher Education in Integrated Pest Management and Pesticides Application project is educating environmental, agricultural, and natural resources high school teachers about integrated pest management (IPM) and pesticides in their environment. The program features an initial workshop for 30 teachers, demonstrates how to integrate instructional materials distributed during the workshop into their school curriculum, and provides on-site, follow-up visits to provide further information and instruction and to gauge additional teacher and student needs. |
| 1996 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Dick Obyc, P. O. Box 2042, Concord, NH 03302-2042 New Hampshire Envirothon The New Hampshire Envirothon is a growing national environmental education program aimed at public and private high school students and their teachers. The program for our future decision makers is designed to improve environmental awareness and appreciation for wise management and protection of natural resources. A training workshop conducted in the spring provides students and teachers an opportunity for hands-on learning through research and discussion and evaluation of natural resource issues. Students then participate in a statewide competition in a national Envirothon. |
| 1996 | NJ | 2 | Camp Vacamas -- $5,000 Michael H. Friedman, 256 Macopin Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 The Teachers Utilizing Natural Environments Program (TUNE) The Teachers Utilizing Natural Environments Program (TUNE) will train 15 teachers and provide 100 students from elementary schools in Paterson to use the camp's outdoor facility for hands-on environmental learning experiences. TUNE will provide inner-city educators and students with the knowledge and opportunity to explore the environment and acquire the thinking skills needed to solve problems. The teacher workshops will be followed by a practical teaching weekend during which the educator-participants will teach the environmental lessons to students from their schools. The resulting In-TUNE With Nature manual will combine teaching materials and participants suggestions. |
| 1996 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy and Education Fund of New Jersey -- $5,000 Ralph Scott, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 The Paterson Childhood Lead Poisoning Train-The-Trainer Project The Paterson Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Train-The-Trainer Project is training 60 staff members from organizations in Paterson to teach their constituents about childhood lead poisoning and its prevention and enhance efforts to teach family members about local lead poisoning regulations. It is one of the first to target Paterson's Arabic population. This program will bring in as partners key organizations, agencies, and institutions that have strong relationships with low-income families and have the capacity to interact directly with them. The goal is to educate and encourage compliance with local laws requiring lead inspection and remediation in residential properties prior to re-rental or sale. |
| 1996 | NJ | 2 | Hackensack Meadowlands Development Corporation -- $4,870 Anne Galli, Two DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071-3707 The New Jersey Critical Environmental Issues Seminar The New Jersey Critical Environmental Issues Seminar is a two-week graduate level course for formal and nonformal educators of sixth through twelfth grades which consists of presentations, field trips, hands-on workshops, laboratory testing, and role-plays. The programming is designed to improve the environmental literacy and decision making skills of teachers and parents and encourage them to disseminate this knowledge and these skills to their constituencies. The focus of this seminar will be to pilot an environmental health component with a concentration on community-based issues and a newly strengthened section on wetlands. |
| 1996 | NJ | 2 | The Wetlands Institute -- $22,039 Karen Bage, 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247-1424 Facilitator and Teacher Training Workshops: WOW!: The Wonders of Wetlands WOW!: The Wonders of Wetlands workshops are training 120 educators throughout New Jersey. The project provides additional training for 40 Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) facilitators and 80 educators in three workshops in WOW!, a recently developed Project WET curriculum. WOW!, designed to improve environmental education skills for formal and nonformal educators, provides hands-on activities emphasizing problem solving, investigative learning, and critical thinking about wetlands. Additional workshops on freshwater and saltwater wetlands will teach participants environmental education techniques and ways to incorporate wetlands curricular activities into their programs. In addition, within one year 800 additional educators should be reached as trained facilitators conduct additional workshops. |
| 1996 | NM | 6 | Las Cruces Public Schools -- $4,500 Marcy Oxford, 505 South Main Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001 Outdoor Classroom This project involves Hillside Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade who are predominantly Hispanic in pilot testing hands-on environmental curriculum at an outdoor classroom located on 10 acres of trust lands donated by the New Mexico Land Office. The students will focus on plant and animal study, archaeology, and geology. |
| 1996 | NM | 6 | Pueblo of Pojoaque -- $24,920 Ron Martinez, Route 11, Box 208, Santa Fe, NM 87501 DOER (Developing Ownership of Environmental Resources) Program The DOER (Developing Ownership of Environmental Resources) Program involves 150 students in sixth through eighth grades in hands-on activities, a participatory lecture series, and on-site field trips relating to water issues. |
| 1996 | NM | 6 | Regents of New Mexico State University, Waste Management Education & Research Consortium -- $144,981 (HQ Grant) Dr. Larryl K. Matthews, Engineering Research Center, Office of Sponsored Programs, Box 30001, Dept. 3699, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 New Mexico/Mexico Needs Assessment and Environmental Teacher Training Program The Waste-Management Education & Research Consortium at New Mexico State University project will conduct workshops to expand the environmental teaching capabilities of high school science and math teachers in New Mexico and the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The New Mexico/Mexico Needs Assessment and Environmental Teacher Training Program ensures that high school environmental curricula reflect state-of-the art environmental education by training border area teachers to use existing environmental education resources such as New Mexico State Department of Education Benchmarks/Standards and National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training guidelines. A needs assessment is being conducted prior to the workshops to ensure their effectiveness. The more than 150 teachers who are being trained ultimately hope to reach an audience of more than 100,000 Mexican students and 82,000 high school students from New Mexico, including Native American and Hispanic students. |
| 1996 | NM | 6 | Young Women's Christian Association -- $25,000 Diane Mourning Brown, 7201 Paseo del Norte NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 YWCA Kids and the Environment More than 5,000 children and 600 adults participate in the YWCA Kids and the Environment program located in three economically and culturally diverse communities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Activities relate to pollution and source reduction, wildlife statutes, geology, and natural resource management and erosion control. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Beaver Lake Nature Center -- $4,295 Bruce W. Stebbins, 8477 East Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville, NY 13027 Beaver Lake Nature Center Educational Activity Guide Funding will be used to develop the Beaver Lake Nature Center Educational Activity Guide and its related teacher workshop and to compile an environmental education reference library. The activity guide and workshop will provide teachers with activities before, during, and following visits to the 596- acre natural area that receives 400 class visits each year. The guide and workshop will increase the abilities of participating teachers to take fuller advantage of the center's diverse collection of natural resources. The reference library will provide needed environmental education resources for the local educational community. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Boys Harbor, Inc. -- $5,000 Dr. Robert Wallace, 1 East 104th Street, Room 578, New York, NY 10029 Environmental Education Workshops For Parents The Environmental Education Workshops For Parents project is reaching out to the parents of the children in its East and Central Harlem community to help them learn more about their children as they discover the ways in which their lives are intertwined with the environment. This program will consist of four workshops to teach parents how their children are acquiring math, reading, and writing skills in an integrated environmental science curriculum, how urban ecology impacts their lives, the ways in which city dwellers can change their environment, and how their children use technology in the classroom. The program seeks to enlist adults in their children's efforts to become citizens who take an active role in making well-informed environmental choices. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Center For The Urban Environment -- $5,000 John C. Muir, The Tennis House, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 11215-9992 Coming to Grips With Toxics and Water Quality on the Gowanus Canal Coming to Grips With Toxics and Water Quality on the Gowanus Canal is bringing together the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (BCUE) with the New York City Community School District 15 and the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation to improve teaching skills and instruction. The project is focusing on environmental issues in Gowanus, an old industrialized and residential district in New York City. Impacted by pollution hazards resulting from its use for sewage and industrial waste, the Gowanus Canal will be central to BCUE's program. Teacher workshops, demonstration field-study programs, and a teacher resource package will target 25 teachers in Gowanus schools and 360 of their pupils. In addition, BCUE will reach out to the parents and local community residents through a variety of media. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Cayuga Nature Center -- $4,995 Janet E. Hawkes, 1420 Taughannock Boulevard, Ithaca, NY 14850 Water Quality Monitoring Network & Teacher To preserve water quality in the Finger Lakes region by preventing nonpoint source pollution, the Water Quality Monitoring Network & Teacher project targets educators and their students in fourth through twelfth grades to raise their awareness regarding water pollution. Educators who have not previously participated in water quality monitoring will be trained to test the chemical, physical, and biological parameters of water quality. The program also will provide the training and a supportive network for central New York State teachers who are participating in water monitoring projects. It will establish a database of information gathered by new and ongoing class projects. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Columbus Elementary School -- $5,000 Patricia Wood, 275 Washington Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801 Investigating the Impact of Urban Development on Long Island Sound This project is targeting second and fifth grade teachers and students in its multi-cultural urban population in a project to enable them to accept stewardship of Long Island Sound. Participants will receive training, develop units in English and Spanish, explore the impact of urban development on Long Island Sound, and develop bilingual, interactive environmental education exhibits and multimedia slide shows about Long Island Sound. Materials developed will be available to other New Rochelle schools. The project involves a partnership with the Norwalk Maritime Center in Connecticut. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Dutchess Community College -- $19,800 Dr. Arthur H. Pritchad, 53 Pendell Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 The Dutchess Academy for Environmental Studies The Dutchess Academy for Environmental Studies is an alternative educational program offering a two-year occupational environmental education program for 36 Dutchess County junior and senior high school students. The project is sponsored by the Dutchess Community College and the Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). After spending mornings at their schools in traditional courses, during the afternoon students will take courses at the community college's Norrie Point Environmental Site. The project will provide an educational alternative for students interested in the environment but not stimulated by traditional high school programs. The program will also provide in-service summer training and follow-up support to Dutchess County science teachers interested in infusing environmental monitoring and data collection and entry into their programs. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Homer Central School -- $4,901 Thaddeus Schug, 80 South West Street, Homer, NY 13077 Homer Environmental Science Program The Homer Environmental Science Program in rural New York is targeting teachers of secondary biology, chemistry, and general science in schools which have or want to start aquatic study programs. The project is encouraging development of student-driven, open-ended laboratory studies. Four teacher workshops will train teachers in biological and chemical testing, provide instruction on the building of aquatic sampling devices and computer training, and build partnerships with regional districts for experimental aquatic studies through networking and data analysis. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) -- $5,000 Michael Johnston, P. O. Box 189, Morrisville, NY 13408 The Madison County Community Water Resources Education Program The Madison County Community Water Resources Education Program is enabling a local government unit to initiate an educational program designed to conserve natural resources and prevent nonpoint source water pollution. The program will provide participating educators with resources to study a local water issue. The program enables teachers to either avail themselves of educational support services from the county's Soil and Water Conservation District in the form of classroom visits from staff or receive support to design their own programs to study a local water resource with students. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Phipps Community Development Corporation -- $5,000 Andrew Hyde, 43 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010 The Beacon Environmental Careers Program (BECP) The Beacon Environmental Careers Program is a year-long initiative to provide teenagers from the South Bronx with an understanding of environmental careers and insight into the environmental conditions of their immediate community, West Farms, and the larger environmental issues of New York City. The project is incorporating pollution prevention initiatives, will educate high school students about careers as environmental professionals, and help students to understand the many-faceted environmental problems and solutions faced in the real world. Community service and outreach, career mentors, laboratory and observational activities, and workshops and meetings with professionals in the field will give young people background and experience with environmental issues and solutions. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Schenectady County Community College -- $4,979 Edward S. Baker, 78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12305 Environmental Science Teacher In-Service Institute Schenectady County Community College will work with Capital Region Maritime Center and the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to produce a three-week Environmental Science Teacher In-Service Institute for regional educators of sixth through twelfth grades. The program will be fieldwork-based to assist teachers in development of classroom activities from existing environmental science curricula which pertain to local watershed issues and which are consistent with curricula approved by the state Board of Regents. The program will assist teachers in evaluating sites for field trips to develop students critical thinking skills and host a networking conference to enable participants to share their successes in integrating local watershed issues into environmental science curricula. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Schoharie County School Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,930 Brenda Weaver, 41 S. Grand Street, Cobleskill, NY 12043 Septic Systems and Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Program Students and teachers in fourth through sixth grades in six county school districts are the primary focus of the Septic Systems and Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Program. The goal of the program is educating county residents about the significance of septic systems in nonpoint source water pollution. Objectives are to help residents understand the nature of the karst topography of the region, home septic systems and their connection with water quality protection, and principles of water conservation. The program will combine school programs with educational outreach to community groups and local government, encouraging all participants to take action to prevent drinking water contamination through septic system care. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Shoreham-Wading River Central School District -- $4,986 Dr. Margaret Conover, Route 25A, Shoreham, NY 11786 Learning To Live In The Long Island Pine Barrens Science Museum The Learning To Live In The Long Island Pine Barrens Science Museum project is enabling educators of fourth through seventh grades to use educational materials concerning the Long Island Pine Barrens, an ecosystem which lies atop a glacial aquifer upon which the drinking water of Long Island is dependent. Teachers are becoming familiar with existing curricula, being provided with opportunities to develop field skills, and are supported in efforts to create a school ground field study site. A program of workshops, field trips, and in-school consultations with a naturalist will enable participants to conduct a week-long interdisciplinary pine barrens unit for their classes. An understanding of the roles played by development, fire, and water in the pine barrens will enable students to make more informed decisions about this ecosystem. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | St. Regis Mohawk Tribe -- $5,000 Ken Jack, RR1 Box 8A, Community Building, Hogansburg, NY 13655 Indoor Air Quality Awareness Program The St. Regis Tribe's Indoor Air Quality Awareness Program is providing oversight in the development and organization of a series of seminars focusing on indoor air quality and especially its presence in homes on the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation. The seminars will draw on the expertise of environmental professionals. Radon, environmental tobacco smoke, biological contaminants, combustion heating appliances, household products, formaldehyde, pesticides, asbestos, and lead will be the topics of the seminar. Health effects will be a focus, as well as low cost technology, prevention, and control methods. Available government and institutional resources will be identified and the ability to assist individuals with problems will be explored. The goal is for seminar participants to acquire the skills to resolve indoor air quality problems on their own and understand what actions others can take to assist them. |
| 1996 | NY | 2 | Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary -- $4,955 Mary E. Richard, 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 Teacher Education Workshops and Environmental Teaching Kits A combination of teacher education workshops and environmental teaching kits will be offered to educators on New York's Long Island enabling them to bring important local environmental issues to their students. Workshops and kits will include such topics as: pine barrens and groundwater, migratory birds, solid waste, Long Island Sound, and endangered species. Each of these topics has specific critical importance for Long Island residents. The workshops will show educators how to incorporate materials into classroom curricula; the kits will provide all materials needed to involve students in these areas of concern. |
| 1996 | NC | 4 | East Carolina University -- $25,750 (HQ Grant) Dr. Katherine Warsco, School of Environmental Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353 Designing For Good Indoor Air Quality: Student Design Competition as a Teaching Tool The East Carolina University project assists postsecondary instructors and students of design to further their knowledge of indoor air quality issues and apply this knowledge to develop innovative solutions for radon-free, nontoxic, and allergy-free interiors. Designing for Good Indoor Air Quality: Student Design Competition as a Teaching Tool is accomplishing this by developing, disseminating, and implementing materials of design to increase student and instructor knowledge of indoor air quality issues. The project sponsors a student competition that is challenging students to put their knowledge of indoor air quality issues to effective use. The project has a broad target audience--560 faculty and 30,000 students in two and four-year university interior design programs in the U.S. The coastal southeast region is the primary focus because of the region's large population of low income elderly people living in older homes that tend to have indoor air quality problems. The project ultimately is promoting a healthier living environment for individuals living in that region and can be duplicated elsewhere. |
| 1996 | NC | 4 | Pembroke State University -- $4,994 Dr. Thomas Ross, One University Drive, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 Outdoor Learning Classroom: Environmental Workshop The Outdoor Learning Classroom: Environmental Workshop is focusing upon improving environmental education skills for science teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade. An outdoor learning classroom will be created and workshops will assist teachers in using the facility. The outdoor classroom will give students a wide variety of hands-on environmental learning experiences. |
| 1996 | NC | 4 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington -- $22,680 Pamela B. Whitlock, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403 Project US-University Schools Project US-University Schools is a teacher training project updating teachers on environmental issues that affect southeast North Carolina, particularly water, air, and soil pollution. A component of the project is to train a cadre of teachers who will continue to train teachers in their districts. An awareness conference for 100 middle school teachers will lead to an intensive summer institute for 20 lead teachers. |
| 1996 | NC | 4 | Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools/Sedge Garden Elementary School -- $4,900 Donald L. Martin, Jr., P. O. Box 2513, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2513 Hands-on and Minds-on Environmental Education The Hands-on and Minds-on Environmental Education project is providing teachers and students with training and instruction which will improve environmental education and learning in the classroom. Improving skills for teachers, faculty, and nonformal educators will be achieved through workshops. Members of the general public will be reached through a community-based organization. The project will result in an increased awareness of the impact of construction and the community's traditional agricultural activities on the environment. |
| 1996 | ND | 8 | North Dakota Council on the Arts -- $5,000 Troyd Geist, 4118 E. Broadway, Ste 70, Bismarck, ND 58501-4086 North Dakota Council on the Arts This project demonstrates the interplay between traditional and scientific environmental knowledge, practices, and issues. It increases public awareness of environmental issues as they relate to cultural preservation. |
| 1996 | ND | 8 | University of North Dakota -- $13,684 Dr. Sally Eckert-Tilotta, Grand Forks County, Grand Forks, ND 58202 Environmental Workshop for Science Teachers This project offers an environmental workshop for junior and senior high school science teachers. It also enables science teachers to explore the degradation of water. It includes teachers of biological and physical science and involves Native American and state schools in North Dakota. |
| 1996 | OH | 5 | Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center -- $4,525 Deb Yandala, Director, P. O. Box 222, Peninsula, OH 44264 All the Rivers Run The All the Rivers Run project consists of teacher education workshops for 300 elementary and middle school teachers in northeastern Ohio on ecosystem protection, biodiversity, and water quality issues in the Cuyahoga River watershed. The workshops are based on the center's newly developed inquiry-based curriculum. Workshops prepare teachers to bring their students to the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center for participation in a four-day residential environmental education program. |
| 1996 | OH | 5 | Glendale Habitat Discovery Garden, Inc. -- $4,786 Selene Loomis, 400 West Glendale Avenue, Bedford, OH 44146-3299 Glendale Habitat Discovery Garden Participants in the Glendale Habitat Discovery Garden project are working with Glendale Primary School to improve and expand the land laboratory that currently exists on the school grounds. The organization will also work with the Bedford City school district to integrate environmental education materials into the school's curriculum. The focus of Glendale's hands-on education program, which targets staff, PTA members, and students, is on biodiversity and sustainability. |
| 1996 | OH | 5 | Rivers Unlimited Mill Creek Restoration Project -- $35,000 (HQ Grant) Robin Corathers, Suite 610, Two Centennial Plaza, 805 Central Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Exploring the Mill Creek Valley (Phase II) The Rivers Unlimited Mill Creek Restoration project develops environmental education methods and materials for use in middle and senior high schools and communities near the severely polluted Mill Creek ecosystem in southwest Ohio. Exploring the Mill Creek Valley (Phase II) is working to motivate the communities to improve the quality of the creek by creating computer simulations of healthy landscapes and incorporating this information into interactive/multimedia materials and public exhibits. The target audience is 104 teachers and adult volunteers and 800 participating high school students attending 15 schools in the Mill Creek area. |
| 1996 | OH | 5 | University of Akron -- $23,954 Dr. Helen Qammar, Department of Chemical and Civil Engineering, University Research Center, Akron, OH 44325-2102 Vertical Integration of Environmental Design for Engineering Students Vertical Integration of Environmental Design for Engineering Students is a new environmental design curriculum being developed to engage engineering students in practical field experience. The curriculum presents students with a realistic case study about a small urban company in northeast Ohio and teaches them how to develop a pollution prevention and waste remediation design for the company. It is designed so that students can continue their work on the curriculum as they progress through their undergraduate degree program. The university hopes to promote environmental careers through the program and will share the course framework with other schools. |
| 1996 | OH | 5 | University of Cincinnati, School of Planning/DAAP -- $5,000 Dr. Jan Fritz, Professor, Box 210073, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0073 Environmental Justice Workshops University of Cincinnati's School of Planning is integrating the topic of environmental justice throughout workshops on habitat, waste, environmental health, and water. Workshops target elementary teachers, camp counselors, and youth program directors who work with inner-city children in Cincinnati. In addition to highlighting a multitude of environmental education resources, the workshops require participants to critically examine local environmental justice issues. |
| 1996 | OK | 6 | East Canadian County Conservation District -- $4,201 Tamra Mach, 1625 E. Highway 66, El Reno, OK 73036 Environmental Education for a New Generation Through Resources Days and Wildlife Education Days, 1,180 students in kindergarten through sixth grade are learning about local conservation issues through hands-on activities and an investigative approach. |
| 1996 | OK | 6 | Jasmine Moran Children's Museum -- $4,995 Tommy Mills, P. O. Box 1828, Seminole, OK 74868 Aquatic Education Exhibit The Aquatic Education Exhibit is being refurbished and further developed to teach about water pollution problems using a hands-on scientific method. Large tanks filled with water, fish, and plants show the effect of a polluted environment and how polluted water can be turned into clean water. Forty-thousand students are expected to visit annually. |
| 1996 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University, Division of Agriculture -- $5,000 C.B. Browning, 139 Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 ECO-Camp: Environmental Education and Conflict Resolution Camp for Teen Leaders ECO-Camps give participants from different backgrounds a balanced view of factors underlying environmental controversies and provide a set of conflict resolution skills to aid in addressing issues causing conflict. The project builds capacity at the local level for environmental education by introducing teen leaders to environmental concerns and building conflict resolution skills. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | Central Oregon Environmental Center -- $5,000 Peter Geiser, 16 NW Kansas Street, Bend, OR 97701 Journey for the Planet - The Kids Ecoteam Program This project educates 950 sixth-grade students in the Bend-LaPine School District about sustainable lifestyle practices. A step-by-step workbook, Journey for the Planet - The Kids Ecoteam Program, is provided to the children to learn how to change their behaviors and influence others to become more eco-wise consumers. In-service training is provided to the teachers. The project promotes partnerships with community and public organizations and empowers the students to make informed and responsible environmental decisions affecting pollution prevention. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | City of Gresham - Department of Environmental Services -- $5,000 Amy Cortese, 1550 N.W. Eastman Parkway - Suite 175, Gresham, OR 97030-3830 Naturescaping for Clean Rivers The Naturescaping for Clean Rivers program prevents pollution and improves wildlife habitat in a rapidly developing community. It informs, demonstrates, and involves volunteers in native landscaping, restoration, and enhancement of property while reducing reliance on water, fertilizers, pesticides, and energy. The project hosts workshops for 120 local property owners in the Gresham area. These workshops include field trips to demonstration sites and classroom learning about watersheds, the individual's connection to water quality, native plants, and the basic landscape design techniques. Neighborhood leaders are being recruited and trained to participate in demonstration site projects and volunteers are being recruited to assist with planting native vegetation throughout the city. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | La Grande School District - La Grande High School -- $13,167 Dolores Carmichael, 2802 Adams Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 Watershed and Forest Health Education Program Under this grant, the school district is educating 882 high school students in the biological, social, and political issues involved in watershed and forest management using an outdoor laboratory setting. Aquatic survey data from Sheep Creek and pre-reforestation data from the Rebarrow Experimental Forest is being gathered and compiled by the trained teams of students. Data will be digitized and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis will be conducted, then restoration and enhancement projects will be written and implemented for the watershed and forest study sites. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | Marcola School District 79J -- $4,997 Maurice Thorne, 38300 Wendling Road, Marcola, OR 97454 Preserving a High Quality Watershed This project expands the existing water quality monitoring program to include the high school students and other Marcola residents; propagates native plants in the school-owned arboretum; conducts cleanup and restoration projects and riparian surveys along the Mohawk River and Cartwright Creek; and, leads to the exchange of information with other school districts. These activities are being made possible by workshops with teachers, students, and residents in collaboration with McKenzie Watershed Council partner organizations and the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network. The information, data, and experiences gathered in the water quality monitoring program and workshops are being used as tools to address drinking water and groundwater protection, aquatic and upland habitat protection, and nonpoint source pollution in rural areas. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | National Wildlife Federation -- $19,085 Beth Stout, 921 S.W. Morrison Suite 512, Portland, OR 97205 Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat This project creates schoolyard wildlife habitats as outdoor classrooms at three elementary schools and one middle school in the Portland area, reaching approximately 400 students. Twelve to 16 teachers and 25 parents are trained to integrate use of the habitats into the overall school curriculum. The Federation is writing and distributing a workbook for teachers and schools on how to create schoolyard wildlife habitats in this region. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | Oregon 4-H Foundation -- $5,000 Virginia Thompson, 5390 4-H Road NW, Salem, OR 97304 4-H EM*Power Waste Management Curriculum The 4-H EM*Power Program (new 4-H Environmental Stewardship Waste Management curriculum) in Oregon is being implemented through workshops to build state-wide capacity to educate youth in waste management. These workshops are for teachers and other educators from both formal and nonformal programs. Under the leadership of adults trained in EM*Power workshops, youth in sixth through ninth grades are identifying waste management concerns; learning how waste management concerns become issues, and becoming empowered to take action on waste management issues in their community. |
| 1996 | OR | 10 | Oregon Groundwater Association -- $4,900 Nancy Sippel, 4130 SW 117th, #465, Beaverton, OR 97005 Sharing the Wealth: Groundwater, Oregon's Buried Treasure This project improves environmental education skills for teachers and students through workshops providing the basis for each school (seven selected schools around the state) to develop a unique groundwater strategy as a community outreach component. Students have a unique opportunity to create, develop, and manage a project that challenges their critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and research skills. The target audiences for this project include: the middle through high school students and teachers from the seven schools throughout Oregon who receive buried treasure chests and participate in the workshop training, and the general public in the communities of the participating schools who gain a better understanding of the prevention of groundwater contamination. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Allentown School District -- $4,325 Jane Dotter, 31 South Penn Street, Allentown, PA 18101 Training Elementary Teachers in Outdoor Environmental Workshops A minority school in downtown Allentown will integrate environmental education into the school curriculum for math, science, and English by training first through fourth grade teachers in outdoor environmental workshop settings. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Fairmont Park Historic Preservation Trust -- $5,000 Amy Freitag, 1616 Walnut Street, Suite 2310, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Community-based Environmental Education Program to Restore Significant Portions of Fairmont Park Landscape The project will reach out to an ethnically and economically mixed community of 15,000 residents in the Sedgeley Park Area of Philadelphia. The goal of the program is to increase community care, use, and appreciation of the park as a community-based ecosystem and sustain regeneration of diverse native plant and animal species. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Pittsburgh Voyager -- $5,000 Beth O'Toole, 2000 Mary Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 A River Based Learning Center This project will create a unique environmental science classroom program aboard a boat turned science laboratory. The project includes a field study to increase knowledge of freshwater ecology and river ecosystems, enhance analytical and problem solving skills, and create environmental consciousness and responsibility. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce -- $4,800 James H. Catanach, 556 Main Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Waste Reduction/Recycling Program for Small Businesses This innovative recycling and waste reduction program will provide the necessary audit manuals and educate small business personnel on how to conduct waste reduction audits. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $2,050 Lauren Giddings, 21st St. South of the Parkway, Room 204, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Cleveland School Ecology Thematic Plan This project will enable North Philadelphia's Grover Cleveland High School's 150 students to have the resources, materials, literature, and site visits to put into action their Ecology Thematic Plan in the 1996 to 1997 school year. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | The Academy of Natural Sciences -- $22,625 Kathleen Fadigan, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103 The George Washington Carver Summer Scholars Program Top participants at Philadelphia's George Washington Carver Science Fair will be recruited to participate in a summer scholars program. The Carver Fair is the nation's largest and most comprehensive urban science fair. Summer scholars will meet with Academy researchers, conduct research, and learn about environmental issues and careers. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Wildlands Conservancy -- $4,996 Rhonda Dietz, 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, PA 18049 Little Lehigh Watershed Curriculum Improvement Project The Wildlands Conservancy teacher training project will expand knowledge and use of the Conservancy's well-known and highly regarded Little Lehigh Watershed curriculum. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association -- $2,364 Judith Gratz, 12 Morris Road, Ambler, PA 19002 Monitoring Water Quality of the Wissahickon Creek Teachers and high school students in the Environmental Club in North Penn High School will investigate the Wissahickon Creek and conduct monthly water monitoring and study. |
| 1996 | PA | 3 | Zoological Society of Philadelphia -- $4,994 Ronald Fricke, Jr., 3400 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104-1196 Junior Zoo Apprentice Program Teaming up with the YMCA of Philadelphia and vicinity Black Achievers Program, the Philadelphia Zoo is beginning a Junior Zoo Apprentice Program. Urban youth will gain job skills and self-esteem, and they will begin to understand more about conservation, biology, and environmental careers. |
| 1996 | PR | 2 | Puerto Rico Agricultural Service (PRAES) -- $24,500 Nilda Gonzales, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 5000, College Station, Mayaguez, PR 00681-5000 Superheroes of The 4-H Environmental Project The Superheroes of The 4-H Environmental Project is targeting students in seven elementary schools in northeastern Puerto Rico's Canovanas, Loiza and Rio Grande communities. During the program, Puerto Rico Agricultural Service (PRAES) professionals and youth leaders are being trained and developing a curriculum; the youth leaders will implement the in-school activities. During the final phase, students and leaders will evaluate situations and make decisions (watch, think, and preserve) related to the environment in their locale. The program goal is develop a group of future decision makers who will make environmentally sound evaluations to protect and preserve natural resources. |
| 1996 | PR | 2 | University of Puerto Rico, Humacao University College -- $49,841 (HQ Grant) Alida Ortiz, UPR Sea Grant Program, Humacao, PR 00792 Solid Wastes and Marine Debris: From Awareness to Action In-Service Training Workshop for Teachers in Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico--Humacao University College project takes the problem of marine debris and solid waste from awareness to action. Solid Wastes and Marine Debris: From Awareness to Action In-Service Training Workshop for Teachers in Puerto Rico consists of a one-year, hands-on field workshop project that: (1) infuses the solid waste disposal problem as an environmental education component throughout the formal curriculum in Puerto Rico's school system, (2) trains 60 teachers with hands-on field experience in the scientific, social, and economic aspects of the solid waste problem, and (3) promotes the change of attitudes and behavior in students to lead to a reduction in the amount of solid waste found on Puerto Rican beaches and roads. The project reaches 60 teachers, but impacts more than 10,000 students. |
| 1996 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island Zoological Society, Roger Williams Park Zoo -- $4,997 Dr. Anne Savage, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 Water of Our World: Monitoring Ecosystems in Southern New England and Colombia Water of Our World: Monitoring Ecosystems in Southern New England and Colombia, South America is expanding on an existing project in which teachers and students from Rhode Island and Colombia learn about water quality, perform water quality monitoring, and share information between the two countries. This year, seven teachers with nearly 240 sixth through tenth grade students from Rhode Island and three teachers with 120 students from Colombia will participate in this program by monitoring and working to preserve a river near each school. |
| 1996 | RI | 1 | Southern Rhode Island Conservation District -- $5,000 Charlotte Spang, P. O. Box 1522, Kingston, RI 02881 Active Watershed Education for the Narrow River and Saugatucket River Watersheds The Active Watershed Education project is increasing awareness and knowledge about the Narrow River and Saugatucket River watersheds and providing the future stewards of these watersheds with the skills needed to make informed decisions about local environmental issues. The program will revise and disseminate existing watershed-specific curriculum guides, train 20 upper elementary and middle school teachers in the uses of this curriculum, and assist teachers and their students in assessing local environmental issues and conducting student-driven, community action projects related to these issues. |
| 1996 | RI | 1 | The Providence Plan, Providence -- $5,000 Jane Sherman, The Hanley Building, 56 Pine Street, Providence, RI 02903 Woonasquatucket River Environmental Education Program Woonasquatucket River Environmental Education Program for educators and residents is teaching area residents about the benefits of the river and its wildlife habitats and enabling them to educate others about the subject. Joined by the Community Outreach Coordinator of the Providence Plan, the Rhode Island Audubon Society will work with teachers in elementary and middle schools along the river corridor, train a staff of five from the organization Progresso Latino, and train adults from communities along the river. The organization will select existing environmental education materials, translate them into Spanish, and use them for the training program. Once trainers have been trained, ongoing outreach programs to additional area residents will be conducted. |
| 1996 | RI | 1 | University of Rhode Island, Cooperative Extension Education Center -- $4,959 June Kinigstein, East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, RI 02881-0804 School Yard Gardens Project This project will provide hands-on training and curriculum materials to enable 20 first through sixth grade teachers to establish and maintain with their students a natural vegetable and herb garden on their school grounds. Project objectives are for children in participating schools to become knowledgeable and skilled in pollution prevention concepts and techniques related to water, soils, and nonpolluting alternatives to pesticides and herbicides. |
| 1996 | SC | 4 | Furman University -- $24,900 Kenneth Sargent, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613 Paris Mountain Watershed Laboratory The Paris Mountain Watershed Laboratory project is educating undergraduates for careers in the environmental sciences. The Roper Moutain Science Center will conduct workshops for elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers as part of a watershed dynamics study. Students will be involved in watershed demonstration projects. |
| 1996 | SC | 4 | York Technical College -- $5,000 Dr. Edward Duffy, 452 S. Anderson Road., Rock Hill, SC 29703 Quality of Life to Quality of Water The Quality of Life to Quality of Water project is promoting environmental careers and developing new environmental education programs. The student newspaper, campus promotions, faculty advisory meetings, and regular classes are being used to communicate the opportunities in environmental careers. |
| 1996 | SD | 8 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology -- $18,082 Dr. Jon J. Kellar, 501 East St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701 Environmental Summer Camp for Reservation Students The Environmental Science and Technology Summer Camp is designed for middle school students on the Pine Ridge Reservation and uses a culturally-sensitive environmental management curriculum. It stimulates middle school students to pursue careers in engineering and science. |
| 1996 | SD | 8 | South Dakota State University -- $5,000 Tim Nichols, 156 Ag Hall, Box 2207, Brookings, SD 57007 Environmental Education for Native Americans The Environmental Education Camp for Native American High School students in Brookings, South Dakota is stimulating interest in environmental careers. Native Americans are being used as role models in the natural resource sciences. Students are taught sound environmental decision-making practices. |
| 1996 | TN | 4 | Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- $5,000 Charles Maynard, 134 Court Ave., Sevierville, TN 37862 Correlation of Curriculum to North Carolina Standards This project correlates the second, fifth, and seventh grade units of the existing curriculum in Tennessee for kindergarten through eight grade students with the North Carolina State curriculum standards and objectives. These units will educate students to recognize threats to their environment and includes approximately 1,000 participants who are residents of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The project will make use of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a hands-on teaching site. |
| 1996 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service -- $5,000 Robert Burns, P. O. Box 1071, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071 Animal Waste Management Training The Animal Waste Management Training project is presenting a workshop to agricultural extension agents concentrating on the selection of new animal waste management systems and the operation and maintenance of both new and existing systems. The goal is to increase the environmental knowledge of livestock producers so that their waste management systems will meet all environmental regulations and function in an environmentally sustainable manner. |
| 1996 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Technological University -- $5,000 Dr. Foydor Shutov, Campus Box 5077, Cookeville, TN 38505 Plastics Recycling Workshop for Teachers The Plastics Recycling Workshop for Teachers is training a group of teachers about the environmental importance of recycling plastic materials. A unit of instruction for seventh through twelfth grades will be developed and presented during a one-week teachers' workshop. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Central Independent School District -- $5,000 Susan Sanders, P. O. Box 39, Pollok, TX 75969 Central Independent School District (CISD) Outdoor Education Facility An outdoor education and research facility for students in seventh through twelfth grade is being developed to address local environmental issues and problems where clearing of pine forests is a major issue. The site is also being used for teacher in-service training for such hands-on curricula as Project WILD and Project Learning Tree. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Edinburg CISD -- $3,760 Elizabeth Sanches, P. O. Box 990, Edinburg, TX 78539 Tracing River Field Trips: How Clean Water Affects Health Field trips are being provided for fourth grade students to sites on the Rio Grande to monitor water quality, tour the river system and city water treatment plant, and study health issues related to water pollution. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Grapevine-Colleyville ISD -- $5,000 Sherri Steward, 3223 Mustang Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051 Environmental Outreach Program This environmental outreach program helps high school students become mentors to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Presentations are being conducted in a unique outdoor laboratory. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Green Classroom -- $67,430 (HQ Grant) Carla Marshall, 1701 Briar, Austin, TX 78704 The Green Classroom Community Environmental Learning Center The Green Classroom, Inc. project forges an environmental education partnership--a Junior/Senior Alliance--between elementary school children and adults in Austin, Texas. The Green Classroom Community Environmental Learning Center includes an environmental resource library to provide a forum for the junior/senior alliance. Both adults and children from the community together use the center to work on environmental issues and exhibits. An existing, well-established environmental curriculum framework is being distributed via workshops, videos, newsletters, and other means to these individuals and to a broader audience that includes the Austin Independent schools and state-wide schools. The project reaches 420 students from a low socioeconomic minority neighborhood (Bouldin Creek), 1,200 households, and 13,000 teachers from the Austin Independent School District and elsewhere in the state. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Jesse H. Jones Park Volunteers -- $4,495 Karen Stockton, 20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble, TX 77338 C(onserve), P(reserve): R(enew) for Water Drops This project involves a series of 24 water awareness programs and hands-on field study trips for 500 students who are 10 to 17 years old. The programs will be presented at the Jesse Jones County Park, a bottomland habitat preserve. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Red River Valley Girl Scout Council -- $5,000 Ginger Haan, 2025 NW Loop 286, Paris, TX 75460 Explore the World of Science & Nature at Camp Gambill The science and nature camp will offer 100 to 150 youth hands-on activities to increase their knowledge of native ecology and techniques for Trident Prairie restoration and provide an outdoor laboratory for biological, ecological, and cultural studies. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | River Basins Institute, Inc. -- $5,000 Gary Endsley, P. O. Box 1104, Atlanta, TX 75551 Environmental Leadership Bridge Program The Environmental Leadership Bridge Program links minority and female high school students with environmental science occupations related to the local forest products industry. At a one-week field school, hands-on curricula allow participants to conduct those activities traditionally performed by environmental scientists. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission -- $24,500 John Janak, 12100 Park 35 Circle, Austin, TX 78753 Teaching New Drivers about the Impact of Their Vehicles on Air Quality This project includes developing a video and classroom curriculum for high school drivers' education classes with emphasis on stopping air pollution at one source, the automobile. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | The Fort Worth Audubon Society -- $3,900 Norma Bartholomew, 4904 Bonnell, Fort Worth, TX 76107 Environmental Outreach for Inner-City Youth Approximately 200 inner city Hispanic youth from 9 to 15 years old are participating in hands-on environmental awareness activities including recycling, tree planting, and involvement with community service. |
| 1996 | TX | 6 | The Nature Conservancy -- $5,000 Lisa Williams, P. O. Box 1440, San Antonio, TX 78295 The Seeds of Knowledge A pilot program in two schools is teaching junior high and high school students the value of native plants and how to produce seedlings for habitat restoration. Fifth grade students are participating in tree planting. |
| 1996 | UT | 8 | University of Utah -- $5,000 Christie Probst Lassen, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, 1471 Federal Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Workshops Teaching Skills This Canyon Conservationist Educator Workshop introduces key concepts and environmental field methods into the science curriculum. It provides environmental education and outdoor teaching skills to both teachers and nonformal educators. |
| 1996 | UT | 8 | Utah Society of Environmental Education -- $5,000 Tim Brown, 350 South 400 East, Suite G-4, Salt Lake City, UT 84092 Trunk Survey Project The Trunk Survey project consists of trunks containing environmental education materials and activities to be used by teachers. An inventory is being published to list existing environmental education trunks and how they can be accessed. The trunks are designed according to identified needs and are used to conduct workshops to improve environmental education teaching skills. |
| 1996 | UT | 8 | Utah State University -- $21,849 Dr. Sharon Ohlhorst, Cache County, Logan, UT 84322 Schoolyard Classrooms This project involves schoolyard classrooms in northern Utah where master teachers are trained to use the yard for teaching environmental stewardship. The project is a collaboration of seven school districts working to extend their classrooms into nearby areas. |
| 1996 | UT | 8 | Utah Valley State College -- $4,978 James C. Callison, 800 West 1200 South, Orem, UT 84058-5999 Career Awareness in Environmental Technology This five-day, hands-on training program promotes career awareness in environmental technology. The target audience is comprised of high school students of the Ute Indian Tribe. |
| 1996 | VT | 1 | Lyndon State College -- $5,000 Frances Barhydt, Vermont Energy Education Program, Lyndonville, VT 05851 Energy and the Environment: A Teacher Training Program Energy and the Environment: A Teacher Training Program is providing teachers and students in fifth through eight grades with the opportunity to work with the Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) "Energy-Scientist-in-the-Classroom." VEEP provides teachers of third through eighth grade with workshops, teaching materials, equipment and supplies, and on-site follow-up to empower them to provide their students a thorough thematic approach to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the environment. |
| 1996 | VT | 1 | Vermont Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Nancy Allen, RD 2, Box 3420, Middlebury, VT 05753 Vermont Envirothon Vermont Envirothon is a growing national environmental education program aimed at public and private high school students and their teachers. The program is designed to improve environmental awareness and appreciation for wise management and use and protection of natural resources by our future decision makers. A training workshop conducted in the spring provides students and teachers an opportunity for hands-on learning through research, discussion, and evaluation of natural resource issues. Students then participate in a statewide competition with finalists going on to compete in a national Envirothon. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | Black Diamond Resource Conservation and Development Council -- $5,000 Blaine Delaney, Route 4, Box 49, Lebanon, VA 24266 Southwest Virginia Environmental Education Conference This project involves training to improve the environmental education skills of kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers within the Black Diamond Resource Conservation, and Development Area. A conference will be held for the six counties in the southwestern tip of Virginia. The conference will raise educator's awareness of the unique area of Appalachia and will build a network of knowledgeable educators on environmental issues. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | Close-Up Foundation -- $8,300 Shannon McLeod, 44 Canal Center Plaza, Alexandria, VA 22314 Citizens and the Government: Partnership for Environment Change This project will prepare young people for effective and constructive participation in the government by analyzing the need for government control of environmental issues in each community. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | Project Underground Incorporated -- $5,000 Diane Barnes, P. O. Box 13079, Richmond, VA 23225 Project Underground This is a multi-disciplinary environmental education program designed for use by educators of kindergarten through twelfth grade. The activities are designed to increase critical thinking, problem solving, and other process skills within the understanding of underground systems. Teaching about caves and underground resources of local karst areas is important in Appalachia due to the limited groundwater resources vulnerable to contamination. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | Reston Environmental Education Foundation -- $5,000 Susan Russell-Robinson, P. O. Box 3421, Reston, VA 20190 H.O.S.E. - Hands on Solar Energy - Phase II The funds from this grant will support a training workshop to equip three to four staff members of the Reston Association to present energy conservation and solar energy programs to school and summer camp participants through Hands on Solar Energy Phase II. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | The Environmental Education Center (formerly The Miller School of Albermarle) -- $5,000 John Hermsmeier, P. O. Box 2377, Charlottesville, VA 22903-9328 Building a School-Based Habitat Network The Environmental Education Center will use grant funds to host teacher workshops focused on school yard habitats, building partnerships to establish habitat areas, and maintain the person-to-person network created by the partnerships through computer networks. |
| 1996 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $5,000 Dr. William Conger, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 133 Randolph Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0249 Green Engineering This "green engineering" course will introduce students to careers in environmental fields and promote a greater understanding of the role of technology and its impact on society. Approximately 60 university students of diverse backgrounds will take part. Graduates of this course will become future engineers, scientists, business professionals, and teachers. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Blue Mountain Demonstration Forest -- $5,000 Jack Waud, P. O. Box 3143, Port Angeles, WA 98362 The Blue Mountain Demonstration Forest The Blue Mountain Demonstration Forest will be used as the field site for outdoor studies to develop an education program about forest ecosystems and modern forest practices for 25 elementary school teachers and 100 children in the Sequim and Port Angeles School Districts. The project is training teachers to use the curriculum and access the forest. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Chief Leschi School of the Puyallup Tribe -- $5,000 Cherlyn Pijanowski, 5625 52nd Street, E., Puyallup, WA 98371 Chief Leschi School of the Puyallup Tribe This project provides teacher training towards improving lesson plans that promote environmental stewardship for 12 kindergarten through twelfth grade Native and Non-Native teachers and four Native American students at the Chief Leschi Tribal School. Approximately 400 students will benefit from this training. The training focuses on watersheds, wetlands, degradation impacts on anadromous fisheries and shellfish, and environmental justice. The workshops are hands-on training that emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The training is conducted with a variety of community-based partners. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | RE Sources -- $13,275 Carl Weimer, 1155 N. State #625, Bellingham, WA 98225 Northwest Airnet Air Quality High School Project This project adopts New England's successful "Air Net" project, based on air quality and atmospheric science curriculum, for 1,500 high school students in a three-county area in Northwest Washington. Products include a teacher-training workshop, air quality in-class presentations, an end-of-year "Congress" in which students will exchange results and information on what they have learned, and an Internet news group for teachers and students to share results of air quality experiments. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Salish Sea Discovery Center -- $5,000 Katherine Murphy, 9948 Shorty Campbell Road, Kingston, WA 98346 Salish Sea Program The Salish Sea Program involves 1,200 students in seventh through twelfth grades each year in researching and taking action on 40 issues facing the quality of Puget Sound waters. The program occurs in the students' classrooms, in the local community, and aboard a student-operated research sailing vessel. Students experience scientific careers through participating in the daily tasks of those areas. Approximately 40 to 80 teachers are exposed to a community-based action-oriented approach to presenting environmental education, and ultimately will provide existing grassroots groups with young adults who have the skill and motivation to act to solve environmental problems. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Seattle Audubon Society -- $5,000 Christine Peterson, 8050 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Finding Urban Nature (FUN) Finding Urban Nature (FUN) is a hands-on nature program for third and fourth graders in the Seattle Public Schools. FUN combines the curiosity of children with trained community volunteers, the enthusiasm of knowledgeable teachers and the coordination skills of a highly respected environmental organization. The Seattle Audubon Society trains parents and other volunteers to lead small groups of children through eight separate hands-on environmental education activities over the school year. The explorations take place on the schools grounds, and the children learn that nature is everywhere. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | St. Martin's College -- $5,000 Huabin Chen, 5300 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Integrating Telecommunication and Technology into Environmental Education This project develops a core of teacher leadership to support a rural school district's use of telecommunication and other technology within environmental education at the kindergarten through eighth grade level. Elma School District is located in a severely economically depressed western coastal area. It also fosters global awareness and international cooperation in addressing environmental issues, such as acid rain and water quality, through telecommunication. Teachers are trained on how to use electronic mail; explore the Internet; and use CD-ROM programs, videodiscs, probeware, and other technology in environmental education. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Steilacoom Historical School District - Saltar's Point Elementary School -- $4,796 Kristina Sullivan, 908 Third Street, Steilacoom, WA 98388 Forest Ecology: Training Project This grant revises and strengthens environmental education curriculum by incorporating both the work of Project Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) and the school's study of forest ecology into a program of study for students in third through fifth grades. The project provides in-service training to teachers in the study of local forest ecology and communicates this teacher expertise to the entire student body through field trips to forested sites. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Stevens Elementary School - Seattle Public Schools -- $5,000 Pamela Roberts, 815 4th Avenue, North Seattle, WA 98109 Weather Station - Curriculum Link Project This project provides hands-on experience with scientific and math concepts through on-site manual and automated weather monitoring systems and data. It develops and supports service learning links between five to ten Seattle Community College students and 120 third to fifth grade students at Stevens Elementary. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Washington State Department of Ecology -- $5,000 Christine Corrigan, P. O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Central Washington Teacher Workshop The Department of Ecology is organizing and conducting three teacher air quality workshops in selected rural schools in central Washington. Each workshop trains 15 to 20 teachers and reaches 900 to 1,200 students. The workshops will help teachers incorporate air quality education into their normal curriculum with the message carried home by students. |
| 1996 | WA | 10 | Western Washington University -- $5,000 Marie Eaton, MS 9118, Bellingham, WA 98225 Whatcom Watershed/Service Learning Project This grant supports the training of teachers, future educators, and students to deliver high quality environmental education and service learning as part of the on-going Whatcom Watersheds Service Learning Project. The target audience includes 30 university students, 120 high school students, 100 elementary school students, 20 teachers, and 10 community members. Funds are used to coordinate two workshops and for watershed and wetlands resource materials. |
| 1996 | WV | 3 | Lightstone Foundation -- $5,000 Dr. Anthony E. Smith, HC 63, Box 73, Moyers, WV 26814 Future Stewards This project will promote environmental careers for students by providing training and apprenticeships in natural resource conservation, family farming, and rural community development. Federal funding will support wages for five high school students, a project director, and project expenses. |
| 1996 | WV | 3 | West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection -- $5,000 Roseanne Long, 10 McJunkin Road, Nitro, WV 25143 Project WET Teacher Training Workshop: Groundwater Quality Issues Teachers in four rural eastern West Virginia counties will learn about water and groundwater issues from the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (WVA DEP). WVA DEP will use Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) materials to illustrate the issues, which are particularly sensitive to water contamination because of the local karst hydrogeology. |
| 1996 | WI | 5 | Bad River Mashkisibi Tribal School, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa -- $24,696 Angela White, Principal, P. O. Box 39, Odanah, WI 54861 Mashkisibi Watershed Education Project The Mashkisibi Watershed Education Project will integrate Native American culture into already existing watershed curriculum; offer a high school ecology course; and deliver educator training. Students engage in field work and action-oriented projects from an Ojibwe cultural perspective. Tribal elders will relay values through storytelling and contribute to the curriculum, which will prepare students in northern Wisconsin with the skills needed to address resource conflicts. |
| 1996 | WI | 5 | Cable Natural History Museum -- $4,340 Allison Slavick, P. O. Box 416, Cable, WI 54821 Traveling High School Exhibit and Curriculum. The Cable Natural History Museum is working with high school biology teachers at Drummond High School to co-teach a course entitled, Environmental Issues and You. During the course, students research, design, and produce a traveling exhibit about regional aquatic environmental issues, such as Lake Superior coastal wetlands. In addition, students are developing accompanying curriculum resources. |
| 1996 | WI | 5 | Milwaukee School of Engineering -- $3,225 Dr. Deborah Jackman, 1025 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109 Promoting Environmental Careers through Upward Bound Program The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is integrating an environmental engineering education module into its Upward Bound program for disadvantaged high school students. MSOE's project familiarizes students with the importance of understanding how environmental issues impact the quality of their present and future lives. In addition, the project is sparking the students' interest in environmental careers by taking them on field trips to local landfills and wastewater treatment plants. |
| 1996 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Geographic Alliance -- $17,621 Linda Marston, University of Wyoming, Box 3371, Laramie, WY 82071 Environmental Education Institute This institute will use a new Internet component to train teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade in Wyoming about mountain environs, resources, and development. Approximately 300 teachers will participate through an in-service component to produce new or modified activities, including a digitized map to be used on the Internet in classrooms throughout Wyoming. |
| 1996 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Girl Scout Council -- $4,996 Jane Caller, P. O. Box 50307, Casper, WY 82605 No Trace Camping This project recruits and trains program specialists. It provides the Girl Scouts an analysis of old accepted methods of camping and explores new alternatives for preserving the environment by adopting a "no-trace" camping program. Through this project 455 girls from Wyoming and Colorado participate at a resident camp and 1,900 girls at a day camp. The project includes girls from the Wind River Indian Reservation. |
| 1997 | AL | 4 | Cahaba River Society -- $17,500 Rachel Reinhart, 2717 7th Avenue South, Suite 205, Birmingham, AL 35233 Cahaba/Black Warrior Clean This project provides for 105 water resource field trips for approximately 2,300 students and 60 teachers. Four teacher workshops, each a week in length; six day-long teacher field trips and planning sessions; and fifteen curriculum training workshops, each a full-day session, are conducted for 315 teachers. A curriculum developed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation was adapted to create an interdisciplinary classroom and field curriculum that is tailored to regional issues and that complements the field experiences. |
| 1997 | AL | 4 | Cullman County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Robert Harbison, 301 1st Street N. E., Cullman, AL 35056-1456 Teaching the Teachers Under this project, teachers and other educators learn to develop and deliver their own environmental education programs for elementary and secondary school students. In addition, members of conservation district boards and Earth Team volunteers have the opportunity to participate in workshops. The two-day workshop trains participants to use the material provided to teach classes and gives them the opportunity to practice their newly acquired skills in a classroom setting. |
| 1997 | AL | 4 | Franklin County School System/East Franklin Junior High School -- $5,000 Wyatt Hutcheson, P. O. Box 610, Russellville, AL 35653 Development of an Environmental Education Program This project develops an environmental education center at the East Franklin Junior High School. The center includes an outdoor classroom and nature trail that has a wetlands habitat, a bird habitat, and a native plant habitat. The project is designed to teach students about the threats to human health posed by pollution and to educate them about environmental careers. A companion workshop trains teachers in the use of Project Learning Tree. |
| 1997 | AL | 4 | Jacksonville State University -- $162,615 (HQ Grant) Margaret B. Bogan, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL 36265 Environmental Education, From Awareness to Action Under this teacher training project, secondary school teachers improve their skills at 11-day in-service workshops, during which they examine model teaching strategies. The project is intended to increase the teachers' environmental awareness and attitudes, as well as to prompt them to take action to influence the use of water resources and to foster public understanding of the effects of such use. Teachers learn new teaching and assessment strategies that inspire students to become active learners and high achievers, communicate with an international network of colleagues teaching about the environment, facilitate action programs for students, and provide district in-service education. The teachers keep and submit notebooks of the projects and Internet communications their students conduct. The project serves teachers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. |
| 1997 | AK | 10 | Alaska Bird Observatory - Fairbanks -- $4,995 Nancy DeWitt, P. O. Box 80505, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Songbirds of Interior Alaska The purpose of the Songbirds of Interior Alaska project is to create an interactive workbook and curriculum module guide for kindergarten through sixth-grade programs that promotes conservation of migratory and resident birds in Alaska's boreal forest. The project provides in-service training for 60 elementary school teachers in the North Star Borough School District, Fairbanks, where minorities represent more than 25 percent of the school population. Emphasis is placed on activities that introduce students to protection of habitat and bird conservation. |
| 1997 | AK | 10 | Kuigpagmuit Inc. -- $5,000 Vince J. Beans, P. O. Box 32209, Mountain Village, AK 99632 Tribal Environmental Training Program The Tribal Environmental Training Program is intended to establish a culturally sensitive environmental education program that emphasizes tribal responsibility for dealing with hazards created by human activities. Under the project's Trainers-of-Trainers (TOT) component, biologists and environmental scientists from the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society provide culturally sensitive training to tribal leaders in three Yu'pik Eskimo villages. The society's technical assistance database is available to the project, as well. Each TOT graduate implements at least two community activities, using a plan the trainer developed through the TOT program. Under the program, a game and a community awareness activity are being developed, and information is being made available on the World Wide Web. |
| 1997 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska - Fairbanks -- $4,782 Douglas Schamel, Institute for Arctic Biology, P. O. Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000 Wetlands Ecology Training Project The Wetlands Ecology Training Project (W.E.T.) is conducting a series of interactive workshops and outdoor activities for elementary teachers who have little or no experience in the conduct of scientific investigations. The project increases teachers' knowledge of pond ecology, methods of scientific investigation, and use of scientific equipment and relevant curriculum materials. Teachers learn firsthand how to conduct field studies and use scientific supplies. The workshop requires that each participant conduct an investigation with his or her class. The project is being conducted in the North Star Borough School District, Fairbanks, which has 9,400 students in 19 elementary schools. Minorities, most of whom are Alaska natives, make up approximately 25 percent of those students. |
| 1997 | AS | 9 | American Samoa Community College -- $5,000 Don Vargo, P. O. Box 26, Pago Pago, AS 96799 Field Guide to the Wildlife of the Protected Areas of Samoa American Samoa Community College, Pago Pago, is developing a field guide to the wildlife that inhabit Samoa's wetlands, rain forests, and coral reefs. The guide is intended for use both in the field and in the classroom by middle and high school students and adults to identify wildlife species that inhabit protected areas of Samoa. The guide describes and illustrates in full color numerous species of birds, fish, and reptiles and includes thought-provoking questions and activities that stimulate an understanding of the environmental challenges facing the tiny island ecosystem. Key partners that provide monetary or technical support to the project include the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education, the Department of Marine and Wildlife, Fagatele Bay Marine Sanctuary, Le Vaomatua, and Le Tausagi. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Agua Fria-New River Natural Resource Conservation District -- $5,000 Kathy Killian, 3150 N. 35th Avenue, Suite 7, Phoenix, AZ 85017 Project Preserve Expansion Effort This project is designed to expand the community's 20-acre outdoor environmental education facility to include a desert tortoise habitat that complements the dry wash, modern vegetable and flower garden, native Arizona plant garden, pond, and Native American village currently in place. In addition, the curriculum that accompanies the outdoor resource is being updated to incorporate lessons on threatened and endangered species and on aquatic ecosystems and water quality. Teachers, in particular 40 who are new to the area, are being trained in the use of the facility. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation -- $5,000 Jawanda Mast, 4341 East Broadway, Phoenix, AZ 85040 Maricopa County 4-H Project: Stop Trashing Our Planet This project trains teenagers from 10 junior high schools to deliver environmental education to schools and community groups. The mentor teens, in keeping with the 4-H learn-by-doing tradition, organize children in their own and nearby schools to participate in recycling activities. The project also is producing a guidebook to help teachers support the teen activities. Partners in the effort include the Extension Service of Maricopa County; Phoenix Clean and Beautiful; and Kennedy K-8 School, which conducted a successful pilot program. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Nothern Arizona University -- $5,000 Lynda Hatch, P. O. Box 4085, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Northern Arizona University Alpine Partnership Alpine Partnership brings together faculty and pre-service teacher candidates at the university with staff of informal education facilities in the Flagstaff area to develop and implement an environmental education curriculum that the teacher candidates present to school children and other visitors to those institutions. Lessons developed for this project enable students and visitors to examine and identify the ecological, political, economic, social, and educational issues that affect each environmental decision. Major partners working with Northern Arizona University's Education Department to support the project include Lowell Observatory; the Arboretum at Flagstaff; the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the National Park Service monuments of Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki. Those institutions provide visitor services to approximately 40,000 school children per year, as well as to more than 100,000 other visitors from throughout the United States and the world. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Phoenix College/Maricopa County Community College District -- $23,677 Kathleen Preece, 2411 West 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281-6941 Fresh Air Project: Collaborative Program to Link Community Problem Solving and Awareness About Air Pollution to K-12 Systemic Reform Initiatives This project establishes 35 collaborative teams, each usually made up of a class, a teacher advisor, and a community advisor, to explore air pollution problems in Phoenix. Teachers attend workshops, 20 of which are scheduled under the project, at which they learn about the city's air pollution problems, appropriate hands-on classroom activities, and a format for developing student projects. A similar number of workshops for parents acquaint them with air pollution problems and increase their knowledge of potential hazards to their children's health. During the workshops, parents also explore ways to minimize those effects. The closing event scheduled for the project is a Fresh Air Fest at which students display their science fair projects and explore environmental careers. The event also provides an opportunity to solicit innovative solutions to air quality issues in the Phoenix metropolitan area. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Pima Center for Conservation Education -- $4,816 Kimberly Otero, 4343 North Oarcle Road, M-192, Tucson, AZ 85705 A Simulation Activity in Natural Resources Management: Working Within the Framework of the National Environmental Policy Act This project is developing resource material for social studies classes at Cross Middle School that employ simulation and role-playing to demonstrate the steps usually taken to perform an environmental impact assessment. The students are assigned a role as a member of one of four stakeholder groups: proponents, public agencies, private consulting firms, and the general public. Over the course of several weeks, students visit a site; research the environmental and economic factors that affect it; and identify the regulatory, sociopolitical, and resource constraints that influence the particular position they will defend. The culminating activity is the effective communication to the group of the stand each student developed during the simulation. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | Pima County Department of Environmental Quality -- $4,030 John Bernardo, 130 West Congress Street, 3rd Floor, Tucson, AZ 85701-1317 Bilingual Air Quality Education The Bilingual Air Quality Education project is training 15 teachers who are bilingual in English and Spanish through a half-day workshop designed to increase their knowledge of air quality issues. Each school represented at the workshop receives 10 copies of a clean air curriculum. After the teachers complete the workshop, trainers work with them in their classrooms for a minimum of two class sessions to demonstrate ways to integrate air quality lessons into the classroom schedule. |
| 1997 | AZ | 9 | University of Arizona -- $4,992 Nader Chalfoun, P. O. Box 210075, Tucson, AZ 85721 House Energy Doctor: Interactive Multimedia Workshop This project conducts energy awareness and conservation seminars at three Tucson high schools. Approximately 120 high school students participate in the round of three workshops. Under a competitive format, teams of 11th-grade science students assess various energy-saving strategies to reduce the utility bills for a residence typical of the neighborhood. Multimedia computer analysis showing the fundamentals of each strategy, the energy-saving results achieved, and the resulting reduction in annual utility bills provides information that students on the various teams use to debate among themselves which plan is most effective before they submit their selections for judging. |
| 1997 | AR | 6 | Sevier County 4-H Council -- $5,000 Ralph Tyler, 115 N. 3rd Street #212, Dequeen, AR 71832 Upstream Educational Activity for Youth The Upstream Educational Activity for Youth is an intensive educational program aimed at involving students in environmental issues. Youth learn about water quality and assist in the development of programs related to the topic. They develop videos and slide shows on farming, land management, timber operations, and mining. In addition, they show how downstream water quality is affected. Further, the young people collect water and soil samples for analysis. |
| 1997 | AR | 6 | White River Planning and Development District -- $22,900 Van Thomas, P. O. Box 2396, Batesville, AR 72503 Teacher Environmental Education Workshops The purpose of the project undertaken by the White River Planning and Development District, Inc. (WRPDD) is to enhance public awareness of and involvement in environmental issues in each city and community in the area's 10 counties, which are overwhelmingly rural and poor. The project bases its community outreach efforts on the education of school-age children. To address the need for the establishment of consistent programs in the district's public schools, the project provides a series of environmental education workshops for teachers and informal educators. During the one-day workshops, educators learn how to incorporate concepts related to recycling, composting, and environmental education into their curricula. Each lesson proposed during the workshops can be incorporated into teaching on other subjects, such as mathematics, science, and English, and is accompanied by complete instructions and examples that conform to usual classroom procedures. Staff of the Arkansas Department of Pollution control and Ecology and of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service join WRPDD in the project by serving as instructors for the workshops. |
| 1997 | AR | 6 | Wilbur D. Mills Education Service Corporation -- $3,800 Shirley Hooks, 210 N. Main Street, Drawer #1016, White County, Beebe, AR 72012 Central Arkansas Student-Teacher Environmental Awareness Congress The goal of this concentrated project is to increase the understanding of issues related to water quality and related topics among sixth-grade teachers and students. It educates them about the threats that water pollution poses to human health. Teachers, students, and members of community organizations become actively involved through environmental workshops and research conducted by the students. Participants also conduct water-testing activities. Another goal of the project is to organize a Student-Teacher Environmental Awareness Congress to train teachers and students. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | City of Arcata -- $4,850 Juli Neander, 736 F Street, Arcata, CA 95521 Arcata Marsh Interpretative Center Educational Exhibit This project provides an interpretive exhibit that demonstrates the unique features of the community's integrated wetland and wastewater treatment facility for an estimated 10,000 annual visitors. The educational exhibits highlight the biological and technical aspects of the use of constructed wetlands to treat wastewater and provide wildlife habitat. As an example of appropriate technologies for the reuse of wastewater and restoration of wetlands, the interpretive center and adjacent wildlife sanctuary attract large numbers of visitors, ranging from school children to public officials and consulting engineers. Using the interpretive displays, Friends of Arcata Marsh conduct educational tours of the facilities that focus on the water cycle, human use of water resources, the use of restored wetlands for wastewater treatment, and wildlife habitats. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | East Bay Asian Youth Center -- $5,000 Rasjidah Franklin, 2065 Kittredge Street, Suite M, Berkeley, CA 94704 Training Teachers and Teens in Environmental Education This project provides training through a two-day workshop for 10 high school students and 24 teachers from three elementary schools. The training equips participants to implement compost projects at school sites. Joint workshops for the teachers and students employ inquiry models to teach waste reduction, pollution prevention, and health in the context of urban organic gardening. After training, the high school students serve as mentors to elementary school students to guide the younger students in understanding the relationships among waste, pollution, and nutrition issues. The University of California Cooperative Extension Service in Alameda County and the Alameda County Waste Management Authority collaborate with the East Bay Asian Youth Center in the sustainable urban agriculture project. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation/Brookdale Discovery Center -- $5,000 Richard Bolecek, 1520 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612 Courtland Creek: An Urban Creek Community Learning Project The Courtland Creek project provides training for three high school students in the Courtland Creek neighborhood to become training assistants working with adult consultants to increase awareness of the importance of a healthy creek habitat among their peers, their families, and other members of the community. The project focuses on educating teachers, students, parents, community leaders, and the public about the threats that pollution poses to human health. Through hands-on community workshops, participants keep toxic substances out of the creek, restore native plants to the area, and reintroduce native amphibians if water quality proves satisfactory for the survival of those species. Key partners in the project include the Environmental Sciences Academy of the Oakland Unified School District, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Urban Creek Council. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | George Washington Elementary School/Burbank Unified School District -- $5,000 Richard Moskun, 2322 N. Lincoln Street, Burbank, CA 91504 Habitat Environmental Learning Project The Habitat Environmental Learning Project (HELP) is developing an environmental science native plant garden on the campus of George Washington Elementary School. Under the HELP project, 90 students in third to fifth grade at Washington and two adjacent schools participate in three-week sessions, working in groups of 15, to learn to identify native plants, cultivate conditions that enhance their growth, compare native ecosystems in the environmental science garden with those in the surrounding neighborhood, and maintain journals to record their activities in support of the project. Information about the progress of the project is disseminated through newsletters distributed to parents, through the local media, and on the school's World Wide Web page. Partners in the project include the Burbank Education Foundation, the City of Burbank Parks and Recreation, and the Burbank Rotary Club and its service unit, Interact, for high school students. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Inyo County Office of Education -- $5,000 Lo Lyness, 135 South Jackson Street, Independence, CA 93526 Eastern Sierra Institute for Secondary Students This project provides 60 to 80 high school students a five-day residential program in the study of issues related to water use. The participants are recruited from Inyo, Mono, and Los Angeles counties. Students become involved in an intensive effort to assess vegetative health, soil conditions, air and water quality, and the water and power infrastructures. They shadow and interact with resource managers and scientists as they practice using on-site investigative tools and laboratories. Partners in the project include the Los Angeles Unified School District; the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of the Interior; the Inyo County Water Department; the California Department of Fish and Game; and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Los Angeles Educational Partnership -- $18,870 Patricia Dung, 315 West 9th Street, Suite 1110, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Environmental Issues: Chaparral, Wetlands, Coastal Sage, Sand Dunes, and Oak Woodlands The Environmental Issues project conducts training for 120 teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District to help them foster awareness among their inner-city students of the interrelationships and interdependency of the ecosystems that surround the city. The project is creating World Wide Web pages that highlight local fragile ecosystems, including chaparral, wetland, coastal sage, sand dune, and oak woodland habitats. Using the Internet to acquaint students with environmental issues that affect those local habitats, the project provides students with current resources and leads them in investigations, virtual field trips, and environmental action projects. Students are enabled to make decisions to act responsibly and to take action in the community to improve the environment for all living things. Partners in the project include the University of California Los Angeles Science Project and the Los Angeles Unified School District. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Monterey Regional Waste Management District -- $5,000 Heidi Feldman, P. O. Box 6, Marina, CA 93933 "Small Planet School Education Program: Educational Materials, Teacher Workshops, and Demonstration Area This project implements a comprehensive program of outreach to the schools to prompt students to become active participants in waste reduction. Teachers in five school districts enjoy opportunities to obtain training in the relationship between the generation and disposal of waste and the environment and human health. The project also is developing materials for classroom use that encourage students to design and manage recycling programs at their schools. Students have the opportunity to visit a waste management facility to learn first-hand how waste is handled at such facilities. Partners in the project include the Monterey County Office of Education, the Watershed Institute of California State University Monterey Bay, and the Monterey City Disposal Service. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Oakland Arts Magnet/Far West School -- $10,000 Susan Quinlan, 5623 Broadway Terrace, Oakland, CA 94618 Integrated Recycling and Yard Waste This composting project is a model meant to guide the Oakland Unified School District's efforts to establish a school-based recycling program for its 120 schools. The project, which is implementing an integrated recycling and yard waste composting project as a model for the school district, is an important aspect of educational reform. Under the leadership of a recycling coordinator, teams of students undergo extensive training to equip them to educate other students, faculty, and staff about the concepts and practice of recycling and composting. The organizational structure of the project focuses on becoming self-sustaining and achieving the goal that 90 percent of all recyclable materials are diverted from the waste stream. Partners in the project include the Oakland Museum, the East Bay Community Foundation, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, and the City of Oakland. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Pacific Oaks College -- $5,000 Jan Brown, 5 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91105 Environmental Education Training for Teachers and Young Students This training partnership project provides six hours of environmental education staff development for 75 teachers of pre-school children. During the project's NaturKind workshops, the teachers learn to use simple activities based on habitats of land snails and earthworms to introduce three- to five-year-old children to ways to explore the world around them. Follow-up support is available to workshop participants by telephone and through on-line computer consultation. Pacific Oaks College collaborates with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute to conduct the NaturKind workshops for Head Start centers, subsidized children's centers, and state pre-school programs. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County -- $4,570 Penny Dockry, 332 South Juniper Street, Suite 110, Escondido, CA 92025 Learning About the Watersheds Through Classroom Presentations This project expands the Water Awareness: Keeping San Diego Bay Clean program to serve an additional 1,513 sixth-grade students in areas outside the Port District's sphere of influence, but in the overall watershed area. The ongoing program for schools in the Port District focuses on non-point-source pollution from trash, petroleum products, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste. Through classroom presentations that are a model of the watershed, students and teachers learn about watershed health by applying problem-solving and decision-making skills to develop an understanding of the causes of non-point-source pollution in the San Diego Bay watershed and of preventive measures that can control such pollution. Partners in the project include the San Diego County Office of Education, the Otay Water District, and the San Diego Unified Port District. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Recycling Center -- $5,000 Natasha Stillman, 1145 Market Street, Suite 401, San Francisco, CA 94103 Recycle Challenge 2000 Recycle Challenge 2000 is a science-based comprehensive project designed to use service learning to broaden participation in recycling programs at schools in San Francisco. The project promotes participation by training a corps of 20 middle and high school youth recruited from culturally diverse sections of the city. In their own and neighboring schools, the students conduct service learning activities that focus on waste management and recycling. Partners in the project include the San Francisco Unified School District, the San Francisco Volunteer Center, the service program Linking San Francisco, and the San Francisco Clean City Coalition. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Save San Francisco Bay Association -- $5,000 Marcia Slackman, 1736 Franklin Street, 4th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 Seafood Consumption Information Project This project targets the subsistence fishing population in six Bay Area counties to acquaint them with contaminants in bay waters and with ways to minimize the threats to health that consumption of fish from contaminated waters can pose. The goal of the project is to reach 2,000 individuals, including the fishing population itself, community members and leaders, students at all grade levels, teachers, and health workers. To disseminate its message, the project uses presentations in classrooms, community meetings, health clinics, and libraries, as well as one-on-one outreach to the fishing population. Partners in the project include the Asian Pacific Environmental Network; Estuary Action Challenge, a project of the Earth Island Institute; the Oakland Chinese Community Council; and Impact Assessment, California Department of Health Services. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Shasta County Office of Education -- $16,016 David Klasson, 1644 Magnolia Avenue, Redding, CA 96001 Environmental Science Leadership Development Workshops This project provides five-day workshops for 100 teachers, classroom aides, community coordinators, and natural resource professionals. The two workshops, open to participants from counties in northern California, train participants to use environmental education curricula developed by the Adopt-a-Watershed Foundation, Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, and A Child's Place in the Environment, as well as the California State Environmental Education Guide. Key partners in the project include the Whiskeytown Environmental School; the Adopt-a-Watershed Foundation; the California Department of Education; the Society of American Foresters; Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve; the California Department of Fish and Game; the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Council; the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District; the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior; and the Shasta-Tehama Bioregional Council. |
| 1997 | CA | 9 | Water Education Foundation -- $5,000 Judy Wheatley, 717 K Street, Suite 517, Sacramento, CA 95814 Water Conservation in Disadvantaged, Culturally Diverse Inner City Schools This project provides training in water resources and conservation for 100 primary grade teachers in Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco school districts. The workshops focus on the use of educational software developed by the Water Education Foundation, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and Division of Water Conservation, for teaching students in kindergarten through third grade about water conservation and pollution prevention in urban areas. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Adams City High School -- $4,927 Don Bruce, 4720 East 69th Avenue, Commerce City, CO 80022 Students as Catalysts for Pollution Prevention The goal of this project is to increase the availability to students, teachers, and the public of pollution prevention strategies and resources that can contribute to a safer environmental future. The project involves more than 300 high school students, particularly 200 students at Adams City High School who live in a culturally diverse, low-income area and are challenged by residential and commercial pollution in their communities, which are in close proximity to five Superfund sites. The students produce multimedia presentations that highlight pollution prevention, environmental justice, and environmental health. In addition, the project makes available on the Internet a risk reduction curriculum, resources, and projects for schools and communities. The primary partners with Adams City High School in the project are Front Range Community College, the Northwest Metro Pollution Prevention Alliance, the city of Commerce, the Tri-County Health Department, ENVIR-MGMT, MAACO, and Conoco. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Clean Air Campaign of Pike's Peak Region -- $2,000 Barb Negley, 219 West Colorado Avenue, #210, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Clean Air for High School Classrooms The goal of the Clean Air for High School Classrooms project is to educate the community to solve air quality problems through pollution prevention activities. The project is designed specifically to educate teachers and students about the properties of air and the effects of air pollution, as well as the development of intellectual skills that support pollution prevention efforts. Under the project, 25 educators in the 13 public-school districts in the Pike's Peak region educate 750 students; through those students, the project reaches 2,250 people, members of the students' families. Hands-on workshops for educators make use of a variety of educational materials, including the Clean Air for the High School Classroom resource packet, air quality monitors provided by the Environmental Services Division of Colorado Springs Utilities, and curricula provided by local environmental organizations. The project also focuses on educating teachers in environmental issues and pollution prevention. The primary partners in the project are Clean Air for the High School Classroom, the Environmental Services Division of Colorado Springs Utilities, and such local environmental organizations as Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful and Wecycle. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $16,100 Mike Way, 999-18th Street, #2750, Denver, CO 80202 Colorado Environmental Education Correlations Project This project provides training to educators in curriculum content standards and provides a comprehensive, cross-referenced list of environmental education programs that can be used to meet the requirements of the statewide curriculum content learning standards. The project targets the state's 50,000 educators, with emphasis on the 1,500 individuals designated to serve as environmental education liaisons under the Conservation Education Section of the Colorado Department of Education. In addition, some 2,300 providers of environmental education have been invited to participate in the project, which is intended to help educators become aware of state curriculum content standards through workshops and a compendium of environmental education programs. Under the project, 10 training workshops for environmental education providers are being conducted through community-based environmental education networks. Among the issues addressed during the workshops are development and delivery of environmental education and reform of education. The primary partners in the project are the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, the Colorado Department of Education, and educators throughout the state. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Colorado Wildlife Federation -- $8,471 Diane Gansauer, 445 Union Boulevard, #302, Lakewood, CO 80228 Urban NatureLink This project focuses on awareness among families in Denver of the wildlife, habitat, and environmental issues that affect their neighborhoods. It provides resources families can use as they see fit to protect or improve their environment. The target audience of the project is 15 to 20 urban families, totaling an estimated 30 to 70 participants of all ages, who live in underserved minority or low-income communities. The Urban NatureLink project includes the current programs of the Colorado Wildlife Federation and five other educational programs, which educate culturally diverse, low-income audiences about environmental issues, thereby advancing environmental justice. The primary partners in the project are the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado Bird Observatory, Denver Parks and Recreation, and the Thorne Ecological Institute. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Electronic Pathways -- $5,000 John Hoover, 3215 Marine St/CU, Box 456, Boulder, CO 80309 Environmental Science Career Communications Network This project is expanding the Electronic Pathways World Wide Web site called Career Communications Network for Women and Girls. The project provides equal access and opportunity to participate fully in today's information age to underserved and underrepresented populations. It involves 50 to 70 women's and girls' organizations in Colorado that have access to the Internet. The product reaches its audience through a needs assessment survey and the Career Communications Network, as well as through a Web site that provides career information in several categories, including health occupations, science, and nontraditional occupations. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Friends of Bluff Lake -- $4,750 Sarah Mooney, 3051 South Elm Street, Denver, CO 80222 Kindergarten Curriculum This project provides the first environmental education curriculum specifically geared to kindergarten students in the Denver metropolitan area and involves that target audience in environmental education programs. The target audience is traditionally underserved, racially-mixed, low-income schoolchildren, involving approximately 700 students and their teachers. The environmental education curriculum and life experiences for students reach that audience through two-hour environmental education field trips, reinforced by pre- and post-visit activities. The project provides city children an opportunity to experience a wild place in the midst of a densely-populated urban area. Partners in the project are the Friends of Bluff Lake, the Denver Public Schools, and the Aurora Public Schools. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Grand Valley Earth Coalition -- $6,064 Sandi Sturm, P. O. Box 4758, Grand Junction, CO 81502 Community Environmental Education Project The Community Environmental Education Project enables students, educators, and residents in Grand Valley to make informed decisions based on an understanding of environmental systems and to assess the effects of human activity on those systems. It involves teachers in the work of local environmental agencies; the teachers then bring the knowledge they have gained back to the classroom, and both teachers and students increase their environmental awareness through direct experience. Three government agencies provide teacher training and capacity-building through internships. Public outreach, an environmental lecture series, and roundtable discussions with high school and college students, along with an Internet Web site created under the project, round out the educational effort. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Hygiene Elementary School -- $4,900 Billie Pett, P. O. Box 300, Hygiene, CO 80533 Aquatic Discoveries The Aquatic Discoveries project, conducted solely by Hygiene Elementary School, teaches students about environmental issues that affect water, such as conservation, quality, and aquatic ecosystems. It also increases awareness of such issues, engages students in the development and application of critical-thinking skills and problem-solving strategies, and encourages them to take positive environmental action and become involved in the concerns of their communities. The project involves all staff and students at Hygiene Elementary School, which has a primarily Caucasian population, with a minority of African American and Hispanic students, and works to involve parents and other members of the community, as well. During the school year, students conduct numerous projects to be featured at the Aquatic Discoveries environmental festival. Newsletters, classroom participation by students, after-school programs, and communication with the media, as well as the environmental festival itself, promote the project and build public awareness of environmental issues that affect water. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Ignacio School District -- $5,000 Julie Somers, 315 Ignacio Street, Ignacio, CO 80309 Ignacio Water Quality This project builds awareness of environmental issues and ethics, teaches research techniques, explores technologies, strengthens teamwork and communication skills, and examines career options in environmental fields in an applied, hands-on manner. Each semester, 20 students, a majority of whom are Hispanic or Native American, take part directly in the program, with the entire school population, as well as members of the community, also reached by the effort. Another goal of the project is to combine an Environmental Science class with a new class in Field Techniques and Science Technologies. The project aims to stimulate interest in environmental careers through increased environmental awareness, improve skills in environmental sampling techniques and communication, strengthen teamwork, and generate better use of technology and application of the scientific method. The primary partners in the endeavor are the Ignacio School District, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the River Watch Program of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | Project Food, Land, and People -- $66,700 (HQ Grant) Roxanne Brickell, 635 Iris Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304 Project Food, Land, and People Project Food, Land, and People fills a gap by addressing the interrelationships among agriculture, the environment, and society. The goals of the project are to build educational capacity in various states to train educators to use existing curriculum materials related to those issues; to implement an improved training workshop model; to meet the need for environmental education materials in Spanish; and to serve a culturally and geographically diverse cross-section of educators in states in six EPA regions - California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, and Texas. The project trains more than 150 facilitators, who in turn conduct workshops for several thousand educators. The educators reached through the project include teachers in bilingual classrooms in which curricula are taught in Spanish and English. The project also serves organizations that work in environmental education, natural resources, and agriculture. In addition, the project provides additional lessons in Spanish in response to needs expressed by educators in bilingual classrooms. |
| 1997 | CO | 8 | William Marsh Rice University -- $18,894 Robyn Wright-Dunbar, Mancos, CO 81328 Mancos Canyon Discovery This project develops correlations between environmental education programs and state standards for curriculum content. Students in grades three through five at the Ute Mountain reservation and public school teachers in the two-county region neighboring the reservation are involved in the environmental education effort that is designed to be a catalyst to advance education reform on the state, local, and tribal levels. The target audience is a diverse population that is 9 percent Hispanic and more than 16 percent Native American. In 1999, students in grades six to eight will join the project, increasing the number of participants to more than 100 students per summer. The project is developing a locally organized, self-sustaining, backyard learning resource. The primary collaborators in the project are the Ute Mountain Tribe, RE-1 Independent School District, and The Four Corners Coalition. |
| 1997 | CT | 1 | Lyme Consolidated School/Connecticut Regional School District -- $5,000 Donna Turchi, RFD #2, Box 478, Lyme, CT 06371 Salmon Restoration/Watershed Study Project The Salmon Restoration/Watershed Study Project provides an indoor aquatic laboratory designed to heighten students' awareness of the adjacent Connecticut and Eightmile River tidelands. Teachers are trained to use the rivers and the aquatic station as laboratories for fostering scientific inquiry. The project is a collaborative effort between the Lyme Consolidated School and the Edgerton Elementary School in New London and its minority population. |
| 1997 | CT | 1 | New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. -- $4,955 Joanne Sciulli, c/o West Rock Nature Center, P. O. Box 2969, New Haven, CT 06515 Future Environmental Educator Training The Future Environmental Educator Training (FEET) project trains urban teenagers to become environmental educators in West Rock, a primarily African American community in New Haven. FEET trains six teen educators who lead programs for as many as 400 children and adults in the following year. The program exposes the young people to careers in education and the environmental professions, fields that are in dire need of racial diversification. |
| 1997 | CT | 1 | Save the Sound, Inc. -- $5,000 T. Robins Brown, 185 Magee Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902 Long Island Sound Education for New Rochelle, New York This project increases children's awareness and knowledge of Long Island Sound, New York and its watershed by involving them in hands-on activities. Teachers learn how to integrate activities related to Long Island Sound, watershed preservation, and the threats that water pollution poses to health into their classroom programming. The program reaches 15 to 20 teachers of fourth- and fifth-grade classes in New Rochelle. Under the program, the students of the participating teachers take part in beach classes led by experienced naturalists at Long Island Sound Beach. Partners with Save the Sound, Inc. in the project are the New Rochelle Environmental Partnership and the City School District of New Rochelle. |
| 1997 | CT | 1 | SoundWaters -- $5,000 Nathan Frohling Brewers Yacht Haven Marina, Washington Blvd., Stamford, CT 06902 Urban Ecology Project at Monterey Village The project educates from 30 to 60 children in fourth through eighth grade from a low-income, culturally diverse population, along with their families, in issues related to non-point-source pollution. It demonstrates the link between Monterey Village, a privately owned, low-income housing project, and the Norwalk River Watershed that flows into Long Island Sound. |
| 1997 | DE | 3 | Center for Inland Bays -- $4,950 Bruce Richards, P. O. Box 297, Nassau, DE 19969 Aquaculture Education Initiative This initiative focuses on priority areas and uses environmental education as a catalyst for expanding inland bays aquaculture programs to encourage improvement in public policy, influence future research, and encourage economic aspects of aquaculture. The project also educates the public about environmental issues that affect their communities through community-based organizations or through print, film, broadcast, or other media. The study area is the inland bays watershed that encompasses eastern Sussex County. The area has a unique diverse population of primarily European ancestry, along with African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asians. The target audiences are local organizations, the Citizen's Advisory Committee, the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, and Business People for the Bays. |
| 1997 | FL | 4 | Florida State University -- $5,000 Ellen Granger, Office of Research, Tallahassee, FL 32306-3067 Sea-to-See: An Introduction to Marine Organisms The Sea-to-See program brings the marine environment into the elementary classroom and provides workshops for elementary teachers. Under the program, 3,000 second- and fourth-grade students have the opportunity to explore the array of macro-invertebrate life that populates the near-shore marine environment of north Florida. Students explore that environment through two touching tanks - one representing the salt marsh, oyster bar, and sandy bottom and the other representing the extremely diverse sea grass beds. |
| 1997 | FL | 4 | Focus Center, Inc. -- $4,300 Jennifer B. Petro, 139 Brooks Street, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 Woods to Water: An Environmental Approach This project provides students with an understanding of the environmental dangers present in local soil and water. It makes students aware of the environmental health risks that pollution poses to humans. In addition, it promotes awareness of environmental policies, possible approaches to cleanup, and pollution prevention. |
| 1997 | FL | 4 | Lake County School District/Umatilla High School Public Service Academy -- $5,000 Lauren Stricklen, 201 W. Burleigh Boulevard, Tavares, FL 32778 Emeralda Marsh Living Classroom The Emeralda Marsh Living Classroom project allows 90 students the opportunity to explore the Emeralda Marsh Restoration Area through a variety of activities. It helps the students to develop an understanding of the resource and the value of its preservation. The activities offered under the program incorporate a variety of instructional strategies and techniques described in current education research. The project is a collaborative effort with the Saint Johns River Water Management District. |
| 1997 | FL | 4 | School Board of Alachua County -- $4,950 Dr. Donna Omer, 620 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601 Not In My Back Yard Not In My Back Yard is an interdisciplinary program for 170 students in fifth grade that investigates issues of environmental quality related to solid waste disposal in the community. The students, representing various socioeconomic and racial populations, work in collaborative groups to investigate local ecosystems and learn to become informed citizens who take responsible environmental actions. |
| 1997 | GA | 4 | Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Center -- $19,245 Lisa J. Hollingsworth, P. O. Box 1600, Franklin, GA 30217 Comprehensive Regional Environmental Database This project provides a comprehensive regional environmental database, on CD-ROM, that includes mapped data on environmentally sensitive areas and solid waste management capacity. The project also provides a training workshop for planning commissioners, local planning staff, elected officials, and other interested persons to educate them in using the database to support the review of land use permit applications and decisions about approval or denial of such applications. The project also assists local governments in arranging special programs that introduce high school students to the CD-ROM program and its use. |
| 1997 | GA | 4 | Coastal Kids -- $4,520 Cathy Tobler, P. O. Box 21243, St. Simons Island, GA 31522 Coastal Encounters Project The Coastal Encounters Project focuses on building the capability of local teachers and informal educators to enhance and deliver environmental education and to increase students' awareness of the effects of tourism and other local industries on the coastal environment. In four workshops, 60 teachers work in collaboration with Coastal Encounters to integrate the curriculum into current classroom instruction. Through 18 field trips, the project also provides the opportunity for almost 1,000 students to participate in hands-on activities and work on group assignments and problem-solving exercises. |
| 1997 | GA | 4 | Environmental Education Alliance -- $4,875 Deron Davis, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville, GA 30504 Develop and Distribute Georgia Education Resource Guide This project provides a resource guide to environmental education facilities throughout the state of Georgia. Educators and other interested persons can use the resource guide to find field trip locations and information that can be integrated into current environmental curricula. The guide also helps ensure that environmental information is consistent. |
| 1997 | GA | 4 | Georgia Envirothon -- $4,900 Terry Seehorn, Route 1, Box 1A1, Rabun Gap, GA 30568 The Georgia Envirothon - A High School Environmental Competition The hands-on academic competition conducted under this project provides 148 students and 48 teachers an opportunity to enhance environmental education through interaction between agencies responsible for the protection of natural resources and educators. Students interact with natural resource professionals at competition stations that give them a better understanding of the day-to-day problems and opportunities people who hold those jobs encounter. A college and career fair is an integral part of the competition. |
| 1997 | GA | 4 | Seven Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. -- $5,000 Dale D. Sellers, 400 East Park Avenue, Suite 5, Baxley, GA 31513 Project Environmentally Correct Project Environmentally Correct! addresses the issue of wetland ecosystems and provides sustained and intensive professional development to teachers and staff of the Appling County Middle School to improve instruction in environmental science. Students use two ponds that feature nesting boxes and an observation platform to study aquatic and wetland ecology, learn to conduct water testing, and study the habitats. |
| 1997 | HI | 9 | Hawaii State Department of Education -- $133,465 (HQ Grant) Colleen Murakami, P. O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804 Water Issues Teacher Training Project This project supports both education reform and environmental education in Hawaii. Its objectives are to create and implement a development program that improves teachers' understanding of water issues and strengthens their skills, to develop partnerships with the Department of Health and the University of Hawaii, to upgrade an electronic database to be used throughout the state for the study of water issues, and to develop a cadre of 24 master teacher trainers to deliver workshops. The project involves 120 public school teachers of diverse ethnic origins who teach grades 6 to 12. |
| 1997 | ID | 10 | Idaho Department of Water Resources -- $5,000 Dick Larsen, Public Information Office, 1301 N. Orchard Street, Boise, ID 83706 Idaho Water Awareness Week The Idaho Water Awareness Week program equips sixth graders with the educational tools and understanding they need to develop and maintain an appreciation of the importance of water in their lives. The project uses an existing curriculum that specifically focuses on water to teach 11,500 students from a variety of school environments, including home schools. Under the project, extensive organized student activities, including field trips, environmental projects, and hands-on programs, reinforce classroom activities. The program gives students the opportunity to develop critical-thinking and decision-making skills while they increase their scientific and general knowledge about issues related to water and the environment. |
| 1997 | ID | 10 | Northwest Nazarene College -- $20,000 Lianne Yamamoto, Teacher Education Department, 623 Holly, Nampa, ID 83686 The Examining Regional Biodiversity Systems Project The Examining Regional Biodiversity Systems Project enriches the overall environmental literacy and environmental action skills of middle school students living in small-town and rural communities in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon; enhances the planning and instructional skills of middle school teachers in areas related to environmental education; and expands the capacity of schools to provide superior activities focused on environmental issues, with a special emphasis on hands-on activities for young people. A professional training cadre of 21 middle school teachers from seven schools delivers the program. The innovative approach that forms the basis of the program focuses on a model that demonstrates how people experience a change in attitude, and subsequently a change in behavior, as they investigate solutions to various environmental issues. |
| 1997 | ID | 10 | Southeast Idaho Council of Governments -- $1,400 Chuck Prince, Portneuf Watershed Council, P. O. Box 6079, Pocatello, ID 83205 Portneuf Watershed Council Water Quality Education This project aims to improve public awareness of the importance of the quality of both surface water and groundwater in a four-county region. The project focuses on developing critical-thinking skills related to the possible effects of certain land uses on water bodies and the degradation of water quality that may result from certain actions. Models of groundwater and surface-water flow and videotapes are used in presentations and demonstrations for students, teachers, civic groups, community and tribal leaders, and the general public. The presentations are designed to equip those audiences to make informed decisions about land use, the protection of water quality, and possible solutions to problems related to those issues. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | American Lung Association of Illinois -- $4,953 Karen Lanter, 6100 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville, IL 62025 Open Airways for Schools Under this project, the American Lung Association (ALA) of Illinois is training nursing students at Southern Illinois University and school nurses in East St. Louis and Granite City to use the highly structured and user-friendly curriculum Open Airways. The curriculum teaches 8- to 11-year-old students how to control and manage their asthma. The trained educators will reach more than 200 students in 20 schools throughout East St. Louis and Granite City, areas in which 99 percent of the children are African American from families that have incomes less than the average in the state. Through participation in the program, children learn to manage their asthma by identifying factors that trigger attacks, including environmental conditions. Children therefore experience improved health and increase their awareness of environmental issues, particularly those related to environmental justice. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Benedictine University -- $4,948 Mary Mickus, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532 Elementary Outreach Program - Discovery Boxes Under this project, the Jurica Nature Museum, housed in the Scholl Science Center, is expanding its environmental education and outreach program by developing discovery boxes that focus on local issues related to biodiversity and the ecosystem. The boxes, which are distributed on loan to elementary school teachers, contain a variety of environmental lessons and activities. The project reaches more than 3,000 students in their classroom, as well as 80 school groups that visit the museum's new and improved interactive environmental exhibits. Through the discovery box activities and museum visits, students learn to identify environmental issues, state facts accurately, and resolve problems and develop an understanding of how difficult decisions are reached. The project also trains science teachers in methods of teaching a curriculum on environmental diversity. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Center for Instruction, Staff Development, and Evaluation -- $153,843 (HQ Grant) Trudi Volk, 1925 New Era Road, Carbondale, IL 62901 Environmental Education for Responsible Citizenship The Environmental Education for Responsible Citizenship project builds upon an earlier project of the Center for Instruction, Staff Development, and Evaluation that trained 300 educators in 10 states and Puerto Rico in the use of two curricula. The new project introduces a leadership component, the Trainer of Trainers Workshop, which brings together 50 of the trained and experienced teachers to prepare them to conduct five-day workshops in their regions for an estimated 1,250 other educators. The project involves more than 1,200 formal and informal educators in grades 5 through 12 and makes special effort to target teachers of minorities. The curriculum is published in both English and Spanish. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Chicago Park District -- $4,783 Sofia Refetoff, 425 E. McFetridge Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 Environmental Education in Urban Parks Under this project, the Chicago Park District is integrating environmental education into its core program through a series of intensive staff development workshops and lectures. Managers, park supervisors, and park instructors receive training in the educational programs Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Aquatics and in waste management. Park staff learn to integrate environmental education into the district's existing programs, which serve more than 40,000 children throughout the city. In its first year, the project reached approximately 360 park personnel from 260 city parks, as well as an estimated 3,600 students influenced by the trained employees. The Chicago Park District conducts the project in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Chicago Academy of Sciences. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Heartland Community College -- $5,000 Mark Finley, 1226 Towanda, Bloomington, IL 61701 Mackinaw Watershed Environmental Education Heartland Community College is conducting this project designed to increase public awareness of and knowledge about environmental issues that affect the upper Mackinaw River system. The project focuses first on community education and then on teacher education. Its community courses teach high school students and members of the public to collect information about environmental assessment in the local watershed, evaluate the information, and identify stresses on the river system. In addition, a five-day summer workshop teaches educators to use the Mackinaw River as a natural laboratory. The project has reached more than 100 students and more than 30 teachers from several communities. The Heartland Community College conducts the project in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Illinois Environmental Protection Agency -- $24,000 Brian Urbaszewski, P. O. Box 19276, Springfield, IL 62794 A Tour of the Urban Environment Under this project, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is enhancing the air pollution component of a new environmental science exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry called A Tour of the Urban Environment. Using an interactive device and a display unit, the exhibit educates students and the public about the sources of urban ozone smog, the health risks it poses, and solutions to the smog problem. The project fosters an understanding of the human actions and scientific processes that lead to the formation of ozone and encourages consideration of preventive actions that might decrease ozone levels in the Chicago region. Each year, the museum hosts more than 400,000 students in school and other youth groups among its 1.7 million visitors. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Metropolitan Chicago Council of Campfire, Inc. -- $5,000 Jean D. Lachowicz, 203 N. Wabash, #1518, Chicago, IL 60601 Farm Camp The Farm Camp project takes 40 boys and girls in the Campfire organization, along with 12 trained adult volunteers, to an organic farm in Caledonia, Illinois, where the children spend three days learning about the day-to-day operations of the farm and observing environmentally conscious food production and farming. The children explore the issues of agricultural waste, biodiversity, and erosion. Through a series of hands-on activities, the children learn to think critically and evaluate environmental issues and the relationship of such issues to hunger, land use, agricultural techniques, and earth awareness. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | Public School District #29 - Sunset Ridge Elementary School -- $5,000 Georgia Bozeday, 525 Sunset Ridge Road, Northfield, IL 60093 Impact of the Water Cycle on Regional and Global Ecosystems Students in grades four to eight at Sunset Ridge Elementary School study their local wetlands through daily collection of various data. The activities conducted under this project include field trips to local wetland habitats and to a water reclamation plant. The students then share the data collected with others throughout the world through the GLOBE program, a worldwide network of students and scientists working together to learn about the global environment. Students also create multimedia presentations based on their outdoor investigations. In addition, educators attend GLOBE training workshops that equip them to use the computer program effectively in their classrooms. More than 250 students participate in wetland activities and the GLOBE program. |
| 1997 | IL | 5 | The Conservation Foundation of Du Page County -- $5,000 Anne Marie Smith, 703 Warrenville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187 Envirothon The Du Page County Envirothon tests students' knowledge and understanding of issues related to the use of the state's resources, cultivates a desire to learn more about the natural world, and promotes interest in environmental careers. After competing at the county level, students proceed to a statewide competition. State winners then participate in a competition that involves participants from 15 states. Du Page and Kane counties draw participants from environmental clubs at public high schools, various private schools, and 4-H clubs. The expanding program is expected to reach 140 students and 35 teachers in its second year. Du Page County and the Kane-Du Page Soil and Water Conservation District work in partnership to coordinate and host the Envirothon. |
| 1997 | IN | 5 | Vigo County School Corporation -- $3,990 C. Jean Church, 961 Lafayette Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47804 Substitute Teacher Environmental Project Through a program at Utah State University, Vigo County trains an in-service facilitator in water education. The facilitator then trains 20 substitute teachers in the Vigo County school system to be water education specialists so that they can teach environmental lesson plans when they substitute throughout the school district. The training workshop focuses on learning to use the Comprehensive Water Education Book, a text designed to accomplish the objectives set forth by the National Science Council. In the classroom, students study issues related to water quality, wise use of water, and non-point-source pollution. They explore those issues through learning activities based on sound, hands-on techniques of inquiry. The project reaches more than 8,000 students during the school year. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | American Water Works Association, Iowa Section -- $5,000 Angie Mann, 2201 Valley Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321 Iowa Children's Water Festival The Iowa Children's Water Festival is a one-day educational event that gives fifth graders the opportunity to learn about the important role of water in the environment. To ensure statewide participation, random regional drawings are conducted to select 1,500 students to attend the event, held at the Ankeny campus of the Des Moines Area Community College. The Des Moines Water Works is a partner in the project. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Education -- $4,420 Duane Toomsen, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146 Nature Speaks The Nature Speaks project develops numerous communication skills linked with experiences in the natural environment. Through the project, 26 teachers participate in a workshop designed to connect the disciplines of language arts, social studies, science, physical education, and art with ecology and understanding of environmental relationships in learning-by-doing activities. The University of Northern Iowa is a partner in the project. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | Iowa Renewable Energy Association -- $5,000 Thomas Deves, 3863 Short Street, Dubuque, IA 52002 Iowa Electrathon Under the Iowa Electrathon project, schools design, build, and race one-person electric vehicles. Students are involved directly in the design and construction of the cars and are involved indirectly in obtaining sponsors, arranging publicity, and project planning. More than 500 schools in Iowa - public, private, and parochial - participate in the project. Teachers attend a workshop during which they explore environmental issues and learn to build the Electrathon vehicles. The Electrathon is intended to bring attention to the environmental problems caused by conventional cars and to demonstrate the practicality of electric vehicles. Partners in the project are the Iowa Renewable Energy Association and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | Maharishi University of Management -- $5,000 Terry Allen, 1000 North 4th Street, Fairfield, IA 50556 Creating an Ecosystem: A Model K-12 Environmental Curriculum The curriculum implementation project includes faculty training, student education, and distribution of educational material to the public. The target audience includes 650 students and faculty of the school selected for the project, as well as an estimated 200 students and teachers from other schools. The project addresses a fundamental environmental problem, the need to develop sustainable methods of agriculture, and includes a faculty workshop and classroom and greenhouse activities. Food workers who teach the Common Roots Curriculum are partners with the university in the project. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | Missouri & Mississippi Divide Resource Conservation & Development, Inc. -- $4,560 Keith Edwards, 618 Park Avenue, Sac City, IA 50583 Iowa Organic Agriculture Education Project The Iowa Organic Agriculture Education Project increases awareness and knowledge of organic agriculture among farmers and provides them the skills they need to apply organic agriculture practices. Farmers who are converting to organic farming and others who use organic practices are the target audience. A series of six workshops provide training for more than 300 members of the farming community. The participants gain an understanding of the effects of farming practices on human health. Missouri & Mississippi Divide Resource Conservation & Development, Inc.; Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development, Inc.; the Heartland Organic Cooperative; and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are partners in the project. |
| 1997 | IA | 7 | University of Iowa -- $5,000 Dave Conrads, E216 Field House, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 Wild 2000, A Wildcare Project Wild 2000, A Wildcare Project provides all children in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) the opportunity to participate in a week-long outdoor environmental educational experience sometime during their elementary school years. The week-long program is modeled on a wildlife camp program that focuses on various ecosystems in the area. The pilot program begins with five elementary schools, including more than 250 students and 15 teachers. The students participating are fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from a multicultural background. Partners in the project are the ICCSD and the University of Iowa. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Baker University -- $12,450 Roger Boyd, 8th & Grove, Baldwin City, KS 66006 Wetlands With a Vision The Wetlands With a Vision project incorporates student and teacher training, as well as community-based education, to increase the use of an outdoor classroom by area schools. The project trains a group of volunteers as tour leaders, who then are equipped to improve awareness and understanding among the general public of the value and functions of wetlands. Under the project, pamphlets that provide check lists of birds, mammals, fish, herbs, and plants found in the wetlands are integrated into the current curriculum. Because of their locations, wetlands adjoining Haskell Indian Nations University and wetlands in the flood plain of the Wakarusa River benefit from the program. The target audience of the project is kindergarten through 12th-grade students in the Douglas County school system. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Butler County Community College -- $3,797 Judy Carney, 901 S. Haverhill Road, El Dorado, KS 67042 Developing a Water Festival in Butler County Under this project, a one-day water festival is held for more than 400 fourth- and fifth-grade students in Butler County. The water festival raises public awareness of the problem of non-point-source pollution in the Butler County water supply. Partners in the project are Butler County Community College and the Butler County Conservation District. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Haskell Indian Nations University -- $25,000 William M. Welton, 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046 Environmental Education Through Distance Learning Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) and the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center are extending environmental education through distance learning for underserved American Indian audiences. The project uses satellite technology in collaborative efforts to build tribal capacity by providing formal environmental education to tribal educators and students. Teachers are trained in the use of culturally relevant material from the curricula Investigate Your Environment and Project Learning Tree. The teachers in turn reach 300 sixth- through eighth-grade American Indian students. Under the project, HINU works in cooperation with tribally controlled colleges in five states - Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington - and with tribes in Kansas. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $25,200 (HQ Grant) John Strickler or Gary Hulett, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502-2798 Development and Dissemination of State Environmental Education Standards Through a partnership of public and private-sector organizations, the project integrates environmental education into kindergarten through 12th-grade programs and fosters the state's current efforts in education reform. The three objectives of the project are to develop environmental education standards for the state that are based on national standards, to conform various teacher training materials, and to distribute the new standards and materials with the state's core curricular standards through teacher training workshops. The project reaches more than 1,500 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and pre-service teachers each year. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Kansas Rural Center -- $4,825 Jerry Jost, P. O. Box 133, Whiting, KS 66552 Making the Pieces Fit in Sustainable Agricultural Conference This conference makes available effective learning opportunities in practical approaches to sustainable agriculture. It provides networking opportunities for approximately 275 farmers among the community-based farming clusters in the Heartland Network. The effort is sponsored jointly by the Kansas Rural Center and Kansas State University. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Unified School District #323 Perry Public Schools -- $5,000 Paula Kellogg, Third and Bridge Streets, Perry, KS 66073 Local and Global Education to Enhance Environmental Awareness The Local and Global Education to Enhance Environmental Awareness project prepares staff of the school district to serve as trainers in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program and to develop an outdoor study site. More than 70 teachers are trained in the use of the GLOBE program and have access to the study site, and more than 1,000 students participate in the project. Through Internet capabilities available in all classrooms in Unified School District #323, students and staff communicate with other students, teachers, and scientists throughout the world. Local organizations, such as scouts and Quail Unlimited, Inc., take an active role in maintaining and using the study site. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | W. Clement Stone Nature Center -- $5,000 Martha Birrel, 7240 SW 10th Street, Topeka, KS 66615 Fostering Environmental Responsibility in the Urban Environment This project extends opportunities for environmental and outdoor activities to low-income and at-risk youth. The program is offered to 20 leaders and 430 young people, ages 8 to 14, from eight schools and two youth organizations. Approximately 66 percent of the young people participating in the project are African American or Hispanic. Student education and teacher training, with an emphasis on conservation of the natural environment, contribute to that population's appreciation of the natural world. |
| 1997 | KS | 7 | Wyandotte County Health Department -- $6,169 Joseph Connor, 619 Ann Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101 Project Protect: A Community-Based Program to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning Project Protect uses a coordinated community-based educational process to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in high-risk families. The project director trains 34 staff members from three community-based organizations who then give presentations to three neighborhood associations and three child-development classes at local colleges. The object is to personalize educational activities related to prevention of lead-poisoning for 926 targeted families who have children six and under who live in low-income housing built before 1978. |
| 1997 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools/Medora Elementary School -- $4,964 Larry D. Hamfeldt, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 River as Giver The River as Giver project teaches students to become global citizens, take personal responsibility for preserving the integrity of the Ohio River, and understand the influence the river has on their daily lives. The students and their teachers participate in hands-on activities at the river and at school. Students and members of the community have access to science stations set up at Riverside, a restored farmstead that reflects life in the 1800s. |
| 1997 | KY | 4 | Knox County Board of Education/Lay Elementary School -- $16,238 David Cole, 200 Daniel Boone Drive, Barbourville, KY 40906 Lay School Environmental Education Project This project trains teachers to use wetlands to teach students and the community about environmental issues and to monitor the health of a wetland. Teachers are trained through workshops to use the on-site natural wetland to meet the instructional goals of the curriculum as a whole. Students have the opportunity to verify the environmental effects of pollution on wetlands. Use of the wetland for study and research increases students' scientific knowledge and ability to use scientific methods. |
| 1997 | KY | 4 | Monticello Independent Board of Education -- $5,000 Margaret Broadhurst, 135 Cave Street, Monticello, KY 42633 Outdoor Classroom/Nature Trail This project establishes an outdoor classroom and nature trail that brings environmental education to students, school personnel, and the community. At the outdoor classroom, students participate in hands-on learning experiences that move them from a passive to an active role in the learning process. The nature trail includes a path accessible to the handicapped. |
| 1997 | KY | 4 | Oldham County Board of Education -- $5,000 Linda D'Antoni, P. O. Box 218, Buckner, KY 40010 Preschool Environmental Education Center The Preschool Environmental Education Center provides preschool children with increased knowledge of the local environment and how it is affected by various factors. Through that knowledge, the youngsters and the preschool's partners develop increased capacity to engage in community efforts to preserve their local environment. The on-site environmental education center is used extensively by 149 preschool children. |
| 1997 | LA | 6 | Big River Council Camp Fire -- $5,000 Gwen Stewart, 4874 Constitution Avenue, Suite 1E, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Primary Nature Trail The Primary Nature Trail project gives inner-city youth an opportunity to acquire environmental knowledge and awareness through the written and pictorial information about trees and other plants that is provided along the path. The young people also observe and collect samples of lichens, fungi, and insects found in and around decaying logs. The nature trail includes a compost pile, a butterfly garden, and a wetland, as well as nesting boxes that allow observation of the occupants. Users of the trail also can observe bats, ducks, and birds in their natural habitats. In addition, an archaeological dig highlights fossils for observation. |
| 1997 | LA | 6 | Cenla Pride -- $3,800 Betty Jones, 802 Third Street, Alexandria, LA 71301 Water Quality Career Camp The Water Quality Career Camp educates students about environmental issues to encourage their interest in environmental careers, specifically in the area of water quality. Students develop an understanding of urban storm-water runoff and its effects on aquatic ecosystems. They also attend a day camp program, conduct hands-on projects and activities, and take field trips related to water quality. A public awareness component rounds out the project. |
| 1997 | LA | 6 | Louisiana University Marine Consortium -- $18,060 John Caruso, 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, LA 70344 Effects of Eutrophication and Hypoxia in Louisiana's Coastal Waters The Louisiana University Marine Consortium (LUMCON), a cooperative effort of the state's 13 public universities, 6 private institutions of higher education, their governing boards, and several state environmental agencies, sponsors this project for university-level students. The project seeks to provide such students detailed, in-depth education on the widespread and closely related phenomena of eutrophication and oxygen depletion in Louisiana's coastal waters. Students involved in the project participate in one of LUMCON's three principal programs: field trip programs that enrich regular session courses and those that are conducted during spring break and summer and courses provided under the Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LAMP) Program, all of which provide the students first-hand experience in the marine environment. The target audience of the project is graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the 19 member universities of the consortium, of which five are historically minority colleges and universities. Each year, some 400 students participate in some phase of the program. |
| 1997 | LA | 6 | Tallulah Elementary School -- $5,000 Becky Lancaster, 1100 Johnson Street, Tallulah, LA 71282 Outdoor Environmental Education Classroom Problem-Solving Project The Outdoor Environmental Education Classroom project provides students an opportunity for hands-on environmental education. It includes nature trails, observation platforms, a weather station, flower and rock gardens, a water study area, ponds, bird feeders, nesting boxes, and soil study areas. The center is a vital environmental learning resource for all students and teachers in the parish. |
| 1997 | LA | 6 | Xavier University of Louisiana, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice -- $177,485 (HQ Grant) Beverly Wright, 7325 Palmetto St, Campus Box 45B, New Orleans, LA 70125 The New Orleans Environmental Justice Education Teacher Training Program This teacher training program addresses environmental threats to health, especially those that affect children. The project uses a newly designed curriculum that incorporates issues and concerns related to environmental justice into the regular science curriculum taught by 225 elementary school teachers. The curriculum emphasizes those issues, as well as skills correlated to Education Goals 2000, Louisiana Education Assessment and Curriculum Program Objectives, and Science 2000 objectives. Modules address lead, air pollution and asthma, pesticides, landfills, and the abandoned and possibly contaminated urban sites known as brownfields. Teachers trained through the program reach more than 6,000 students. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, the public school system of New Orleans, and the National Lead Information Center are partners in the project. |
| 1997 | ME | 1 | Aroostook Band of Micmacs -- $3,728 Fred Corey, Environmental Health Director, 759 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME 04769 Environmental Workshops and Newsletters: Education, Problem Solving, and the Environment This two-part project provides workshops for tribal youth and distributes newsletters to the tribal community. Through the three workshops provided, the young people examine issues related to non-point-source pollution, solid waste and landfills, and water quality. The two newsletters produced under the project cover environmental hazards known to affect the Micmac community. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, collaborators in the development and presentation of the workshops, provide staff, educational resources, and equipment for field exercises. |
| 1997 | ME | 1 | Audubon Expedition Institute -- $15,000 Lissa Widoff, Development Director, P. O. Box 365, 243 High Street, Belfast, ME 04915 Fostering a New Generation of Environmentally Literate Teachers This project establishes a summer master's degree program in ecological literacy, which fosters a new generation of environmentally literate teachers. After preparation of curricula and course syllabi, selection and training of faculty, and planning for its field and urban segments, the program reaches 20 teachers and the students in each of their classrooms, thereby affecting as many as 400 non-traditional (working) students. The project is a collaborative effort of the Audubon Expedition Institute and Lesley College of Cambridge, Massachusetts. |
| 1997 | ME | 1 | Blue Hill Consolidated School -- $5,000 Patrick Phillips, Blue Hill, Blue Hill, ME 04614 Enhancing Environmental Education Through Collaboration and Inservice The core curriculum developed under this project involves students in the care of injured wildlife and research related to the needs of those creatures and enhances awareness of endangered species, especially in the Blue Hill Peninsula and Mount Desert Island area. The project uses existing resources to integrate the subject matter into environmental education at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels. The project also provides support for kindergarten through sixth-grade curricula. Blue Hill Consolidated School conducts the project in collaboration with the Acadia Wildlife Foundation and College of the Atlantic. |
| 1997 | ME | 1 | Northern Maine Development Commission -- $17,559 Robert P. Clark, Executive Director, P. O. Box 779, 2 South Main Street, Caribou, ME 04736 Household Hazardous Waste Education and Exchange Program The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Education and Exchange Program provides regional workshops for citizens, businesses, industries, schools, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities in northern Maine, an area that has a population of 79,582. The project also provides workshops through which teachers and students learn about inventorying and reusing HHW, as well as reducing the amounts of such waste generated. The workshops, which reach more than 15,000 students, are conducted in conjunction with solid waste professionals in Aroostok County, local water and sewer utility districts, and the Northern Maine Solid Waste Management Committee. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Center for Social Organization of Schools -- $5,000 Alan Ruby, Johns Hopkins University, 3505 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 Water Pollution Unit for 8th-Grade Science This project works with several inner-city middle schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to address the issue of water pollution and health problems related to the quality of local drinking water. The curriculum conforms to new standards for science and environmental ecology programs established for Pennsylvania schools. Teachers learn, and then bring to the classroom, hands-on activities that examine issues related to urban water supplies, such as problems associated with older water treatment systems and old delivery systems and urban sources of water contamination. The curriculum also examines environmental careers and gives students an opportunity to explore ways to prepare for a future in environmental science. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Chesapeake Audubon Society -- $3,799 Richard Leader, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton, MD 21601 Environmental Education and Career Exposure for Adjudicated Youth Pickering Creek Environmental Center works with a residential program for male adjudicated students, all from low-income families, to provide environmental education. The course provides the 24 students in the program with a positive introduction to the outdoors and builds their communication and teamwork skills. Through classroom programs, field trips, and schoolyard habitat programs, the project gives the students the opportunity to explore environmental careers and involves them in hands-on projects that directly improve the environment. Under the program, students earn credits toward their high school diplomas. The project is a partnership effort of the Chesapeake Audubon Society, which owns and operates the environmental center, and Bethany House. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Living Classrooms Foundation -- $165,850 (HQ Grant) Scott Raymond, 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21231 Chesapeake Little Sheds Nitrate Net Project This project involves hands-on education at shoreside facilities and in floating classrooms that complements the efforts of scientists to implement areawide pollution monitoring and to address the interactions between air and water. Under the project, students study technology to increase their scientific literacy and understanding of the complex environmental issues that affect the Chesapeake Bay. Students collect and analyze environmental data to be used by both the education and the scientific communities. The skills and knowledge students develop through the project are a crucial factor in meeting the challenge to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Maryland Forestry Board Foundation -- $5,000 Michael Grant, P. O. Box 4205, Annapolis, MD 21403 Forest Conservation and Natural Resources Career Week The Forest Conservation and Natural Resources Career Week program brings environmental education to 48 high school students attending a one-week summer camp. Applicants, two from each county in the state, are selected through a competitive interview process. The camp, developed for students interested in pursuing careers in forestry or other natural resource management fields, is located on 100,000 acres of the Savage River State Forest. Teams of eight students each use their newly acquired skills to perform an environmental analysis of an assigned tract of land and solve a complex environmental problem. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Montgomery County Government -- $5,000 Boyd Church, 101 Monroe Street, 4th Floor, Room 410, Rockville, MD 20850 Clean Streets, Clean Streams Program The Clean Streets, Clean Streams Program educates the community about the effects of non-point-source pollution, particularly the improper disposal of waste automotive fluids, on the region's public drinking water. Program materials, available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese, describe methods of catching leaks and spills, as well as proper cleanup and disposal of contaminated materials. They are displayed at the county's Ethnic Heritage Festival and at the county fair. In addition, the availability of the materials is announced on radio broadcasts, and they are distributed in educational packages. |
| 1997 | MD | 3 | Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. -- $364 Ken Hafner, 303 Post Office Road, Suite B4A, Waldorf, MD 20602-2702 Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center Meadow Habitat Under this project, 150 disadvantaged youth, grades five through eight, are establishing an improved meadow habitat at Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center. The students also study aquatic, tidal marsh, river shoreline, upland woods, and meadow habitats to learn how the environmental quality of the creek affects the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Alternatives for Community and Environment, Inc. -- $5,000 Penn Loh, 2343 Washington Street, 2nd floor, Roxbury, MA 02119 Youth Educators for Asthma Prevention This project is conducted in Roxbury, an impoverished city of 60,000 residents, 90 percent of whom are people of color. Roxbury has the highest rate of asthma in Massachusetts. A corps of 16 to 24 Roxbury youth, ages 14 to 21, are trained in two after-school sessions. They then design workshops, skits, handouts, and other outreach devices to share their knowledge with other youth, teachers, and adults in their community. All materials developed are compiled into a manual on asthma that is distributed to educators in Boston. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Camp Fire Council for Eastern Massachusetts -- $5,000 Cynthia Beaudoin, 108 Union Wharf, Boston, MA 02109-1281 WorldWise In eastern Massachusetts, the WorldWise project, a national effort of Camp Fire Boys and Girls, has five learning objectives: The Ecosystem; Limiting Factors; Habitat and Niche; Matter and Energy Flow in Ecosystems; and Succession. Staff of 15 licensed urban after-school programs, including several in Boston and Cambridge, and of suburban programs participate in workshops and community service activities. Using a written survey, the 30 workshop participants evaluate presentations that are provided to an average of 375 children each year. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Center for Ecological Technology, Inc. -- $5,000 Nancy Nylen, 112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Environmental Teleconference Project: River Awareness and Action This project actively engages students at four high schools and two colleges in investigating the environmental condition of the Hoosic River. The project builds local capacity by expanding educational programming and increasing awareness on the part of the general public of issues that affect the watershed. The project broadcasts educational television programming to approximately 14,000 households and culminates in an interactive teleconference among participating schools. The project is a collaborative effort of the Center for Ecological Technology, Inc.; the Hoosic River Watershed Association; and the Northern Berkshire Community Television Corporation. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Chelsea Human Services Collaborative -- $5,000 Edward Maravkovitz, 300 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150 Environmental Issues in Chelsea: Capacity-Building for Informed Decisions and Responsible Action Environmental Issues in Chelsea provides an educational conference focused on four recent reports about environmental concerns that affect Chelsea, a low-income city at high risk for environmental problems, including lead poisoning and conditions that cause or aggravate asthma in children. The target audience includes 100 community leaders in Chelsea, of whom 50 percent are low-income and 50 percent are Hispanic. Further, 25 percent of that audience are youth leaders, and 10 percent are public officials. An additional 1,000 people, of a similar demographic composition, are targeted through the public media. Key partners in the project are the Environmental Diversity Forum, the Bridge School of Chelsea, the Massachusetts Toxics Campaign Fund, the Chelsea Record, and the Spanish language newspaper El Mundo. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Earth Works Project, Inc. -- $5,000 Bill Taylor, 11 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Schoolyard Orchard Outdoor Classroom The Schoolyard Orchard Outdoor Classroom project expands Earth Works Project, Inc.'s efforts to encourage teachers and young people to plant and care for fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and vines and to teach them about food production and ecosystems. The project provides 30 hands-on activities organized according to several themes or units and field-tests and evaluates the materials as they are used by at least 12 teachers and 200 students. The project also provides a curriculum handbook for the training of 40 teachers of primarily low-income students in kindergarten through grade six in the use of schoolyard urban orchards. Approximately 800 students are involved directly in the project. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Falmouth Public Schools -- $5,000 Joan Muller, 340 Teaticket Highway, East Falmouth, MA 02536-6527 Adult Basic Education Focusing on Groundwater and Pollution Issues This project improves and enriches the current science curriculum of the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program by adapting a groundwater and pollution course for ABE students and distributing the materials to other programs on Cape Cod, where concerns about groundwater pollution are particularly high because of the Superfund hazardous waste site at the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The primary goal of the project is to educate 15 adult-education instructors and 120 adult learners who, lacking high school diplomas, are marginally employed or unemployed. The learning program includes hands-on activities and reading and writing assignments. The participants also keep journals. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Holland Elementary School -- $1,190 Debra Benveniste, Town Hall, P. O. Box 170, Holland, MA 01521 Environmental Fair Day at Lake Siog The Environmental Fair Day project is a day-long series of workshops: Life of the Forest Floor, Life of the Pond, Life of the Beaver Dam, Wetland Identifiers, and The Night Sky. Serving approximately 100 to 150 people, including 70 children, the workshops help participants develop awareness of indicators of both health and distress for wetland areas, ponds, and forests. Some individuals are trained to provide the workshops to other audiences. Partners in the endeavor include the Holland Park Commission, The Hitchcock Center for the Environment, the Planetarium at Amherst College, and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society -- $60,000 (HQ Grant) Cleti Cervoni, 208 So. Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 Watershed Environmental Science Education Project The Watershed Environmental Science Education Project uses environmental education as a catalyst to advance education reform on the state, local, and tribal levels. Using watersheds as a theme, the project provides professional development services to science teachers. It documents best practices and communicates them to staff of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and to environmental educators in Massachusetts, other New England states, and other parts of the United States. More than 70 middle and high school science teachers at 30 schools develop their knowledge of concepts related to watersheds and confidence in leading field-study trips to natural areas. In turn, they act as mentors for other teachers and share with more than 4,000 students exciting new ways to learn about mathematics and science through exploration of their local watershed. Staff at six Audubon wildlife sanctuaries work in partnership with the 30 schools to conduct the project. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association -- $17,700 Nancy Hazard, 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Journey to the Future: Elementary Education for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Living This project provides a set of curriculum materials focused on technologies and behaviors that create a sustainable society. The project provides an interactive educational booklet for elementary school students and a teacher guide that focuses on the everyday decisions and actions that people make as individuals. In addition, educators from New York and New Jersey attend workshops on the use of the materials. The project provides a vision of sustainable living and decision making that fosters pollution prevention. Partners in the public and private sectors, including environmental educators, work with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in developing and delivering the curriculum materials. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Parker River Clean Water Association -- $5,000 David C. Mountain, P. O. Box 823, Byfield, MA 01922 Schoolyard Ecology for the Parker River Basin This project expands a program developed under a 1995 grant from EPA by the Triton Regional School District. It provides 10 elementary school teachers a five-day summer workshop and follow-up activities on the subject of watersheds. The training assists teachers in using hands-on, inquiry-based learning and is designed to increase their knowledge of organisms and environments in their communities. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Thompson Island Outward Bound -- $5,000 Carol Nugent, Director of Development, Education Center, P. O. Box 127, Boston, MA 02127 Summer Institute for Interdisciplinary Science-Based Learning This program increases the use of hands-on environmental teaching strategies in the public schools of Boston. The program serves 26 public school teachers and 60 public middle school students, 85 percent of whom are people of color. Through the six-week Outward Bound Summer Institute, the teachers participate in a five-day seminar to learn pedagogy and in expeditions in Boston Harbor to learn about their marine environment. The teachers then develop curricula based on Boston Harbor that they use in summer school and in their public school classrooms. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Westport Community Schools -- $17,558 Lana M. Paolillo, 17 Main Road, Westport, MA 02790 Finfish Restoration Project Under the Finfish Restoration Project, students and teachers work together to breed and raise three species of fish including scup, black sea bass, and winter flounder, in closed saltwater recirculation systems and to restock the waters in the area. The project involves 150 students in 8th grade and 100 students in 10th through 12th grades in two schools, all of whom participate in site visits between the schools, share data, and give presentations on their work. The project is a collaborative effort of Durfee High School in Fall River and Westport Middle School in Westport. |
| 1997 | MA | 1 | Westport River Watershed Alliance, Inc. -- $5,000 Gay Gillespie, 1151 Main Road, P. O. Box 3427, Westport, MA 02790 Watershed Education Program The Watershed Education Program (WEP) provides an interdisciplinary curriculum that focuses on watershed ecology and encourages students to become stewards of their fragile environment. WEP targets approximately 90 teachers and 1,328 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Current efforts ensure that the WEP curriculum kits are fully integrated into the classroom program by providing additional kits to schools at which entire grades previously shared a single kit and by conducting workshops that increase the confidence of teachers in their ability to lead students through the WEP activities. The Westport River Watershed and Westport Community Schools have been partners in the program for several years. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services -- $20,060 Kathyrn Savoie, 2651 Saulino Court, Dearborn, MI 48120 Youth Empowerment Project The Youth Empowerment Project seeks to create environmental awareness in an Arab American community located in southeast Michigan and to encourage community action on local issues that involve environmental justice. The program targets youth ages 12 to 19 who are members of an Arab American community of 250,000. Experts give monthly presentations on issues related to environmental justice at middle schools and high schools, and at meetings of youth groups, as well. Under the project, approximately 15 youth participate in the Rouge River Flood Plain Ecology Program at the University of Michigan, while 10 others participate in the Young Naturalist Program at the university. The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services also organizes and coordinates a two-month summer program of environmental education activities. Students conduct an in-depth study of the Rouge River ecosystem, access environmental data on line to share with members of the community, produce an environmental newsletter, and distribute the newsletter to 800 households in the immediate area. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | City of Ann Arbor -- $4,888 Cheryl Saam, 1831 Traver Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Taking Action in Recycling Taking Action in Recycling provides 19 full-day field trips for students in area schools. Through the field trips, approximately 1,140 students become familiar with the recycling process and learn how to implement recycling programs at their schools. Each field trip begins at the Leslie Science Center, where staff members introduce the concepts of natural cycles, ecosystems, and interdependency. Students participate in hands-on activities, nature hikes, simulation games, and group discussions. They then have the opportunity to see recycling in action at the Solid Waste Department's material recovery facility. After the field trip, students and teachers receive recycling boxes and are encouraged to establish recycling programs in their schools. The Leslie Science Center and the City of Ann Arbor Solid Waste Department work in partnership to sponsor the project. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Cranbrook Educational Community -- $4,962 Michelle Goyette, 1221 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303 Understanding Honey Bees Under this project, the Cranbrook Institute of Science seeks to significantly improve its honey-bee education program. The institute uses the program to educate student groups and the general public about the value of the honey bee population and the risks that population currently faces in the environment. Through the program's outreach effort, educators travel to schools in the Detroit area to teach more than 400 students about insects and honey bees. Cranbrook also trains 20 junior-high and high-school students as volunteers at its nature center and assists in educating the public about the honey bee population. Volunteers research the honey bees at the Cranbrook Educational Community and then use the Internet to share the information they have gathered with other institutions. More than 2,000 students and 100 teachers participate in educational activities at the nature center. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Global Rivers Environmental Education Network -- $65,673 (HQ Grant) Keith Wheeler, 206 South Fifth Avenue, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 The GREEN Leadership Initiative: Creating Learning Communities for Watershed Education and Health The GREEN Leadership Initiative addresses the high-priority environmental issue of water quality and its effect on human health. The project provides training and evaluation sessions for facilitators, as well as 10 watershed workshops. A training retreat enhances understanding of capacity-building and health-related issues. In addition, the project has improved existing watershed programs and established new programs in targeted areas by providing two workshops in each of five EPA regions. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Inland Seas Education Association -- $4,975 Thomas Kelly, 101 Dame Street, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Virtual Schoolship The World Wide Web site developed by the Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) under this project expands and enhances ISEA's education program entitled Schoolship. Through the virtual schoolship, students who are unable to participate in the education programs offered on board ISEA's research vessel can take part on line. Students can download and manipulate data, request specific information, and ask questions of Schoolship professionals and other Schoolship participants. They are challenged to navigate through the Web site, perform virtual testing and sampling, view pictures, and record observations. The Web site also facilitates students' participation in the Schoolship program's pre- and post-activity evaluations and helps them apply their knowledge to their own communities. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Lake Superior State University -- $5,000 Bill Bowerman, 650 Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Cooperative Radon Survey Through this program, the Environmental Institute at Lake Superior State University is educating students and homeowners about radon, an environmental health hazard. More than 1,200 students in grades 5 through 12, many of whom are Native Americans, receive age-appropriate environmental health presentations in their science classes. Through hands-on participation in desktop environmental chemistry laboratory exercises, students are encouraged to think critically and use problem-solving techniques when learning about radon. Students and their families also participate in a home radon survey. Those homes in which high levels of radon are detected receive information about how to reduce those levels. Science teachers and the university's Internet Web site provide updates on the radon study. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University -- $20,460 Michael Klepinger, Room 334, Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824 Experiential Learning Using Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife This project focuses on control of a pest plant through the introduction into the environment of an insect predator that feeds on the plant. Personnel of Michigan State University (MSU) work with educators and students to develop a set of lesson plans for primary and secondary students on the practice of biological control, the effect of exotic species on local flora and fauna, the biology of purple loosestrife, and wetland ecology. Lesson plans, which are accompanied by a set of learning activities, describe methods of releasing and monitoring the plant-feeding beetle used as the biological control agent. Students are introduced to laboratory and field methods and share and compare results through an Internet site called the purple pages. Educators receive hands-on training to support their use of the activities in their classrooms, as well as beetle-rearing kits provided by the university. |
| 1997 | MI | 5 | Southeast Michigan Council of Governments -- $5,000 Kathleen Lomako, 660 Plaza Drive, Suite 1900, Detroit, MI 48226 Educational Curriculum Package on Ozone Under this program, two workshops train teachers throughout southeastern Michigan in the use of the Spatially Plotted Ozone Tracking System (SPOTS) software, a computer-animated program that tracks ozone formation in 16 states. The curriculum educates users about the formation and transport of ground-level ozone and provides teachers with activities they can incorporate into their lesson plans. The information booklet for teachers that accompanies the software helps improve current teaching methods and provides new approaches to education about ground-level ozone. |
| 1997 | MN | 5 | Hamline University -- $5,000 Tracy J. Fredin, Center for Global Environmental Education, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104 A Thousand Friends of Frogs Under this project, the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University uses frogs as bioindicators to educate the public about the state of the environment. The center is expanding its education program into the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Hamline Center for Environmental Education is distributing 500 copies of the curriculum Frogs as Bioindicators to formal and informal educators, as well as reaching 10,000 people through an on-line education project. The program provides educators the opportunity to attend a summer workshop at which they learn how to incorporate the study guide and activities into their classroom activities. The center also maintains a World Wide Web site, manages a listserver to facilitate communication among participants, conducts an interactive Internet project that links students with experts, and provides a toll-free hotline to answer questions. |
| 1997 | MN | 5 | Southwest State University -- $4,240 Elizabeth Desy, 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 Guidebook and Hands-on Activities Using Regional Resources Southwest State University uses the wildlife area on its campus to promote the development of environmental education programs in local schools. Approximately 29,000 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and students in a 16-county area take part in the project. The university is surveying the animal populations of the wildlife area, developing pre-visit activities for students who tour the area, and developing hands-on activities for teachers to conduct with their students while they are in the wildlife area. |
| 1997 | MN | 5 | Twin Cities Public Television -- $78,107 (HQ Grant) Richard Hudson, 172 E. 4th Street, St. Paul, MN 55101 Newton's Apple: Environmental Impacts on Children's Health "Newton's Apple: Environmental Impacts on Children's Health is a series of three video segments designed to be aired on the public television series Newton's Apple to educate viewers about environmental threats to health and strategies for minimizing the exposure of children to those threats. The videos are reinforced by an outreach effort that includes lessons and resource pages in the teacher's guide to the series and a special feature on the Newton's Apple World Wide Web site. The video segments and supplementary materials, broadcast on 300 stations across the nation, educate millions of parents, teachers, and young people about environmental hazards and guide them in taking responsible action to minimize the exposure of children to those threats. |
| 1997 | MS | 4 | Crow's Neck Environmental Education Center -- $4,913 Matthew P. Miller, P. O. Box 460, Tishomingo, MS 38873 Summer Institute in Environmental Education The Summer Institute in Environmental Education trains teachers in northern Mississippi to incorporate environmentally sound principles into the science curriculum, with particular emphasis placed on the recruitment of schools serving minority populations. The project is conducted by a partnership of the Biological Field Station, the Department of Biology, and the School of Education of the University of Mississippi; the North Mississippi Environmental Education Consortium; and the Crow's Neck Environmental Education Center. |
| 1997 | MS | 4 | Jackson Public Schools -- $16,375 Noah Gray, 6190 Highway 18 W, Jackson, MS 39209 Study of Water Pollution and Aqua-Fair This project focuses on the dissemination of an environmental curriculum on water pollution prevention for 2,500 sixth-grade students and 50 teachers. The project trains teachers to work with students to make them conscious of the effects of water pollution. An Aqua-Fair culminating the students' learning experiences includes a number of activities that highlight a variety of issues related to water. |
| 1997 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $5,000 Bonnie J. Krause, University Museums, University, MS 38677 Environmental Education Training This project provides three traveling trunk programs that are based on the pine forest of northern Mississippi: Plants and Civilization; Animal Adaptation; and Soil Erosion. The programs are available for use by local classroom teachers. Each traveling trunk contains all the materials teachers need to present the topic to their classes. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | Macon County University Extension Council -- $5,000 Wanda Eubank, 119 North Rubey, Macon, MO 63552 Water Quality Education for Educators This project provides a water quality workshop for teachers, students, and informal educators from the 21-county Northeast Extension Region of Missouri. The project puts into place a train-the-trainer model that reaches at least 4,500 teachers in its first year. The 45 hours of instruction included in the workshop explore water quality issues, examine existing curricula, and strengthen program development and public education outreach skills. Among the partners in the project are the Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Mark Twain Water Quality Demonstration Project; soil and water conservation districts; and the Missouri Department of Conservation, Health, and Natural Resources. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | Native American Health/Aids Coalition Educational Division -- $16,718 Shirley Hoskins, 6025 Prospect, #103, Kansas City, MO 64130 Native American Interactive On-Line Educational Program The goal of the Native American Interactive On-Line Educational Program is to develop a school-based, on-line network devoted to environmental efforts conducted by Native Americans. Such efforts are designed to prevent health problems, minimize environmental injustice, and assess the health priorities of the Native American community. The program teaches the history of respect for Mother Earth to 200 students, 25 teachers, and more than 500 community members. The program eventually will be expanded to reach 400 tribes and 300 Indian-controlled schools. Partners with the Native American Health Clinic are the Selective Learning Network, a national on-line educational program, and the Kickapoo Nation School. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | Seneca R-VII Schools -- $20,841 Charles Yust, P. O. Box 469, Seneca, MO 64865 Habitat Patrol The Habitat Patrol project gives students and community members the opportunity to use today's technology to expand their knowledge of environmental management. Through community-based education, the project reaches 1,437 students and more than 2,500 members of the Eastern Shawnee, Modoc, and Wyandotte tribes, as well as approximately 2,000 members of the general population. Participants learn about the technology through media modules. Further, the entire community participates in the construction and maintenance of a water garden. The project is intended to increase all participants' knowledge and awareness of their ecosystem. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | Southwest Missouri State University -- $19,242 Charles W. Emerson, 901 S. National, Springfield, MO 65804 Environmental Baseline Investigation of Fulbright Springs Watershed The environmental baseline investigation conducted under this project assesses and maps the environmental condition of Fulbright Springs and land use patterns in the area, which is a sensitive watershed and an important source of drinking water. A workshop demonstrates the potential uses of the global positioning system (GPS) technology for representatives of local environmental groups, neighborhood associations, and public agencies. The Fulbright Springs project addresses the high-priority environmental issue of urbanization and its effects on the quality of groundwater. A primary partner in the project is the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | University of Missouri 4-H Youth Program -- $20,000 L. Jo Turner, 212 Whitten Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 Streets to Streams - Water Quality Education for Youth Streets to Streams prepares 40 professionals to be water quality trainers. The professionals in turn train 400 educators who reach 8,000 youth. The Streets to Streams curriculum, with a target audience of students ages 9 to 13, responds to the high-priority need to protect surface and groundwater. A key component of the curriculum is the inclusion of standards correlated to standards adopted by the Missouri Board of Education. |
| 1997 | MO | 7 | Wyman Center -- $4,500 Linda Sanders, 600 Kiwanis Drive, Eureka, MO 63025 Sunship Earth Program The Sunship Earth Program helps participants develop an understanding of and appreciation for the relationship between people and the natural world that will lead to positive environmental actions. Sunship Earth reaches children attending schools in lower income and culturally diverse neighborhoods in which access to business, education, and health resources is limited. The program is based on a five-day camp experience. During the camp program, participants explore the process of environmental decision making. Wyman Center is a social service organization that serves children, youth, and families in lower income and culturally diverse neighborhoods. |
| 1997 | MT | 8 | Missoula Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) -- $4,642 J. Porter Hammitt, 3000 South Russell, University Hall 116, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801 Missoula Community Environmental Education Program The Missoula Community Environmental Education Program is a year-round project that offers quality learning experiences in environmental education. More than 100,000 residents of the community have the opportunity to take part in the program's outdoor sessions, during which experienced instructors lead educational activities that vary in length from one hour to one day. The instructors demonstrate and disseminate field-tested curricula developed under other programs, borrowing primarily from established sources. They focus the learning experiences on issues related to the environment and natural resources of western Montana. |
| 1997 | MT | 8 | University of Montana -- $25,000 Ken D. Hubbard, Research Administration, Missoula, MT 59812-0002 Integrated Ecosystem Conservation Framework The Integrated Ecosystem Conservation Framework project develops and demonstrates a new, balanced, integrative teacher training course outline for environmental education. The primary goals of the project are improvement of skills in teaching environmental subjects among middle- and high-school teachers and improvement of teacher-training skills in the same area among faculty members at the University of Montana. A pilot workshop demonstrates materials and teaches educators how to use them and evaluate them. Problems addressed through the curriculum include polarization and conflict among such environmental issues as those related to endangered species, harvesting of timber, reintroduction of bear and wolf populations, and water quality. In addressing such issues, the project focuses on teaching critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Under long-term plans, the revised curriculum will be offered as a two- to four-credit course through the continuing education summer program at the university. Primary partners in the project are the Boone & Crockett Conservation Education Program, the Western Montana Ecosystem Management Learning Center Program, and the Missoula Curriculum Consortium. |
| 1997 | NE | 7 | Chadron Clean Community System, Inc. -- $2,709 Lois Cawrse, 250 Main Street, Chadron, NE 69337 Waste-In-Place & Waste: A Hidden Resource This project provides the first teacher workshop in Northwest Nebraska related to solid waste management for 25 teachers in a three-county area. The teachers in turn present the materials to 625 students, who then share the information with their families. Partners in the project include the city of Chadron; the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Nebraska Environmental Trust; and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. |
| 1997 | NE | 7 | Lincoln-Lancaster County Department of Health -- $4,800 John Chess, 3140 N Street, Lincoln, NE 68510-1514 Environmental Education for Groundwater Quality in Domestic Water Wells This project builds upon the Lincoln-Lancaster County Department of Health's (LLCDH) Groundwater and Environmental Self-Help Check List Program. With a target audience of rural homeowners, acreage owners, and farmers, as well as high school students, the project educates participants about groundwater quality and protection of that resource and demonstrates how to evaluate the adequacy of domestic water wells. The curriculum unit introduces hydrology, describes methods of installing wells, and teaches participants how to check the quality of groundwater. The unit is available to teachers and other adults for use in supplementing the well check list. Partners in the project are LLCDH, the lead agency; the state's Department of Health; and the University of Nebraska. |
| 1997 | NE | 7 | Nebraska State 4-H Camp -- $4,960 Bernie Lorkovic, P. O. Box 87, Halsey, NE 69142 NatureLink, Family Outdoor Education Weekend NatureLink provides a meaningful outdoor educational experience to urban and suburban families from low-income and culturally diverse backgrounds. The program, presented over a three-day weekend, includes workshops organized as family Learnshops, during which parents experience the outdoors with their children. Such intergenerational participation reinforces the message that natural resources must be protected for future generations. Mentors work with families during the weekend and make a commitment to keep in touch with the families after the program has ended. Partners in the program are the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations, whose members work with single-parent families and at-risk youth. |
| 1997 | NV | 9 | Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources -- $4,500 Jean Murray, 1550 East College Parkway, Suite 142, Carson City, NV 89710 Wet, Wild, and Woody Wet, Wild, and Woody is a three-part project that provides a two-day teacher workshop in water resources and conservation; a course on water issues for teacher candidates at the University of Nevada Reno; and the expansion of a World Wide Web site to include the project's activities. Under the format of traditional training in environmental education developed for the earlier Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Learning Tree, participants in the Wet, Wild, and Woody in-service workshop develop critical-thinking skills, particularly in the area of assessing the role human activities play in causing environmental pollution. The College of Education at the University of Nevada Reno is offering to 30 teacher candidates a new 15-hour course, taught by the project's facilitators and professionals from state agencies. The Web site maintained by the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources links with the water education site of Utah State University to allow professionals in the Water Planning Division to respond to questions posed by students throughout the state. |
| 1997 | NV | 9 | University of Nevada Las Vegas -- $23,679 William Schultze, Office of Sponsored Programs 1037, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-1037 Freshman Interest Groups: Mentoring, Environmental Education, and Sustainable Practices This project organizes freshman interest groups as clusters of 15 to 25 students enrolled in the same sections of three core courses. The interest groups provide opportunities for freshman students to join upper-division students in environmental studies to develop thesis projects, as well as to work in community development with students at Crestwood Elementary School and environmental professionals. The community involvement effort centers on creating wetlands from treated wastewater discharge. The water quality and endangered species project is designed to determine, through water quality monitoring, the feasibility of raising endangered species of fish in ponds located in the wetland. Partners in the project include the government and school district of Bolder City, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife. |
| 1997 | NV | 9 | Washoe County School District -- $5,000 Joanne Everts, 425 East Ninth Street, Reno, NV 89520?0106 Project Great Basin This project provides teacher training for 700 elementary school staff to help them integrate into all curriculum areas concepts related to the environmental and cultural diversity found in the Great Basin. The training provides a cadre of teacher trainers at each grade level in the district's 55 elementary schools. The trainers encourage teachers to include consideration of the diversity of the local region in all aspects of student learning. The purpose of such an approach is to develop in students an appreciation for environmental and cultural diversity, as well as an understanding of the need for conservation of the area's fish and other wildlife and native plants. Key partners with the school district in the program include the Biological Resources Research Center of the University of Nevada Reno; the Departments of Education and Geography at the University of Nevada Reno, University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension; the Washoe Storey Conservation District; Wilbur May Museum; Nevada State Parks; the Nevada Divisions of Wildlife and Agriculture; the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI); and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, DOI. |
| 1997 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 R.J. Dick Obyc, 3 Coombs Road, Somersworth, NH 03878-2001 New Hampshire ENVIROTHON ENVIROTHON is a statewide, high school environmental education program in its fifth year. It builds upon the strengths of previous years with 28 registered teams totaling 13,000 students and directly involves 195 students and 28 teacher-advisors. More than 100 volunteers help conduct the program, which is open to all high school students in the state. Under the project, students study, analyze, and evaluate real-life land use problems. They then participate in a statewide competition, with winners going on to compete in the national ENVIROTHON. |
| 1997 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Project Learning Tree -- $5,000 Esther Cowles, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301 Project Learning Tree The Project Learning Tree pilot project develops innovative methods of delivering the project's curriculum in forest management to 11 rural public schools in the Upper Connecticut River Valley. The project is conducted in partnership with two forest product companies, Champion International Corporation and International Paper Company. It provides two workshops, including forest field trips, for 18 elementary school teachers and one for 10 secondary school teachers. |
| 1997 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire -- $5,000 Frank Mitchell or Nancy Lambert, New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service, 111 Pettee Hall, Durham, NH 03824 Project SERVE: Students for Environmental Resource Volunteerism and Education Project SERVE is an environmental outreach program for high school students, who earn credit for working with conservation groups in their communities on local resource protection projects. It involves 10 to 16 students, six town conservation commissions, and two teachers in exploring such topics as functional evaluation of wetlands, monitoring of water quality, identification of sources of pollution, delineation and description of watersheds, and mapping of vernal pools. Partners in the project include Kearsarge Regional High School, the New London Conservation Commission, the Springfield Conservation Commission, and the Newbury Conservation Commission. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Camp Vacamas Association, Inc. -- $5,000 Michael H. Friedman, 256 Macopin Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 GREEN YOUTH Program Under the GREEN YOUTH Program, Camp Vacamas provides experiential education for at-risk inner city youngsters from diverse backgrounds. GREEN YOUTH educates students from Paterson's Eastside High School to become peer trainers in environmental education. Through four in-school workshops, the program teaches a corps of 20 juniors and seniors the activities, environmental concepts, and skills they need to conduct workshops for other students. Participants in the program explore important environmental issues as they acquire the problem-solving and decision-making skills that are the core of education. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy & Education Fund of New Jersey -- $14,995 Ralph Scott, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Newark Area Lead Poisoning Education, Train-the-Trainer Project This project creates a Newark area infrastructure in lead poisoning education by training staff from 24 area organizations and agencies. The Citizen Policy & Education Fund (CPEF) works in partnership with agencies that provide services to families at high risk for lead poisoning. Staff learn to incorporate lead-poisoning prevention education into their regular work with families, thereby establishing programs in their own agencies. CPEF facilitates communication and collaboration among agencies to increase their effectiveness and provides ongoing assistance and follow-up training. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Global Learning Inc. -- $5,000 Jeffrey Brown, 1018 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ 07083-6023 New Jersey and Sustainable Development Conference The New Jersey and Sustainable Development Conference gives middle and high school science and social studies teachers the opportunity to address the issues of sustainable development in New Jersey. The program demonstrates and distributes supplemental interdisciplinary curriculum materials developed under the New Jersey Sustainable Development Project. The project also addresses recently adopted state educational standards and provides interactive, highly motivating educational activities. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $5,000 Lisa Lerl, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102 Water Quality Project The Water Quality Project's goals include improving the quality of environmental education in three urban elementary and middle schools in Newark, New Jersey, by working with teachers to create an environmental education program that has the potential to become a permanent part of the three schools' programming. Teachers focus on the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, learning about the area's ecology and exploring methods of incorporating hands-on activities into their curricula. An information exchange among the three schools allows students to conduct comparative monitoring of the estuary and link the project to other statewide water monitoring programs. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission -- $4,995 Robert Sikora, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071-3707 Improving Environmental Education Teaching Programs This project employs two successful teacher training models, the summer seminar on environmental issues and an in-service training and curriculum revision meeting. The project assists teachers in the development, delivery, and institutionalization of quality environmental education programs through districtwide planning for the revision of curricula. The in-service training involves fifth- and sixth-grade teachers from schools in Hoboken in three days of training and five curriculum planning sessions. The summer session for 20 teachers is a two-week graduate level course that incorporates a variety of teaching methods, hands-on workshops, and laboratory exercises, as well as a mock public hearing that serves as a problem-solving exercise. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection -- $30,150 (HQ Grant) Tanya Oznowich, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, P. O. Box 402, Trenton, NJ 08625-0402 New Jersey Classroom Reform This project provides faculty, parents, and students in kindergarten through grade 12 comprehensive and effective supplemental and enrichment materials in environmental education that support the New Jersey core curriculum content standards (CCCS) and other needs identified through education reform efforts in the state. Under the project, 13 trained facilitators develop a multisubject matrix for each activity and a master matrix of cross-referenced activities for each of the four projects the program includes. Further, 15 to 20 trained facilitators identify needs and develop new modules or a series of enhancements of current workshops that link each project to the CCCSs. The modules or enhancements are pilot-tested in eight project workshops. A three-day workshop for facilitators that highlights support for education reform rounds out the project. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | North Arlington Board of Education -- $1,100 Loris Chen, 222 Ridge Road, North Arlington, NJ 07031 Project WET/WOW Workshop The North Arlington Board of Education provides a one-day in-service training program to assist elementary school teachers in developing environmental lessons based on Project WET/WOW and ensuring that those lessons meet the standards for core curricula established by the state of New Jersey for various disciplines. The workshop is designed to educate teachers about critical issues related to watersheds and to improve environmental instruction in the elementary schools of the district. Teachers are introduced to environmental lessons that can be integrated into the curriculum to meet state standards for kindergarten through fifth-grade programs. |
| 1997 | NJ | 2 | Schooner Clyde A. Phillips, Inc., t/a Delaware Bay Schooner Project -- $5,000 Meghan E. Wren, 2800 High Street, Port Norris, NJ 08349 The River as Classroom This project supports environmental education sailing trips for more than 3,000 New Jersey students. The program emphasizes compatible and incompatible uses of the Delaware Estuary resource and explores the stresses on the estuary that result from daily decisions. Students in grades 4 through 12 in public, parochial, and independent schools take part in the program. The activities conducted on the schooner, as well as related preparation and follow-up experiences, encourage a heightened awareness of the interdependence of humans and the Delaware Estuary. |
| 1997 | NM | 6 | Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center -- $5,000 Karen Brown, 2901 Candelaria Northwest, Albuquerque, NM 87107 Aquatic Education Workshops Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center is a cooperative, long-term, citizen project dedicated to gathering and sharing information about the ecological conditions of the Rio Grande and its riverside forest ecosystem. The project examines the plants and animals of the bosque and explores the ways in which their evolution has been changed by human activity. Environmental educators participate in aquatic ecology workshops that expand existing curricula to focus on aquatic resources and the need to protect, maintain, and study those resources. |
| 1997 | NM | 6 | La Plata Middle School -- $5,000 Tom Sweitzer, 2810 N. Swan Street, Silver City, NM 88061 La Plata's Plot to Improve Urban Arroyo Healthy Riparian System Drawing on data from an inventory survey of sites, this project creates maps that depict the information collected through that survey. It is replacing nonnative species of plants and installing a nature trail and an in-stream structure to catch sediment and pond water. The project also provides a video that documents the process of restoration at the site. |
| 1997 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science -- $4,860 Kristin Gunckel, 1801 Mountain Road Northwest, Albuquerque, NM 87104 Econnections Environmental Education Project in Rural New Mexico This comprehensive project helps to build state and local capacity to deliver quality environmental education by providing school districts with a continuum of environmental education programs. It improves instructional strategies in environmental education by providing teachers with curriculum and workshops that reflect efforts in the state to achieve education reform. The project also provides students and teachers a means of examining and developing an understanding of environmental issues in their own communities. |
| 1997 | NM | 6 | Recursos de Santa Fe -- $4,901 Kessa Shipley, 826 Camino De Monte Rey, A-3, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Gonzales Elementary G-SCAPE II - Model Water Conservation Education Project This project addresses critical environmental issues in high desert areas where water is in very short supply and the levels of human population are skyrocketing. The project is designed to increase awareness of such issues and develop a heightened sense of responsibility for conserving water. To measure the effectiveness of the program, the use of educational materials related to water issues and the comments of students and parents are tracked. |
| 1997 | NM | 6 | Salt Missions Trails Mainstreet -- $3,825 Susan Simons, P. O. Box 48, Estancia, NM 87016 Estancia Landfill Reclamation Project This project familiarizes low-income culturally distinct community groups with the environmental hazards posed by an old dump site and equips them with the tools and information they need to make decisions about actions they should take to resolve the problem. Students and science teachers use new curriculum material and meet with experts in waste management from local public agencies and private industry. The curriculum materials developed under the project are easily adaptable for use in other school districts. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Cities in Schools - New York, Inc. -- $5,000 Donna Goodman, c/o Metropolitan Corporative Academy, 362 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Education Reform This project creates a comprehensive environmental science program based on the urban ecology of Brooklyn for students at a public alternative high school in Brooklyn. The project links and expands an environmental science curriculum and a summer woodlands restoration program conducted in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The project also meets requirements established by the state and city for science programs, gives students experience in scientific research, educates young people to value and protect public parks and woodlands, and provides an introduction to environmental careers. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | City Parks Foundation -- $4,500 Carrie Messenger, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021 SEED: Schoolyard Environmental Education Directive This project provides hands-on schoolyard gardens in the Chancellor's district, where a group of the lowest-performing public schools in the city is located. The premise of the program is that engaging students in a hands-on gardening program will help them become more aware of environmental issues. The gardening program also builds self-esteem, reinforces literacy education, increases literacy, helps educators improve their teaching skills, and forges special relationships with the neighboring community. For many of the students in the first targeted schools, the project provides their first opportunity to experience the natural world. The project is conducted by the City Parks Foundation under a new partnership with the New York City Board of Education. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Community Environmental Center -- $24,000 Richard M. Cherry, 22-09 Queens Plaza North, Long Island City, NY 11101 Preparing Youth to Create a Better Environment This project integrates environmental education into community service projects for New York City teenagers. Supervised groups of teenagers design, implement, and evaluate community service projects focused on urban environmental health. Community workshops examine the environmental health issues that affect economically and ethnically diverse communities in Manhattan and Queens. In addition, staff of partner organizations are trained in environmental education and urban environmental issues. Partners in the project with the Community Environmental Center are the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the Jacob Riis and Grand Street settlement houses. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County -- $4,687 Laurel R. Gailor, Schroon River Road, HCR 02, Box 23B, Warrensburg, NY 12885-9601 Warren County Watershed Education Program The Warren County watershed education program conducts outreach efforts and provides educational activities to improve public awareness of the importance of water quality in Warren County. The program accomplishes that objective through a two-day workshop for representatives of the lake association. The workshop focuses on the hydrology of the region and teaches strategies for fostering cooperative efforts to resolve issues that affect the watershed. Another 10 workshops are designed to provide the specific information that local government officials need to support effective decisions about such issues. In addition, county science teachers attend a one-day workshop to learn about planning issues related to the watershed. Partners in the project include the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County, and the Warren County Water Quality Strategy Committee. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Council on the Environment, Inc. -- $5,000 Michael Zamm, 51 Chambers Street, Room 228, New York, NY 10007 Training Students to Organize - Academy of Environmental Science in East Harlem The Council on the Environment educates high school and intermediate school students to organize environmental improvement projects in their schools. The council provides its Training Student Organizers program to the Academy of Environmental Sciences, a public school in East Harlem for grades 7 through 12. The project educates students and their teachers to organize projects to teach other students, parents, community leaders, and the public about the threats to human health posed by environmental pollution, especially the effects of such pollution on young people. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | High School for Environmental Studies -- $5,000 Robert Maslow, 444 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 High School Course in Environmental Justice and Decision Making The High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) provides a one-year course in environmental justice to high school students. Subjects included in the course are environmental history, economics, ethics, politics, racism, decision making, urban planning, and urban design. The project also makes available a curriculum guide, a textbook, and a list of resources for the study of environmental justice and decision making, as well as an annual publication, Environmental Justice, which is written and edited by students. A network of supportive organizations and individuals outside the school serve as resources to provide insight into environmental careers, politics, and economics. Queens College is a partner in the project. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Institute of Ecosystem Studies -- $14,586 Martha Ched, Box R, Route 44A, Millbrook, NY 12545 Building Watershed Bridges Building Watershed Bridges establishes a network of schools and resource partners to develop, coordinate, and sustain watershed education in the mid-Hudson Valley. The project also develops an organized and accessible clearinghouse of educational resources related to watershed issues. Resource partners provide workshops and other support for educators working to involve students in watershed stewardship projects. Students in rural, suburban, and urban schools share their experience, as well as information about issues related to the watershed, and collaborate in conducting watershed stewardship projects. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Inc. -- $5,000 Lewis Stolzenberg, 475 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10301 Forever Green: Lessons to Live by from the Staten Island Greenbelt Forever Green improves the environmental knowledge and teaching skills of camp staff, enabling them to understand issues related to the protection of habitat as they affect open areas and natural resources on Staten Island. More than 30 counselors learn how to integrate hands-on environmental activities into their camp programs. They also learn how to engage campers in testing of soil, water, and air quality; restoration of native plants; and nature identification games. The program is designed to improve the young people's ability to apply critical-thinking skills to issues related to the interrelationships among living things and the role of the greenbelt in the urban ecology of Staten Island. High Rock Park, a public park on the island, is a partner in the project. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Lake George Association -- $5,000 Mary Arthurbeebe, P. O. Box 408, Lake George, NY 12845 Reaching New Heights, Floating Classroom This project improves a program designed to educate every seventh grader in the Lake George area in stewardship of the lake and science topics related to the lake's environment. The program, which combines on-shore learning and hands-on activities on the lake, teaches students basic limnology and gives them an understanding of the importance of the watershed that surrounds Lake George. Students learn about nutrient cycles and the oligotrophic status of the lake. Through various activities, they come to understand the role of the lake as the source of drinking water for the area and to assume stewardship for the lake. The program takes students through the learning activities during the fall, the optimum time of the year for limnological studies, and teaches the economic and ecological importance of the lake in the lives of area residents. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Nunataks, Ltd./Greenburgh Nature Center -- $5,000 William Lawyer, 99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583 Riley Pond Community Environmental Education Project The Riley Pond Community Environmental Education Project educates members of the community of Fairview about the problems and promise of Riley Pond, a polluted natural resource in the heart of the low- to moderate-income, culturally diverse community. The project focuses on environmental justice and community education. It offers young people in the community the opportunity to learn field and classroom research techniques and skills in collection and analysis of data and fosters an intergenerational collaborative relationship between fifth- and seventh-grade students and senior citizens. If results of the community's research effort indicate that revitalization of the pond is practicable, the project will develop a plan for doing so. The Riley Pond project is a partnership effort of the Fairview-Greenburgh Community Center (FGCC) and the Greenburgh Nature Center. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services -- $5,000 Donna L. Schroeter, 200 BOCES Drive, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Environmental Education Kits The Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) provides five environmental kits, each focused on a different ecosystem and supported by a strong teacher training component. The kits include extensive instructional and educational materials and a teachers' guide that suggests activities that help students learn about the value of ecosystems, the roles humans play in bringing about change in ecosystems, and issues that affect ecosystems. An advisory committee made up of teachers, curriculum specialists, project coordinators, and a member of the staff of the project's partner organization oversees development of the kits. The kits are used by district schools and in training sessions and are distributed to teachers on request. The Center for Environmental Education is a partner in the project. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Rachel Carson Intermediate School -- $5,000 Lauren Gezzi, 46-2 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355 A Family Affair: A Source-Reduction Educational Program This project uses environmental education to nurture and develop critical thinking and problem- solving skills as students, parents, and members of the community learn how to avoid toxic substances commonly found in the household. Graphs and charts support the effort to reach first-generation immigrant children and families who have poor English language skills. The families receive information about household toxins and alternative products they can choose. Cooperative learning, team teaching, and learning through drama are employed to help students discover the hazards of household toxins and develop a personal responsibility strategy. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History -- $5,000 Mark Baldwin, 311 Curtis Street, Jamestown, NY 14701 The Training Partnership Project The Training Partnership Project provides staff development in nature and environmental education for pre-schools, child care centers, and kindergartens. The project disseminates the NaturKind training model, which features methods of teaching about the environment and nature in age-appropriate ways, through workshops for early childhood educators. The instructors in turn strive to prepare local training associates who then organize workshops for their peers. The NaturKind workshops target Headstart centers, subsidized children's centers, and state pre-school programs in northern Chautauqua and southern Erie counties. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Pacific Oaks College are collaborators in the project. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Seneca Nation of Indians -- $4,950 Lionel R. John Health Center, P. O. Box 500, Salamanca, NY 14779 Asthma Education and Prevention The Asthma Education and Prevention Project of the Seneca Nation Health Department (SNHD) focuses on the training of health-care providers, health educators, and asthma patients and their families. The goal of the project is to increase awareness among patients and their families of effective means of preventing and managing asthma. Training in prevention and management of asthma is provided to medical staff and health-care professionals. An Asthma Education and Prevention Day at each SNHD center focuses on prevention and management, as well as issues related to indoor air quality. The SNHD maintains a referral system for arranging for the conduct of environmental assessments, as well as a resource library on the subject. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | State University of New York (SUNY) at Morrisville -- $4,987 Douglas J. Nelson, P. O. Box 901, Morrisville, NY 13408 Developing Environmental Decision-Making Skills for Urban Youth This project provides an environmental decision-making workshop for 9th and 10th graders from the Syracuse metropolitan area. Approximately 75 youths participate in a one-day workshop that involves them in identifying local environmental issues and the data needed to support decisions about those issues. Workshop participants demonstrate their understanding of the effects of releases of pollutants into selected environments and use the critical-thinking skills they have developed by taking part in a public meeting. The Central New York Regional Minority Access Consortium is a partner in the project with the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville Environmental Training Center. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | Surprise Lake Camp -- $5,000 Adam Benderson, 50 West 17th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10011 Camp Staff Training Program The Camp Staff Training Program supports a camp training program for Jewish residential camps in the eastern United States. The project is designed to increase environmental expertise among counselors and nature specialists by teaching them how to conduct environmental education programs. The informal educators who staff the camps attend workshops led by experts in the field, who train the participants in delivery of programs and activities. The participants also learn to integrate environmental ethics into various aspects of camp life. They receive information about practical lessons and activities, a manual, and a song book to help them implement the programs in their camps. |
| 1997 | NY | 2 | The Croton Arboretum & Sanctuary, Inc. -- $5,000 Evelyn H. Singer, P. O. Box 631, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 Environmental Education: Water Monitoring This project, part of a more extensive effort to provide an innovative outdoor learning environment, focuses on a threatened wetland on the grounds of the arboretum. The program recruits and trains the trainers who learn the skills and knowledge needed to deliver effective educational experiences. Through training workshops and seminars, community leaders, teachers, faculty, and students learn to collect and interpret data from established sampling sites in the biologically diverse wetland. They also develop wetland education programs and train new participants as they enter the program. The project expands the arboretum's collaborative partnership with the local school district and establishes a new partnership with municipal environmental boards and commissions. |
| 1997 | NC | 4 | Colburn Gem & Mineral Museum -- $5,000 Cassandra H. Love, P. O. Box 1617, Asheville, NC 28802 You Have the Power This project focuses on designing, demonstrating, and distributing an environmental education unit matched to a fifth-grade curriculum. Workshops for 26 teachers examine environmental issues related to the production and use of energy, as well as issues that arise from pollution associated with energy production. |
| 1997 | NC | 4 | Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities -- $5,000 Mort Jonas, P. O. Box 168, Asheville, NC 28802 Environmental Education Center in the Garden The Environmental Education Center in the Garden provides students with outdoor hands-on environmental experiences that demonstrate the relationships between environmental science and garden ecosystems. In addition, 36 teachers participate in a series of workshops consisting of hands-on environmental lessons that enable them to teach the basic techniques of organic gardening and related environmental topics. A series of seminars and workshops for the general public provides information about topics of interest to the community. |
| 1997 | OH | 5 | Case Western Reserve University -- $4,988 Glenn Odenbrett, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106 Watershed Education The Watershed Education Project seeks to educate more than 200 students, primarily African American, enrolled in a local underserved school district. Case Western Reserve University recruits, trains, and deploys a corps of 10 student environmental leaders who serve as role models and liaisons between the school district and the environmental education organizations that are partners in the project. The student leaders educate other students about watersheds, water quality, and water pollution. Students engage in hands-on activities and experiments in the classroom and visit the partner environmental education organizations to apply the knowledge they have acquired. The university also integrates hands-on watershed education activities into pre-college summer programs for minority students. Through environmental service learning projects, students monitor water quality and evaluate contamination of soil. |
| 1997 | OH | 5 | Environmental Education Council of Ohio -- $25,000 Deb Yandala, 397 W. Myrtle Avenue, Newark, OH 43055 Ohio EE 2000 - Building State Capacity This project implements a statewide strategy for building environmental education capacity in Ohio. It promotes interdisciplinary environmental education that conforms with the current education reform efforts in the state. Under the project, a broad-based planning group develops and implements a statewide strategic environmental education plan, incorporates current research related to reform-based education and comparative risk into the plan, distributes the plan statewide for comment, and forms work groups to implement the plan. Participants in the project include policy makers, educators, representatives of business and industry, members of citizen groups, and staff of state agencies. Partners in the project are the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, the Ohio Alliance for the Environment, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. |
| 1997 | OH | 5 | Environmental Mobile Unit -- $5,000 Sharon Edwards, 5431 Tallawanda Lane, Oxford, OH 45056 The M.O.L.E. Project The Measuring Our Local Environment (M.O.L.E) project is designed to strengthen the environmental problem-solving skills of both teachers and students through observation and evaluation of their local environments, as well as action to improve those environments. A naturalist from the environmental mobile unit (EMU) works with teachers to develop lesson plans that give students the opportunity to investigate a number of environmental issues, at both local and regional levels. Students gather data and exercise their problem-solving skills while learning about water quality, air quality, wildlife habitat, and soil. The naturalist also educates teachers, students, and their families about pollution; helps teachers improve their skills in teaching environmental topics; and supports the goals of the state's education reform efforts. More than 50 teachers and 1,500 kindergarten through sixth-grade students participate in the EMU program. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Fox Public Schools -- $4,840 Linda Anderson, P. O. Box 248, Fox, OK 73435 Earth Science Project Teacher Training Workshop This training and environmental workshop for teachers equips them with a curriculum that enables them to teach the basic concepts of earth science through the exploration of hydrocarbons. Using the curriculum, teachers help students increase their knowledge and understanding of oil and gas as important natural resources and of the effects of the production and use of those resources on the local environment. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Heart of Oklahoma Council Camp Fire -- $5,000 Vanna Pribble, 3309 E. Hefner Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73131 DaKani Outdoor Environmental Classroom Project This accredited program has a long history of providing outdoor programs to children and teens who have little access to more traditional outdoor programs. It focuses on educational experiences that equip those young people with the knowledge and skills they need to exert a positive influence for the preservation of the environment. The program incorporates basic hands-on training that teaches the young people how to observe and listen to birds and identify their habitats, identify insects, test water and soil, and explore other aspects of their environment. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Kaw Nation of Oklahoma -- $3,243 Christopher Winter, P.O. Drawer #50, Kaw City, OK 74641 Environmental Education Leadership Workshop Native American Land Ethic Project The workshop is an educational tool designed to strengthen land ethics among 6th- through 12th-grade students. It helps them develop their critical- and creative-thinking skills by engaging them in hands-on activities that strengthen their ecological literacy. Further, the workshop assists educators in integrating the land ethic curriculum into their classroom programs, as well as into adult learning settings. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Midwest City-Del City Independent School District -- $3,263 Chester Weems, 7217 S. E. 15th Street, Midwest City, OK 73110 Find Your Wings - Butterfly and Hummingbird Nature Garden Find Your Wings gives both teachers and students the opportunity to develop an outdoor living laboratory devoted to attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Participants in the project also tag butterflies, research plants needed for butterfly habitat, and maintain the shelters at the facility. The students observe the life stages of the butterflies, as well as the habits of hummingbirds. In addition, teachers are trained to integrate the scientific information into their curriculum. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Solid Waste Research Institute -- $16,253 Ken Purdy, 111 W. Shawnee, Tahlequah, OK 74464 Abatement of Open Dumping Environmental Education Program This project helps students develop an understanding of the importance of clean water and soil and of the sources of pollution that are associated with improper management of solid waste. The project also enhances knowledge and awareness among students of the hazards associated with open dumping. By conducting experiments and developing demonstrations, students learn to analyze the consequences of open dumping and make informed decisions about management of solid waste in their homes and communities. |
| 1997 | OK | 6 | Tulsa County Independent School District -- $4,774 Joe Birdwell, 3027 S. New Haven, Box 470208, Tulsa, OK 74114-0203 Partnership to Promote Informed Decisions Under this project, teachers and students receive curriculum kits that motivate learning and refine existing secondary curricula on issues related to ozone, and lead teachers are trained to use and distribute the kits. The materials in the kits help Tulsa's secondary students to become environmentally informed citizens and to enhance their critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Linn Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,996 Susan Gries, South Santiam Watershed Council, 33630 McFarland Road, Tangent, OR 97389 Water Quality Monitoring Program The purpose of this project is to implement a water quality monitoring program in cooperation with three teachers from Lebanon, Sweet Home, and Scio High Schools, while providing community-based education to young people and other members of the community. Under the project, participants gather data on water quality and riparian and aquatic habitats to fill gaps in data available on the area watershed. They learn about biological, physical, and chemical water quality monitoring techniques and about issues that affect the watershed and strengthen their critical-thinking and analytical skills. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | McKenzie School District #68 -- $14,000 Jim Fanning, 51187 Blue River Drive, Finn Rock, OR 97413 McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Environmental Education Program Development Project The McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Environmental Education Program Development Project engages teachers and the project's community partners in adapting existing curricula to local needs and circumstances, and integrating such curricula into the framework of the McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Program as practical educational exercises. The project, which reaches more than 400 students and their families, emphasizes local capacity to deliver quality environmental education through a participatory process that includes a series of teacher workshops. The project demonstrates practical ways to use environmental education programs, solidifies partnerships with the community, and sets standards for projects. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Milton-Freewater Unified School District #7 -- $4,755 Diane Groff, 138 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862 Science Technology Environmental Land Laboratory and Research Project The Science Technology Environmental Land Laboratory and Research (STELLAR) project seeks to identify environmentally sound solutions to persistent and recurring problems in the local agricultural community. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 who participate in the STELLAR project become environmental stewards as they research the interconnectedness of management of crops, the watershed, and weeds through the project's living classroom approach to scientific investigation. The STELLAR project is designed to reach the area's rapidly growing Hispanic population, who make up approximately 33 percent of enrollment in the Milton-Freewater Unified School District; few such students enroll in traditional science courses. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Northwest Film Center -- $5,000 Ellen S. Thomas, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205 Alien Invasion Film Project Under the Alien Invasion Film Project, 75 junior and senior high school honor students from diverse economic and racial backgrounds create a 20-minute film and printed study guide that focuses on the effects of alien and invasive plant and animal species on an indigenous habitat. Through the project, students acquire a variety of skills related to scientific inquiry and process, research, community outreach, and the technical and artistic aspects of film making. The project provides a model for the certificate of advanced mastery (CAM) in the Natural Resource Systems focus area, a key component of education reform in the Portland public schools and throughout Oregon. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Orlo -- $5,000 Pete DuBois, P. O. Box 10342, Portland, OR 97214 The Garbage Gurus The Garbage Gurus uses the creative arts to increase understanding of environmental issues among citizens and engage them in addressing such issues. The project educates students and teachers, links schools with community organizations, and provides workshops for students during which they explore environmental careers and activism. Through the Orlo Road Show, which visits selected watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest, 10,000 students and members of community groups experience a 45-minute musical assembly and attend workshops. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Portland State University -- $19,181 Julie Magers, Center for Science Education, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207 Water Workshop Series for Teachers The Water Workshop Series for Teachers trains educators of kindergarten through 12th-grade students to lead and facilitate the improvement of science education by establishing community, research, and education partnerships. The project offers 12 workshops to approximately 165 teachers throughout Oregon and southern Washington and brings together numerous existing public and private programs, materials, and resources in water education. Teachers have available the tools, resources, and expert guidance they need to effectively incorporate water education activities into their current curricula. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Rogue Valley Council of Governments -- $69,500 (HQ Grant) David Jacob, P. O. Box 3275, 155 S. Second Street, Central Point, OR 97502 Bear Creek Stewardship Project The Bear Creek Stewardship Project provides educational opportunities for students and teachers in the Bear Creek watershed and in rural communities in southwestern Oregon. The project sponsors a training session for educators that focuses on monitoring of water quality and provides equipment, supplies, and references necessary to conduct such testing. It also provides study kits and supports a water quality monitoring program for students. A student congress and a watershed education symposium give students the opportunity to share the results of their projects and work to improve the condition of Bear Creek. In addition, the program funds school and class environmental education projects through a small grant program and sponsors two large-scale stream cleanups, as well as the Adopt-a-Storm-Drain Program that provides drain-painting kits and informational brochures for use by students and teachers. Completing efforts under the project are two videos produced by students, one that focuses on the project itself and another that addresses misuse of storm drains, and a rural outreach program. Approximately 1,000 students in grades 1 through 12, as well as 40 educators, are involved in the project. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | School District No. 1 - Madison High School -- $4,840 Julie Howland, P. O. Box 3107, Portland, OR 97208 Madison High School Water Analysis Team The Madison High School Water Analysis Team project provides the ethnically diverse population of Madison High School, which is 37 percent minority, with the opportunity to become involved in real science, build a broader understanding of water quality issues, explore careers in natural resources, and take positive action to benefit their communities. Some 30 to 90 students and two teachers participate in the project, which is intended to raise the percentage of students at Madison who take science courses from the current lowest level among Portland high schools. |
| 1997 | OR | 10 | Sherwood School District 88J -- $11,130 Janet Bechtold, 23295 So. Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, OR 97140 Sherwood Sustainable Community Education Initiative The Sherwood Sustainable Community Education Initiative promotes interdisciplinary environmental education by making available a reproducible model that demonstrates the benefits of sustainable development and fosters partnerships among schools, environmental groups, businesses, and government. The three primary activities offered under the project are a pilot teacher training workshop that provides information about innovative trends in environmental and sustainability education and curricula in use throughout the nation, pilot projects that test the model with students and members of community groups, and two or three pilot projects that test the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Academy of Natural Sciences -- $24,914 Kathleen Fadigan, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103 The George Washington Carver Water Quality Research Program The George Washington Carver Water Quality Research Program sponsors a new summer program called the George Washington Carver Summer Scholars Program. The principal goal of the program is to encourage students to pursue environmental careers by increasing their awareness of water quality issues and strengthening their ability to perform hands-on scientific research. Students also are encouraged to participate in the George Washington Science Fair and to present their project findings to the community. Partners with the Academy of Natural Sciences in the project are the School District of Philadelphia and Temple University. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Darby Creek -- $4,873 Carol Killmaier, P. O. Box 583, Lansdowne, PA 19050 Steam Watch Program - Community Environmental Education The Darby Creek Valley Association (DCVA) maintains a volunteer project under which members of the community monitor the Darby Creek watershed. The project has a strong environmental education component that reaches out to local schools and residents in the vicinity of the creek. The DCVA uses existing monitoring protocols that were developed specifically for volunteers and for environmental education. The community monitors use the knowledge they have gathered to discuss environmental regulations, land use planning, and habitat improvement projects during meetings with representatives of both state agencies and municipalities. The project educates the community about the importance of riparian corridors, vegetation of riparian areas, and storm-water control in protecting stream ecology, human health, and property. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Girls Club of Allentown -- $5,000 Deborah Fries, 1302 Turner Street, Allentown, PA 18102 We Care Program This project provides to low-income, inner-city girls, ages 5 through 18 years, a program designed to educate them in environmental issues, increase their awareness of individual responsibility for protection of the environment, and promote their involvement in environmental activities. The We Care Program, Children Acting Responsibly Toward the Environment, informs the young participants about environmental issues related to their homes, communities, and world and shows them how they personally can bring about positive change as members of a community. They also explore at least 10 environmental careers, both traditional and nontraditional. To support the project, the Girls Club of Allentown works in partnership with the Lehigh Environmental Education Consortium, a group of eight local public and private institutions, and participates in Adopt an Acre, a program of The Nature Conservancy. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Grass Roots Alliance for Solar Pa -- $4,955 Laurie Cameron, 3500 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Energy-Efficient and Environmentally Sensitive Building Design This project expands and implements an existing workshop that provides developers of low- to moderate-income community-based housing with information about new choices in design and construction. The workshop addresses two key environmental inequities that low-income populations face: high utility costs and poor indoor air quality. The curriculum, founded on the principles of building science, includes information about green products and renewable energy technologies. Workshops are held in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Keystone College -- $8,550 Todd Sorber, P. O. Box 50, La Plume, PA 18440 Project WET and More Keystone College conducts four-day summer workshops for teachers of kindergarten through grade 12. The training provides participants with support for incorporating water education into their school curricula. Training includes 15 hours of environmental education and engages the teachers in an intensive study of the local watershed. Teachers also visit environmental centers and learn how to gain access to information available on the Internet. Partners with the college in the nontraditional teacher training effort include the Wyoming County Conservation District and Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit #19. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Pennsbury School District -- $4,225 Cindy DeMaria, 134 Yardley Avenue, P. O. Box 338, Fallsington, PA 19058 Environmental Science: Issues and Answers This project provides an environmental education program for both teachers and students. The program encourages students to take an active role in developing an understanding of local natural systems and the issues associated with those systems. Students concentrate on vegetation, birds, and soil in the fall; in spring, they investigate topography, mammals, and reptiles. Using the data they collect, they then develop maps and a field guide. The Pennsbury School District and Silver Lake Nature Center are partners in the project. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Philadelphia Water Department -- $20,540 Ed Grusheski, 1101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Urban Watershed Exhibit Master Plan This project supports the planning and design of the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center's (IC) primary environmental exhibits - together called The Urban Watershed. The IC is the primary environmental education forum of the Philadelphia Water Department. The IC exhibit draws approximately 80,000 visitors a year. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $4,998 Leonard White or Jacqueline Dubin, Jay Cooke Middle School, 21st Street South of Parkway, Room 408, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Science, Math, and Technology Institute Project This project teaches students about the components of an ecosystem, introducing them to such environmental issues as water pollution and waste disposal. The students participate in field studies and enjoy opportunities to meet and work with people in the environmental fields. They learn about the latest technology and are encouraged to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, while helping to solve a simulated environmental crisis. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $4,999 Tim Beaver, A. L. Fitzpatrick Elementary School, 21st Street South of Parkway, Room 408, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Science, Math, and Technology Institute Project Under the Science, Math, and Technology Institute Project, students learn to plan, build, study, and maintain a habitat. They turn waste into useful soil and garden debris, which is used in a habitat that attracts and sustains butterfly populations and is designed to be self-sustainable for future years. Students learn that they can help to improve the city environment through their own efforts. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education -- $7,121 Gayle Whittle, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128 Environmental Education in an Alternative School Curriculum This project introduces environmental education into the Montgomery County Youth Center Shelter Alternative School for at-risk students, ages 12 through 17. The project trains both teachers and students in aquatic ecology, examining the effects of pollution in aquatic ecosystems and teaching chemical and field biological techniques for testing water quality. The students participate in field studies to determine whether water pollution is present in the body of water under study, identify regulations that protect it, characterize the risks any existing pollution poses to human health, and assess the need for water treatment. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Wilkes-Barre Riverfront Parks Committee -- $5,000 Coreen Weilminster, 16 East Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 Disadvantaged Youth Environmental Education: Training Regarding Negative Health Effects of Pollution This two-week day-camp project focuses on the health threats posed by pollution and develops critical-thinking skills by giving the participants the opportunity to attempt to resolve specific environmental health problems. Experts in different environmental fields guide the campers in exploring such subjects as ecology, ecosystems, and the nutrient and water cycles. The participants also learn to identify the needs of living things, examine the importance of diversity, and develop basic understanding of plant and animal identification. |
| 1997 | PA | 3 | Woodland Hills School District -- $8,583 Josephine Smerdel, 2430 Greensburg Pike, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Environmental Water Study This project engages high school students in actively studying the quality of water in streams that run through the school district. Under the project, 50 high school students teach approximately 500 fifth graders about the relationship between the streams and the three rivers that come together in Pittsburgh. The high school students also maintain a World Wide Web site, which they use to communicate with other students who are studying environmental issues, and work with local municipalities to teach the public about water pollution. |
| 1997 | PR | 2 | The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico -- $23,500 Alexis Molinares, P. O. Box 9023554, San Juan, PR 00902-3554 Hacienda Buena Vista: An Environmental Education Laboratory Hacienda Buena Vista conducts a one-year model program in south-central Puerto Rico that educates teachers and students in two rural schools in the Ponce area. Using the hacienda, a museum and educational facility for the public, as a living laboratory, the teachers and students learn about ecological issues associated with the subtropical forest. They use the riparian and cultivated areas of the hacienda property to increase their understanding of issues of conservation and environmental protection that are associated with rural farm settings. The project also provides educators materials on conservation and solutions to environmental challenges in the small farm setting and coffee cultivation operations. |
| 1997 | RI | 1 | Rhode Island Association of Wetland Scientists -- $2,287 James G. Turek, P. O. Box 1514, Providence, RI 02901-1514 Wetlands Training Workshops Program This program provides a full-day workshop for high school teachers, staff of local government agencies, members of the conservation commission, and advanced-level high school students. The participants learn how to identify and classify wetlands and examine their structure and functions. Providing participants expanded opportunities to take part in field activities, the project instructs them in the ecological functions and societal values that wetlands provide, such as protection of water quality and wildlife habitat. The workshops help teachers improve their teaching skills, encourage students to enter environmental careers, and guide local government officials in using sound science as the basis for decisions about regulation and management of wetlands. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island is a partner with the Rhode Island Association of Wetland Scientists in the project. |
| 1997 | RI | 1 | Southside Community Land Trust -- $10,000 Carol Millette, 288 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02907 Creation and Integration of an EcoLab into an Existing Ecoliteracy Curriculum This project integrates an ecology laboratory into an existing ecoliteracy curriculum. The project provides biweekly teacher training through workshops that feature dynamic classroom presentations. Teachers and students work to reclaim a 3,775-square-foot lot adjacent to the Asa Messer Elementary School. Their efforts are creating the ecology laboratory, which includes an artificial wetland, a woodland, and a pond, as well as shrubs, trees, and plants that attract and support amphibians, birds, and butterflies and other insects. The school is a partner with the Southside Community Land Trust in the project. |
| 1997 | RI | 1 | The Nature Conservancy -- $25,000 Christopher Littlefield, Bioreserve Manager, P. O. Box 1287, Block Island, RI 02807 The Block Island Environmental Education Program The Block Island Environmental Education Program increases the understanding and commitment of teachers, students, families, and other members of local communities to the protection of the fragile natural resources of Block Island. The project targets 130 students in all grade levels, every elementary school teacher in the system, several secondary-level teachers, and 800 permanent residents of the island. It offers participants outdoor experiences and hands-on projects that encourage sharing of experience through displays, articles, contributions of information, and presentations by students. The Block Island program is a new partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the Block Island School. |
| 1997 | SC | 4 | City of North Charleston -- $3,000 Shannon B. Praete, 4900 LaCross Road, North Charleston, SC 29419-1906 Coasting Through the Summer Coasting Through the Summer is a program for minority and low-income children. The children attend a camp for 11 hours per week over 12 weeks. They take part in a variety of activities designed to increase their knowledge about the environment, particularly water and the coastal and marine environment. |
| 1997 | SC | 4 | University of South Carolina, Institute of Public Affairs -- $3,990 Langdon S. Warner, Carolina Plaza, Columbia, SC 29208 Use of Siting Game as an Assessment Tool The Siting Game is an interdisciplinary simulation of real-world environmental problems designed for use by teachers of 9th- to 12th-grade social studies programs. The game is played in a fictitious location by 30 to 50 students. Ten high school teachers attend a two- to three-day workshop that includes a review of key elements and a demonstration of the game. The teachers receive complete packages of game materials so they can play the game at their own schools. |
| 1997 | TN | 4 | Ijams Nature Center -- $5,000 Bo Townsend, 2915 Island Home Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37901-2601 Earth Flag Program This project is designed to reduce the amount of solid waste generated in 51 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 11 high schools, 2 vocational schools, and 46 private schools in Knoxville, Tennessee. Students practice daily hands-on waste reduction activities that reinforce concepts in environmental education. Schools are awarded Earth Flags for exhibiting continued attainment of five environmental goals: reducing and reusing; recycling; composting; maintaining sustainable sites; and practicing effective communication. |
| 1997 | TN | 4 | Knox County School System -- $5,563 Monty Howell, 912 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 Adopt-a-Creek Adopt-a-Creek provides three middle school and three high school science teachers with the instructional skills to teach students about procedures for monitoring water quality. Newly trained students adopt a designated section of a stream in their community, develop baseline stream characterization data, record the results of their investigation in a database, and use the results to identify areas that require cleanup and those that are in need of protection. The project also provides teachers with instructional skills to help train other faculty members. |
| 1997 | TN | 4 | Memphis Botanic Garden -- $4,990 Mary Helen Butler, 750 Cherry Road, Memphis, TN 38117 Teaching Urban Ecology This project provides 100 teachers the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops designed to improve their classroom skills and equips them with interdisciplinary, ready-made lesson materials and activities that supplement the existing curriculum. Partners in the project with the Memphis Botanic Garden are the Tennessee Department of Conservation and the Lichterman Nature Center. |
| 1997 | TN | 4 | Middle Tennessee State University -- $9,677 Cindi Smith-Walters, P. O. Box 60, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 Environmental Education for Everyone E3 This project trains 50 educators in the use of selected Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) folios. Each participant in turn trains at least three educators in the use and implementation of OBIS. The project emphasizes science content, integrated curricula, and teaching strategies that incorporate environmental themes. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Austin Community Gardens Inc. -- $5,000 Frank Fuller, 4814 Sunshine Drive, Austin, TX 78756 East Austin Wildscaping Initiative Under the East Austin Wildscaping Initiative, young people assist in the development of gardens that provide habitats for a variety of wildlife. Wildscapes are living laboratories that diversify the urban habitat, providing food and refuge for song birds, small mammals, reptiles, butterflies, and other pollinators. The project also increases understanding among children about the environment, plants, and animals and the role each plays in the ecosystem. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Denton Independent Schools -- $4,999 Zan Austin, 1307 N. Locust, Denton, TX 76201 Water the Cycle of Life Project - 8th Graders to Produce Public Service Commercials This interdisciplinary project heightens students' understanding of the similarity between the drinking-water cycle and the Earth's water cycle. The students take part in activities that demonstrate how easily water can become polluted and replicate methods of cleaning water. They also conduct studies of water use in their own homes. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Eisenhower High School -- $4,720 Anastasia Vought, 7922 Antoine, Houston, TX 77088 Where Have all The Flowers Gone? Where Have All the Flowers Gone? increases students' critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills through a cross-curricular, multilevel environmental education program. The program includes the development and implementation of an integrated curriculum guide that applies new education standards mandated by the state. The project also involves students, parents, teachers, administrators, and members of the community in the design, creation, and maintenance of an outdoor living classroom and trains teachers in the best ways to use the curriculum guide and the outdoor classroom. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Greater Park Place Community Development Corps -- $5,000 Antonia Cahn, P. O. Box 262784, Houston, TX 77207 Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center - Computer Environmental Education Project This project establishes the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, a computer-aided environmental education project that brings year-round nature discovery programs to area schools. It also includes a community garden program for youth and adults that teaches horticulture and marketing skills. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | LDL Educational Resources Foundation -- $4,481 Liz Sherrell, P. O. Box 1283, Glen Rose, TX 76043 Create An Ongoing Environmental Classroom The environmental classroom is an outdoor environmental studies laboratory designed to increase the environmental knowledge and awareness of elementary school students. It gives them the opportunity to develop an interactive and interdependent relationship with their environment through hands-on, problem-solving experiences with nature. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Texas Water Development Board -- $22,500 Bill Hoffman, P. O. Box 13231, Austin, TX 78711 Texas Water Conservation & Water Resource Education Project The Texas Water Conservation & Water Resource Education Project provides new and revised classroom education material through direct mail, the Internet, the Texas Education Agency, and workshops for teachers. Its goal is to provide directly to the classroom material that promotes the development of critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills related to water conditions in the state and water conservation and management of resources in general. Under the project, classroom exercises and activities, as well as resource materials for teachers, on water conservation and resource issues specific to Texas are distributed to classrooms. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), sponsor of the project, also provides demonstration workshops to help teachers learn to use the materials effectively in their classrooms. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, and the Harris-Galveston Conservation Commission, as well as the Water and Environment Association of Texas and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association, are among the organizations involved with TWDB in partnership efforts to support the project, which in turn is intended, in part, to support the development of a consensus water plan for the state. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | Texoma Council of Camp Fire -- $4,500 Rachel Hampton, Boys & Girls, 728 W. Sears, Denison, TX 75020 Nature Watch: Student Field Trips; Students and Ecosystems The Nature Watch program educates students about the importance of ecosystems and how they affect our current and future lives. The program uses group activities to facilitate learning about the environmental issues that affect local ecosystems. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | The LEAF Alliance -- $4,531 Susan Alexander, Route 1, Box 335, Pineland, TX 75968 Discovering Watersheds Discovering Watersheds provides an environmental science unit and trunk kit designed to teach students about watersheds, the environmental problems related to them, and possible solutions to such problems in an enjoyable and motivating way suitable for both indoor and outdoor classroom use. The activities encourage students to think critically about preventing and controlling pollution. Students also design, build, and demonstrate a model of a working septic system that contributes to pollution control. |
| 1997 | TX | 6 | YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas -- $10,000 Ilene Stern, 601 N. Akard Street, Dallas, TX 75201 Outdoor Education Center at Camp Grady Spruce The Outdoor Education Center (OEC) at Camp Grady Spruce works with culturally and ethnically diverse fifth- and sixth-grade students in 10 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to increase the students' knowledge and awareness of environmental issues. The project is based on intensive, yet friendly, immersion in the environmental curriculum. |
| 1997 | UT | 8 | Decker Lake Wetland Preserve Foundation -- $17,461 Diana Smith, 869 East 4500 South, #513, Salt Lake City, UT 84107 Water Quality Education The primary purpose of the water quality education project is to educate area students about water quality in the watershed. Two elementary, two junior high, and two high schools within a five-mile radius of Decker Lake participate in the project, and eight local businesses help support it. Under the project, elementary school students learn about the threats to human health posed by environmental pollution, while the junior high and high school students participate in a volunteer water monitoring program. Outreach efforts and a media campaign designed by the students spread the message about environmental issues and pollution of the watershed. |
| 1997 | UT | 8 | South Sanpete School District -- $4,874 Ellen Walker, 39 South Main, Manti, UT 84642 Sanpete Native Plants and Range Issues The Sanpete Native Plants and Range Issues project improves students' awareness and understanding of range quality and improves teachers' knowledge of environmental issues. It gives students hands-on work and problem-solving experience in the environmental area. The project involves 75 students, 4 full-time teachers, several part-time teachers, and other staff members in field trips to local range lands and in planning for and operation of a greenhouse. Under the project, teachers attend workshops designed to help them integrate environmental issues into their curricula, and students complete the 4-H range evaluation project. The primary partners in the project are the Sevier Valley Tech Building Trades Program; the School to Careers program; the Sanpete County Extension Service; the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Spring City Elementary School; and a local private company that markets seed of native plants. |
| 1997 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for EE -- $21,000 Tim Brown, 350 South 400 East, #G64, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Environmental Education Evaluation Initiatives Environmental Education Evaluation Initiatives, a project that involves 4,000 teachers, increases communication and cooperation among various providers of environmental education throughout the state of Utah. It provides a standardized evaluation instrument and other improvements of evaluation tools currently in use. Workshops conducted to disseminate the materials are supplemented by telephone and electronic communications. Among the numerous entities involved in the project are the Utah State Office of Education, the National Energy Foundation, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Utah Project Learning Tree, Utah Project WET, Utah Ag in the Classroom, Utah Project WILD, Utah State University, Canyonlands Field Institute, and Four Corners School of Outdoor Education. |
| 1997 | UT | 8 | Utah State Office of Education -- $60,000 (HQ Grant) Brett Moulding, 250 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Systematic Education Reform in Utah This project integrates environmental education into Utah's statewide education reform efforts. It works with teachers and students to build learning based on environmental projects into the state's new ninth-grade Earth Systems Science Course. Through action projects, students apply the concepts they have learned to real-world environmental problems. Under the project, 40 science teachers receive training and funding to help engage their students in such learning experiences, and ninth-grade students in the earth systems course plan and implement environmental projects and enlist the assistance of local community and government organizations. In addition, high school students use the Internet to communicate their experiences and share resources with other earth systems science classes and teach local elementary school students about the work the older students have done and its significance. Project staff refine the system for training and supporting teachers, evaluate the project, and distribute the results nationwide. |
| 1997 | UT | 8 | Utah State University -- $4,961 Sharon Ohlhorst, Forest Resources, Old Main Room 112, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-1415 Sense of Place This project is designed to develop educational partnerships and activities that help families discover or rediscover a sense of place in their local natural environment. The community-based project targets single-parent, low-income, and minority families in the Cache Valley area who have children between the ages of 4 and 14. It offers outdoor opportunities through which families can develop a connection with the land. The families also develop observational and interpretive problem-solving skills and gain proficiency in critical thinking, and are exposed to general education in environmental topics. Primary partners in the project are Utah State University; Logan Canyon Nature Center; the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the Bridgerland Audubon Society. |
| 1997 | VT | 1 | American Lung Association of Vermont -- $3,570 Janet Riley Francis, 30 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403-6196 Open Airways for Schools Open Airways for Schools is an asthma-management program that provides cost-effective asthma education to school-age children who have asthma and to their families. The target audience lives in the most rural section of Vermont, known as the Northeast Kingdom, which has a total population of 59,648 in 2,410 square miles, including approximately 1,972 adults and 1,077 children with asthma. The project trains school nurses to implement the program, which targets children between the ages of 8 to 11. Among other activities, children receive take-home assignments to complete with their parents. |
| 1997 | VT | 1 | Food Works -- $5,000 Todd Comen, 64 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 Community Park for Teaching Local Ecology Project This project focuses on helping teachers develop seasonal units of hands-on activities for use in teaching local ecology in the outdoor laboratory of Hubbard Park, a 185-acre city park in Montpelier. Students gain a greater knowledge of the diverse habitat by constructing learning centers and interpretive displays. The target audience of the project is low-income students between the ages of 6 and 18 who live in Montpelier. |
| 1997 | VT | 1 | Vermont Center for the Book -- $9,153 Sally Anderson, P. O. Box 441, Chester, VT 05143 Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Project The Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Project uses picture books, discussion, and activities to bring environmental issues to life for pre-school children, their parents, and the professionals who work with them. It trains 30 early childhood educators from 10 communities to focus on the effectiveness of works of children's literature as vehicles for environmental education and to organize and facilitate parent programs for 200 at-risk families. The Vermont Center for the Book works collaboratively on the project with the Vermont Institute for Natural Sciences, the Stewardship Institute of Shelburne Farms, and the Vermont Department of Libraries. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Newport News Public Schools -- $4,777 Larry Vought, 12465 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23606 Family Center Environmental Research and Action Projects The goal of this project is to encourage students and their families not only to become informed about environmental issues, but also to become involved in efforts to resolve those issues. The project emphasizes hands-on learning that promotes exploration and understanding and includes river cleanups, design and installation of a wetland or backyard habitat, study of household water quality issues and measures to improve air quality, and study of the effects of pollution on human health. Directly participating in the project are 550 kindergarten through fifth-grade students in Newport News. Families who are involved in the project through their children prepare reports on their activities that are aired on the school's cable television channel. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Portsmouth Public Schools -- $19,042 Catherine Roberts, P. O. Box 998, Portsmouth, VA 23705 Oyster Restoration This program for seventh-grade students helps replenish the oyster population in a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Activities provided under the program focus on educating students from at-risk, low-income backgrounds about environmental issues and improving teachers' skills in environmental education. In addition to mathematics and science skills, activities encompass the disciplines of English and history, along with language arts and communication skills. The project is a partnership effort of the Portsmouth public school system, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Project Underground -- $5,000 Carol Zokaites, 620 McDaniel Drive, Christiansburg, VA 24073 Project Underground Project Underground introduces teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 to karst environments, with their sinkholes and systems of interconnected caves. Teachers learn about those fragile environments and the need to protect them as human populations in karst areas increase and draw on their underground water resources. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Rockbridge Area Conservation Council -- $4,310 Michael Van Ness, P. O. Box 564, Lexington, VA 24450 Waste Watchers at Central This project teaches kindergarten through third-grade children how to solve the problem of excessive waste at home and at school. The experimental education program features an interactive puppet show, activities to be carried out at home, investigative field trips, and a litter cleanup project. Beginning with the puppet show Save the Trashasaurus, the program provides a series of lessons on decision-making and critical-thinking skills. Children learn how to make and manage a compost pile; evaluate their families' waste management habits; and prepare suggestions for their parents about ways to reduce, recycle, and reuse waste materials at home. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Tazewell SWCD -- $5,000 Patricia Neel, 552 East Riverside Drive, North Tazewell, VA 24630-9573 Tazewell Education Program The goal of this project is to increase the level of awareness and understanding of conservation among young people and farm communities in Tazewell County. The project examines issues associated with conservation, management of solid waste, and litter prevention. It exposes participants to adopt-a-watershed programs and teaches best management practices for agriculture, targeting primarily small-scale, part-time farmers through workshops. The key partners in the conservation education program are the Tennessee Valley Authority; Tazewell County; the Tazewell County Schools; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; and the New River Highlands Resource, Conservation, and Development Council. |
| 1997 | VA | 3 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science -- $5,000 Jane Lopez, P. O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 Development of Internet-Deliverable Environmental Education Units This project trains teachers to develop educational activity units that are offered over the Internet. Availability of the units is publicized through local and national newsletters and conferences. The project is conducted by the staff of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuary Research Reserve, which is managed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the College of William and Mary. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Adna School District -- $4,769 Debbi Davis, P. O. Box 148, Adna, WA 98522 The Tech Prep Program Tech Prep enhances students' understanding of environmental careers and transfers classroom learning to actual field work. Ninth-grade students in a small rural community, as well as special needs students, participate in the program. Students perform extensive water quality testing and produce a database of the information that they have compiled. The project aims to improve water quality in local streams, thereby increasing the number of salmon that return to those streams to spawn. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Bainbridge Island School District -- $15,000 Brent Peterson, 8489 Madison Avenue NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Bainbridge Island Wildlife Corridor Study Integrated into the existing watershed education program in Bainbridge schools, the Bainbridge Island Wildlife Corridor Study supports an ongoing effort to identify and preserve an islandwide wildlife habitat corridor. Activities conducted under the program include workshops, in-field data collection, and exhibits at public events. Participants are working with partners in the program, including government agencies and community organizations, to develop a database of components of the wildlife habitat and species observed in areas to be included in the wildlife corridor. The primary audience of the program is students in grades 4 through 12 in the Bainbridge Island School District and their teachers. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Central Basin Audubon Society -- $3,348 Joye Lucas, Education Committee, 2129 South Belair Drive, Moses Lake, WA 98837 Lakeview School Arboretum and Wildlife Habitat Under this project, an arboretum and wildlife habitat was constructed on the grounds of Lakeview School for use as a laboratory for observing and investigating the interrelationships among birds and other wildlife and their habitat. Wildlife biologists, refuge managers, and nursery staff conduct workshops in the new living lab. Students use the laboratory to observe and investigate habitats of the Columbia River Basin and to draw conclusions and solve problems related to those habitats. The project targets the school's fourth- to sixth-grade students, 25 percent of whom are minorities and 31 percent of whom are children of low-income families. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology -- $4,975 Gwen Leth, P. O. Box 1890, Richland, WA 99352 Environmental Summer Science Camp This community-based program educates students and their parents about the environmental issues that affect the Columbia River. The science camp program, of which examination of cleanup efforts at the nearby Hanford Nuclear Reservation is an integral part, is designed to show youngsters that study of the environment is science and that science is fun and accessible. The program reaches 105 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students and their families and places special emphasis on reaching families that home-school their children. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis -- $5,000 Rio Lara-Bellan, Chehlis Tribal Learning Center, P. O. Box 536, 420 Howanut Drive, Oakville, WA 98568 Chehalis Tribal Learning Center Workshops This project provides environmental education to young people from 8 to 12 years old who live on the Chehalis Indian Reservation and in the community of Oakville. Participants learn about management of water resources, treatment of solid waste and wastewater, recycling and composting, restoration and management of habitat, fisheries, and wetland conservation, and explore air quality issues, as well. The young people attend workshops conducted by environmental professionals and participate in field trips during the summer. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Kitsap Conservation District -- $17,051 Carla Pizzano, 817 Sidney Avenue, Port Orchard, WA 98366 Kitsap County Fair On-Site Agricultural Waste Composting Demonstration Project The Kitsap County Fair On-Site Agricultural Waste Composting Demonstration Project addresses the effects on water quality of management of livestock waste and creates an awareness of the benefits to both farm and community of the composting of livestock waste. The Conservation District provides a demonstration exhibit at the Kitsap County Fair that both educates the community and manages the livestock waste generated at the fair. The project is intended to increase understanding among officials of local jurisdictions of the benefit of taking a leadership role in addressing such environmental issues and to encourage members of the community to adopt the role of resource stewardship related to decisions about land use. Among its target populations are owners of livestock operations in the county, as well as the support services and interest groups associated with the farming industry. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Local Government Institute -- $5,000 Don Morrison, 4009 Bridgeport Way West, Suite E, Tacoma, WA 98466-4326 Local Official Problem-Solving Skills Enhancement Project This project adapts existing environmental information and curricula to the environmental education needs of members of the city council and planning commission of a small city in the state of Washington. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma -- $5,000 Tom Weathers, 1919 S. Tyler, Tacoma, WA 98405 Environmental Education and Career Awareness for Multi-Cultural Schools The Environmental Education and Career Awareness for Multi-Cultural Schools program provides a model for environmental education and career awareness programs for multicultural schools. The model, which is intended to increase knowledge, provide hands-on opportunities, and promote environmental justice, is intended for use in schools that have large multicultural populations, specifically in three fourth-grade classes located in economically disadvantaged communities in the Tacoma School District and six classes of junior and senior high school students in the Bethel School District. Teachers receive training through workshops and students gain experience through service projects and strengthen their awareness of environmental careers. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Pacific Science Center -- $5,000 Carole Hoffman, 200 Second Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 Family Science Career Awareness Workshop The Family Science Career Awareness Workshop is a new program designed specifically for underserved populations that reaches primarily low-income, culturally diverse girls, ages 6 to 12. The five workshop sessions, reaching 60 children and their families, focus on increasing interest in careers in environmental science. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Pullman School District #267 -- $4,800 Stewart Higgins, District Administration, Larry and Hall Drive, Pullman, WA 99163 Pullman School District Teachers' Workshop Under this program, wetlands, flood plains, and streams are used to integrate education in biology, agriculture, mathematics, language arts, geography, civics, and technology. The program draws on existing curricula in soil morphology, production of greenhouse gases, and qualitative analysis of vegetation. Various aspects of the program will involve all students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, enrolled in the Pullman School District, which has a 14 percent minority population. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | The Giraffe Project -- $5,000 Laura Rudd, 197 Second Street, Langley, WA 98260 Eastern Washington Giraffe Project The Giraffe Project focuses on the use of environmental education to advance the goals of education reform, informing teachers, students, parents, and community leaders about the threats to human health posed by environmental pollution and making the public aware of the environmental issues that affect their communities. The program works with before- and after-school child care sites, each of which develops and implements an environmental community service project. Young people taking part in the program, which targets students in kindergarten through 12th grade, learn to identify the issues that have the greatest effect on their environment and to apply problem-solving skills in addressing those issues. |
| 1997 | WA | 10 | Yakima Valley Opportunities Industrialization Center -- $4,977 Mary Jane Vujovic, 815 Fruitvale Boulevard, Yakima, WA 98902 Household Hazardous Waste Neighborhood Education Project The Household Hazardous Waste Neighborhood Education Project strengthens the capacity of the Lower Yakima Valley Rural Enterprise Community to both develop and deliver quality environmental education programs and public education in environmental issues of significant concern to the community. To do so, the organization provides customized educational programs to Spanish-speaking adults who have limited proficiency in English and limited literacy in their native language. Five bilingual and bicultural members of the AmeriCorps Program, along with 25 volunteers from the community, are trained to serve as household hazardous waste educators. The AmeriCorps members and volunteers in turn educate 100 adults in one-on-one and small group sessions. |
| 1997 | WV | 3 | Little Eagle Child Care Center -- $5,000 Lisa Shawyer, P. O. Box 1208/Stop 900, Martinsburg, WV 25401 Kids Discover Nature's Gifts The participants in the Kids Discover Nature's Gifts program, ages 4 to 12, establish observation sites and wildlife feeding stations in various ecological habitats. A computer database of information collected by the students themselves allows the students to compare their results with other documented information and study both differences and similarities. |
| 1997 | WV | 3 | Pine Cabin Run Ecological Laboratory -- $5,000 Nancy Ailes, Route 1, Box 328, High View, WV 26808 Reducing Non-Point-Source Pollution Committee This project educates the community about issues related to non-point-source water pollution. The goal of the project is to work through the newly established Watershed Stakeholder Advisory Committee and with the community to reduce pollution in the Lost River and Cacapon River watersheds. Using methods learned during monthly meetings, the members of the committee reach out to their respective communities to implement agreed-upon strategies to reduce non-point-source pollution. The project targets members of the community who represent every significant category of river user throughout the watershed. |
| 1997 | WV | 3 | Potomac Headwaters RC&C Region, Inc. -- $5,000 Roger Boer, 1450-6 Edwin Miller Boulevard, Martinsburg, WV 25401 Groundwater and Public Health Under this project, local government officials, teachers, migrant workers, students, and the general public learn about the relationships between the quality of groundwater and public health and about the specific threats to public health that have been identified in Berkeley County, West Virginia. |
| 1997 | WI | 5 | Blackhawk Council of Girl Scouts -- $2,900 Juli Speck, 2710 Ski Lane, Madison, WI 53713 Increasing Environmental Programming in Girl Scouting The Blackhawk Council of Girl Scouts is using a series of workshops and training sessions to enhance and expand its environmental education program. Training courses conducted by naturalists provide troop leaders with teaching skills, seasonal information, and supplementary environmental education activities designed to promote environmental awareness and stewardship attitudes. Leaders receive resource materials, field guides, and information about natural history that they can incorporate into the programs they conduct with their scouts. A corps of volunteer naturalists assists the troop leaders, and supplementary training enables volunteers to lead nature hikes, organize day camps programs, and create environmental service projects. The effort also includes workshops on the Project WILD, Project WILD/Aquatic, and Project Learning Tree curricula. The workshops and training sessions reach more than 200 leaders and other volunteers. |
| 1997 | WI | 5 | Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. -- $5,000 Margo Anne Kuisis, 1313 W. Mount Vernon Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233 Learning Side-by-Side Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. provides an interactive learning experience for students and teachers that fosters an understanding of pollution prevention, waste management, and concepts related to water quality. The organization conducts workshops in which teachers learn how to incorporate environmental education into their lesson plans under existing curricula. The workshops increase teachers' knowledge of pollution prevention, waste management, and water quality. Students participate in hands-on field trips and take part in pre- and post-visit classroom activities. The project reaches 25 elementary school teachers, 15 secondary school teachers, and 1,600 to 2,400 students. |
| 1997 | WI | 5 | Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa -- $4,970 Dan Tyrolt, Route #2, Box 2700, Hayward, WI 54843 Environmental Awareness Education Project This project establishes an environmental education and awareness program within the Lac Courte Oreilles tribal community. To spark the interest of the community, the program addresses environmental issues related specifically to reservation policies and conditions. Under the project, materials related to pertinent environmental issues are developed, collected, categorized, and distributed. The program also offers members of the community training in composting and recycling and workshops on groundwater contamination. The tribe produces an environmental newsletter, conducts public forums, and prepares radio announcements to educate members of the community about issues that affect their daily lives. More than 3,000 members of the tribal community benefit from the project. |
| 1997 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters -- $4,883 Gary Lake, 1922 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 Environmental Education Through Children's Literature and Television Formal and informal educators participate in a week-long summer institute designed to showcase the wide variety of resources available to support environmental education efforts. Participants are immersed in children's literature, television, and activities. They participate in activities chosen from existing curricula to increase their level of comfort with environmental issues and concepts. The 30 educators who take part in the program reach some 3,000 or more students. |
| 1997 | WY | 8 | Magic City -- $4,121 John Firestone or Mary Rozmajzl, 1750 Westland Road, #166, Cheyenne, WY 82001 Eco Center Recycling Students and members of the general public learn about recycling and the need to keep our environment clean for ourselves and wildlife through the Eco Center project. School groups tour the Eco Center facility to learn first-hand. They view recycling exhibits at the center and receive recycling decals they can display to demonstrate their commitment to the concept. The project reaches approximately 225 students a month, some 15 percent of whom are African American or Hispanic. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department is a partner with Magic City in the project. |
| 1997 | WY | 8 | Teton Science School -- $3,662 April Landale, Box 68, Kelly, WY 83011 Project WET Workshops Project WET teaches experiential natural science to people of all ages in the greater Yellowstone region. Participants in the program include 20 teachers of kindergarten through 12th-grade programs, 16 graduate students, and 16 Girl Scout leaders. The project provides three training workshops for environmental educators through the program, which is accredited by Utah State University, the University of Wyoming, and Prescott College. |
| 1997 | WY | 8 | University of Wyoming -- $5,000 Duane Keown, Box 3992, Wyoming Hall, Laramie, WY 82071 Wild Wonderful Wyoming This project provides an environmental education manual for use in elementary schools in the entire state of Wyoming and parts of Montana and Nebraska. The manual focuses on training and materials that teach about the environment and natural resources. The curriculum is the work of 53 teachers who collaborated in its development. State resource management agencies, environmental organizations, the University of Wyoming, and Wyoming schools are partners in the project. |
| 1997 | WY | 8 | WY Association for Environmental Education -- $4,750 William Edwards, 520 Harvard Lane, Cheyenne, WY 82009 Environmental Education Master Plan The Environmental Education Master Plan seeks to improve environmental literacy. The project focuses on direct mailings, newsletters, workshops, conferences, and public meetings to strengthen environmental knowledge among students, teachers, and other adults. The Governor's Office of the State of Wyoming; the Wyoming Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Quality, and Game and Fish Department; and the North American Association for Environmental Education collaborate on the project. |
| 1997 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Recycling Association -- $5,000 Leslie Gnidinger, 250 Lincoln Avenue, Lander, WY 82520 Solid Waste Education This project provides a solid waste education program for the Wind River Indian Reservation, serving a low-income minority population of approximately 14,000. Student workbooks and do-it-yourself educational packets are distributed to offices, classrooms, and homes; educational pamphlets, posters, and promotional materials publicize the program. Workshops for teachers, office workers, and the general public, along with a Recycling Expo, round out the effort to curb improper disposal of hazardous waste on the reservation. The University of Wyoming's Conservation Connection, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, and the Wind River Recycling Coalition are partners in the project. |
| 1998 | AL | 4 | Center for Environmental Research and Service -- $4,800 Michael William Mullen, Troy State University, Troy, AL 36082 Community Water Conservation Education This project addresses the trends in groundwater levels in the wiregrass region of southeast Alabama through a comprehensive community water conservation education program. The project uses a program aimed at middle school students. Through the use of printed materials, local media, a community water festival, targeted workshops, and the provision of tools for water conservation, the project increases public awareness of the area's dependence on groundwater resources. The project is offered in Troy and other towns and cities in the wiregrass region. |
| 1998 | AK | 10 | Alaska Bird Observatory-Fairbanks -- $4,500 Nancy DeWitt, P. O. Box 80505, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Songbirds of Alaska The primary objectives of the Alaska Songbird Project are the promotion of bird conservation and environmental career development. The project works to increase awareness of the need to conserve Alaskan habitat for migratory songbirds by conducting an Alaska bird camp and Alaskan songbird workshops and by providing student internships. Through interactive research projects, approximately 114 young people, representing a 25 percent minority population (15 percent Alaskan Native or Indian and more than 50 percent female) learn about ornithology, ecology, environmental issues, scientific research, and environmental careers. |
| 1998 | AK | 10 | Fairbanks North Star Borough School District -- $5,000 Linda Schandelmeir, 520 Fifth Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701 Air Pollution Monitoring for Children The goal of the Partners in Science Program (PISP) is to educate sixth grade students in an inner-city school in Fairbanks about the significance of air quality. Assisted by practicing scientists, some 60 students (more than 50 percent of the students are members of minority groups, primarily Native American or African American) and 45 teachers implement simple air pollution measurement techniques. Working in conjunction with the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) project, participants learn to address the relationship between human health and air quality. Teacher and student materials are to be shared with other teachers in the district. |
| 1998 | AK | 10 | South East Regional Resource Center -- $4,851 JoAnn Henderson, 210 Ferry Way, Suite 200, Juneau, AK 99801 Faculty Training Workshop The faculty training workshop for Alaskan Native Student Wilderness and Enrichment Retreat (ANSWER) Camp provides Galena City Schools and Louden Tribal Council educators with the skills and tools they need to integrate outdoor activities into academic courses. At the workshop, university and high school educators, members of Alaskan Native communities, and college students training to become teachers learn how to design, develop, and deliver classes that incorporate aspects of local government, industries, and culture. The workshop prepares the educators to implement the curriculum at the ANSWER Camp to be held in the summer of 1999. |
| 1998 | AK | 10 | Upper Copper Valley Community Development Corporation -- $24,306 Everlyn Beeter, P. O. Box 357, Gakona, AK 99586 Tribal Environmental Education Project Improving the quality of salmon runs and environmental health are the two basic objectives of this project. The instructors teach low-income and Alaskan Native children and elders about environmental issues that affect their community, particularly about hazardous materials and how they affect community health, water quality, and the salmon runs. A special month-long summer classroom and field session educates school children about hazardous materials and the effects of those materials. To compliment those activities, the regular environmental and biological sciences curriculum focuses on hazardous material. In addition, students participate in community service projects related to their studies. |
| 1998 | AZ | 9 | Southwest Public Recycling Association -- $23,125 Mitra Khazai, P. O. Box 27210, Tucson, AZ 85726 Community Environmental Education Campaign Focusing on the issues of recycling, proper disposal of waste oil, and alternatives to household chemicals, this project offers training for the teachers of grades 3 through 5 in the six elementary schools of Douglas, Arizona. Backup for the training includes development of bilingual classroom teaching materials and establishment of a resource library. A supplemental radio and newspaper advertising campaign aimed at parents coincides with the school lessons. The goal of the project is to increase awareness of the effect of an individual's choice of actions and behaviors on water and air quality and generation of solid waste. |
| 1998 | AZ | 9 | Yavapai/Prescott Tribe -- $4,514 Debbie Roberts, 530 East Merritt Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301 Organic Garden Project Under this project, an organic garden affords hands-on experiences for approximately 40 young people of the Yavapai/Prescott Tribe, under the direction of an educational coordinator and volunteer parents and elders. The coordinator prepares a curriculum manual for Native American organic gardening that emphasizes plants used by the tribe. Each participant is held responsible for planting and caring for specific crops that were planted by their ancestors. In place of pesticides, the young people learn how to use the interaction and interdependence of insects and animals, such as butterflies, worms, and bats, to cultivate plant development in a natural setting. They then invite their parents and members of their community to a harvest festival featuring food they have grown and prepared. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Arkansas Human Development Corporation -- $9,580 Clevon Young, 300 South Spring Street, Suite 800, Little Rock, AR 72201 Farm Worker Environmental Education Program Exposure of farm workers to pesticides is a serious problem among the rural populations of Arkansas. The project educates service providers, farmers and growers, and migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families through mini-fairs, public forums, and personal visits to provide hands-on demonstrations of the ways in which migrant workers and their families can become exposed. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Arkansas State University -- $4,560 Brent Wurfel, 213 E. 6th Street, Mountain Home, AR 72653 Demonstrating Small-Scale Chemistry Workshops and conferences for high school and college chemistry instructors in Arkansas demonstrate the use of small-scale chemistry. Small-scale chemistry is a proven technique that reduces the costs of chemistry instruction by using small amounts of chemicals. Use of the technique reduces the cost of chemicals, reduces the amount of waste generated, and makes laboratories safer. Small-scale chemistry provides a new way to teach creative problem solving, the processes of invention and discovery, analytical thinking, and the elements of descriptive chemistry. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Cabot Public Schools -- $5,000 Bill Holden, 404 North Second, Cabot, AR 72023 Cabot Schools Environmental Education Teacher Workshops In partnership with the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District, the Cabot Public Schools provide refresher workshops for teachers and students. The workshops reacquaint them with and update their information about issues related to air and water pollution, household hazardous waste, pollution prevention, composting, and recycle-reuse-reduce programs. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District -- $5,000 Leigh Ann Covington, P. O. Box 300, Lonoke, AR 72086 HOP (Hazards of Pollution) Portable Model Teacher workshops and interactive classroom projects demonstrate the hazards of improper disposal of wastes and open burning, as well as the benefits of composting, recycling, and other environmental issues through a working 3-D Hazards of Pollution model. The model is intended for use in grades 3 through 7. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Four-County (NW) Regional Solid Waste Management District -- $4,991 Doli Brown, 2 N. College Avenue, Suite 302, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Open Burning Tool Kit Open trash burning is a major environmental problem in the four-county area served by this project. This project is intended to reach students, businesses, and residents of both rural and urban areas. It uses workshops conducted in both English and Spanish for educators; seminars for residents; videotapes aired on cable television; and the Open Burning Tool Kit, which is distributed to classrooms. The lessons address the need to break the cycle of burning trash and seek to build understanding of the relationship between human actions and adverse effects on human health and the environment. Because a variety of delivery methods are used, the program is expected to reach its various audiences effectively. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Jessieville School District #1 -- $900 Cheryl Kastner, 7900 N. Highway 7, Jessieville, AR 71949 Jessieville Recycles This project makes students, parents, and teachers aware of issues related to ecology and the environment and potential health hazards caused by the dumping of trash. That goal is accomplished by promoting awareness of recycling through the establishment of designated collection sites and the conduct of workshops sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association. |
| 1998 | AR | 6 | Mississippi County Economic Opportunity Commission, Inc. -- $5,000 Sam Scruggs, P.O. Drawer 1289, Blytheville, AR 72316-1289 Ecosystem Discovery Exhibit The hands-on, self explanatory Ecosystem Discovery Exhibit demonstrates the interdependence of the various natural elements (water, air, sunlight, earth, plants, and animals) that make up the ecosystem. The exhibit stresses whole-system designs, with demonstrations of practical uses of solar orientation, gravity, biological resources, and energy produced on site; the relationships of animals to gardens; and containment and use of waste produced in the system. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Adopt-A-Watershed -- $40,831 (HQ Grant) Jesse Miller, 731 Market Street, Suite 600A, San Francisco, CA 94103 Leadership Institute The National Resources Conservation Service works in partnership with Adopt-A-Watershed's Leadership Institute to implement pre-service teacher training, using an existing model. The partnership is pilot-testing a natural resource education course for education majors at two historically black land grant colleges. The partnership provides course material, trains professors, and pilot-tests one class of pre-service elementary and secondary education majors at each college, as part of their curricula. The Leadership Institute offers a forum for training professors under a train the trainers model that equips participants both to establish sustainable Adopt-A-Watershed programs in their own communities and to lead, train, and support other teachers in replicating the programs throughout the region. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | African American Development Association -- $10,250 Allen Edson, 1235 Peralta, Oakland, CA 94607 Environmental Education Network Collaborative This project establishes a model environmental science corridor for urban youth from middle school through graduation from college or university. Through the linking of the faculties of a middle and a high school with that of a community college, a program of culturally relevant environmental projects enables students to follow a path leading to professional careers in the environmental field. A network of environmental professionals provides teacher training and follow-up classroom support. Using a nearby marsh and lake as outdoor classrooms, older students act as role models and instructors for younger students as they explore ecosystems and study issues related to environmental justice. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | California State University, Chico -- $5,000 Kristin Cooper-Carter, Kendall Hall, Room 114, California State University, Chico, CA 95929-0870 Streaminder Salmon and Steelhead from Eggs to Fry This project offers an eight-hour workshop that links salmonid life cycles with stream ecology for 30 teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 to support restoration of native fisheries. Students of the teachers trained through the workshops have the opportunity to raise salmon and steelhead from eggs to a stage at which they can be released into local streams. In conjunction with that project, students visit nearby streams to study riparian ecosystems, test water quality, and conduct bioassessment. Using the data they collect, the students determine whether the habitat is sufficiently healthy to allow the release of the salmon and steelhead fry they have cared for. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Carquinez Regional Environmental Education Center -- $4,860 David J. Hicks, P. O. Box 65, Crockett, CA 94525 Training High-Risk Youth in Habitat Restoration Under this project, 15 high school students and their science teachers develop the knowledge and skills they need to restore a portion of an historic riparian habitat. Each week for 32 weeks, an urban horticulturist and wildlife specialist guide students by small group instruction and field experiences through the cycle of habitat restoration: site preparation, propagation and reintroduction of native horticulture and wildlife, and monitoring of the vitality of the habitat. The project has built-in sustainability because students and teachers currently being trained become mentors for the next year's class. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Chaffey Joint Union High School District -- $4,000 Robert Shaver, 211 West Fifth Street, Ontario, CA 91762 ED-SAC: Environmental Disturbance in San Antonio Creek This project provides some 100 to 120 high school sophomores a way to measure scientifically the effects of human intrusion on comparative habitats, one close to and the other remote from population. Students visit both sites once a month to take samples of the water, collect and catalog the types of trash and debris found, and observe the condition of plants and wildlife. Using the data they collect, students can draw conclusions about the comparative health of the two habitats. They report their findings to the community through articles in the local newspaper and presentations to the school board and city council. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Fortuna High School -- $4,495 Pam Halstead, Fortuna High School, 379 12th Street, Fortuna, CA 95540-0398 Fortuna Integrated Watershed Study This project provides an integrated science curriculum at the ninth grade level that focuses on interdisciplinary study of conditions in local creeks. In partnership with the Fortuna Creeks Project, the Fortuna Parks and Recreation Department, and the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project, the high school science department leads students in water quality monitoring, assessment of stream habitats, sampling of macroinvertebrate species, riparian restoration, and spawning survey activities. The incoming freshman class receives training in the use of scientific instruments in a real-world setting, interpretation of the data they collect, mentoring, and the development of networks through which they can share recommendations for stewardship of local natural resources with the community. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Green City Project -- $5,000 Dana Lanza, P. O. Box 31251, San Francisco, CA 94131 Careers in Environmental Education This project is a partnership effort of San Francisco Recycling, the California Coastal Commission, the California Native Plant Society, and the San Francisco Park and Recreation Department to train 20 high school students from inner-city neighborhoods to become docents to 20 elementary school classrooms in the city. The selected high school students choose from a field of three areas of study: waste management, conservation of habitat, or water issues. Students devote two hours per week for 12 weeks to preparatory sessions during which they not only master their subject, but also learn speaking skills and how to create presentation materials. During the spring semester, the high school students are matched with an elementary school teacher to work with the younger children to complete a hands-on community project in the docent's area of study. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Kern County Superintendent of Schools -- $9,500 Shirley Oesch, 1300 17th Street - City Center, Bakersfield, CA 93301-4533 Kern River Connections This project expands the number of schools participating the Adopt-a-Watershed curriculum from 7 to 20 schools and provides Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) training for 40 additional teachers. Project partners include the Kern River Water Agency; the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; the California Department of Fish and Game; and the Kern River Preserve. Through application of the GLOBE protocols, students learn to make decisions and take actions to address and remediate environmental problems that the students identify through their investigations. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Lindsay Wildlife Museum -- $5,000 Lisle Lee, 1931 First Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Monitoring and Habitat Enhancement Program for At-Risk Youth The museum staff, the city's parks and recreation department, and the faculty of Summit High School offer 20 at-risk students and their teachers opportunities to monitor and restore habitats along Gallindo Creek on the slopes of Mt. Diablo. Classroom and field exercises based on the Adopt-a-Watershed curriculum are conducted once a week during the school year. The project's main components include cleanup of the creek and the riparian zone and monitoring of water quality, enhancement of butterfly habitats, and establishment and maintenance of a database. In addition, students make presentations to the city council, the parks department, the youth council, and other interested organizations. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Oakland Recycling Association -- $5,000 Susan A. Blueston, 635 - 13th Street, #210, Oakland, CA 94612-1220 Recycling Education and Resource Center This project partially funds one intern to provide recycling outreach programs for 90 fourth through sixth grade classrooms in Alameda County, California. The program provides hands-on, interactive learning experiences about waste reduction and conservation of natural resources through classroom art projects that use materials recovered from the waste stream, field trips to the transfer station, establishment of a compost program, and targeting of a specific recyclable material for research on its origin and uses. The program demonstrates the usefulness of objects otherwise considered garbage and encourages students to think before purchasing items marketed in elaborate but nonrecyclable packaging. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy -- $5,000 Wendy Millet, 904 Silver Spur Road, #274, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 Habitat-Based Science Curriculum for Elementary Schools This project provides a curriculum based on local habitats and training for 90 intermediate grade teachers in the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District. In preparing for the program, staff of the land conservancy select from among existing environmental education resources and adapt them to the natural open-space areas within walking distance of the teachers' schools. Naturalists train teachers and parent volunteers in grade- and site-specific plans for implementing the curriculum. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | San Diego Natural History Museum -- $17,714 Katherine Boskoff, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 Establishing a Regional Environmental Education Coordinator This project matches a grant from the California State Department of Education to establish a full time coordinator to build capacity to deliver quality environmental education in the San Diego area, a large and diverse region that encompasses ocean, urban, rural, desert, and mountain habitats. The coordinator, housed in the San Diego Museum of Natural History, provides resources, promotes networking, and serves a clearing house for a potential audience of 20,000 teachers in 43 public school districts, private schools, and informal education programs. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | San Diego State University -- $5,000 Dr. Melody Hunt, 5250 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1931 Student and Teacher Training in Water Quality Monitoring This project establishes partnerships among several departments of San Diego State University, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, the San Diego County Water Authority, and several middle and high schools in San Diego. University students serve as mentors and trainers for middle and high school students in creating a monitoring program to perform regular water quality testing in semiarid San Diego area and international watersheds. The accompanying curriculum covers water treatment, water reclamation, non-point-source runoff pollution, and watershed management. In addition, the San Diego County Water Authority offers training to more than 300 teachers in the use of water monitoring kits to implement the program. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Conservation Corps -- $5,000 McCrae Parker, 1050 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 McLaren Park Youth in Action Project This project joins the San Francisco Conservation Corps with the city's parks and recreation department to support restoration of native plants in a square-mile park in the southeast portion of the city. Through the corps' McLaren Park Youth in Action program, 50 older teens are trained to teach units on native plant ecology and restoration techniques. The older youth then work with 100 middle school students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to become stewards of the park, conducting service projects focused on removing nonnative and restoring native plant species. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | San Joaquin Office of Education -- $5,000 Judi Wilson, P. O. Box 213030, Stockton, CA 95213 Project FEED (Families Exploring Environmental Dilemmas This project, which involves 30 elementary schools in San Joaquin County, provides a family-oriented event that offers hands-on activities designed to increase awareness of health threats caused by pollution of our natural resources and by improper practices in the management of solid and hazardous waste. A manual based on the successful practices presented in the California Department of Health Services' No Waste Anthology and the Alameda Office of Education's Toxics: Taking Charge prepares parents and staff at each school to stage the event. Follow- up training for parents and staff covers the materials and logistics needed to stage a successful event, tips for attracting families to the event, and troubleshooting problem areas. A mentor from the science, health, or environmental fields assists each school by making a presentation on the goals of Project FEED, answering questions, and interacting with families as they prepare for and participate in the event. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Santa Monica Baykeeper -- $10,000 Captain Terry Tamminen, P. O. Box 10096, Marina del Rey, CA 90295 Beachkeepers This project establishes a partnership of the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Marine Institute, the Harbor Safety Committee, and the Wilmington Homeowners Association to train residents in monitoring and documenting storm drain pollution of coastal habitats in their neighborhoods along 60 miles of the coast of Santa Monica Bay. High school students and members of homeowners associations receive training in monitoring techniques. The project conducts monthly meetings in various neighborhoods, during which reports on earlier monitoring efforts are presented and plans made to determine what further action is needed. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Solana Vista School, Solana Beach School District -- $5,000 Ellie Topolovac, 309 North Rios Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075 Composting Solana Vista The project provides two workshops for teachers at Solana Vista Elementary School and one for parents on the need for and techniques of composting. The sessions are taught by a master gardener from the University of California Extension Service. At school, the lessons prepare the 16 faculty members to involve students in performing the tasks necessary to conduct a composting program, including the composting of school lunch leftovers. The parents' workshop, offered in both English and Spanish, trains parents to undertake home composting and gardening projects. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | The Tides Center -- $3,017 Leslie Crawford, P. O. Box 29907, San Francisco, CA 94129-0907 Environmental Action Teacher Training Workshop E2: Environment and Education, a nonprofit educational activity of the Tides Center, trains secondary school teachers from the Ossining, New York Union Free School District to integrate environmental education into an existing curriculum and develop their ability to explore environmental issues in the classroom. The workshop focuses on Environmental ACTION, a six-module program that includes study of energy conservation, water conservation, and biodiversity. The program educates teachers; students; and, through home activities, parents about environmental threats to health. The program helps students use the school as a laboratory to build their understanding of the relationship between global environmental issues and their lives and neighborhoods. (Project in Ossining, NY) |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | The Tides Center -- $3,017 Leslie Crawford, P. O. Box 29907, San Francisco, CA 94129-0907 Environmental ACTION: Teacher Training Workshop This project offers 20 secondary school teachers in the Tanque Verde Unified School District of Tucson, Arizona training in how to integrate environmental education into their daily classroom offerings. Environmental Action, a six-part module for grades 6 through 12, has proven effective in the development of environmental awareness, critical thinking skills, and scientific learning. Under this project, support for classroom implementation includes identification of partner organizations and agencies that provide speakers who have expertise in specific environmental topics to introduce subject matter to students. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Ukiah Unified School District -- $5,000 Jennifer Harris, 925 North State Street, Ukiah, CA 95842 Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project This project provides partial funding for an AmeriCorps volunteer to act as the environmental coordinator for the Redwood Valley outdoor education site, a 45-acre plot of undeveloped land made up of flat and steeply sloping terrain along the Russian River. In dedicating the land for educational purposes, the school district established the goal of providing experiences for students, teachers, parents, and the community that would focus on all aspects of nature, wildlife, and protection of ecosystems and habitats. The coordinator's responsibilities include maintaining the site, scheduling classes for field trips, assisting teachers in leading field trips, and managing research projects. Regular testing of water, air, and soil provides data that help increase awareness of the threats posed to human health by environmental pollution. A portion of the funds is used to offset the cost of transportation for students in schools beyond walking distance from the site. |
| 1998 | CA | 9 | Yolo Basin Foundation -- $3,834 Robin Kulakow, P. O. Box 943, Davis, CA 95617 Discover the Flyway In partnership with Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this project presents day-long workshops for middle school teachers to encourage field study in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, a 3,700-acre tract in the heart of the Pacific Flyway. Each workshop provides participants with wetlands education materials they can use before and after a field trip to the wildlife area. One goal of the project is to instill in students who visit the wildlife area a long-term interest in wetlands issues. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Clean Air Campaign of the Pikes Peak Region -- $3,923 Barb Negley, 219 West Colorado Avenue, Suite 210, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 WHIFF Game Show to Educate Local Youth About Air Quality Problems The primary goal of this project is to educate teachers, informal educators, and students about air pollution by providing a fun atmosphere through a short air pollution book and a game show. Skilled performers trained in child development and environmental issues dress up as Whiff the Clean Air Pup and Professor PureAir to invite students to participate in the Air is Right game show. The show is offered to middle and high school educators in the public school district, as well as to those in local private schools and other educational facilities. The game show and other materials focus on the components and characteristics of air, types of pollutants, causes and health consequences of air pollution, and solutions to such problems. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $23,000 Mike Way, 15260 S. Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Enhanced Volunteer Coordination for Colorado This project builds capacity to deliver environmental education by forming networks of Colorado's business, agriculture, and higher education organizations and underrepresented populations in urban and rural communities. The project enhances coordination of volunteer efforts and establishes a statewide environmental education network through the World Wide Web sites of the various partners. The project relies on consistent and responsive contact among volunteer coordinators who encourage the development and use of on-line services, providers of environmental education, and target audiences. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Colorado Bird Observatory -- $15,666 Michael Carter, 13401 Piccadilly Road, Brighton, CO 80601 Conserve Shortgrass Prairies and the Birds That Depend on Them This project provides five workshops for residents of rural communities, primarily private landowners, to educate them about shortgrass prairies and the birds that live in their communities. The project uses education and community action to encourage community members to conserve their local prairies and the birds that depend on that land. Slides, schedules, and handouts are used during the workshops. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Colorado State University -- $25,000 Frederick M. Stein, Ft. Collins, CO 80523-2002 Professional Development for American Indian Teachers This project trains teachers of students in kindergarten through grade 12 about environmental issues to improve their environmental education teaching skills. A five-day, 40-hour, hands-on workshop for teachers and administrators, whose students are predominantly American Indians and Alaskan Natives, focuses on improving the school science curriculum. The workshop is based on environmentally friendly approaches through which chemistry can be taught easily at any grade level. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Denver Urban Gardens -- $4,900 Jamie Douglass, 1110 Acoma Street, Denver, CO 80204 Grounds for Learning This project assists South Middle School in developing its school grounds as a water conserving, environmentally friendly, visually attractive, and educationally rich landscape. The project introduces students to horticulture and gardening, as they care for newly planted beds and plant and maintain a small vegetable garden. One purpose of the project is to build interest among the students in exploring careers in horticulture. The school is located in a disadvantaged community where the school population is made up primarily of members of minority groups. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Golden High School - Jefferson County Schools -- $4,900 Elaine M. Smith, 701 24th Street, Golden, CO 80401 Environmental Science Students Outreach Program Golden High School environmental science students conduct an outreach program to educate all members of their community. The students collect data and conduct research to assess local air pollution and water quality. They then apply their knowledge and understanding of the environment to define such environmental problems as global warming, air pollution, and water quality as those problems affect their community. Students make presentations at city council meetings and for business organizations, using a videotape they produced and distributing pamphlets they developed. The students also make presentations at the city's elementary schools to educate younger students about environmental topics. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of the Rockies, Inc. -- $5,000 Roberta Wentworth, P. O. Box T, 3056 County Road 198, Hillside, CO 81232 Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp Family Project This project is a year-round environmental education program designed to educate the public about reducing food waste and gardening organically through the composting method. An overview display of the purpose of the site's composting program, a composting unit, and additional materials are available to all visitors who use the site. The composting unit itself serves as a teaching tool used to explain the benefits of recycling waste materials and provides campers a means of recycling food waste and other compostable materials during their stay. The compost then is used in gardening projects. Since the Rainbow Trail camp currently serves more than 4,000 campers throughout the year, from families to community leaders, the project reaches a large and diverse audience. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | Poudre School District -- $4,950 2101 S. Taft Hill Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526 A Teacher Training Project for Ecosystem Field Studies The primary objective of this project is to create a community-based teacher training program that helps teachers improve their environmental education skills to meet new state standards for science. Another component of the project increases students' awareness of and knowledge about ecosystems and other environmental issues. Middle school teachers and their students, who represent a variety of minority groups, benefit from the project. |
| 1998 | CO | 8 | San Juan Resource, Conservation, and Development -- $4,770 Joe Arado, 31 Suttle Street, Durango, CO 81301 Educational Outreach Effort for Animas River Stakeholders The goal of the project is to improve water quality and aquatic habitat throughout the Animas River watershed. Stakeholders in the Animas River area characterize existing conditions, assess sources of contaminants, determine the feasibility of various approaches to addressing environmental problems, and set priorities among sites for remediation. Monthly meetings and forums educate residents of the area about the quality of the watershed and about lead contamination and ways to clean up such contamination. A World Wide Web site distributes information about the watershed to those unable to attend the meetings and to others who have interest in such environmental issues. |
| 1998 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center -- $5,000 Barbara Milton, 1 Milford Point Road, Milford, CT 06460 Planning Workshops for Milford's Open Space Steering Committee Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center (CACC) hosts six bimonthly workshops for representatives of the city of Milford's Open Space Steering Committee. The workshops cover the following topics: natural resources inventories, low-impact development, wetlands and waterfront open space, management of open space, funding for and acquisition of open space, and development of slide presentations. Approximately 20 representatives of various agencies will attend the workshops. Presentations based on the contents of the workshops are expected to reach thousands of people. |
| 1998 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Food, Land & People Project -- $18,950 Steven Fish, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 Connecticut Project Food, Land & People Project Food, Land & People developed a model curriculum that focuses on agriculture and environmental concepts and issues. The curriculum has been field-tested with 72 teachers. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and its partners distribute the curriculum throughout the state to teachers of prekindergarten through 12th grade. A culturally diverse mix of students in all grades is targeted. In addition, 25 teachers are trained to train other teachers. |
| 1998 | CT | 1 | New Haven Land Trust -- $5,000 Sylvia Dorsey, P. O. Box 935, New Haven, CT 06504 Youth Environmental Education Program Through this summer environmental education pilot program, young people from age 7 through age 12 design and develop seven community gardens. Hands-on activities with the young people in the gardens will bring the environmental education content to the program. Community gardens are located in low-income and culturally diverse neighborhoods. The program is expected to reach some 150 people. |
| 1998 | CT | 1 | Save The Sound, Inc. -- $5,000 T. Robins Brown, 185 Magee Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902 Restoration of Estuarine Habitat The project develops and tests a training program in restoration of estuarine habitat restoration for 25 high school students annually. Each student spends 200 hours in hands-on learning about how to restore estuarine habitats. |
| 1998 | CT | 1 | Soundwaters, Inc. -- $5,000 Nathan Frohling, 69 Dyke Lane, Box 13, Stamford, CT 06902 Discovering Long Island Sound Discover Long Island Sound : Bringing it Back to the Classroom is a five day, multidisciplinary workshop in marine ecology for teachers. The workshop is conducted aboard the schooner Soundwaters and at several field sites. The goals of the workshop are to inform teachers about priorities related to Long Island Sound and to provide them the skills, materials, and resources they need to teach about those priorities. As many as 25 teachers participate in the workshop, and more that 500 students participate in a classroom or outdoor activity led by a Soundwaters educator. |
| 1998 | DE | 3 | Center for Inland Bays -- $3,714 Brice Richards, P. O. Box 297, Nassau, DE 19969 Public Service Announcements About Delaware's Inland Bays The Center for the Inland Bays, in partnership with the Delaware Audubon Society, provides eight 30-second public service announcements (PSA) for television and radio. The announcements cover topics related to the environmental concerns that affect the residents of the inland bays' watershed. Overenrichment by nutrients, protection of wildlife habitats, and the effect of human activities on the environment of the watershed are among the topics spotlighted. Specific environmental topics, such as the effect of dredging on shore birds and the cause of the occurrence of excessive amounts of sea lettuce in the bays, also are addressed. |
| 1998 | DE | 3 | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control -- $5,000 Marjorie A. Crofts, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901 Air Curriculum for Delaware (The Three R's for Today and Tomorrow) This program, called The Three R's for Today and Tomorrow... a Waste Minimization/Pollution Curriculum, Waste and Air Section, combines information from the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act; state implementation plans; and ozone standards with curriculum activities that meet educational standards under the New Direction for Education in Delaware Program. The program includes teacher workshops and a tour of an air quality monitoring station. The curricula focus on activities for students in kindergarten through grade 12. |
| 1998 | DE | 3 | Kalmar Nyckel Foundation -- $5,000 Andrew McKnight, 1124 East 7th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Challenge Program - Building Awareness of the Environment and Environmental Justice for At-Risk Youth in Wilmington Students participate in a boat-building class that helps them to develop an understanding of marine environments and learn more about the environmental factors that affect the Christiana River and its watershed, including sewage outflows, commercial shipping, runoff, and recreation. The students canoe, take water samples, and use microscopes to compare samples from various bodies of water in a specific region. The class also has the opportunity to sail on an oyster schooner on the Delaware Bay. The Challenge Program helps students understand how the quality of the river's water affects them and the many Wilmington industries that are located on the river. |
| 1998 | DC | 3 | Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute -- $5,000 Donna Degnan, 801 Buchanan Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017 Students Impacting Their Urban Environment This program adapts existing environmental education curricula and field methods to develop a functional environmental education theme unit for predominately minority special education students in an urban multicultural setting at the Kennedy Institute, an ungraded, 12-year special education day program. Participants strengthen their awareness of real-life local environmental issues. Students learn about urban air and water pollution and the effects of such pollution on human health and the local ecosystem. They also study the effects of population growth and decline on urban areas and the effects of such changes on climate, as well as discussing job opportunities in the environmental field. |
| 1998 | DC | 3 | The Environmentors Project -- $5,000 David C. Rubinstein, 5301 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 Trenton High School Outreach Program Through the Environmentors Project, a community-based educational program for low-income communities, 30 Trenton teenagers become involved in environmental issues that affect their community. Students participate in an eight-month mentorship with a professional, during which they learn about environmental careers, environmental health risks in their communities, and community action choices. The knowledge, skills, and discipline acquired in the course enable the students to serve as environmental resources for their communities. (Project in Trenton, NJ) |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | Brevard Community College -- $15,569 Deborah McClinton, 3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32935 Environmental Literacy Modules A multidisciplinary team of six members of the faculty of Broward Community College designs, develops, and pilot-tests a series of modules that can be incorporated into general education courses. The modules are designed specifically to expose college students enrolled in general education courses to crucial environmental issues. Workshops are provided to train the faculty in the use of the modules. |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Joy Duperault, P. O. Box 2494, Port Charlotte, FL 33949 Faculty Workshop for Monitoring Water Quality: High School and Community College This project implements a monitoring program for the entire Charlotte Harbor watershed, under which water quality data are collected and analyzed. The project provides high school and community college faculty members with the skills they need to demonstrate to students the concepts of water quality sampling and monitoring. The effort is intended to improve public understanding of significant issues related to the management of water resources in the watershed. |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | Florida Atlantic University -- $4,616 Loisa Kerwin, Center for Environmental Studies, P. O. Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991 Aquatic Ecology Workshop for Educators This project provides a five-day aquatic ecology workshop to inform educators about the wide variety of resources and field sites that are available to them by training teachers in the methods necessary to conduct data collection and field experiments on water resources with their classes. The participants explore a watershed, an adjacent prairie, and the lacustrine system of Lake Okeechobee. At each site, scientific field protocols are applied in monitoring water quality and identifying aquatic plants and invertebrate animals as indicators of the health and diversity of an ecosystem. |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | Putnam County Health Department -- $4,128 Cheryl D. Lesneski, 2801 Kennedy Street, Palatka, FL 32177 Recognizing Pesticide Poisoning: A Training Program for Rural Health Care Providers This project trains rural health care providers to identify pesticide illness, or poisoning, and to differentiate it from problems that cause similar symptoms. Sessions are conducted for community members on the potential hazards of pesticide use. The project provides in-service sessions for local health care providers, as well as workshops for individuals who work with at-risk children and for pesticide applicators. The project will provide pertinent reference materials, as well. Members of the community will attend sessions during which they will learn about the potential hazards of pesticide use. |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | Roy Hyatt Environmental Center - School District of Escambia County -- $4,982 Linda Hartman, 1300 Tobias Road, Cantonment, FL 32533 Florida's 4-R's and Vermicomposting Teacher Training Workshops This project provides training for teachers in the use of effective solid waste management practices through the revised state-accredited curriculum, Florida's 4-R's and Vermicomposting. The project enhances the environmental awareness of both teachers and students and involves parents in classroom activities. |
| 1998 | FL | 4 | School Board of Broward County - Division of School Operations -- $4,933 Deborah McClinton, 600 Southeast Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Whiddon-Rodgers Education Center Environmental Education Project This project is designed to improve the environmental education teaching skills of educators who work with multicultural high school and adult students. Educators receive three hours of in-service training, during which they discuss environmental issues important to the community and the school. Educators share the activities with their peers so they have a repertoire of challenging instructional material that encourages students to arrive at their own conclusions about environmental issues and careers. |
| 1998 | GA | 4 | Chatham County Board of Health -- $4,900 Diane Z. Weems, 2011 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, GA 31406 Home Hazards Education and Prevention Program This project uses the Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes instructional materials prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide environmental education. Its audience includes senior citizens groups, clients of the Community Care program, and members of church organizations that provide services to senior citizens. |
| 1998 | GA | 4 | Georgia Envirothon -- $4,900 Terry Seehorn, Route 1, Box 1A1, Rabun Gap, GA 30568 A Hands-On High School Environmental Knowledge and Skills Competition The Georgia Envirothon provides students with environmental education through competitive events held in the field. During the competition, students have the opportunity to interact with environmental professionals and explore environmental careers. |
| 1998 | GA | 4 | Georgia Southern University -- $4,960 Martha Schriver, Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education, P. O. Box 8005, Statesboro, GA 30460-8005 Using the Outdoor Classroom This project educates 24 middle school science teachers about the fragile ecological balance of Georgia's wetlands and prepares them to pass on their learning to 2,140 students. The teachers have the opportunity to experience hands-on-minds-on learning activities in an outdoor classroom that is located in a large wetland complex. |
| 1998 | GA | 4 | The Georgia Tech Research Institute -- $24,839 Dara O'Neil, Office of Contract Administration, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 Teacher Training Workshop This project establishes a teacher training program to create a cadre of teachers of Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) in Georgia. GLOBE is an Internet program that allows students to enter local environmental measurements into a national database. The project trains as many as 40 teachers of science in kindergarten through grade 12 to use the GLOBE program to provide environmental education in their schools. Trained teachers using the GLOBE program encourage students to pursue environmental careers and to develop environmental awareness. |
| 1998 | GA | 4 | Walton County Board of Education -- $5,000 Loretta Altman, Loganville Middle School, 115 Oak Street, Monroe, GA 30655 Project Kids: Our Future This community-based education initiative involves both the Loganville Middle School and the community. Together, they build an awareness of the need for conservation of natural resources through composting and recycling. |
| 1998 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Department of Education, KidScience -- $20,000 Patty Miller, 2350 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822 Watershed Detectives This project funds five one-hour television broadcasts of Watershed Detectives on the KidScience public broadcasting network for fifth and sixth grade classes. Each broadcast features demonstrations presented by professional environmental experts and an on-camera teacher. Students on all of Hawaii's islands can participate by calling in on the telephone or through the Internet. In-service training for teachers familiarizes them with activities that students can take part in before and after the broadcasts to measure the health of a watershed and develop individual action plans. |
| 1998 | HI | 9 | Manoa School -- $4,716 Victoria Bannan, 3155 Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822 Manoa School - Ala Wai Canal Watershed This project funds a one-day workshop to train the faculty of Manoa School in the use of Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) instruments and protocols to allow students to conduct experiments in and around Manoa Stream. The stream, which once provided fish and recreation for the community, is closed to those activities because of pollution. Dr. Eric DeCarlo of the University of Hawaii's Department of Oceanography provides technical guidance in taking environmental measurements and directing field studies that students can carry out safely. Students forward data collected to the Clean Water Branch of the Department of Health and to GLOBE's database. |
| 1998 | HI | 9 | Nature Conservancy of Hawaii -- $24,975 Pauline Sato, 1115 Smith Street, Suite 201, Honolulu, HI 96817 Project Stewardship This project expands its current interactive partnership with natural resources managers to promote environmental stewardship to two more high schools on Oahu. The year-long program encompasses five modules, each of which contains specific pre-site, on-site, and post-site learning experiences that teach a progression of skills designed to prepare students for field activities. The five modules are: biodiversity and stewardship; plant propagation techniques; control of invasive alien species; revegetation and restoration; and mapping, monitoring, and stewardship. Students are responsible for developing individual or team projects based on their study of the modules. |
| 1998 | ID | 10 | Mackay Joint School District #182 -- $4,567 Karlene Hardy, P. O. Box 390, 411 Rose Avenue, Mackay, ID 83251 Environmental Awareness Project This project increases the environmental education knowledge base of the staff of the Mackay Joint School District by providing the following training: Project Wild I and II, Project Wet, and Project Learning Tree. The teachers plan to integrate age-appropriate student activities into their classroom curricula. In the fall and spring, students participate in such activities as an aquaculture project in which they raise fish and release them into local waterways. Through an environmental fair, students apply what they have learned by creating exhibits and demonstrations and presenting them to other students and community groups. |
| 1998 | ID | 10 | Nez Perce Tribal Foundation -- $144,520 (HQ Grant) Patrick J. Sobotta, P. O. Box 365, Lapwai, ID 83540 Two-World View Environmental Education Project The Nez Perce Tribal Foundation, in partnership with the educational program of the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality, the University of Idaho, and high school teachers on the reservation, provides an environmental education curriculum that uses the Nez Perce Tribe's wildlife and fish books as a foundation. Protection of the ecosystem and issues related to forest management are the primary focus of the Two-World View Environmental Education Project. The target audience is American Indian students in kindergarten through grade 12 and 100 teachers on the Nez Perce reservation; 30 university students who are studying natural resources, environmental science, and engineering; and 40 university pre-service education students and in-service teachers. The curriculum designed for the program is intended to complement education reform in Idaho. |
| 1998 | IL | 5 | Business and Professional People for the Public Interest -- $24,192 Jill Viehweg, 17 E. Monroe Street, Suite 212, Chicago, IL 60603 Integrated Pest Management The Safer Pest Control Project (SPCP) educates community leaders and residents of neighborhoods in Chicago about techniques of integrated pest management (IPM). SPCP provides an educational comic book through which readers learn the appropriate techniques for controlling cockroaches in their homes, while avoiding indiscriminate or illegal use of pesticides. In an effort to reach diverse audiences, the comic book is made available in both English and Spanish. SPCP also conducts a series of train-the-trainer seminars, during which participants learn how to implement IPM in their homes and receive the supplies they need to teach others about IPM. SPCP trains 100 to 150 community leaders who in turn reach 350 to 400 residents of Chicago communities. |
| 1998 | IL | 5 | Chicago Academy of Sciences -- $24,550 Phil Parfitt, 2060 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 Butterfly Gardens in Schools Using the successful Ecological Citizenship program (funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) as a model, the Chicago Academy of Sciences trains teachers to use butterfly gardens as educational tools. Selected teachers and their respective students in six Chicago schools participate in the program. Teachers attend three workshops to study biodiversity and learn strategies for teaching ecological issues. Students create, design, and develop a butterfly garden at their schools and are responsible for maintenance of the gardens. During the school year, staff of the academy make three visits to the classrooms of participating students and provide continual assistance to ensure the success of the program. Three lectures provided at the newly constructed nature museum give members of the communities involved the opportunity to learn from butterfly experts and to view the newly created exhibit Butterfly Haven. |
| 1998 | IL | 5 | Illinois Easter Seal Society -- $95,322 (HQ Grant) Tom Berkshire, 2715 S. 46th, Springfield, IL 62703 TASK: Teaching Agricultural Safety to Kids The educational priority of TASK: Teaching Agricultural Safety to Kids is to address health issues and mitigate the threats to human health posed by environmental pollution, as such pollution and health threats affect children on farms and in rural communities in Illinois. The project trains 100 high school students to teach 50 classes of students in grades five through eight about rural environmental pollution, agricultural safety, and responsible decision making. The high school students learn to use educational material and apply teaching techniques. They develop leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills that allow them to take action on environmental issues. The curricula for the elementary classes cover such environmental issues as runoff, spills, and disposal of chemicals; burning of solid waste; crop dusting and its effect on air quality; and generation of dust and molds from storage of feed and grain and the health and safety concerns related to those issues. The TASK curriculum has been translated into Spanish for presentation to migrant farm workers. Partners in the TASK program are the Illinois State Board of Education, Future Farmers of America (FFA) of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. |
| 1998 | IL | 5 | Lincoln Park Zoo -- $11,842 Susan Teller-Marshall, P. O. Box 14903, 2150 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614 People, Places, & Change The Lincoln Park Zoo is expanding its People, Places, & Change teacher education program. Participants in the program examine historical change and development in an area and then determine the nature and causes of the change. The curriculum of the workshop is correlated to the state's science standards, thereby dramatically increasing use of the resources and materials. The zoo uses the grant funds to double the workshop hours, provide a stipend to participating teachers, and enhance the teaching materials provided. Environmental professionals in a variety of areas provide teachers participating in the workshop with background information about environmental issues. They also serve as resources for the participants after the workshop has concluded. The workshop therefore is more comprehensive than past programs, and teachers have support available after the program has ended. |
| 1998 | IL | 5 | St. Clair County Health Department -- $5,000 Barbara A. Hohlt, 19 Public Square, Suite 150, Belleville, IL 62220-1624 Clear the Air/Save the Environment The St. Clair County Health Department increases awareness of air pollution issues and educates community members about the effects of ozone on public health. The department provides an educational display that is used at a variety of conferences throughout the year. The department also conducts three training sessions to educate community members about air pollution, ozone depletion, and the adverse health effects associated with various air pollutants. The county's clean air hotline is updated regularly, and a communications system is used to notify local businesses about ozone action and alert days. |
| 1998 | IN | 5 | City of Gary -- $5,000 Dorreen Carey, Office of the Mayor, Gary, IN 46402-1236 Community-Based Environmental Education The city of Gary, in partnership with the Lake County Solid Waste Management District, provides a community-based environmental education program. The organizations work with the students and teachers of West Side High School to provide training and resources for the implementation of a sustainable solid waste and recycling program. Environmental professionals train 10 teachers and 20 students to use interactive environmental education tools. Students then coordinate a minimum of 20 educational sessions for citizens and leaders of communities and students of all ages, reaching a target audience of 500 people. |
| 1998 | IN | 5 | Grand Calumet Task Force -- $5,000 Bowden Quinn, 2400 New York Avenue, Whiting, IN 46394 Gary Kids for the Environment The Grand Calumet Task Force supports an environmental club for students in the Gary, Indiana school district. Students participate in after-school activities through which they learn about the environmental issues that affect their community. Club activities enhance environmental education lessons learned in the classroom. Students also have the opportunity to visit outdoor sites where they participate in hands-on, interactive learning experiences. Science teachers from the Gary school district serve as technical advisors to the club and encourage students to develop skills in scientific investigation. The Grand Calumet Task Force targets communities affected by issues of environmental justice in which students typically are underserved. |
| 1998 | IA | 7 | Akron-Westfield Community School -- $18,886 Ronald Wilmot, 850 Kerr Drive, Akron, IA 51001 Cooperative Study of a Reclaimed Northwest Iowa Accretion Wetland The project is designed for 60 students (grades 9 through 12) and four staff members who meet on two Saturdays a month for three-hour sessions. The group goes to the wetlands in the flood plain of the Big Sioux River next to the school, where they gather data, take samples, and record observations. The project has the unique opportunity to help in the long-term effort to reestablish wetlands along the Big Sioux River. The goal is the development of the Big Sioux River Corridor, more than 2,000 acres of wetlands. |
| 1998 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Education -- $5,000 Duane Toomsen, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146 Food, Land, and People The project builds the urban school district's capacity to initiate and sustain the process of training educators to use Food, Land and People (FLP) curriculum materials. The training strengthens educators' ability to teach about the interdependencies of agriculture, the environment, and diverse cultures. The project provides a 15-hour workshop for 100 teachers in the district. The workshop includes presentations by local resource professionals on environmental issues of concern to the local community. |
| 1998 | IA | 7 | Iowa State University Extension Service -- $2,500 Amalia Spescha Bright, 2606 W. Burlington, Fairfield, IA 52556 Iowa Organic Farming Educational Videotape The project provides farmers who are in transition from conventional crop production to organic farming with the information they need to make that change. The organic farming education videotape is intended to educate the public in general and the farming community in particular. The video is distributed to staff of extension services and other farm agencies in the state. Non-point-source pollution generated by agricultural operations is a major cause of impairment of water quality; concern about the issue is so strong that many farmers indicate they would reduce their use of farm chemicals if they had available economically acceptable alternatives. |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair -- $5,000 Sherman Titens, 11301 Nall Avenue, Suite 203, Leawood, KS 66211 Training for Automotive Education Instructors The goal of this grant is to provide in-service training to secondary, post-secondary, and industry instructors who then train automotive shop owners and technicians. The Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair provides an environmental information program that makes available information about compliance with regulations applicable to such businesses and about pollution prevention in a self-study format. Also included in the package are historical information and contact information for federal, state, and university resources that are available to shop owners and technicians to assist them in complying with environmental regulations. (Project in Washington, D.C) |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Emporia State University -- $4,996 Jonena Hearst, 1200 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS 66801 Fort Berthold Watershed Project This project seeks to build tribal environmental capacity by educating tribal members about the importance of watershed management and increasing public access to information about the watershed through preparation of an accurate database and construction of a World Wide Web site. The target audience is the population on the reservation of the Three Affiliated Tribes, which have 5,500 enrolled tribal members and approximately 5,400 nontribal members. A series of six seminars introduces educators and tribal members to information and curriculum aids on watershed issues that are available through the Internet. To encourage all tribal members to participate, the seminars are held at a variety of locations. |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Heartland Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls -- $5,000 Stephen McCue, 7930 State Line Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208 Good Earth Camp The Good Earth Camp is intended to institutionalize environmental education at Camp Good Earth, a 290-acre facility in Waldron, Missouri that is attended by more than 3,000 campers each summer. Camp staff and volunteers are trained to serve as assistants during one-day-per-week workshops for all resident campers during each of the eight weeks of resident camp. Camp Fire serves young people ages 5 to 18. |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Kansas State University -- $17,500 David Hartnett, 2 Fairchild Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-1103 The Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills The major focus of this project is a film The Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills of Kansas, intended for broadcast nationally on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The film focuses on the tallgrass prairie ecosystem in Kansas and addresses such topics as the natural history of the region, the environmental effect of the presence of Native Americans and European settlers, new scientific findings and their implications for grasslands worldwide, what prairies can predict about the composition of row-crop soil, the biological value of the tremendously diverse life forms in and under the grasses, the danger of misuse of the grasses, the debate over how best to use the protein in the grasses for conversion to human use, and the potential role of the prairie as a carbon sink in mitigating projected global warming. Three play dates on PBS have the potential to reach more than five million viewers, and the film also is to be shown in educational settings. |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Maize, Kansas Unified School District 266 -- $16,666 Mark Diskin and William Kruse, 1600 W. 45th Street, North Maize, KS 67101 Captivating Activities Promoting Environmental Research Strategies The Captivating Activities Promoting Environmental Research Strategies (CAPERS) project focuses on educating teachers, pre-service teachers, and students in kindergarten through grade 12 about environmental issues, specifically water pollution and protection of water resources. The target audience consists of certified teachers, pre-service teachers, post-graduate teachers, and students. The delivery method consists of training sessions, workshops, summer science camps, and conferences. The project is expected to reach some 3,000 to 4,000 students and 375 to 400 teachers. |
| 1998 | KS | 7 | Wyandotte County Parks Foundation -- $5,000 Vicki McLain, 3488 West Drive, Kansas City, KS 66109 Stotler Cove Nature Trail and Learning Center The Stotler Cover Nature Trail and Learning Center at Wyandotte County Lake provides teachers with a classroom that can be used all year. The trail is new to the lake and is the only walking and hiking trail available in the park. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Wyandotte County Conservation District provide training sessions for the teachers. The primary goal is to improve the teachers' skills in teaching protection of the ecosystem and testing of water quality. |
| 1998 | KY | 4 | Jackson County Board of Education -- $4,980 John C. Dunsil, P. O. Box 217, McKee, KY 40447 McKee Elementary School Environmental Learning Center This project teaches students and community groups the skills they need to make well-informed environmental decisions by developing an environmental learning center. Through the learning center, citizens have the opportunity to exercise problem-solving skills to increase their understanding of their relationship with the natural world. |
| 1998 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $5,000 Larry D. Hamfeldt, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 The Outdoor Classroom This project develops an outdoor classroom and an environmental education program that engage the entire school in acquiring, through direct experiences, knowledge about the environment and the organisms that live in it. The students develop habitats that they then use to study specific organisms to increase their understanding of the effects human activities have on the environment. |
| 1998 | KY | 4 | Murray State University -- $120,186 (HQ Grant) Dr. Joe Baust, P. O. Box 9, Murray, KY 42071 Creating Connections for Parents, At-Risk Children, and Schools Using Environmental Education The Center for Environmental Education provides a training program for educators who teach low-income at-risk children. The program is designed to reach the parents of those children as well. Through teacher training, the program builds leadership capacity and helps schools meet mandates established by the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1989. Educators learn how to infuse environmental education into classroom activities and make use of local resources to meet the needs of at-risk children. Teachers, teacher's aides, and prospective teachers develop interdisciplinary units of study that include activities intended for parents to conduct at home. Staff of the Land Between the Lakes Program sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority also use the units. Teachers and prospective teachers lead children and their parents on field trips focused on the study of lost habitats. Partners in the project are West Kentucky Education Cooperative, the West Kentucky Environmental Education Consortium, the Regional Service Center of the Kentucky Department of Education, family resource centers, and the Land Between the Lakes Program. |
| 1998 | KY | 4 | University of Louisville Research Foundation -- $4,997 Russell Barnett, Jouett Hall, Louisville, KY 40292 Urban Environmental Education This project is designed to enhance the environmental education program in the Jefferson County public schools. The collaborative effort of 10 high school teachers, The Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development, and the West County Task Force provides an interpretive guide to some 20 to 25 sites in west Louisville. The guide is used to conduct field trips to sites that illustrate environmental issues that typically affect urban areas. |
| 1998 | KY | 4 | Versailles Montessori School, Inc. -- $5,000 Barbara Kessier, 480 Pinckard Pike, Versailles, KY 40383 Recycling Decision Tree This project provides environmental education opportunities to students and adults through a series of activities. A walk-through display graphically illustrates issues homeowners face in making decisions about how they dispose of wastes. Elementary students are taught how to examine the costs and benefits of recycling and composting and measure, in their own households, the amount of recyclable and nonrecyclable waste their families produce each week. Students also compare a variety of composting methods to observe firsthand the benefits and drawbacks of each method. |
| 1998 | LA | 6 | Citizens for a Clean Tangipahoa -- $1,000 Ben Taylor, P. O. Box 784, Hammond, LA 70404 Bring the Tangipahoa River to the People Displays This project uses portable tri-fold displays to present the ecology and history of the Tangipahoa River to students and citizens of the parish. Subjects include closing of the river because of high levels of contamination with fecal matter, a monthly water testing program, macro-invertebrate testing, and an anti-litter campaign. The demonstrations inform students and citizens about the problems that affect waterways, streams, and rivers. |
| 1998 | LA | 6 | Citizens for a Clean Tangipahoa -- $4,975 Ben Taylor, P. O. Box 784, Hammond, LA 70404 Why Do We Recycle? A recycling workshop for 1,350 Tangipahoa Public School second graders makes the students aware of the need to recycle and conserve our natural resources. The students learn about the destination of items placed in landfills and to identify those items that can be recycled. Recycling demonstrations are provided. |
| 1998 | LA | 6 | Grayson Elementary School -- $5,000 Denise McCoy, P. O. Box 239, Grayson, LA 71435 Outdoor Classroom The Outdoor Classroom provides 382 students an opportunity for hands-on environmental education. Features include nature trails, observation platforms, a weather station, flower and rock gardens, a water study area, a pond, bird feeders, nesting boxes, and soil study areas. High school students serve as mentors to younger students. |
| 1998 | ME | 1 | Aroostook Literacy Coalition -- $5,000 Ervin Macdonald, P. O. Box 190, Houlton, ME 04469 Network Resources Teacher Training This project uses the Internet to deliver training on environmental resources to educators. The training shows teachers how to use classroom projects that incorporate critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective decision-making skills to address human health issues and environmental issues that have high priority in the region. The 25 Internet training units involve 200 teachers in eight hours of training. |
| 1998 | ME | 1 | University of Maine - Water Research Institute -- $11,406 Jeffery S. Kahl, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5717 Discovering the Penobscot River Watershed The Testing the Waters (TTW) program provides education and a hands-on experience in monitoring water quality for more than 1,000 students in kindergarten through college. Participants collect water samples at more than 40 stations along the Penobscot River. They then use field testing kits to analyze the samples. Staff of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, as well as members of Project WET and other groups, provide assistance in the program, which builds on earlier pilot TTW events. |
| 1998 | MD | 3 | Charles County Community College -- $4,350 Jonathan Bair, P. O. Box 910, La Plata, MD 20646-0910 Internet Workshop for Environmental Trainers Funds support a one-day hands-on workshop for instructors at the Maryland Center for Environmental Training to improve their skills in using computers and the Internet to promote learning. The workshop provides an overview of software and hardware, Internet basics, and on-line resources. The local environmental protection experts who participate learn practical ways to perform research and gather information from the Internet and to encourage students to use the Internet for their own research. The training team is made up of operations specialists, engineers, electrical and instrumentation experts, microbiologists, utility managers, and financing professionals. |
| 1998 | MD | 3 | Irvine Natural Science Center -- $56,535 (HQ Grant) Joe Harber, 8400 Greenspring Avenue, Stevenson, MD 21153 Natural Connections Project The Natural Connections Project trains high school students in Baltimore to lead elementary school students through a series of hands-on environmental activities that they carry out at schoolyards in the inner city. Teachers attend workshops during which they learn to build on those activities. The project focuses on the natural sciences and leads children to investigate plants, animals, and ecological relationships in their own neighborhoods. The project supports educational reform in Maryland by providing hands-on, performance-based activities that reinforce performance assessments mandated by the state, supplement the science curriculum of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and provide high school students opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills. The high school student volunteers are primarily African-American, and approximately 80 percent of the elementary school children are members of minority groups. Further, 65 percent of the students live in low-income communities. Partners in the project are the Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. |
| 1998 | MD | 3 | Patuxent River 4-H Center Foundation -- $4,775 Bonnie Dunn, Queen Anne Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 Environmental Career Launching Workshop The Patuxent River 4-H Center is a 134-acre environmental education facility that provides programs for the Maryland-Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Southern Maryland Cooperative Extension Service (CES), the foundation provides a public education program focused on issues related to health and the agriculture industry. The program includes environmental education sessions for students, teachers, and parents that provide two days of intensive, hands-on learning. Water education workshops also are offered to teachers and community leaders who work with the students. Fliers that provide information about the program are distributed to science teachers throughout southern Maryland. |
| 1998 | MD | 3 | Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. -- $4,985 Kenneth J. Hafner, 303 Post Office Road, Suite B4A, Waldorf, MD 20602-2702 Mitchell Elementary Schoolyard Habitat This grant supports an environmental education program developed in partnership with the Mitchell Elementary School in La Plata, Maryland. The program involves the use of alternative groundcovers and natural plant species to create a schoolyard habitat that consists of a butterfly garden, a wetland nursery, organic gardens, a forested area, nature trails, and a stream monitoring station. Approximately 600 students of diverse ethnic backgrounds are involved in the project, which serves as a demonstration to the entire community of La Plata. The program is expected to result in actual reduction of non-point-source pollution in the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 1998 | MD | 3 | Wildfowl Trust of North America -- $12,000 Edward J. Delaney, P. O. Box 519, Grasonville, MD 21638 Tidewater Environmental Education In-Service Institute for Teachers This training program provides elementary school teachers with a living ecological education experience. The goal of the program is to help teachers develop experiential-based curricula that meet the environmental education standards of the state of Maryland, while strengthening the role of the Wildfowl Trust of North America as an educational resource for Maryland's public schools. Participants in the program, a maximum of 20 teachers from different backgrounds and schools, are expected to reach approximately 600 students during the first year. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Alternatives for Community & Environment -- $5,000 Penn Loh, 2343 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Roxbury, MA 02119 Environmental Justice Youth Educators Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE) recruits 8 to 12 young people from age 14 to age 21 to educate their peers and their community about the broad health effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution. ACE's program includes the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project, which works with the recruits to educate the predominately low-income and culturally diverse community of Roxbury through workshops, a newsletter, and training. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Clean Water Fund -- $4,800 Lee Ketelsen, 76 Summer Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02110 Breaking the Pesticide Habit To Protect Children's Health Pesticides are used widely and can have harmful effects on children's health. The project, Breaking the Pesticides Habit, seeks to educate parents and school and park personnel about the dangers of misusing pesticides. The Clean Water Fund works with parent-teacher organizations in Haverhill, Massachusetts to educate all parents and teachers in at least 10 schools, reaching approximately 2,000 parents with written materials and engaging about 300 in workshops. Education in the use of pesticides and safer alternatives helps parents guard the health and safety of the children. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Eagle Eye Institute, Inc. -- $25,000 Anthony Sanchez, 36 Hancock Street, Somerville, MA 02144 Learn About the Forest Eagle Eye Institute (EEI) provides hands-on environmental education for 300 to 350 urban youth, 8 to 22 years old. The Learn About the Forest project is built around outdoor programs that use interactive and hands-on methods to teach skills in problem solving, group dynamics, and decision making. EEI provides disadvantaged youth with hands-on learning about the importance, health, and care of trees and the ecosystem of the urban environment in which they live. The format is a one-time, three-hour program or series of programs offered in the spring and fall. During the summer, EEI provides one- and three-day programs in a rural setting. Those programs are focused on trees and the forest. From 15 to 20 young people and their counselors participate in the programs. EEI also gives young people the opportunity to work in their own neighborhoods through recycling and planting and pruning trees. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Earth Works Projects, Inc. -- $5,000 Bill Taylor, 11 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Urban Orchards Outdoor Classroom Expansion This project involves teachers and youth in planting and caring for fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and vines at 15 schools. The project targets children in kindergarten through grade 2 and those in grade 5, using the schoolyard orchards to teach the students about food production and ecosystems. The goal of the program is to adapt curriculum to after-school programs. Teacher training and workshops help teachers test and use activities at existing urban orchard sites. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Jobs for Youth - Boston, Inc. -- $25,000 Paula Paris, 125 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02108 Linking Environmental Education and Environmental Justice to Careers This program provides training to increase the number of low-income communities who are employed in environmental fields. Students receive environmental training, academic preparation, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification, and applied skills training in hazardous waste treatment and geographic information systems, as well as job placement services. Two training cycles are conducted, each for 20 to 25 students. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Old Colony YMCA-Taunton -- $5,000 Scott Clark, 71 Cohannet Street, Taunton, MA 02780 Taunton YMCA Earth Service Corps This project forms an Earth Service Corps at the Old Colony YMCA to strengthen and diversify the youth environmental movement in Taunton and to improve environmental education strategies that target residents of low- and moderate-income housing. During its first year, the project emphasizes the development of a dedicated cadre of youth leaders. They will be encouraged to focus on improving recycling and composting efforts in the city. The grant money will support team-building activities, retreats and field trips, transportation, and purchase of project materials. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | University of Massachusetts, Boston -- $5,000 Barbara Robinson, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125 Watershed Education This project focuses on designing and implementing a model in the Neponset River watershed that educates citizens and officials of communities in the watershed about pertinent environmental issues through a World Wide Web site, media coverage, and public meetings. The Web site provides information and educational materials about issues that affect the Neponset River watershed. It is expected that hundreds of volunteers will be educated through the project. |
| 1998 | MA | 1 | Westport River Watershed Alliance, Inc. -- $5,000 Gay Gillespie, P. O. Box 1054, 1151 Main Street, Westport, MA 02790 Watershed Education Project: Estuary Curriculum Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) and Westport Community Schools have been partners for five years in developing and implementing the Watershed Education Program (WEP), an interdisciplinary environmental education curriculum that focuses on watershed ecology and related issues. Its purpose is to provide students the skills they need to understand the valuable natural resources in the region and to increase environmental awareness among students in the Westport River watershed. WEP is intended to improve and expand the curriculum significantly to include field studies and weather monitoring. WEP complements existing school curricula with a series of thematic multidisciplinary kits, teacher guides, and workshops. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Ecology Center of Ann Arbor -- $4,820 Rebecca Kanner, 117 N. Division, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 The Re-Bicycle Project The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor provides a summer program for young people through which participants learn how to repair used bicycles. In addition to learning the technical skills of repairing a bicycle, students learn the important environmental concepts of reuse and recycling. Participants reduce the amount of solid waste going into the landfill by repairing discarded bicycles. They also obtain an affordable and environmentally friendly form of transportation. The program targets middle school children living in public and subsidized housing developments. Approximately 45 to 60 young people participate in the program. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Goodrich Area Schools -- $4,930 Tim Wheatley, 8029 S. Gale Road, Goodrich, MI 48438 E-Stream Video Conferences Goodrich Area Schools is expanding its successful water quality monitoring project through videoconferencing. Currently, five partner schools participate in a water quality monitoring project under which students conduct tests and submit their data for posting on a World Wide Web site. Grant funds have been used to connect five classrooms through a videoconferencing system. Teachers and moderators conduct conferences and hands-on interactive activities that give students the opportunity to increase their knowledge about water quality. Students in classrooms and schools that do not have videoconferencing technology have the opportunity to travel to a nearby school so that they can take part in the sessions. The videoconferences reach 15 teachers and 450 students in the Goodrich area. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan -- $5,000 Sylvia Murray, 405 E. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Michigan Youth Water Stewardship Project Through this project, 40 Native American high school students received intensive, hands-on environmental education at a youth leadership conference offered in the summer of 1998. Students studied the effects the activities of humans have on water quality and local watersheds. Natural resource personnel and environmental health educators helped students identify local environmental problems and design action plans to address those problems. Trained students then chose three sites in their communities at which they applied their environmental knowledge and skills. They used problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to improve the quality of their watersheds. The field experience enhanced the skills the young people acquired during the summer leadership conference. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $4,800 Joan Schumaker-Chadde, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 Campus Volunteers in Copper Country Michigan Technological University trains 30 university students to make environmental education presentations in classrooms. The pre-service teachers learn hands-on, interactive exercises that engage elementary and high school students. The trained students give more than 30 presentations during the school year. Local teachers also have the opportunity to participate in two teacher education workshops during which they learn to use the existing curricula: Project WET, Project Wild, and Wonders of Wetlands. Three family science fun nights also are provided in an effort to educate both students and their parents. More than 150 people attend each family science fun night, and more than 1,000 students are reached through the classroom presentations. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Northern Michigan University -- $10,880 Carl Wozniak, Northern Michigan University Seaborg Center, 1401 Presque Isle, Marquette, MI 49855 Lake Superior Watershed Project The Northern Michigan University (NMU) Seaborg Center provides a comprehensive water quality monitoring program in the local watershed. Students at 10 middle and high schools monitor the quality of their local water supply with equipment provided by the center. Data collected then are posted on a World Wide Web site, along with other water quality data and information about resources. Teachers in participating schools attend two water education workshops to learn how to incorporate interactive exercises into their classroom curricula. Participating schools also conduct public education sessions for their local communities to teach residents about issues related to water quality. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Southeast Coalition on Occupational Safety and Health -- $9,596 Marta Hoetger, 1550 Howard, Detroit, MI 48216 Keep the Lead Out The Southeast Coalition on Occupational Safety and Health (SEMCOSH) implemented a lead-exposure prevention program designed to reduce the levels of lead found in young children in the Detroit area. In the summer of 1998, some 40 to 50 homes in which young, at-risk children live were identified. The project coordinator and teen volunteers then invited members of those households to attend one of two workshops to learn techniques for preventing exposure to lead hazards. Those unable to attend the workshops received home visits during which volunteers demonstrated cleaning techniques and provided residents with cleaning kits. Follow-up visits will be conducted in the spring of 1999 to determine whether residents have taken the steps necessary to reduce lead hazards in their homes. SEMCOSH also will conduct outreach to community leaders, church groups, and pre-school teachers in an effort to increase awareness of the risks of exposure to lead. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | The University of Michigan -- $5,000 Peggy Britt, Michigan Sea Grant, 3003 S. State Street, Room 1066, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Environmental Journalism The Michigan Sea Grant Program provides a handbook and fact sheet for high school writing teachers. The handbook and fact sheet provide teachers with the information they need to incorporate environmental journalism into their curricula. The materials provide teachers with an understanding of key environmental concepts and address the elements of science-based environmental writing. Students are introduced to environmental journalism and related careers in environmental communication. The handbook and accompanying fact sheet address critical-thinking skills, such as investigating and analyzing environmental issues and assessing the threats that pollution poses to human health. Although a needs assessment indicated that educators were not interested in workshops, staff at Michigan Sea Grant are committed to assisting teachers in fully integrating the lessons from the handbook into their classroom criteria. |
| 1998 | MI | 5 | Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency -- $4,970 Nancy Nagle, 33500 Van Born Road, P. O. Box 807, Wayne, MI 48184 Program for Outdoor Environmental Education The Regional Educational Service Agency provides underserved teachers and students in the Detroit area with the opportunity to increase their environmental knowledge. A group of 14 teachers from Wayne County participate in two days of intensive, hands-on training in environmental education. Educators learn to use Project Wild and other established environmental curricula to incorporate environmental issues into their classroom activities. More than 420 students then visit an environmental learning center to participate in outdoor, interactive exercises. Activities conducted at the learning center give students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to actual outdoor investigations. |
| 1998 | MN | 5 | Brown/Nicollet/Cottonwood Water Quality Board -- $4,800 Jane Starz, 301 S. Washington, St. Peter, MN 56082 Children's Water Festival The Brown/Nicollet/Cottonwood Water Quality Board is creating, developing, and coordinating a Clean Water Festival to be held in the spring of 1999. Before the festival, fourth grade students will participate in classroom activities through which they will learn about water quality issues in their local communities. At the clean water festival, students will participate in hands-on, interactive activities, applying the knowledge they have learned in the classroom. Displays, exhibits, and presentations also will help the students understand water quality issues. While students attend the festival, teachers will attend an intensive workshop, during which they will learn water education activities and other environmental education strategies. |
| 1998 | MN | 5 | University of Minnesota Extension Service - Hennepin County -- $5,000 Anna Sonmore-Costello, 1525 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55405 Young Discoverers The J.D. Rivers Outdoor Discovery Center has designed and is implementing an environmental education program for pre-school children. The program is targeted at those children who live in typically underserved, culturally diverse areas of the community. More than 160 children participate in the six-week program, through which they learn about environmental issues. Learning kits increase the children's environmental awareness. Thematic gardens, wildlife habitats, and mini-science centers allow the children to participate in outdoor, hands-on activities. A community fall festival event will celebrate the accomplishments of the participants in the program. |
| 1998 | MS | 4 | Mississippi State University -- $35,156 (HQ Grant) Joe Sumrall, Curriculum & Instruction, P. O. Box 9705, Mississippi State, MS 39762 Integrating Environmental Education Into Math and Science Curricula For this project physical science and mathematics teachers of grades 10 through 12 attend a one-week summer workshop. During the program, the teachers develop lesson plans that have environmental components through which students become active participants in safeguarding the environment. The project, administered by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of Mississippi State University and 12 secondary schools, is designed to complement education reform in Mississippi. More than half the schools from which the participating teachers are recruited serve primarily African-American populations, and many are located in rural and low-income communities. |
| 1998 | MS | 4 | Tunica County School System -- $15,000 John Keeler, P. O. Box 997, Tunica, MS 38676 Wetlands Environmental Learning Center This project takes students out of the classroom and into a wildlife wetlands education environment. The wetlands center provides teachers with environmental education teaching tools they can use during and after school. Students have the opportunity to see, touch, and learn about natural resources in an outdoor setting. They learn how wildlife and humans can interact in harmony. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | American Lung Association -- $5,000 Joseph Buta, 2007 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64108 Open Airways for Schools This project is intended to empower children with asthma by teaching them how to prevent asthma episodes and emergencies and by creating partnerships in asthma care among school personnel, nurses, physicians, families, and local American Lung Association volunteers. The Tools for Schools program is initiated by training the appropriate school health professional who then conducts six 40-minute interactive group lessons with asthmatic children in grades 3 through 5. The effort is followed up by a half-day conference for managers of school facilities, during which they learn about indoor air quality. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Bridging The Gap, Inc. -- $25,000 Mark Carr, P. O. Box 10220, Kansas City, MO 64171 Westside Neighborhood Recycling Campaign This project uses the economic value of recyclable materials to encourage community organizations in a primarily low-income, minority neighborhood to involve at least 750 families in recycling. Community organizations establish a subscription collection program, contact residents in the neighborhood, and convince the residents to support the organizations by subscribing to save aluminum cans. Materials are provided in both English and Spanish. Volunteers pick up cans from their subscribers and take the cans to a central point where they are accumulated and eventually redeemed. The participating community organizations receive the proceeds from redemption of the cans. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Ferguson-Florissant School District -- $17,170 Terry Henderson, 1005 Waterford Drive, Florissant, MO 63033 Environmental Rangers The goal of this project is to increase the awareness, knowledge base, and participation of high school students in environmental education. The delivery method is to first train high school teachers to be environmental trainers, called rangers. The rangers receive an intensive program while working at the Little Creek Nature Area. The rangers then collaborate with fourth grade teachers to develop presentation methods that the teachers can use in their classrooms. Finally, the fourth grade students participate in projects that explore problems related to soil characteristics and water and air pollution. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Heartland All Species Project -- $24,870 Marty Kraft, 5644 Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO 64110 49/63 Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Training Program The 49/63 Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Training Program involves 20 young people from 10 to 15 years of age in an environmental education work and service program that stresses principles and practical application of recycling, reduction of household hazardous and other waste, composting, gardening, cooking, grass recycling, sound consuming practices, home energy conservation, weatherization, energy conservation, landscaping, and neighborhood community-building. The young people interact with the 8,000 residents and numerous businesses in their community. The goal of the project is to integrate all aspects of urban neighborhood life into a sustainable model at the block level. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Lutie R-VI School District -- $5,000 Joyce Taber, HC 4 Box 4177, Theodosia, MO 65761 Living Below the Branson Boom: A Water Quality Study This project is a hands-on water testing activity that provides interdisciplinary learning. The audience is an after-school science club of 40 middle and high school students who study current water quality conditions in Big Creek, which is located downstream of the Branson, Missouri tourist area. The study is intended to increase awareness of the need to protect natural resources as development occurs in the area and encourage individual responsibility for doing so. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Meramec Regional Planning Commission -- $5,000 Tamara Snodgrass, 101 W. 10th Street, Rolla, MO 65401 Environmental Resource Center Curriculum Workshop This project reaches educators in the South Central District of the Missouri State Teachers Association, which has a membership of 1,600. It provides resource materials that allow teachers other than science teachers to add environmental curriculum to their classes, such as mathematics, history, and English. Encouraging educators to use materials and methods rooted in the concept of protecting and healing our environment promotes the ethic of stewardship and responsibility for the environment. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Mid-America Energy & Resource Partners -- $5,000 Deborah Chollet, 7525 Sussex Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63143 Interactive Models of a Landfill and an Energy-Efficient House This project aims to acquire and circulate interactive models to present key concepts of waste management and energy efficiency in buildings. Teachers and students in kindergarten though grade 12 are the primary audience. Staff of Mid-America Energy & Resource Partners use the models at EarthWays Home and during the Earth Day festival and in making presentations at local schools throughout the year. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Missouri Department of Conservation -- $5,000 Kim Wade, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, P. O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 Environmental Education Show-Me Models The goal of the project is to develop reproducible curriculum integration models that demonstrate the role of environmental education in advancing education reform efforts in the state. The primary audience is classroom teachers who work with students in fourth through seventh grades. The educational priority addresses the standards formally adopted by the Missouri State Board of Education in January 1996. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments -- $4,655 Joel Miller, 114 W. Third Street, Maryville, MO 64468 Northwest Missouri Recycles The purpose of the project is to educate students in grades 2 through 5 about environmental issues that directly affect their communities. The goal is to generate interest in recycling efforts and waste management through demonstrations, slide shows, and vermicomposting. The program targets some 2,000 students in 17 school districts. School districts and parents are expected to respond by participating in a recycling effort for the northwestern area of the state. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Ozanam Home for Boys, Inc. -- $1,199 Alice Blizzard, 421 East 137th Street, Kansas City, MO 64145 The Environment of Our Creek The project improves understanding among inner-city or low-income students of the relationship between environmental conditions and their own lives. The students test a tributary of the Little Blue River for both biotic and abiotic characteristics. They then distribute the information through their school newspaper and an organizational newsletter. The students learn to make environmentally correct choices and research careers related to stream life. |
| 1998 | MO | 7 | Southwest Missouri State University -- $3,997 Janice S. Greene, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804 Integration of Environmental Education into Pre-Service Teacher Preparation This project is designed to improve the environmental education teaching skills of pre-service teachers. The primary audience is fourth grade teachers from six elementary schools. The secondary audience is 860 fourth grade students, along with other teachers, parents, and members of the community. The delivery method is to first train the trainers (rangers) who then train and assist the fourth grade teachers. Finally, the fourth graders work on projects that involve their families and members of their communities, thereby increasing the community's awareness of environmental responsibility. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Clark Fork Watershed Education Network -- $4,400 Stephanie Stowell, 1000 Taylor, Missoula, MT 59802 Clark Fork Watershed Education Program This project trains teachers and staff volunteers to coordinate and organize field experiences and gather field data by monitoring water quality in the Missoula watershed. Elementary and middle school teachers attend a two-day training workshop that focuses on water quality monitoring techniques. Students in first through eighth grades participate in water quality monitoring at pilot project schools. The large Native American population of the Missoula watershed benefits from the project. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Five Valleys Audubon Society -- $4,825 Janie Chodosh, P. O. Box 8425, Missoula, MT 59807 Montana To Oaxaca: Migratory Bird Education Exchange This project educates fourth and fifth grade teachers to develop an international sister school program with students and teachers in Oaxaca City, Mexico. Teachers and students participate in a cross-cultural study of neotropical migratory birds that breed in Montana and migrate to Oaxaca during the winter months. Students learn about neotropical migration, avian habitat needs, and basic field identification skills; they then are able to educate the general public, translating classroom learning into community education. The project explores the need for preservation of ecosystems in both countries. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Montana Audubon, Inc. -- $4,750 Robert Petty, P. O. Box 595, Helena, MT 59624 Migratory Bird Education Project This project is intended to protect Montana's ecosystems through the coordinated efforts of members of Montana Audobon, Inc., focused on the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and natural communities for the benefit of future generations. The project provides workshops to reach public and private school teachers and students and their families, as well as other members of the community. Other workshops introduce teachers to bird conservation curricula to be used in the classroom. The project includes field exploration for families, public lectures, and slide presentations on bird conservation for the community. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association -- $4,737 Carolyn Duckworth, P. O. Box 362, Gardiner, MT 59030 Expanding Environmental Education in Montana This project addresses new science and geography standards by making available environmental education materials and information. Educational information distributed in newsletters encourages community members to adapt activities to be included in environmental education. Science, social studies, and language arts at the kindergarten through grade 12 levels; educators working in informal settings; and personnel of state and federal agencies participate in preparing the newsletter, which is distributed at environmental workshops and conferences. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Montana Natural History Center -- $16,830 Lisa Mills, P. O. Box 8514, Missoula, MT 59807 Teachers as Community Naturalists This project educates teachers, pre-service teachers, and college students about environmental issues to improve their environmental education teaching skills. The target audience of this project is fourth grade teachers in Missoula County. Workshops focus on topics related to biodiversity and involve local scientists. The training provides the instructors the skills they need to teach in formal settings about environmental issues and to encourage environmental careers. The teacher training incorporates outdoor activities, mentorship by scientists, and action projects and teaches the participants how to integrate existing environmental curricula into their classroom programs. |
| 1998 | MT | 8 | Owl Research Institute -- $5,000 Eric C. Atkinson, P. O. Box 8335, Missoula, MT 59807 Northern Saw-Whet Owl Migration Monitoring Project This project educates Gallatin County students and their families about ecological processes and interactions between owls and their community. To encourage wise stewardship, information based on scientific research is made accessible to the general public. The project also is tied to owl conservation and measures the effects of conservation on the health of the ecosystem in the community. |
| 1998 | NE | 7 | Hebron Public Schools -- $8,080 Jeff Neff, P. O. Box 9, Hebron, NE 68370-0009 ALPHA Project to Test Surface Water Under this project, students in Hebron High School's advanced biology courses use advanced data collection technology to study interactions among ecological systems and apply the knowledge they gain to make informed decisions. The students also use the Internet to collaborate with students in other schools in the state. The project is intended to meet the National Education Goals 2000 and the goals of strengthening mathematics and science education established by the Nebraska State Board of Education. |
| 1998 | NE | 7 | Lincoln-Lancaster Environmental Health Division -- $53,900 (HQ Grant) Jane Storey, 3140 N Street, Lincoln, NE 68510 Environmental Education for Child Care Providers The Environmental Health Division of Lincoln-Lancaster County educates child care providers about hazards in the environment that can pose threats to the health of children in their care. Topics explored include lead, molds, cleaning agents, and carbon monoxide. Training is made available to care providers in the home and in day care centers through in-service meetings, workshops, health fairs, and mailings to all licensed child care facilities. Providers also have the opportunity to earn credit hours that will help them meet requirements for maintaining their licenses. Partners in the project are the University of Nebraska, the Family Services Association, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, and local hospitals. |
| 1998 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Groundwater Foundation -- $8,750 Susan Seacrest, P. O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2668 Groundwater Protection Through Local Action This project produces a 15-minute videotape, Groundwater Protection through Local Action, that demonstrates the importance of educating community residents about protection of groundwater and involving them in efforts to do so. The video is intended for broadcast on the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) channel and distribution through the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation in an effort to reach the state's Groundwater Guardian communities in both rural and urban areas. Portions of the video are to be made available on the foundation's World Wide Web site. |
| 1998 | NE | 7 | Thurston County Extension Service -- $5,000 Janet Nielsen, P. O. Box 245, Walthill, NE 68067 Native American Students Learn Responsibility Toward the Environment The project educates the 75 fourth grade students at the Walthill Public School, all of whom of are Native Americans of the Omaha Tribe. The students learn about their responsibilities toward their environment as an aspect of their tribe's historical relationship with the earth. The curriculum is designed to introduce a different environmental and cultural component each week. Elders of the tribe share historical information about their relationship to the earth and the responsibility it entails. This project is a partnership effort of the Thurston County Cooperative Extension Service and the Walthill Public Schools. |
| 1998 | NV | 9 | University of Nevada, Reno -- $5,000 Keith Dennett, Office of Sponsored Projects/325, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0035 Water Environmental Education Program for the Mobile Engineering Laboratory This project provides the infrastructure needed to equip a mobile engineering laboratory for use as an interactive educational tool for kindergarten through 12th grade students in northern Nevada to be used in studying the water environment. The laboratory, consisting of electronic and technical water monitoring kits, enables students to experience science and engineering in an informal setting by asking questions, performing experiments, and analyzing results to solve real-world problems related to water resources. Students focus on the parameters used to monitor water quality. Using a flow-through model, they study the various treatment processes that ensure that water is safe to drink. |
| 1998 | NH | 1 | Great Bay Stewards -- $14,990 Karen Acerno, 89 Depot Road, Stratham, NH 03885 Great Bay Ecology Club Mentor The Great Bay Kid's Ecology Club combines enrichment and stewardship activities related to the estuarine habitat for at-risk youth. The young people take part in fun, hands-on activities led by college students. Guidance professionals choose from 36 to 40 at-risk youth from grades 4 and 5 to participate in the project, which offers them one Saturday activity every two weeks from September through May. |
| 1998 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Project Learning Tree -- $5,000 Esther Cowles, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301 Project Learning Tree in the Androscoggin River Valley For this project New Hampshire Project Learning Tree (NHPLT) and its partners will design teacher workshops. NHPLT hosts as many as three teacher workshops to train elementary and high school teachers and other educators in the PLT curriculum. At least 35 educators from the Androscoggin River Valley attend the workshops. Some of the issues the workshop addresses are sustainable forestry, biological diversity, economic viability of the forest-products industry, and management of public lands. |
| 1998 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire -- $149,968 (HQ Grant) Mary Ellen Boelhower, Office of Sponsored Research, 111 Service Building 51 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 Project SERVE - High School Environmental Education Project SERVE (Students for Environmental Resource Volunteerism and Education) offers high school students an opportunity to earn academic credit for working with conservation groups in their communities on local resource protection projects. The students have the support of professionals who assist them in volunteering for environmental conservation projects that provide the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of local natural resources. The project focuses on protection of the ecosystem, including such activities as monitoring of water quality, identification of sources of pollution, and evaluation of wetlands. Approximately 700 high school students, 100 community conservation organizations and mentors, and teachers from 35 schools participate in the program. Almost half the communities served have significant numbers of low-income residents. Partners in Project Serve include numerous high schools and municipal conservation commissions. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas -- $5,000 4 South Delsea Drive, P. O. Box 510, Glassboro, NJ 08028 Farm Worker Family Environmental Project The purpose of this program of the Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA) is to educate and empower Puerto Rican farm workers and their children to take an active role in protecting themselves from health risks posed by environmental hazards. The program, which is conducted in southwest Puerto Rico, is intended to reach migrant farm workers and their families. CATA is conducting a study of current environmental hazards, educating agricultural workers about the hazards posed by pesticides and techniques for preventing exposure to them, and developing the leadership skills of farm workers. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | County of Somerset -- $5,000 Ross Zito, P. O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876-1262 Non-Point-Source Pollution Workshop The program on non-point-source pollution consists of a full-day workshop for middle school students and their teachers. The workshop will focus on the effects of non-point-source pollution on the Great Swamp watershed. Planned for Earth Week 1999, the session will provide 80 students and 20 teachers with presentations, discussions, and field activities designed to engage them in watershed issues. Speakers and facilitators will be drawn from the Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Center, the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education, and environmental organizations. Teachers will participate in sessions on teaching techniques for familiarizing their students with crucial environmental issues. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | East Brunswick Public Schools -- $5,000 Thomas P. Smith, 760 Route 18, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 Collaborative Stream Monitoring Program The project will educate students, parents, and community members in East Brunswick, New Jersey about the importance of clean water to stream quality and the threat posed to human health and the water supply by environmental pollution. The collaborative project involves the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, the public schools of East Brunswick, and members of parks and watershed groups in the township who monitor water quality in Ireland and Lawrence brooks and compare and report data. Students trained in water monitoring procedures will visit two sampling locations regularly to collect samples. They then analyze data and share the information with others in person and on local cable television. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | El Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas -- $20,000 Nelson Carrasquillo, 4 South Delsea Drive, P. O. Box 510, Glassboro, NJ 08028 Pesticide Education Outreach Program This program seeks to educate approximately 11,000 Mexican migrant workers and their families who live in the southern portion of Chester County about issues related to environmental justice, legal rights, pesticide safety, and regulations intended to protect workers from exposure to pesticides. Workers are encouraged to take a more active role in protecting themselves and their families. They participate in interactive learning programs, role-play, and examine case studies through the program, which is designed to achieve the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's agricultural workers protection standard. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | Environmental Commission of Camden County -- $3,135 Peter Kroll, 1301 Park Boulevard, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002-3752 Education for Environmental Awareness The Education for Environmental Awareness program presents the concept of the geographic information system (GIS) to Camden County educators, public environmental officials, and the general public through workshops, lectures, and presentations. Participants learn how to use GIS technology, which displays data, including environmental data, to make more informed assessments of their environment and of environmental issues. By presenting case studies of circumstances in which GIS has been applied, the project introduces relevant environmental issues and trains educators and environmental groups to use GIS in addressing such issues. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $24,425 Lisa Leal, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102 Healthy Environment, Healthy Me - Teacher Training Project The Greater Newark Conservancy (GNC), in partnership with the Resource Center of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), trains 70 elementary school teachers in the city to use the Healthy Environment - Healthy Me curriculum. The program teaches students about possible environmental hazards and how to reduce environmental risk in their lives. EOHSI staff will train GNC staff who then will conduct seven workshops for Newark teachers. The areas of study included are: My Environment and Me; Recycling: A Community Pollution Solution; Using my Safety Sense; Creating a Safer Environment; Exploring Water Pollution; Exploring Air Pollution; and Garbage, Garbage, Garbage. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | Liberty Science Center -- $5,000 Karen R. Longo, Liberty State Park, 251 Phillip Street, Jersey City, NJ 07305-4699 Environmental Education in the Urban Classroom The Liberty Science Center and the Interpretive Center at Liberty State Park offer the program Environmental Education in the Urban Classroom (EEUC) through workshops and hands-on field experience. The goals of the program are to educate teachers about local environmental issues, enhance their teaching skills, and empower them to teach students about local issues that involve considerations of environmental justice. Teachers from urban schools in the Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson, New Jersey school districts participate in the program. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | New Jersey Audubon Society -- $23,250 Patricia Kane, 9 Hardscrabble Road, P. O. Box 126, Bernardsville, NJ 07924 Bridges to the Natural World The New Jersey Audubon Society holds 10 workshops in various locations around the state to familiarize teachers with a variety of New Jersey habitats and equip them to provide their students with educational field trips in the outdoors. The program uses the curriculum Bridges to the Natural World, which conforms to the state's content standards for core curricula, to incorporate a variety of learning styles. Teachers are provided 10 workshops covering hands-on activities and lessons about the diversity and interdependence of species in a variety of New Jersey habitats. |
| 1998 | NJ | 2 | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School -- $110,000 (HQ Grant) Audrey R. Gotsch, University of Medicine and Dentistry, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, P. O. Box 1179, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1179 ToxRAP for Spanish Bilingual Classrooms This project addresses health issues by teaching Spanish bilingual educators and Spanish-speaking students how to minimize the threats to human health posed by environmental pollution. The Public Education and Risk Communication Division of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School provides Spanish bilingual educators with curriculum materials by adapting and translating its new and successful curriculum ToxRAP (Toxicology, Risk Assessment, and Pollution). Bilingual educators participate in the review and evaluation of the curriculum to ensure that the materials are adapted appropriately. At its annual summer institute, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute trains more than 50 bilingual educators from Arizona and New Jersey in the use of the ToxRAP materials. Partners in the project include school districts in Arizona and New Jersey and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona, whose mission is to strengthen education and research in toxicology and environmental health. |
| 1998 | NM | 6 | Border Environmental Health Coalition -- $5,000 Kitty Richards, P. O. Box 134, Mesilla Park, NM 88047 Children's Photographic Study of Environmental Health Concerns This project challenges 100 middle school students to photograph environmental conditions in their neighborhoods and write essays about the photographs that include comments on the environmental concerns, their implied causes, their potential health effects, and the potential solutions to those problems. The best of the photos and essays are published in local newspapers and displayed in public areas. The project is intended to enhance students' environmental awareness and ability to identify and analyze visual material. |
| 1998 | NM | 6 | Salt Missions Trails Main Street -- $4,250 Susan Simons, P. O. Box 48, Estancia, NM 87016 Thoreau Landfill Reclamation Project This project educates middle school students about the environmental hazards posed by an old dump site and gives them the information they need to make decisions about actions they should take to resolve such problems. The project includes field trips, meetings with experts, access to computer resources, and correspondence with other communities that have experienced similar problems. |
| 1998 | NM | 6 | Santa Fe Botanical Garden -- $5,000 Beth Anderson, P. O. Box 23343, Santa Fe, NM 87502 Santa Fe Botanical Garden Docent Training Program Under this project, 20 docents attend 40-hour workshops to learn how to lead tours through the Leonora Curtin Natural History Area in the Ortiz Mountains, a native environment adjacent to Santa Fe Community College, and promote environmental education through presentations for local schools and community organizations. |
| 1998 | NM | 6 | Santa Fe Children's Museum -- $5,000 Ellen Biderman, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Earthworks Comprehensive Family Education Programming Land adjacent to the museum has become an outdoor classroom to serve 60,000 museum visitors annually, targeting the 11,000 children among them. Free workshops give visitors the opportunity to view a 900-square-foot projection greenhouse, a children's vegetable garden, fruit trees, butterfly and hummingbird gardens, homing pigeons, various live animals, wetlands, a pond, a miniature adobe village, a weather station, and a southwestern gardening amphitheater. Handouts are provided in both English and Spanish. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, Inc. -- $5,000 John C. Muir, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 11215-99921 Future Teachers, Scientists, and Mathematicians -- SciMat3 The goal of the Future Teachers, Scientists, and Mathematicians -- SciMat3 program is to involve high school and elementary school students in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn in careers in science, mathematics, and teaching, with an emphasis on environmental issues. Students from two high schools study such local environmental issues as lead poisoning, soil contamination, and water quality. Those students are paired with elementary school classes for which they act as teachers and mentors for a 10-week period. The high school students give elementary students first-hand experience in examining environmental issues and meeting the challenges of mathematics and science. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Centers for Nature Education, Inc. -- $4,836 Wayne Gillespie, P. O. Box 133, 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus, NY 13108-0133 Teacher Environmental Workshop During this project, a curriculum guide is used to incorporate environmental studies into classroom programming. The curriculum includes new educational tools, such as computer software and the Internet. Regional workshops are held for teachers in Syracuse and Onondaga County schools to introduce and review the curriculum and provide hands-on experience with the units. During an evaluation phase, teachers' responses to a follow-up questionnaire are used to improve the workshops and test the effectiveness of the program. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Citizens Committee for New York City -- $24,481 Michael E. Clark, 305 Seventh Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001 The Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute, Queens Chapter The Neighborhood Environmental Leadership Institute (NELI) targets grassroots leaders of low-income communities in Queens, New York, one of the most diverse of New York City's five boroughs. More than 100 residents of those communities take part in an interactive train-the-trainer program on environmental issues and leadership and organizational development skills designed to enhance their problem-solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills. The program enhances the teaching skills of the informal educators, who return to their communities to provide environmental education and assistance in implementing grassroots projects. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | County of Westchester -- $5,000 Kay Eisenman, 407 Michaelian Office Building, White Plains, NY 10601 Natural Resources Inventory This project facilitates the development and updating of natural resource inventories (NRI) in Westchester County communities. Using the New York State Department of Conservation's Natural Resources Inventory: A Guide to the Process, the County of Westchester provides a course for environmental management councils, conservation advisory councils, county and local municipal officials, and citizens of the county. The purpose of the program is to educate the public, board members, and members of communities about the natural resources of the area by developing an NRI and using it as a resource to support decision making. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Environmental Action Coalition -- $5,000 Paul Berizzi, 625 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10012 East Harlem Neighborhood Education Network Together with neighborhood residents and classroom teachers, the Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) is implementing a community-based environmental stewardship program. Two pilot programs have been developed, one targeting youth and the other adults. Members of EAC's East Harlem Women's Environmental Leadership Program play an active role by visiting block and tenant associations, churches, and schools throughout the neighborhood to help residents of the community implement the stewardship program. Lesson plans appropriate for students in grades 4 through 6 are posted on EAC's World Wide Web site. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges -- $5,000 John D. Halfman, Dept. of Geoscience and Chemistry, Geneva, NY 14456 Herbicide & Pesticide Awareness in the Finger Lakes Hobart and William Smith Colleges integrate into various environmental, geoscience, and chemistry courses field and laboratory investigations of the source, fate, and alleviation of Atrazine (a widely used herbicide) in Seneca Lake. Students determine the source and fate of the herbicide by sampling vertical and horizontal gradients in the lake and by testing targeted tributaries. For such courses as hydrogeology and organic chemistry, the colleges provide classroom and laboratory exercises that use students' findings. The findings also will be presented to local watershed associations that focus on protection and preservation of the watershed of Seneca Lake. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Hudson Valley Materials Exchange, Inc. -- $5,000 Sarena Marrero, 207 Milton Turnpike, Milton, NY 12547 Learning with Leftovers, an ECOrriculum of Interdisciplinary Lessons This project examines the sources, uses, content, and fate of reusable business and industrial waste materials that are collected and made available at the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange (HVME). A curriculum and teacher training are provided for 11 schools in the Newburgh City School District. The course of study includes teaching units, evaluation tools for teachers and students, and a video tape that demonstrates the value of recycling and reuse, as well as the operations of the HVME. The lesson plans conform to New York State learning standards. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Long Island Traditions Inc. -- $5,000 Nancy Solomon, 619 Brooklyn Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510 South Shore Estuary Maritime Culture Building on a New York state mandate for education about local history, this program seeks to build stewardship among local fourth graders for the maritime community and ecosystem of the Long Island South Shore. The program includes classroom presentations by local baymen and anglers, field trips to local sites that are affected by pollution, hands-on experience at wetlands and fish habitats, and audiovisual materials for presentation in the classroom. Development of writing, oral communication, research, and analytical skills is a focus of the project. A staff-development workshop enables teachers to incorporate studies of the south shore estuary's maritime culture and lessons about the environment into science and social studies programs. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Niagara Aquarium Foundation -- $4,875 Nancy Chapin, 701 Whirlpool Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301-1094 The Lower Niagara River Environmental Education Project This project, which targets non-point-source pollution and toxic contaminants, provides students and teachers in formal and informal settings with three ways to learn about the environment of the lower Niagara River. The program includes staff development workshops, an interpretive exhibit, and hands-on activities for students. The aquarium works in partnership with Cornell University Extension's New York Sea Grant Program and the Great Lakes Program of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo to focus on environmental education experiences for students and educators in Niagara and four adjacent counties. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Shenendehowa School District -- $5,000 Lenore Reber, 1581 Crescent Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065 Okte Elementary Wetland Project In partnership with the Saratoga Lake Conservancy and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Okte Elementary School teachers provide fourth graders with hands-on educational experiences in local wetlands. Students research and study a local wetland ecosystem, studying an assigned square-meter plot throughout the school year. Students research the flora and fauna and other characteristics of the wetland ecosystem. The students' findings are to be presented in a hyper-studio interactive program and in presentations to community groups. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | The River Project -- $10,913 Dina Santos, Pier 26, North River, New York, NY 10013 The River Project's 1998-1999 Internship Program Located on the North River in the borough of Manhattan, the River Project is dedicated to the protection and restoration of estuarine wildlife through research, education, and hands-on programs in urban ecology. The project establishes an improved internship program called Young of the Year. In partnership with Stuyvesant High School, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the City of New York Department of Health, the environmental organization Baykeepers, the Hudson River Park Conservancy, the High School for Environmental Studies, and the Stewardship Program of the New York City Soil and Water Conservation District, the internship program provides young people, under the supervision of environmental scientists, with field experience in the local environment through science projects focused on the waterfront habitats of Manhattan. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary, Inc. -- $5,000 Jonathan Teyan, 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 Migratory Bird Initiative This project builds on the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary's migratory bird program and outreach to educators on Long Island and their students. By tagging and following the migration of a local osprey, students are able to track a migrating bird and participate in an international environmental research project. Staff of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary share their expertise with participating teachers through workshops. Students and teachers become familiar with the environmental issues associated with migratory birds in general and the tagged osprey in particular. |
| 1998 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society -- $21,328 Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Promoting Environmental Education in Rural Schools In partnership with the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), a consortium of 18 school districts in rural, underserved areas of northern New York state, the Wildlife Conservation Society provides a training program in environmental education for elementary school teachers. The program, a component of a BOCES reform effort, is designed to improve science education in the elementary schools by focusing on wildlife to promote interest among students in pursuing environmental studies. An intensive six-day seminar is followed by a technical assistance program that features Internet on-line chat rooms and bulletin boards, a toll-free consultation hotline, and newsletters to further support environmental science content, teaching methods, and peer training. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education -- $5,000 Carol Newman, P. O. Box 30035, Charlotte, NC 28230 Global Systems at the Park This project provides a unified environmental education curriculum. An extensive teacher workshop trains teachers in using the Internet to support classroom teaching about environmental issues related to non-point-source pollution and technology. Students plot and use data on the Estuary Net World Wide Web site. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | Eagle's Nest Foundation -- $5,000 Susan Deal, 43 Hart Road, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 The French Broad Watershed Project for Children This project educates children about their surroundings so that they will develop an attitude of responsibility toward natural communities. Through various experiments, students discover how the French Broad River is altered along its course from its source to the valley. Students learn how to use various laboratory and natural tools, take measurements, document information, and draw conclusions on their own through comparison. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities, Inc. -- $5,000 Mort Jonas, P. O. Box 168, Asheville, NC 28802 Environmental Education Field Trips for Local School Groups This project provides teachers with lesson materials that incorporate environmental education into the language arts curriculum. The teachers use the materials before and after field trips to the Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities, Inc. (MAGIC) Environmental Education Center. During the field trips, students study environmental issues in three sessions, with each grade addressing a different area. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Farm Worker Project -- $17,875 Wilfredo Rivera, P. O. Box 352, Benson, NC 27504 Keep Us Safe Project The Keep Us Safe Project is a part of the weekly school curriculum for children of migrant farm workers, to whom the project has direct access through its partnership with Migrant Head Start. Outreach workers use interactive presentations, activities, and art projects that speak directly to children about pesticides and the dangers they pose. The children are given information to take to their parents about the effects of pesticides on the environment, methods of preventing exposure, and resources available to them. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | Piedmont Health Services, Inc. -- $2,866 Genoveva Marin, 121 Kingston Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Pesticide Education for Children of Migrant Farm Workers and Their Families This project addresses the risk of exposure of children of migrant farm workers to pesticides. It educates the children's families about the dangers pesticides pose to the children's health and helps the families develop the skills they need to protect themselves from the threats posed by pesticides. |
| 1998 | NC | 4 | Western North Carolina Tomorrow -- $5,000 Phillip Gibson, P. O. Box 222, Cullowhee, NC 28723 Production of Broadcast Media This project reaches the citizens of the 26 counties of western North Carolina through western North Carolina's primary television station and local cable networks. Those media and brochures are used to deliver environmental education to young people in elementary, middle, and high schools in the area. Focus groups and interactive workshops address environmental issues, especially children's health. |
| 1998 | ND | 8 | Gateway to Science Center -- $6,150 Jim Collins, Jr., 2700 State Street, Bismarck, ND 58501 Coalition for Conservation and Environmental Education Under this project, conferences are held for educators at the kindergarten through grade 12 levels in North Dakota, especially those educators in home school and Native American programs. Sessions address education reform and the development of community action projects. |
| 1998 | ND | 8 | North Dakota State University -- $76,388 (HQ Grant) Theodore S. May, Teacher Education, 155 EML Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5057 Engaging Middle Schools in Regional Environmental Issue Investigations This project provides professional development for middle school teachers by training them in the use of a strong research-based curriculum to engage students in regional environmental issues. The project builds the capacity of participating teachers to use the interdisciplinary curriculum and enhance their teaching skills. During summer workshops, teachers are trained in issues related to environmental education. North Dakota State University partners with the Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation (CISDE) for this project. |
| 1998 | OH | 5 | Cleveland State University -- $23,963 Frank Johns, 1983 E. 24th Street, Cleveland, OH 44115 Hands-On Science Teaching The Center for Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy, in collaboration with the Education Department, provides two intensive, interactive teacher workshops for 16 educators from the local school district. The first two-hour workshop provides teachers with the theory behind hands-on, problem-based science education. They also learn how to use the equipment necessary for the project. After the first workshop, teachers design their own activities using the information they have acquired. The second two-hour session provides the teachers with the opportunity to present and discuss their proposed activity for peer review. Teachers then return to their schools and implement their projects. A final workshop will be held at the end of the school year to evaluate the success of the modules. |
| 1998 | OH | 5 | Keep Akron Beautiful -- $5,000 Paula Davis, 850 E. Market Street, Akron, OH 44305 Science Education for Public Understanding Program Fellows Institute for Northeast Ohio The Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) is a comprehensive, 12- module unit, through which teachers learn to teach science in the context of societal issues. Keep Akron Beautiful conducts a workshop for 20 educators in northeast Ohio; during the workshop, the teachers learn 4 of the 12 modules. During the five-day workshop, educators receive hands-on training that they then use in their classrooms. On the fifth day of the workshop, teachers design a plan of action for disseminating the curriculum throughout their school districts. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants receive three of the modules to take to their respective districts for use in training others. Follow-up with participants will be conducted in the spring of 1999. |
| 1998 | OK | 6 | Camp Classen YMCA -- $5,000 Jim Parry, Route 1, Box 46, Davis, OK 73030 Recycling Community Education Program Camp Classen's Outdoor School is furthering its efforts to demonstrate environmentally responsible life in the community with respect to recycling. More than 300 teachers and 100 camp staff are trained to reach 9,000 student campers annually in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The integral role of recycling is one of the camp's environmental education components. Campers take home with them an understanding of how home and commercial recycling benefits their communities. |
| 1998 | OK | 6 | Miami Public Schools -- $20,751 Rebecca Jim, 2000 E. Central, Miami, OK 74354 Tar Creek Issues The Tar Creek Issues project focuses directly on environmental health concerns by involving secondary students in the issues of the exposure of children to lead and water quality and in exploring solutions to both problems. Students learn about the hazards of lead and find tangible and positive ways of providing warnings to those in danger of exposure. Students interact with experts on acid mine drainage and related hazards and study the quality of water in the area. |
| 1998 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $5,000 Deborah Salazar, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 Hazardous Materials Awareness Curriculum This project educates college students about the threats posed to human health by hazardous materials by adapting existing materials on the subject for use in upper division undergraduate geography courses. The project uses hands-on demonstrations, field trips, workshops, and classroom instruction to train students to identify potentially hazardous materials and to read warning signs. |
| 1998 | OK | 6 | Tulsa Public Schools -- $4,401 Deidra Wakeley, 2800 E. 41th Street, Tulsa, OK 74105 Biodiversity Activities This project expands environmental education opportunities through teacher training, community education, and student activities. The project explores interaction with native wetland regions; provides interactive instructional opportunities for students, teachers, and community leaders; addresses ecological concerns in the state; explores ways to preserve the state's biodiversity; and instructs participants in real-world environmental research. |
| 1998 | OK | 6 | University of Oklahoma -- $5,000 Mark A. Nanny, 1000 Asp Avenue, Room 314, Norman, OK 73019 Student Research at Landfill Students, guided by a high school science instructor, become involved directly in meaningful and realistic research at the closed Norman Landfill. The project is intended to stimulate interest in environmental science and real-world scientific research, strengthen reasoning skills, and provide interaction with professional researchers. Students are encouraged to continue their education at the university level in environmental, scientific, or engineering areas. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Earth Conservation Corps -- $4,995 Scott Welch, 729 NE Oregon, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232 Plant A Tree, Save A Fish Plant A Tree, Save A Fish is a project intended to restore fish habitat through the planting of indigenous trees along the Yakima River and its tributaries over an eight-month period. The project heightens awareness of the characteristics of a healthy community and ecosystem protection among Native American high school students, at-risk youth from various tribes, and teachers. The project can become a model for a long-term, coordinated effort among tribal, private, state, and federal entities to develop and sustain a community-based habitat recovery effort that is centered on individual schools. (Project located in Washington state) |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | H20 (Headwaters to Ocean) -- $5,000 Angela Borden Jackson, 3941 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97214 Boat-Based Environmental Education Project Boat-Based Education on the Columbia/Willamette Rivers is an innovative program that fosters a broad-based community stewardship through hands-on experiences involving boats. Teachers and students in grades 4 through 12, along with decision makers, business representatives, and the general public, participate. Funding allows H20 to expand the scope of river explorations. Participants learn about problems affecting the river ecosystem by studying plankton and pollution and conducting water testing. Field work and observations address the following topics as they affect rivers: fish and wildlife habitat, human health, drinking water, groundwater, sewage disposal, and community problem solving. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Northeast Community Development Corp. -- $10,500 Cheryl Roberts, 4114 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217 Humboldt School Learning Garden Phase II of the Humboldt School Learning Garden project creates a wetland simulation at the garden. Humboldt is located in one of Portland's most ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and students of the Humboldt School, along with the Humboldt community (almost 70 percent African American and almost 45 percent under the poverty level), are involved in the project. The students implement the project through classroom research and environmental study, field trips to natural resource areas, hands-on planting, landscaping of the garden, and activities that involve the whole family. Several local community organizations and businesses are partners in the project. The project advances Oregon's education reform goals, demonstrates community-based environmental education, promotes environmental stewardship among young people, introduces an urban population to experiential learning, and provides a green space that the entire community can enjoy. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Oregon 4-H Foundation -- $5,000 Mary Ann Sward, 105 Ballard Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-3608 Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes This project supports volunteer 4-H leaders and school teachers in their efforts to educate young people by implementing a national Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes curriculum on children's health. 4-H volunteers and teachers are instructed in how to present the new, activity-based curriculum for students in grades 7 through 12 in both formal and informal settings. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Oregon State University -- $9,132 Susan Borden, 18 Gladys Valley Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program OSU's Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program (SMILE Program) is offering two projects - Water Quality Challenge Weekend and Summer Science Camp on Watershed Ecology with an emphasis on salmon. The program involves 150 high school students and 15 high school teachers who receive training from Oregon State University (OSU) faculty and practicing professionals in water quality issues, sources of pollution, and the scientific fields and careers related to such issues. The high school students learn about the issues in after-school science clubs during the school year, then travel to OSU for the Challenge Weekend, during which they solve a simulation exercise. The two-week Summer Science Camp involves 32 middle school students who are introduced to the field of environmental science, with special emphasis on watershed health and salmon habitat and hands-on activities. All students involved are minority (40 percent Hispanic and more than 30 percent Native American) or members of low-income families. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Oregon Trout, Inc. -- $5,000 Rebecca Martin, 117 SW Front Avenue, Portland, OR 97204 Salmon Watch Environmental Education Program The successful Salmon Watch program of Oregon Trout, Inc. is a community-based environmental education program that educates middle and high school students, as well as other members of local communities, about the historical, cultural, and economic value of salmon to the Pacific Northwest. The grant enables Salmon Watch to compile an abridged version of the existing Salmon Watch curriculum for use outside the school setting. In addition, educational materials are to be revised to incorporate into them an interdisciplinary and multicultural focus. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Oregon Watersheds -- $1,385 Al White, P. O. Box 18361, Salem, OR 97305 Water Quality Monitoring Partnership Project The Water Quality Monitoring Partnership Project in the Santiam River watershed expands Oregon Watersheds' current community-based water quality project with high school students to a middle school in the area. Teachers are given new educational tools, equipment, training, and field support to help them and their students, as well as the rural farming community, to understand the significance of the relationship between water quality and human health. Data collected by the students are submitted to the volunteer database maintained by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for use in decision making related to water quality throughout the state. Students use their data to learn more about the ecosystem and water quality and its effect on human health and then share the information with the community through public events or public displays. |
| 1998 | OR | 10 | Think Link Discovery Museum -- $5,000 Donna Wyeth, 906 Washington Street, La Grande, OR 97850 Hands-On Outdoor Classroom The goal of the Hands-On Outdoor Classroom Opportunities for Local School Children project is to expose children to a natural environment in which they do not live. Teachers and parents accompany the 250 fourth through sixth grade students on field trips to a site at which they focus their studies on ecosystems and resource management. Landowners; tribal members; and staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Oregon Fish and Wildlife have formed a partnership to help the students participate in the project. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Allentown School District - Grover Cleveland Elementary School -- $4,330 Jane Dotter, 31 South Penn Street, Allentown, PA 18010 Environmental Education at Grover Cleveland Elementary School Under this project, students in grades 1 through 4 are introduced to several nature study areas in the greater Allentown area to help them become directly involved in learning the basics of ecology and in making informed environmental decisions. The grant also provides the means to train teachers; develop services for staff training; and support environmental in-service training, transportation, and acquisition of equipment for hands-on exercises at the study areas. The grant continues funding received in 1997 to start the program, a business-education partnership with PPL Resources, an electric utility that has its corporate headquarters near the school. Because of its success, the program has expanded into five additional elementary schools in the district. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Berks County Conservancy -- $3,500 Phoebe Hopkins, 960 Old Mill Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610 Watershed Awareness on a Local Level This environmental education project of the Berks County district schools helps all high schools in the Berks County district begin discussion of the techniques of watershed improvement. The initiative promotes community involvement and local awareness, as well as possible solutions to problems that affect watersheds in the area. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Children's Museum of Bloomsburg -- $4,763 Diane Wukovitz, P. O. Box 192, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Natural Bridges - Pathways That Connect Us to Nature Natural Bridges -- Pathways That Connect Us to Nature is an exhibit that was featured at the 1998 Summer Art and Science Center. Appealing to all ages -- students, parents, educators, and tourists -- the hands-on exhibit sought through numerous activities to stimulate visitors' environmental awareness by encouraging them to experience the interrelatedness of the living and nonliving things around them. Presentation of a variety of environmental situations encouraged visitors to think about the ways in which the decisions of individuals and communities affect the health of the natural environment. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Clear Water Fund -- $5,000 Robert Wendelgass, 607 Penn Avenue, Suite 212, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Children's Health Education Project Through presentations and workshops, this project educates students, teachers, and parents in the Pittsburgh area about potential threats that environmental pollution in schools poses to the health of children. Participants apply the tools they learn in analyzing the environment of their own schools. Focusing primarily on the use of pesticides in schools, the project teaches parents and teachers how to research and analyze pest control practices in their school districts; develop alternative strategies that reduce the use of pesticides; and, working with school officials, develop a new pest control strategy that reduces reliance on toxic chemicals. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Clearwater Conservancy of Central Pennsylvania -- $5,000 Kristen Saacke Blunk, P. O. Box 163, State College, PA 16804 Students - Community - Streams - Connection This program helps foster students' awareness and understanding of streams in their area that are headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. Primary elementary students collect water plants for art projects and discussions, write poems, and construct water-flow charts. Intermediate elementary students study the temperature, depth, pH, and turbidity of stream water and speed and distance of water flow. Middle school and junior high school students become involved in scientific investigations and work with community groups. Participants of senior high school age monitor the biological, physical, and chemical parameters of the stream, establish a World Wide Web site, and serve as mentors to younger students in the program. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Marion Center Schools - Outside Environmental Land Laboratory -- $12,727 A. Jeff Martz, P. O. Box 156, Marion Center, PA 15759-0156 Four Trails: Wetlands, Soil, Water, Ecosystems This program increases the environmental awareness of students and teachers in the Marion Center Area School District, a rural school district located in Indiana County. The program will includes a handicapped-accessible environmental education center, an outdoor trail, interactive student work stations, and guest speakers. It targets the 1,997 students in the district, plus Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts, members of the Audubon Society and the organization Friends of Parks, and families. Because the economy of the area is based on agriculture, coal mining, and production of natural gas, abandoned strip mines, contaminated streams, degraded drinking water, and other environmental problems beset residents. The Marion Center Area Environmental Education Center seeks to address the environmental issues that affect the area, the region, and the world through education and community-based programs. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Northern Bedford County School District -- $3,740 Jerry W. Young, HC 1, Box 200, Loysburg, PA 16659 Water Connections This project augments a revised sixth grade science curriculum called Water Connections. Approximately 90 sixth-grade students study concepts related to water quality in local wetlands. Students identify local water quality problems, including such issues as the controversy in the county over hog farms and their effects on water quality. The students follow Bedford County waterways to the Chesapeake Bay to learn how local problems affect the bay. They also travel to Baltimore to learn about water quality problems in the bay and conduct the same water quality tests on bay waters. The grant funds support testing and travel costs, as well as the costs of publication and distribution of a public awareness pamphlet. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Stroud Water Research Center -- $5,000 Kristen Travers, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311 Red Clay Creek Monitoring Project The Stroud Water Research Center, a nonprofit environmental research center, conducts a water monitoring project at Red Clay Creek for students in biology classes at Kenneth High School. The students study specific local water quality issues, while gaining practical skills that will enable them to become effective decision makers in their communities. The funds support training for both teachers and students, as well as the purchase of equipment. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | The Vanguard School -- $1,320 Carolyn Brunschwyler, P. O. Box 730, 1777 N. Valley Road, Paoli, PA 19301 Design, Plant, and Monitor a Campus Butterfly Garden The Vanguard School's science department and Junior Achievement Club, in cooperation with Valley Forge National Park and the NOVA Society of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, design, plant, and monitor a campus butterfly garden. Students in the lower and middle schools construct the garden. The butterfly garden is both a creation that students, faculty, and guests will enjoy and a restoration area of butterfly and insect habitat that has been lost to development. The Vanguard School shares its campus with 110 students of the Crossroads School, who also have the opportunity to experience the garden as a learning laboratory. The science curricula at both schools include units related to the garden. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | West Chester University -- $4,885 Charles V. Shorten, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383 Development of a Local Emergency Planning Committee Web Site The purpose of this grant is to establish an electronic presence for the Chester County local emergency planning committee (LEPC) on the Internet that serves as a focal point for educating the public about incidents in which hazardous materials are involved and about measures that can be taken to prevent such incidents. Under the project, a Chester County LEPC World Wide Web site fulfills that purpose. The availability of the Web site is publicized to the general public, the regulated community, and organizations active in Chester County. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Wildlife Information Center -- $2,400 Dan R. Kunkle, P. O. Box 198, Slatington, PA 18080-0198 Young Ecologists Summer Camp Working with the Trexler Trust, the William Penn Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown, the Wildlife Information Center sponsors the Young Ecologists Summer Camp. Funding covers camp costs, equipment, and the salaries of instructors. At the camp, 16 children in grades 7 through 9 will study environmental issues relevant to the Kittatinny raptor corridor. The program focuses on water quality, land use, and conservation of wetlands and wildlife. Issues related to environmental justice and career development also are covered. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | Wyncotte Audubon Society -- $5,000 Janet Starwood, 1212 Edge Hill Road, Abington, PA 19001 Birds for a Purpose This project supports the educational goals recommended by the national science guidelines and targets underserved urban areas. The program offers practical approaches to natural science education for fourth, fifth, and sixth grades by combining classroom work and environmental field research with hands-on environmental analysis and restoration projects in the neighborhoods in which the students live. Because birds are indicators of the health of ecosystems, the curriculum focuses on birds and bird habitat to teach students about ecology, natural processes, and the essential role of healthy ecosystems in sustaining life on earth. Similar pilot programs have been successful in schools in New York, New York. |
| 1998 | PA | 3 | York County YMCA -- $4,651 Nancy Eberly, 90 N. Newberry Street, York, PA 17401 Camp Spirit The program teaches approximately 3,000 children, ages 5 through 18, and 40 teachers the Spirit IDEA - Informed Decisions for Environmental Action. The program is intended to increase participants' understanding of the environment in all areas, including outdoor survival skills; to stimulate critical and creative thinking; to develop the ability to make informed decisions; and to instill the confidence and commitment that enable participants to take responsible actions. |
| 1998 | PR | 2 | Puerto Rico Department of Education -- $5,800 Blanca M. Aponte, Soller Agricultural-Vocational School, P. O. Box 190579, San Juan, PR 00919-0759 Take Charge of Your School, Community, and Environment This project establishes a recycling program at the Soller Agricultural-Vocational School, which is located in a rural farming community in northwest Puerto Rico. The recycling program incorporates the concept of sustainable development, achieving a balance that ensures that economic growth will not cause irreversible environmental damage. The three-step project trains and educates faculty members and school personnel in methods of environmental education and recycling techniques. The participants learn how to apply problem-solving and decision-making techniques to teach students and members of local communities about recycling and to establish a recycling center. |
| 1998 | RI | 1 | Environment Council of Rhode Island Education Fund, Inc. -- $5,000 Guy Lefebyre, P. O. Box 40568, Providence, RI 02940 Building the Foundation for Comprehensive Environmental Education The Rhode Island Education Fund seeks to include environmental education into the curricula of elementary and secondary schools throughout the state through current efforts to bring about education reform. The fund supports 10 three-member teams who assess environmental education curricula. The teams also establish a contact at each of the 416 schools in the state to keep educators aware of high-quality environmental education materials. The fund also is establishing an environmental education World Wide Web site to make each school's contact person available to the environmental education community. |
| 1998 | RI | 1 | Keep Providence Beautiful -- $5,000 Laura Archambault, 385 Westminister Street, Providence, RI 02903 Green Team Environmental Education Keep Providence Beautiful (KPB) has organized green teams to educate minority youth ages 14 to 18 about the importance of a clean, safe, and beautiful neighborhood. In the summer, 13 teams pick up litter in their neighborhoods and plant and maintain public spaces. In the winter, the teams apply what they have learned by working with KPB environmental clubs in the local elementary schools. An environmental educator teaches the importance of safe practices in the management of solid waste and how to design and plant environmentally sustainable public spaces. The educator visits each team to reinforce the lessons taught and ensure that the teams' projects are sound. The educator also assists members in passing along what they learn through their summer experience to the elementary school environmental clubs they will work with in the winter. |
| 1998 | RI | 1 | The Salt Ponds Coalition -- $5,000 Brenda Dillman, P. O. Box 875, Charlestown, RI 02813 Innovative On-Site Wastewater Management, a Video Produced by Students Under this project, students produce a 15-minute video on wastewater management in Rhode Island. With on-site wastewater disposal systems a high-priority environmental issue in the state, the video provides an overview of state and local regulations governing septic systems and an array of advanced wastewater technologies currently being piloted. The students, along with active community environmental groups, also take responsibility for distribution of the video. |
| 1998 | SC | 4 | School District of Georgetown County -- $21,552 Suzie Showman, 524 Front Street, Georgetown, SC 29440 What's in Our Water? This project implements two programs that provide students in grades 4 through 12 with hands-on, outdoor environmental lessons, including regular collection and recording of data and various field activities. The project uses the National Geographic Society's Kids Network program What's in Our Water? and the pilot program Estuary-Net developed by the Belle W. Baruch Marine Laboratory of the University of South Carolina to implement a technology-based watershed project. |
| 1998 | SD | 8 | Meade School District 46-1 -- $24,896 Josephine Hartmann, 1230 Douglas Street, Sturgis, SD 57785 It's All Yours, Naturally The project supports a coordinated environmental education network and provides an outdoor classroom and a posted nature walk in Sturgis City Park. Elementary students in the third and fourth grades, their parents, and school teachers participate in the program. Students study materials in classroom settings, view videotapes, and work with computer programs related to myriad environmental topics that they then share with the members of their families. |
| 1998 | TN | 4 | Lichterman Nature Center -- $4,904 Rachel Engler, 5922 Quince Road, Memphis, TN 38119 Teaching Urban Ecology: An Environmental Workshop and Resource Kit This project trains 100 teachers from Memphis and Shelby County to use Project Wild and Project Learning Tree in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Education. A teacher resource kit enhances the project. Each teacher attending the workshop receives the kit. |
| 1998 | TN | 4 | Middle Tennessee State University -- $14,199 Cindi Smith-Walter, Box 60, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 We're Really Involved in Real Discoveries The We're Really Involved in Real Discoveries (WEIRD) project trains 20 teachers in urban school systems to use the Delta Life Science Modules environmental education materials. The teachers receive those materials; references to local, state, and national science guidelines; and content information in the form of a teacher resource book. Each teacher who participates in the workshop is expected to recruit and train five other educators. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | American Institute for Learning -- $14,789 Penny Weibly, 422 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701 Interactive Recycling Education for East Austin Hundreds of at-risk teens and elementary students from low-income neighborhoods of Austin learn about recycling through hands-on activities, including eco-festivals. Eco-festivals illustrate particular aspects of recycling through demonstrations, games, puppet shows, songs composed by students, and various other hands-on activities. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Bishop Dunne High School -- $14,050 Kate Collins Dailey, 3900 Rugged Drive, Dallas, TX 75224 Five-Mile Creek and Trinity River Basin Project The purpose of this project is to create a team approach to water quality education for 40 high school students each year. The environmental issue and geographic focus is a creek and the Trinity River basin in Dallas. The students participate in field trips, use computer laboratories, and collect and analyze samples, ultimately producing a documentary to be aired on local community access cable to disseminate the findings of their year-long study. The information also is to be made available on a World Wide Web site. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Classical Magnet School, Richardson Independent School District -- $5,000 Betty Daigle, 400 S. Greenville Avenue, Richardson, TX 75081 Outdoor Learning Center This project provides an outdoor learning center that features three native ecosystems, including a garden, a raised pond with a waterfall, a grassland prairie, a woodland area, bat and bird houses, and a small wildlife area. All students in the school system and their families benefit from the outdoor learning center. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Lamar High School, Arlington Independent School District -- $3,000 Jane Borland, 1203 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington, TX 76013 Outdoor Environmental Gardens and Learning Center The environmental gardens and learning center teach inquiry-based biology and environmental science through the use of vegetable and butterfly gardens in raised beds, along with soil-test and experimental-design beds. Students learn about composting and vermicomposting. Topics include, but are not limited to, botany; food chains; invertebrates; soil analysis; use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers and the environmental and health consequences of their use; water quality; and management of solid waste. Approximately 600 high school students use the gardens each year. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | National Center for Farmworker Health -- $87,727 (HQ Grant) E. Roberta Ryder, 1515 Capital of Texas Highway South, Suite 220, Austin, TX 78746 Farmworker Environmental Education Through this project, outreach personnel from migrant health centers and migrant education agencies are trained to teach migrant farm workers and their children how to mitigate the threats to human health that are associated with farm work. In workshops, participants learn how to educate migrant farm workers about the dangers of exposure to pesticides, heat stress, infectious parasitic diseases spread by water that is unsafe for drinking or bathing, and the risk of infection caused by lack of sanitary facilities at job sites. The majority of migrant farm workers reached by the outreach personnel, who are certified trainers, are Latino and live below the federal poverty level. In general, the workers and their families have limited access to heath care or information about environmental hazards. The National Center for Farmworker Health works in partnership with seven organizations throughout the country that represent the interests of migrant farm workers. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Nature Discovery Center -- $5,000 Fred Collins, P. O. Box 77, Bellaire, TX 77402-0777 Prairie Education Project The Prairie Education Project provides a traveling prairie ecology exhibit and outreach prairie display and travel kit to educate children and adults about the nature and importance of the prairie. This project also provides four curriculum units on the prairie ecology to be published in the second volume of the curriculum guide Nature at Your Doorstep. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Pearce High School, Richardson Independent School District -- $4,934 Shelley Hale, 400 S. Greenville Avenue, Richardson, TX 75081 Outreach Program on Environmental Awareness This project provides students with a hands-on approach to the natural sciences through ecological camping trips, backpacking, and environmental assessment and interdependence studies (for example, study of water testing and water quality as they are related to flora and fauna in the vicinity of the body of water). Students test concepts and principles introduced in the classroom and explore specific problems through field research. Students in upper grades serve as role models for younger students. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | Texas Private School Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Laura North, P. O. Box 953, Bryan, TX 77806 Allen Academy Science Center Environmental Education Project Allen Academy provides a nature center to expand its existing environmental education program. The nature center, designed and maintained by students, includes a nature trail with information in two languages, a bird sanctuary with hibernation houses, a pond, a wetland area, an irrigation system, and a butterfly garden. To minimize the need for water and maintenance, native vegetation is used. A fluorescent lighting system is used to grow plants from seed. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | The Green Classroom, Inc. -- $25,000 Carla Marshall, 1701 Briar, Austin, TX 78704 Taking Activities from the Classroom and Home - TEACH Students from 30 schools in the Austin area learn about water quality and conservation through hands-on activities and the construction of models. Students test water from local taps, creeks, and lakes; construct models of aquifers and watersheds; and learn about the relationship of the water cycle and water quality to health issues. As they learn the lessons, students in upper grades in turn teach lower-grade students, and lower-grade students then teach even younger students. |
| 1998 | TX | 6 | West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District -- $22,125 Michael Hoke, P. O. Box 1107, Orange, TX 77630 The Nature Classroom Approximately 3,200 students experience environmental education related to wetlands and forest ecology in The Nature Classroom, an eight-acre woodland and two-acre island area of Adams Bayou. Middle school volunteers, called eco-rangers, visit elementary schools to provide hands-on environmental activities. Senior citizens and community volunteers, called environmental ambassadors, present programs to the public and also provide environmental instruction to elementary students. |
| 1998 | UT | 8 | Cache School District -- $5,000 Ron Hellstern, 29 North 400 West, Hyrum, UT 84319 Leopold Education Project: Land Ethics-Based Education Under this project, 30 educators from federal, state, and local entities attend a two-day workshop. The Leopold Education Project uses an interdisciplinary conservation ethics curriculum, Lessons in a Land Ethic, designed to instill environmental awareness and ethical practice in students in grades 6 through 12. |
| 1998 | UT | 8 | Utah Forestry, Fire, and State Lands -- $5,000 Tony Dietz, P. O. Box 145703, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-5703 Project Learning Tree This project provides hands-on workshops for educators at the kindergarten through 12th grade levels. The workshops, which use the Project Learning Tree activity guide, focus on hand-on activities that are designed to teach ecological concepts that enable students to make wise decisions about the use of natural resources. |
| 1998 | UT | 8 | Utah Society For Environmental Education -- $25,000 Tim Brown, 350 South 400 East, Suite G4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Environmental Education Network for Utah Schools This project is intended to improve environmental education programs for teachers in Utah school districts and make resources more readily available to them. The project includes the distribution of newsletters and the use of World Wide Web sites to help teachers and their students identify common environmental problems and their possible solutions. It also creates an environmental education network for Utah schools that will be made available throughout Utah's 40 school districts. Teachers and students in kindergarten through grade 12 benefit from the project. |
| 1998 | VT | 1 | The Gailer School at Middlebury -- $5,000 Mary Jeanne Pacher, 19 Shannon Street, Middlebury, VT 05753 Summer Field Biology Program The Summer Field Biology Program educates young people and their instructors about the actual tools and techniques of field biology in timber harvest practices and water quality. Field work includes measuring a variety of indicators of water quality (for example, alkalinity and temperature). Forest management professionals lead exercises on sustainable management of forests and overcutting of trees. Current resources of Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, and other programs are used as starting points for the educational content of the project, which attracts a diverse audience: 19 high school and middle school teachers (4 from China) and 25 students (10 from China) in grades 9 through 12. |
| 1998 | VT | 1 | Vermont Institute for Natural Science -- $24,854 Billi Gosh, RR 2, Box 532, Woodstock, VT 05091 Updating Hands-On Nature and the Environmental Learning for the Future Curriculum This project improves one of the model curricula of the Vermont Institute for Natural Science (VINS), Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) and its companion book, Hands-On Nature. VINS is a partner with 68 schools and 1,300 ELF volunteer educators in Vermont who learn new teaching skills and pilot-test revised ELF activities. VINS intends to improve Hands-On Nature, which currently consists of 33 units of fact-filled essays that introduce educators to the topic, followed by field-tested activities for students in kindergarten through grade 6. |
| 1998 | VI | 2 | Virgin Islands Conservation Society, Inc. -- $8,940 Grethelyn D. Piper, P. O. Box 12379, St. Thomas, VI 00801 ECO-Camps This program targets 60 seventh-grade students in urban public junior high schools in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It seeks to reach young people who have little access to environmental education and provide them with an opportunity to learn about and experience their natural environment. The program fosters students' interest in environmental careers, provides first-hand experience with habitats and ecosystems of the Virgin Islands that currently are threatened by human activities, emphasizes the role that habitats play in a healthy environment, and teaches the basic concepts of ecology and practices that conserve resources. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | Alleghany Highlands YMCA -- $4,330 Debbie Farmer, P. O. Box 905, Covington, VA 24426 Earth Services Earth Services, a community service program, focuses on training teens in environmental education and community service. The funds are used to empower teens to make their own positive decisions and become involved in the community; promote global environmental understanding and action through development of education projects and leadership training; and organize a long-term partnership among teenagers, teachers, community leaders, business people, and representatives of government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The program, which is open to all middle and high school students, serves 200 teens and involves eight teachers and five businesses. Participants will complete more than 500 hours of community service work. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | American Lung Association of Richmond -- $25,000 Deana Hagerty, 311 South Boulevard, P. O. Box 7065, Richmond, VA 23221 Teaching Elementary Schools Today Under the Teaching Elementary Schools Today (TEST) program, 240 high school students teach elementary students about various lung diseases, including asthma and allergies, and about the hazards of smoking, second-hand smoke, and indoor and outdoor air pollution. The high school students adopt schools and act as mentors to students in third and fourth grades in the Richmond tri-city area (the cities of Richmond and Petersburg and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico.) The program reaches 1,200 students (100 per school) and their teachers. TEST can be sustained after the initial implementation year by the school coordinators who will continue to recruit and train students mentors. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries -- $6,498 Raymond E. Davis, 4010 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230-1104 Wildlife Mapping in Virginia This program provides an opportunity for citizens, community groups, school children, and others to contribute their observations of wildlife to the state's biological databases. Through two workshops, each accommodating 20 people, participants learn to inventory and monitor wildlife, identify habitat, and read maps. One of the workshops trains 20 facilitators, who have the potential to reach 400 other people. The other workshop trains participants to become wildlife mappers. Wildlife experts and wildlife mapping mentors provide assistance in identifying wildlife. Educators can integrate the program into existing curricula and subject areas. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | Norfolk Public Schools -- $71,880 (HQ Grant) Syble B. Stone, 800 East City Hall Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510 Maritime Pathways: Oyster Restoration This public school project educates members of the Ocean View community about their roles as caretakers of the environment and develops in them a stewardship ethic that protects the Chesapeake Bay. The project focuses on the restoration of habitat for the declining oyster population in the bay and addresses water quality, bay-friendly gardening and lawn maintenance practices, community outreach, and aquaculture studies. Tasks for students, which are identified by grade level, include: collect and test water samples, maintain databases, identify problems, hypothesize solutions, and make decisions based on scientific research. Students distribute the information they gather to the community through newsletters, workshops, presentations to community organizations, public service booths at area festivals. and a World Wide Web site. A high percentage of the students involved in the project are residents of a culturally diverse low-income community. Partners with the city schools in the Maritime Pathways project are the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Elizabeth River Project, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | Rockbridge Conservation Council -- $4,800 Mollie J. Messimer, P. O. Box 564, Lexington, VA 24450 Roots and Shoots at Central Elementary School In an informal, real-world setting, this program teaches elementary students about environmental issues and encourages them to consider the pursuit of environmental careers. The project involves 340 children in kindergarten through grade 5 at Central Elementary School in western Virginia. Students attend 90-minute sessions in the classroom and participate in field trips planned for each grade. Activities are geared to the academic level of each grade and conform to the state's standards of learning. |
| 1998 | VA | 3 | Stafford County Public Schools -- $14,882 Russel L. Watson, 1729-A Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford, VA 22554 Environmental Action Through a Service-Learning Class This pilot project establishes a service-learning class, called Environmental Action, at North Stafford High School. The class combines community service with a formal education curriculum. The curriculum goes beyond the academic study of the environment, exposing the students to new ideas, people, and expertise. For example, students examine the vulnerability of two local rivers, the Rappahannock to the south and the Potomac to the north, and of wildlife habitats in the rapidly developing county. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Battle Ground School District -- $8,143 Teresa Baldwin, P. O. Box 200, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Environmental Summer School In 1999, five middle schools in the school district will participate in a summer school program. Seventh grade students who have deficient academic records will benefit from subject matter intended to heighten environmental awareness, improve skills in mathematics and science, and develop cooperative working skills. Each school is to focus on a specific environmental project, with activities overseen by a teacher, an assistant, an intern, and guests (faculty of Washington State University and practicing professionals). Field trips will increase the students' understanding of environmental science issues. At the end of the program, students will share the results of their work with other students and the community. The students who will be involved in the program represent a predominantly white, low-income population. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Kitsap County - Department of Public Works, Solid Waste -- $5,000 Gretchen Olsen, 614 Division Street, MS-27, Port Orchard, WA 98366 Danger and Danger Household Detective Agency Kitsap County's Danger and Danger Household Detective Agency educates students in grades 2 through 6 and the community about household hazardous waste. The students receive instruction from leaders in the form of a participatory, cartoon detective game. By developing projects and participating in field trips together, both children and their parents learn the facts about hazardous household products. The program has been applied in one of five school districts in Kitsap County, and a second is to be added. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | North Central Educational Service District -- $9,596 Jack Horner, P. O. Box 1847, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1847 Technology Applications Promoting Environmental Studies A one-week summer training institute on biodiversity and follow-up activities during the school year for 15 teachers of grades 7 through 10 is the focus of this project. The training prepares the participants to teach the following to their students: (1) basic ecological and environmental principles associated with biodiversity; (2) key environmental and social issues associated with biodiversity; and (3) research and critical-thinking skills needed to examine issues and develop action resolutions. The teachers also learn how to involve students in investigating and evaluating real issues and help them develop patterns of behavior that befit responsible citizens. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Onalaska School District #300 -- $23,800 Dr. Robert P. Kraig, 540 Carlisle Avenue, Onalaska, WA 98570 Onalaska School District Environmental Education Project The district's environmental education project is located in an outdoor educational park and is directed toward ecologically minded students. The main goal of the project is to add field work to the routine of classroom teaching. To accomplish that goal, the district, in cooperation with more than a dozen other school districts (Technical Prep/School to Work Educational Consortium) provides an interpretive trail system; provides presentations to the public that explore environmental and ecological issues; implements educational technology to improve the access of teachers, students, and members of the community to information about important environmental issues; and sponsors a festival called Music Under the Stars. High school students and the public, 60 percent of whom are minority or low-income populations, benefit from the project. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation -- $5,060 Annette Hanson, P. O. Box 3007, Sequim, WA 98382 River Resources - Education Reform and Training The Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation, made up of educators, scientists, and engineers, is working in partnership with the National Audubon Society to develop an outdoor educational site at the Dungeness River Park, located on the Olympic Peninsula. The goal of the project is to help residents in the watershed to understand their natural environment, thereby increasing their ability to deal with local issues and increasing their involvement in decisions that affect local water quality. Experts on the local watershed instruct 24 volunteers (teachers) who then make presentations for public, private, and home school teachers; science and environmental education museums and centers; and staff of local, state, and federal agencies for incorporation into their school and public programs. During the project, the foundation is updating existing environmental education watershed curricula. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Saint Martin's College -- $5,000 Huabin Chen, 5300 Pacific Avenue, SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Integrating Telecommunication and Computer Technologies into Environmental Education Saint Martin's College and the Montesano School District are enhancing environmental education in the school district through in-service teacher training on the application of technology to environmental education. The project fosters global awareness and international cooperation by addressing environmental issues through telecommunications. Teachers are trained in using electronic mail, the Internet, CD-ROMs, videodiscs, probeware, and other technology as learning tools for environmental education. The school district is located in an economically depressed rural community. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Skykomish School District -- $4,488 Connie A. Adams, P. O. Box 325, Skykomish, WA 98288 Adopt-A-Stream Program Skykomish School District's partnership with the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, continues a high school environmental science class effort to study the Skykomish River. The school district, located in northern Washington, uses the nearby Maloney Creek as an outdoor classroom for biology and environmental science classes. The project also involves members of the community living near the creek, as well as parents of the students. Fisheries are key to the community's culture. This project expands monitoring efforts to include a study of aquatic insect bioassays and a study of streamside vegetation in relation to fish habitat. Students also assist in developing a drainage plan to alleviate flooding in the city of Skykomish. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission -- $19,815 Paul Malmberg, 11838 Tilley Road, S., Olympia, WA 98512 Forest Stewardship Project The objective of the Forest Stewardship Project is to increase the public's awareness of the wildlife and vegetation of public forests and the human community's essential relationship with public forests. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and its partners are combining their efforts to support a traveling show that educates audiences through skits and interaction. In addition, a study guide, a videotape, and a guide to developing similar creative environmental education programs are being produced. The audience includes individuals and families camping at state parks, patrons of public libraries, and middle school students. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | Washington State University -- $24,713 Darin Saul, Center for Environmental Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164 Expand Environmental Education in Inland Northwest The Center for Environmental Education at Washington State University is expanding environmental education in southeastern Washington and northern Idaho by assessing the resources and needs of several local schools (Plummer-Worley School District and the Coeur d'Alene Tribal School) and technical agencies and designing workshops to meet those needs. Two workshops are provided for 80 teachers and 30 staff of technical agencies. One workshop introduces a new environmental curriculum to teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 that focuses on watershed issues (water quality, aquatic resources, fisheries, and more). The second workshop creates a partnership between technical agency personnel and the teachers that supports field trips and hands-on activities. |
| 1998 | WA | 10 | YMCA of Snohomish County -- $5,000 Maddy Metzger-Utt, 2720 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201 YMCA Earth Service Corps With assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, YMCA of Snohomish County's Earth Service Corps provides seven environmental education workshops that focus on real and current environmental problems the community is facing. The workshops educate young people about local issues and teach them job skills. They also demonstrate to the young people how environmental awareness strengthens the community and allow adults to see youth in a positive light. Speakers representing a variety of agencies provide hands-on activities for the young people, teachers, and YMCA staff. Currently, three of the seven workshops, covering water, waste management, and world hunger, have been completed. Subject matter for the remaining workshops will be selected by the participants. |
| 1998 | WV | 3 | Shepherd College Foundation -- $15,270 James Watson, Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV 25443 Environmental Education at Shepherd College and in Its Environs This grant enables Shepherd College to continue to develop its internal undergraduate environmental education program and to enhance its outreach to public schools in the region by providing funding for student work in the field and at conferences and workshops. Funding also enables the program to obtain portable air, water, and soil testing kits that enhance both teaching on campus and continuing education for public school teachers. |
| 1998 | WI | 5 | 16th Street Community Health Center -- $18,980 Ellyn McKenzie, 1032 S. Cesar Chavez Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53204 Collaborative Environmental Education Project During the school year, the 16th Street Community Health Center is conducing three teacher workshops that focus on the topic of air quality. Teachers learn to use the recently revised Project Learning Tree curriculum, as well as a curriculum designed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Teachers also learn how to use data taken from particulate air monitors in their communities. They then educate their students about the importance of good air quality, using the monitors as a local, community-based reference. Staff of the health center also visit classes participating in the project. |
| 1998 | WI | 5 | Citizens for a Better Environment -- $5,000 Susan Mudd, 152 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203 Human Health and Endocrine Disruptors The Women's Health and Environment Network (WHEN) is creating and distributing a videotape and supporting materials designed to educate young women about the possible health risks associated with endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals found in the environment that may have an adverse effect on hormonal balance and development in humans. WHEN is working collaboratively with Audubon Middle School and the Division of Nursing of Alverno College to develop a teacher's discussion guide, student handbook, and fact sheets to accompany the video. The target audience is middle school girls, and the materials encourage them to think critically and make informed decisions. Students participating in the development of the video and materials are responsible for researching the topic, as well as learning the technical aspects of developing a video. |
| 1998 | WI | 5 | Trout Unlimited -- $4,000 Laura Hewitt, 1327 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53715 Water Quality Monitoring by Citizens In partnership with Community Conservation Consultants (CCC), Trout Unlimited is training 15 to 20 citizen volunteers to collect reliable water quality monitoring data. The data collected is to be integrated into a basinwide database already established for a school monitoring initiative. Environmental professionals from the partner organizations train the volunteers, develop sampling protocols, identify sampling sites, and integrate the information collected. The staff also write monthly newspaper columns to inform the general public about their efforts to manage and protect the watershed. |
| 1998 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Coulee Region Community Action Program, Inc. -- $2,677 Kay Bender, 201 Melby Street, Westby, WI 54667 House Party Plan The House Party Plan educates parents and the general public about the threats posed to human health by lead-based paint, especially as those threats affect children. Eight house parties are held over a period of six months; more than 40 residents of underserved communities are educated about lead hazards. The staff of the Wisconsin Coulee Region Community Action Program, Inc. train volunteers to conduct the house parties in an effective, educational manner. At the sessions, participants learn proper cleaning methods for addressing lead contaminants and receive cleaning kits to take home. By the end of the session, parents are able to assess their home environments and initiate practices that will help protect their children from exposure to lead. |
| 1998 | WI | 5 | Zoological Society of Milwaukee -- $5,000 Sharon Rohde, 10005 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226 Birds Without Borders The grant funds for this project assist the Zoological Society of Milwaukee in developing a multiyear international conservation, research, and education project designed to monitor species of birds that breed in Wisconsin and winter in Belize, Central America. More than 20 teachers in participating schools are trained to use the already developed One Bird-Two Habitats curriculum. Students work with zoological society scientists at the research sites to observe and identify different species of birds. They also participate in bird-banding demonstrations, bird walks, insect sampling, and data analysis. Communicating with students in Belize provides students with cultural lessons, in addition to the scientific knowledge they acquire. |
| 1999 | AL | 4 | Cahaba River Society -- $25,000 Rachel Reinhart, 2717 7th Avenue South, Suite 205, Birmingham, AL 35233 Cahaba/Black Warrior CLEAN The CLEAN program of the Cahaba River Society expands its innovative environmental education programs, teacher training workshops, and interdisciplinary classroom curriculum activities to serve rural and low-income students (4th through 12th grades) and teachers in the underserved lower Cahaba watershed. The program offers 1,000 students hands-on environmental education activities during field trips on the water. In addition, the program trains 200 teachers to lead the field trips and encourage students to undertake waterway restoration projects with partners in the community. |
| 1999 | AL | 4 | Citizens' Lead Education and Elimination Project -- $4,700 Whitlynn T. Battle, 325 Center Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205-3031 Lead Umbrella Workshop A one-day lead information and education workshop is held for parents, representatives of local governments, policy makers, health providers, representatives of tenants' interests, members of religious communities, and education and childcare providers. The workshop addresses the issue of lead poisoning in children. Experts in lead education conduct the workshop, reinforcing their efforts with printed materials. As a follow-up to the workshop, a coalition (the Lead Umbrella) is created to develop a comprehensive plan to educate members of communities affected by the issue and work to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the community of Birmingham. |
| 1999 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska Museum Fairbanks -- $20,717 Terry Dickey, Box 757880, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7880 Northern Forests - A Hands-On, Museum-Based School Tour Program This hands-on, museum-based school tour program focuses on the boreal forest ecosystem. The goal of the program is to help middle school students expand their knowledge of the forest and develop a deeper appreciation of its contributions to their lives. The program reaches 700 middle school students in Fairbanks and 150 students from rural villages in the interior of the state. Through a combination of classroom teaching, hands-on tours of the museum's exhibits and collections, and case study activities in the arboretum led by Alaska Native elders, students refine their understanding of boreal forest systems. An in-service workshop for teachers facilitates the integration of the Northern Forests curriculum into their classroom curricula. The curriculum includes inquiry-based activities that emphasize use of the museum's hands-on and research collections and the university's arboretum. In the Fairbanks school district, 11 percent of students are Alaska Natives, and almost 80 percent of students in the rural schools are Alaska Natives. |
| 1999 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska SE - Sitka -- $25,000 Dr. John W. Carnegie, 1332 Seward Avenue, Sitka, AK 99835 Environmental Activities, Kits, and Teacher Training Under this project, 10 instructional kits are created that draw on the Rural Alaska Sanitation Education Program (RASE) developed by the university. A program for grades 11 to 14, RASE is intended to increase the students' knowledge and skills related to disposal of wastewater and solid waste. The kits include equipment, instruments, and supplies, along with fully developed lesson guides for experiments the students can perform. The program also trains 50 teachers in five rural school districts in the effective use of the kits. The kits provide activity-based units on water quality in streams and lakes, water pollution, disposal of solid waste, water and wastewater treatment techniques, transmission of waterborne diseases, and the interrelationships among those topics. Students gain an appreciation for the value of well-operated and well-maintained water and wastewater facilities, as well as a greater awareness of how personal hygiene, the quality of drinking water, and practices in the handling of human waste affect human health. |
| 1999 | AZ | 9 | Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation -- $5,000 Jolie Ogg Graybill, 4341 East Broadway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85040 4-H Project S.T.O.P. (Stop Trashing Our Planet) 4-H Project S.T.O.P. (Stop Trashing Our Planet) trains 10 middle school and junior high school groups, a total of some 200 students, to become peer teachers for their own age group and teachers for elementary school children to increase environmental awareness, with emphasis on recycling. The program, begun in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1990, was introduced to the Phoenix area in 1996. Under the grant, the project is being expanded to other areas of the state. At introductory school assemblies, a life-sized walking globe (Earth Person) uses songs, dances, and skits to convey the awareness message. The assembly is followed by hands-on workshops in paper-making, recycling art projects, and similar activities that reflect the recycling theme. |
| 1999 | AZ | 9 | Douglas Unified School District #27 -- $5,000 Hans Bodenhamer, Douglas High School, 1132 12th Street, Douglas, AZ 85607 Viva la Rana: Dissemination of Curricula on Ponds and Wetlands and Teacher Training In the summer of 1998, ponds were dug at one high school and four elementary schools to provide habitats for the Chiricahua leopard frog. This project brings staff of the Nimon S. Hopkins Conservation Education Center together with staff of the Douglas Unified School District to produce environmental science lessons for teachers at the schools at which the ponds are located, train teachers to use the lessons, and provide high school students with opportunities to teach elementary school children. During the workshops, participating teachers (and high school students) take part in model lessons and use supplies provided to each school through the project. |
| 1999 | AZ | 9 | The Hopi Tribe -- $5,000 Steve Blodgett, P. O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039 Educate Teachers and Students About Environmental Issues on the Hopi Reservation This project establishes a partnership among the Hopi Environmental Protection Office, the Institute for Tribal Professionals at Northern Arizona University, and the school communities of the Hopi Tribe to develop and deliver a culturally sensitive curriculum of environmental education lessons for elementary school children living on the Hopi reservation. Teaching staffs are trained through workshops that focus on recognized environmental materials (Project WET, A Child's Place in the Environment, and Native American Lands) that have been adapted to Hopi culture and the environment of the reservation, with portions of the curriculum to be taught in the Hopi language. The materials are augmented by field trips, demonstrations by tribal elders, videos, and hands-on projects that deal with both local and global environmental issues. |
| 1999 | AR | 6 | Calico Rock Public Schools -- $12,000 Claudia Trahan, P. O. Box 220, Calico Rock, AR 72519 Outdoors at Calico Rock The project creates a systematic, ongoing environmental program that exposes the audience to various environmental topics and hands-on activities through a work station for instruction, hands-on learning exercises, a pond and wetland area, a vegetable garden, a weather station, a nature trail, a traveling library, and an on-line communication system that connects students and teachers with partners and other schools that are involved in similar projects. Each grade level conducts a portion of the overall project, and upperclassmen serve as mentors to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The project encourages students to consider careers as meteorologists, landscape artists, agricultural economists, agronomists, foresters, fish and game experts, or specialists in environmental technology. |
| 1999 | AR | 6 | Lakeside School District -- $21,500 Sharon Tackett, 2871 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901 Habitat-Based Learning Project The project establishes environmental research opportunities to provide at-risk students with learning activities that incorporate career-related skills into their curriculum to encourage the students to choose environmental careers. Teachers and partners in the project are trained in workshops held during the summer. The target audience is 625 students in the 10th through 12th grades who are enrolled in various science and mathematics classes. The objective of the project is to illustrate the relevance of the scientific and mathematical concepts students are learning in school to the environment and the working world. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Bay Area Action -- $5,000 Diane Choplin, 715 Colorado Avenue, Suite 1, Palo Alto, CA 94303 YEA TEAM: Student-Directed Projects to Implement Recycling and Composting The Youth Environmental Action (YEA) program unites Bay Area Action with the Ravenswood School District, the Stanford University Haas Center for Community Service, and Students for Environmental Education. The program, which involves 120 fifth- through eighth-grade students, six teachers, and a staff of interns, consists of five interactive classroom lessons that cover issues related to water, waste, energy, and the natural environment and the community. Over the course of the year, interns meet with each class twice a month to guide students in their research and experiential projects, help them articulate goals, and plan field trips. Guest speakers also take part in the classroom sessions. Student-directed projects include establishment of a school garden, initiation of a composting program, launching of a schoolwide recycling program, and similar activities. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | California State University, Chico -- $5,000 Paul Maslin, Kendall Hall, Room 114, Chico, CA 95929-0870 Streaminders: Salmon and Steelhead Eggs to Fry in the Classroom This project expands the current program of raising salmon and steelhead eggs to releasable mature fish in elementary and secondary classroom aquariums. The project includes educating university students to act as mentors for the field study portions of the project. After receiving training in the various aspects of the program, university students and their professors lead the younger students on field trips to explore creeks. The trips include hands-on experience with riparian ecosystems, water quality testing, and discovery of creek biota. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | City of Santa Cruz -- $2,550 Christopher Berry, Water Department, 715 Graham Hill Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Watershed Monitoring and Management and Drinking-Water Production Workshop A joint effort of the Santa Cruz Water Department, San Lorenzo Valley High School, and the Coastal Watershed Council, this project establishes and conducts a watershed academy for 10 to 12 high school juniors and seniors and two teachers. The training is conducted by environmental professionals with the water department and includes interpretive lectures, water quality monitoring, dialogue, and role playing. Students learn about land use and management in the watershed, monitor supplies at the city's reservoir for turbidity and sedimentation, tour the water treatment plant, and role-play town meetings to establish the connection between policy-making and the health of both human populations and the ecosystem. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Community Environmental Council -- $5,000 Cay Sanchez, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 Comprehensive School Recycling and Composting Pilot Project The Community Environmental Council works in partnership with the Youth Gardening Coalition to introduce recycling and composting of lunch scraps at three local elementary schools. The project begins with school assemblies during which the students are introduced to the project. At each school involved in the pilot project, workshops are held for teachers to help them integrate environmental learning projects into the required curriculum. A Green Team composed of fifth and sixth graders implements the lunchtime composting project at each site. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Contra Costa County Health Services Department -- $97,150 (HQ Grant) Mary Foran, 20 Allen Street, Martinez, CA 94553 Center for Health Environmental Education Program The Contra Costa County Health Services Department has won national recognition for innovative programs that solicit the participation of residents in designing and implementing improvements in environmental health. In 1993, a major spill of a toxic substance occurred in the area. Recently, to support response to similar situations should they occur, the Center for Health in North Richmond was created. This project trains local environmental health educators to teach residents to develop and carry out neighborhood environmental action plans. Partner organizations include the West County Toxics Coalition, East Bay Regional Parks, the Bucket Brigade, and the city of Richmond. Interactive learning resources provided through a formal Environmental Resource Center teach residents to interpret and disseminate accurate environmental information, define community issues, select action strategies, and conduct neighborhood education projects. Having been trained, residents then train their neighbors, who train others in a continuing process of community enlightenment. The population to be served is predominantly members of minority groups who have moderate to low incomes. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Math/Science Nucleus -- $15,500 Joyce Blueford, 4074 Eggers Drive, Fremont, CA 94536 Developing Environmental Benchmarks This project establishes a partnership among Math/Science Nucleus, the city of Fremont, and the Fremont School District to implement a ninth-grade course of environmental education based on watershed management at Laguna Creek. Local scientists join with faculty of Irvington High School to develop a laboratory course for monitoring environmental parameters to test the health of creeks. The environmental benchmarks curriculum envisions a project grounded in science and service that encourages students to work together in teams to bring about positive environmental change in their community. At the conclusion of the project, a community conference is held to disseminate the students' findings. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | People's Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (CORE) -- $5,000 Joe Natividad, 300 West Cesar Chavez, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Air Pollution and Prevention Project for Students and Residents in the Carson Area This project establishes a partnership among the Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (CORE), the Philippine Action Group for the Environment (PAGE), and the Environmental Club at Carson High School to implement an air pollution study in the Carson community. The partnership trains 30 students to use simple devices to collect air samples and to analyze the results of laboratory tests conducted on the samples. The project allows high school students to sample air pollutants, have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the effects of the chemicals identified on their health, and learn ways to reduce or prevent such pollution. Community forums and a meeting with the city council are held at the end of the project to discuss its findings. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Regents of the University of California -- $113,493 (HQ Grant) Joyce Gustein, 410 Mrak Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 Return of the Salmon This project addresses uses and diversions of creek water and the resulting ecological effects on the Putah Creek watershed. Middle school students participate in activities in school and on field trips that help them explore how salmon can be studied as an indicator of the ecological health of the creek. Teachers facilitate the students' entry into the watershed, first through in-school activities and later through field trips. Subsequently, the students will use a guidebook and a World Wide Web site developed through the project to pursue educational activities with their families. The project also provides teachers with in-service training and skills in Internet development. An advisory committee of university and regional specialists in science and education assists the project. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County -- $18,410 Penny Dockry, 332 South Juniper Street, Suite 110, Escondido, CA 92025 A Garden in Every School Regional Support Center The Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Greater San Diego has joined in partnership with the California Department of Education, the University of California Cooperative Extension Service, and Discovery School to establish a regional support center for educators of kindergarten through high school students who are interested in educational programs that draw on gardening. The center provides workshops and a resource library for teachers, newsletters, opportunities for networking, and a demonstration garden. The center also is developing a plan to sustain and expand outreach to a potential audience in 43 public school districts, private schools, and informal education programs. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Save San Francisco Bay Association -- $5,000 Marcia Slackman, 1736 Franklin Street, Fourth Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 Watershed Education Teacher Training Program Joining in partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, the Save San Francisco Bay Association (SSFBA) offers training in watershed management to 200 teachers in the Bay Area. The training includes 10 workshops, held on the water and ranging in length from one day to two weeks. Teachers have the opportunity to take part in field trips to conduct water quality testing and mapping and to study the components and value of wetlands. A number of guest speakers introduce teachers to issues that affect the health of a watershed. They learn how to encourage their students to undertake service learning projects that enhance the students' understanding of and appreciation for a healthy bay. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Sequoia Foundation -- $19,005 John S. Peterson, Ph.D., 2166 Avenida de la Playa, Suite D, La Jolla, CA 92037 New River Environmental Education Symposium The Sequoia Foundation has entered into a partnership with the State of California Department of Health Services and the Imperial County Office of Education to offer a workshop on the use of an environmental curriculum that examines health issues that affect communities in the New River area. The workshop is offered to 75 to 100 teachers of high school science and social studies courses. The workshop provides teachers with relevant materials to use in teaching about the health risks associated with the New River, as well as contacts with national and regional resources related to environmental health education, including environmental justice, exposure and assessment of health risks, epidemiology, risk communication, and mitigation measures. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | The Tides Center -- $4,300 Leslie Crawford, P. O. Box 29907, San Francisco, CA 94129-0907 Environmental ACTION: Teacher Training Workshop In partnership with the Oakland Unified School District, the Tides Center offers a training workshop for 20 teachers of 6th through 12th grades in the use of the curriculum, Environmental ACTION, which is designed to increase environmental awareness, critical-thinking skills, and scientific learning. The curriculum offers six modules on auditing consumption of resources: energy use, water conservation, waste reduction, chemicals, wise food choices, and habitat and biodiversity. In addition to the workshop, staff of the Tides Center provide follow-up support to teachers who use the curriculum to help ensure their success in teaching it. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Trinidad Rancheria -- $3,790 Greg Nesty, P. O. Box 630, Trinidad, CA 95570 Environmental Education by Cascade Learning Trinidad Rancheria, through a partnership with Humboldt State University, the Trinidad School District, and North Coast Children's Services, offers an environmental education program that uses cascade learning. Junior high school students are trained in environmental lessons related to their Native American culture. They in turn teach the lessons to younger elementary school children in a manner appropriate to the elementary level. The elementary school students then teach the lessons to children enrolled in the Arcata Head Start program. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | WestEd -- $20,996 Helen Kota, 730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 One-Week Summer Adopt-a-Watershed Institute Scope, Sequence, and Coordination at California State University Sacramento have joined in partnership with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the California Department of Education, and the University of California at Davis to create a one-week workshop on watershed issues for 30 high school science teachers. The workshop gives participants the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive investigation of scientific information, science policy, and issues related to risk and to carry out experiments related to degradation and contamination of a watershed. The program also offers a partnership fair to support sustained interaction with environmental professionals, as well as opportunities to develop service-learning projects with those professionals. |
| 1999 | CA | 9 | Yosemite National Institute -- $5,000 Julia Chitwood, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Building 1055, Sausalito, CA 94965 TEAM (Teen Environmental Action Mentorship) This project provides a 10-day, residential field science training program for 22 high school students from low-income, culturally diverse communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The training exposes TEAM (Teen Environmental Action Mentorship) members to ecological concepts that can be applied to urban ecosystems, provide communication and leadership skills to enable them to work with peers and younger students in environmental learning, and introduce them to potential environmental careers. During the school year, each TEAM member works in partnership with a school or organization to present classroom lessons on a regular schedule and to design stewardship projects. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Aspen Global Change Institute -- $4,994 Susan Hassol, 100 East Francis Street, Aspen, CO 81611 Students Investigate Transportation Options Students investigate transportation options by acquiring, analyzing, and synthesizing data to create their own assessment of existing conditions and to develop plans and identify alternatives. Once the pilot phase to be conducted in the Roaring Fork Valley has been completed and a teacher workshop has been held to refine the program, a teachers' guide will be produced and published on the Internet, so that other communities can replicate the program. The teachers' guide will include sets of activities, references to national education standards, information about data sources, a glossary, and a suggested course plan. Audiences for the project include middle school teachers and students, as well as policy makers and the general public in each participating community. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative -- $9,760 Jeffrey Writer, 607 North Street, Boulder, CO 80304 WatershED: Summer Science Camp and Research The Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative, the City of Boulder, and the Thorne Ecological Institute have joined in a partnership to develop environmental research camps for middle and high school students in the Boulder Creek watershed. Interacting with local scientists through tangible environmental projects, students participating in the project will become WatershED ambassadors to their schools and help continue the learning experience throughout the school year. Several teachers and citizens receive training, curriculum, and equipment to implement Stream Teams at their schools or in their neighborhoods. Water quality, riparian habitat, and environmental issues are evaluated at a local body of water. The Stream Teams share data with students in other schools and the community through Internet communication, newsletters, and community watershed forums. Eventually, the Stream Teams become involved with the River Watch program sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and develop databases of reliable baseline water quality data. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $22,850 Mike Way, 15260 South Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Colorado EE (Environmental Education) Correlations Project This is the second phase of a project that builds state, local, and tribal capacity in environmental education (EE) by supporting enhancement of the Colorado EE Correlations Project. The current proposal reaches a new group of program providers, including the target audience of teachers as users of the correlations database who were not reached during the first phase of the project. The round of training in 1998 reached 190 EE program providers. Many more EE program providers in the state must be trained in standards-based education. Because response to the workshop was positive, with many participants commenting that they would have liked to have other members of their organizations attend, it was determined that another round of workshops was needed. The project is directed at Colorado's community of 2,000 EE providers with whom the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education maintains contact through a variety of channels, including direct mail, a monthly information bulletin, telephone calls, facsimile messages, and various conferences. Also targeted is a key segment (15,000) of the state's 30,000 classroom teachers. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Durango Nature Studies -- $5,000 Ann Rilling, P. O. Box 3808, Durango, CO 81302 Volunteer Naturalist Training Program The in-depth, comprehensive Volunteer Naturalist training program ensures a quality experience for students, teachers, and informal educators participating in the program, Children Discovering Nature. Potential volunteers are reached through the efforts of past and current volunteers, staff, and board members and at outreach meetings conducted by the community coordinator. Volunteers are taught how to assist children in developing skills in scientific observation, so that volunteers and children discover nature together, learn to think about what they observe, and come to understand the complex relationships between humans and the environment. To date, 150 people have attended the training program, and three walks have been conducted with the Children Discovering Nature program. Since 1994, almost 6,000 school children have gained knowledge, inspiration, and problem-solving skills through their participation in Children Discovering Nature. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning For Kids -- $5,000 Stacie Gilmore, 1960 Verbena Street, Denver, CO 80220 Denver Youth Naturally: Sand Creek Project Through this project, the public, primarily urban youth, are educated about environmental issues in their communities. They apply field methods used by government agencies, universities, and biological professionals to conduct water quality analysis of Sand Creek, both upstream and downstream of Stapleton Airport. They also assess environmental and ecological conditions in that area of Northeast Denver. The program gives culturally diverse urban youth experience in applying scientific techniques and environmental practices and encourages them to explore careers in science, thereby enhancing their ability both to pursue higher education and become informed about the environment. The program also fosters mentoring relationships between students and professionals in natural resources fields through field activities designed for small groups. Students learn about environmental issues, educational and career goals, and the advancement of issues related to environmental justice. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Front Range Earth Force -- $5,000 Lisa Bardwell, 2555 West 34th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Earth Force Community Action and Problem-Solving (CAPS) Program The Community Action and Problem-Solving (CAPS) Program is an environmental education program that emphasizes environmental problem-solving, with a strong civic education component. Educators and young people acquire environmental and civic knowledge, skills, and experience by identifying, choosing, and addressing an existing environmental problem in their communities. The CAPS framework guides educators and their students through a problem-solving process that encourages a balanced investigation and consideration of long- and short-term effects, as the young people seek a responsible, sustainable solution to the problems they have selected. The program achieves success through sustained, quality training and local support for the educators who implement the program in school or community settings. The target audience for the project is the 40 formal and informal educators involved in Earth Force. Currently, 75 percent of the sites those educators serve are inner-city, low-income, or minority neighborhoods in metropolitan Denver. Approximately 25 percent of the students involved in Earth Force attend suburban or high-performing urban schools, with the remaining 75 percent from predominantly African-American or Latino neighborhoods. At least four of the sites reached through this funding are located in low-income communities in metropolitan Denver. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Green City Data Project of Colorado -- $3,700 Linda Baggus, 3000 South Jamaica Court, Suite 100, Aurora, CO 80014 Green City/Oberon Project: Outdoor Exploration in a Local Ecosystem Green City works with a team of students from Oberon Middle School to investigate habitat to create an outdoor, environmental classroom at their new high school, Ralston Valley, which will open in 2000. The Green City team, members of the Environmental Club at Oberon, are planning the outdoor learning center, which they will present to the district architect. Information is shared with others interested in creating outdoor classrooms. Green City also involves physically and mentally challenged students from the Cherry Creek transition program, who copy and assemble training guides. |
| 1999 | CO | 8 | Montezuma-Cortez School District (RE-1) -- $5,000 George Schumpelt, P.O. Drawer R, Cortez, CO 81321 A One-Week Unit on Water and Land Use in the West for the Ute Mountain Discovery Camp Discovery Camp is taught by teams of public school teachers and tribal educators and has developed a successful elementary school program over the past three years. With the help of an environmental education grant from EPA, the elementary component was completed in fiscal year 1998. A series of professional development courses for teachers was launched, and a pilot middle school session has been conducted. The goal of the project is to encourage public school teachers to use their own backyard teaching resources to engage youngsters in science and to create articulated lessons across grade boundaries. Students are offered an alternative science experience, rooted in local culture and connected earth systems. The project introduces both students and adult learners to environmental issues relevant to their communities and to the age-appropriate science content and social perspectives necessary to comprehend and address those issues. Beginning in the summer of 1999, the neighboring Southern Ute Tribe joins Ignacio School District 11 to launch a camp modeled after this project. |
| 1999 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Business & Industry Association Education Foundation -- $5,000 Lauren Kaufman, 350 Church Street, Hartford, CT 06103 Environmental Learning Games for High School Students This project is an education reform initiative under which both teachers and students are educated about real-world environmental problems and develop strategies to solve those problems. The project also exposes students to environmental careers. The purpose of the project is to increase the number of school districts in which students are exploring the environmental cluster by developing real-world, industry-based, problem-solving games that teachers easily can incorporate into their curricula. |
| 1999 | CT | 1 | SoundWaters, Inc. -- $5,000 Lee Ann Beauchamp, 69 Dyke Lane, #13, Stamford, CT 06902 Teacher Training Workshop: from the Sound to the Schoolyard This project provides teachers with a unique multidisciplinary, five-day watershed ecology workshop at river sites in the Long Island Sound watershed, aboard the schooner SoundWaters, and at other field sites. The workshop offers a new approach to watershed education by demonstrating how teachers can integrate hands-on teaching methods, as practiced by outdoor educators, into traditional classroom curricula. |
| 1999 | DE | 3 | University of Delaware -- $13,195 Susan Whitney, Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19717-1303 Pesticide Safety Workshops This project is intended to increase the effectiveness of training in pesticide safety provided to homeowners through an active learning technique. The project motivates individuals to adopt new pesticide safety practices at home that protect the environment. Members of the Master Gardeners Speakers Bureau conduct workshops based on a train-the-trainer manual developed for their use. The manual will be made available on the Internet. |
| 1999 | DC | 3 | Kalorama Citizens Association -- $10,500 Michael Gould, P. O. Box 21311, Kalorama Station, Washington, DC 20009 The Marie Reed GLOBE Project At Marie Reed Community Learning Center, a public school, 30 students in fourth through sixth grade are benefiting from Project GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment). Project GLOBE is an international environmental research and education program that teaches elementary and high school students to conduct environmental investigations based on a systematic method of collecting data about the earth's environment and to learn how the global environment functions. Students attend a new, after-school and summer program at Marie Reed that provides classroom instruction and field work at the Project GLOBE site in nearby Rock Creek Park. |
| 1999 | FL | 4 | Broward Estates Elementary School, Broward County -- $5,000 Frank Mandley, 600 SE Third Avenue, 4th Floor, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 SUNsational Hands-on Environmental Field Trip SUNsational is an enrichment program that has two components: three workshops for parents and teachers on environmental issues and activities and a hands-on environmental field trip to Snyder Park for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. Broward Estates Elementary School serves a culturally diverse and low-income population of 874 students. Each student completes a service activity that will benefit the park. |
| 1999 | FL | 4 | City of Naples Utilities Department -- $4,724 Dan Mercer, 275 13th Street North, Naples, FL 34102 Naples Virtual Recycling Center The Naples Utilities Department, in partnership with the Florida Office of Environmental Education, is creating a World Wide Web site called the Naples Virtual Recycling Center. The Web site provides access to quality waste reduction curricula to 700 teachers and 12,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Web site also serves as a local information clearinghouse through which approximately 13,000 utilities customers can learn more about reducing, reusing, and recycling solid waste. |
| 1999 | FL | 4 | Dania Elementary School, Broward County, FL -- $4,054 Frank Mandley, 600 SE Third Avenue, 4th Floor, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 Saving South Florida's Ecosystem This project educates Dania Elementary School's culturally diverse population of fourth- and fifth-grade students about South Florida's fragile ecosystem and the role they play in preserving it. At the conclusion of the unit, the project provides hands-on learning experiences in a national park for 25 students. In addition to the hands-on learning, a number of other teaching strategies are used, including lecture and audiovisual presentations. |
| 1999 | FL | 4 | University of North Florida -- $5,000 Becky Purser, 4567 St. John's Bluff Road South, Jacksonville, FL 32224 Wild Neighborhoods for Inner-City Children The Wild Neighborhoods project provides more than 1,000 minority, low-income school children in prekindergarten through fifth grade an opportunity to participate in educational programs guided by park rangers at two contrasting natural areas. The experiences help inner-city children increase their knowledge of natural systems and their environment. The project is intended to enhance the children's understanding of environmental issues and the role they play in protecting the environment. |
| 1999 | GA | 4 | Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc. - Georgia Council -- $5,000 Marian S. Long, 100 Edgewood Avenue, N.E., Suite 528, Atlanta, GA 30303 Camp Toccoa: Tawasi Wetland Project Camp Toccoa, the resident camp and environmental education center for Camp Fire Boys and Girls - Georgia Council, offers a natural wetlands area and nature center that have been enhanced for educational purposes. The Tawasi Wetland Project brings 1,000 students and teachers from Stephens County to the site by providing scholarships for the students and teaching modules for the teachers. Using a specially developed curriculum, Camp Toccoa's staff teach students and educators the importance of wetland areas to the environment and the crucial link between wetlands and the greater watershed. |
| 1999 | GA | 4 | Georgia Environmental Organization (GEO) -- $5,000 Glenn Delfish, 3185 Center Street, Smyrna, GA 30080 Urban Environmental Outreach Experience for High School Students and Teachers This project for 96 high school students and teachers in the metropolitan Atlanta area offers participants the opportunity to learn about point- and non-point-source pollution and other water quality issues through experimentation and problem-solving activities. Each of four outings takes 24 students, teachers, and staff of the Georgia Environmental Organization (GEO) on raft trips on the Chattahoochee River, departing from the camp site at the GEO. During the raft trips, the participants learn and practice environmental stewardship techniques. Funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide scholarships and support the purchase of equipment for the raft trips. |
| 1999 | GA | 4 | Greater Atlanta Community Corps, Inc. -- $5,343 J. D. Ferguson, 250 Georgia Avenue, Suite 205, Atlanta, GA 30312 Young Atlantans for the Environment (YAE) This program allows 60 middle and high school students living in the west Atlanta watershed the opportunity to learn about water quality through hands-on activities and research. The partners supporting the project are the city of Atlanta, Georgia Adopt-a-Stream, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Through the research they perform, which necessitates interaction with the community and subsequent publication and presentation of the findings, it is expected that water quality issues will be addressed and will influence local policy. |
| 1999 | HI | 9 | Mililani Complex -- $20,440 Kathy Kawaguchi, 300 Kahelu Avenue, Suite 50, Mililani, HI 96789 Mililani 2000+: Establishing Environmental Quality Standards for Mililani This project establishes a partnership between the schools in Mililani with the State of Hawaii Department of Health, the city and county of Honolulu, and the Mililani Town Association. The partners are developing and implementing a program of water quality monitoring by students enrolled in first- through third-grade gifted and talented programs at four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The students collect samples at each school and at selected homes in the community to establish a baseline of data for a multiyear study. They simultaneously compile a history of the Mililani water system by performing on-line and library research and interviewing residents. High school students work with students in lower grades to help in organizing, analyzing, and interpreting the data collected. Progress on the project is shared with the community through print and electronic media. The culminating activity during the first year is an environmental summit open to students, parents, other residents of the community, and staff of government agencies, at which the findings and conclusions of the research project are shared. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | American Lung Association (ALA) of Illinois -- $4,900 Karen Lanter, 1600 Golfview, Suite 260, Collinsville, IL 62234 Managing Asthma in the Daycare Setting The American Lung Association (ALA) of Illinois conducts train-the-trainer sessions for daycare providers in the East St. Louis metropolitan area. Using the Children's Television Workshop's A is for Asthma video, the ALA educates the providers about the environmental factors that trigger asthma attacks in young children. The preschoolers then learn from their daycare providers how to prevent or manage their asthma attacks. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | Bi-State Regional Commission -- $10,000 Gena McCullough, 1504 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61204 Illinois-Iowa Quad-Cities Air Quality Project for Teachers The goal of the project is to improve public education in the Quad-Cities metropolitan area in issues related to air quality and air pollution. The project focuses on health risks related to air pollution. A workshop for teachers, for which an existing curriculum is used, is reinforced by the pursuit of air quality issues on a World Wide Web site. The teacher education project is the first of a number of public education projects developed through the efforts of the Quad Cities Air Quality Task Force. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | Edgar County Public Health Department -- $16,209 Jeff Murphy, 502 Shaw Avenue, Paris, IL 61944 Environmental Education in the Paris School District The Edgar County Public Health Department and Southeast Missouri State University work with teachers and students in the Paris School District to provide training and resources for the implementation of an environmental education program that features the investigation of an ecosystem adjacent to the city's drinking-water source. The program establishes and implements an innovative multidisciplinary science education and research program that includes both classroom and field components for 1,000 students in grades 6 through 12. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI) -- $5,000 Mary Rice, Spring Valley Nature Center, 111 East Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194 Implementing the State Strategic Plan for Environmental Education The Illinois Environmental Education Advancement Consortium (IEEAC) sponsors a one-and-one-half-day workshop immediately preceding the state environmental education conference. Using the Open Space process, participants further the state's environmental education (EE) master plan, strengthen newly formed regional EE teams, and enhance support for EE and coordination of EE programs in the state. The Open Space format allows both the Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI) and IEEAC to identify and train new leaders, while at the same time energizing the environmental education community. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | Friends of the Chicago River -- $4,999 Chris Parson, 407 South Dearborn, Suite 1580, Chicago, IL 60605 Rivers in the Classroom Friends of the Chicago River is conducting a one-week teacher training program in the summer of 1999. More than 30 teachers are trained to implement the Rivers in the Classroom curriculum and receive graduate credit for their participation. After five full days of classroom instruction and hands-on field work, participants are ready to implement a unit on rivers in their classrooms. Friends of the Chicago River provides postworkshop support through that organization's Chicago River Schools Network program. |
| 1999 | IL | 5 | Lake County Forest Preserve -- $24,330 Lynn Hepler, Ryerson Woods, 21950 North Riverwoods Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 Youth Stewardship Education Project The Youth Stewardship Education Project provides students with the opportunity to help restore the natural qualities of the forest preserve lands in Lake County. The program is presented as part of the curriculum in participating classes and includes presentations by staff of the forest preserves in the classrooms. Teachers participate in hands-on workshops, and students visit the forest preserves to assess, evaluate, and remediate the habitats. |
| 1999 | IN | 5 | Indiana Department of Environmental Management -- $6,828 Mark Amick, 100 North Senate Avenue, P. O. Box 6015, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6015 Learning and Environmental Awareness Partnership (Project LEAP) Educator Workshops During the 1999-00 school year, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) conducts six workshops to educate teachers about the agency's Learning and Environmental Awareness Partnership (Project LEAP). The project provides free environmental education materials to students and educators in the state, with the goal of increasing environmental awareness and stewardship. Participants in the workshops receive classroom materials, hands-on field investigation activities, and ideas related to the study of environmental indicators. |
| 1999 | IA | 7 | Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health -- $5,000 Ronald Osterholm, 22 North Georgia Avenue, #300, Mason City, IA 50401 Local Lead Awareness Campaign The project is intended to raise awareness of the hazards of lead poisoning and the necessity of screening children age six and under. The project changes the approach to the management of cases of exposure to implement intervention at the community level. It targets the population of children at risk through prevention, rather than confining itself to the care of the individual child suffering from lead poisoning. Key partnerships with KLSS Radio and KIMT-TV increase the number of people the program can reach. The objectives of the project are to educate families of children six and under and to build in the community awareness of lead poisoning and the services available to address that problem. |
| 1999 | IA | 7 | Conservation Districts of Iowa -- $4,935 Jill Knapp, P. O. Box 649, Johnston, IA 50131 Workshop on Environmental Science Field Study for Teachers The Envirothon is a comprehensive high school environmental education program that culminates in a competition among teams. The object of the program is to give 30 Iowa science teachers the knowledge and skills they need to provide guidance for the Envirothon program. The workshop provides 30 hours of instruction over a four-day period; continuing education and graduate credits are available through an accredited university. |
| 1999 | IA | 7 | Kirkwood Community College -- $5,000 Cynthia Root, P. O. Box 2068, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Workshop to Train High School Teachers in Microscale Chemistry The project trains 20 high school teachers in techniques of microscale chemistry that reduce the amounts of chemicals used and therefore the generation of waste without compromising instruction in standard laboratory skills. The workshop, which is free to the teachers, addresses various experimental concepts that are applied at various educational levels. For the endeavor, Kirkwood Community College is working in partnership with the Grant Wood Area Education Agency. |
| 1999 | IA | 7 | United Nations Association - USA -- $5,000 Dorothy Paul, 20 East Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 Taking on the Challenge of Global Change Taking on the Challenge of Global Change uses public forums to explore the risks posed by climate change, the challenges those risks present, and solutions to the problem. A public hearing is held at Iowa's Capitol to continue helping citizens learn about issues and processes and to present to the public positive and innovative proposals for solutions to problems related to climate change. The overall goal of the project is to make Iowa a safe and environmentally healthy and sustainable state. |
| 1999 | IA | 7 | University of Northern Iowa -- $5,000 Susan Salterberg, Center for Energy and Environmental Education, Cedar Falls, IA 50614 Simplifying for Wellness The purpose of this project is to reduce the use of natural resources and the creation of waste. The project uses an existing environmental education curriculum, Simplifying for Wellness. Recycling coordinators are trained to use the curriculum and then conduct train-the-trainer sessions for the public. Workshop evaluations and postworkshop follow-up ensure that the goals and objectives of the project are met. The Center for Energy and Environmental Education, the Iowa Recycling Association, the Nebraska State Recycling Association, and Biocycle/InBusiness are partners in the project. |
| 1999 | KS | 7 | Emporia State University -- $5,000 John Richard Schrock, Division of Biological Sciences, Emporia, KS 66801 Water Treatment Plant The publication Kansas School Naturalist is developing an issue that will examine how a water treatment plant works, providing information about the most advanced ozone disinfectant process. The publication is distributed free to teachers in the Great Plains region and is used by many teachers to enrich the lessons they teach in their classrooms. |
| 1999 | KS | 7 | Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center -- $5,000 Joyce Lent, 6232 East 29th Street North, Wichita, KS 67220 Earth Wellness Program This project is designed to make seventh-grade students aware of environmental issues and give them the tools they need to identify, prevent, and solve environmental problems. The project provides 30 schools in Sedgwick County with activity kits to be used by 1,000 teachers and students. Partners in the program are the Sedgwick County Extension Service, the Wichita/Sedgwick County Health Department, and Wichita State University. |
| 1999 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) -- $20,200 Laura Downey, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 Development and Dissemination of Environmental Education Materials This project integrates environmental education into the educational program in Kansas. Efforts focus on demonstrating the power of environmental education to help achieve standards mandated by the state and facilitating the use of the materials by providing teachers with appropriate tools. The target audience is teachers of kindergarten through 12th-grade programs. Teachers in Kansas are made aware of the environmental education standards and the correlations of the materials with those standards through a cooperative effort with the Kansas Department of Education. Further efforts will be carried out through contacts and presentations at workshops and conferences. |
| 1999 | KS | 7 | Southeast Kansas Education Service Center -- $4,355 Mike Bodensteiner, 947 West Highway 57, Girard, KS 66743 Development of the Leopold Education Project in Kansas This program informs teachers about the Leopold Education Project, which creates an awareness of issues related to the environment and conservation. Teachers gain an understanding of Leopold's classic land ethic and translate it into hands-on activities that provide direct experiences in the natural world. Four full-day, in-service workshops are offered during the year. |
| 1999 | KS | 7 | Wichita/Sedgwick County Department of Community Health -- $4,895 Nancy Larson, 1900 East Ninth Street, Wichita, KS 67214 Environmental Education for Owners of Dry-Cleaning Businesses The project, which provides workshops for owners of dry-cleaning and related businesses, focuses on improving the quality of groundwater in Sedgwick County and reducing the occupational health risks associated with the dry-cleaning chemical perchloroethylene. Outreach activities include workshops, videos, and technical assistance to dry cleaners and related businesses. Partners in the project include Tristate Chemicals, The Center for Neighborhood Technology, the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and the Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program. |
| 1999 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $15,172 Larry D. Hamfeldt, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232 The Air We Breathe: A Study of Air Quality in an Industrial Community Under a project supported by a partnership between the Rubbertown Community Advisory Council and the University of Louisville, 225 students at three schools in the Jefferson County Public School District actively engage in studying and researching air quality in the Rubbertown community. Located in the community are 10 chemical industrial facilities at which air quality is considered poor. The results of the research will be provided to the community during the celebration of Earth Day 2000. |
| 1999 | KY | 4 | Watterson Accelerated Elementary School Parent Teacher Association -- $4,743 Kathy Lowrey, 3900 Breckenridge Lane, Louisville, KY 40218 Urban Wildlife Habitat Garden: Look What Lives in Your Back Yard Watterson elementary school students, specifically 576 students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, and 21 classroom teachers learn about and experience the complexity of small-scale ecosystems at the school's outdoor classroom, the Urban Wildlife Habitat Garden. The Jefferson County Public Schools' Center for Environmental Education offers teachers professional development through in-service days at the outdoor classroom. Both students and teachers examine first hand the topics of biodiversity, habitat requirements, and environmental interdependency. |
| 1999 | LA | 6 | Cenla Pride -- $4,054 Bettye Jones, 802 Third Street, Alexandria, LA 71301 Water Festival for Students and the Public Students and the public are being educated about the effects of runoff from urban storm drains on groundwater and the relationship of that issue to issues that affect other natural resources. The effort thereby instills awareness and the stewardship ethic. The effects of human action on the environment, for example, are demonstrated by developing an understanding of urban storm water runoff and its effects on aquatic ecosystems; the importance of water to all life; the water cycle and the role of groundwater in that cycle; and the interdependence of plants, trees, wildlife, soil, air, and water. |
| 1999 | LA | 6 | Cenla Pride -- $7,500 Bettye Jones, 802 Third Street, Alexandria, LA 71301 Environmental Action Center The environmental action center educates students, their families, and neighborhood and civic organizations about facts related to local environmental issues, possible causes of and solutions to environmental problems, and ways in which individuals can work to keep their community clean and healthy. Participants learn through hands-on exercises, interactive activities that build motivation, and field trips. |
| 1999 | ME | 1 | Aroostook Literacy Coalition -- $5,000 Ervin T. MacDonald, P. O. Box 190, Houlton, ME 04730 Bridging The Two Maines This regional telecommunications project educates the general public in Aroostook County and key community leaders about environmental issues and on-line networking to improve their access to key environmental data. By providing that training, the project uses technology to educate members of the adult community, including low-income audiences, in Aroostook County, the largest and northernmost county in the state. |
| 1999 | ME | 1 | University of Maine, Water Research Institute -- $5,000 Mary Ann McGarry, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5717 Testing The Waters (TTW): Building A Maine Watershed Alliance This project extends the reach of the earlier pilot Testing The Water (TTW) programs by expanding their geographic base into the Kennebec River watershed, located in central Maine. The TTW program now provides a hands-on, minds-on, water quality monitoring and educational experience for more than 800 school children and teachers in the Kennebec watershed. |
| 1999 | MD | 3 | Allegany County Board of Education -- $5,000 Ken Baxter, 108 Washington Street, Cumberland, MD 21502 The Beall High Environmental Education Project This project is enriching the study of environmental science by providing 75 science students at Beall Junior-Senior High School with rich field experiences in the area of water quality investigations relevant to their community. Students are learning laboratory techniques for water testing and management of data sets, as well as exploring the implications of measurements that differ and learning to interpret the results. A World Wide Web site displays data and information about the project and its participants. |
| 1999 | MD | 3 | Battle Creek Nature Education Society -- $4,916 Linda Fadely, P. O. Box 122, Port Republic, MD 20676 Oyster Monitoring Program for Fourth Graders In Calvert County public schools, 27 fourth-grade classes participate in the Oyster Monitoring Program. Students are helping to forward research and are participating in a public awareness effort related to recovery of oyster colonies in the Chesapeake Bay. Under the program, students examine the significance of the decline of the oyster colonies and assist scientists in identifying possible cause of the decline. The program provides students with a remarkable opportunity to contribute to restoration of the bay and discover for themselves the importance of protecting the ecosystem. |
| 1999 | MD | 3 | Calvert County Public Schools -- $5,000 JoAnn Roberts, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Making the Classroom Connection: Real World to Real Science Local and state environmental research scientists worked on the development of this mentorship program for teachers of grades one through five. The program provides an opportunity for teachers to work side by side with scientists searching for solutions to Maryland's key environmental problems. Teachers use the mentorship experience to connect learning about real environmental problems with real science and mathematics skills in the classroom. Under the program, 10 elementary teachers (two from each grade) work in a mentorship relationship with a scientist for one week to write a classroom performance task that connects what they have learned as the result of the mentorship with classroom instruction. The teachers then share their experience and learning activities with other teachers countywide. |
| 1999 | MD | 3 | The Academy of Natural Sciences -- $4,096 Erin Strickland, 10545 Mackall Road, St. Leonard, MD 20685 Adopt an Oyster Bar This pilot program is designed to expose 1,200 school children in two elementary schools to the importance of the oyster reef communities of the Chesapeake Bay. The project builds on an existing program in which every fourth grader in the school district studies the ecology of oyster reef communities. The goals of the program are to teach all students about the life cycles of oysters and similar animals and to provide to all fourth graders a greater breadth and depth of knowledge about Chesapeake Bay ecology. |
| 1999 | MD | 3 | Wicomico County Department of Recreation and Parks -- $5,000 David Perry, 500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21804 Pemberton Historical Park Summer Camp This project is a six-week summer day camp program for school children ages 5 through 14. The camp, located on 247 acres on the Delmarva Peninsula, provides a program that addresses local and global environmental concerns. The camp program helps students, especially those from low-income or minority households, identify community issues through studies of historical land use, field studies, examination of resources, canoe trips, and other methods. A second priority is identifying how human interaction with the environment of the Eastern Shore has changed since the colonial period. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | Alternatives for Community and Environment -- $10,000 Warren Goldstein-Gelb, 2343 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 The Air We Share: From Classroom to Community in Roxbury The Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP) focuses on the issues of poor indoor and outdoor air quality as a primary public health concern among school-age young people and adults in Roxbury. REEP targets youth and informal leaders in public housing, neighborhood associations, and small businesses. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | EarthWorks Projects, Inc. -- $5,000 Maurice Loiselle, 46 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Outdoor Classroom's Adopt a Tree and High School Mentors Program This project increases the use of the Schoolyard Orchard Outdoor Classrooms for hands-on environmental education by training 10 or more volunteers who live in the communities in which the schools are located. The project also trains five high school students as classroom specialists for their schools and three to five teachers in the use of the orchards. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | Island Alliance -- $25,000 Kathy Abbott, 408 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02210 Interdisciplinary Environmental Middle School Curriculum Based on Islands in Boston Harbor The project's middle school curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students in Boston and other minority neighborhoods in Massachusetts. It also delivers instruction and learning materials to teachers on site. The curriculum is based on the geological, historical, cultural, social, economic, political, and marine and terrestrial ecology resources of the islands of Boston Harbor. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | Lynn Public Schools Environmental School -- $4,995 Charles P. Wilkinson, 14 Central Avenue, Lynn, MA 01901 A Teaching Tool for the Development of Critical-Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills This project provides interdisciplinary real-world training in ecological principles and environmental education to teams of primary and secondary teachers at the Lynn Woods Reservation, a unique 2,200-acre urban forest. Workshops provide field training based on the geology, hydrology, flora, and fauna of local ecosystems. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | New England Aquarium Corporation, Education Department -- $5,000 William Spitzer, Ph.D., Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 Community Environmental Career Development Community organizations recruit young adults, age 18 to 30, from Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Chelsea to participate in a series of eight environmental career workshops. Professionals who work in environmental careers participate as guest presenters, with the workshops organized by staff of the New England Aquarium and hosted by a number of community organizations in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | Newton Public Schools -- $5,000 George Willwerth, 100 Walnut Street, Newton, MA 02460 From Cheesecake Brook to Stellwagen Bank This project takes an integrated, thematic approach to helping students develop concern for their environment by demonstrating the neglect that has occurred in their own community and that has had an adverse effect on Cheesecake Brook, a brook that flows through property of the school. The project demonstrates how the effects of that neglect have reached the Charles River and extended as far as Stellwagen Bank. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association -- $7,269 Nancy Hazard, 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Teacher Workshops on Transportation The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association enhances the skills of middle school teachers in environmental education by offering a new teacher training workshop that provides them a unique set of interdisciplinary environmental education materials called Future Wheels for a Sustainable America. The materials are designed to raise the awareness of teachers, students, and parents of environmental and health hazards associated with transportation choices. The workshops, held in EPA Region 3 (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware) during the 1999-2000 school year, offer resources to 5,000 middle school teachers. The teachers present the lessons to approximately 3,000 students from a wide range of ethnic and economic backgrounds in urban, suburban, and rural areas. |
| 1999 | MA | 1 | University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Foundation -- $19,159 Dr. Linda Silka, 600 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor South, Lowell, MA 01854 Regional Economic and Social Development The River Ambassadors, 30 Southeast Asian young people previously trained in urban environmental issues, are creating six 15-minute videotape programs designed to consolidate their learning and give them increased visibility for their environmental work. The project provides a model for the development of community-based approaches that can be successful in areas that are home to immigrants new to the United States. |
| 1999 | MI | 5 | Ecology Center of Ann Arbor -- $4,000 Ruth Kraut, 117 North Division Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Kids Can Make a Difference The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor incorporates environmental education into a community center's programming at a local public housing site. The hands-on educational program educates participants about environmental health and community issues. Using the information they learn through the program, participants then educate the general public about environmental threats to human health. |
| 1999 | MI | 5 | Fairview Area Schools -- $23,500 Philip Moerdyk, 1879 East Miller Road, Fairview, MI 48621 Great Lakes Authentic Science Studies (GLASS) During the 1999-2000 school year, Fairview Area Schools is implementing the pilot program of Great Lakes Authentic Science Studies. GLASS coordinates existing curricula and community resources into an instructional framework of community-based authentic learning activities, based on state and national standards for environmental studies. Students and teachers who participate in the GLASS program are more knowledgeable about environmental concepts and issues and have a better understanding of environmental vocations than those who do not participate in the program. |
| 1999 | MI | 5 | Intermediate School District of St. Clair County -- $5,000 Carl Arko, 499 Range Road, P. O. Box 5001, Port Huron, MI 48061-5001 Pine River Environmental Education Trail Through the creation and development of a nature trail, the Intermediate School District of St. Clair County incorporates environmental education into the core curriculum. Hands-on activities at the nature trail reinforce lessons learned in the classroom. Field trips allow students to develop their critical-thinking skills and enhance their interest in, and exposure to, environmental issues. |
| 1999 | MI | 5 | Michigan Recycling Coalition -- $5,000 Kerrin O'Brien, P. O. Box 10240, Lansing, MI 48901-0240 Master Recycler Program After revising and adapting a recycling curriculum developed by the Oregon State University Extension Service, the Michigan Recycling Coalition conducts two training programs in the community. The first pilot program seeks to educate community members about recycling, and the second pilot program seeks to educate business leaders about that subject. After completing the pilot programs, participants are identified as Master Recyclers. The Michigan Recycling Coalition then conducts a train-the-trainer workshop during which potential facilitators are trained to conduct the community-based program. |
| 1999 | MI | 5 | Muskegon Area Intermediate School District -- $3,465 Gregg Zulauf, 1001 East Wesley Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49442 Water: It Needs to Be in Your Curriculum The Water: It Needs to Be in Your Curriculum! program trains middle and high school teachers to lead student investigations of water quality in local watersheds. Teachers participate in training workshops during which they tour the subwatersheds and learn why local involvement is crucial to healthy watersheds. A self-interpretive guide, Water Quality - Land Use, allows students to make connections between land use and the water quality data collected. |
| 1999 | MN | 5 | Eco-Education -- $4,990 Kathy Kinzig, 275 East 4th Street, #821, St. Paul, MN 55101 Environmental Education Workshops for Teachers The Eco-Education program trains teachers in urban environmental education and service learning by providing two workshops, two technical planning sessions, and year-long classroom support. Through the workshops, teachers examine current urban environmental issues and learn how to facilitate environmental service-learning projects that allow their students to use their knowledge to exert a positive influence on their communities and their environment. The year-long support provided allows teachers to seek the advice of environmental education professionals and refine their ideas and activities. |
| 1999 | MN | 5 | Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School -- $4,588 Larry Johnson, 715 101st Avenue, West Duluth, MN 55808 Community Garden Plots In collaboration with the Valley Youth Center, Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School develops community garden plots that allow students to integrate classroom lessons and hands-on field activities. Material composted at the school is used to fertilize the gardens and build the plots. While students work in the gardens, graduate students conduct activities that educate students about waste reduction and life-cycle processes. The gardening program is conducted after school in a youth center attended by 50 to 100 students each day. |
| 1999 | MN | 5 | Initiative Foundation -- $24,102 Kathy Gaalswyk, 70 SE 1st Avenue, Little Falls, MN 56345 Training for Lake Associations Teams During three day-long training workshops, members of Minnesota's Lake Associations teams are trained to provide leadership to their respective groups. Leaders are expected to return to their lakes and educate fellow owners of lakeshore properties about crucial environmental issues that affect water quality, shoreland, wildlife, and fisheries. The participants in the leadership training also are expected to lead the development of lake management plans for their particular lakes. |
| 1999 | MN | 5 | Washington County -- $5,000 Cindy Weckwerth, 14949 62nd Street, North, P. O. Box 3803, Stillwater, MN 55082 Children's Water Festival The Children's Water Festival provides a hands-on water education program for fifth graders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. At the festival, students visit more than 30 learning stations to learn about such topics as the water cycle, groundwater and surface water, ecology, wetlands, and other natural resources. Participating teachers receive a curriculum enhancement workbook they can use after the festival to continue water education in their classrooms. |
| 1999 | MS | 4 | Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Gail Spears, P. O. Box 23005, Jackson, MS 39225 I'm a Conservation Grandparent Workshop In partnership with local soil and water conservation districts and organizations, the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts offers a limited number of workshops to train grandparents and other senior adults interested in educating children about conservation. In addition to communicating their knowledge to preschool and elementary-age children, Conservation Grandparents engage in speaking opportunities, assist in conducting conservation programs at the local level, and train other grandparents to become Conservation Grandparents. The workshops involve 150 participants, who in turn reach more than 500 children. |
| 1999 | MS | 4 | Poplarville School District -- $5,000 Louise Smith, 804 South Julia Street, Poplarville, MS 39470 Outdoor Classroom: An Interpretive Environmental Learning Center This program enhances the Outdoor Classroom at Poplarville Upper Elementary School with learning stations that provide 500 students and their teachers opportunities for hands-on environmental education and research, in a program based on an interdisciplinary approach. |
| 1999 | MS | 4 | Starkville School District -- $91,200 (HQ Grant) Janet Henderson, 401 Greensboro, Starkville, MS 39759 Environment Education Center and Program at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge The Starkville School District serves more than 4,000 students in an area of more than 100 square miles. In cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior and Mississippi State University, the school district has established an environmental education center and program in the wildlife refuge. The essentially rural program emphasizes sustainable use of diminishing resources, fish and wildlife ecology, and the historical significance of natural assets in creating the culture of the South. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and at the college level, as well, in Mississippi and Alabama benefit from learning in the environment, where theories can be tested against empirical reality. Very few of such opportunities are available in the impoverished area that the project serves. The program is coordinated with Project Wild, Project Wet, Aquatic Wild, and Project Learning Tree. The ultimate target is 69 school districts within a 140-mile radius of the refuge that serve a population of primarily limited-income families. The project also serves the Choctaw Tribal School System and several private schools. |
| 1999 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi University Museums -- $5,000 Bonnie J. Krause, Office of Research, University, MS 38677 Renewed Environmental Education: Traveling Trunks This project renews and redesigns three environmental education traveling trunks (originally funded through EPA) that circulate among schools, libraries, and other facilities in the upper 20 counties of Mississippi. The trunks enhance the science curriculum in elementary schools, as well as the teaching skills of teachers. This year, 40 elementary school classrooms and 15 teachers are benefiting from the presentations and demonstrations, with additional schools to be reached through the continuing program. |
| 1999 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $5,000 Dr. M. M. Holland, 125 Old Chemistry, University, MS 38677 Institute for Environmental Education at the University of Mississippi Field Station In partnership with the university's Department of Biology and the university's School of Education, staff of the University of Mississippi Field Station train teachers to develop ecological principles and incorporate them into the science curriculum of the elementary schools in northern Mississippi. The program includes a week-long summer institute and two workshops held after the institute. |
| 1999 | MO | 7 | Cooperating School Districts -- $23,870 Glenda Abney, 7525 Sussex Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63143 Integration of Environmental Education Programs into Statewide Education Standards The project promotes integration of environmental education in state-mandated, performance-based curricula. Two in-service sessions are being offered in three school districts in the St. Louis area: one urban, one suburban, and one rural. Follow-up consultations are offered to individual teachers. Approximately 5,250 students are using the materials. Partners in the project are MidAmerica Energy & Resource Partners, the Regional Professional Development Center of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Missouri Environmental Education Association. |
| 1999 | MO | 7 | Missouri Environmental Education Association -- $5,000 Virginia Wallace, P. O. Box 104505, Jefferson City, MO 65110 Leadership Clinic to Implement Environmental Education Programs in Communities The project builds capacity to implement environmental education programs in the state by offering a four-day leadership clinic modeled after the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP). The target audience is 30 participants in 10 teams of three each from throughout the state. The teams receive training in environmental education issues that equips them to implement projects in their communities. |
| 1999 | MO | 7 | Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association -- $4,602 Carol Childress, P. O. Box 1262, Mountain View, MO 65548 Getting into Water The project is a three-day, college-credit course that provides training and education materials to 20 middle-school teachers in 45 school districts in the watershed of the Current and Eleven Point rivers. The teachers can provide water education to approximately 600 students each year. Partners in the program with the Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association are Lincoln University, the State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior. |
| 1999 | MO | 7 | Southwest Missouri State University -- $4,855 Janice Greene, 901 South National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804 Increasing Environmental Education in Preparation of Pre-Service Teachers Under the project, pre-service teachers are offered a workshop designed to improve their environmental education skills. The target audience is pre-service teachers enrolled in college courses for teaching methods in science, social studies, and language arts. Through the workshop, they become certified as facilitators for Project WET, Project WILD, and Missouri's Project Learning Tree. The project is an extension of a partnership of the university with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation. |
| 1999 | MO | 7 | Wyman Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Bridget Lenhardt, 600 Eureka Road, Eureka, MO 63025 Wyman Adventures Program The project is an extracurricular science education program for 30 students in grades five through eight at Toussaint L'Ouverture Middle School. Activities include after-school adventures, day trips, and overnight trips. The objectives of the program include development of an awareness and understanding of the environment and improvement in both school attendance and grades in science among the students who participate. |
| 1999 | MT | 8 | Bridger Outdoor Science School -- $4,981 Bobbi J. Geise, P. O. Box 502, Bozeman, MT 59771 The Gallatin Journey This project establishes and integrates an interdisciplinary schoolwide environmental education component into the mandated curriculum at Emily Dickenson Elementary School. The project is a collaborative effort of the school and the Bridger Outdoor Science School. It uses the natural resources in the vicinity of the school -- a stream, town parks, agricultural fields, and federal lands -- to teach about ecological concepts and related issues. The age-appropriate Gallatin Journey lessons provide a real world application of each of the required classroom science kits and other curriculum requirements. The Gallatin Journey serves 19 teachers, 25 parents, and 490 students in kindergarten through fifth grade at Emily Dickenson. |
| 1999 | MT | 8 | Missoula Family YMCA -- $5,000 J. Porter Hammitt, 3000 South Russell, Missoula, MT 59802 Outdoor Environmental Education Program The project has established a year-round program that offers quality environmental education learning experiences for sixth graders in the Missoula area. The program has expanded to reach 450 students, 20 teachers, and 15 college students, who serve as volunteer instructors. The objective of the project is to develop in participants an awareness of the unique ecosystems of western Montana and the environmental issues that affect the area. Its purpose is to introduce participants to ecological concepts and environmental principles, to provide insight into the implications of personal and societal decisions about the use of natural resources, and to foster in students an attitude of stewardship for the local environment. The audience is reached through lessons and activities adapted from established sources and programs, with classes conducted at an outdoor recreation area by trained volunteer instructors. |
| 1999 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association -- $4,887 Carolyn Duckworth, Box 8065, Bozeman, MT 59773 Delivering Quality Environmental Education On-Line The Montana Environmental Education Association (MEEA) maintains a World Wide Web site to expand the educational capability of its newsletter by providing information about its activities, cover stories, and resource information on-line; to provide searchable directories and bibliographies of environmental education materials; and to connect members of the association with other educators. The primary audience is the 200 members of MEEA, along with the 700 members of the Montana Geographic Alliance, who include teachers of science, social studies, and language arts in kindergarten through 12th-grade programs; educators working in informal settings; and personnel of state and federal agencies. The secondary audience is the entire educational community of Montana and on the Web. |
| 1999 | MT | 8 | School District 87 J-L -- $22,400 Sandra Murie, Rocky Boy Public Schools, Rural Route 1, Box 620, Box Elder, MT 59521 Mother Earth First 1999 Rocky Boy Public Schools are providing a summer environmental program to educate students in nontraditional settings and encourage them to pursue environmental careers. The program includes both classroom instruction and actual field experiments and experiences in the three predominant zones of Rocky Boy's Indian reservation, the plains, the hills, and the mountains. Students study the plant species, the water, and the geography of the three zones, as well as the effects of farming and ranching on the zones. Students present the results of their experiments to the Chippewa Cree tribal government to demonstrate to that body the harmful effects of certain ranching and farming practices that are carried out on the reservation. The purpose of the effort is to encourage the formulation of new regulations governing the management of natural resources to ensure that future generations enjoy a thriving homeland. Currently, the school district serves 574 students in kindergarten through grade 12, of whom 96 percent are American Indian, while the total population of the reservation is approximately 2,800 residents. All benefit directly or indirectly from activities conducted under the project. |
| 1999 | MT | 8 | Teller Wildlife Refuge -- $3,540 Amy Monteith, 1292 Chaffin Road, Corvallis, MT 59828 Teller Wildlife Refuge Naturalist Education Project The goal of the education program of the Teller Wildlife Refuge is to support the mission of the refuge by providing an outdoor classroom and resources through which students and members of the community can engage in hands-on learning about the natural world. Each year, outdoor education field trips are offered to more than 3,000 teachers and students in kindergarten through grade 12. Field sites, assistance in planning and carrying out field trips, and equipment for use in the field also are offered. Because of the success of the model, and in response to many requests from throughout the community, plans are being made to expand the program to include a pilot education program for adults and families in the community. The goals of the program are to give members of the community the opportunity to learn about the ecology of their local environment to foster understanding of the remaining natural areas in the area and support the potential for sustaining those areas. |
| 1999 | NE | 7 | Central Community College -- $8,770 Nancy Bjorkland, P. O. Box 4903, Grand Island, NE 68802-4903 Teacher Training in Issues Related to the Quality of Air, Water, and Land Under the project, 20 four-hour workshops are being held at public schools in the Central Community College and Education Service Unit #9 areas for educators, students, parents, and community members. After the workshops, a one-week course provides further in-service training to 20 educators. The goal of the project is to improve teaching skills and to meet the state's standards for science education. Central Community College, Education Service Unit #9, and Hastings College are partners supporting the project. |
| 1999 | NE | 7 | Imperial Grade School -- $23,558 Paul Ekberg, 520 East 9th, Imperial, NE 69033 Light Dam Environmental Education Project This project establishes a six-member environmental research team representing six schools in Kansas and Nebraska. The team gathers baseline data from a selected study area, researching the effects of confined livestock operations on Enders Reservoir, to which runoff eventually flows. Using multimedia capabilities, participants develop an environmental enhancement plan for the area. The partners that support the project include the game and parks authorities of the two states; the city of Imperial, Nebraska Environmental Trust; the University of Nebraska; the Upper Republican Natural Resources District; and the Nebraska Resource and Conservation Service. |
| 1999 | NE | 7 | Nebraska State 4-H Camp -- $4,960 Bernie Lorkovic, P. O. Box 87, Halsey, NE 69142 NatureLink, an Outdoor Education Weekend for Families NatureLink provides an outdoor educational experience to urban and suburban families from culturally diverse backgrounds. The weekend program includes workshops during which parents experience the outdoors with their children. Intergenerational participation reinforces the message that natural resources must be protected for future generations. Partners in the project include the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations. |
| 1999 | NE | 7 | Thurston County Cooperative Extension -- $5,000 Janet Nielsen, 303 Canfield Administration, Lincoln, NE 68588 Environmental Education Workshops for Native American Students Under this project, three day-long workshops teach students in fourth and fifth grades and their teachers from Umonhon Public School how to identify pollution and give them the opportunity to work on solutions. The educational priority is to communicate the principles of environmental justice, while increasing in the students an awareness of their historical connection to the earth. Partners in the project include the Omaha Tribe, the Omaha Boys and Girls Club Youth Center, and the Carl T. Curtis Health Center Education Program. |
| 1999 | NV | 9 | Clark County Conservation District -- $5,000 Susan Selby, 2357A Renaissance Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Wasden Elementary School Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat Project This project establishes an outdoor science laboratory to be used in studying wildlife habitats. Fifth- and sixth-grade students research, design, install, and use six habitat sites. Parents and staff take part in the planning and construction phases of the project. Other schools in the district and in the desert southwest are reached through the production of a videotape during and after the construction of the habitats. |
| 1999 | NH | 1 | Antioch New England Graduate School -- $5,000 Bo Hoppin, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431 Building Community Investment Through Environmental Education This project funds internship positions for graduate students in which the students design and implement community-based service-learning projects at the Rachel Marshall Outdoor Learning Laboratory. The projects help students in Keene take responsibility for the long-term management, care, and maintenance of Keene's Ashuelot River Park. |
| 1999 | NH | 1 | Keene State College, Department of Geography -- $10,000 Al Rydant, 229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03435-2001 The Wild World of Worms: A Vermicomposting Geographic Curriculum Guide This project introduces and establishes vermicomposting in elementary school settings by creating a core curriculum for grades one through six by combining vermicomposting with the national geography standards. Maintaining a worm bin provides hands-on experience in management of an ecosystem, integrating disciplines that bring together the physical and human dimensions of the world. |
| 1999 | NJ | 2 | Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) -- $5,000 Frank Gallagher, c/o New Jersey Division of Parks and Recreation, P. O. Box 404, 501 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625 Establishment of a Resource Information Center The Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) is developing a World Wide Web site to encourage and enhance communication among environmental educators in New Jersey. The Web site provides a means of unifying environmental education programs in the state and improving New Jersey's capacity to deliver effective environmental education. Grant funds support the development of an on-line resource information center and a directory that links formal educators, informal educators, and resource professionals. The Web site and center also provide a platform for sharing information. |
| 1999 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy and Education Fund of New Jersey -- $5,000 Anthony Wright, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Statewide Train-the-Trainer Program This program leverages the resources of community groups and social service agencies in New Jersey's cities, including Elizabeth, Camden, and Jersey City, to educate the public about lead poisoning. In those urban centers, where lead-based paint often is found in housing, lack of education about lead poisoning and its prevention puts thousands of children at risk. Grant funds support a statewide program of day-long seminars and follow-up outreach through which community leaders and agency staff teach parents how to prevent and respond to lead poisoning. The program empowers a highly motivated group of agency and organization staff who interact regularly with at-risk families. |
| 1999 | NJ | 2 | Farmworker Health and Safety Institute, Inc. -- $40,000 (HQ Grant) Teresa Niedda, 4 South Delsea Drive, Glassboro, NJ 08028 Farm Worker Training and Development Program The Farm Worker Health and Safety Institute, Inc. is a consortium of three community-based farm worker organizations that will replicate an innovative curriculum and model training program for farm workers. The institute conducts a unique educational program that trains farm workers to teach their peers and their families; the program takes advantage of the workers' capacity to be effective teachers and bridge the cultural gap that might occur between students and conventional teachers. Using the Popular Education Methodology, the institute has created materials and workshops that teach farm workers how to: 1) analyze their work and community for environmental hazards (mapping), such as pesticides and unsafe drinking water; 2) train their fellow farm workers; and 3) evaluate the program and the comprehension of those they train through follow-up training and community visits. The institute's specialized Master Training Program also teaches experienced farm worker trainers how to conduct train-the-trainer workshops. The institute is conducting three train-the-trainer workshops (four days each) and one session for master trainers (three or four days). Three follow-up training sessions (two days each) are conducted approximately two months after the initial training. Follow-up evaluations also are conducted throughout the duration of the project to evaluate the program, as well as to ensure that the methodology and tools are being used and the training conducted in a consistent manner. Farm workers in New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and the state of Chihuahua in Mexico receive training. The project could serve as a model for similar programs in other states. |
| 1999 | NJ | 2 | Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission -- $5,000 Anne Galli, 2 DeKorte Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ 07072-3707 Urban Watershed Education This project teaches 150 teachers of grades 6 through 12 about the Hackensack River watershed. The content of the workshop and resource packages for participants includes several environmental curricula, including Project Wet and WOW!, as well as state and regional curricula that focus on watershed science, map skills, regional history, and management issues. Participants in the workshop develop a deeper understanding of the effects on the environment and human health of human activity in watersheds, leadership skills for student stewardship projects, and training for faculty in incorporating environmental education into classroom programs. |
| 1999 | NJ | 2 | International Youth Organization (IYO) -- $13,391 Derek Winans, 703 South 12th Street, Newark, NJ 07103 Newark Asthma and Lead Poisoning Education and Risk Reduction Project This project reaches 1,000 parents and caregivers of young children, teaching them about risk reduction and better management of chronic conditions related to asthma and lead poisoning. Through the program, 12 participants in the Youth Corps/School-to-Work program and 16 Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) are being trained to work with the parents and caregivers to adopt practices in the home that can help reduce the risks of asthma and lead poisoning. The International Youth Organization (IYO) uses its network of daycare centers, elementary schools, block clubs, tenant associations, and community centers in Newark's Enterprise Community target area to reach its intended audience and educate people about important indoor air quality issues that affect children's health. |
| 1999 | NM | 6 | Border Environmental Health Coalition -- $6,360 Victoria Simons, P. O. Box 134, Mesilla Park, NM 88047 Community-Based Solutions to Illegal Dumping This project involves middle school students in addressing the effects on environmental health of illegal dumping of trash. Students document the trash problem and present their findings to parents and community members who, in turn, present the findings to officials of the county government. The expected outcome of the educational process is the development of solutions to the trash problem and the creation by the community of a sustainable model to be used in addressing environmental problems in the future. |
| 1999 | NM | 6 | Earth Day Coalition of New Mexico -- $5,000 Jill Von Osten, P. O. Box 30583, Albuquerque, NM 87190 Student Education and Rural Outreach Program The Student Education and Rural Outreach Program is expanding its student educational and outreach efforts to rural communities throughout New Mexico through an in-classroom speakers bureau, informational fairs, field trips, local environmental projects, public events, educational forums, and a statewide environmental conference. Numerous partnerships statewide, including all rural school districts, support the program. The specific target of the effort is 1,000 students in 9th through 12th grades. |
| 1999 | NM | 6 | Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge -- $10,340 P. O. Box 340, San Antonio, NM 87832 Conservation Through the Arts Conservation Through the Arts introduces an interactive, interdisciplinary study unit into the classroom. The unit augments existing curricula, programs, and educational resources, while integrating experiences in wetlands conservation science and the fine arts. Presentations include an interactive photograph and slide show, cooperative learning think-tank discussion forums, a hands-on art workshop, field trips, and tours of the refuge during which students take part in hands-on activities related to wetlands science. |
| 1999 | NM | 6 | Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center -- $5,600 Karen Brown, 2901 Candelaria N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87107 Rio Grande Ecology Institute for Teens The Rio Grande Ecology Institute is an extensive summer program for teenagers. The institute focuses on water studies, field trips, interactive presentations by experts, benefit work projects along the Rio Grande River, interaction between native plants and animals on the bosque ecosystem, the effects of exotic species on native plants and animals, hydrogeological features, aquatic organism dynamics, and more. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Boquet River Association -- $18,400 Robin Ulmer, P. O. Box 217, Government Center, Elizabethtown, NY 12932 Leaping with Salmon and Trout This project introduces an interdisciplinary curriculum, Adopt-A-Salmon Family (AASF), in five schools in Essex County and the Lake Champlain basin. Through AASF, students study watershed issues and participate in the rearing and releasing of salmon. More than 300 students in grades 6 through 9, 11 teachers, and the general public, are the audience for student presentations. The program includes a workshop for teachers, field trips for students, electronic information packages, and Internet bulletin boards that link the schools involved in the program. The AASF curriculum is being examined to identify its correlations with standards established by the New York State Department of Education. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Brockport Central School District -- $4,849 Rosemary Catlin, 40 Allen Street, Brockport, NY 14420 Great Lakes Ecosystem Discovery The Brockport Central School District is designing a high school science module to engage students in a study of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The module provides students with opportunities to use scientific methods of inquiry to increase their understanding of environmental issues related to the two Great Lakes. The module includes a component to involve parents and provide educators with a program that uses technology to advance students' learning and achievement, in accordance with national and state standards for secondary science, mathematics, and technology education programs. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- $5,000 Leslie Findlen, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Science Apprenticeship Program for High School Students This program provides high school students in New York City with an intensive, hands-on experience working directly with scientists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on an urban biodiversity research project, New York Metropolitan Flora. The project targets students in public schools in Brooklyn who are members of groups in the society that traditionally are underrepresented in the sciences. Students receive an in-depth introduction to careers in the sciences; develop and implement their own plant science research projects; experience first-hand learning in taxonomy, ecology, biodiversity, and conservation biology; and collect and analyze data and test computer applications. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | City of New York Parks and Recreation -- $4,715 Linda P. Dockeray, Van Cortland/Pelham Bay Administration, One Bronx River Parkway, Bronx, NY 10462 Birds of the Bronx A group of seventh- and eighth-grade residents of the Bronx are exploring local environments to develop an understanding of the complexities of local ecosystems and the environmental challenges that confront both humans and wildlife. Visits to natural ecosystems, as well as to those that are built, including a shopping center in a large development built on a wetland, provide an understanding of the needs of wildlife and the effects human activity can have on wild creatures. Community-based experiential education emphasizes the habitat requirements of wildlife, the effects of loss of habitat, and the complex processes involved in environmental decision making. Students apply what they have learned in the field to a research miniproject and present the results at a mock town meeting. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | City Parks Foundation -- $5,000 Danielle Hartman, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021 Growing Gardens Handbook This project takes the successful Growing Gardens program into its next phase of hands-on interdisciplinary learning based on gardening. Elementary and middle school teachers from public schools in underserved areas of the Chancellor's District of New York City participate in the program, which integrates lessons in the classroom with field experiences in gardening. The goal of the program is to improve learning and achievement among underachieving students. The program provides resources to participating teachers, helps them adapt and expand existing curricula to meet the needs of gardening programs in urban schools, and conforms to national standards for science education. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County -- $4,500 Frank Flavin, 125 East Main Street, University Shopping Center, Canton, NY 13617 Radio Farm This program addresses improper disposal of agricultural waste and the environmental, economic, and health concerns that result from such disposal. Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County is producing 12 radio segments on environmental management in agriculture, each five minutes in length. The programs, produced for public service radio broadcasts, are available on CD-ROM and cassette for use in classrooms and during seminars. The programs, which target an audience of farmers in six northern counties of New York, address burning of plastic agricultural waste and other issues related to disposal practices. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Educational Broadcasting Corporation -- $145,500 (HQ Grant) Caroline Crumpacker, 450 West 33rd Street, New York, NY 10001 Wild TV Wild TV is a television series of 13 half-hour segments designed to engage children 8 to 12 years old in the exploration of nature in the world around them. Wild TV takes the students straight to the environs they know best -- city streets, suburban ponds, rooftops, parking lots, and back yards -- to learn about the ecology of those environs. The process is facilitated by a teachers' guide, a docents' guide for outdoor settings, a World Wide Web component, and workshops for educators. The series explores community issues related to terrain, air, water, flora, and fauna. It will be broadcast in every state in the fall of 2000 and will be accessible to more than 95 percent of households that have television sets. It is estimated that 3.2 million children and adults will choose to watch each week, and numerous repeat broadcasts are anticipated. Outreach materials also will be distributed to thousands of young people. The entire series ultimately may be packaged for distribution to libraries, community centers, schools, and other institutions. The National Science Foundation and various nonprofit groups also are funding the project. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Institute for Economic Growth -- $4,995 Nick D'Alto, 94 Cove Road, Northport, NY 11768 Project RE-create Visitors to the Project RE-create exhibit at the Long Island Children's Museum are challenged to develop strategies to reduce the effects of solid waste on Long Island, where it remains a pressing issue. Through the project, teachers and students are developing a museum exhibit program that involves exhibit visitors in hands-on experiences related to the flow of materials. Activities included in the exhibit explore the manufacture, distribution, and disposal of familiar products. As part of a professional development program, 15 teachers are involved in the development of the project. The project includes thinking stations that introduce participants to a variety of decision-making strategies as they work to solve problems in product design, recycling, and reuse. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Mahopac Central School District -- $5,000 Dr. Edgar Richards, 179 East Lake Boulevard, Mahopac, NY 10541 The Mahopac Middle School Nature Trail Project This project provides professional development opportunities to enhance the scientific knowledge of teachers at Mahopac Middle School. Participants improve their ability to create instructional materials that challenge students and conform to learning standards established by New York. Development of the nature trail is one aspect of a professional development program that engages teachers in the development and assessment of curricula and projects. Students are involved in the production of a trail guide, design of a World Wide Web site, collection of species, entry of information into a database, and trail design. The partners in the project provide resources to ensure that education programs for teachers are effective and expertise in designing a site that is educational and accessible to visually impaired visitors. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Mohonk Preserve -- $5,000 Glenn D. Hoagland, P. O. Box 715, New Paltz, NY 12561-0715 Water Quality Awareness Program This project, which includes studies of watershed and water table models and sampling of the Hudson River and one its tributaries, is designed to engage young people in urban centers in upstate New York in examining issues related to water quality. Students whose experience with issues related to water quality in the state's rivers has been limited, their teachers, and their parents are examining watershed and water quality issues that affect the Hudson River. Participants learn about how water moves within a watershed and through water tables and about the ways in which human activity affects water quality. Students develop hypotheses about water quality and analyze and compare monitoring data from a number of test sites to identify sources of contamination. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Pace University -- $4,950 Angelo Spillo, Pace University Environmental Center, 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570 Watershed Awareness The Watershed Awareness project increases participating teachers' understanding of key environmental issues, enables them to incorporate environmental education materials into their classroom programs, and improves their ability to analyze environmental issues and make informed decisions. Participants focus on water issues in a location in the Croton Reservoir watershed in which urban sprawl and heavy development have put stress on the system. The project emphasizes the development of skills that enable teachers and students to assess problems, develop solutions, and become effective environmental stewards of the watershed. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Seneca Park Zoo Society -- $33,470 (HQ Grant) John Scott Foster, 2222 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY 14621 Amphibian Alert! Extensive research over the past decade has documented some cases of catastrophic extinction of amphibian species or populations around the world. Many of those population declines are associated with non-point-source pollution, an issue that also affects the quality of human life. This project trains informal educators in zoos, museums, and nature centers and classroom teachers around the country to address the topic of declining amphibian populations and provide community members with problem-solving skills and knowledge of the steps to be taken on behalf of amphibian populations. With its partners, the Seneca Park Zoo Society is developing Amphibian Alert!, a curriculum package that provides a concise summary of the causes of declines in amphibian populations, as well as teaching strategies, activities, population assessment tools, and audiovisual materials to be used in presenting the issues to school-age children. The primary audience of the package is the 184 educators at zoos throughout the country that are accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZAA). Zoo educators have the potential to reach millions of people who visit zoos each year. Amphibian Alert! also will be made available to all informal and classroom educators who wish to incorporate the information into their educational activities. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | St. Regis Mohawk Tribe -- $5,000 Ken Jock, Rural Route 1, Box 8A, Community Building, Hogansburg, NY 13655 Environmental Education/Solid Waste and the Pace University Energy Project The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, in partnership with the Pace University Energy Project, is implementing a solid waste and energy education program. Building upon previous work, the project increases the community's knowledge of proper practices in the management of solid waste and energy-efficient measures for preserving natural resources. Telecommunications, fact sheets, radio broadcasts, and 10 cartoon strips to be distributed to local newspapers form the core of the multimedia program. The project targets the Native American community of approximately 5,200 who live on the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reserve. |
| 1999 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society of New York /The New York Aquarium -- $22,500 Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Upriver, Downriver Education Program Two New York school communities, the Dover Union Free School District and Community School District 22 in Brooklyn, join with The New York Aquarium to study two vital wetlands: the Great Swamp (upstate in Dutchess County) and Jamaica Bay (downstate in Kings County/Brooklyn). In both communities, teachers of grades four through six participate in workshops on conservation of wetlands and peer training (which extends the program to an additional 20 to 30 teachers). Through the program, 260 students engage in field investigations and interschool exchanges, share scientific data and stories, and participate in a mentoring program with kindergarten and first-grade students. By participating in the program, students in two communities improve their understanding of their common need to practice wetland conservation. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | Allison Woods Foundation -- $5,000 Laura Webb, 437 Walnut Street, Statesville, NC 28677 Children of the Watershed Education Project This project creates and implements a watershed education program to increase awareness among members of the public of how a watershed functions, to teach about the use of water as a natural resource from historical and environmental perspectives, and to promote stewardship of water resources. It provides hands-on programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12 that are conducted in an outdoor setting. A watershed education manual has been developed for use in the programs. In addition, the project sponsors an environmental club for gifted students, facilitates teacher training workshops, and provides environmental education programs for children of low-income families. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | Haywood County 4-H Club -- $5,000 Wallace Simmons, P. O. Box 308, Waynesville, NC 28786 Environmental Awareness and Water Quality Through partnerships with several natural resource agencies, older members of the Haywood County 4-H program receive training through such interactive programs as workshops, tours, and field trips focused on environmental issues. Members of that team of 300 informed young people conduct hands-on programs and activities for other young people in scout, school, 4-H, and church groups. They have the potential to reach 10,000 people. The program focuses on water quality and its effect on human life and wildlife. Students participate in North Carolina's Big Sweep (an annual waterway cleanup campaign) and storm drain stenciling activities. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts -- $4,600 Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609 North Carolina Envirothon Program The North Carolina Envirothon is a hands-on environmental education competition among teams of high school students. Most of the natural resources agencies in the state, numerous environmental organizations, and some private partners are involved in the program. The Envirothon combines the benefits of environmental education with the benefits of career exploration, provides environmental resources for teachers and students to use, and trains students to work as a team. Envirothon, which is an expansion of an existing program, reaches a minimum of 350 students and 65 teachers statewide. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | The Natural Resource Education Council -- $5,000 Amy Latham, 635 Roby Conley Road, Marion, NC 28752 Bringing Environmental Education to Western North Carolina This program brings opportunities for continuing environmental education to 200 teachers of kindergarten through 12th-grade programs in western North Carolina. The Natural Resource Education Council makes structured workshops available through the community college system, The workshops focus on natural resources and provide hands-on approaches to learning. The high-quality educational materials on natural resources that are used in the workshops remain in each participating school when the program has ended. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington -- $3,530 Pamela B. Whitlock, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403 Forensic Environmental Science: A New Approach to Environmental Studies Under this project, a new college-level course in forensic environmental science is being developed. The course is intended to bridge the disciplines of environmental science and environmental law for undergraduate and graduate students in the traditional sciences and in the Environmental Studies program of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, as well as for citizens who have an interest in issues related to and techniques of environmental enforcement. The course emphasizes a group-learning approach, use of scientific methods, and digital technology. |
| 1999 | NC | 4 | Wake County Public School System -- $4,948 William Carruthers, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 Student Investigations of Air Pollution Caused by Automobiles Assisted by teachers and an industrial chemist, approximately 300 students in chemistry classes collect samples of automotive exhaust and analyze the samples to determine the concentration of air pollutants in the exhaust. Working in small groups, students design their own experiments, monitoring exposure levels and comparing them with levels that comply with federal guidelines that are protective of health. Students in other high schools and members of the community can access the results of the experiments through the school system's World Wide Web site. |
| 1999 | ND | 8 | North Dakota Solid Waste Management Association -- $5,000 Mary Aldrich, P. O. Box 3241, Fargo, ND 58108-3241 Three Waste Reduction Workshops in the State The waste reduction workshops provided under this project are geared to meeting the goal of reducing waste by 40 percent by 2000. The workshops are publicized in a newsletter published by the North Dakota Solid Waste Management Association, and invitations are sent to members of the association. Through a mass mailing, invitations also are sent to more than 900 teachers, professionals in the waste management industry, officials of cities and counties, recyclers, and other interested parties in the state. Each workshop accommodates 30 participants. The target audience includes elementary and high school teachers, as well as college professors throughout the state; college students who have an interest in geology, sociology, biology, the humanities, government, industrial technology, or engineering; professionals in the waste management industry; officials of cities and counties; recyclers; waster haulers; owners and operators of landfills; and concerned citizens. |
| 1999 | OH | 5 | Environmental Education Council of Ohio -- $125,685 (HQ Grant) Deb Wandala, 397 West Myrtle Avenue, Newark, OH 43055 Ohio Infrastructure for Success This project implements Ohio's strategic plan for environmental education. The goal of the project is to build capacity in the state for environmental education by expanding upon existing collaborative efforts to create both a leadership network and a programmatic infrastructure that will foster long-term grassroots initiatives. That goal will be achieved by meeting six objectives: 1) to expand and coordinate leadership by establishing a statewide steering committee and interagency government council, 2) to establish an environmental education center to develop programmatic infrastructure, 3) to use marketing strategies to increase awareness of environmental education, 4) to develop and adopt guidelines for best practices, 5) to establish an environmental education research consortium to coordinate research efforts, and 6) to assess the availability of environmental education to pre-service and in-service educators. The target audience of the initial implementation efforts is those people who provide environmental education to young people and adults, including formal and informal educators who teach children of all ages, as well as colleges, universities, agencies, and other organizations. |
| 1999 | OH | 5 | Hamilton County -- $4,405 Suzanne Magness, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, OH 45219 Teacher Workshop: Exploring the Environment and Decision Making Through two teacher workshops, Hamilton County seeks to educate middle school teachers about waste reduction and issues related to air quality. The teacher workshops incorporate hands-on lessons from both the Exploring the Environment curriculum and the Decision-Aiding Tools curriculum. In addition, professionals in the solid waste and air quality areas work in partnership to make presentations about local community health, solid waste, and air quality issues. |
| 1999 | OH | 5 | Miami Valley Earth Central, Inc. -- $4,125 Bonnie Bazill-Davis, 81 Halifax Drive, Vandalia, OH 45377 ScienceWorks The goal of the ScienceWorks program is to sustain the interest of girls in the field of environmental science. To achieve that goal, women in a variety of careers in the environmental sciences visit the classrooms of sixth grade girls and engage them in environmental activities and experiments. Teachers participate in a miniworkshop that helps them understand the program and assist in accomplishing its goals. As the final project of the program, participating students design an experiment for the Children's Water Festival. |
| 1999 | OK | 6 | Latta Public School -- $3,100 Nancy Jeter, 1851 West 32nd Street, Ada, OK 74820 Environmental Awareness for Elementary School Students The project informs students about the health threats posed by environmental pollution of water, soil, and air. Students develop their awareness of career opportunities available in both health and the environmental sciences by exploring scientific information through computer software and the Internet, conducting hands-on exercises, and experiencing field trips to laboratories and water treatment plants, as well as other related activities. |
| 1999 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $24,950 Marley Beem, 136 Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 Trailer-Mounted Stream Hydrology Models for Youth and Adult Education County Cooperative Extension educators, 4-H student leaders, classroom teachers, extension specialists, professors, and professionals in the natural resources field use stream hydrology models to teach the concepts and processes of stream hydrology to young people in Oklahoma. The models, through which long-term processes can be demonstrated in a short period of time, use granulated plastic to simulate particles of soil or sand. The visual project improves the capability to teach stream hydraulics. |
| 1999 | OR | 10 | Multnomah School District Turnaround School -- $19,639 Rhonda Kjargaard, 5135 N.E. Columbia Boulevard, Portland, OR 97218 Whitaker Ponds Wetlands Area Project and Restoration and Renewal of Natural Habitats This project connects expelled and at-risk students to their community and environment as they participate in cleanup, restoration, and maintenance of the Whitaker Ponds Wetlands Area, which is located behind their school. The students plant trees, monitor wildlife, implement salmon recovery, remove blackberry bushes, plant native willows, build nature paths, implement water quality testing, and create a larger pond. The students develop a personal stake in their environment, have a positive experience in their community, and have opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned. |
| 1999 | OR | 10 | Oregon Watersheds -- $1,828 Al White, P. O. Box 18321, Salem, OR 97305 Water Quality Monitoring and Stream Enhancement Partnership With the grant, Oregon Watersheds is expanding its water quality monitoring program to another middle school. Under the project, teachers are given new educational tools, equipment, and training, as well as field support, to help them, their students, and members of the community understand the relationship between water quality and human health. Data generated by students are provided to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for use throughout the state to support decision making about issues related to water quality. Students use the data to learn more about the ecosystem, water quality, and the effects of water quality on human health. They then share the information with the community through public events and displays. |
| 1999 | OR | 10 | Portland State University -- $8,978 Alex Welsch, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751 Sustainable Business Practice Project Portland State University is conducting a 10-week, three-credit course on product cycles, design assessment, production processes, sustainable human resource and investment practices, environmental accounting, and corporate social responsibility. The 20 to 30 students and business practitioners in the community who are taking the course also are involved in cooperative service learning projects in the community and a one-day workshop. The workshop includes a public forum on sustainable production goals and methods. |
| 1999 | OR | 10 | Rogue Valley Council of Governments -- $14,600 David Jacob, P. O. Box 3275, 155 South Second Street, Central Point, OR 97502 Bear Creek Watershed Community Service Project The goal of this project is to provide approximately 1,000 students, 40 educators, and staff of the natural resources agencies that are partners in the project opportunities to work together to develop and implement enhancement and education projects related to the watershed. During the project, the Rogue Valley Council of Governments conducts two forums on watershed community service projects, sponsors two training sessions for educators, and develops study kits and programs designed to assist in the development and implementation of community service projects. The council also sponsors a student symposium during which students make presentations about their community service projects. In addition, the council coordinates a watershed congress that brings together high school students from throughout the Rogue River basin to discuss issues related to water quality. |
| 1999 | OR | 10 | Think Link Discovery Museum -- $5,000 Lani Schroeder, 906 Washington Street, LaGrande, OR 97850 Activity-Based Exploration of Natural Resources Management Through an Outdoor School Teachers and parents accompany 250 fourth- and fifth-grade students on field trips to a privately-owned, 2,500-acre property near LaGrande. The landowners, in cooperation with several federal, state, and tribal agencies, are involved in numerous stewardship activities, including projects related to forest health, restoration of wetlands, and enhancement of wildlife and salmon habitats. They have formed a partnership to provide hands-on, outdoor classroom experiences to enhance the students' studies of ecosystems and resource management. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health -- $5,000 Richard Tobin, 1101 Market Street, 8th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Environmental Education Project This project is coordinated by the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) of the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health. CLPPP has lengthy experience in identifying, monitoring, reducing, and preventing lead poisoning in Philadelphia. CLPPP provides free public workshops on safe methods of reducing lead hazards at various sites throughout the city, such as home repair supply stores. Workshops held at paint and hardware stores teach both staff and customers how to abate lead hazards in their own homes, in a manner that ensures the safety of the residents. All program materials are designed to be understood easily by the average person. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Downingtown Area School District (DASD) -- $4,945 Holly M. Maddams, 122 Wallace Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335 A Butterfly Exhibit at Springton Manor Farm The Downingtown Area School District and Springton Manor Farm are developing an interactive butterfly exhibit at the farm in Glenmoore. The exhibit includes a butterfly house and garden that provide residents of Chester County and neighboring areas with an interactive environment in which they can learn about butterflies. They also learn to create their own backyard butterfly gardens. Students at Downingtown High School work collaboratively with park staff to develop and operate the butterfly exhibit and a corresponding World Wide Web site. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Drexel University -- $22,828 Frank T. Robinson, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 The Urban Environment Project (UEP) The goal of the Urban Environment Project (UEP) is to give urban students in grades seven and eight from public, private, and parochial schools in Philadelphia a better understanding of their environment as an interconnected system. The project includes learning by hands-on gathering and analysis of data and use of inquiry-based instruction to teach about the environment in a manner consistent with state and federal guidelines for education in the sciences and mathematics. The UEP is developing a diverse set of learning activities and experiments that address issues pertinent to the urban environment, such as air quality, lead in paint present in residences, and urban land use. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Face to Face -- $5,000 Eileen Smith, 109 East Price Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144 Camp St. Vincent Pond and Habitat Project Face to Face is a nonprofit organization that provides outreach services to economically disadvantaged people in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The project addresses education reform and improvement by incorporating an environmental education curriculum into the existing format of the summer camp program. The goal of the Camp St. Vincent Pond and Habitat Project is to create a pond and butterfly garden and habitat to be used as a teaching tool to educate neighborhood children between the ages of 5 and 12. The project provides a hands-on learning experience for the students that places an emphasis on the basics of biology, chemistry, and physics and introduces the students to the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science. The program is designed to encourage group decision making and make science accessible, interesting, and challenging for children who attend the camp through activities that strengthen inquiry and problem-solving skills. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Friends of Salt Springs Park, Inc. -- $5,000 Susan D. Chance, P. O. Box 541, Montrose, PA 18801 Earth Keepers, an Earth Education Program This program is a three-day curriculum sponsored by Earth Keepers that is offered to students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in six school districts in a rural county. Children are bused to Salt Springs State Park to participate in outdoor learning activities. As many as 150 students are participating in the program during each school year. The priority of the program is educational reform; the goal is to improve the skills of students in critical thinking about environmental issues, with an emphasis on inquiry, problem-solving, participatory decision making, and leadership. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Girls' Club of Allentown, Inc. -- $5,000 Deborah Fries, 1302 Turner Street, Allentown, PA 18102 We CARE (Children Acting Responsibly Toward the Environment) Program The goal of the five-year We CARE (Children Acting Responsibly Toward the Environment) program is to provide participants from the Girls' Club of Allentown -- low-income girls, age 5 through 18 -- with an environmental program designed to increase their awareness of individual responsibility and to promote their involvement in environmental activities. The second year of the We CARE program emphasizes pollution prevention. Under that effort, 40 girls, ages 11 through 18, participate in an Environmental Explorers Club; the members of the club take part in classroom activities and hands-on field trips coordinated with partners of the organization and work with younger girls. The grant funds age-appropriate environmental education classes and pollution prevention activities for 125 girls. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Group Against Smog and Pollution, Inc. -- $4,850 Suzanne Seppi, P. O. Box 5165, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Education and Community Air Monitoring and Air Quality Program This program is primarily an air quality education project based on the use of a sophisticated educational air monitoring and software program brought into the schools on a rotating basis for use in air investigations. The monitor, software components, and resource books, along with training for teachers and students, are made available to each school. The program works primarily with 15 middle and high schools in the Allegheny County region. The monitor and software used in the program also are used in the community for demonstrations and in addressing local problems related to air quality. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education -- $5,000 Dr. Paulette Johnson, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA 16053 Essentials of Environmental Education for Pennsylvania The eight-hour Essentials of Environmental Education for Pennsylvania workshop is accompanied by a printed manual and a companion primer. Both publications are collections of basic information about environmental issues, with an emphasis on topics specific to Pennsylvania. Pilot workshops are offered in both the western and the eastern regions of the state. After the pilot efforts have been completed, the workshops will be made available throughout the state. The target audience for the workshops is classroom teachers in kindergarten through 12th-grade programs and informal educators who have little prior background or training in environmental education. Informal educators include staff of such agencies as wildlife conservation offices, nature centers, parks, zoos, and other organizations that carry on educational missions. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) -- $2,465 John Padalino, Rural Route 2, Box 1010, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328 Much Ado About Water The Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) expands upon an existing environmental education program, the School Water Quality Monitoring Program, by involving parents with their children in an active team-learning experience. Along with students from Pocono Elementary School, parents and guardians come to the PEEC to study water quality and environmental issues with their children. The program involves 35 fifth-grade students, their parents, and two teachers from Pocono Elementary School. The program is intended to strengthen the family unit and empower families by providing them an opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to protect water quality in their communities. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $4,280 Joanne Maule-Schmidt, J. S. Jenks Elementary School, Room 408, 21st Street, South of Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Water, Our Link to the Schuylkill, Downhill to the Estuary This program involves 600 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, parents, and the community of J.S. Jenks Elementary School. It consists of two main parts that link the study of water with its relationship to the Delaware Estuary. One part of the program is the scientific study of the natural environment; the other is the artistic study of the natural environment. The students take field trips to study their historical, geographical, environmental, cultural, and ecological relationship to the water. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf -- $4,000 Joseph E. Fischgrund, 100 West School House Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19144 Adventures in Learning Program The Adventures in Learning Program combines the physical resources and staff expertise of the Mont Alto Campus of the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD), exposing minority students, ages 13 through 15, who have severe to profound hearing loss to a university experience. The unique collaborative project brings students from PSD to the Mont Alto Campus for a four-day experience in environmental learning and college living. The program emphasizes success-oriented, experiential learning activities that enhance self-esteem. |
| 1999 | PA | 3 | The Pennsylvania State University - The Dickinson School of Law -- $5,000 Christine Kellett, 110 Technology Center Building, University Park, PA 16802 Training in Environmental Law and Regulations for Vocational Agriculture Teachers The Agricultural Law Research and Education Center and its partners are organizing and presenting a problem-based learning workshop for teachers of secondary school vocational agriculture, a group that traditional environmental education programs ordinarily do not reach. The project is being delivered in a one- or two-day workshop held at the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle in June 2000. Secondary school teachers of vocational agriculture from the northeast and middle-Atlantic states are the primary target audience; however, other groups, such as staff of the Cooperative Extension System and teachers of high school science and government programs, also are encouraged to attend the workshop. |
| 1999 | PR | 2 | Technological College of the Municipality of San Juan -- $24,700 Olga A. Benitez, Chancellor's Office, 180 Jose Oliver Avenue, Urb. Industrial Tres Monjitas, San Juan, PR 00918 Getting a Head Start on Environmental Education This project provides education in environmental health for teachers and parents of preschool children who live in the vicinity of the highly contaminated San Jose lagoon in the San Juan Bay Estuary. Two eight-part workshops target teachers, health professionals, and parents. Participants develop educational materials suitable for a tropical environment that teach children how pollution, environmental health, and human behavior are connected. Activities include identification of specific risk factors and behaviors in the participants' immediate communities and development of a guide that focuses on health issues relevant to nearby communities and Head Start centers. Staff of Head Start programs develop activities to help children form healthy habits. |
| 1999 | RI | 1 | Brown University, Swearer Center for Public Service -- $24,492 Kris Hermanns, Box 1974, Providence, RI 02912 Environmental Health Action Project This project involves families in a coordinated effort to improve the health and quality of life of asthmatics. The work supplements existing clinic services with home visits and educational outreach tailored to the language, level of literacy, and health needs of individual families. Workers identify and eliminate environmental factors in the home that trigger asthma attacks. |
| 1999 | RI | 1 | Narragansett Indian Tribe, Natural Resource Department -- $4,046 Dinalyn Spears Audette, P. O. Box 268, Charlestown, RI 02813 Active Watershed Management The Narragansett Indian Tribe developed a plan to protect the environment and the health of its members. The tribe hosts a workshop that is a coordinated effort of the tribe, the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, and the University of Rhode Island. The Active Watershed Management program also includes eight classroom units, three field trips, and a culminating event. The project also includes distribution of a newsletter that highlights environmental hazards. |
| 1999 | RI | 1 | University of Rhode Island (URI) Cooperative Extension Education Center -- $4,938 June Kinigstein, East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, RI 02881-0804 What's a Wetland Classes of children in third through sixth grades participate in the Guiding Education in Mathematics and Science Network (GEMSNET) program. Students from a wide range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds participate in the program. Children and teachers explore the wetlands with a trained student from the University of Rhode Island (URI) or a URI master gardener as a facilitator. |
| 1999 | RI | 1 | Woonsocket High School Education Department -- $5,000 Linda Jzyk, 108 High Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895 Cass Park Conservation Coalition This project establishes a collaborative effort that involves students, teachers, state and municipal officials, and representatives of community groups in evaluating, monitoring, and restoring Cass Park. A group of students who have been identified as at risk of dropping out of school are implementing the program. The ultimate goal is to reduce pollution of Cass Pond by storm-water runoff, improve the landscape of Cass Park, and develop the area into an ecoclassroom. |
| 1999 | SC | 4 | Airport High School, Lexington County School District 2 -- $4,936 LaToya Glover, 1315 Boston Avenue, West Columbia, SC 29170 Macroinvertebrate Biological Assessment of Streams This project provides a stream monitoring program for approximately 50 minority biology students at Airport High School. Biologists with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) work with the students to demonstrate collection techniques and help the students identify the invertebrates collected. Macroinvertebrate assessments conducted by SCDHEC provide data for comparison, and the project provides biologists the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring programs conducted by volunteers. |
| 1999 | SC | 4 | City of North Charleston -- $5,000 Shannon B. Praete, 4900 LaCross Road, P. O. Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419 SOS: Summer of the Sea Program The SOS: Summer of the Sea Program works with 50 to 75 young people between the ages of 8 and 11 to increase their understanding of marine life, communities, and processes. The six-week project is a magnet program that involves primarily minority and low-income children in the North Charleston area who attend camp programs at community centers throughout the area. South Carolina's marshes play a prominent role in the hands-on program, which actively engages participants in learning to solve problems and think critically about the marine environment and its sustainability. |
| 1999 | SC | 4 | University of South Carolina -- $4,918 Debra Wingard, Aiken Campus, Sponsored Programs, Columbia, SC 29208 Chemical Analysis of Rainwater Runoff from an Urban Wetlands Setting Through a partnership with the city of Aiken, the University of South Carolina seeks to explore the chemical nature of wetland pond runoff by training middle and high school teachers in handling environmental samples, analyzing such samples, and managing data. The teachers take the experience they gain through the project back to the classroom. Teachers are trained through a special topics course at the university. |
| 1999 | SC | 4 | Youth Service Charleston, Inc. -- $5,000 Jennifer Rezeli, P. O. Box 22085, Charleston, SC 29413 Earth Force Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) Youth Service Charleston, Inc., an organization that builds stronger citizens and communities through youth service, and Earth Force, a national environmental organization for youth, are partners in the implementation of the Earth Force Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) program. CAPS is an environmental problem-solving program through which middle-school students and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and create sustainable solutions to those problems. The action projects they create benefit the environment by bringing about change in local policies or in the practices of citizens. The project expands the program from 16 sites to 24 sites; 1,000 students and 60 educators are involved in the program. |
| 1999 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium -- $3,700 Terry Lewis, 805 West Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 WOW! Adventures in a Wetland! This project consists of two four-day workshops for teachers. The objectives of the program are to improve teachers' understanding of the science related to wetlands, to provide quality curriculum materials that engage students in wetland studies, and to prepare teachers to involve their classes in field experiences related to local environmental issues. The program conforms to EPA's regional priority of educating teachers about environmental issues to improve their teaching skills in the area of environmental education. The program targets teachers of kindergarten to eighth-grade classes in school districts located in the vicinity of the wetlands. A total of 50 teachers are receiving benefits from the two workshops. |
| 1999 | TN | 4 | Fountain City Elementary School -- $3,332 Cathy L. Summa, 2910 Montbelle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918 Beyond the Basics This program trains 25 classroom teachers, 2 classroom aides, 2 resource teachers, 3 administrative personnel, and 12 teaching interns in a series of five, day-long intensive workshops. Participants explore environmental problems and issues; learn about and practice the use of new tools, resources and activities; and develop contacts with other teachers involved in environmental education. A World Wide Web site that documents the experiences of the group provides much of the content of the program to a larger audience. |
| 1999 | TN | 4 | Global Village Institute -- $5,000 Albert Bates, P. O. Box 90, 560 Farm Road, Summertown, TN 38483 Ecovillage Children's Program The Ecovillage Children's Program is designed to immerse 50 to 70 children of low-income families living in shelters for the homeless in the benefits of cultivating sustainable lifestyles. Six four-day sessions provide housing and instruction for 8 to 12 children. To develop knowledge of and hands-on experience in practices that contribute to sustainable life styles, the children conduct experiments in monitoring the generation of waste and the use of energy and water. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | Chance, Inc. -- $5,900 Joe Ladd, 681 7th S.W., Paris, TX 75460 Educating Parents about Environmental Dangers to Children Chance, Inc. reaches an underserved segment of ethnically diverse, low-income families participating in traditional financial service needs programs. As part of their home visit program, Chance is educating their clients about environmental health issues, including pest control, pesticide use, lead poisoning, poisoning from gas heaters, radon, mercury, asbestos, secondhand smoke, and poisonous plants. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | Council for Environmental Education -- $21,400 Donna Asbury, 5555 Morningside Drive, Suite 212, Houston, TX 77005 Training Program for Spanish-Speaking Audiences Through Project WILD, the Council for Environmental Education provides Spanish-language versions of activities to persons whose primary language is Spanish. Workshops focus on hands-on environmental programs in the community and in schools for teachers, preservice teachers, informal educators, and volunteers from the community. A core group of facilitators is identified to become trainers, so that the program can be replicated in Spanish to serve communities along the border of the United States and Mexico. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | National Wildlife Federation -- $9,724 Shawn Stanley, 4505 Spicewood Springs, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759 Tracks to Wetlands: Teacher Training The National Wildlife Federation, through its Gulf States Natural Resource Center, provides a variety of in-service educational opportunities and hands-on skill development for students, all of which use wetlands as a living laboratory. Animal Tracks educational materials teach concepts related to wildlife and the environment in a manner that is sensitive to cultural diversity. Many of the materials are available in Spanish. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | South Texas Youth Ranch -- $4,978 Nancy Singler, 200 South Jackson Road, Pharr, TX 78577 Nature Trail and Native Plant Identification Project The South Texas Youth Ranch is a residential and working facility for at-risk youth, age 11 through 17, from diverse and low socioeconomic backgrounds. The young people are developing a quarter-mile nature trail and plant identification project that will provide interactive, hands-on instruction. The nature trail focuses on native plants and their maintenance and protection of natural resources. Students provide instructional tours to visitors, while teaching respect and appreciation for nature and the environment to the residents. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | Stephen F. Austin State University -- $4,996 Jim Isleib, P. O. Box 6109, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962 Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Action Instructors of sixth- through eighth-grade classes acquire knowledge and skills associated with analysis of environmental issues, investigation of such issues, and collection and processing of information through attendance at a week-long in-service training workshop. Within one year of completing the workshop, teachers or their students present the program at least once at a national, state, or local event. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | The Botanical Research Institute of Texas -- $7,600 Patricia Harrison, 509 Pecan Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102 Practical Steps Toward Texas Schoolyard Habitats The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, in partnership with the Texas Society for Ecological Restoration, is developing and conducting a three-part workshop for teachers that focuses on the creation and use of an outdoor classroom or schoolyard habitat. Teachers are learning how to plan, design, construct, and maintain such an outdoor schoolyard habitat. |
| 1999 | TX | 6 | The Leaf Alliance -- $4,998 Susan Alexander, Route 1, Box 335, Pineland, TX 75968 Tools for Teachers: Sharing the Discovering Watersheds Trunk Kits Materials for three Discovering Watersheds Trunk Kits are being assembled to be distributed to three regional offices of the Texas Education Agency for use by teachers in their service areas. The trunk kits focus on students' choices and responsibilities for their health and the health of their communities. The unique, activity-based, hands-on kits are designed to teach middle school students about their watersheds, the environmental problems of those watersheds, and potential solutions to those problems in a motivating manner suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor classrooms. |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $12,000 Janet Ross, P. O. Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535 The Colorado Plateau: Our Pilot Program, a Roving Teacher Education and Mentoring Program This program establishes and tests the effectiveness of the Roving Teacher Education and Mentoring program, a delivery system for taking environmental education, and specifically teacher training in environmental education curricula and techniques, to rural school districts throughout a large geographic area. A summer institute begins the process by giving teachers an intensive two-week introduction to their own bioregion and to environmental education curricula and techniques. Teachers are introduced to existing environmental education curricula, such as Project WILD and Project Learning Tree. The long-term goal of the program is to build sustainable environmental education programs in participating schools through a combination of teacher training, mentoring, and development of resources. The pilot program takes the two-year program into 12 schools, three in each of the states in the Four Corners area. Over time, the project will serve more than 200 primarily rural, conservative, culturally diverse elementary schools on the Colorado Plateau, in clusters of 28 schools at a time, for two years per cluster. The plateau consists of an area of 130,000 square miles that includes portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It is expected that the program will serve a total of 74,572 students in 54 school districts. |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $5,000 Janet Ross, P. O. Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535 The Colorado Plateau, a Roving Teacher Education and Mentoring Program A two-week field-based summer institute for elementary school teachers teaches concepts of bioregion. Participants in the institute serve as mentors to their colleagues and science resource centers are provided to each school. During the summer institute and throughout the school year, teachers are introduced to existing environmental education curricula, and modeling and mentoring helps build their confidence in using the curricula. (Project activity will take place in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | National Energy Foundation -- $74,000 (HQ Grant) Christian Scheder, 5225 Wiley Post Way, Suite 170, Salt Lake City, UT 84116 Living Wise The National Energy Foundation was created to develop educational materials that teach about the links between energy, water, technology, and conservation and distribute those materials to schools and other institutions. The Living Wise project, through a partnership of public and private agencies, reaches students and their parents in Denver, Colorado and the nearby region. The project demonstrates the virtues of ecological management in supporting sustainable living and long-term prosperity. Living Wise combines carefully designed classroom instruction and debate with a variety of hands-on projects that families can undertake at home. Hands-on experience is highly reinforcing and, because it elicits new attitudes and behavior, can generate lifelong commitment to the responsible stewardship of natural resources. The target group of the project is fifth- and sixth-grade students of all ethnic and racial groups, many from low-income areas. In addition to classroom activities, students enter contests, use an interactive World Wide Web site, and play a three-dimensional game provided on CD-ROM. |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | North Fork Preservation Alliance -- $5,000 Julie Mack, Rural Route 3, Box 624-A, Sundance, UT 84604 Four Seasons Nature Program: Experiential Environmental Education The focus of the program is educational reform - educating students 12 to 15 years old in the North Fork of Provo Canyon and Wasatch County about environmental issues as a catalyst to advance social change. The students have been determined by licensed school counselors to be potentially at risk of participating in criminal activities, such as involvement in gangs or drug abuse. The program serves four classes of 10 students each per year. The secondary goal of the program is to include protection of the ecosystem and community issues - to educate the public about environmental issues specific to the North Fork community. |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | Stokes Nature Center -- $5,000 Jen Levy, P. O. Box 4204, Logan, UT 84323 Bear River Watershed Educational Program The purpose of this project is to develop an educational program on the Bear River watershed for educators and their students. The main objectives of the effort are to create a citizenry that is informed about how a watershed functions; to develop in students skills in assessing and monitoring the health of the Bear River watershed and involve them in carrying out those tasks; to inform students about actions they can take to maintain a healthy watershed by applying science and becoming involved in the political process; and to create an understanding of and involvement in ecological restoration of the watershed. Under the project, a curriculum and an activity trunk are being developed. An interactive World Wide Web site on the Bear River watershed links users to existing Web sites on the same topic, and teachers are trained to use the materials developed. The primary audience is sixth-grade students and teachers in the Bear River watershed, which includes northern Utah, southeastern Idaho, and southwestern Wyoming. Scouts and members of 4-H clubs are made aware of the program through promotional flyers, a curriculum library, and the Web site. |
| 1999 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Tim Brown, 300 South 400 East, Suite G4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Tools for Informal Environmental Educators in Utah This project provides knowledge, training, and materials to 120 in-service providers of environmental education. Among the subjects to be covered are pedagogy and education reform. Information about environmental education resources and materials also are provided. The purpose of the project is to improve coordination among efforts in environmental education and build a network of informal providers of environmental education. The providers are responsible for training teachers. Four workshops are being offered: two in the Salt Lake area, one in St. George, and one in Logan. The primary audience for the project is informal environmental educators, including facilitators of such programs as Project WET, Project WILD, and Ag in the Classroom, as well as state coordinators. Also included are such providers as nature centers and museums. The secondary audience is the thousands of teachers trained each year by the providers described above. Facilitators are trained in state-of-the-art environmental education resources, such as the Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education. |
| 1999 | VT | 1 | Shelburne Farms -- $14,550 Judy Elson, 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 People and The Northern Forest: A Sustainable Relationship This project designs and delivers a series of workshops for teachers of fourth- through eighth-grade classes, providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to develop a curriculum that inspires students to become active stewards of the forest. The program provides ongoing professional support to participating teachers, assisting them in integrating issues related to the northern forest into their curricula, while meeting the objectives outlined in the Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities. The workshops accommodate 120 educators, who in turn will reach 3,000 students each year. |
| 1999 | VT | 1 | State of Vermont Department of Public Service -- $150,000 (HQ Grant) Tom Franks, 112 State Street, Drawer 20, Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Vermont Multiagency Environmental Education Project The Building Education for Sustainable Society (BESS) project is developing an environmental education project that is fully integrated with traditional academic programs in Vermont. Drawing upon and further developing a rich array of existing informal initiatives, the project uses the entire state as a classroom and laboratory. Students learn how natural systems function and how human activities affect ecosystems. They develop the powers of observation and analysis required of responsible citizens in a global environment. Environmental educators work with teachers to create a core ecological curriculum that embraces basic concepts in mathematics, science, technology, and sustainability. During the next two years, only a small portion of the 6,200 teachers and 105,000 students in Vermont can be reached, but the grant can become a catalyst for broader systemic innovation in succeeding years. The program could become a model for other states. |
| 1999 | VT | 1 | State of Vermont Department of Health -- $3,820 Karen Garbarino, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402 Indoor Air Quality Education in Schools Under this project, staff of the State of Vermont Department of Health train a representative teaching professional from the pilot supervisory union in basic issues related to indoor air quality and ventilation. After the training, initial concerns are addressed by the school at the local level, and an indoor air quality management plan is developed. The indoor air quality coordinator also is responsible for incorporating the new knowledge into the supervisory union's health education curriculum. |
| 1999 | VT | 1 | Winooski Valley Park District -- $4,000 Jennifer Ely, Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, VT 05401 State of the Winooski Basin Environmental Education Program and Youth Conference This project elevates students' awareness of the many values of wetlands, including their role in trapping phosphorus. It complements and builds upon existing educational resources, teaching students a variety of hands-on skills that they can apply to real-life issues, such as how land use affects environmental quality, mapping, and quantitative monitoring of water, as well as professional letter-writing, public speaking, and how the political process works. |
| 1999 | VI | 2 | St. Croix Aquarium and Marine Education Center -- $5,000 Longin Kaczmarsky, P. O. Box 1217, Frederiksted, St. Croix, VI 00841 Education Program: Marine Ecosystem Protection Video This program educates the public about the marine ecosystem by training staff of the Marine Education Center to teach educators, students, and the general public about protecting local marine ecosystems. Participants learn how to engage center visitors in activities that help them better understand local environments. They also learn how activities such as discharge of untreated sewage, damage to coral reefs caused by commercial activities, and non-point-source pollution affect the island's priceless ecosystems. Among the goals of the project is the fostering of effective education about marine ecosystems in local public schools. A video is being produced to facilitate the training of current and future staff. |
| 1999 | VI | 2 | St. Croix Environmental Association. Inc. -- $12,014 Robin Freeman, Arawak Building, Suite 3, Gallows Bay, Christiansted, St. Croix, VI 00820 My Environment The St. Croix Environmental Association, Inc. is doubling the current offerings of its My Environment program, which emphasizes the development of an understanding of the special characteristics of St. Croix's land and sea ecosystems and the effects of human activity on those ecosystems. The program reaches more than 2,000 children through in-school, after-school, and Saturday programs and an Earth Day Eco-Fair. The program includes study of a Caribbean seafood web; identification of mangroves and study of their importance; field trips; and hands-on activities that teach the importance of reduction of solid waste, reforestation, and community involvement. |
| 1999 | VA | 3 | Buchanan County Public Schools -- $5,000 Franklin Jones, P. O. Box 833, Grundy, VA 24614 Save Our Streams Teacher Training The purpose of this project is to improve environmental education and awareness of stream and water quality in Buchanan County by providing workshops based on the Save Our Streams curriculum developed by the Izaak Walton League of America. The goals and objectives of the project encourage participating faculty to become competent in using and implementing the curriculum, increase environmental knowledge, enhance critical-thinking skills, and promote awareness of water quality. The program is being implemented in classrooms and science seminar groups, and a network of stream monitoring teams are being established throughout the county. The project serves 20 teachers of students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Buchanan County, who incorporate into their lesson plans the ideas they have developed through their participation in the project. |
| 1999 | VA | 3 | Charlotte County Public Schools, Randolph-Henry High School -- $5,000 Carolyn M. Baker, P. O. Box 668, Charlotte Court House, VA 23923 A High School Land Laboratory The Land Laboratory at Randolph Henry High School is a demonstration site for good practices in farming, whether for pleasure or for profit, that also offers alternatives to tobacco farming. Students in the high school agriculture class become mentors to preschool students, enhancing and improving student achievement by establishing an innovative learning environment that incorporates curriculum objectives and an awareness of the environment. The most exciting component of the project is the merging of the Agricultural Department with the prekindergarten program. The agriculture students work with the preschool students to plant fall and spring crops and watch them grow in their natural environment and help them learn the names of farm animals and their offspring. Each preschooler adopts a calf to feed and care for and studies the growth of the catfish that are raised at the facility. |
| 1999 | VA | 3 | Essex County Public Schools -- $14,600 Elissa F. Brown, P. O. Box 756, Tappahannock, VA 22560 R.E.A.C.H. (Recognizing Environmental Activities Creating Health Hazards) The Chesapeake Bay Governor's School for Marine and Environmental Science is a public secondary program that serves 11th and 12th grade students through a half-day learning experience. The participants are 81 students from 12 school systems in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck regions of Virginia. Through a rigorous and enriching curriculum that consists of college-level mathematics and science courses, students have the opportunity to foster an appreciation and respect for the environment by integrating science, technology, community service, and research. The 12 school districts participating in the program share a common concern for the well-being and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. |
| 1999 | VA | 3 | Montgomery County Public Schools -- $4,800 Catherine R. Ney, 200 Junkin Street, Christiansburg, VA 24073 Designing and Implementing a Wildlife Program The goal of this project is to design and implement a community-based project at Christiansburg Elementary School (CES), in cooperation with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom (Virginia Tech-ICSRC). The project is a model for efforts to educate the public about the importance of the preservation of wildlife habitat in their communities. Students at CES use on-line media resources at the school to design, build, and link CES Wildlife Web sites to the Internet. They also use the Teaching Inquiry with the Latest Technology (TILT) Conference to build public awareness and concern for wildlife in their communities. The target audience is two-fold: the partners and the public. The partners -- 80 students at CES and their teachers and parents and Virginia Tech's ICSRC and its student volunteers -- are reached through direct interaction with the project. The public is informed about the project through the media, the CES Wildlife Web sites, the TILT Conference, and workshops. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | City of Richland -- $5,000 Gail Baasch, P. O. Box 190, Richland, WA 99352 Shopping Smarter for Our Home: An Environmental Workshop A workshop is being held to teach environmentally conscious shopping in an interactive manner that is fun for participants. Packaging alternatives, durable products, bulk purchasing, purchasing of products made from recycled materials, and reuse of grocery bags are among the subjects discussed. Employees of city and county agencies work in teams to showcase local issues related to solid waste, recycling opportunities, and the importance of using safer alternatives. From ingredients generally found in the home, such safer alternatives are made and demonstrated, and the proper disposal of household hazardous waste is discussed. The workshop includes a hands-on tour of a local grocery store, and a comparison of packaging waste and prices is carried out. Each participant receives handouts, a 22-page book of recipes for safer alternatives, and a canvas Earth shopping bag. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe -- $3,000 Sharon Purser, Headstart Program, 31912 Little Boston Road NE, Kingston, WA 98346 Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Environmental Day 1999 The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe hosts an annual forum for tribal members of all ages and school teachers in the local community to gather together to learn more about the environmental concerns that confront the reservation, northern Kitsap Peninsula, and the county. This year, the Environmental Day focuses on methods of reducing, reusing, and recycling refuse. Information booths, presentations by guest speakers, small group discussions, and experiential demonstrations are offered. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | St. Martin's College -- $5,000 Huabin Chen, 5300 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Integrating Telecommunication and Computer Technologies into Environmental Education St. Martin's College and the Hoquiam School District are collaborating on an effort to enhance environmental education in the school district through in-service teacher training in the application of technology to environmental education. The project fosters global awareness and international cooperation by addressing environmental issues through telecommunications. Under the project, 20 rural teachers (who will train 30 additional teachers) are trained in how to use E-mail, the Internet, CD-ROMs, videodiscs, probeware, and other technology as learning tools for environmental education. The school district is located in a economically depressed rural community. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | Thurston Conservation District -- $25,000 Kathy Jacobson, 2400 Bristol Court, SW, Suite 100, Olympia, WA 98502 Teacher Training in Using Biological Assessment Thurston Conservation District is conducting a year-long project to educate 40 teachers and 1,500 students about biological assessment methods based on research that can be used to determine the health of salmon habitats in the South Sound. The goals of the project are to introduce teachers and students to salmon biology, stream ecology, and such recent developments in watershed science as biological assessment; to gather data useful to the monitoring and restoration programs of tribes and the county; and to address local initiatives and the state of Washington's salmon recovery goals by preparing and supporting the students to work in teams to undertake projects focused on the community. At the end of the year, a student congress convenes to share and analyze water quality data and biological assessment surveys. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | Washington State University Center of Environmental Education -- $20,000 Darin Saul, Director, Washington State University Center of Environmental Education Pullman, Pullman, WA 99164-1025 Organizing Environmental Education in North-Central Washington This grant expands and organizes environmental education in north-central Washington by linking resources of the Colville Confederated Tribes with local teachers and schools and by providing training workshops and resources to teachers. Under the expanded effort, 60 teachers in five rural school districts are reached. A planning and training retreat, a needs assessment of the tribe's staff and programs, and an assessment of the local schools' and teachers' needs are being offered. The project also establishes links with other environmental education programs, conducts teacher training workshops that integrates themes highlighted in the assessments, and integrates Native American perspectives into local curricula. |
| 1999 | WA | 10 | Washington State University Spokane -- $6,238 Dr. Sylvia Adams Oliver, 601 West First Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201 CityLab After-School Environmental Science Camps Washington State University (WSU) Spokane CityLab is working in partnership with Shaw and Glover middle schools in Spokane and with the Health Improvement Partnership to provide students and teachers with the technology and resources necessary for hands-on experience in science. The environmental curriculum focuses on the quality of water and soil and contamination with heavy metals of water systems in the Silver Valley near Spokane. At each school, the camps run for six weeks in the fall and are offered two days per week (one and one-half or two hours a day) after regular school hours. Teachers attend a one-day intensive training workshop to receive instruction in the environmental curriculum and laboratory modules and training in instructional strategies. The students' findings are disseminated to members of the community through posters, letters, and coverage by local media. |
| 1999 | WV | 3 | Little Eagle Childcare Center -- $5,000 Paula Marrone-Reese, P. O. Box 1208/STOP 900, Martinsburg, WV 25401 Beginning Bee's - Bugs, Birds, and Bushes This project provides preschool children with exposure to their environment. Under the project, the Little Eagle Childcare Center is developing an environmental education site that includes native plants designed to attract butterflies and other insects. A water site is being installed for water plants and aquatic animals (tadpoles, goldfish, and others), and regular observation sites are being erected. The site includes two self-pollinating fruit trees. Local teachers trained in preschool education assist in the project. The goal of the program is to create an atmosphere in which children at an early age can become aware of and be challenged by their environment. |
| 1999 | WI | 5 | Milwaukee Community Service Corps -- $4,559 Joanne Scigliano, 1150 E. Brady Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Mobile Recycling and Waste Reduction Education Program Members of the Milwaukee Community Service Corps and Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) are trained to educate third and fourth graders about recycling and waste reduction. After training, a team of two volunteers visits classrooms throughout the Milwaukee area. Activities are sent to the participating classes before the visits, so that the students can prepare for the visit. During the presentations, students are engaged in hands-on learning activities to help them understand concepts and issues related to recycling. |
| 1999 | WI | 5 | Polk County -- $5,000 Jacob Bellinsky, 215 Main Street, P. O. Box 460, Balsam Lake, WI 54810 Riparian Education and Stewardship The Riparian Education and Stewardship Project seeks to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive program designed to retain and restore vegetative buffers, improve shoreline habitat, and reduce pollution caused by runoff. Through a slide show, an exhibit, and promotional materials, which are being developed under the project, members of the community are given information about riparian buffer zones. In addition, workshops, tours, and demonstrations are offered to educate the community about water quality and habitat issues related to riparian zones. |
| 2000 | AL | 4 | Alabama Mayors Corporation for Economic, Cultural, and Education Development -- $13,896 Shandra Jackson Smith, PMB #202, 2663 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL 35244 Enviro-Youth Alabama: An Environmental Education and Career Development Project The Alabama Mayors Corporation for Economic, Cultural, and Education Development is a non-profit segment of the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors (ACBM). The Mayors Corporation is promoting environmental career preparation among high school students in ACBM towns through Enviro-Youth Alabama, targeting 9th through 12th grade students, primarily minorities. The objectives of the project are to explore and study local environmental concerns and issues in ACBM communities and to increase student interest among students in environmental careers. At least 15 high schools in ACBM communities sponsor environmental science fairs, focusing on local environmental issues. Students whose projects score high and others attend a one-day environmental career conference and exposition at Tuskegee University. The conference features a career preparation seminar and a statewide environmental project competition. The four students whose projects score highest are offered scholarships to attend Tuskegee University's summer preengineering program for high school students. |
| 2000 | AK | 10 | Alaska Discovery Foundation, Inc./Discovery Southeast -- $4,975 Jono Mckinney, P. O. Box 21867, Juneau, AK 99802 Using Local Nature for Environmental Educators The hands-on workshop program joins Discovery Southeast with Juneau's two middle schools and Mendenhall Watershed Partnership to help middle school teachers use local nature near their schools for environmental education. Themes for this workshop series include: exploring Southeast Alaska natural history with students, investigating local environmental issues, and empowering student stewardship through restoration and conservation projects. To ensure that the teachers' learning can be used immediately at their schools for planning curriculum and implementing class projects, the program presents models of project-based learning and draws upon natural habitats that neighbor Juneau's schools. The training addresses grade-specific curriculum priorities and emphasizes on-site base learning and project development for individual teachers. |
| 2000 | AK | 10 | Calypso Farm and Ecology Center -- $5,000 Susan Willsrud, P. O. Box 106, Ester, AK 99725 Calypso's Farm and Ecology Program Calypso Farm and Ecology Center, in partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, provides experimental education in agriculture, ecology, and nutrition to school-aged children in the Fairbanks community. The goal of the effort is to raise awareness in those areas. The program consists of nine monthly units taught in the classrooms throughout the school year and culminates with full-day visits to the center in the spring. To reach a cross-section of children in Fairbanks, the program works with several different schools in the Fairbanks School District in kindergarten through high school classrooms. |
| 2000 | AK | 10 | Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc. -- $4,450 Marilyn Sigman, P. O. Box 2225, Homer, AK 99603 Caretakers of the Beach The staff of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc. collaborates with the Susan B. English Middle School in Seldovia to offer visitors to the beach a community-based education program that is designed to reduce harmful effects on intertidal habitats and communities. The program involves the dissemination of existing resources and curriculum materials, in-service teacher training workshops, and a certificate and award program. The center also conducts a stewardship training program for the Susan B. English Middle School and high school students and adult volunteers, training them to guide and monitor visiting school groups. |
| 2000 | AK | 10 | Kenai Watershed Forum -- $5,000 Robert Ruffner, 44539 Sterling Hwy #202, Soldotna, AK 99669 Stream Ecology for Educators The Kenai Watershed Forum and Kenai Peninsula College are conducting a one-credit professional development course to provide kindergarten through 12th grade educators with the background, expertise, and materials necessary to incorporate stream ecology into their classroom curricula. The course, offered annually, covers hydrology, basic stream ecology, energy sources, riparian vegetation, and water chemistry with an emphasis on how to teach the material to students. The grant provides the equipment needed for classroom sessions. |
| 2000 | AK | 10 | Matanuska Susitna Borough School District/Wasilla High School -- $5,000 Cheryl McDowell, 125 West Evergreen Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645 Groundwater Detectives The Wasilla High School in Matanuska Susitna Borough School District works in partnership with local government agencies and businesses to raise awareness of groundwater issues in the school and the community. During the project, high school students think critically about current groundwater conditions, find solutions to future problems, and make decisions about what can be done now to protect groundwater. The students distribute the information to the community through a variety of individualized projects, such as creating Web sites, speaking to other science classes, writing editorial articles, and designing presentations. |
| 2000 | AZ | 9 | American Lung Association of Arizona and New Mexico -- $4,900 Nancy Cangemi, 102 West McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85003 Open Airways for Schools Program This program provides a train-the-trainer workshop to implement the Open Airways for Schools curriculum. Following the training, the program continues with six sessions at five selected elementary schools in the city of Yuma. The target audience is students 8 through 11 years of age who have been diagnosed as asthmatic. The program incorporates a hands-on interactive teaching approach that uses cartoons to illustrate the lessons. Children who have asthma gather in small groups and use role playing, story telling, and games to learn to work as a team to help each other develop asthma management skills. |
| 2000 | AZ | 9 | Colorado River Union High School District -- $5,000 Nancy Silk, P. O. Box 21479, Bullhead City, AZ 86439 Re-establishment of Native Riparian Habitat The project is a joint educational effort of the Colorado River Union High School District, Mohave High School, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Southern California Edison's Mohave Generating Station. The two external partners contribute their professional knowledge and skills, as consultants to the high school faculty during a summer workshop. They also provide students facilitators and role models for environmental careers for the duration of the project. The plan calls for students to document with photographs the changes they observe in wildlife or soil and water analysis over time and to produce a video to inform the local community of the effects exotic species have on the Colorado River. Each student's final report presents a discussion of the environmental careers the student encountered during the project. |
| 2000 | AZ | 9 | H.M. McKemy Middle School -- $5,000 Meg Davis, 2250 South College Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85282 Urban Lakes Watershed Project The project enables 340 seventh- and eighth-grade students to explore the impact of events on a watershed by researching water quality in various man-made lakes in their urban community. Students are measuring water quality, monitoring changes, surveying plant and animal populations, and inventorying human activity, maintaining journals and sharing results with parents and community members through a Web site. Also on their agenda is a report to the city council and a picnic workday at a lake. The project is supported by the city of Tempe; Arizona State University; the Arizona Alliance for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education, and the school's Parent Teacher Student Association. |
| 2000 | AZ | 9 | Navajo Resource Conservation Development Council, Inc. -- $4,995 Wallace Tsosie, P. O. Box 499, St. Michaels, AZ 86511 Stream Hydrology Demonstration Model for Youth and Adult Education The project provides a trailer-mounted hydrology model for use in teaching young people and adults to promote science-based management of watersheds, streams, and streamside areas. Through demonstrations of the effects on watersheds of both correct and poor management practices and how change in a portion of a stream affects the entire watershed, the consequences of various forms of farming, forestry, ranching, and urban development are tracked. The demonstrations are presented at schools, grazing workshops, conservation field days, and Navajo Nation fairs. |
| 2000 | AZ | 9 | Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment (SCENE) -- $14,885 Kathryn Kyle, P. O. Box 873211, Tempe, AZ 85287-3211 Schoolyard Habitat Program The project brings together Arizona State University's Center for Environmental Studies and School of Planning and Landscape Architecture with Logan Simpson Design, Inc., a private landscape design firm, to offer six schools in the Phoenix metropolitan area a program that facilitates the creation of native habitat areas on school campuses and their use as outdoor learning laboratories. Enrolled in the program are two preschools, one elementary school, two kindergarten through grade eight schools, and a high school. Activities conducted during the project include a teacher training workshop, one-on-one pairing of landscape design professionals with schools, establishment of an e-mail network, and conduct of an annual meeting of program participants. |
| 2000 | AR | 6 | Arkansas 4-H Foundation -- $18,325 Lucy Moreland, #1 Four-H Way, Little Rock, AR 72223 4-H Responsible Environmental Stewardship Quest At-risk teens attend three camps, each of three days' duration, to receive instruction in environmental concepts. The objective of the camps is to provide 9- to 16-year-olds with experiences in water, wildlife, forestry, and environmental ethics. After they attend the camps, the teens are monitored through a partnership with the local police department ranger program for followup evaluation. The camps provide the teens a sense of ownership of and pride in their environment. |
| 2000 | AR | 6 | Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc. -- $5,000 Leigh Ann Covington, P. O. Box 300, 115 Jefferson Street, Lonoke, AR 72086 Hazards of Pollution Model The Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District is expanding its existing environmental education programs to include visual elements to accompany their popular Hazards of Pollution program. The focus of the program is on students in kindergarten through grade seven. Students interact with such personalities as Trash Ella to learn the consequences of their solid waste habits and ways to make improvements. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Alameda County Office of Education -- $11,033 Claire Schooley, 313 West Winton Avenue, Hayward, CA 94544-1198 Arroyo del Valle Environmental Education Center The project provides for a consortium of the County Office of Education, East Bay Regional Parks, and the Taylor Foundation to develop and run a residential environmental education program for students in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. During the school year, students come to the center for a one- to five-day stay and participate actively in the following alternative systems: energy (wind and solar), food (organic gardening), water and landscaping (water sources and quality and irrigation), waste (passive wastewater treatment), buildings (straw bale, rammed earth, cob, and log). Traditional environmental programming is provided, as well. During the summer, the Taylor Foundation offers a similar program for terminally ill children and their families. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Castro Valley Unified School District -- $14,548 Taylor Lyen, 4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546 Palomares Environmental Project-Based Learning The project uses environmental education as a catalyst to engender student improvement in the basic core subjects at Palomares Elementary School. The project is supported by a partnership of Alameda County agencies, University of California Cooperative Extension, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project has five components: environment-based teacher training (Adopt-a-Watershed curriculum), establishment of a living laboratory learning center, trail improvement, creek restoration, and development of a dissemination network. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Friends of the Urban Forest -- $5,000 Milton Marks, Presidio of San Francisco, P. O. Box 29456, San Francisco, CA 94129-0456 Youth Tree Care Program The youth program, supported by community partners, Arriba Juntos, Enterprise for High School Students, and San Francisco School to Career Partnership, addresses career development and environmental education for low-income teens aged 14 to 16 through a combination of classroom and field training. Participants gain job skills and become spokespersons for the environment in their communities. The 36 teen participants are learning specific skills in horticulture, program organization, and public presentation. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Land Partners Through Stewardship -- $4,992 Craig Anderson, P. O. Box 4648, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Summer Field Services for Sonoma County Educators The project provides a summer workshop for 16 teachers and 6 volunteer docents. The workshop focuses on building skills in teaching basic principles in the effort to balance ecological needs in the face of rapid urban development. The program consists of six full-day field trips, covering three segments of two days each: wildlife habitats, watershed processes, and land use and stewardship. In each of the segments, the first day is devoted to building knowledge of principles that interplay with land use choices, while the second day focuses on developing teaching skills for the topic. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Regional Council of Rural Counties -- $4,309 Stacey Minor, 1020 12th Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA 95814 A Stream and Water Quality Education Program for Lake County Teachers and Their Students The project proposes to introduce 40 students and their teachers at Loconoma High School to water quality issues as they actively monitor the biological, chemical, and physical differences among various segments of St. Helena Creek, which passes through their community. Supported by a grass-roots community organization and the Land, Air, and Water Resources Club of the University of California at Davis, students, teachers, property owners, and community members are observing conditions and participating in the restoration of a segment of the creek. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | San Francisco Unified School District -- $149,202 (HQ Grant) Kenneth Gonzalez, Balboa High School, 1000 Cayuga Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 WALC Across the City The Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaboration (WALC) is a consortium of academic programs in the San Francisco Unified School District that incorporates environmental education as a tool to integrate science, English, social studies, art, and technology for diverse urban student populations. WALC is introducing disadvantaged inner-city students to nature and new environments and building upon those experiences to inspire students to examine environmental issues in their communities, to take action to address those issues, and to increase environmental awareness among their schools and communities. Goals for the upcoming school year include incorporating WALC into the master schedule at Balboa High School, continuing to conduct the program at Downtown High School, instituting an elective class at Galileo High School, and establishing a network of students and teachers in the three high schools to enhance collaboration on future projects. Students in the program are producing newsletters, participating in field and camping trips, developing an anthology of student writing, and participating in hands-on lessons, among other activities. Resources, curriculum and other contributions are provided to WALC by several partner organizations, including the Marin Headlands Institute, the Environmental Science Initiative of the San Francisco Education Fund, the National Park Service, and the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks. Students who represent socioeconomically and culturally diverse populations are the principal audience of the project. |
| 2000 | CA | 9 | Skills Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Andrea Tolaio, 2685 Mattison Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Master Vermicomposter Training and Public Workshops Under the project, 20 master vermicomposters are being trained to conduct workshops to educate Santa Cruz County residents in the use of vermicomposting at homes, schools, and work places to divert food waste from landfills. The master vermicomposters will conduct workshops at farmers' markets, the Skills Center Worm Farm, schools, garden clubs, and commercial plant nurseries. Existing vermicomposter curriculum will be utilized. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $20,000 Mike Way, 15260 South Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 The Colorado Environmental Education Liaison Network The project seeks to bolster the Colorado Environmental Education Liaison Network and greatly enhance its effectiveness and value as an environmental education capacity-building mechanism. An environmental education expert or a two-person team of such experts provides leadership in each of the state's school districts. The experts provide training in various components of environmental education, including how environmental education can be used to meet state education reform goals and what constitutes good, quality environmental education. The local team maintains closer and more consistent contact with the designated environmental education teachers, thereby improving access to and delivery of environmental education programs and materials. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning for Kids -- $8,000 Stacie Gilmore, 14460 East 50th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239 Learning Environmental Activities for Families The goal of the project is to educate culturally diverse families about environmental issues and provide the skills they need to make informed decisions. Training sessions, facilitated by natural resource professionals, are attended by children and parents of minority communities who learn about environmental practices and environmental sciences. The field activities, designed to empower the participants to assess the environmental and ecological conditions of their neighborhoods and to advance environmental justice issues, are conducted in urban settings. The project fosters a network of families who are working together to make tangible improvements in their urban environments and promotes intergenerational mentoring of the children which increases their motivation and improves their ability to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The participants also are being exposed to a variety of careers in the field of science that people of color traditionally have not entered. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Friends of Lake Bluff -- $10,000 Sarah Mooney, 10230 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80239 Bluff Lake Bilingual Curriculum Project The Bluff Lake area is a quarter-mile from a low-income, multiethnic neighborhood. It provides city residents the opportunity to experience a wild place in the midst of a densely populated urban area. For three years, Friends of Bluff Lake have been providing environmental education opportunities to more than 8,000 school children. The project is translating existing kindergarten through fourth-grade curriculum into Spanish because one quarter of the students visiting Bluff Lake cannot fully understand or appreciate ecological concepts because of a language barrier. The materials are available to school teachers and students from the public schools of Denver and Aurora, Colorado, as well as other environmental education programs in the Denver metropolitan area. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | FrontRange Earth Force -- $10,575 Lisa Bardwell, 2555 West 34th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 FrontRange Earth Force Training and Support Program Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) is an environmental problem-solving program through which middle-school-age young people and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and work to create sustainable solutions to those problems. CAPS educators and young people acquire environmental and problem-solving skills and experience by identifying and addressing an existing environmental problem in their community. The CAPS program provides a balanced, structured, age-appropriate framework for young people to create action projects that benefit the environment through changes in local policies or community practices. The success of CAPS stems from intensive training and local support for educators who implement the program in school-based or community-based settings. The funding strengthens the ability of both formal and informal educators to integrate environmental education into their classrooms or after-school and summer programs. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Green City Data Project of Colorado -- $1,724 Linda Baggus, 300 East Hampden Avenue, #204, Englewood, CO 80110 Green City/Jefferson County Open School Project Green City works with a team of students from the Jefferson County Open School to educate the students about environmental issues that affect the Bear Creek greenway. The purposes of the project are to develop the students' understanding of the plants, animals, and abiotic components of the Bear Creek ecosystem and to give the students the opportunity to learn from various professionals about numerous environmental careers, all of which are related to open-space lands. The hands-on interactive component of the project helps students connect to nature. Outcomes include enlightening the students about environmental career opportunities and developing in them of a sense of shared responsibility for the preservation of natural ecosystems. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | San Juan Resource Conservation & Development -- $5,000 Gary Jennings, P. O. Box 2021, Durango, CO 81302 Trash Terminators Recycling Exhibit The recycling exhibit is a hands-on, interactive, and multi-disciplinary project originally created by the San Juan Basin Recycling Association (SJBRA) in late 1998 for the Children's Museum of Durango for students in kindergarten through grade 8. Trash Terminators also is designed to travel to schools and other venues throughout rural southwestern Colorado. The Silverton School District 1 in San Juan County has been added to the exhibit tour. There, high school students act as mentors and tour guides for middle school and elementary school children in the district. The collaboration between SJBRA and the school district serves as a pilot project for similar situations at both the regional and the state levels. SJBRA also seeks to bring a small-scale version of the exhibit to 12 schools in Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Miguel counties during the same school year. The exhibit is revised and updated continually. It is SJBRA's intent to bring the full exhibit to those counties, as well as other areas of Colorado and northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southeastern Utah in subsequent years, incorporating the successes of the pilot program. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Southwest Youth Corps -- $5,000 John Dey Jr., P. O. Box 2704, Durango, CO 81302 Conservation Corps Environmental Education Curriculum In response to a recent community needs assessment, the San Juan National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Parks, the Southern Ute Community Action Program, the Community of Learners Charter School, the San Juan Mountains Association, 9-R School District, and Southwest Open High School have formed a partnership with the Southwest Youth Corps. The focus of the partnership is to engage youth in the stewardship of public lands in the Four Corners area, while providing them with an environmental education curriculum that is linked to both Colorado state competencies and the projects they are completing. In the partnership, staff of the land management agency identify meaningful stewardship projects, provide technical support, and make available interpretive staff to Conservation Corps members who serve as stewards of public lands by completing ongoing service projects focused on the removal of non-native species, protection of wetland areas, maintenance of recreational opportunities, and improvement of wildlife habitat. |
| 2000 | CO | 8 | Thorne Ecological Institute -- $5,000 Peri Chickering, 5398 Manhattan Circle, Suite 120, Denver, CO 80303 Project BEAR The structure of the program includes four components: capacity-building with local organizations, creation of hands-on environmental educational experiences in the classroom and on field trips, work with teachers to increase their skills at delivering science-based environmental education, and work toward educational reform by designing all programs to meet state science standards. Thorne Ecological Institute offers three classroom programs and one field trip to each class. Before each school year begins, Thorne facilitates training sessions for teachers. Through those sessions, teachers learn how the environmental education concepts fit into their existing curricula. Teachers draw upon the ideas offered to create their own activities to be conducted both before and after field trips. The program integrates science and environmental education into daily lesson plans. Some of the programs that Thorne offers in the classroom are Birds, Bees, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Forestry. During the field trips, the children have the opportunity to see wildlife, such as eagles, hawks, deer, and prairie dogs. They learn about the ecosystems of prairies, wetlands, rivers, and forests. The young people begin to develop a sense of ownership of and responsibility for the preservation of these places. |
| 2000 | CT | 1 | Integrated Day Charter School -- $4,950 Joan Heffernan, 68 Thermos Avenue, Norwich, CT 06360 Urban Ecology Project The Integrated Day Charter School (IDCS), in partnership with Eastern Connecticut State University and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, trains teachers at IDCS in an interdisciplinary environmental education curriculum for grades 4 through 8. The curriculum is tied to state teaching frameworks. The participating students become aware of how their lives are connected to the diversity of species in their surroundings. Career development materials are integrated into the school curricula. The training is used as a model for the other 13 charter schools in the state. |
| 2000 | DE | 3 | Delaware Academy of Science/Iron Hill Museum -- $4,483 Laura Mackie Lee, 1355 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702 Exploration Stations Transforming land unsuitable for construction into a community-based outdoor learning center facilitates the goals of the Iron Hill Museum to educate the public about environmental issues related to mining. Under the project, an abandoned pit mine and a 0.5-mile outdoor trail serve as teaching facilities for science and mathematics teachers in kindergarten through grade 8 in low-income, inner-city areas. Each stop along the trail is a self contained mini-science laboratory, each focusing on a particular factor that affects the environment or environmental stewardship, such as mining, weather, water quality, soil testing, topographical maps, entomology, and botany identification. The project reaches more than 250 schools in low-income, inner-city areas. |
| 2000 | DE | 3 | Delaware Ecumenical Council on Children and Families -- $9,385 Robert Hall, 240 North James Street, Suite B2, Wilmington, DE 19804 Environmental Education Through Partnerships with the Faith Community Building upon the link between faith communities and public health systems, the project mobilizes faith communities by educating leadership on key air quality and climate-related issues. Clergy, health workers, parish nurses, religious educators, and youth leaders gather for a statewide conference to learn about the harmful effects of environmental pollution on the health and well-being of children in the area. The program generates commitments to action on the part of participants. Educational materials are provided to local congregations to enable them to work with and educate children about the dangers of air pollution and related environmental issues emphasizing health. |
| 2000 | DE | 3 | University of Delaware -- $5,000 Susan Truehart, Office of the Provost for Research, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 Soil, Water, and Nutrient Management A nutrient management curriculum for youth that is specific to the unique climate and conditions of the Delmarva Peninsula defines the project. The curriculum includes lessons, hands-on activities, and community projects. Under the project, 50 teenagers and 25 adults serve as trained volunteer leaders who educate 500 children, ranging in age from 8 through 12 years. The youth benefit from a learning experience that includes enriched decision-making, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. Nutrient management training serves the community well since the community is home to more than 5,600 chicken houses that produce more than 6,000,000 birds each year. |
| 2000 | DC | 3 | The Tides Center/CAYA -- $5,000 Michael Atkins, 2008 10th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 Educator Training Project The project incorporates environmental service learning as a teaching methodology through which students learn academic content and skills while participating in activities that meet real community needs. Through service projects, students work for social change related to environmental issues. Teachers in Washington, D.C. attend workshops to help them to identify local environmental problems. The educators are trained to integrate environmental education into coursework and subject areas. That process includes constructing a vision of a better community, identifying available resources, and plotting a course of action. Educators share the process with their low-income, culturally diverse students and teach that all people have a right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment. Children in kindergarten through grade 12 pursue service learning projects to spread the word to the community. |
| 2000 | FL | 4 | Florida Association for Community Action (FACA), Inc. -- $12,035 Gloria Martin, 6212 NW 43rd Street, Suite A, Gainesville, FL 32653 Environmental Education for Rural Communities The project addresses EPA's capacity-building and partnership educational priorities through a collaborative effort with the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, the University of Florida Center for Constructed Wetlands, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that links environmental education providers throughout the region. As an outcome of the collaboration, low-income residents and leaders in small, rural communities are able to evaluate natural wastewater treatment technologies as an alternative to more costly mechanical wastewater treatment processes. Most important, they are empowered to make informed decisions about solutions to their wastewater problems. The objectives are achieved by training 40 in-the-field trainers during a two-week workshop and site visit to a constructed wetland. |
| 2000 | FL | 4 | Florida Institute of Technology -- $49,427 (HQ Grant) Tom Marcinkowski, 150 W. University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901-6975 Evaluation of Multigrade Environmental Programs in Public Schools The project addresses a critical need in Florida to document and analyze the effectiveness of environmental education programs in producing positive learning outcomes in school subject areas. The Florida Institute of Technology, assisted by partner organizations, leads the effort to evaluate descriptive information and qualitative and standardized test score data from school-based environmental programs that encompass two or more consecutive grade levels. The target audience of the project includes instructional and administrative personnel in schools that have environmental programs in two or more consecutive grades; key decision makers in the public school, school reform, and environmental education communities; state environmental education coordinators and officers and board members of state environmental education associations; and key national and state environmental education providers. Designed to be easily adaptable, the tools and methodologies can be used by any state to analyze similar information from environmental education programs. Activities related to the project will be conducted in Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. Key partners include representatives of Florida Gulf Coast University; the Maryland Department of Education; the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; the University of Central Florida; the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington; The Pew Charitable Trusts; and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. |
| 2000 | FL | 4 | The School Board of Broward County -- $4,991 Frank Mandley, 600 Southeast Third Avenue, 4th Floor, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Reviewing the Methodology of Restoration of Wetlands The project is designed to educate students and the community to make connections between the importance of natural resources and the way human activity affects a wetlands ecosystem. The goal is to enable students and the community to effectively plan for the future of south Florida. The objective of the activity is to create a four- to six-week integrated thematic unit and to immerse students in the study of the wetlands ecosystem. Because environment teaching skills are enhanced, students are able to critically analyze environmental issues and use their problem-solving skills to develop solutions to local environmental problems. Approximately 200 students, 150 families, 7 teachers, and 3 support staff participate in the project. |
| 2000 | GA | 4 | Chattahoochee High School -- $18,875 Dell Pamplin, 5230 Taylor Road, Alpharetta, GA 30022 Active Riparian Commensal Habitats Education Network Active Riparian Commensal Habitats (ARCH) is the creation of advanced placement environmental science students at Chattahoochee High School, in cooperation with the Fulton County government, the Ekistics Group (landscape architecture), the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. After observing an existing retention pond over several years, students developed the concept for an environmental education center, the ARCH. The site is a multi-use facility where the sciences and the arts can be taught in collaboration. The goals are to participate in a real-world application of science and engineering through the design and construction of a wetland treatment system and environmental education and sampling stations; to build an amphitheater for students of art, drama, and other areas of study; and to establish a network for promoting and sharing the ARCH project with audiences of all backgrounds. |
| 2000 | GA | 4 | Georgia Department of Natural Resources -- $40,000 (HQ Grant) Mark Smith, 4244 International Parkway, Suite 104, Atlanta, GA 30354 Environmental Education Enhancement and Coordination The mission of the State of Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is to provide citizens of Georgia with clean air, clean water, healthy lives, and productive land by ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and by assisting others to participate in activities that improve their environment. Recognizing the need to build capacity by improving and enhancing environmental education efforts, coordinating activities, and using available technologies, EPD and its partners bring together existing groups, compile existing environmental education information, identify needs, and act as a clearinghouse. Following an interagency capacity-building summit to help determine how environmental education organizations can work together more effectively to promote environmental education in Georgia, a Web site is being developed to disseminate information about environmental education activities, opportunities, and resources. The interactive Web site provides users access to curriculum guides and useful information that increases public awareness, as well as links to local, state, federal, nonprofit, private, and for-profit resources. Current environmental education providers, as well as others in the teaching community, students, public officials, and private citizens, are the intended audience of the project. Key partners in the project include the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. |
| 2000 | GA | 4 | Piedmont Park Conservancy -- $4,500 Karen Schaefer, P. O. Box 7795, Atlanta, GA 30357 Piedmont Park Outdoor Environmental Education Center The goal of the project is to create the Piedmont Park Outdoor Environmental Education Center. The center adapts existing environmental education activities and curricula to the ecosystem of an urban park. During field trips to Piedmont Park, students in kindergarten through grade 12 programs in Atlanta, Georgia and their teachers employ the outdoor discovery learning activities to investigate and learn about environmental issues. Through hands-on experiences, urban inner-city school children acquire the ability to think critically about the relationships between human development and natural ecosystems. By making outdoor environmental education available to the largely minority, low-income urban population of the Atlanta school system, the project provides an opportunity for those children to gain an understanding of the natural environment and motivates them to make informed decisions about environmental issues. |
| 2000 | GA | 4 | University of Georgia -- $5,000 Janet Valente, 612 Graduate Studies Building, Athens, GA 30602 Power to our Children The project is designed to educate, support, and motivate teachers, children, and families to understand energy conservation issues, both at school and at home, to gain control of their environment and of energy costs. A teacher-educator consultant works with Head Start teachers and, in collaboration with an energy education program specialist, teaches educational workshops for Head Start pre-kindergarten teachers, children, and families. One hundred families participate in interactive family training and in evaluating the project. |
| 2000 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Nature Center -- $15,338 Diane King, 2131 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 Children of the Land: Preschool Nature Education The program provides outdoor interactive experiences for preschool children, encouraging the use of their five senses and focusing on exploring the basic elements of nature: water, wind, sun, clouds, rain, plants, animals, trees, and insects. The half-day program helps children discover the wonders of their island home through hands-on field experiences in nature. Each child receives a take-home project that reinforces the field lessons. The teacher's resource packet includes pertinent pre- and post-visit classroom activities, along with a resource bibliography. |
| 2000 | ID | 10 | Communities Creating Connections, Inc. -- $13,963 Gregory Fizzell, P. O. Box 400, Kooskia, ID 83539 Clearwater GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) Initiative The goal of the project is to advance community school reform, using a place-based, experimental, and state-of-the-art environmental education program. Teachers from Clearwater Valley schools and Elk City School complete a five-day GLOBE training workshop conducted by the University of Idaho. They then implement the GLOBE environmental science program in their classrooms. Community members participate in volunteer activities and are the audience for student presentations. In addition, Communities Creating Connections promotes awareness of the project through the national Rural School and Community Trust network. |
| 2000 | IL | 5 | Benedictine University-Jurica Nature Museum -- $4,999 Mary Mickus, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532 Outdoor Field Training Workshop for Elementary Educators In partnership with the DuPage County Forest Preserve, Jurica Nature Museum of Benedictine University offers a collaborative field training workshop to 20 elementary teachers. The goal of the four-day workshop is to help teachers improve their environmental education teaching skills by integrating outdoor field experiences into already existing curriculum materials. The workshop focuses on local streams and offers outdoor field training with hands-on activities, including data collection and computer data entry. The curriculum integration component correlates with the Illinois goals for professional development for teachers and science education for students. |
| 2000 | IN | 5 | Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center -- $10,793 Matthew Miller, P. O. Box 871, Chesterton, IN 46304 Energy Matters: A Middle School EE Program Along with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and NISource, Inc., the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center offers a program called Energy Matters: Energy Efficiency and Renewable and Alternative Technologies. The program serves 90 students in grades 6 through 8 and their teachers at three local middle schools. The public-private partnership combines educational expertise and residential facility resources with technological and informational resources to teach students how energy matters to them personally. After teacher preparation and student field trips, students conduct an energy audit of their schools and prepare recommendations for implementing energy-efficient technologies. |
| 2000 | IA | 7 | Iowa State University of Science and Technology -- $83,635 (HQ Grant) James Pease, 213 Beardshear Hall, Ames, IA 50011 Nature Mapping: Involving Citizens in Mapping Iowa's Biodiversity NatureMapping is a hands-on environmental science and education program, modeled after a similar program conducted in the state of Washington, that brings together students, educators, members of the general public, scientists, and representatives of natural resource agencies to study and document biodiversity. Under the first phase of the project, funded by a grant from within Iowa, a statewide steering committee was created, materials were adapted for use in Iowa, and the basic structure of the project was developed. Under the second phase of the project, participants analyze biodiversity data and develop maps of distributions of species that identify the status of common species and their habitats. Using the information about biodiveristy, participants can determine where and why gaps in species distribution occur. The information also is available on the NatureMapping Web page. Members of the community are being educated about the importance of preserving biodiversity as well as the actions they can take to improve their environment and preserve biodiversity. Training is provided through hands-on workshops, as well as interactive sessions conducted through a statewide video network and the Internet. Partners in the NatureMapping project include the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. |
| 2000 | IA | 7 | Kirkwood Community College -- $5,000 Keith Hench, 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard, S.W., Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Enhancing Undergraduate Environmental Science Studies through Student Exploration This project educates minority, rural, and international students in environmental science. Students have access to equipment and hands-on laboratory protocols that give them an active learning experience that fosters student success, retention, and improvement in writing skills through the preparation of student laboratory journals and reports. Field equipment and laboratory kits for the environmental science course are used to provide motivational laboratory exercises to explore local environmental issues, while improving the students' problem-solving, oral communication, and writing skills. |
| 2000 | IA | 7 | Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center -- $4,480 Jonna Higgins-Freese, 120 East Boyson Road, Hiawatha, IA 52233 Yard Stewardship for Kids This project is designed to teach children how to reduce the use of lawn pesticides or to cease using such products altogether. This project enlightens community leaders about pesticides and encourages the use of integrated pest management and other ecological alternatives for pest control. |
| 2000 | KS | 7 | Bluemont Elementary Unified School District 383 -- $5,000 Melissa Hancock, 714 Bluemont Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502 Science For All: Teaching Ecosystems by Creating an Outdoor Environmental Lab This project educates teachers in new methods of teaching science to students. That goal is accomplished by developing after-school environmental clubs. Through partnership with Kansas State University, scientists assist teachers in developing environmental curriculum for students. Students take part in hands-on learning experiences about ecosystems through application of the scientific method. Students have the opportunity to ask questions, design experiments within a mini-ecosystem, and then test them. Students work side-by-side with scientists to design and build an outdoor environmental laboratory, which includes different animal habitats, as well as planter boxes for each grade level, which the students use to conduct scientific investigations. |
| 2000 | KS | 7 | Emporia State University -- $5,000 John Schrock, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801 Kansas School Naturalist: Sericea Lespedeza This project involves devoting an issue of The Kansas School Naturalist on Sericea Lespedeza, a recently introduced exotic plant, that is causing serious problems in prairie grasslands. The publication aids in providing excellent identification illustrations and accurate life history and control information that is not available in current school texts. The Kansas School Naturalist provides scientifically valid educational materials that directly address public concerns in response to an alarming exotic plant invader that is causing widespread environmental concern and distress among rural populations, including farm families. The publication is sent to all science teachers in Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska, as well as to the regular readership in Kansas. |
| 2000 | KS | 7 | Kansas City, Kansas Community College -- $5,030 Dolores Daniels, 7250 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66112 Urban Environmental Outreach Program The Urban Environmental Outreach Program provides urban, rural, and inner-city students, teachers, and community members an opportunity to have hands-on experiences that focus on the environment at the Campus Child Care Center. The project conducts semiannual environmental fairs for children; hosts professional development opportunities for area educators with Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD; and holds Aquatic and Investigating the Environment workshops to inform educators about resources in the area that support environmental education activities and involve community members in gardening, recycling, and student mentoring projects. |
| 2000 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $4,956 Larry Hamfeldt, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 Project GREENSPACE - Creating a GREENSPACE for an Inner-City Elementary School Project activities involve creating artificial wetlands, outdoor learning laboratories, and physical fitness stations for students who live in urban apartments and government housing projects and do not have their own backyards. They have neither worked in a garden nor had the opportunity to observe the life cycles of plants and wildlife. GREENSPACE offers the students the opportunity to have hands-on experiences with the environment and to transform their urban, industrial school site into scientific and physical fitness learning laboratories. |
| 2000 | KY | 4 | Morehead State University -- $10,810 Michael Wetherholt, 901 Ginger Hall, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351 Environmental Education Workshop for Eastern Kentucky Teachers The objective of this project is to provide training to secondary public school teachers in an impoverished region of the United States with state-of-the-art environmental education and experiences so that area students, who have limited science and mathematics skills and knowledge, become better environmental citizens. Each teacher receives three hours of graduate college credit at no cost, a summer stipend, a water quality analysis kit, supplies, and other materials. Each workshop is taught by an expert in environmental science. Curricula and materials have regional significance. Follow-up studies are conducted to assess whether there has been an increase among students in environmental knowledge that can be attributed to enhanced knowledge and skills of the teachers. |
| 2000 | KY | 4 | Murray State University -- $4,815 Joseph Baust, Murray State University, P. O. Box 9, Murray, KY 42071 Environmental Education Workshop for Pre-Service Teachers The purpose of the workshop is to introduce teachers to the teaching strategy of using the environment in an integrating context. The objectives of the project are to educate pre-service teachers about environmental issues and environmental education teaching strategies. Participants are preparing to become teachers in the multi-state Ohio Valley region that is rich in water resources. They must prepare their students to deal with the complex environmental management issues associated with the future urban, recreational, and agricultural development of the region. The goal of the project is to improve the environmental education teaching skills of the pre-service teachers. |
| 2000 | LA | 6 | Cenla Pride -- $5,000 Bettye Jones, 802 Third Street, Alexandria, LA 71301 Water Quality Workshops Water quality workshops keep students and community participants abreast of threats to human health posed by environmental pollution resulting from the improper handling of solid waste. Family habits of housekeeping and yard maintenance are explored in a way that allows children and their families to easily understand how their behaviors affect their surroundings. Enviroscape models are among the tools used for demonstration. |
| 2000 | LA | 6 | Louisiana Environmental Education Association -- $1,660 Jean May-Brett, 1627 Taylor, Kenner, LA 70062 Tools for Non-formal Environmental Educator Workshop The goal of the project is to develop a statewide cadre of non-formal educators who are knowledgeable in education reform efforts across the state in the areas of science and environmental education. Those individuals use the reform tools as they revise and develop their own educational materials for their respective geographical areas to conform to mandated state guidelines. The expected outcome is strengthening of the network of the non-formal community and the formal education community. |
| 2000 | LA | 6 | Teaching Responsible Earth Education -- $20,255 Sue Brown, 1463 Nashville Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115 Outdoor Program for Urban Youth The Outdoor Environmental Education Program for Urban Youth is designed to increase academic achievement in science among fourth-grade students. The outdoor classroom allows urban participants to have hands-on experience of the life systems of the environment and teaches the ability to live lightly to lessen effects on the immediate environment - that is, using less water so future interactions with the natural world will be more environmentally friendly. |
| 2000 | ME | 1 | French Bay Conservancy -- $12,000 Barbara Welch, P. O. Box 606, Ellsworth, ME 04605 Mount Desert Island High School Students & Swimming Water With an educator, Mount Desert Island High School interview area residents and collect water data from local swimming areas. To promote awareness of water quality and environmental education, the students develop an educational outreach program for local officials, residents, and other students. The French Bay Conservancy and the Mount Desert Island Water Quality Coalition are developing a Web site related to the issues. The educator is working with 200 10th grade students and three teachers at Mount Desert Island High School and 75 students and 6 teachers at Mount Desert Island elementary schools. |
| 2000 | ME | 1 | KIDS Consortium, Inc. -- $109,204 (HQ Grant) Francine Rudoff, 215 Lisbon Street, Suite 12, Lewiston, ME 04240 Gulf of Maine Institute Without Walls A unique collaboration among the Kids Involved Doing Service (KIDS) Consortium, Inc. and several key partners, the Gulf of Maine Institute Without Walls is a binational, multijurisdictional effort focused on developing partnerships and educational initiatives among adults and youth at five watershed sites in the Gulf of Maine area. The mission of KIDS Consortium is to move education beyond the classroom as students apply academic knowledge and skills to real community needs. Under the project, students are involved actively in learning about watersheds and producing data, information, and products that are used by partner community organizations and businesses. In addition, teams from each project site participate in a summer institute to share their knowledge and ideas, participate in training programs, and train new teams from communities in the region. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade participate in the project, as well as teachers at each watershed site, representatives of the partner organizations, and community and parent volunteers. Partners include the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District, the Cocheco River Watershed Coalition, the Roxbury Science Workshop, Eastern Charlotte Waterways, and the Tusket River Environmental Protection Association. |
| 2000 | MD | 3 | Chesapeake Audubon Society -- $3,962 Richard Leader, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton, MD 21601 Pickering Creek Environmental Center At-risk children from Baltimore visit the Pickering Creek Environmental Center for a series of four outdoor workshops. Field trips include a low-ropes challenge course and ecology and agriculture classes. The environmental education experiences broaden the children's understanding and appreciation of the natural world and expand their knowledge of environmental issues. Positive outdoor experiences enrich their lives and educate them about the differences they can make in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Experiences at the center increase the environmental awareness of students who have had only limited opportunity to experience the natural world. |
| 2000 | MD | 3 | Council for Environmental Education/Project Wild -- $49,900 (HQ Grant) Donna Asbury, 707 Conservation Lane, Suite 305, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife A training curriculum developed by Project WILD, Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife is a unique wildlife-based environmental education program for high-school students that aligns activities with national standards for science and social studies as well as national best practices for service learning. The project provides training to staff of the state wildlife agency, school administrators, university faculty, and classroom teachers on such topics as: (1) engaging students through service learning; (2) using the environment as an integrating theme for science and civics courses; (3) conducting educational activities that prepare students to select and implement environmental projects in their communities; and (4) seeking expertise and involvement from members of the local community. The primary audience includes high school teachers, future teachers, and high school students in urban and culturally diverse communities. Project WILD, sponsored and administered by the Council for Environmental Education in cooperation with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program for teachers of kindergarten through high-school students that emphasizes hands-on learning. The project is supported by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Phillips Petroleum Company, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. |
| 2000 | MD | 3 | Maryland Association of Forest Conservation District Boards -- $5,000 Michael Grant, Tawes State Office Building, E-1, 580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401 Awareness Week for Forestry & Natural Resources Careers This project offers a one-week coeducational summer camp program for 48 high school students interested in pursuing careers in forestry or other natural resource management fields. Hands-on teaching is emphasized, and outdoor classrooms are used as much as possible. Most of the instruction takes place in the Savage River State Forest, parks, streams, and a fish hatchery. Students interact with professionals in natural resource careers and learn about environmental issues and how environmental problems can be solved. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Boston Public Schools-New Mission High School -- $4,600 Susie Wu, 67 Alleghancy Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 Water Quality at Home In partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, 9th- and 10th-grade students from New Mission High School test water samples from their homes and adjoining areas. The students focus on the effects of environmental factors on water chemistry and biology. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Lower Cape Communications -- $5,000 Bob Seay, 14 Center Street, Provincetown, MA 02657 Cape Cod Environmental Round Table WOMR 92.1 FM, a non-commercial educational radio station, established an environmental round table segment in 1997 to help expand public awareness of important environmental issues. Guest speakers and topics reflect environmental issues of high interest on Cape Cod. It is estimated that more than 2,500 listeners tune into the program. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Milton Public Schools -- $5,000 Lori Henry, 391 Brook Road, Milton, MA 02186 Neponset River Watershed Curriculum Project In partnership with the Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA), the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and the state's Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Glover Elementary School creates a long-term interdisciplinary watershed curriculum on the Neponset River watershed. The school purchases watershed kits and receives teacher training from WRWA. Partners make presentations to the students and help guide field trips. Participants in the program include 18 teachers and approximately 415 students in kindergarten through grade 5. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Patriot Girl Scouts -- $8,623 Brenda Rich, 95 Berkley Street, Boston, MA 02116 E3-Environmental Education Experiences Using existing hands-on environmental education curricula and methods, (such as Project Wild and Conserving Soil, a curriculum guide) 60 teams, each consisting of one Girl Scout adult volunteer and one teen peer leader, are trained in a variety of environmental topics and activities. Each team is expected to carry out at least one environmental education event in their community. Approximately 1,000 Girl Scouts are educated through the activities. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Springfield Library and Museums -- $4,850 Dave Stier, 220 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103 River Education Awareness Program (REAP) The River Education Awareness Program (REAP) allows urban teens (8th through 12th grade) to actively participate in evaluating the historic Mill River in Springfield, Massachusetts. Students conduct water quality tests, survey the river's surroundings, and sample for indicator invertebrates. Through the many partners of the library, teachers receive training in how to incorporate ecosystems issues into their schedules and meet state frameworks. REAP reaches 2,000 students in grades 8 through 12. |
| 2000 | MA | 1 | Swampscott Public Schools -- $4,018 Mary Bester-Colby, 207 Forest Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907 Adopt-a-Salmon The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides teachers and facilitators a full day of training on ecological principles and watershed and ecosystem management. A 30-gallon salmon tank is set up in 5th grade classrooms. Students raise salmon and learn about water quality and fish development. Fish are released when they are ready. Students also visit a Fish and Wildlife Service salmon hatchery. The program reaches approximately 150 elementary students, 10 elementary school teachers, and 10 members of the community. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) -- $5,000 Kathryn Savoie, 2651 Saulino Court, Dearborn, MI 48120 Bilingual Storm Drain Stenciling Project The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) teaches Arab American youth about the importance of water resources, watershed protection, storm drain runoff, and pollution. Fifth-grade students at Salina Elementary School, located in a low-income, predominately Arab immigrant neighborhood in Dearborn, Michigan, learn about the Rouge River, develop and distribute bilingual (Arabic and English) educational materials about storm-drain stenciling, and stencil storm drains in Arabic and English. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | City of Westland, Fire Department -- $5,000 Mark Neal, 37201 Marquette, Westland, MI 48185 Rouge River Education Reform Initiative Fire department personnel and high school science teachers unite in an effort to provide an environmental education curriculum for juniors and seniors at Westland High School and other residents of the community. Participants learn about the proper use, storage, and disposal of household hazardous waste and lawn pesticides. The program teaches participants about the relationship between individual actions and equilibrium in the Rouge River watershed. In addition to in-school instruction, students offer workshops to the community and brainstorm local solutions. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians -- $6,480 Patti O'Donnell, 2605 North West Bayshore Drive, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Tribal Land Use Environmental Education Project The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians educates members of its community to develop a plan to protect and preserve the natural areas of the tribe's land base. The natural areas of the land base are in jeopardy of loss because of accelerated residential and commercial development. Workshops, newsletters, meetings, and a youth summit are among the vehicles used to educate youth, elders, and other residents of the community. The resulting plan, with footpaths and trails, complements commercial and residential development and is presented for review to the Grand Traverse Band Planning and Development Department. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Lake Superior State University, Chemistry and Environmental Science Department -- $5,000 Barb Keller, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 An Evaluation of the Munuscong River Watershed Along with students at Lake Superior State University, junior and senior high school students work with the Munuscong community watershed association and public health officials to assess the effect that flowing wells have on the Munuscong River watershed. Community members and students study local surface water runoff into the Munuscong River that carries with it nutrients, pollutants, and sediments from barnyards and farmlands. After sampling the river and wells, students work with members of the watershed association, public health officials, and homeowners as they prepare a presentation to communicate the results of their study to the community. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $37,311 (HQ Grant) Anita Quinn, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295 Education for Watershed Planning and Management Through the project, citizens of primarily rural, low-income communities in Houghton County, Michigan are learning about local environmental issues and how to participate in local environmental decision making related to watershed processes, human effects on those processes, and the economic trade-offs associated with mitigation of such effects. Stakeholders are enhancing their knowledge and understanding of economic, hydrologic, and ecological effects of various watershed development and management scenarios by becoming actively involved in the development of goals and participating in information sessions, watershed field trips, and model-building workshops. The target audience, residents of the selected watershed, watershed interest groups, and university students, is being reached through town meetings, workshops, field trips, and dissemination of information by newsletters and through the Internet. Partner agencies include the Sturgeon/Otter River Watershed Council and the Groundwater Education in Michigan (GEM) Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at Michigan Technological University. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $4,800 Joan Chadde, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295 Lake Superior Youth Symposium 2001 Along with several local partners, Michigan Technological University's Center for Science and Environmental Outreach conducts the Fourth Biennial Lake Superior Youth Symposium for 300 to 400 middle and high school students, teachers, non-formal educators, and watershed professionals from throughout the Lake Superior and Great Lakes watersheds. The goal of the symposium is to enhance the ability and motivation of middle and high school students, teachers, and parent chaperones to understand and act on the environmental issues that affect Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. The symposium is planned for May 2001 and is expected to draw participants from Wisconsin; Minnesota; Michigan; and Ontario, Canada. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision -- $11,800 Kathy Milberg, 1450 McKinstry Street, P. O. Box 09400, Detroit, MI 48209 Higgins Environmental Empowerment Club Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, a collaborative effort of residents, corporations, service agencies, and community organizations, establishes the Higgins Environmental Empowerment Club at Higgins Elementary School in Detroit. Using a proven series of exercises and activities, the organization and a teacher at the school lead 40 students in identifying environmental problems in their neighborhood, brainstorming plans for addressing those problems, and working to implement the plans. Students then present their work to schoolmates, as well as to adult audiences. Approximately 300 students are educated about their local environment through the project. |
| 2000 | MI | 5 | The Creation Station -- $9,933 Lori Thomas, P. O. Box 26113, Lansing, MI 48909-6113 Environmental Literacy Through Creative Educational Projects The Creation Station provides teachers and child-care providers in the greater Lansing area with creative and educational resources related to waste management and pollution prevention. Material Guidelines provided by the North American Association for Environmental Education are used to develop classroom kits for preschoolers and third graders that meet the Michigan curriculum frameworks. Along with its collaborators, The Creation Station also develops workshops to show teachers how the materials integrate environmental education and science with art and creativity. More than 15,000 preschool, day-care and third-grade students are reached. |
| 2000 | MN | 5 | Twin Cities Tree Trust -- $5,000 Janette Monear, 6300 Walker Street, #227, St. Louis Park, MN 55416 Teaching Naturally - A Workshop Tree Trust, an organization founded to reforest public and low-income properties devastated by Dutch elm disease, is holding a two-day teacher education workshop that focuses on developing and using easily accessible natural areas on or near school grounds. The workshop reaches 50 to 60 elementary and middle school teachers throughout Minnesota and is held at a site that offers a variety of ecosystems that are used for teaching purposes. |
| 2000 | MN | 5 | University of Minnesota Extension Service, Dakota County -- $5,000 Charlotte Shover, 4100 220th Street West, Suite 101, Farmington, MN 55024 Dakota County School Lake Monitoring Program Along with collaborators, the Dakota County environmental education program provides training, resources, equipment, and the opportunity to adapt a model curriculum to secondary educators performing monitoring of lakes throughout the county. The goal of the program is to provide countywide consistency in methodology and quality measures for data gathered by students monitoring lakes. |
| 2000 | MS | 4 | Jackson Public Schools -- $9,260 Noah Grey, Environmental Learning Center, 6190 Highway 18W, Jackson, MS 39209 A Study of Water Pollution and Prevention The Environmental Learning Center of the Jackson Public Schools works with all students in the public schools of Jackson and neighboring counties. Its program teaches students about the environment and its importance to our survival. The project focuses on disseminating environmental curricula on preventing water pollution and the effects that polluted water has on the environment. Approximately 3,000 sixth-grade students participate in the project and each school is scheduled to bring classes to the Environmental Learning Center twice during the school year. Among the objectives of the project are to teach students about the water cycle, to make them aware of the causes of water pollution and to teach them how to prevent it, and how to test for certain pollutants. |
| 2000 | MS | 4 | University of Mississippi -- $5,000 Bonnie Krause, Office of Research, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677 Environmental Education Teacher and Student Teacher Training Part of the education program of the Museum's Traveling Trunk Program, this project involves the use of more than 30 trunks of elementary curriculum and supplemental materials which are presented throughout the region. Three trunks, Plants and Civilization, Animal Adaptation, and Soil Conservation, are the focus of the project. The trunks are used to continue training teachers and students through environmental presentations in at least 50 classrooms throughout the region. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | Boys & Girls Clubs of Eastern Jackson County -- $5,719 Jeff Bass, 315 South Leslie, Independence, MO 64050 The Ultimate Journey The Ultimate Journey helps young people better understand the natural world through the use of fun and engaging projects. The project increases public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provides participants with the skills they need to make informed decisions and take responsible actions. The intent of the Ultimate Journey program is to educate low-income or culturally diverse audiences about environmental issues. The small groups through which the program is conducted help young people explore and discover the world they live in. At the end of the program, the students select a natural area to visit and plan a trip there. A recognition ceremony honors those who complete the journey. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City -- $25,000 Mary Brown, 6301 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64131 Thornberry Gardens Project The Thornberry Gardens Project involves 220 high-risk children. The project uses the Ultimate Journey environmental curriculum of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The grant is used to develop and implement a business and long-term gardening project plan for the Thornberry Gardens Project. The project provides an entrepreneurial education to the participants and develops other skills, as well. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | Cooperating School Districts -- $24,712 Glenda Abney, 7525 Sussex Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63143 Effective and Energetic In-Services This project finances three in-service opportunities on the topics of energy, sustainability, and waste reduction. Distance learning technologies are used through video conferences with the teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities and to explore connections to state standards and student assessment achievement testing. Cooperating school districts will conduct with participating teachers an impact and evaluation assessment. A final evaluation and report regarding the benefits of the in-services and the effectiveness of the project's delivery methods also will be provided. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $5,000 Celeste Prussia, P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 Educating for Sustainability: Moving Beyond Earth Day This project improves and enhances the environmental education teaching skills of participating teachers, informal educators, and community leaders. The project develops and improves the ability of teachers and informal educators to teach about environmental sustainability. Teachers and leaders of community based organizations learn how to integrate sustainability into their curriculum, programs, and personal lives. This project provides opportunities for partnerships and resource sharing among the participants. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association -- $4,593 Carol Childress, P. O. Box 1262, Mountain View, Howell, MO 65548 Living on Karst The Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association works in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of the Natural Resources, and National Resource Conservation Service to develop and distribute a set of mobile curriculum units (trunks) that contain resources, hands-on activities, and support materials. These trunks are used by fifth- through ninth-grade teachers in schools located in the watersheds of the Jacks Fork, Current Eleven Point, and White rivers. Use of the trunks increases the capacity of the local school districts to provide teacher training and quality environmental education materials to their staff and students. |
| 2000 | MO | 7 | The Surplus Exchange -- $18,396 Leann Ritter, 11107 Hickory, Kansas City, MO 64101 Environmental Education: Learn and Earn Computer Education Program Nine teachers are trained on the use of environmental software that addresses such topics as lead in the environment and household waste management. The teachers also are made aware of environmental careers. The trained educators then train 90 additional teachers who then are able to take the software program into their own classrooms. The teachers assist 24 students in using the environmental software to develop a project scenario that responds to an environmental health threat. Twenty-four students use the Learn and Earn curriculum to practice reuse by building a computer. Those students train at least 20 other community members on the tools needed to minimize exposure to environmental hazards. Student participants develop a project that demonstrates the effects environmental hazards, such as lead or other household contaminants, have on children. It ensures that projects are made widely available by being posted on the Internet. |
| 2000 | MT | 8 | Bitterroot Ecological Awareness Resources Co-op, Inc. -- $5,000 Jamie Ogden, P. O. Box 2135, 421 North 2nd, Hamilton, MT 59840 Expansion of Environmental Presenters Program Through the Environmental Presenters Program of the Bitterroot Ecological Awareness Resources Co-op, Inc. (BEAR) allows expert presenters to bring the natural world into classrooms and take students out into the natural world. The goals of the project are to supplement test-based curricula with lively, interactive, experienced-based learning; to give teachers the support of experts in refining their environmental teaching; and to transform generic environmental teaching into education specific to Bitterroot Valley. The outcome is a student population of young and old environmentalists and non-environmentalists at various income levels who is more informed about and more interested in the ecology of their home. |
| 2000 | MT | 8 | Lewis and Clark Elementary School -- $4,750 Carol Runyon, 2901 Park Street, Missoula, MT 59801 Outdoor Discovery Core Habitat Restoration and Nature Study Area Through the Outdoor Discovery Core project, a portion of the schoolyard at Lewis and Clark Elementary School is developed as a wildlife habitat study area. The project is an outgrowth of the school's need to comply with new standards for educational reform mandated by the Missoula County Public Schools and the Montana Department of Education. The new standards require the use of inquiry-based learning, a teaching method that involves students in relevant problem-solving investigations. The standards specifically identify the need for inquiry-based learning in educating children about the importance of biodiversity as part of an environmental education curriculum. |
| 2000 | MT | 8 | Montana Audubon, Inc. -- $14,425 Robert Petty, P. O. Box 595, Helena, MT 59624 Community Naturalist Program: Migratory Bird Education Project Montana Audubon's Community Naturalist Program (CNP) Migratory Bird Education Project effectively links schools, community groups, and local naturalists to regional natural landscapes through a focus on the decline of neotropical migratory birds and the vital importance of riparian habitat. The program offers training for local naturalists and provides direct service to teachers in the classroom and in the field. With support from EPA in 1997 and 1998, the program was established successfully in the Helena, Montana area, in partnership with the Last Chance Audubon Society. This grant makes it possible to expand the CNP to five additional Montana communities, Hamilton, Kalispell, Great Falls, Miles City, and Billings, as well as nearby areas. |
| 2000 | MT | 8 | Montana Science Institute -- $5,000 Gil Alexander, 7653 Canyon Ferry Road, Helena, MT 59602 Kids Investigating Their Environment (Project KITE) Kids Investigating Their Environment (Project KITE) uses grant money provided by EPA, along with matching funds, to provide 450 student days of environmental education, with career components, during the 2000-2001 academic year. Project KITE engages 30 at-risk middle school and high school students in a 15-day program through which they investigate water quality in the Missouri River and its tributary streams, the environmental condition of forest habitats, and historical changes that have occurred along the Missouri River corridor since the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. Students have daily interactions with professionals and consultants in environmental sciences. They develop an appreciation for the work those individuals do and the preparation necessary to become involved in similar jobs as they actually conduct some of the same types of field monitoring that resource scientists perform while they work alongside those professionals. |
| 2000 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $7,790 Michael Vogel, 109 Taylor Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717 Pollution Prevention Education and Improvement Program The goal of the project is to provide comprehensive education and assistance in pollution prevention in teaching laboratories to agricultural and vocational educators (in middle schools, high schools, technical colleges, and junior colleges) in Montana. A secondary goal is to develop the program in a way that makes it easy to adapt and implement in other states throughout the nation. The objectives of the project are to increase awareness of the hazardous nature of wastes generated in agricultural and vocational teaching laboratories and their potential effects on the environment; to provide education on specific pollution prevention practices applicable to agricultural and vocational teaching laboratories; to increase awareness of existing resources, such as opportunities to take advantage of special collections material exchange programs, and recycling facilities; to provide the knowledge and materials necessary to enable agricultural and vocational educators to perform effective pollution prevention self-audits of their teaching laboratories, as well as to assist their colleagues in performing such audits; to improve practices of pollution prevention among agricultural and vocational educators; and to provide technical assistance for the duration of the project. |
| 2000 | NE | 7 | Inner City Coalition on the Environment -- $4,935 Barbi Hayes, P. O. Box 3822, Douglas County, NE 68103 City to Prairie: An Outdoor Classroom for Inner-City Youth This outdoor classroom experience introduces students to the fundamentals of managing terrestrial and aquatic systems. The project focuses on hands-on activities for inner city young people. It provides them an opportunity to experience diverse environments not found in a typical urban setting. Students visit an urban site for comparison, and then are introduced to a 40-acre site in western Douglas County. Students conduct field experiments, such as species identification, surveying and mapping, and soil and sampling and analysis of water. The experience demonstrates the link between classroom theory and applied environmental science and exposes the young people to various environmental professions, as well. |
| 2000 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Game & Parks Commission -- $6,675 Carl Wolfe, 2200 North 33rd Street, Lincoln, NE 68503 Linking Project Wild Activities with Nebraska's New Education Content Standards Nebraska Project Wild is conducting a workshop to correlate Project Wild activities with the Nebraska State Mathematics and Language Arts Standards. The resulting product, a correlation guide, is disseminated through workshops and through a searchable database on the Game and Parks Commission's web site. |
| 2000 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Groundwater Foundation -- $7,250 Susan Seacrest, P. O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558 Awesome Aquifer Club The Groundwater Foundation educates fourth- and fifth-grade teachers and students throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri about the effects of groundwater contamination on human health. That objective is accomplished through the development of a classroom-based program called the Awesome Aquifer Club (AAC). The Groundwater Foundation distributes an AAC kit that includes a groundwater model, a teacher's manual, student activities, and such classroom items as posters. Each student receives the Groundwater Gazette newsletter three times a year, an invitation to participate in the Nebraska Groundwater Festival, and instructions on how to develop and implement a community service project. A video is developed and distributed that explains the importance of groundwater protection to the students, their parents, and their teachers. |
| 2000 | NV | 9 | Carson City School District -- $5,000 Julie Koop, P. O. Box 603, Carson City, NV 89702 Biology at the River The project enables three 10th-grade biology classes at Carson High School to learn in a natural environment in their community by conducting water tests, observing the habitats of various species, completing trash inventories, and reporting the data they collect to appropriate government agencies and community entities. Supported by their city government and state parks division, students plan to develop an interpretive, self-guided trail along the river that can be used by other students and the community. Under a third component of the project, the high school students teach a class of second- and third-grade students at Seeliger Elementary School; they base the lessons on their experiences in the river project. During an open house program in the spring, a multimedia presentation is made for parents, faculty, school board members, elected officials, and members of the community. |
| 2000 | NH | 1 | Great Bay Stewards, Inc. -- $5,000 Rebecca Buzzel, 89 Depot Road, Stratham, NH 03885 Great Bay Kids Great Bay Stewards, Inc. sponsors the Great Bay Kids' Ecology Club, a program that combines estuary-based enrichment activities for at-risk youths in fourth and fifth grades with mentoring by college students. By using existing curricula, the children learn about their environment through hands-on activities, while meeting the goals of education reform. |
| 2000 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $16,467 Lesley Parness, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102 ToxRAP Teacher Training Workshops The Greater Newark Conservancy, in partnership with the Resource Center of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) and the Newark Board of Education, trains more than 200 sixth-grade teachers in Newark public schools in the use of EOHSI's ToxRAP Curriculum. Educators use the intermediate elementary module What is Wrong with the Johnson Family? to develop the skills needed to teach students to evaluate environmental health problems through application of risk assessment framework. Students assume the roles of health hazard detectives and, while investigating a carbon monoxide problem, learn to gather information, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions based on evidence. |
| 2000 | NJ | 2 | Society of American Foresters, New Jersey Division -- $5,000 Amy Mallet, 370 East Veterans Highway, Jackson, NJ 08527 Community Stewardship Action Partnership The Society of American Foresters, in partnership with Project Learning Tree (PLT) and the New Jersey Tree Foundation, educates teachers and students about environmental stewardship by developing their ability to plan urban tree planting and urban tree maintenance. Two professional development workshops that focus on PLT's secondary education modules provide educators with the skills needed in forestry planting projects, tree identification, and inventory and community tree care. Participating urban teachers plan stewardship projects and, as they work with students, enable the students to effectively plan projects that encourage stewardship of community forest resources. |
| 2000 | NJ | 2 | Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association -- $5,000 George Hawkins, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534 Creating River-Friendly Schools Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association works with students, educators, and administrators to develop pilot, school-based, watershed education programs that highlight local issues, non-point source pollution, development, and the effects of those factors on water quality. The four-part program involves development of a River-Friendly School Manual, a workshop for school administrators and educators, and an evaluation of the school's effect on the local water supply. After implementing a pilot project in a local school and conducting workshops for schools in the watershed, the model will be made available on the Web site of Building Environmental Education Solutions, Inc. (www.beesinc.org). |
| 2000 | NJ | 2 | Weehawken Board of Education -- $5,000 Kevin McLellan, 53 Liberty Place, Weehawken, NJ 07087 Environmental Preservation Through Recycling The Weehawken School District, with its partner, the Hudson County Improvement Authority, is implementing a special environmental program in recycling. The program, provided in both Spanish and English, targets seventh- and eighth-grade students and their parents, with an emphasis on the local and global importance and practice of recycling. A particular focus is the translation of appropriate materials into Spanish to serve a student population that is approximately 48 percent Latino. The program involves bringing experts to the schools, engaging students in a range of hands-on activities that involve family members, and providing field trips to and projects at the Hackensack Meadowlands Environmental Center. |
| 2000 | NM | 6 | College of Santa Fe -- $9,997 Pamela Herman, 1600 St. Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Alvord Environmental Exploration and Discovery Project Three outdoor environmental science exploration areas, observation, measurement, and collection, are prepared to assist teachers in framing scientific inquiries and investigative techniques. Teachers' understanding of environmental science is enhanced through workshops and consultative field trips. The goal is to cross-train scientist parents and college faculty in the basic methods of developmentally appropriate teaching for elementary students. |
| 2000 | NM | 6 | Southwest Environmental Center -- $5,000 Kevin Bixby, 1494 A South Solano, Las Cruces, NM 88001 EE Training for After-School Program Instructors Twenty-five adults receive training in environmental education for after-school programs. Students are exposed to age-appropriate environmental issues through questions, analysis, discussion of environmental systems and processes, and basic skills for addressing issues and increase their sense of civic responsibility, as well. An example of an age appropriate topic is the environmental problems associated with wasting food. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Council on the Environment of New York City, Inc. -- $9,940 Michael Zamm, 51 Chambers Street, Room 228, New York, NY 10007 Environmental Health Education Projects in the South Bronx The Council on the Environment, in partnership with Bronx Regional High School, educates high school students about environmental issues through its Training Student Organizers Program. The program, integrated into regular course work, moves four high school classes from an awareness of issues, through education, to action. Students work with educators to develop and conduct outreach and improvement projects that target the general public, schools, and groups in the school's community. More than 100 students are reaching out to a community that is culturally diverse and experiences a high incidence of asthma, lead poisoning, and noise-induced hearing impairment. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Guilderland Central Schools -- $5,000 Alan Fiero, State Farm Road, Guilderland, NY 12084 Pine Bush Project Farnsworth Middle School is a partner with the Albany Pine Brush Preserve Commission in conducting an environmental education and ecological restoration project that focuses on the nearby Pine Brush Preserve. Students work on research projects with area scientists and, during the summer, conduct their research and share their work with the community. Students conduct workshops for teachers from the middle school's and others in neighboring school districts on such topics as ecological restoration, native plant gardening, and butterfly restoration. Students, trained as guides in the Pine Bush and the school's gardens, raise community awareness about the Pine Bush, biodiversity, and ecological restoration. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater -- $4,522 Chris Bowser, 112 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 Discovery Watershed Initiative The program focuses on lessons learned on shore about the effects of pollution on the entire watershed. The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's On-land Discovery Program teaches elementary students about the beauty of the Hudson River, its diverse organisms, and the complex environmental issues that affect it. The Discovery Watershed Initiative continues to reach more than 1,000 students in grades 3 through 7. It includes a classroom visit and a shoreside field trip during which students participate in hands-on riverside investigations. The initiative expands the program by providing a follow-up classroom session to reinforce the shoreside experience, focus on the importance of river stewardship, and encourage students to think about the river and its surroundings as one entity. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | North Country Workforce Partnership -- $99,700 (HQ Grant) Sue Fletcher, 185 Margaret Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 Establishment of Youth Conservation Corps With the establishment of the Adirondack Youth Conservation Corps, crews of 14- to 17-year-olds are learning about environmental science and conservation by participating in environmental restoration projects being conducted in Adirondack Park. Drawn from four neighboring counties, selected youth are involved in such projects as restoration and maintenance of trails, reforestation, watershed restoration, and wildlife restoration and maintenance in an area affected by several recent federally designated disasters. A typical week for the crews includes two half-days a week in classrooms, one half-day on field trips, and the remaining three and one-half days at work sites in Adirondack Park. The purpose of the project is to deliver a high-quality environmental education curriculum in a real-life, problem-solving context. The youth also are exploring potential career options in the field of environmental science and conservation. Supporters of the project include the CVTEC, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Adirondack Park Agency, the Department of Social Services, the New York State Department of Labor, and the Adirondack School to Work Partnership. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Phipps Community Development Corporation (Phipps CDC) -- $24,957 Adam Weinstein, West Farms, 43 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010 Drew Gardens Environmental Education Project Phipps CDC provides services to increase the educational and economic opportunities of low-income families in the Bronx. Phipps CDC, in partnership with Community School 214 and through its Early Childhood Education Center, provides professional development programming in environmental education to at least 10 pre-kindergarten through 6th-grade teachers over a six-month period. Drew Gardens, a lot bordering the Bronx River and Community School 214 that was previously strewn with debris, has been transformed as a living laboratory-garden site for teachers of approximately 200 to 300 children involved in the environmental education program. Teacher education is supplemented by instruction provided by representatives of environmental education and study centers in New York City. The Drew Gardens project enables participating teachers to incorporate environmental education into programming as they use lessons and activities to help students use math, social studies, art, reading, and writing skills in a science program focused on the environment. The environmental studies project also is correlated with the general science curriculum of the local school district. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Prospect Park Alliance, Inc. -- $5,000 Carl Blumenthal, 95 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Environmental Career Development for Prospect Park Youth Workers The Prospect Park Alliance, a nonprofit partnership with New York City, continues restoring the 250-acre woodlands area in Prospect Park, a large urban park in Brooklyn. During the summer program, the alliance integrates an educational component into programming for its youth workers. Alliance staff provide on-the-job training in identification of native and invasive plants, erosion control, and techniques of horticulture. The program also includes education on environmental topics, career preparation, and field trips to New York City urban restoration sites and environmental study centers in New York City. Students have opportunities to interact with people pursuing environmental careers and to test their horticultural skills in the field. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Shenendowa Central School District -- $4,857 Deborah Smith, 970 Route 146, Clifton Park, NY 12065 Outdoor Environmental Laboratory and Wildlife Habitat Gowana Middle School, part of a 12-building suburban campus, is conducting a program to use a spacious interior courtyard as an outdoor environmental teaching and learning laboratory. Using suggestions provided in the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program, students are involved in the development of the outdoor environmental laboratory. All seventh-grade students use the laboratory in their life science programs. Sixth- and eighth-grade students use it for interdisciplinary programs. As students participate in developing and learning in the ecosystem, they develop an understanding of what must be done to preserve the environment. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Inc. -- $20,430 Darlene Downing, Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406-0504 The Catskills, A Sense of Place "The Catskills, A Sense of Place is the fifth module in The Catskill Center's comprehensive educational program about the watershed that serves local communities in upstate New York and downstate New York City (NYC). The module includes a teacher's manual, a Web site, teacher workshops, classroom visits, and field trips. The unit also provides teachers regionally relevant educational units, as required by the state. Teachers and students in the Catskill region participate in real-life educational experiences related to the complex culture, natural resources, and history of the region. Watershed institutions, educators, parents, and students engage in activities that emphasize the mutual dependency of upstate and downstate communities on natural resources and stewardship responsibilities. Partners include the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, the Youth Resources Development Council, Gilboa-Conesville Central School, and Phoenicia Elementary School. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | Victor Central School -- $5,000 Virginia Diesenberg, District Office Building, Victor, NY 14564 Victor Environmental Education Project The project focuses on the impact of commercial and residential development on a rural town. Students work in partnership with the Ontario County office of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the town of Victor, and a local developer and contractor. Students in environmental studies classes at Victor High School conduct research on and write environmental impact reports about properties in the town of Victor. The students develop multimedia presentations and report their findings to Victor High School economics classes; the board of supervisors of the town of Victor; and the community, which they reach through the local access cable channel. |
| 2000 | NY | 2 | West Harlem Environmental Action -- $61,628 (HQ Grant) Peggy Shepard, 271 West 125th Street, Suite 211, New York, NY 10027 Environmental Education Training for Teachers and Students This project improves environmental health and quality of life and secures environmental justice for members of predominantly African-American and Latino communities in New York, New York. The project strengthens ongoing efforts to promote children's environmental health education by: (1) implementing in three schools in Harlem a scientifically sound, culturally sensitive educational model program to improve teaching skills, environmental health literacy, and problem-solving at the neighborhood level; (2) demonstrating the benefits of establishing collaborative partnerships with local school systems to enhance science curricula; (3) encouraging students to pursue environmental careers through a student-scientist mentorship project; and (4) sustaining those activities through several targeted strategies. Initially, train-the-trainer interactive educational sessions and teacher-student environmental field trips are being conducted for a small number of teachers, to be followed by the training of additional teachers. The teachers in turn train students at three high schools in Harlem. Partners in the project include the Harlem Center for Environmental Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan, the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, and Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. |
| 2000 | NC | 4 | City Seeds -- $5,000 Jonathan Brown, 70 Woodfin Place, Room 327, Asheville, NC 28801 The Bountiful City Project, Implementing Edible Forest Ecosystems in City Parks The Bountiful City Project is Asheville's, and the country's, first edible public park system. The concept is edible, public, open spaces which are called forest gardens. Forest gardens are composed of a variety of perennial edibles, as well as other layers of vegetation, that mimick natural forest ecosystems. It is modeled after permaculture forest gardening, which mimics the design of natural forest ecosystems. The objective of the project is to create model projects that will educate the public on environmental issues and solutions. Educational curriculum is being developed for use in educating students as they visit the parks. Workshops train interns from local colleges as instructors for younger students. In addition to benefitting from the learning experience as interns, the college students take the knowledge and experience gained through the project into the professional world. |
| 2000 | NC | 4 | Wilson County Schools -- $18,875 Rachel Cozart, P. O. Box 2048, Wilson, NC 27894 Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a hands-on, international environmental program designed for use in schools. It brings together students, teachers, and scientists from around the world to study the environment. The goal of the project in Wilson County schools is to enhance students' awareness and understanding of environmental issues while simultaneously improving student achievement. Instruction related to GLOBE is provided at the 12 elementary schools and 6 middle schools in the school system. Hands-on learning experiences, small group instruction, and integrated learning opportunities characterize the enrichment program. |
| 2000 | ND | 8 | University of North Dakota -- $8,200 Daniel Daly, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018 North Dakota Red River Basin River Watch Project The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is holding a one-time laboratory field experience for two high schools in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, and two schools in Polk County, Minnesota. The proven River Watch program is the vehicle used. The goal is to enhance the River Watch educational experience for the Minnesota schools, which are already in the program, and to introduce the River Watch Program to North Dakota schools, as the first step in building a water-focused environmental education program in the North Dakota portion of the Red River watershed. The objectives of the program are to provide area students an opportunity to become aware of the careers available in scientific research and environmental studies, to develop students' critical-thinking and problem-solving skills as they participate in data collection and assessment procedures, and to provide area educators with an activity that is consistent with the national and state science education standards and is built on existing local environmental education activities and curricula. The outcomes include an enhanced environmental education experience for secondary students and strengthened ties among the scientific, environmental, and educational communities in the North Dakota and Minnesota portions of the watershed. |
| 2000 | OH | 5 | Better Housing League of Greater Cincinnati, CLEARCorps Cincinnati -- $9,965 Dot Christenson, 2400 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Lead Awareness for Families Train-the-Trainer Program The Better Housing League of Greater Cincinnati provides training to day-care facility staff in principles of adult education and lead awareness safety. Day-care staff facilitate three sessions at centers that serve low-income families in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, one session with parents and caregivers and two sessions with children at the facility. More than 600 individuals will be trained through this program which will serve as a model for other daycare facilities. |
| 2000 | OH | 5 | Mahoning Valley/Northeast Ohio Camp Fire Council -- $6,230 Barbara Smith, P. O. Box 516, 3712 Leffingwell Road, Canfield, OH 44406 Environmental Olympics Mahoning Valley/Northeast Ohio Camp Fire Council teams with Organizacfon Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana, Inc. (OCCHA) to bring environmental education activities to OCCHA's afterschool site on the south side of Youngstown. The program teaches 40 inner-city, high-risk youth from 8 to 13 years of age about their local environment through field trips and hands-on service learning projects. Among other evaluation measures, Mahoning Valley/Northeast Ohio Camp Fire Council tracks student self-esteem throughout different phases of the project. |
| 2000 | OH | 5 | University of Findlay, College of Education -- $5,000 Gwynne Stoner-Rife, 1000 North Main Street, Findlay, OH 45840 Pesticide Education for Teachers of Northwest Ohio Under its preservice and inservice teacher education initiative, the University of Findlay offers a multimedia software (CD-ROM) package related to pesticide education. The technology-based education program focuses on a proactive, prevention-oriented approach to environmental problems related to current agricultural practices in the use of chemical insecticides. The program reaches 60 graduate-level teachers and 20 preservice undergraduate teachers. |
| 2000 | OK | 6 | Heart of Oklahoma Council of Camp Fire -- $4,788 Jan Robinson, 3309 East Hefner Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73131 Science-Sense With the establishment of 10 Braille trail stations, the Science-Sense project transforms an outdoor classroom into an area in which all students can expand their environmental education. Visually impaired children experience nature through the use of their other senses. Sighted peers share the same experiences as they walk through the trail blindfolded. Children follow a guide rope and pause at the 10 stations to experience the scents, sounds, and textures of plants, seeds, arachnids, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, rocks, and minerals. Each station is identified with signs in both standard print and Braille, cassette tapes, and brochures. |
| 2000 | OK | 6 | Norman Public Schools -- $5,000 Richard Dennis, 600 48th Street SE, Norman, OK 73026 WOODS Annex Teachers participate in Project Wet training workshops and a four-week Naturalist in Residence program to prepare them to serve as environmental guides. Pathways are constructed to allow participants to use the WOODS annex project for environmental studies, including the application of the scientific processes of observing, counting, measuring, collecting, and drawing conclusions about organisms in the annex. |
| 2000 | OR | 10 | Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $3,700 Tina Whitman, 498 Southeast Lynn Boulevard, Prineville, OR 97754 Crooked River Watershed Council Monitoring Education and Involvement Project Through the monitoring project, the Crooked River Watershed Council provides local teachers, students, and landowners instruction and field-based experience in watershed science and policy. The project improves community knowledge of the condition of resources and involvement in watershed stewardship. Two workshops are conducted in photo and water quality monitoring methods and data interpretation. One workshop is for area educators, and the other is for interested members of the community and landowners. Partners in the project with the Crooked River Watershed Council are the Crook County High School, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council Work Education Program, and Oregon State University Extension. |
| 2000 | OR | 10 | Eastern Oregon University School of Education and Business -- $20,061 Donna Rainboth, One University Blvd., La Grande, OR 97850 Weaving a WEB Eastern Oregon University, in collaboration with four partners, Union School District, Umatilla School District, the Science and Mathematics Consortium for Northwest Schools, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, revises the current Whole Ecosystem in Balance (WEB) curriculum and correlates the curriculum to state and national standards. The project focuses on revising WEB lessons to include current natural resource issues, more environmental concepts, and less basic information and correlating all WEB lessons with the Oregon and national science education standards. Two training opportunities help 40 additional teachers in eastern Washington and Oregon implement the WEB curriculum. |
| 2000 | OR | 10 | Northwest Youth Corp -- $5,000 Natalie Whitson, 2621 Augusta Street, Eugene, Lane County, OR 97403 Lane County Culvert Survey and Environmental Education Project Through this project, the Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) designs a new class for environmental educators in NYC's Outdoor School (ODS) and YouthWorks. The class prepares at-risk youth in NYC's programs to be stewards of the environment in the community by training them to collect needed information. Under the direction of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, approximately 80 middle school students and 100 high school students in NYC's program examine diversity of species and monitor water quality when necessary. The data collected are interpreted by students in the ODS as part of their education, job training, community service, and career development activities. In the process, students also enhance their work skills through the completion of intensive field assessments; develop skills in citizenship and stewardship of the environment through community service; and gain the skills needed to mitigate environmental hazards, determine environmental policies, and achieve environmental justice. |
| 2000 | OR | 10 | Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology/Saturday Academy Department -- $5,000 Kim Wilson, 20000 Northwest Walker Road, Beaverton, OR 97006 Instruction and Coordination of Two Youth Tree Inventory Project Teams The Youth Tree Inventory (YTI) Project introduces middle and high school students to the basics of arboriculture, data collection techniques, and public policy as is related to trees in the urban right-of-way (street trees). The students involved are from low-income and culturally diverse communities in North Portland. The project benefits students educationally and benefits the community by creating awareness of urban resources and encouraging stewardship of those resources. Professionals from the City of Portland Urban Forestry Department and Portland State University, arborists, and community volunteers work with student inventory teams during YTI instructional and data collection activities. Hands-on practice is emphasized during training and reinforced throughout the collection period. |
| 2000 | OR | 10 | Oregon State University Environmental Health Sciences Center -- $4,951 Holly Sherburne, 1011 ALS Building, Corvallis, OR 97331 Science Inquiry Through Environmental Health Science Education Through a partnership with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in New Jersey, the Center trains elementary classroom teachers in the Lincoln County School District, with a focus on fifth-grade. An interactive workshop and three subsequent trainings are conducted to train elementary classroom teachers in an existing curriculum, ToxRAP (Toxicology, Risk Assessment and Pollution), to improve their environmental education teaching skills and knowledge about environmental health issues. The teachers also are trained in how to use the Oregon Scientific Inquiry Scoring Guide to score student work samples prepared by students participating in ToxRAP curricular activities. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Downingtown Area School District -- $4,820 Holly Maddams, 122 Wallace Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335 Environmental Education Teacher Training in Natural Settings EPA funds support environmental education and training of teacher and parent volunteers in a natural setting at Beaver Creek Elementary School. Trained individuals assume primary teaching responsibilities at the Watershed Learning Center adjacent to the school. All 500 students at the school participate in lessons presented on site at the center. Students, teachers, and parent volunteers better understand the ecosystems at the center and the effects of human behavior on those ecosystems and on environmental quality. The training enables teachers to foster students' critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania Environmental Council -- $10,634 Ann Smith, 117 South 17th Street, Suite 2300, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Darby-Cobbs Watershed Education Program for Teachers The program trains teachers in the basics of watershed management, with an emphasis on important local issues. In addition to scientific and technical topics, the program educates teachers on public policy issues and local initiatives that are underway in their watershed. Teachers learn how science and technology are applied through public policy regulations, incentive programs, and grass root initiatives to address environmental issues to enhance teaching skills on local watershed issues. The instruction is integrated with existing curriculum and materials that teachers can use in their classrooms. Teachers are expected to develop a field or service-oriented project for their students that will contribute to local watershed initiatives. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Pocono Environmental Education Center -- $2,067 Ben Armstrong, RR 2, Box 1010, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328 Watersheds and Wetlands Workshops The program sponsors two day-long Watersheds and Wetlands workshops for 60 mid-level teachers and students. Training enables participants to return to the classroom as student-teachers who share knowledge with classmates. The student-teachers are trained in biological, physical, and chemical testing; they then teach water quality workshops as group leaders. With classroom instruction before and after the workshop, the hands-on, inquiry-based field study activities during the workshops help teachers and students understand the state curriculum and standards for watershed and wetlands education. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Saint Francis College -- $9,745 Kevin O'Flaherty, P. O. Box 600, Loretto, PA 15940 Bringing the Ocean to Western PA and Western PA to the Ocean Elementary and secondary school teachers in an economically depressed area attend a workshop to learn about the ocean and salt water issues. Teachers participate in presentations on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the water cycle, freshwater/saltwater differences, and ecosystem dynamics. The teachers set up salt water aquaria in their classrooms to replicate the larger ecosystem of the ocean to learn aquaria dynamics as they apply to ecosystem dynamics. Teachers integrate environmental and ecological standards into their classroom curricula to educate students about the important relationship between fresh water in Pennsylvania and salt water in ocean systems. Teachers learn about water testing procedures and nutrient loads along with developing critical analysis of their research. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Shade High School -- $4,990 Damion Ciotti, 203 McGregor, P. O. Box 7, Cairnbrook, PA 15924 High School Students Watershed Assessment Project Students from Shade and Westmont high schools initiate a watershed assessment that provides historical information about specific sites in the watershed and includes a stream monitoring program that provides quality data used by regional and state environmental agencies. Students show findings to local Dark Shade residents and make recommendations about cleanup measures. The expected outcome is that students understand an environmental problem-solving process that combines historical research and good scientific data to solve environmental problems. The project strengthens EPA's Brownfields Pilot Project outreach effort in Central City and Shade Township. |
| 2000 | PA | 3 | Urban Tree Connection -- $10,000 Saul Weiner, 5125 Woodbine Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 Open Space Revitalization Project The project focuses on developing an innovative, active, learning-based environmental science curriculum that involves neighborhood students in an open space revitalization project. It also responds to the interest expressed in the community in developing some vacant lots as a safe space for children and for community gardens. Students in grades 3 through 5 at R.R. Wright Elementary School are involved in the research, planning, design, and installation of improvements at five vacant lots. Activities and curriculum topics include soils, water cycle, food production, ecological concepts, habitat gardens, pollution and waste management, and community service. The final product is a template to be used by other communities. This project involves minority students in an underserved, under-resourced community. |
| 2000 | PR | 2 | Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Inc. -- $24,992 Amaury Boscio, P. O. Box 363255, San Juan, PR 00936-3255 Barranquitas Campus Environmental Education Program (BCEEP The Barranquitas Campus Environmental Education Program (BCEEP), in partnership with the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Inc. and local school districts, is increasing five communities' understanding of environmental issues and is targeting teachers and students at eight elementary schools and four high schools in neighboring municipalities. Using multimedia computer technology, the University is conducting a series of conferences on environmental issues of concern to communities in central Puerto Rico, including endangered species, solid waste, freshwater resources, composting, and environmental careers. Targeted schools are located in Barranquitas and the neighboring communities of Aibonito, Orocovis, and Corozal. BCEEP is conducting pre-service programming to improve the ability of future teachers from the Barranquitas campus to integrate environmental education into elementary and science curricula. The materials developed are made available on the university's Web site. |
| 2000 | RI | 1 | Keep Providence Beautiful -- $5,000 Sally Turner, 385 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 Summer 2000 Green Team Program Focusing on eight neighborhoods in Providence, 40 youths, from 14 through 18 years old, work with the community to raise awareness of negative environmental factors, build a sense of stewardship of neighborhood, and increase their knowledge of how to effect change and improve environmental conditions. The youths work on such issues as litter, improper waste disposal, recycling, and vacant lots. |
| 2000 | RI | 1 | Woonsocket Education Department -- $12,450 Mike Ferry, Woonsocket High School, 108 High Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895 Northeast River Teacher Training A five-day hands-on teacher training workshop is held on the Northeast River Curriculum. The training focuses on increasing students' knowledge and understanding of important issues and concepts related to the river, preparing students with the necessary skills to properly investigate and report relevant information about the river, and inspiring students to take action and resolve problems that contribute to the overall deterioration of the river. |
| 2000 | SC | 4 | Coastal Carolina University -- $4,832 Sharon Gilman, P. O. Box 2619454, Conway, SC 29528 Community River Project: Volunteer Monitoring Program for Horry County The primary goal of the project is to foster local appreciation and a conservation ethic with regard to our wetlands and water resources. Teams of local volunteers in Horry County are trained to participate in a long-term water quality monitoring program. Volunteers are provided the necessary equipment and trained to collect, review, and report data that are used to formulate conservation recommendations for the community. The efforts of the volunteers and the results they achieve, in collaboration with those of participants in Coastal Carolina University's High School River Project, are highlighted at an education event open to schools and the public that is held at the Playcard Environmental Education Center. |
| 2000 | SC | 4 | Youth Service Charleston, Inc. -- $10,820 Ben Long, P. O. Box 22085, Charleston, SC 29413 Earth Force Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) Program CAPS is an environmental problem-solving program through which middle-school-age youth and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and work to create sustainable solutions to those problems. CAPS educators and youth acquire problem-solving skills by identifying and addressing an existing environmental problem in their community. Through the Youth Service Corps (YSC), the Charleston area has become one of six communities throughout the nation to implement the Earth Force CAPS program. Because of the increased recognition of and demand for the program, YSC plans to add sites in areas which the program already is established and expand it into additional areas, especially rural communities. |
| 2000 | TN | 4 | Cumberland River Compact, Inc. -- $5,000 Margo Farnsworth, P. O. Box 41721, Nashville, TN 37172 Splash Bash 2000 Middle and high school teachers in communities along the Cumberland River participate in a two-part program: teacher training in water quality monitoring and a findings celebration (The Splash Bash). Teacher instruction centers on chemical monitoring, identification and importance of macro-invertebrates, watershed concept activities, and identification and use of local resources. After the training in the fall, teachers are given a free water monitoring kit to use with their students on any local tributary of the Cumberland River during a specified time period. When collected, the data are sent to the Cumberland River Compact which disseminates the data to local, state, and federal partners and posts the data on its Web site for students and the general public to see. In the spring, teachers are invited to bring their students and results to The Splash Bash. Students and teachers are able to compare results from throughout the watershed and share them with each other. In addition to student displays, there are Native American river stories and dances, examples of archaeology finds from the flood plains, and booths from various government agencies. |
| 2000 | TN | 4 | YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga -- $6,335 Patrick Miles, 301 W. 6th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402 Youth Corps Environmental Work Program The YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga and the Tennessee Wildlife Center have developed a service learning model that encourages teens to begin service through volunteer programs in both organizations. The projects are conducted entirely by students. The youth corps works with agency coordinators and a crew leader in project development, project procedures, and program education. The Chattanooga Youth Corps plans to complete six environmental projects to improve human services, conservation, and urban development. The majority of the projects benefit organizations that emphasize the sustainability of the earth, the environment, and the community. |
| 2000 | TN | 4 | YMCA of Middle Tennessee -- $5,000 Susan Ragsdale, 900 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203 YMCA Earth Service Corps (YESC) Leadership Seminars The project seeks to increase capacity-building in Tennessee by bringing together students, staff, and teachers from throughout the state who are involved in the YMCA Earth Service Corps (YESC). Participants attend two seminars that challenge them in their pursuit of excellence in environmental service. The goals of the seminars are to teach participants how to do needs assessments, to make them aware of environmental issues germane to their communities, and to give them an opportunity to brainstorm project ideas and put them into action. Participants also learn how to use the YESC Web site to record their work and as a means of communications for networking. Training also is offered in leadership development and team building. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | American Institute for Learning -- $5,273 Lois Myers, 216 East 4th Street, Austin, TX 78701 Teacher Training Regarding Watershed Issues Through the Community Watershed Education Project, an increased number of students receive watershed education training, including the health and career aspects of water pollution and watershed protection. Teacher access has expanded to existing watershed models and curricula, as well. The project provides professional development to teachers by educating and training them to use unique, hands-on curricula and watershed models. The project workshops specifically target students, teachers, and community members in a culturally diverse, low-income area. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | City of Austin, Water Resources Division -- $53,150 (HQ Grant) R. H. Richardson, 625 E. 10th Street, Austin, TX 78701 Hornsby Bend Ecological Mentorship Program The project brings together environmental professionals; university students; and urban, ethnically diverse, at-risk students to address issues related to urban sustainability at Hornsby Bend, a 700-acre site along the Colorado River, as well as to explore future careers in the environmental field. Teams of university students, guided by environmental professionals and university scientists, are conducting various research projects and undergoing training. They in turn mentor elementary, middle school, and high school students from low-income, ethnically diverse communities. The students are studying issues associated with local ecology, urban environmental management, and urban sustainability at Hornsby Bend by participating in classroom instruction and field trips to environmental sites in the area and using on-line resources. They are learning about the importance of education, environmental career paths, and local urban environmental issues. Multimedia Web-based resources, developed by the university students, also facilitate on-line mentoring among the students. The results of the project are being made available online, along with career resources. The University of Texas, the Travis Audubon Society, the Colorado River Watch Foundation, and a fourth-grade class at Hornsby Bend Elementary School are partners in the project. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | Keep Texas Beautiful -- $5,187 Cecile Carson, P. O. Box 178, Denton, TX 76202 Waste in Place Regional Workshops Keep Texas Beautiful provides teachers and non-formal educators with hands-on environmental experiences through its Waste In Place workshops at eight locations in Texas. The interactive workshops include evaluating litter value for better waste management practices. Teachers in turn share the workshop curriculum with students, and non-formal educators share the curriculum with community members. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | Miller Springs Alliance -- $5,000 Mary Ann Smith, P. O. Box 752, Belton, TX 76513 Self-Help Water Conservation Solutions and Demonstration The objective of the Self-Help Water Conservation Project is to intensify public interest, through environmental education, in the value of and need for self-help water conservation. The project is a valuable restoration project that supports intermediate-level classroom research and exploration in water conservation. Scientific professionals provide experimental training to classroom educators and students. Approximately 14 school districts participate. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District -- $4,821 Bonnie Farmer, 500 South LBJ, P. O. Box 1087, San Marcos, TX 78666 Monarch Butterfly Assistance Project The project provides a real-world learning experience in which students enrolled in high school science classes implement and report on scientific experiments that address conservation issues affecting public lands. Through the study of monarch butterflies, the outdoor environmental class setting enables students to engage in hands-on activities that pique their minds in ways that cannot be achieved in the classroom. Projects begin in the classroom and are transported outside to complete the study. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | Seguin Outdoor Learning Center -- $4,694 Barbara Kemper-Nolan, P. O. Box 262, McQueeney, TX 78123 Water Quality Pilot Program The program focuses on water quality issues. Recent devastating floods in the area have brought the topic to the forefront of residents' daily lives. Residents' proximity to creeks and rivers that are prone to flooding has made it vital to educate children as advocates for water quality protection measures in their daily lives. Sixth-grade students participate in field investigative trips to learn essential concepts, such as water from the tap does not come from an endless supply. |
| 2000 | TX | 6 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston -- $80,850 (HQ Grant) Irina Cech, P. O. Box 20036, Houston, TX 77225-0036 Environmental Education for Communities on the U.S.-Mexico Border Through the hands-on environmental health training program, citizens of low-income and remote communities in areas along the border between Texas and New Mexico and Mexico are participating in a much-needed program that addresses health problems that affect children as a result of exposure to environmental risks. The citizens, who are Hispanic, Native American, and Caucasian, learn how to detect, manage, and prevent the exposure of children to toxic chemical and microbial health hazards. A contingent of environmental health providers, pediatric caregivers and clinical care professionals who work in communities within 100 miles of the area, train members of the communities, using their mobile outreach and field demonstration capabilities. The program, which addresses a severe shortage in the area of environmental training and experience among health care workers and members of the public, builds upon and expands the geographic coverage of similar projects conducted in 1995. The educational outreach strategy developed under the grant has wide application because it promotes binational environmental awareness and serves as a model for involvement of academic institutions with border communities and other organizations. It also can be replicated easily in other remote, inaccessible locations. Key partners in the project include the University of Texas School of Public Health Border Campuses at El Paso, San Antonio, and Brownsville; the El Paso Area Health Education Center; the New Mexico Office of Border Health; and the Border Health Council. |
| 2000 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $74,953 (HQ Grant) Janet Ross, P. O. Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535 Bioregional Outdoor Education Pilot Project Using a unique approach to introduce bioregional environmental education to multicultural, rural school districts in remote areas, the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education provides training and resources to teachers and students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The pilot program links and strengthens the sustainability of environmental education programs in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico and uses environmental education as a catalyst to advance state, local, and tribal education reform goals. Teachers representing 12 schools participate in the project, which includes an intensive 10-day summer institute and training courses on how to develop and use an environmental curriculum that is aligned with state standards. Students reached by the project include elementary school children from diverse communities of Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasian populations. Partners in the project include the school districts of South Sanpete, Utah; Montrose, Colorado; and Ganado, Arizona; and the Shiprock Bureau of Indian Affairs School; the American Honda Foundation; W.M.B. Berger Foundation; the Utah Society for Environmental Education; and state affiliates of the North American Association for Environmental Education. |
| 2000 | UT | 8 | University of Utah -- $113,991 (HQ Grant) Ray Beckett, Kennocott Research Center, 1495 East 100 South, Room 138, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Environmental Research and Training Project for High School Science Teachers and Students In collaboration with the University of Utah's College of Mines and Earth Sciences, the project educates citizens of many different sectors about the effects of environmental pollution and actively involves them in efforts to address the most pressing environmental issues in Utah. The project is based on training teachers to help high school students develop and implement community-based environmental research and pollution prevention projects. In turn, students, organized into teams, discuss their projects with students at other high schools and work with representatives of industry, environmental organizations, and other community agencies to implement their projects. Specifically, the students are identifying and gathering data pertinent to resolving environmental problems and developing and submitting project proposals for peer review. Funding for at least one environmental project per science class also is provided under the project. As the project progresses, the students learn critical-thinking skills and develop an appreciation for how individuals can address and resolve environmental challenges. The target audience includes high school teachers and high school students at 10 to 12 schools in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. The Utah State Office of Education, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, and Utah Partners in Education are partners in the project. |
| 2000 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $20,000 Tim Brown, 350 South 400 East, Suite G4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Building Capacity for Environmental Education in Utah The project is designed to build environmental education networks, while accommodating local needs and events. These efforts are merged with existing events. For example, an evening event has been held in St. George for the past two years to introduce teachers to environmental education programs. The project complements the St. George event by providing a workshop during the day for personnel of participating environmental education programs. The training provides an opportunity to introduce key stakeholders, such as administrators, representatives of community groups, and personnel of agencies to environmental education. In locations that currently have no environmental education events, the Utah Society for Environmental Education works with local environmental educators and potential supporters to host gatherings that build support for environmental education through training, networking, and educating. The primary audience of the project is 140 formal and non-formal environmental educators, as well as key stakeholders at the local level, including teachers, youth group leaders, environmental education program providers, and state and federal agency personnel responsible for environmental education. The audience also includes representatives of school administrations, higher education, and community groups. Locations for environmental education gatherings include Vernal, St. George, Monticello, Ogden, Logan, Salt Lake City, and possibly other locations. |
| 2000 | VT | 1 | Association of Vermont Recyclers -- $4,960 Connie Leach Bisson, P. O. Box 1244, Montpelier, VT 05601 Regional Collaboration in Environmental Theater The Association of Vermont Recyclers is recognized widely for its environmental theater troupe and original plays that have toured kindergarten through grade 8 classes in schools throughout Vermont for more than eight years. The grant money is used to explore opportunities to share the association's resources with neighboring states. The group tours six elementary and middle schools, reaching some 1,250 students and 65 teachers and educating them on environmental issues through theater. The group also hosts training for teachers to incorporate the association's creative form of teaching into their work plans. |
| 2000 | VT | 1 | Lake Champlain Science Center -- $23,500 Betsy Rosenbluth, 1 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Eco-Peers Project The Science Center and the Vermont Institute for Science, Mathematics and Technology work with 20 middle and high school teachers to develop and implement a standards-based curriculum about the Lake Champlain basin. Existing materials are used and adopted to address local environmental concerns. Classroom kits, focusing on monitoring ecosystem health through land and water, will be developed for middle and high school students and will be made available on the Science Center's web site. More than 20 middle and high school teachers participate, serving more than 400 students each year. |
| 2000 | VT | 1 | Vermont Center for the Book -- $105,569 (HQ Grant) Sally Anderson, 256 Haywood Road, Chester, VT 05143 Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Program The Vermont Center for the Book works collaboratively with several partners to develop and implement programs focused specifically on reaching low-income, educationally at-risk preschool children and their families. Using picture books, discussions, and activities to bring environmental themes to life for preschoolers and the professionals who work with them, the project expands in several New England states access to and use of an existing environmental education curriculum that was implemented successfully in Vermont in 1997 and 1998. Training is being provided to Head Start trainers and selected teachers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, who in turn train Head Start teachers to organize and facilitate preschool environmental programs in each of their home states. The program builds local capacity to deliver high-quality environmental education by educating Head Start trainers and teachers about environmental issues, enhancing their access to and understanding of environmental information, and improving their environmental education skills. Key partners in the project include the Vermont Institute for Natural Science; the Stewardship Center of Shelburne Farms; and Head Start centers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. |
| 2000 | VI | 2 | University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) -- $5,000 Mayra Suarez-Velez, #2 John Brewers' Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802 Understanding Coastal Pollution: A Dynamic Approach to Environmental Teaching The Sea-Grant Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service and the Mathematics and Science Department of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) are partners on this program to provide needed graphic environmental education materials and field experiences that engage students between the ages of 8 and 10. A medium that appeals to younger students, a comic book, is in development, with thought-provoking activities that depict characters who reflect the Virgin Islands' cultural diversity: black, Indian, Latino, and white ethnic backgrounds. The central issue is preservation of the future livelihood, as well as the environmental integrity, of the Virgin Islands through an understanding of the human impact on the Virgin Islands' precious tropical coastal zones. Five workshops are held to provide the perspective of teachers during development of the materials. Through 15 workshop presentations, approximately 400 students have the opportunity to complement the book activities with an interactive field experience at the MacLean Marine Science Center at UVI. In addition, the materials are slated for wide distribution at Coastweek and Earth Day events in the Virgin Islands. |
| 2000 | VA | 3 | Old Dominion University Research Foundation -- $5,000 Terri Mathews, P. O. Box 6369, Norfolk, VA 23508 Environmental Field Investigation Project with Norfolk City Public Schools The project creates a regional community of science educators who share environmental data from investigations conducted by high school students on high school campuses. EPA funding provides for the purchase of calculator-based laboratories (CBL) and calculators that must be acquired to begin the project. The course is designed to encourage the use of inquiry-based learning by science educators and incorporates the use of CBLs and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS). |
| 2000 | VA | 3 | Portsmouth Public Schools -- $4,980 Catherine Roberts, P. O. Box 998, Portsmouth, VA 23705 Shad Restoration Seventh-grade students participate in a watershed-wide shad restoration effort. The primary educational priority is education reform. The objectives of the project include teaching students importance of human interaction with the Chesapeake Bay environment, using real-world problem-solving skills to enhance critical thinking, supplementing existing efforts to increase Virginia's shad population, and providing an educational tool that encourages environmental reform to share with other professionals through the Web and conferences. |
| 2000 | VA | 3 | Radford University -- $4,999 Fred Singer, P. O. Box 6931, Radford, VA 24142 Ecological Communities as Indicators of Environmental Health of an Urban Park High school and college students and members of the community collect data on the abundance and diversity of species in an urban park. All participants learn about the life cycles of various plants and animals and how different species interact to become a community. Members of the public participate in their own education by using scientific methodology to collect the actual data that are analyzed and disseminated to the community. Members of the community that use the park are encouraged to participate in the project by reclaiming meadows and collecting data on insect and plant communities. Project results are updated regularly and posted in Wildwood Park. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | City of Tumwater Public Works -- $19,020 Cathy Callison, 555 Israel Road SW, Tumwater, WA 98501 Percival Creek: Habitat Education, Restoration and Stewardship Through a combination of workshops, field experiences, informational brochures, and hands-on activities, the year-long project involves Tumwater teachers, students, homeowners, and city personnel in restoration and long-term stewardship of the local watershed and salmon habitat. The goals of the project are to provide education on the value of salmon, salmon habitat, and stream ecology through workshops and field studies, to offer training in how to use biological assessment as an educational and action tool to determining the health of salmon habitat in South Puget Sound; to teach habitat restoration skills to teachers, students, and homeowners; to provide teachers, students, and homeowners with a opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to a habitat restoration project; and to train city personnel in long-term maintenance of habitat restoration sites. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Columbia Basin College Mathematics and Science Division -- $4,990 Jennifer VonReis, 2600 N 20th Avenue, Pasco, WA 99301 Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe Study The Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe Study develops and delivers an 11-week, five-credit course to be delivered during the spring of 2001. The course teaches students how to monitor and assess the effects of human activity and development on the health of the mid-Columbia basin shrub-steppe ecosystem. The Columbia Basin College (CBC) carries out the project in conjunction with Washington State University Tri-Cites, Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, the local Audubon society, the local native plant society, and area landowners who allow faculty and students of CBC on their property. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Lake Washington School District and Environmental and Adventure School -- $3,880 Eileen McMackin, P. O. Box 97039, Redmond, WA 98073 Finn Hill Watershed Education Project Under a project supported by the Environmental and Adventure School, approximately 40 environmental and adventure middle school students in the Lake Washington School District engage in weekly field studies and research, including the collection and reporting of data for the King County Amphibian Monitoring Program. In turn, the middle school students provide activities to approximately 300 third- and fourth-grade students at Sandburg Elementary, Thoreau Elementary, and Arrowhead Elementary schools. At the conclusion of the project, Northshore and Lake Washington District school teachers and administrators, and interested educators elsewhere, are informed of academic and social benefits achieved through the project as a means of providing a model for wide application of the community-based environmental education method. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Land/Culture Project (Groundworks Institute) -- $4,838 Todd Cullison, P. O. Box 2902, Pullman, WA 99165 Environmental Education Through Stream Assessment in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho Groundworks Institute implements a holistic educational program in stream assessment that links data-gathering and analysis and preparation of recommendations among partner schools and organizations through an interactive web site. The purposes of the program are to educate participants about the importance of good water quality and the overall health of local watersheds and to link students across geographical distances as they collaborate to assess their local watersheds. The project uses comprehensive environmental education methods to integrate mathematics, science, communication, and critical-thinking skills into an existing assessment curriculum. The integrated environmental education program connects children with their local environment through hands-on experiences in watershed assessment in the field, in the classroom, and on the web. The primary audience of the project is school children in kindergarten through 12th grade in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Mason Conservation District -- $15,000 Jeanene Campbell, 1051 S.E. Hwy 3, Suite G, Shelton, WA 98584 Mason County Environmental Education Initiative Through a cooperative effort that involves the Washington Forest Protection Association and the Simpson Timber Company, the Mason Conservation District (MDC) offers a means of educating teachers and district administrators about the benefits of using interdisciplinary environmental education activities in the classroom. The MDC and the partner agencies form the Mason County Environmental Education Team (MCEET) to provide training for teachers in Shelton School District. The MCEET and teachers integrate environmental education into existing curricula, such as Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project Wild, and Forests of Washington, to meet the new essential academic learning requirements (ERLR). Once integrated, the curriculum helps teachers assess environmental and ecological conditions and address specific environmental issues and problems. The work with Shelton School District will serve as a model for other districts after the project has been completed. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Salish Sea Expeditions -- $5,000 Ellie Linen Low, P. O. Box 976, Kingston, WA 98346 Turning Middle School Students into Real Marine Scientists The project is designed as a pilot study to link two innovative science education endeavors in Puget Sound, the Salish Sea Expeditions (SSE) and the Truth About Science (TAS) curriculum. SSE and TAS are similar in that they both teach students how to practice real environmental science: SSE almost entirely out of doors and TAS from the platform of a structured classroom. The goal of the collaborative project is to unite and strengthen the inquiry based learning programs, thereby providing an intensive and cohesive educational experience, in both the classroom and the field. Through a partnership with TAS developers, SSE provides training to middle school teachers who are participating in the TAS curriculum in the Seattle School District in how to conduct their classes' long-term research projects using the SSE boat, science equipment, and educators. |
| 2000 | WA | 10 | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife -- $29,500 (HQ Grant) Michelle Tirhi, 25644 44th Avenue South, Kent, WA 98032 Interactive Education Program for the Internet Under the project, an interactive animated educational game is developed to educate students about the diverse wildlife in Washington and the effects of human actions on the wildlife. Through the game, sixth- through eighth-grade students in both rural and urban areas of the state are learning about and using scientific concepts and principles and applying their newly acquired skills to increase their knowledge about diverse species. The program addresses the need to assist students in urban areas in learning about and gaining an appreciation of the natural environment from which they may be far removed. The students learn about fish, wildlife, and plant species with which they may not typically come into contact in their communities. They apply critical-thinking and problem-solving skills as they are engaged in the game and are provided access to a wide selection of resources and publications. The Internet game is housed on an existing Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site and is linked to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site. Development of the project is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Seattle School District; and the Tacoma School District. |
| 2000 | WV | 3 | Cacapon Institute -- $5,000 W. Neil Gillies, Rt. 1 Box 326, High View, WV 26808 Keep Well Water Program Middle and high school students are trained in testing for the presence or absence of bacteria and in testing water samples in their own homes, interpreting and reporting the results to local media and posting the results on Cacapon Institute's Web site. In the Cacapon Watershed, 60 percent of wells are contaminated with total coliform bacteria, and 17 percent are contaminated with Escherichia coli. Reported results educate the public about the quality of community drinking water and about health concerns associated with contaminated drinking water. |
| 2000 | WV | 3 | The Children's Treehouse -- $5,000 Mark Madison, Box 166, Shepherd Grade Road, Shepherdstown, WV 254430 Grow With Us Preschool children enjoy an outdoor environmental learning site. The site is furnished with native plants, shrubs, and trees that attract birds and butterflies. Bird feeders and houses and observation sites provide the children with glimpses of life in the wild. The water site houses fish, aquatic vegetation, frogs, tadpoles, and some insects. The children learn about nature from observing plants and animals in their natural environment. |
| 2000 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Natural and Applied Sciences/Humanistic Studies -- $5,000 Andrew Fiala, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 The Restoration of the Fox River-Green Bay Ecosystem The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay offers a series of interactive workshops during which participants practice critical thinking skills that help them to respond to local environmental problems, most notably the remediation of sediments in the Fox River basin that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Teachers and members of the Hmong community, the Oneida and Menominee nations, and the local community are invited to participate actively and learn how to assess the remediation efforts currently taking place on the Fox River. Topics covered include statistical reasoning and the scientific method. |
| 2000 | WY | 8 | Campbell County School District -- $3,022 Rollo Williams, P. O. Box 3033, 1000 West 8th, Gillette, WY 82717-3033 Follow the Waste Day The brown-bag lunch program is a hands-on presentation that explains and shows the origin of local resources and ultimately how they are safely disposed of. During the learning luncheon, children study the origin of their drinking water, where the water goes after it is used, and what happens to the remains of their lunch after they are thrown away. The goal of the project is to show how natural resources are connected, using various agencies at the local and regional levels. Through the Follow the Waste Day program, children and educators see how their daily activities can minimize waste and ultimately contribute to the conservation of their local natural resources. The lesson in source reduction provides educators and children with an understanding and appreciation of the need to make responsible and informed decisions in improving our environment. The knowledge is shared with the Wyoming Association of Environmental Education to disseminate it to school districts throughout the state and region. |
| 2001 | AL | 4 | Cahaba River Society -- $10,000 Randy Mecredy, 2717 7th Avenue, Suite 205, Birmingham, AL 35233 Children Linking Environmentally Across the Nation (CLEAN) Environmental Education Training The goal of the project is to build environmental literacy by providing quality training to help teachers make science come alive and capture their students’ attention. During the past four years, the Cahaba River Society’s (CRS) CLEAN Program has provided hands-on educational field trips, teacher workshops, and interdisciplinary classroom curriculum activities to students and teachers in the Cahaba River watershed and drinking-water service area. CRS is expanding the teacher-training component of the program by offering additional hands-on workshops to educators to improve their environmental education teaching skills. The workshops prepare teachers to use the CRS CLEAN curriculum to improve their environmental education teaching skills and enhance field trip experiences. |
| 2001 | AL | 4 | Clear Branch United Methodist Church -- $5,000 Craig Smith, 8051 Glenn Road, Trussville, AL 35173 Rivers To Mind Venture Crew is a program for young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 that is organized and sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. A Venture Crew group sponsored by the Clear Branch United Methodist Church canoes several rivers in central Alabama and is producing a multimedia presentation that focuses on the environmental problems the group observes during the canoe trips. The group provides the presentation to schools and community organizations. The objective of the group’s effort is to bring the essence of the rivers to the minds of audiences and to ask the members of those audiences to help “mind the rivers.” It is hoped that increasing public awareness of existing environmental problems will help increase concern for the environmental condition of the rivers. |
| 2001 | AK | 10 | Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc. -- $5,000 Marilyn Sigman, P. O. Box 2225, Homer, AK 99603 Kachemak Bay Coastweeks 2001 Under the project, an integrated Coastweeks program of coastal environmental education for communities in the vicinity of Kachemak Bay is developed and coordinated. Outreach programs to all schools in the Kachemak Bay area focus on monitoring environmental changes in beaches and intertidal communities throughout the bay area. Participants increase their understanding of the adverse effects of marine litter and the degradation of intertidal habitats that results from pedestrian and vehicular traffic and other uses. |
| 2001 | AK | 10 | Southeast Island School District - Kasaan School -- $1,423 Barry Stewart, P. O. Box KXA, Ketchikan, AK 99950-0340 Kasaan School Compost Project - Recycling School staff and citizens of the Organized Village of Kasaan educate students about the benefits of composting. They design and implement a program on the recycling of vegetable waste and the use of red worms to create compost. The hands-on project teaches students how to construct composting bins. Students also learn what to use to make the compost, how to take care of the compost, and how to use the compost. The project is particularly beneficial because the Village of Kasaan’s landfill closed recently, and citizens now must drive 17 miles to Thorne Bay to dispose of their solid waste. |
| 2001 | AZ | 9 | Flagstaff Unified School District -- $5,000 Cameron Kern, 3285 East Sparrow Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Community Partnership for Environmental Education Classroom Experiences The project provides hands-on environmental science presentations for individual classrooms. The projects are developed by drawing upon existing curricula, including Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, Project WET, and others. Presenters from the Resource Center for Environmental Education use their knowledge of topics related to environmental science, collections, specimens, slides, and materials to involve children actively in learning about the environment. Teachers are offered continuing education workshops at no cost and have access to kits and materials they can use to teach students about the local environment. |
| 2001 | AZ | 9 | Northern Arizona University -- $13,550 Virgil Masayesva, Institute for Tribal Professionals, NAU Box 4130, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4130 Tribal Schools Ecological Monitoring Project The Tribal Schools Ecological Monitoring Project trains and supports teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 in rural schools in the application of ecological concepts through local, hands-on environmental monitoring programs. By collecting data on water chemistry, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and the condition of stream habitats, students develop a better understanding of riparian and aquatic systems in ecologically rich sites. Teacher training workshops are provided at the beginning of the school year. The four-day workshops focus on materials used in the GLOBE Program and on protocols related to the areas of atmosphere, remote sensing, land cover and biology, and soils. Students carry out the monitoring, analysis, and reporting. A follow-up meeting is held to encourage networking and allow participants to discuss the progress of their efforts. |
| 2001 | AZ | 9 | Town of Oro Valley -- $5,000 Melissa Shaw, 11,000 North La Canada Drive, Oro Valley, AZ 85737 Save a Plant The project educates the public about the need to preserve native plants and the unique environment of the Sonoran Desert and techniques for doing so. Two field-based courses are conducted, one for youth volunteers and citizens involved in community service projects and the other for volunteers representing non-profit organizations. Each course is designed to increase public awareness and provide volunteers practical education in organizing and carrying out efforts to salvage native plants from sites that are undergoing development. Through the program, landowners, developers, and volunteers are brought together to preserve the unique plants of the Sonoran environment. |
| 2001 | AR | 6 | Hot Springs School System -- $4,980 Richmond Edwards, 140 North Border Terrace, Hot Springs, AR 71901 Hot Springs Environmental Project Students and educators participate in outdoor field experiences and activities to learn scientific methods of investigation of the various ecological habitats and environmental conditions of the Ouachita Mountains and its streams, vegetation, and air quality. Through analysis of potable water, soil, and vegetation, students make real-life observations upon which they can base predictions about future environmental conditions. The students in turn educate others in their community about the life-long habits of human populations and the effects of such behaviors on the environment. |
| 2001 | AR | 6 | Newton County Resource Council -- $4,000 Babs DeChant, P. O. Box 513, Jasper, AR 72641 Ozark Discoveries for Educators Newton County is conducting two environmental education workshops for 50 educators at the sixth- through eighth-grade levels in 21 school districts. Partnering agencies select a variety of activities that focus on the natural surroundings of the Ozark Plateau and correlate with the Arkansas Department of Education’s Learning Standards and the Guidelines for Excellence curriculum guides as developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The activities come from Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Underground. Each workshop provides educators with tutorial assistance in choosing activities and demonstrating how they apply to classroom curriculum. |
| 2001 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff -- $5,000 John Meister, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, AR 71611 Soils - The First Line of Environmental Protection Citizens living in a predominately rural and economically depressed area of delta Arkansas are involved in an instructional module on soil types and the importance of soil types in preventing environmental contamination. The module includes several models that provide hands-on activities that are age- and culturally appropriate, along with thought-provoking questions. The models demonstrate how water moves through watersheds and the soil before it reaches groundwater. The effects on water quality of various soil types and decisions about land use are depicted visually. |
| 2001 | AR | 6 | White River Planning & Development District -- $4,950 Van Thomas, 1652 White Drive, Batesville, AR 72503 Solid Waste and Recycling White River Planning & Development District informs and educates primary and secondary school administrators, teachers, and students about the health aspects of improper waste disposal. The district also implements school-based recycling programs in a rural, 10-county area of north-central Arkansas that encompasses 47 school districts. Under the project, workshops for teachers, needs assessments for individual schools, presentations, and technical assistance are provided to ensure that participants develop an understanding of the effects of personal habits on solid waste disposal. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Adopt-A-Watershed -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Kim Stokely, P. O. Box 1850, Hayfork, CA 96041 Southeast Leadership Institute Modeled after the National Leadership Institute held yearly in Oregon, the project expands the reach of the successful Adopt-A-Watershed program to underserved populations of environmental educators. Through intensive training sessions and professional development workshops, teachers and leaders in African-American, Hispanic, Native American, and low-income communities are being trained in working together to form new approaches and partnerships to resolve environmental, educational, and community issues. Under the three-year project, the participants receive extensive training, access to resources, and long-term support as they learn how to establish sustainable programs in their own communities. The participants, working together in teams of teachers, community coordinators, and representatives of institutions of higher education, are implementing a service-learning strategy that uses the local watershed as an integrating context for learning. The partner organizations also are integrating the program into elementary and secondary pre-service teacher preparation programs. Partners in the project include the Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions Consortium, Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), River of Words (ROW), the Hamline University Center for Global Environmental Education, Community Matters, and the School Yard Habitats program of the National Wildlife Federation. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Arcata Elementary School -- $4,823 David Labolle, 1125 16th Street, Suite 201, Arcata, CA 95519 Students and Communities: A Model for Monitoring Stream Health The project expands and coordinates efforts to monitor an urban stream and fully integrate middle school students into this effort. In turn, stream monitoring becomes the focus of the students’ environmental and life science education program. Students measure, analyze, and evaluate the effects of land use, primarily timber harvesting and urban development, on the health of Beith Creek. The creek, which is adjacent to the property of the school, provides an excellent opportunity for students to study their local environment. The scientific data the students and members of local organizations provide to decision makers — the city of Arcata, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire — supports future management decisions and restoration activities in the watershed. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | California Institute of Biodiversity -- $5,000 Carol Baird, 47 Quail Court, #111, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Cal Alive! Exploring Biodiversity: Teacher Professional Development The professional development program consists of a two-day workshop for teachers in the Modesto City School District, and is based upon a series of CD-ROMs that features 53 types of habitat found in California. Developed with the advice of numerous teachers and scientists, the multimedia series covers major areas of natural science and focuses on evidence of the value of biological diversity and the effects of human intervention on the environment. Through the workshop, teachers expand their knowledge of the habitats of California and learn how to use the Cal Alive! teaching tool. Teachers then can incorporate the program and field activities into their curricula. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | California Native Plant Society -- $2,700 Mary Shaw, 25 Corte del Sol, Benicia, CA 94510 Wetlands Environmental Education Program at the Benicia State Recreation Area This program offers a free, docent-led program at the Benicia State Recreation Area at Southhampton Marsh, a local wetlands in the town of Benicia. All students in grades 2 through 5 have the opportunity to learn how Native Americans use the wetlands and native plants and are introduced to wetland ecology. The program uses existing environmental education lessons and project-based learning materials that support the state’s curriculum standards. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | California State University (CSU), Chico, Research Foundation -- $5,000 Jennifer Rotnem, Kendall Hall, Room 114, Chico, CA 95929-0870 Streaminders Salmon and Steelhead, From Eggs to Fry in the Classroom The project provides a countywide educational program for students in kindergarten through grade 12 that involves local public schools and CSU, Chico in supporting efforts to restore the native fishery. The program includes in-service training for 30 teachers and gives students the opportunity to raise salmon and steelhead fry in the classroom. Under the program, university students conduct field trips during which the younger students explore local creeks. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | California Coastal Commission -- $79,177 (HQ Grant) Christiane Parry, 45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94105 Boating Clean and Green Campaign, Phase III Under this project, the California Coastal Commission is implementing the third phase of the Boating Clean and Green Campaign, a statewide effort to increase awareness of environmentally sound boating practices that will help eliminate non-point source pollution associated with boating. The first and second phases of the project, funded in part by grants from EPA, were focused on developing the outreach campaign and distributing materials. Under the third phase, additional geographic areas are the target of “dockwalkers” – volunteers who “walk the docks” to talk with boaters and owners of marinas about the environmental and economic effects of pollution associated with boating, as well as applicable pollution prevention practices. The purpose of the effort is to teach the boaters how to control and prevent non-point source pollution of water and to distribute free boater kits and post signs at fuel docks. The campaign is intended to serve as a model for similar communities in the areas of the United States in which large boating populations are found. Key partners include representatives of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, University of California Sea Grant, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the California Department of Boating and Waterways, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the California Department of Fish and Game, the Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, the San Francisco Estuary Project, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Recreational Boaters of California, the Northern California Marine Association, the California Port Captains and Harbormasters Association, Save Our Shores, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, and the National Clean Boating Campaign, as well as the waste management authorities of several cities and counties. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | City of Santa Barbara -- $25,000 Alison Jordan, P. O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990 Green Gardener Certification Program The goal of the Green Gardener Certification Program is to offer education, training, and certification of participating gardeners and landscape contractors to improve efficiency in the use of resources and reduce pollution at landscape sites and to promote the participants’ efforts to achieve those purposes. In addition, the program improves the health, appearance, and value of landscapes for customers and site managers, while providing economic incentives to participants in the program. The innovative certification program is a new educational tool local agencies can use in furthering their shared goals of efficient use of resources and reduction in levels of pollution at landscapes of the south coast of Santa Barbara County. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Community Environmental Council -- $5,000 Cay Sanchez, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 Teacher Training Workshop Series Through this program, two series of three-day workshops for teachers are conducted. The workshops focus on three subjects: 1) water quality, 2) gardens and composting, and 3) natural resources and waste reduction. The workshops train educators to use curricula that are appropriate to grade and subject. Curricula include the Project Clean Water Watershed Curriculum, Garden Detectives, and others provided by the Community Environmental Council’s Environmental Education Resource Library, such as Closing the Loop and A Child’s Place in the Environment. Hands-on activities are the focus of the curricula, which provide teachers practice in integrating lessons related to the three subjects into their classroom curricula. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Eureka City Schools -- $2,250 Rita Omandini, 3200 Walford Avenue, Eureka, CA 95503 Kids & Native Plants - Winship Junior High School The project brings a professional botanist and ecologist into science classrooms of Winship Junior High School. Students grow two plant species, the western azalea and the federally listed endangered western lily. In addition, students plant two- to three-year old western azaleas at azalea preserves in two state parks. The project increases students’ awareness and understanding of natural systems and the missions and management practices of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. It also introduces students to the Endangered Species Act and management practices related to rare plant species. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Humboldt State University Foundation -- $4,998 Dixie Johnson, P. O. Box 1185, Arcata, CA 95518-1185 Energy: The Power of Teaching The program is designed to teach junior high and high school science teachers in Humboldt County about sources of energy and technologies that generate energy, with an emphasis on renewable energy. The program familiarizes teachers with currently available energy curricula and assists them in leading their students in thoughtful reasoning about issues related to energy. Teachers also learn about the generation of renewable energy and participate in a hands-on laboratory, working with solar electric circuits and hydrogen fuel cell systems. Solar panels and portable fuel cells are available on loan to teachers for use in their classrooms. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation -- $18,981 Dennis Long, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940 S.E.A. Lab Monterey Bay - Coastal and Ocean Science Education Camp Under the program, S.E.A. Lab conducts camps for students ages 11 and 12, during which the students are provided an educational experience related to the unique habitats of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Students stay in dormitories and are bused to various locations each day. The week’s schedule includes lessons on a variety of topics related to the local watersheds and rivers, coastal environments, and the deep sea. A collaborative approach between S.E.A. Lab staff and the Monterey Bay area’s many agencies and non-profit educational and research institutions that are related to the marine environment, contributes to the educational experience. Students broaden their understanding of issues related to coastal and marine environments and explore related careers, as well. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | O'Neill Sea Odyssey -- $4,800 Dan Haifley, 2222 East Cliff Drive, #6B, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Marine Sanctuary Education The program provides hands-on environmental education for 80 youth in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Students begin the program by participating in a community service project. Typical projects include beach cleanups, creek cleanups, stenciling of storm drains, restoration of native plants, monitoring of water quality, recycling, restoration of riparian habitats, and adoption of a watershed. The education coordinator and one instructor provided by O’Neill Sea Odyssey oversee the projects. After they have completed the community service project, the students participate in the core program, which includes instruction in navigation and mathematics, marine science, and marine ecology. Classroom and computer laboratory instruction are provided, and lessons related to the ocean are presented on a vessel. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | San Jose State University Foundation -- $20,670 Simona Bartl, P. O. Box 720130, San Jose, CA 95172-0130 Incorporation of Marine Ecosystem Research into Public Education The project is a two-part program conducted in partnership with high school science teachers and their students. First, high school teachers attend a 30-hour summer workshop conducted by graduate students at Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (MLML) and Dr. Bartl. The teachers learn about background and preparatory materials, laboratory exercises, follow-up exercises, and evaluation procedures for each marine science topic. Additional time is provided for open discussion about how best to implement the program in their individual schools. MLML graduate students then visit the teachers’ classrooms, bringing materials and leading the laboratory activities. Mentoring of the high school students by the graduate students is a significant element of the program. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | School Environmental Education Docents (SEED) -- $5,000 Sheila Molyneux, P. O. Box 5704, Novato, CA 94948-5704 Environmental Education Docents Program Under the program, an estimated 200 new teachers, docents, and pre-service teachers at Dominican University are recruited and trained. To expand the docent program to Spanish-speaking parents and volunteers, Spanish-language materials are developed. To support student projects, docents have access to free training, educational materials, technical support, classroom speakers, local field trips, and the resources of community organizations. All docents are trained to use the Project Learning Tree curriculum. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Tahoe-Baikal Institute -- $4,910 Karen Smallwood, P. O. Box 13587, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151-3587 Lake Tahoe as a Training Ground for Future Environmental Leaders This 5-week project, which uses conditions at Lake Tahoe as a means of teaching environmental problem-solving, is one half of a 10-week environmental exchange that takes place in California and Siberia, Russia. As many as 20 university-level students, graduate-level students, and young professionals from the United States, Russia, and one or two other countries come together for the summer to practice environmental problem-solving, using lakes Tahoe and Baikal as training grounds. Educational content is delivered through role-playing, student presentations, hands-on field work, cultural activities, and field trips. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation -- $5,000 Corrine Berenson, 4031 Conejo Mesa, Moorpark, CA 93021 Air Quality Teacher Training and Curriculum Distribution The project educates youth in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) who are under the legal driving age about the social and environmental effects of traffic congestion and unhealthful air quality. In addition, students learn about transportation alternatives and emerging transportation technologies. Teachers of eighth-grade science programs in the district are trained in the use of the newly released Air Care curriculum. The training familiarizes teachers with the materials included in the curriculum and strengthens teaching skills through hands-on demonstrations. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Water Education Foundation -- $5,000 Christine Schmidt, 717 K Street, Suite 317, Sacramento, CA 95814 Water Is Our Future This program is based on the curriculum California Water Story, developed by the Water Education Foundation. The multi-media curriculum is consistent with the California State Frameworks for Science and History/Social Science and integrates water education into science, geography, history, mathematics, and art lessons. The program distributes the curriculum and provides numerous teacher workshops, with the objective of providing material and support to every elementary school in California. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority -- $14,500 Keith McDade, One Alvarado Square, San Pablo, CA 94806 Environmental Resource Library and Workshop Series During the project, the authority develops a resource library and prepares a series of workshops for teachers in West Contra Costa County. The materials in the library include curricula, books, videotapes, audiotapes, games, and kits related to environmental subjects that are available on loan to teachers in the county. Resource materials focus on the topics of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, conservation of natural resources, and management of household hazardous waste. Presenters representing local environmental organizations conduct workshops on their specific areas of expertise. Topics include management of solid waste, household hazardous waste, organic gardening, urban sprawl, wetlands conservation, and more. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Wilderness Youth Project -- $5,000 Warren Brush, 1135 Eugenia Place, Carpinteria, CA 93013 Young Eagles Environmental Education Program This project expands the wilderness life skills and environmental education program to teach underprivileged youth the science and art of tracking and the application of field data. The youth learn to use CyberTracker software, field computers, and global positioning system (GPS) equipment to gather ecological data in a wilderness setting, map and plot their observations, and query their results to study the health of their local bioregion. The youth reinforce their learning by completing a service project with Conception Coast Project, during which they gather field data for their watershed advocacy work. |
| 2001 | CA | 9 | Yolo Basin Foundation -- $5,000 Marcia Howe, P. O. Box 943, Davis, CA 95617 Service Learning in the Pacific Flyway The project facilitates restoration of habitats and increases public awareness of native fish, wildlife, and plants. Partners in the Service Learning in the Pacific Flyway project include the California Department of Fish and Game, the city of Davis, and the Yolo County Office of Education. The Yolo Basin Foundation is the primary provider of the interpretive and educational programs at the 3,700-acre wildlife area. Interns and service learning groups work with the foundation and its partners to achieve the objectives of the project. One of the tasks of the interns is to work with and coordinate individual service learning groups. Those groups carry out projects designed to enhance the educational value of the wildlife area and demonstration wetland to visiting students. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | FrontRange Earth Force -- $5,000 Lisa Bardwell, 2555 West 34th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Training and Support Program The FrontRange Earth Force Training & Support Program is a professional development and training strategy that helps educators support their students in exploring urban environmental issues. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Ignacio Unified School District -- $4,980 Julie Somers, 315 Becker, P. O. Box 460, Ignacio, CO 81137 Stream Protection The project addresses an issue that affects the community: the degradation of a stream and the exposure of the roots of trees along the stream bank in the only park in the community, Shoshone Park. The purpose of the project is to research, design, and implement a plan to remediate a section of the stream bank and to design vegetative protection for the entry to the park located next to the stream. The design of the vegetative cover emphasizes plants native to Colorado and provides protection for the trees along the stream bank. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Meet the Wilderness -- $5,000 Tom McCalden, P. O. Box 4359, Edwards, CO 81632 Wilderness Youth Education The project uses immersion in the wilderness environment to educate youth in the Eagle River Valley so that they may become informed future leaders in addressing the issue of growth and its effect on the environment. The Ecological Leadership School will be conducted in summer 2002 for disadvantaged and minority youth from Battle Mountain High School. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory -- $5,000 Shelly Morrell, 13401 Piccadilly Road, Brighton, CO 80601 Migratory Birds The Migratory Birds project provides thousands of students and teachers a hands-on opportunity to learn about migratory birds at an educational bird-banding station. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Rocky Mountain Youth Corps -- $15,000 Gretchen Van De Carr, 2464 Downhill Drive, Unit W06, P. O. Box 775504, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 Environmental Education Mentors The 18- to 25-year-old members of the environmental education mentor group coordinate and implement environmental education curricula for the Conservation Corps and Science School groups under the direction of an education coordinator. The goals and objectives of the effort include encouraging the members of the two mentored groups to develop a sense of environmental stewardship and explore environmental careers through experience in environmental projects and examination of opportunities for higher education. The project links generations through mentoring, education, and the development of a sense of place and ownership. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Summit Recycling Project -- $4,750 Kay Beaton, P. O. Box 4506, Frisco, CO 80443 Recycling and Waste Reduction Issues The Eco-Cycle one-week lesson plan includes slide shows, overhead transparencies, experiments, games, and extension activities. It addresses issues related to recycling and waste reduction, both in the community and worldwide. The project is provided to students in grades 4, 5, and 6 at Summit County’s six elementary schools. The project reaches 1,050 students and 36 teachers. The curriculum materials are available in both English and Spanish. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | The University of Colorado -- $5,000 Susan Buhr, Campus Box 572, Boulder, CO 80309-0572 Earthworks 2001: Earth System Science for Teachers Workshop Financial assistance from EPA is used to pay a portion of the cost of implementing Earthworks 2001: Earth System Science for Teachers Workshop. The funds are used to cover transportation costs for one out-of-state participant; the cost of renting vans to transport participants and equipment to and from Calwood Center and on field trips; mileage costs for workshop leaders, scientists, and local participants; and certain operational costs for the workshop. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Thorne Ecological Institute -- $5,000 Pat Comeux, 5398 Manhattan Circle, Suite 120, Denver, CO 80303 Science-Based Environmental Education The program addresses capacity-building with local area organizations; provision of hands-on environmental education, both in the classroom and on field trips; improvement of teachers’ skills in the delivery of science-based environmental education; and promotion of educational reform by ensuring that all elements of the program meet state standards for science education. A total of 4,200 contact hours are served, with a minimum of 10 hours per teacher. The program reaches low-income families and communities in which the populations are approximately 90 percent African-American or Latino. |
| 2001 | CO | 8 | Two Ponds Preservation Foundation -- $5,000 Janet Torma-Krajewski, 5400 Ward Road, Suite 100, Arvada, CO 80002 Native Vegetation Project The purpose of the project is to promote the value of native vegetation in a semi-arid climate. School groups complete environmental lessons that focus on native vegetation, and special programs on native vegetation are provided to homeowners and local organizations. |
| 2001 | CT | 1 | Colchester Public Schools -- $5,000 Karen Loiselle, 127 Norwich Avenue, Colchester, CT 06415 Project Steward: A School and Community Environmental Partnership Colchester recently purchased a 111-acre open-space property that is expected to become an environmental classroom for the entire community. Using the Coverts Project model developed by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service, selected teachers and students learn about the physical features of the property and the organisms that inhabit it. The trained stewards work with personnel of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Goodwin Conservation Center to develop lesson plans related to land management and management of open spaces. During the pilot-test year, 80 teachers and more than 100 students are expected to participate in the project. |
| 2001 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Department of Public Health -- $18,360 Mary Lou Fleissner, 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06134 Asthma Awareness Program The environmental education project educates culturally diverse, low-income families to identify and manage indoor air pollutants that aggravate the symptoms of asthma in children. The program focuses on educating families who live in dwelling units targeted by the health department of the city of Hartford for the reduction of hazards posed by lead-based paint under separate funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). |
| 2001 | CT | 1 | Hartford Public Library -- $5,000 Mary Albro, 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06104 Environmental Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) ESOL instructors combine ESOL teaching methods, strategies, and techniques with environmental education content and materials. Workshops introduce ESOL instructors to existing environmental education materials that can be incorporated into their classroom curricula. The project is expected to reach 40 participants. The Hartford Public Library has entered into a partnership with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to conduct the Hartford Neighborhood Environmental Project. |
| 2001 | CT | 1 | New Fairfield School District -- $10,642 Kathleen Matusiak, 3 Brush Hill Road, New Fairfield, CT 06812 Project CLEAR: The Candlewood Lake Environmental Awareness and Responsibility Project Project CLEAR is an alliance of education, community, and environmental agencies organized to demonstrate and disseminate a model watershed protection education initiative for students in kindergarten through grade 12 and residents of the five communities in the vicinity of Candlewood Lake. The project develops inquiry-based environmental education programs in the schools and communities to foster widespread support for and involvement in watershed protection programs. Educators in kindergarten through grade 12 and representatives of the communities are trained in Project WET. A core group of teachers incorporates Project WET into curricula at specific grade levels. Schools work in partnership with community organizations to provide field experiences in water activities. A minimum of 15 educators and 700 students in grades 5, 6, 9, and 11 participate in the project. |
| 2001 | DE | 3 | Indian River School District -- $11,300 Connie Fannin, Route 2, Box 292G, Millsboro, DE 19966 Outdoor Education Center at Ingram Pond The goal of the project is to provide students with field experience that will enhance and expand upon science instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms. Students study ecosystems in and around Ingram Pond, collect data to determine the ecological health of the pond, and identify the effects of human behavior on the quality of waterways. |
| 2001 | DC | 3 | District of Columbia Public Schools -- $25,000 Geraldine Okwesa, 410 East Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet Middle School �- School Reform and Teacher Training Under the project, the current seventh-grade life science and pre-algebra curricula are modified to include an ecological and statistical study of the pollution problems that affect the way in which plants and animals live and thrive in the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The changes in the curricula are designed to increase students’ abilities to apply mathematical skills in their science classes. Approximately 120 students are expected to participate in the program. |
| 2001 | DC | 3 | Discovery Creek Children's Museum -- $35,000 (HQ Grant) Laura Hamilton, 5125 MacArthur Boulevard, NW, Suite 10, Washington, DC 20016 DC Baywatch Program The DC Baywatch Program, created to foster an understanding of and appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay, targets students in grades 3 through 6 in Washington, D.C.’s public schools. The project incorporates hands-on and inquiry-based education for students, professional development workshops for teachers, and development of a web-based educational component. Set in the unique, natural settings offered by the Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, the program engages students in interactive education in the environmental sciences by providing them opportunities to explore the tributaries and rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay, touch the animals and birds that depend on the watershed, and participate in activities that develop critical-thinking skills. Through such hands-on experiences, the students develop a connection to their natural world, a sense of ownership of their communities, and a desire to take action to protect and preserve the natural treasures of their watershed. Teachers also participate in professional development workshops to ensure that the critical-thinking skills developed during the project continue to strengthen after the program has ended. Key partners in the project include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Environmental Research Center, the Scales and Tales program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Project WET. |
| 2001 | DC | 3 | The George Washington University -- $5,000 Helen Spencer, 2121 I Street, NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC 20052 Impervious Surface Study The goal of the project is to document the increase in the amount of land in Loudoun County, Virginia that is covered with roads, parking lots, and structures and to inform citizens and elected officials of the potential effects of such development on stream flows and water quality. The data and results of the analysis conducted under the study are shared with citizens and elected officials who decide how to set public policy to shape the future landscape of the county. |
| 2001 | FL | 4 | Communities in Schools of Florida -- $16,256 Francine Diemer, 1761 West Hillsboro Boulevard, #201, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 Communities in Schools of Florida EnvironMentors Program The EnvironMentors Program pairs selected students in three Communities in Schools of Florida local organizations with adult professionals who work in the state’s environmental agencies. The volunteer mentors undergo background screening and training. After successfully completing both screening and training, each volunteer is paired with a student in the Communities in Schools program. The two meet regularly to discuss various issues, including the mentor’s job in the environmental field, the training necessary for that job, careers in the environmental field, school work, the concerns of the student, and other issues of importance to the student. The volunteers and students visit environmental facilities and parks to give the students the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiences related to environmental issues. |
| 2001 | FL | 4 | The School Board of Broward County -- $5,000 Frank Manley, 600 Southeast Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Ecology-Based School Gardening Project The purpose of the project is to educate the community about environmental issues that affect them through the design and maintenance of a school garden. The Broward County Agriculture and Extension Education Division provides technical and programmatic support for curriculum development, instructional implementation of curriculum, and consulting for the development of the garden. The goal of the program is to provide teachers opportunities for professional development, introduce parents and students to environmental issues, and to foster career development. The objectives are met through workshops, experiential learning, and classroom instruction. A master gardener and horticultural agent are key facilitators for the project. |
| 2001 | FL | 4 | University of Florida -- $5,000 Barbra Larson, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Public Education for the Conservation of Florida's Native Bromeliads The objective of the project is to stimulate thinking about and analysis of conservation of endangered species (specifically several species of native bromeliads), focusing on the trade-offs involved in protecting such native plants from introduced pests. The objectives are met by providing educational materials to members of several groups who are experienced in environmental education and who already work with the target audiences. The expected outcomes of the project include increased understanding among the public of the value of Florida’s native bromeliads, increased support for efforts to save populations of the state’s endangered and threatened bromeliads, and increased involvement on the part of teachers in using environmental issues that affect public lands as a teaching resource. |
| 2001 | FL | 4 | University of South Florida -- $5,000 Ellen Kent, College of Public Health, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, FAO-126, Tampa, FL 33620 "Project HELP" - Public Health and Environment Leadership Project The purpose of “Project Help” is to initiate an environmental education program in west-central Florida that will increase citizens’ understanding of important environmental public health issues that they may face in the 21st century, as well as their ability to resolve such issues and their commitment to achieve such resolutions. Experts from The College of Public Health (COPH) and the Department of Environmental Management lead students and teachers involved in the COPH’s Public Health Possibilities (PHP) program in skill-building workshops to help them develop a strong understanding of environmental public health concepts and gain experience in problem-solving in the area of environmental public health. The PHP students and their teacher work together to develop interactive community learning activities and classroom curricula for their own use, as well as for use by friends, family, and other students. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc. -- $5,000 Marian Long, 100 Edgewood Avenue, Suite 528, Atlanta, GA 30303 Camp Taccoa: Wetlands and Wildlife With the Wetlands and Wildlife project, Camp Taccoa is upgrading its environmental education program for students, educators, and summer campers to include an in-depth look at wetlands and animals that inhabit wetlands. The project has three components: 1) to offer environmental education at Camp Taccoa as a field trip destination for students, 2) to offer separate workshops for teachers to increase their knowledge of wetlands and habitats for use in the classroom, and 3) to strengthen the environmental education experience offered to summer campers. During the school year, children from counties in the area take field trips to the camp to participate in its environmental education program. In the summer, campers participate in the program. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Dade County School System -- $1,667 Jane Underwood, P. O. Box 188, Trenton, GA 30752 Project Learning Tree Teacher Training - Awareness of Environmental Connections The purpose of the project is to enhance the instructional capabilities of teachers in Dade County by providing them with additional resources to extend existing programs and to support the development of additional programs that offer real-world connections among elements of the curriculum that help deepen students' understanding of and involvement in environmental issues. The local office of the Georgia Forestry Commission, as well as the regional office in Rome, provide training in the Project Learning Tree Program for Dade County teachers (of pre-kindergarten programs and in kindergarten through grade 12) during a one-day workshop. The program uses resources from the forest as a "window" to diverse environments. Throughout the activities, students are involved in investigative and decision-making processes. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Georgia Forestry Foundation -- $22,417 Carla Rapp, 500 Pinnacle Court, Suite 505, Norcross, GA 30071 Expanding the Mission of Georgia Project Learning Tree The project enhances and expands Project Learning Tree in the state of Georgia. Project Learning Tree exposes teachers and environmental educators to an interdisciplinary curriculum for pre-kindergarten children and students in kindergarten through grade 12 that focuses on the total environment -- land, air, and water. Like the national model, Georgia Project Learning Tree trains volunteer facilitators throughout the state, who in turn use Project Learning Tree's tested and frequently evaluated curricula to conduct workshops for educators. Statewide education reforms, including specific recommendations related to the quality core curriculum and character education mandates, are incorporated into the workshops. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Piedmont Park Conservancy -- $4,500 Kendra Cotton, P. O. Box 7795, Atlanta, GA 30357 Piedmont Park Outdoor Environmental Education Center The program takes students out of their traditional classrooms to learn and study in one of Atlanta's oldest and most environmentally diverse public parks. The program is being expanded to include all public schools in Atlanta, Boys and Girls clubs, scouting organizations, private after-school programs, and other youth groups. The program is designed to teach students the value of parks to a community and promote respect for our environment. Students study various aspects of atmosphere, biology, land and soil, horticulture, and water, at levels appropriate to each grade. They also learn about the necessity that all citizens act wisely to preserve and protect the green spaces of parks while they enjoy the wonders of the park and nature. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy -- $4,650 Elisabeth Schhussler, 540 B Telfair Street, Augusta, GA 30901 Educational Kit Loan Program The Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy is developing and operating Phinizy Swamp Nature Park. The focus of the park's environmental education program is the school tour. The purpose of the project is to assemble 32 loan kits that specifically correlate with the tours offered at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park and to make those kits available to teachers in the area who book tours at the park. Loan kits are developed in four areas: wetland habitats and organisms, watersheds and pollution, stream ecology, and health and wastewater and drinking-water issues. Each loan kit contains established curricula, such as books or videos, supplies for classroom activities, and information about careers. The instructions include specific outlines and planning guides for using the kits for various lengths of time, providing flexibility and ease of use. The loan kits are made available during the week of their scheduled field trip to enhance the value of the students' visit to the nature park. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Stephenson High School -- $5,000 Lillian Johnston, 701 Stephenson Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Interactive Education: Outdoor Classroom During the past two years, Stephenson High School, with support from local businesses and the community, has built an interactive outdoor classroom. The project expands that effort and involves students and teachers in various subject areas, thereby promoting interdisciplinary learning. Students apply scientific skills to collect, analyze, and process seismographic data associated with the Norris-Lake fault line, identify the nutrients in soil, scrutinize nearby streams and creeks to determine the effects of increased construction of housing in the area on water quality, and participate in the construction and management of two heated greenhouses and one seasonal shaded greenhouse with a fresh-water pond habitat. The ultimate goal for the projects is to enhance students' test scores by providing them practical, hands-on experiences, as well as to introduce them to careers in environmental fields. |
| 2001 | GA | 4 | Vines Botanical Gardens Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Aaron Paulsen, 3500 Oak Grove Road, Loganville, GA 30052 Nature�'s World Wide Web Vines Botanical Gardens Foundation is a non-profit organization, the mission of which is to promote gardens and gardening as a means of returning to and promoting better understanding of the environment. The program Nature's World Wide Web, offered to the students of metropolitan Atlanta, emphasizes the elements of an ecosystem and the roles that both living and non-living elements play in keeping an ecosystem intact. The project provides opportunities for elementary students from low-income families in Gwinnett County, Georgia to visit the gardens and to participate in the program. |
| 2001 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Nature Center -- $22,600 Diana King, 2131 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 Pouhala Marsh Educational Field Test The project includes a field test of a wetland education field program at a marsh recently purchased by the state of Hawaii to serve as a bird sanctuary. The Hawaii Nature Center currently operates a highly successful wetland education field program for third graders at the Honouliuli Wildlife Refuge operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, on the island of Oahu. For the 77 days during which the federally listed endangered black-necked stilt is not nesting and during which field trips can be scheduled, such field trips are booked completely. The new site for wetland education is home to all four federally listed endangered water birds. The program at the new wetland site provides an interactive introduction, hands-on activities, and a take home activity for students. |
| 2001 | ID | 10 | Boise State University, Department of Biology -- $5,000 Richard McCloskey, Boise State University, Department of Biology, Boise, ID 83725 Meeting Idaho Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Directives Under the project, an approved comprehensive literacy course based on environmental literature is developed. The course incorporates environmental education literature into the curricula for kindergarten through grade 3. Through a variety of workshops, teachers are trained in using the environmental education literature. During the workshops, the teachers have the opportunity to field-test segments of the course and become involved in environmental education investigations and hands-on activities related to the literature. Teachers have the opportunity to meet requirements for certification, and both teachers and students explore scientific literature, examine issues, and develop skills in scientific reasoning. |
| 2001 | ID | 10 | Idaho Forest Products Commission (EEAO), Project Learning Tree -- $12,649 Michelle Youngquiest, 350 North 9th Street, Suite 304, Boise, ID 83702 Correlation of Projects Learning Tree, WET, and WILD to Meet Idaho State Education Standards The Idaho Forest Products Commission correlates the projects (the Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD environmental education curricula) to Idaho’s new state education standards and distributes the correlations to schools and educators throughout the state. The correlation also serves as a model for other environmental education providers throughout the state, who are encouraged to add their programs’ correlations to ultimately compile a comprehensive integrated correlations document. |
| 2001 | IL | 5 | Environmental Education Unit, Chicago Housing Authority -- $89,325 (HQ Grant) Kathryn Greenberg, 626 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60661 Healthy Homes Education Project Through training, hands-on demonstrations, and tool kits, residents of public housing developments in Chicago are participating in a program that addresses health problems that affect residents of impoverished minority communities because of exposure to indoor air pollutants, allergens, and pesticides. Participants in the project learn how to promote environmentally healthy homes through intensive training sessions, workshops, and home visits. The project educates residents of public housing developments, staff of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), managers of private property, and pest control subcontractors about integrated pest management and the environmental health hazards caused by indoor air pollutants, allergens, and exposure to pesticides. That goal will be accomplished by: (1) increasing awareness and knowledge on the part of residents about interrelated environmental issues, (2) increasing their knowledge about asthma management, (3) increasing implementation of asthma management plans for families residing in public housing who are affected by asthma, and (4) decreasing the number of pests present in housing units and the amounts of pesticide used in those units. Supporters of the project include CHA’s Environmental Unit, Pediatric Case Management Services, the American Lung Association, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Safer Pest Control Project. |
| 2001 | IL | 5 | Interstate RC&D -- $5,000 Mark Jackson, 3020 East First Avenue, Milan, IL 61264 Outdoor Nature & Environmental Education The Outdoor Environmental Education Program of Interstate RC&D provides teacher training and hands-on experiential learning activities for 2,000 students in grades 3 through 8. It is intended to give students and teachers a basic understanding and knowledge of plant and animal communities native to northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa. The students are instructed in the wise use and management of local natural resources. |
| 2001 | IL | 5 | MidAmerica Leadership Foundation - Ecovida -- $4,990 Alicia Gutierrez, 1840 South Throop Street, Chicago, IL 60608 Ecological Pilot Program at Manuel Perez Elementary School In partnership with the Manuel Perez Elementary School, Heifer Project, and Community Supported Agriculture of Angelic Organics, Ecovida implements aquaculture, vermiculture, organic gardening, and various other programs that focus on themes related to ecology at Manuel Perez Elementary School. The project is a pilot program during the 2001-2002 school year. |
| 2001 | IL | 5 | Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences -- $22,700 Rafael Rosa, 2060 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 Chicago Del Sol Chicago Del Sol is a pilot project that teaches environmental science to elementary students through an innovative technology initiative promoted by the city of Chicago. The academy works in partnership with Reilly Elementary School, the first public school in Chicago to install solar panels. At least four solar energy activities geared toward students in grades 4 through 6 are developed and posted on a web site. In addition, a live web chat is developed to allow students to talk on line with experts in solar energy. |
| 2001 | IL | 5 | Thornton Fractional Township High School -- $5,000 Robert Wilhite, 1601 Wentworth Avenue, Calumet City, IL 60409 Prairie Heritage Project: Reestablishing a Native Illinois Sand Prairie The science department of Thornton Fractional Township High School plans to use the Prairie Heritage Project to help students reestablish links to their communities’ natural heritage. Thornton’s environmental club completes the initial phases of the project before the school year begins. The land also is used as a classroom without walls and a demonstration site for neighboring communities. During the school year, students in freshman biology classes participate in reclaiming land, monitoring changes, and learning about the role of prairie environments in a healthy ecosystem. |
| 2001 | IN | 5 | Huntington County Community Schools - Riverview Middle School -- $4,580 Juli Werth, 2465 Waterworks Road, Huntington, IN 46750 Soils Learning Center Approximately 200 sixth-grade students at Riverview Middle School begin the 2001-2002 school year by learning about soils so that they can help create a soils learning center laboratory. The laboratory is designed to accomplish the following goals: (1) teach students to see the soils as a living system, (2) educate students about processes that form soil, and (3) demonstrate the role of soil in the hydrologic cycle. |
| 2001 | IN | 5 | Johnson County Solid Waste District -- $4,960 Meggan Walker, 755 East Hamilton Avenue, Franklin, IN 46131 District Mascot Johnson County uses a robotic dog as a district mascot and teaching tool for an environmental education program focused on solid waste management, with a particular emphasis on waste reduction. Teachers and students in Johnson County are the primary audience of the program, and approximately 75 presentations are given throughout the county. In addition, the dog visits the annual conference of the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers and a meeting of the Indiana Environmental Education Association and takes part in an interactive workshop to be presented at a conference of the Indiana Recycling Coalition. |
| 2001 | IN | 5 | Marian College -- $23,049 Ron Weiss, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN 46222 What is an Environmental Scientist? On the campus of Marian College, approximately 125 eighth graders and 60 ninth graders address crucial questions about the ecological importance of wetlands and examine the ways in which career environmentalists operate. The students participate in a workshop on wetlands, during which they engage in hands-on experiences in the methods and procedures environmental scientists use in evaluating wetlands. Faculty of Marian College and that institution’s students of environmental science facilitate the workshop. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Conservation Districts of Iowa -- $4,285 Cindy Blobaum, 3829 71st Street, Suite F, Urbandale, IA 50322 Bridging the Gap High school students attend a one-week residential environmental summer camp. During the camp program, the participants experience working with professionals. Students develop lifelong skills and contacts. Acting as mentors, the professionals stimulate the students’ interest in environmental careers. Students participate in a variety of activities, such as rehabilitation of prairie habitats, monitoring of water quality, forestry management, geologic sampling, bird banding, and similar activities. Among the environmental professionals assisting the students are college professors, foresters, wildlife biologists, aquatic ecologists, wildlife rehabilitators and naturalists. The summer camp program is designed to accomplish three learning outcomes: (1) establishment of mentoring relationships, (2) exploration of environmental careers, and (3) exposure to environmental education. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Fort Dodge Community Schools -- $4,882 Rod Huisman, 104 South 17th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501 Brushy Creek Field Lab & Research Project The project brings educators to a natural setting to train them in conducting field research with their students. Teachers learn new strategies and skills for implementing and practicing when they teach students outside the classroom. The goal of the project is to move students from the classroom into nature to learn about their environment. The project introduces students to careers in science that extend beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Students gain knowledge and awareness of the diverse ecosystem around them. The project increases students’ interest in science, mathematics, and technology by providing them with the opportunity to conduct research in an outdoor environment. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- $5,000 Corey McCoid, 7900 Hickman Road, Suite 1, Urbandale, IA 50322 Air Quality Educational Broadcasts The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is expanding its current educational television broadcast in central Iowa to a television station in eastern Iowa. The goal of the project is to increase public awareness of issues related to air quality in eastern Iowa through broadcast media. The project accomplishes that goal by educating television viewers about the threats posed to human health by air pollution and the consequences of the activities of individuals. The project also provides tips on approaches to daily activities that both save money and reduce air pollution. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Keokuk County Extension -- $5,000 Gary Bickmeier, 102 East Washington, Sigourney, IA 52591 Environmental Education Camps The project provides summer activities for 150 children, ranging in age from 7 to 13. The summer camp program teaches the importance of environmental stewardship through hands-on activities. Students also participate in a three-hour program conducted by the Keokuk County Conservation Board and the director of the camp. The program teaches youth the relationship between pollution and environmental threats to both animals and plants. Students participate in a five-hour program that combines instruction and practice in fishing with training on the effects of pollution on fish and on private and community sources of water. The students learn about methods of conserving water resources and develop knowledge and skills that will assist them in recognizing and correcting pollution. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Kirkwood Community College -- $5,000 Mike Martin, 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2068 Trees for Learning Students prepare a container nursery featuring placarded trees of 90 varieties. Students from local schools and members of the community visit the campus of Kirkwood for one-hour field trips to use the container nursery to practice tree recognition and learn about horticultural solutions to environmental challenges. Two-hour field trips also are scheduled; during those longer programs, students and community members identify the college’s horticultural practices and the tree plantings. Kirkwood’s professors of horticulture lead the learning experiences. Trees similar in species to those in the container nursery are placed throughout the Kirkwood campus. As trees outgrow their containers, they also are placed on campus. Students use geographic information system (GIS) mapping technology to map trees on campus. Students and visitors test their ability to name trees by species and influence on the environment by identifying similar unmarked trees on campus. The project educates students in kindergarten through grade 12 and members of communities in eastern Iowa about various tree species and the environmental benefits provided by a wide variety of trees when they are placed and used in a manner that is environmentally sound. The project also provides students and members of those communities the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning in the community. |
| 2001 | IA | 7 | Polk County Agricultural Extension District -- $24,990 Barbara Hug, 5201 NE 14th Street, Suite A, Des Moines, IA 50313 Water-Friendly Landscapes The project has two purposes: (1) to educate homeowners and renters about landscaping practices that conserve and protect soil and water and (2) to educate youth and homeowners about non-point source pollution of area waterways and about ways to protect and conserve water supplies. Phase 1 of the project educates participants about integrated pest management practices. To accomplish that goal, staff of the Extension office conduct group meetings, web-based classes provide opportunities for self-instruction, and written materials are distributed. The participants use practices that promote good water quality and conservation to construct an environmentally safe landscape. A yard sign is placed at the project site to attract the attention of neighbors, and the landscape is used as a teaching resource to encourage people in the neighborhood to participate in the program or to use the practices on their own initiative. Phase 2 of the project educates homeowners and renters in how to reduce non-point source pollution of area waterways and how to protect and conserve water supplies. Homeowners perform soil tests on their lawns to identify pollutants. Educational materials educate youth audiences about water and watershed pollutants. |
| 2001 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $38,853 (HQ Grant) Laura Downey, 2610 Claflin, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743 Community-Based Environmental Issues Forums The goal of the project is to train adult participants in using community-based environmental issues forums (CBEIF) as a tool to address environmental issues. Through the forums, community members identify issues, reach consensus, and develop action plans that address the issues of concern. A contingent of environmental education leaders trained in facilitating the processes that take place in public forums is training a core group of facilitators in using CBEIFs. The newly trained leaders, in turn, are organizing and conducting CBEIFs in their own communities to educate members of the public about environmental issues relevant to their communities and engage those citizens in resolving such issues. The capacity-building strategy developed under the grant is an easily replicated model for other states and regions. The Kansas Environmental Leadership Program is the key partner in the project. Supporting organizations include the Kansas Water Office, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment, the Sierra Club, the Kansas Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, the Kansas Rural Water Association, the Kansas Rural Center, and the state’s groundwater districts. |
| 2001 | KS | 7 | Kansas State University -- $24,225 Dan Kahl, 2 Fairchild Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-1103 Water Quality Workshops The project educates 100 adults about water quality in two Kansas watershed regions: northeastern and north-central Kansas and southeastern and south-central Kansas. In each region, a workshop provides participants the opportunity to explore local water resources and increase their knowledge about water quality in their watersheds. Participants prepare themselves to take responsible action by learning about total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and other tools for assessing and protecting water quality. The workshops encourage the development of collaborative partnerships to address local issues related to water quality and the protection and use of water. The workshops include field trips in the watershed, hands-on interactive lessons, models, videos, guest presentations, and small group activities. |
| 2001 | KS | 7 | Kansas Wildlife Federation -- $8,765 Kelly Hiesberger, P. O. Box 242, Route 1, Sylvan Grove, KS 67481 Kansas Wildlife Federation - Outdoor Adventure Camp The project involves 50 children, ranging in age from 10 to 12 years. During a one-week environmental education camp, the children learn about local natural resources by exploring and experiencing natural resources through workshops and activities that promote hands-on learning. During the summer, students participate in six workshops focusing on environmental careers, learning about those careers and interacting with professionals who work in various environmental fields. Participants are introduced to a variety of educational programs and workshops. Students learn about environmental issues that affect the health of the natural systems in their communities. Groups of eight students attend field trips, during which they participate in the daily activities of the professionals. Students receive training in the use of equipment and have the opportunity to collect and analyze water samples, investigate habitats and ecosystems, visit a fish hatchery and nature center, and learn how to differentiate between point source pollution in water and non-point source pollution. |
| 2001 | KS | 7 | Wichita Public Schools -- $4,850 Terry Behrendt, 201 North Water, Wichita, KS 67202-1292 Environmental Studies The project involves 3,000 students in grades 4 through 12 who are taught environmental science during a field trip to Great Plains Nature Center (GPNC). GPNC’s naturalists instruct the students in the use of microscopes and binoculars in observing wildlife. Participants observe the wildlife, gather data, and gather specimens for more detailed examination. |
| 2001 | KY | 4 | Versailles Montessori School -- $20,985 Peg Snyder, 480 Pinckard Pike, Versailles, KY 40383 Development and Statewide Distribution of an Environmental Recycling Video - "The 4 R's" The project provides environmental education opportunities to elementary students and adults in Kentucky through several activities. Segments are added to the video “The 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, & Rebuy” that was produced by the school’s elementary class. The video may be reproduced by any school. Students develop a pamphlet that describes the school’s recycling and composting center and distribute it to other schools in the state. The school also develops student activities and sample lessons teachers can incorporate into their curricula. The activities and lessons are geared to helping students learn to make informed decisions and strengthen their problem-solving skills. Those materials also are made available to other schools. |
| 2001 | LA | 6 | Cenla Pride -- $5,000 Bettye Jones, 1014 Third Street, Alexandria, LA 71301 Teacher In-Service on Community Water Quality & Conflict Resolution During two in-service workshops, teachers learn how to gain access to local water quality resources and how to conduct hands-on activities with their students. Interactive plastic topographical models and enviroscapes are used to demonstrate the results of non-point source pollution and stormwater runoff and the importance of wetlands. The curriculum Waste In Place, which addresses the Louisiana State environmental education benchmarks by grade level, is used. The conflict resolution program Kid’s Bridge proves beneficial in a neighborhood that is 51 percent minority. |
| 2001 | LA | 6 | Louisiana Nature Center -- $3,348 Bob Marye, P. O. Box 8700610, New Orleans, LA 70187 Environmental Health Month The Louisiana Nature Center conducts three programs that focus on health and the environment. Topics include water quality, household environmental hazards, poisonous plants, venomous animals, pest-vectored diseases, ozone depletion, and ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer. The goal of the programs is to offer information, critical-thinking tools, and problem solving skills a family and its individual members need to reduce environmental health risks. Programs are designed for all age groups and include displays, exhibits, talks by local experts, health screenings, and crafts and games. |
| 2001 | LA | 6 | Louisiana Tech University -- $17,500 Glenn Beer, P. O. Box 3163, Lincoln Parish, LA 71272 The IDEA Place Mystery Zone Litter Project The project is designed specifically to provide teachers a tool for use in presenting concepts related to mathematics and science in real-world applications that require students to apply content knowledge. Students adopt a location at which they can research dumping practices. Every two weeks for three months, the students collect litter from those adopted locations. The students then use tables, graphs, and other means of displaying data to study the collected litter to determine its amount and content and identify possible sources. Students prepare a final report on their findings for presentation to officials of their communities. |
| 2001 | LA | 6 | Nunez Community College -- $5,673 Sharon Flanagan, 3710 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA 70043 Resource Efficiency for the Millennium Resource Efficiency for the Millennium is a series of community-based workshops for homeowners and small businesses. The workshops are forums for the dissemination of information about improvement of energy efficiency, wise use of water, tree and lawn plantings, and efficient automotive fuels. Under the project, four workshops are offered for citizens of southeastern Louisiana. During the workshops, experts representing the local power company, the local water company, parish water departments, and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, along with experts in the use of automotive fuels and alternative fuels, present interactive sessions. It is anticipated that, as local citizens become better informed about such issues, pollution will be reduced and stewardship for the environment will increase. |
| 2001 | ME | 1 | Morris Farm Trust, Inc. -- $14,700 Cristine James, P. O. Box 136, Wiscasset, ME 04578 Ecological Forestry & Agriculture for Rural Maine (Eco-FARM) In partnership with many organizations, the Morris Farm Trust works with teachers to use the farm’s facilities, property, and operations to explore such concepts as sustainable agriculture, forest ecology, energy efficiency, and management of natural resources, while meeting the educational frameworks established by the state of Maine. Through several learning projects, students find real solutions to real challenges that confront farm operations. |
| 2001 | ME | 1 | University of Maine -- $72,148 (HQ Grant) Sara Lindsay, Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-6717 The Silver Wake: An Integrative, Community-Based Curriculum Building on the successful alliance between the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant programs, the Silver Wake project reaches middle school students, their teachers, and volunteers in coastal communities to educate them about environmental issues in their neighborhoods. By participating in “real-life” science, the students and their families, teachers, and communities are learning why it is important to ask and answer questions about their environment. Phytoplankton found along the coast of Maine provides the theme for improving and integrating the curriculum and educational practices in 12 middle schools. The teachers attend an intensive 10-day institute, followed by two-day workshops, to develop curriculum plans aligned with the state’s science standards and to learn how to use Internet resources effectively in their classrooms. In turn, the students benefit from the new curriculums, as well as visits by project staff and volunteers who lead sessions on various environmental issues. A web site is being developed to facilitate communication among the teachers and students and to serve as a forum for the posting of student portfolios. The Penobscot Bay Stewards Program is a significant partner in the project. |
| 2001 | MD | 3 | Calvert County Public Schools - Chesapeake/Patuxent -- $17,250 Thomas Harten, 1305 Dare's Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Wild Beaches: A Performance-Based Unit The goal of the project is the development of a third-grade curriculum on wild beaches. The students learn about the important types of habitat in the natural beach ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay and learn how to take action to protect those fragile environments. The program reaches approximately 1,130 students. |
| 2001 | MD | 3 | Maryland Department of Natural Resources -- $51,617 (HQ Grant) Thomas Parham, Resource Assessment Service, 580 Taylor Avenue, D-2 Annapolis, MD 21401 Bay Grasses in Classes Developed jointly by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD-DNR) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CDF), the project promotes stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay by increasing student involvement in the restoration of submerged aquatic bay grass in currently unvegetated areas. The target audiences, middle and high school students and their teachers, are learning about bay grasses as they grow the grasses in their classrooms, perform experiments, and ultimately plant the grasses in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Participants include students from low-income families and physically and mentally challenged youth. They conduct experiments, submit the data for posting on the “Bay Grasses in Classes” web site, and engage in classroom activities that encourage the development of critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. At the end of the project, the students assist biologists from MD-DNR and CBF in planting grasses at designated restoration sites. Designed to be easily adaptable, the project can be used in other locations for similar audiences and has the potential for wide application. |
| 2001 | MD | 3 | Patuxent River 4-H Center -- $8,220 Jeffrey Piatt, 18405 Queen Anne Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 West Nile Virus Awareness Project The project is intended to educate students and community groups in southern Maryland about the West Nile Virus. Participants learn about mosquitoes, including their life cycle, how they bite, how and where they breed, and how they spread the virus. By obtaining complete and accurate information about the potentially deadly virus, members of local communities can protect themselves against it. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Bristol Community College -- $10,000 Elizabeth Palter, 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River, MA 02720 Improving Water Quality and Protecting Wetlands A series of 10 forums featuring expert presenters and panelists provides educational experiences in the development and implementation of sound water quality and wetland protection measures for the watershed region of southeastern Massachusetts. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Community Foundation of Southern Massachusetts -- $5,000 Anne Beaulieu, 227 Union Street, Suite 609, New Bedford, MA 02740 The Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEAL) Watershed Expedition The 23-member organization strives to encourage environmental awareness and stewardship in the area, with a particular emphasis on protection of the watershed. Urban high school students and teachers work together on a five-day program that explores the environmental issues that affect the Acushnet, Slocum, and Paskemanset rivers; Aponagansett and Cedar swamps; and Turner Pond. Students use topography maps, charts, and GIS information to examine habitats to advance the protection of drinking-water supplies and to study watersheds and salt-water estuaries, as well. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Earthworks Projects, Inc. -- $5,000 Laura Doty, 34 Linwood Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 Schoolyard After-School Program Earthworks strives to create a healthy, sustainable urban environment through neighborhood and school-based tree plantings and environmental education programs. Earthworks expands its after-school gardening program to three additional urban elementary schools. The schoolyard orchards curriculum used in the program meets the requirements of the state science frameworks and learning standards. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Youth Teenage Unemployment Reduction Network, Inc. -- $29,722 (HQ Grant) Barbara Duffy, 43 Crescent Street, Brockton, MA 02301 The Student Water Action Tracking (SWAT) Team Massachusetts Youth Teenage Unemployment Reduction Network, Inc. (MY TURN) works collaboratively with a number of community-based agencies, government agencies, and educational entities to develop and implement career development programs. This project is focused specifically on assisting youth in identifying and developing their skills through career exploration and employment training. Representing a diverse, urban community, selected high school sophomores are learning about water pollution and environmental careers through their participation in projects conducted in the classroom, as well as hands-on field demonstrations. Organized into small teams, the students update and add to information about the location, routes, and final destinations of the city’s storm-drain system, conduct weekly water tests, design and place information stencils on storm drains, and develop flyers that describe their activities and distribute the flyers to neighboring communities. Supporters of the project include Brockton High School, the Champion Charter School of Brockton, Wheaton College, the Brockton Water Commission, the Brockton Department of Public Works, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs – Taunton River Watershed Team, and the Taunton River Watershed Alliance. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Merrimack River Watershed Council -- $10,419 Beth Brazil, 181 Canal Street, Lawrence, MA 01842 The Pilot Teacher Training Project (PTTP) Under the project, three workshops are held for at least 20 eighth-grade educators in Manchester, New Hampshire. The workshops prepare the teachers to implement the Merrimack River MATTERS (Manchester Actions That Totally Enhance River Systems) environmental education curriculum. (Project in Manchester, New Hampshire) |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Mystic River Watershed Association, Inc. -- $5,000 Grace Perez, 20 Academy Street, Suite 203, Arlington, MA 02476 New Century Environmental Leadership Institute (NCELI) The Mystic River Watershed Association formed the NCELI, along with Tufts University. The goal of the institute is to equip participating students with the tools they need to become professionals and leaders in research and policy development related to the restoration of watersheds and in environmental education. The effort develops in students a richer and more complex understanding of the responsibilities of environmental professionals and the challenges they face. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association -- $5,000 Chris Mason, 50 Miles Street, Suite 3, Greenfield, MA 01301 Educator's Conference: Energy and the Environment Under this project, a two-day educator’s conference is held for more than 42,000 educators throughout the mid-Atlantic states and New England. The conference takes place in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The program of the conference emphasizes encouragement of pollution prevention by influencing teachers’ technological choices and consumer behavior in heating, lighting, and transportation. Programs conducted during the conference also encourage teachers to engage students in quality environmental education through the use of educational resources and programs that focus on the themes of energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean transportation technologies, and consumer energy. (Project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Quebec-Labrador Foundation -- $12,000 Candace Cochrane, 55 South Main Street, Ipswich, MA 01938 The Bays Stewardship Network The project encourages a sense of environmental stewardship of Cobscook and Passamoquoddy bays. Under the project, 100 teachers and students in at least seven communities in Washington County, Maine and New Brunswick, Canada are expected to participate in training workshops and research projects related to environmental issues that affect the bays. (Project in Washington County, Maine) |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Sharon Public Schools -- $5,000 Emily Norton, 1 School Street, Sharon, MA 02067 Environmental Education Through Field Research This project introduces and integrates outdoor environmental education through field research or outdoor education for students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 10. Organizers of the project also develop a strategy for incorporating environmental education into the 10th-grade biology curriculum, provide training for secondary and elementary teachers, and use a variety of media to increase awareness of the local natural environment among students and members of the community. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | South Shore Natural Science Center -- $8,142 Susan Cronin, Jacobs Lane, Norwell, MA 02061 Willow Brook Farm Preserve: A Community Resource The science center, along with the town of Pembroke, develop an environmental program at the Willow Brook Farm Preserve that provides professional development workshops and activities for teachers. More than 400 third- and fourth-grade students also are expected to participate, along with their parents or chaperones. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development (SRPEDD) -- $4,784 Stephen Smith, 88 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780 Youth Involved in Community Planning Partnership with Taunton Boys and Girls Club Through an after-school program for students ages 10 through 13, SRPEDD, along with the Boys and Girls Club of Taunton, offer a series of hands-on learning experiences focused on land use planning. Examples from the students’ own community are used in the program. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | St. Joseph's School -- $4,095 Steven Perdios, 555 Washington Street, Quincy, MA 02169 Earth Week 2002 in Quincy, Massachusetts The city of Quincy hosts an Earth Week to educate the community and students about the environmental and health issues that affect their city. Each of three schools hosts one of the three major events planned for the week. Some of the activities include: a Whale Day that focuses on protection of ocean life and forests, a Yard Day that focuses on disposal of hazardous wastes and protection of the environment in the home yard, and a day on which a cleanup of the islands in Boston Harbor and a review of the history of those islands are the principal activities. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Triton Regional School District -- $5,000 Janet Ritchey, 112 Elm Street, Byfield, MA 01922 Newbury Elementary School Environmental Education Project Outdoor Classroom An outdoor classroom is developed at Newbury Elementary School to provide learners an opportunity to undertake an inquiry approach to acquire knowledge and skills that allows them to develop lifelong appreciation of the environment. A pumpkin patch, a butterfly garden, and a birdhouse area are planned for the outdoor classroom, and a composting program is established. |
| 2001 | MA | 1 | Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) -- $5,000 Gay Gillespie, 1151 Main Road, Westport, MA 02790-0703 Watershed Education Program (WEP): Grade 5 Dune Grass Restoration Field Study WRWA focuses on promoting environmental integrity, advocating stewardship of the watershed’s natural resources, and educating the public about the interrelationships among water, soils, plants, animals, and people. WRWA has developed the WEP and worked with the Westport schools to incorporate the curriculum into the school system. WRWA is expanding the WEP curriculum to include a field study program for students in grade 5 that provides hands-on, field-oriented, and applied learning opportunities outside the classroom. More than 150 students, 20 parents, and 6 teachers are expected to participate in the expansion. |
| 2001 | MI | 5 | Liberty Children's Art Project -- $5,000 Paul Olson, 42 Iron Street, Nagaunee, MI 49866 Partridge Creek Nature Park Environmental Education Students from the Negaunee Middle School work with artists and environmental educators at Partridge Creek Nature Park to design and create glazed ceramic plaques that explain significant environmental features of the park. The park then is decorated with the tiles. |
| 2001 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University (MSU) -- $5,000 Kendra Gunter, 836 Fuller, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Land-Use Learning Series MSU and its partners compile existing educational materials related to land use into a land-use learning series for upper elementary students (in grades 4 and 5) and train teachers in using the materials in their classrooms. The series are an interactive educational experience through which teachers and students learn about land-use planning and decision-making in their communities. It conforms to the Michigan curriculum framework standards. Topics include: the role of local government in land-use planning and the effects of land-use decisions on the environment. Participants develop basic map-making skills as they survey local neighborhoods. |
| 2001 | MI | 5 | Wildlife Unlimited -- $17,050 Travis Williams, P. O. Box 1975, Holland, MI 49422 Outdoor Discovery Center - Dune Ecosystems The Dune Ecosystem project provides 50 high school students with the opportunity to work as a team and participate in environmental investigation and in the restoration and preservation of habitats. Under the project, a functioning natural outdoor classroom is established on the property of the 100-acre Outdoor Discovery Center Preserve. Both students and teachers develop designs for interpretive trails and interpretive panels at the outdoor classroom, which are available for use by students, adults, and families. |
| 2001 | MI | 5 | Ypsilanti Public Schools -- $74,000 (HQ Grant) Tulani Smith, Office of Academic Services, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Sustainability Education for Sustainable Communities The project addresses a critical need in Washtenaw County to bring together teachers and students to use education reform as a means of addressing the links among student achievement, urban sprawl, and sustainability of communities. The target audiences of the project, middle and high school teachers and students, are developing a model for education reform that is based on sustainability education. The goals of the project are to: (1) train science and social studies teachers to lead students through investigations of contemporary environmental, social, and economic issues; (2) support and mentor teachers as they implement classroom investigations; (3) use presentations, newsletters, and reports developed by the students to educate the community about positive responses to contemporary challenges; (4) evaluate the effect of the project on the practices of the teachers and the students’ achievements; and (5) disseminate the components of the project – workshop designs, lesson plans, assessment tools, and case studies – to promote its replication. The outcomes of the project are evaluated against state educational standards, and the principal components of the project are distributed at the local, state, and national levels. Partners in the project include Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Washtenaw County Government, Sustainable Washtenaw, the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education, the Northeast Initiative, the New Jersey Sustainable Schools Network, the BESS Project, and consultants from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | Eco-Education -- $25,000 Kathy Kinzig, 275 East Fourth Street, #821, St. Paul, MN 55101 Model Schools in Urban Environmental Education Teachers from schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul are trained to deliver urban environmental education models through Eco-Education’s existing Model Schools in Urban Environmental Education Initiative. Teachers of grades 5 through 8 participate in workshops designed to build their knowledge of current urban environmental issues and the ability to apply that knowledge in their classrooms. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | Hennepin Conservation District -- $4,550 Tim Reese, 9600 Wedgwood Road, #140, Maple Grove, MN 55311-3541 Wetland Health Evaluation and Education Project To educate citizens about the function and value of wetlands and to foster public awareness and citizen involvement, the Hennepin Conservation District is organizing and training a minimum of three teams of citizen volunteers. The three teams are made up of adult and teen volunteers. Training sessions are conducted to teach the teams how to sample and analyze plant and invertebrate communities in four wetlands. The testing gives resource managers a clearer picture of what constitutes a healthy wetland ecosystem and gives the district a reference for comparison, analysis, restoration, and mitigation efforts. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Lakes Association -- $5,000 Paula West, P. O. Box 321, Brainerd, MN 56401 Educating Today's Youth to be Tomorrow's Stewards Using the existing curriculum Interactive Lake Ecology, students in grades 5 and 6 learn how to be responsible stewards of the lakes that are, and will remain, crucial factors in their future well-being. The curriculum covers basic information about lake ecology, including properties of water, food chains, watersheds, pollution, and more. The project targets 500 students and from 20 to 25 teachers in at least five schools. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency -- $21,725 Sandeep Burman, 520 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155 Karst Education Project The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is hosting two-day workshops for elected state and local officials, educators, citizens, and the regulated community. The four workshops enhance understanding of the vulnerability of water resources in a sensitive geologic setting. The project promotes and facilitates the adoption of decisions and practices at the local government and community levels that protect the environment and human health in those vulnerable areas. The project begins a self-sustaining process of collaboration, information-sharing, and decision making. Included in the workshop are a half-day field trip to nearby sites at which karst geology and hydrogeology are apparent, as well as sites at which karst problems are occurring and sites at which such problems have been remedied. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | Prairie Ecology Bus Center -- $5,000 Chrystal Dunker, P. O. Box 429, Lakefield, MN 56150 Water Wonders Ecology Bus Through the project, the Prairie Ecology Center’s Ecology Bus is available to approximately 1,500 students in grades 4 through 12 and their teachers. Both students and teachers have an opportunity to take part in hands-on, problem-based education programs about aquatic resources in their communities. Naturalists use the bus to transport students from their schools to nearby natural areas. Educators teach about aquatic systems and provide information about the water cycle and water quality. The program can be duplicated easily throughout Minnesota and in other states. |
| 2001 | MN | 5 | St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium -- $5,000 JoAnne Peters, 624 Selby, St. Paul, MN 55104 Multicultural Recycling Outreach The project promotes recycling and makes information about recycling available to St. Paul’s Hmong and Hispanic communities. The project’s goals include: 1) increasing recycling rates by making recycling accessible to diverse communities, 2) building relationships with both communities to facilitate efforts to meet their needs, and 3) testing an outreach model for reaching other communities. Approximately 35,000 residents have access to the outreach information. |
| 2001 | MS | 4 | Mississippi Forestry Commission -- $1,400 Harold Anderson, 301 North Lamar Street, Suite 300, Jackson, MS 39201 Correlation of Project Learning Tree Activities with the Mississippi State Curriculum Project Learning Tree is a nationally recognized environmental education program. Its activity guide is correlated to Mississippi’s science and social studies curricula. The Mississippi Department of Education is revising the state curriculum. The project correlates Project Learning Tree activities with the new curriculum, posts the activities on the Mississippi Project Learning Tree web site, and produces 20,000 bookmarks that advertise the web site and the new document. The bookmarks are given to public school librarians for distribution to teachers. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Chillicothe Middle School -- $5,000 Nancy Elliott, 1529 Calhoun, Chillicothe, MO 64601 Environmental Careers Project The project introduces sixty-five students in eighth grade to environmental careers. Students become involved in hands-on investigative problem solving in the classroom, in after school workshops, and during a two-week summer institute. Students also become involved actively in field experiences that allow them to practice skills necessary for such professions and work with professionals. They also participate in job shadowing. For the classroom, after–school, and summer institute components of the project, units that begin with an environmental problem scenario are used. In the classroom, students work on five-day units. The after-school workshops and the summer institute involve two-hour investigations. Units are built around curricula found in Project Learning Tree, Project Wet, Project Wild, and Aquatic Wild. The students attend field trips during which they participate in water monitoring for water quality and sampling and testing of soil. Students participate in an Earth Day play that they present for parents and other students. They also organize an environmental carnival, during which environmental games reinforce environmental stewardship. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Friends of Lakeside Nature Center -- $1,500 Larry O'Donnell, 4701 East Gregory, Kansas City, MO 64132 Water Quality Testing - Blue River Watershed The project introduces 30 high school students to the watershed of the Blue River. Students are provided classroom instruction on watershed dynamics. Through hands-on testing of biological and chemical water quality at four sites four times during the school year, students gather data; interpret data; determine whether there is a problem related to water quality; and, if so, propose possible solutions to the problem. Two of the test sites are above and below a tributary of the Blue River in Kansas City. The students sample for fecal coliform contamination and learn how to evaluate data and test their results. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Greene County R-8 School District -- $2,003 Andrew Kinslow, 8225 East Farm Road 174, Rogersville, MO 65742 Citizen Science: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Under the MAPS project, 10 students in grades 9 through 12 participate in field research related to bird populations. Students perform both habitat and banding field research. The research period is divided into 10-day segments. Students meet in the classroom once during each 10-day period and are provided background information about birds, analysis of habitats, careers, and various environmental topics. Students perform field research once during the ten-day period, setting nets at the banding site. Captured birds are banded, weighed, measured, and released. The information the students collect is used to assess bird populations and the health of the environment. Because birds are excellent indicator species for assessing the health of the environment, they can serve as a means of evaluating the condition of their habitats. The students enter the data they have collected into a computer for compilation and submittal to the Institute for Bird Populations. Participation in the MAPS project gives the students the opportunity for first-hand exploration of environmental careers. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Kansas City Harmony, Inc. -- $4,070 Vicki Richmond, 2700 East 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64127 Ecological Diversity Project Community leaders, corporate partners, and formal and informal educators are recruited and trained to educate students and community and corporate groups about the Blue River Glade property, a designated natural area located in the urban core of Kansas City. Participants use the biology of the habitat as a mirror for human communities. The project is intended to instill in participants an appreciation for diversity, heritage, and ecology, and meets state standards for education. The project breaks down barriers by bringing together ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse people through environmental stewardship and education about the Blue River Glade. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $5,000 Celeste Prussia, P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 Sustainability 2001: A Community Education Conference The community education conference Sustainability 2001 improves and enhances the environmental education teaching skills of participating teachers, informal educators, and community leaders. Sustainability has become a prominent element in addressing issues that relate environmental health to economic viability and provide for the social longevity of a community. Participants develop an understanding of the concept of sustainability and experience activities related to sustainability activities that they may use in their classrooms or other learning environments. In addition, participants identify ways in which they can integrate sustainability into their curricula, programs, and personal lives. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Public Television 19, Inc. -- $13,971 Karen Mell, 125 East 31st Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 Captain Olin's Odyssey - An Environmental Journey The project expands and enhances an innovative environmental education program. The program combines Internet content, community outreach activities, and professional development for teachers to teach environmental concepts, inspire creativity in students, and encourage students to explore environmental topics. The program provides teachers with skills they can use in developing science and mathematics lesson plans that examine such environmental issues as water conservation, wasteful packaging, and waste disposal. The primary target audience of the project is teachers and students in grades 5 through 8 in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. The project’s web site serves a dual purpose as a fun and safe place for students to visit on their own and as a curriculum resource for teachers. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | St. Vincent Home School -- $1,687 Maxine Prochnow, 7401 Florissant Road, St. Louis, MO 63121 Improving Academic Skills Through Exploration and Research The project involves neglected and abused children from economically disadvantaged urban areas. Each child receives an individualized curriculum that reflects the student’s learning level. Through hands-on research activities, the students identify environmental problems, such as unclean water and disposal of waste in their neighborhoods. The training consists of outings, videos, Internet searches, and hands-on experiences. Students examine how the environmental issues have affected their lives and explore ways in which they, as students, can improve the environment while they improve the academic skills of reading and research. Group meetings are held twice weekly for discussion and planning. Committees are formed and students begin Internet searches to develop information about issues of unclean water and waste disposal. The committees report on their progress during the group meetings. Students participate in outings during which they document environmental problems in their neighborhoods. They also visit landfills, recycling plants, polluted lakes and rivers, and water purification plants. They visit sites in disadvantaged neighborhoods and sites in economically advantaged neighborhoods to compare the environmental conditions of those environments. Students report on the projects they choose, describing the research they conducted, their reasons for choosing particular projects, and the solutions they worked to achieve. Students make presentations to the school community and receive ecology awards from the in-school scouting program. |
| 2001 | MO | 7 | Wyman Center, Inc. -- $14,035 Patty Clemons, 600 Kiwanis Drive, Eureka, MO 63025 Peabody Elementary School Environmental Education Under the project, which is a partnership effort between Wyman Center and Peabody Elementary School, students in grade 6, their teachers, and 10 volunteer cabin counselors attend a four-day environmental education residential camp. The students, teachers, and counselors learn about aquatic ecology, cycles, and ecosystems and participate in a community service project. The activities are conformed to the state standards for mathematics and science. The program includes a pre-program visit to the school to prepare the students and teachers for the learning experiences. A month after the camping experience, a post-program visit is made to the school, and a test is administered to participants to assess the effectiveness of the program. The Wyman Center facilitates a workshop on the learning experiences. |
| 2001 | MT | 8 | Missoula County Public School District #1 -- $5,000 Robert McKean, 215 South 6th Street, W, Missoula, MT 59801 Outdoor Environmental Education Learning The goal of the project is to establish a program that offers quality outdoor environmental education learning experiences for students in grade 6 in the Missoula area. Now in its fourth year, the program serves almost 500 students, 20 teachers, 15 college student volunteers, and several interns. The audience is reached through lessons, games, and activities adapted from established sources and programs, with classes conducted by a lead instructor and trained volunteers at an outdoor recreation area in a nearby national forest. |
| 2001 | MT | 8 | Montana Science Institute, Inc. -- $5,000 Gil Alexander, 7653 Canyon Ferry Road, Helena, MT 59602 Workshop in Forest Fire/Wildfire Utilization Montana Science Institute, Inc. provides a three-week workshop in the use, fighting, and management of forest fires and wildfires, along with remediation after such fires, for 25 at-risk high school students and community members who were affected by fires in the upper Missouri watershed during the summer of 2000. |
| 2001 | MT | 8 | National Center for Appropriate Technology -- $10,886 Kathleen Hadley, 3040 Continental Drive, Butte, MT 59702 Streams as Living Laboratories Schools in Fayetteville adopt portions of six urban streams to participate in a monthly investigation of water quality through the application of monitoring and sampling techniques. Approximately 170 students participate in the study of watershed ecology and water quality. The lessons learned are related to human health threats posed by environmental pollution and to community education about watersheds, issues related to water quality, and the effects of such issues on public health. Age-appropriate programs of environmental investigation are developed to facilitate the participation of students at various levels. The Adopt-A-Watershed Program and the EPA’s Water Patch projects are used as models for the project. (Project in Arkansas) |
| 2001 | MT | 8 | Rocky Boy Public Schools -- $23,290 Sandra Murie, RR1, Box 620, Box Elder, MT 59521 Living Laboratory Under the project, a “living laboratory” is developed to rehabilitate a 0.25 mile section of the streambed of Parker Canyon Creek. Students collect data on the physical, chemical, and biological water quality parameters from pre-selected investigation sites and use those data to explore the causes of changes in water quality. The Chippewa Creek Tribal Water Resources Department and the Rocky Boy Soil Conservation District use the results to establish the provisions of the water quality standards. |
| 2001 | MT | 8 | Wild Rockies Field Institute -- $4,700 David Havlick, P. O. Box 7071, Missoula, MT 59807 Summer Field Course in 2002 for Educators The institute develops and implements two sections of a summer field course that are provided to educators in 2002. The field course is offered to teachers, particularly teachers of grades 6 through 12, and college students who are considering careers in education. Designed for experiential learning, the course is conducted in the field during a week-long back-packing trip in Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains. Each participant receives a curriculum packet that includes lesson plans and field-based teaching suggestions for use after the course. |
| 2001 | NE | 7 | Educational Service Unit 15 -- $23,930 Paul Ekberg, P. O. Box 398, Trenton, NE 69044 Wetland Restoration Project Teachers and students from Nebraska and Kansas investigate three specific types of wetland environments to determine their effects on water purity, as well as to examine the diversity of plant species. Using the wetland sites as models, participants develop and help implement a wetland management plan for a new wetland area to be developed on land in south-central Nebraska that is the property of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. |
| 2001 | NE | 7 | Keep North Platte & Lincoln County Beautiful -- $10,420 Sara Morris, 715 South Jeffers, North Platte, NE 69103 Magic of Recycling The project provides a venue through which 1,915 students and 26 teachers in North Platte share historical and environmental information with people of all ages and interests through “hands-on” and public speaking (drama or storytelling) formats. Students are involved in three learning activities that lead students to study respect for the Earth as evidenced in the historical models of caring for the Earth exhibited by Native American and pioneer cultures. Students then develop their own respect-for-the-Earth service projects based on the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle message set forth by Timothy Wenk in Thematic of Recycling, an award-winning presentation. Trips to Dancing Leaf Lodge and Living History Day give the students an historical perspective on the close ties that Native Americans and pioneers had to the Earth. The Magic of Recycling introduces students to the hands-on paper recycling program being established in the schools. Fourth graders lead their respective schools in setting up a school recycling site and introduce those programs to the public at PTA meetings and during visits to senior centers and retirement homes. |
| 2001 | NE | 7 | Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. -- $3,056 Cindy Smiley, 1819 Farnam Street, Suite 306, Omaha, NE 68183 Ecology Day Camps for Kids The project is a week-long program that educates 25 students in grades 4, 5, and 6 who live in inner-city neighborhoods about the environmental issues that affect their communities. The students take part in a day camp program and travel by bus to environmental areas and businesses in Omaha. The students participate in five different projects. Each day, activities focus on a particular theme: water quality, litter, recycling, nature studies, and environmental issues. The students visit a water treatment plant and participate in water games adapted from the curriculum Aquatic Project Wild. They also carry out a litter cleanup project adapted from the Waste in Place curriculum, travel to illegal dump sites, and make a “garbage pizza.” The students visit one of the city’s recycling centers, take a nature walk in Fontenelle Forest to conduct an animal study and tree and leaf studies, and travel down the Missouri River by boat. |
| 2001 | NE | 7 | Leopold Education Project -- $5,000 Wendy Cheek, 503 Taylor Circle, Papillion, NE 68046 Leopold Education and Learning Tree Projects Nebraska Leopold Education and Nebraska Project Learning Tree is conducting one workshop of two days in length and four single-day educator workshops to train 80 educators of students in grades 7 and 12. Both formal and informal educators participate in the workshops. The teachers receive hands-on training in conservation education, forest ecology, and fire management of forest prairies. Educators receive training in three Project Learning Tree environmental education program modules and learn strategies for integrating the materials into existing curricula and programs. |
| 2001 | NE | 7 | Lincoln Public Schools Foundation -- $5,000 Sonya Ekart, 5901 O Street, Lincoln, NE 68501 Beattie Elementary Outdoor Learning Project Students create an outdoor garden for use in learning about the growing cycle. Students learn about the elements needed to grow a garden and how the environment affects those elements. The students construct six raised-bed garden plots in which they plant flowers and vegetables. The students conduct experiments to learn how plants grow. The experiments vary according to the grade levels of the students. |
| 2001 | NV | 9 | Champions of the Truckee River -- $5,000 Elisa Meer, 316 California Avenue, #737, Reno, NV 89509 Water, Water, Everywhere The integrated watershed management education project has two components, one targeted at decision makers and the other targeted at the community at large. The program focuses on giving the two targeted audiences a basic understanding of integrated watershed management. The audiences learn what a watershed is, how the local watershed works, and who does what in the watershed. Specific topics include the quantity and quality of the water, flooding, and habitats. A series of four workshops and tours is conducted, in addition to a series of bimonthly newspaper advertisements and updates of the project’s web site to reach the community at large. |
| 2001 | NH | 1 | Audubon Society of New Hampshire -- $12,500 Ian McLeod, 3 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301 The Northern New England Science Center Collaborative: Docent Training Program The collaborative was formed to examine the issue of global warming. The goal of the project is to further develop the collaborative’s model for science education, under which a specific environmental issue is studied by linking research institutions to science centers and the public. The project proposes a training program for docents and teachers that focuses on current concepts related to climate change and potential changes in the region’s ecosystem and exposes staff of the science center to a cutting-edge study of climate change being conducted in New England. |
| 2001 | NH | 1 | New Hampshire Project Learning Tree -- $5,000 Esther Cowles, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301 Focus on New Hampshire Forests The project increases awareness and understanding among teachers and students of important environmental issues related to forests in New Hampshire. Project Learning Tree develops fact sheets and lists of resources that examine those contemporary issues. The fact sheets and lists then are used in the project’s teaching modules. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Camp Vacamas -- $5,000 Michael Friedman, 256 Macopin Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 Youth Environment Squad (YES) The YES program provides intensive preparation for five environmental education assistants who are graduates of the residential alternative education program at Vacamas Academy. The program, which prepares the assistants to work with approximately 150 middle school students from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, focuses on hands-on environmental and interdisciplinary programs and development of skills in planning, designing, and scheduling lessons. The YES teaching assistants then work with environmental education counselors from Vacamas to provide environmental education programming to the students from Brooklyn, who make five visits to the camp during the school year. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy and Education Fund of New Jersey -- $5,000 John Weber, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Lead Poisoning Prevention: Train the Trainer Statewide Initiative The project targets staff members of social service organizations and leaders of community groups in neighborhoods in which the incidence of lead poisoning is high. Participants attend a day-long seminar on lead poisoning; the hazards of lead poisoning; techniques for preventing lead poisoning; ways to help clients understand their legal, housing, and educational rights; and strategies for assisting families of children at risk for lead poisoning. The materials used during the workshop are provided to participants so they can use them to train others in their communities. Participants receive assistance in preparing presentations and developing activities related to the prevention of lead poisoning. An electronic bulletin provides additional post-training support. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Cross-County Connection -- $5,000 Rebecca Pierson, Transportation Management Association, Inc., Greentree Executive Campus, 2002D Lincoln Drive West, Marlton, NJ 08053 Commute Awareness Classroom Teaching The educational program conducted by Cross-County Connection teaches students in grade 3 about the problems associated with traffic congestion and air pollution and examines the ways in which air pollution can affect human health. The program targets approximately 1,000 children in school districts in Camden and Burlington counties. Staff of Cross County Connection conduct classes in the schools and provide take-home materials. The interactive and hands-on program helps students understand what air pollution is, what causes it, and how transportation choices can affect levels of air pollution. The students learn about the formation of ground level ozone and its effect on youngsters, the elderly, and those affected by respiratory ailments. Students design ride-share billboards and explore alternatives to travel by single-occupant vehicles as a method of decreasing air pollution. Participants receive certificates that salute them as Friends of the Environment. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Society of American Foresters -- $5,000 Terry O'Leary, New Jersey Division, 370 East Veterans Highway, Jackson, NJ 08527 Protecting Stream Headwaters The program consists of a series of four workshops that reach approximately 150 leaders and facilitators in environmental education. The project focuses on the Pinelands National Reserve, the location of the headwaters of streams in the ecologically significant Pinelands region of New Jersey. The workshops provide leadership education about the sensitivity of headwaters to changes in the environment and the need for watershed planning and management. The field-based workshops examine factors that affect watersheds, including non-point source pollution, and provide participants with hands-on experience in examining the headwaters of a tributary of the Toms River. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association -- $22,315 George Hawkins, Environmental Education Program, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534 Watershed Education Initiative Building Environmental Education Solutions (BEES), the community-based environmental education program of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, educates teachers throughout the state about watershed management and issues related to watersheds. In partnership with the New Jersey Audubon Society, the Youth Environmental Society, and Project Urban and Suburban Environments, BEES seeks to improve the environmental education skills of teachers. The project includes a week-long Water Education Institute, a workshop on watershed education and the techniques of monitoring for water quality, an intensive day of field experience on the Millstone River, and a resource guide for educators compiled from existing sources. A web site and support for teachers after the workshop are key components of the program. In addition, the Watershed Stewardship Program and a student colloquium provide additional opportunities for community members, teachers, and students to become involved in experiences related to stewardship of watersheds. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | The Passaic River Coalition -- $5,000 Ella Filippone, 246 Madisonville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Where Are You in Your Watershed? The Passaic River Coalition is a watershed association that works in water and land-use management in northern New Jersey and southern New York. A participant in the water management program of the state of New Jersey, the coalition is developing a poster, Where Are You in Your Watershed?. The poster is used, along with stickers, to help people of all ages identify their location in the Passaic River watershed. The initial audience is reached through distribution of the materials to local government agencies, libraries, and schools. In addition, a take-home version is distributed to schools to help families understand their relationship to the watershed. The poster also identifies water and sewage treatment facilities and such ecologically sensitive areas as the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. |
| 2001 | NJ | 2 | Union City Board of Education -- $5,000 Silvia Abbato, Hudson Elementary School, 3912 Bergen Turnpike, Union City, NJ 07087 Recycling Education Project at Hudson Elementary School The project overcomes language and cultural barriers to promote recycling as a community ethic among the immigrant Latino population served by Hudson Elementary School. Teachers and parents are involved in workshops, while students take part in classroom activities and field trips related to recycling. To promote recycling, students develop a Spanish-language publication targeted at early elementary grades. The publication, which includes posters developed by students under the program, is featured on the web site of the Union City Public Schools, and the publication is distributed to elementary schools in the district, as well as other local and state information centers. |
| 2001 | NM | 6 | Cerrillos Hills Park Coalition -- $4,800 E.J. Patterson, P. O. Box 191, Cerrillos, NM 87010 Spring Enhancement Education Initiative The initiative establishes an environmental learning station in the Cerrillos Hills Historic Park that provides testing and measuring equipment and interactive tools for use by students in kindergarten through grade 12. The learning stations, 8 to 10 of which are developed, provide skill and content activities that progress from grade to grade, incorporating a wide range of content areas and providing opportunities for collaboration among county support staff, educational volunteers, teachers, and local businesses and organizations. The major trail in the park offers viewpoints, monitoring stations, and restoration work areas that visitors easily can observe without interfering with ongoing restoration work. Because a number of soil types are found in the park, students have the opportunity to apply various monitoring and testing techniques and explore a number of approaches to restoration. |
| 2001 | NM | 6 | Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park -- $4,531 Stephanie Bestelmeyer, P. O. Box 891, Las Cruces, NM 88004 Volunteer Educator Hands-On Science Program Volunteers from local communities develop knowledge of and an appreciation for a desert environment through a hands-on science program. Those volunteers then go into classrooms to teach children 10 lessons on natural science and the environment. All lessons feature hands-on learning experiences that introduce students to the excitement of science, while they learn the critical-thinking skills inherent in the scientific process. The nature park works in partnership with USDA, New Mexico State University, and the Las Cruces Public Schools. More than 1,000 students are expected to benefit from the project, which focuses on deserts and water, animal adaptation, plant adaptation, insects and other arthropods, soil erosion, weather, reptiles and amphibians, seed banks, mammals, and herbivores. |
| 2001 | NM | 6 | Cuba Independent School District -- $4,558 Alan Carson, Cuba, NM 87013 Our Water, Our Life Students learn about the relationships between land and waters in their community through hands-on projects provided by the Forest Service. The projects focus on such local issues as water quality, the health and sustainability of the Rio Puerco watershed, and future growth and use of resources. After participating in field trips provided by the Forest Service, students return to the classroom for more hands-on activities to reinforce what they have learned. Teachers participate in Project WET workshops; exploration kits educate teachers and increase their awareness of opportunities to incorporate environmental lessons in all aspects of their classroom curricula. The goal of the school district is to establish environmental education as a part of the district’s overall curriculum. |
| 2001 | NM | 6 | NM Mesa, Inc. -- $20,000 Michael Garcia, 2808 Central, Albuquerque, NM 87106 Summer Ecology Research Program NM Mesa provides quality ecology education to teachers and students across the state by providing prospective college students with information about careers related to environmental science. The project provides hands-on experiences in ecology through field work and instruction in the techniques of scientific research; exposes students to aspects of mathematics, science, and technology through web pages; and emphasizes the proper use and maintenance of natural resources. Students are trained in the use of such field equipment as sweep nets, kick nets, D-nets, bottom dredges, plankton tows, and pitfall traps. In exploring the physical environment, students are trained in the use of instruments that monitor weather conditions and similar techniques. Students are required to maintain portfolios of their research and produce research papers when they have completed their projects. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Adirondack Park Institute -- $21,720 Linda Bennett, P. O. Box 256, Newcomb, NY 12852 Hudson Basin River Watch: Headwaters Project The Adirondack Park Institute, which supports environmental education programs at two interpretive centers in the Adirondack Park in northern New York, works in partnership with Hudson Basin River Watch. Together, the two organizations provide workshops for elementary, middle, and high school teachers in all school districts within the Adirondack Park reaches of the Hudson River watershed. The training enables teachers to incorporate authentic field-based programming into their curricula by using students’ interest in local water quality as a starting point. In addition to the workshops, the project includes mentoring support for participating teachers. Other partners in the project are the New York State Adirondack Park Agency; school districts in the Adirondack Park area; and the Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Saratoga, and Essex County Board of Cooperative Educational Services. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- $5,000 Ellen Kirby, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 The Sustainable Garden Project: A Project of Brooklyn GreenBridge The project, a new component of Brooklyn GreenBridge, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s community horticultural program, targets members of community organizations in Brooklyn’s low-income communities. The project teaches participants about developing abandoned sites and converting them into sustainable gardens and green spaces. The project includes on-site workshops, special plant kits, updated educational materials, and on-site support for the efforts of 12 community organizations to develop gardens. Participants who have not previously learned about environmental stewardship develop the knowledge and skills they need to restore and maintain environmental balance as they learn about native plants, water conservation, drought-tolerant gardening, and wildlife gardening. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | City Parks Foundation (CPF) -- $5,000 Deborah Landau, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021 Mary Leou Excellence in Science Teaching Award The project supports an award program for elementary school teachers in New York City. CPF solicits applications from teachers through its partnerships with the New York City Science Coordinators Network and the New York City Board of Education for awards that recognize innovative teaching about the environment. The award program, named after a long-time director of CPF, provides funds to enable recipients to purchase materials or services to support the implementation of their environmental education ideas. In addition to receiving the cash award, the teachers participate in two full-day workshops to prepare them for the following semester’s program of environmental education, enhance their teaching skills, and trouble shoot implementation of their plans. The project actively encourages the teachers to build networks with one another and to participate in professional programs and workshops. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County -- $22,315 Brian Eshenaur, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Great Lawns/Great Lakes Great Lawns/Great Lakes expands a pilot project that reaches homeowners throughout Monroe County. The project helps improve water quality by reducing fertilizer and pesticide runoff to waterways through an education program that motivates homeowners to reduce the amount of fertilizer and pesticides they apply to their lawns. In partnership with the Monroe County Department of Health and in cooperation with other Extension Service programs, Great Lawns/Great Lakes uses radio, television, and print media; community workshops; and educational programs to teach homeowners how to determine an appropriate level of fertilization that reduces their costs while improving their lawns and the environment. The program also provides education in the use of integrated pest management to eradicate pests, while reducing the amount of pesticide used. The lawn care education project is an element of a large-scale watershed plan for Lake Ontario and the Genesee River. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology -- $5,000 Michael Lenetsky, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 Classroom Feeder Watch Workshop Leader Training The workshop trains educators to be workshop leaders and uses an interdisciplinary curriculum and standards-based resource kit. The workshop is held at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is a membership institution, the mission of which is to interpret and conserve the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. (Project in Utah) |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Immaculate Conception Environmental Club -- $4,800 Lisa Jacobsen, 16 North Broadway, Irvington, NY 10533 Outdoor Environmental Laboratory Under the project, teachers and students in kindergarten through grade 8 use a natural space environment to learn about living things. Concepts drawn from the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program were used in developing the program. The project includes planning, developing, and maintaining an outdoor nature laboratory and nearby compost area as a learning center. Students work in teams and use problem-solving strategies as they create a wildlife habitat. Students also become guides for students visiting from other schools. The project conforms to state standards for mathematics, science, and technology and is designed to help students understand the value of wildlife and the importance of natural ecosystems. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Mohonk Preserve, Inc. -- $5,000 Glenn Hoagland, P. O. Box 715, New Paltz, NY 12561-0715 Watershed Education Program The Mohonk Preserve, the largest non-profit, member-supported nature preserve in the state of New York, works in partnership with AmeriCorps in the mid-Hudson Valley to educate youth about watersheds. A pre-trip classroom visit by an educator is followed by a four-hour field study at the Mohonk Preserve. The classroom work focuses on water pollution, the watershed, use of water resources by humans, and the effects of human activities on those resources. The field study engages students actively in testing for water quality. Teachers use prepared materials to conduct a post-trip class that challenges students to apply what they have learned to their everyday lives. The project targets students in grades 7 and 8 in urban schools, as well as their teachers, parents, and guardians. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Museum of the Hudson Highlands -- $5,000 Jacqueline Grant, P. O. Box 181, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520 Science Institute Audience Expansion The Museum of the Hudson Highlands Science Institute provides professional development for teachers in kindergarten through grade 5. The purpose of the training is to enable the teachers to provide their students with environmental education experiences at outdoor sites at the museum. The project is adapted from the program pilot, with the original program revised and expanded so that teachers can use the workshop lessons at other local outdoor areas in the Hudson Highland region. Educators in schools and informal educational organizations within a 45-minute drive of the museum are the focus of the program. The expanded project provides those educators three workshops during which the newly revised and adapted lessons can be used. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | New York University (NYU) School of Education -- $5,000 Mary Leou, Office of Sponsored Programs, 15 Washington Place, Apartment 1H, New York, NY 10012 Web Site Development for Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education The Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education is developing a web site that provides resource materials and information about professional development opportunities for students and teachers in environmental education. While initially focusing on students in NYU’s pre-service teacher education and conservation programs, the program also targets educators at informal science education institutions. An effort supported by a partnership with two departments at NYU (Teaching and Leaning and Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions), the New York City Board of Education’s Science Coordinator’s Network, and the Environmental Education Advisory Council, the collaborative’s web site disseminates quality environmental education programming to the education community. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Research Foundation, State University of New York/College at Oneonta -- $5,000 Tracy Allen, P. O. Box 9, Albany, NY 12202 New Island Greenway Environmental Education Project New Island is an undeveloped 82-acre riparian lowland located along the banks of the Susquehanna River. Through the project, students of environmental science at Oneonta College are conducting a detailed study of the river’s riparian zone ecosystem, interpreting elements of the ecosystem to the public, and advising the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway Development Committee about the biological resources available for public enjoyment. The students’ findings are delivered to the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway Development Committee at two public meetings. Students also design ecostations for the Greenway Nature Trail. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Waterman Conservation Education Center -- $4,281 Eileen Shatara, 403 Hilton Road, P. O. Box 377, Apalachin, NY 13732-0377 Raptor Environmental Education Program The Waterman Conservation Center, which serves the southern tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania, uses a resident red-tailed hawk named Redmond to teach students in kindergarten through grade 12 the importance of conservation of raptor species. Using approaches designed to develop critical-thinking skills, Waterman staff conduct classes on a range of topics to build the students’ knowledge of conservation, as the students design their own conservation projects. After learning to identify characteristics of Redmond and other raptors, students also learn the value of such birds to the environment and examine the various threats to their survival. Older students explore falconry to learn how humans have interacted with raptors. Students in all classes learn the importance of environmental conservation, both to themselves and to wildlife. |
| 2001 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society/The New York Aquarium -- $15,017 Merryl Kafka, Boardwalk and West Eighth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224 Project POWER: Protecting Our Wetlands with Educators and Regulators The New York Aquarium, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is conducting a community education course on wetland law and ecology in each of the boroughs of New York City. The project targets adults in communities located in environmentally sensitive wetland areas. Linking the educational resources of the Wildlife Conservation Society with the technical expertise of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and combining the community outreach networks of the two organizations, Project POWER develops an innovative and collaborative workshop program designed to teach the public about wetlands and their ecology and the regulations that protect them. The project seeks to increase the number of citizens who, having gained an understanding of the nature of wetlands, will care for wetlands and prevent violations of regulations governing wetlands. |
| 2001 | NC | 4 | Environmental Education Fund -- $74,365 (HQ Grant) Shannon Quesada, 1609 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1609 Teaching of Earth/Environmental Education The mission of the Environmental Education Fund is to raise public awareness of the environmental consequences of the actions of individuals and to establish partnerships for environmental education. Recognizing the need to provide teachers in North Carolina with improved training and access to resources related to earth/environmental science, the Environmental Education Fund and its partners develop an environmental education resource kit, train teachers, and establish a network through which teachers are provided long-term monitoring and support. High school earth and environmental science teachers participate in five-day teacher training institutes facilitated by professional environmental educators. Three such institutes are provided for the teachers. By linking teachers with environmental educators, the project is developing and sustaining a network of educators, programs, and resources that is useful for implementing environmental education initiatives statewide. The model for building capacity and addressing education reform can be used as a model for other states in which statewide coordination of environmental education is less well-developed than that in North Carolina. Partners in the project include the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and the Wildlife Resources Commission. |
| 2001 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27609 North Carolina Envirothon Program The North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts includes all 100 counties in the state. The North Carolina Envirothon Program is a high school and middle school “hands-on” environmental education competition that involves most of the state’s natural resource agencies and environmental organizations, along with private-sector partners, in the effort to educate students and teachers about issues related to natural resources and the environment. The components of the educational program are: soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The North Carolina Envirothon is expanding; it is hoped that the number of schools participating will double by 2002. The Envirothon provides environmental resources to teachers and students, trains students to work together as a team, and provides teachers and students knowledge about and exposure to many environmental issues that affect our ecosystems. |
| 2001 | NC | 4 | Partnership for the Sounds -- $5,000 Sue Lintelman, P. O. Box 55, Columbia, NC 27925 Summer Water Quality Camp The Partnership for the Sounds is a private, non-profit organization that fosters environmental education and ecotourism in the Albemarle-Pamlico region of North Carolina. The objective of the project is to fund a water quality camp to be held during the summer. The camp provides hands-on environmental education activities to 50 students in grade 4 who have shown an interest in science. The students live in a rural, economically distressed county, in which 80 percent of the population is made up of members of minority groups and which offers few summer programs. Two camp sessions, each one week in length, provide the students the opportunity to learn the principles of scientific research, interact with environmental professionals, and visit waterways and natural areas in the Albemarle-Pamlico region. |
| 2001 | NC | 4 | The University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Public Television (UNC-TV) -- $5,000 Tom Howe, 10 T.W. Alexander Drive, P. O. Box 14900, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 Troubled Waters - A Look at Water Pollution in NC and Its Health Affects During the past few years, North Carolina has undergone an unprecedented assault on its water resources, and recent natural disasters have added to the state’s woes. Under the project, UNC-TV plans to provide a statewide platform for educating residents about the causes and effects of water pollution. Five segments to be aired on “North Carolina Now”, a week-night television information magazine available statewide, as well as a one-half hour documentary, are produced to disseminate information about water pollution in the state. Finally, an hour-long program in call-in or live studio audience “town hall meeting” format is broadcast. |
| 2001 | NC | 4 | Watauga County School District -- $19,000 Mary Jo Pritchard, 160 Parkway School Drive, Boone, NC 28607 Parkway Ecology Project (PEP) The objectives of the program are to teach scientific processes presented in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, in conformity with the National Science Standards, and to train teachers, students, and citizens of the community to be aware of their environment. Teachers are reached through workshops designed to help them apply the existing state curriculum through an inquiry approach, learning how to monitor and protect the environment. A major focus of the teacher training is preparing teachers to guide students in inquiry-based, hands-on activities that develop competencies in environmental science, as mandated by state standards. Teachers learn to help students connect scientific processes to everyday life by using problem-solving approaches and technology to perform active monitoring and assessment of environmental conditions on school grounds. |
| 2001 | ND | 8 | University of North Dakota -- $16,687 Lars Helgeson, Box 7189, Grand Forks, ND 58202 Teacher Education Programs To Provide Training for Native American Teachers The project provides subsidies for the purchase of instruments for teacher education programs that train Native American teachers and students to perform water quality measurements. A four-day workshop is held at Little Hoop Community College in Fort Totten to implement mapping techniques, and a web site is developed. |
| 2001 | OH | 5 | Clark Center Alternative School-Washington County Educational Service Center -- $5,000 Emily Hayes-Newman, Route 1, Box 15, Marietta, OH 45750 Butterfly Exodus Project Clark Center Alternative School provides high-quality, hands-on environmental education as a tool for motivating at-risk youth. Youth collaborate with key partners to plan, design, and create an indigenous butterfly and bird land laboratory on the school grounds. Students work in teams with naturalists to cultivate a garden made up of plants that attract native birds and butterflies. With walking paths to provide easy access, the land laboratory gives students an opportunity to observe, investigate, and record the life cycles, behavior, and migratory patterns of native butterflies and birds. Students also develop presentations on the benefits of preserving natural habitats that they deliver to schools and community organizations. |
| 2001 | OH | 5 | Cleveland Metroparks - Division of Outdoor Education -- $11,058 Robert Hinkle, Garfield Park Nature Center, 11350 Broadway Avenue, Garfield Heights, OH 44125 Project Watershed Cleveland Metroparks expands its existing outreach program on watersheds to include the following new or updated items: 1) curriculum materials, 2) laminated wall maps of the watershed, 3) interactive exhibits, 4) interactive computer programs, 5) teacher workshops, and 6) a watershed web page. The goal of the project is to develop a watershed resource to be shared among 34 naturalists who disseminate the information in schools, through Metroparks’ programs, and to members of the community at various locations. |
| 2001 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma City Beautiful -- $5,000 Jo Ann Pearce, 2325 Classen, Oklahoma City, OK 73106 Mother Earth Education Mother Earth presents a play for all students at 13 elementary schools in the Oklahoma City area. The interactive play, featuring the characters Mother Earth, Larry the Litterbug, and Darlin’ Daisy, teaches the students about litter and about recycling and other objectives and asks students to promise to help clean up their schools and homes. The program director trains actors who are experienced in children’s theatre to deliver the appropriate messages. The project uses a 12-week curriculum for students in grade 3; the curriculum includes lesson plans, hand-on experiments, lists of resources, and suggestions for field trips. When the students have completed the program, Mother Earth returns to help them plant a tree on school grounds. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) -- $20,000 Elaine Jane Cole, P. O. Box 15192, Portland, OR 97293-5192 Building Environmental Education Capacity in Oregon The goals of the project are to provide leadership for educators who are committed to environmental education; to provide support and resources for educational programs; to develop and maintain a strong organizational structure that is easily accessible to educators throughout the state; and to create a self-sustaining, continuing base of funding. The prime objective of the project is to create an indispensable line of resources and services through development of an EEAO web site, facilitation of four Dig and Delve workshops (statewide workshops provided to educational service districts to teach how to work with local partners that fulfill service learning requirements to design and implement a habitat enhancement project), and conduct of annual statewide conferences. A newly hired executive director provides daily organizational oversight. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve -- $18,500 Patrick Willis, 2600 SW Hillsboro Highway, Hillsboro, OR 97123 Oregon NatureMapping The project is an educational program designed to engage citizen scientists in monitoring terrestrial wildlife and sharing their observations with others through a web-based database that can be used to track biodiversity in Oregon. Teachers in the Portland and Hillsboro school districts attend a two-day workshop to learn the process of NatureMapping, identify ways to use NatureMapping in their curricula that meet state benchmarks, and build capacity for developing sustained NatureMapping programs for classrooms. Program staff of Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve facilitate monthly meetings of teacher peer groups, during which the teachers discuss their curricula and student assessment plans, share resources, and evaluate their teaching practices. A web site provides on-line support and resources for teachers and their students and provide members of the general public with the resources they need to perform NatureMapping on their own. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | MidCoast Watersheds Council -- $5,000 Amy Bohnenstiehl, 157 NW 15th Street, Unit 1, Newport, OR 97365 Macroinvertebrate Sampling with Newport Middle School The project, which uses an existing watershed and stream-monitoring curriculum, educates 6 teachers, 180 students, and 30 adult volunteers about the health of streams in their area and the importance of healthy habitat to populations of the threatened and endangered native salmon. Two classroom presentations precede the field trips and small-group field sessions. The classes collect baseline data on macroinvertebrates from streams in the municipal watershed. Participants identify pollution-tolerant and -intolerant species and inventory those species to develop scores that indicate the health of individual streams. After they perform graphing and analysis in the classroom, students present their results to the school, the watershed council, and the city council. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Portland State University, Center for Science Education -- $19,999 Julie Magers, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751 Community Action & Problem Solving (CAPS) Under the project, 10 youth age 15 and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and work to create sustainable solutions to those problems. The CAPS program provides a balanced, structured, age-appropriate framework young people can use to develop meaningful projects that benefit the environment and their communities by fostering changes in local policies or community practices. Educators and youth leaders participate in a series of skill-building professional development workshops. The educators also are provided assistance in building partnerships among environmental experts, their schools, and their students to work to develop sustainable solutions to local environmental problems. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Thurston High School, Science Department -- $10,000 Robert Green, 333 North 58th Street, Springfield, OR 97478 Thurston High School Water Quality Monitoring Program The school develops a comprehensive water science program that integrates classroom instruction and water-testing laboratories in biology and chemistry courses with a variety of research projects carried out in the community. The projects range from monitoring of streams adversely affected by urban development to the establishment of a community water-testing laboratory to be operated by students. The students present the results of their studies of water quality and macroinvertebrate populations in Cedar Creek to the local watershed council, the water and electric board, and city officials. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Unified Sewerage Agency -- $4,000 Sheri Wantland, 155 North First Avenue, Suite 270, Hillsboro, OR 97124 Bilingual Environmental Education in the Tualatin River Watershed The project adapts popular and successful watershed education programs and makes them available to Spanish-speaking families in the fast-growing area of Cornelius and Hillsboro and unincorporated areas of Washington County. The project reaches the Latino community through family workshops, tours, festivals, and other nontraditional outreach efforts. The project increases the capacity of many agencies and schools in the area to deliver coordinated environmental education and provides materials that can be used in other Spanish-speaking communities. The Spanish-speaking community becomes more knowledgeable about local environmental issues. |
| 2001 | OR | 10 | Wolftree Incorporated -- $22,400 Jay Hopp, 3257 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Multnomah, OR 97214 Wolftree's Outdoor Ecology Program The project focuses on a study of the diverse ecosystem of central Oregon. It provides an entire watershed ecology program that is a combination of aquatic and terrestrial field-based programs, Highland Ecology and Cascade Streamwatch. Under the project, 300 students in grades 5 through 12 in Deschutes and Jefferson counties engage in classroom preparation, one or more field study programs at an outdoor classroom, and follow-up activities. Teachers attend a workshop to prepare for the project. Wolftree recruits professional scientists and professionals in the field of natural resources to work with the students in the field. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | Clarion Conservation District -- $3,800 Trudy Alexander, 265 Holiday Inn Road, Suite #2, Clarion, PA 16214 Conservation Education Programs for Clarion County, PA The project is an on-going conservation program that educates students and members of the community in conservation practices that can be applied by landowners and future landowners in Clarion County. A conservation tour familiarizes local landowners with the conservation practices available to them through participating agencies. Through the educational effort, both students and members of the community become better informed about the opportunities available to them in the areas of wildlife and land conservation through government agencies and local non-profit groups. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | East Stroudsburg Area School District -- $3,168 Gail Kulick-Cummings, 1 Gravel Ridge Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 Resico Elementary School - Outdoor Educational Gardens The outdoor classroom experience introduces students to environmental and mathematical standards, while encouraging the personal attributes of caring, responsibility, respect, fairness, and good citizenship. Students develop awareness and understanding of environmental issues and cycles and how each issue or process affects natural habitats. They use the educational gardens to practice graphing, measuring, estimating, and basic computation skills. In addition, the students work collaboratively and cooperatively to create gifts to be distributed to senior citizens’ homes and community centers in the area. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | French Creek Outdoor Learning Center -- $4,585 Judith Acker, 18308 Broadway, Meadville, PA 16335 Integrating Technology and the Environment in the French Creek Watershed The French Creek Outdoor Learning Center sponsors a one-day teacher education workshop that focuses on integrating the environment and technology. Teachers learn to use scientific equipment and computer software to identify macroinvertebrates and other flora and fauna in the creek. The goal of the project is to educate teachers about French Creek as well as to train them in using technology to bring environmental education into the classroom. As an extension of the workshop, the scientific equipment is made available by loan to other teachers. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | Girls' Club of Allentown, Inc. -- $5,000 Deborah Fries, 1302 Turner Street, Allentown, PA 18102 "WE CARE" Program (Children Acting Responsibly towards the Environment) The “WE CARE” program allows 125 inner-city girls, ages 5 through 18 years, to learn how to sustain an urban ecosystem. Using the established and successful Urban Community Garden as a learning environment, participants conduct hands-on experiments and activities that help them learn about and develop an understanding of the network of interactions that make up an ecosystem. They discover the ways plants, animals, and the non-living elements of our environment are all linked and affect each other. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | Philadelphia City Sail, Inc. -- $15,867 Rick LeFevre, P. O. Box 43235, Philadelphia, PA 19129 Schoolship Education Program The Schoolship Education Program teaches inner-city students in grades 5 through 8 about local urban environmental issues and the importance of environmental education. The students observe the Delaware River from a 75-foot topsail schooner sailing on the river. The program provides hands-on activities related to a number of curriculum topics, including soils, the water cycle, ecological concepts, pollution, and waste management. The project inspires the students to take action to resolve problems that contribute to the deterioration of the river. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Kenneth Holdsman, 2120 Winter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1099 Enviro-Stewards In its effort to become the first large urban public school system to incorporate service-learning environmental education projects into requirements for promotion and graduation, the School District of Philadelphia takes a hands-on approach to providing training and resources to teachers and students in grades kindergarten through 12. Teachers participate in a one-day symposium, receive professional development training in service-learning and environmental education, and build partnerships with outside environmental organizations to design service-learning projects. Students in turn engage in those projects to learn about their environment and enhance their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Examples of some of the topics addressed by the projects include air monitoring, surveying and monitoring of water, and community gardening. Funding for at least 34 of the projects also is provided under the project. Students reached by the project represent low-income, culturally diverse communities of African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian populations. The projects, the results of which are documented in a videotape, can be used in other areas. Earth Force, the Fairmount Park Commission, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and Urban Tree Education are partners in the project. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | School District of Philadelphia -- $3,735 Marcia Schulman, 2120 Winter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Hunter Elementary School - Adopts the Neighborhood The project encourages students in kindergarten through grade 4 at Hunter Elementary School to participate in a year-long community service project. The project directs the students’ energies and helps them develop personal commitments to taking action to improve their own environments. The grant project includes four major components: 1) to enlist student participation in the improvement and renewal of the environment within the boundaries of the school property, 2) to develop a working relationship with neighborhood empowerment agencies to promote student leadership, 3) to provide to students the opportunity to explore urban and suburban neighborhoods in nearby townships through field trips to various environmental nature centers, and 4) to provide students the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show, thereby encouraging them to enter the Junior Philadelphia Flower Show. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | Temple University -- $5,000 Robert Mason, 330 Gladfelter Hall, 1115 West Berks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 Delaware Canal State Park Regional Environmental Education Program The project funds the development of a course in environmental studies. The course provides introductory information to all constituencies that participate in the development of the Forks of the Delaware River Education Center, which is located in Easton. The project, which includes a substantial on-line component, integrates ecological and cultural perspectives on river basin interpretation and management of issues related to river basins. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | The Village of Arts and Humanities -- $10,000 Lily Yeh, 2544 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19133 Teen Environmental Leadership Internship Program The project provides summer and after-school internships in environmental leadership for minority teenagers living in inner-city North Philadelphia. The internships are designed to increase the students’ understanding of local and global environmental issues, expose students to horticulture and environmental landscaping, encourage environmental leadership and activism, and influence environmental career choices. Participating in the program are 30 students, ages 13 through 19. |
| 2001 | PA | 3 | Wildlands Conservancy -- $4,923 Barbara VanClief, 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, PA 18049 Nature in the Parks The project addresses the issue of access to environmental education programming for inner-city children who experience significantly less exposure to environmental issues than children who live in more affluent areas. The project underwrites the cost of participation in the Wildlands Conservancy’s Nature-in-the-Parks Program for children served by city social agencies, including the Sixth Street Shelter, the Volunteers of America Children’s Center, the Salvation Army, and the Boys and Girls Club. The program is taught in the city parks during week-long sessions of two hours per day; experienced naturalist-educators work with small groups of approximately 15 children. |
| 2001 | PR | 2 | Ana G. Mendez University System, Colegio Universitario del Este -- $24,998 Alberto Maldonado Ruiz, P. O. Box 2010, Carolina, PR 00984-2010 Integrating Environmental Health Education into the Preschool Curriculum The project educates adults about the ways in which human behaviors can affect young children who live in Carolina, Loiza, Canovanas, and Rio Grande. Those communities border the San Juan Bay Estuary, a site that historically has been affected by environmental degradation. The project provides three sets of workshops: one for teachers in the Head Start program, another for parents, and the third for university students in preschool education programs. The workshops instruct participants in methods of integrating environmental health education into the Head Start curriculum, as well as materials that support that effort. The participating adults develop an understanding of the effects human activities can have on the environment and of how to encourage behaviors in children that shield them from such effects. The project adapts and expands materials developed under an earlier project EPA conducted in Puerto Rico to help children develop knowledge and skills that promote better health. |
| 2001 | RI | 1 | Groundwork Providence, Inc. -- $13,977 Sally Turner, 69 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 Mashapaug Pond Nature Center Summer Camp Program Efforts are underway to create an educational garden and trails at Mashapaug Pond in Providence. During the summer of 2001, 30 “Green Team” inner-city youth work throughout the city to develop a new environmental education component for the boating center at the pond. The youth are trained in topics related to brownfields sites, water quality, native and non-native plant species, and recreational and educational use of open green space. |
| 2001 | RI | 1 | Providence College -- $4,963 Ethan Clotfelter, 549 River Avenue, Providence, RI 02918 Community-based Network to Monitor Birds as Indicators of PCB Contamination Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) accumulate in body tissues and in animals at the top of the food chain. The project outlines a three-stage examination of herring gulls and common terns that inhabit areas in the vicinity of Narragansett Bay. The effort analyzes PCB levels in bird carcasses and eggs, counts gull and tern populations in contaminated areas, and establishes a network of community observers to accumulate a database of information about levels of PCBs in bird plumage as an indicator of PCB contamination in Narragansett Bay. |
| 2001 | SC | 4 | Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission -- $5,000 Keith Kargel, 200 Leisure Lane, Columbia, SC 29210 Environmental Education Curriculum Correlation for Grades 3 through 7 The purpose of the project is to provide an environmental education curriculum and instruction guides teachers, park staff, and volunteers use as they conduct students on field trips to Saluda Shoals Park. Teams of teachers of grades 3 through 7 in District Five create the guides by adapting a nationally recognized curriculum to each grade level and conforming the curriculum to the South Carolina 2000 Science Standards, K-12, as well as to the cross-curricular standards set forth in the core curriculum. The curriculum guides focus on hands-on, inquiry-based activities to be conducted at approximately six field sites in Saluda Shoals Park that take advantage of the park’s natural resources, including riverfront, wetland, forest, and meadow habitats. |
| 2001 | SC | 4 | The Conestee Foundation, Inc. -- $13,725 Dana Leavett, 1 Marshall Court, Greenville, SC 29605 Learning From Lake Conestee: A Brownfields Site as a Multi-Disciplinary Teaching Resource The Conestee Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization that was incorporated with the express purpose of acquiring and rehabilitating Lake Conestee. The foundation acquired the lake with private funding and plans to convert what is now a neglected eyesore into a managed wetland complex, recreation area, and education center. The project is the first step in creating an environmental education center, with the entire property to become a laboratory for teaching and research. A small group of teachers in Greenville County in the four core academic disciplines, along with specialists representing public- and private-sector organizations, adapts existing environmental education materials to the conditions at Lake Conestee. Teachers from each of the county’s 14 high schools are trained in the site-specific curriculum and provided with packets of resources. Assistance in funding field trips also is provided. |
| 2001 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Discovery Center & Aquarium -- $4,750 Terry Lewis, 805 West Sioux, Pierre, SD 57501 Wetlands Workshops The project supports four Wetlands II Workshops held at outdoor education facilities. Participation in the wetlands workshop enhances teachers’ knowledge of ecology and biology related to wetland habitats. Teachers engage in hands-on activities taken from the curriculum guides Water Education for Teachers and Wonders of Wetlands. |
| 2001 | TN | 4 | Shelby County Schools -- $97,853 (HQ Grant) Lorraine Jones, 160 S. Hollywood Street, Room 210, Memphis, TN 38112 Storm Water Environmental Education Project (SWEEP) In collaboration with its partners, Shelby County Schools is educating community members about pollution prevention and their role in restoring polluted rivers and creeks in the community. The principal audience, middle school students who attend after-school programs and their teachers, are drawn from predominantly African-American, low-income communities in which academic achievement is significantly below national norms. Under the project, teachers receive training and assistance in developing a model integrated environmental science curriculum unit and program that is the framework for the student program. The students, organized into small groups of 15, attend 12-week sessions during which they work on environmental projects, participate in field trips, and design and develop web sites on prevention of excessive runoff of storm water. The curriculum unit has widespread applicability and will be used by other middle schools in the district, as well as other school districts in the state. The project also fosters partnerships among teacher preparation institutions and local school districts to advance knowledge about school reform and practices that benefit pre-service teachers. Key partners in the project include the City of Memphis Public Works Division, Memphis City Schools, Christian Brothers University, LeMoyne-Owen College, Rhodes College, the Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association, the Wolf River Conservancy, Memphis City Beautiful, and Thompson and Baker. |
| 2001 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Aquarium -- $56,169 (HQ Grant) Kathleen Meehan, One Broad Street, P. O. Box 11048, Chattanooga, TN 37401 Watershed, Testing, Education & Research (W.A.T.E.R.) The mission of the Tennessee Aquarium, the largest fresh-water life center in the world, is to foster the understanding, celebration, and conservation of global aquatic environments through excellence in education, husbandry, community relations, and development of exhibits. Under the W.A.T.E.R. project, high school students are engaged in a program that promotes clean water. The students, drawn from public and private schools and a group of home-schooled youth, learn about topics related to watersheds by participating in hands-on, field-based projects facilitated by educators with the Tennessee Aquarium or representatives of one of the collaborating institutions. The students conduct research projects at watershed sites, attend seminars and workshops focused on water quality and water-testing skills, and participate in community conservation projects. Throughout the project, the students develop and enhance their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills by identifying possible solutions to the problems that affect watersheds and implementing those solutions that prove to be practicable. The project is supported by the Southeastern Aquatic Research Institute, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Hamilton County Soil Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Chattanooga State Technical Community College. |
| 2001 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Foundation For Agriculture in the Classroom -- $15,000 Charles Curtis, P. O. Box 313, Columbia, TN 38402 Communicating the Relationship Between Food, Fiber, and the Environment The trend toward an increasingly urban population has created a void among our nation’s people in understanding the origin of the food and fiber products on which they depend for their livelihoods and the effects our actions have on the stability or instability of the environment. Under the project, -- $500 Outdoor Classroom Learning Lab Grants are provided to 50 schools that sent teachers to the summer 2001 ambassador training workshops. The workshops, designed to conform to new state achievement standards for grades 3 through 12, focus on themes related to agriculture and management of natural resources. Teachers who receive the grants have attended one of 10 summer distance-learning workshops. The goal of the project is to inform and educate teachers and students about the importance of best management practices in the effort to improve water quality and management of natural resources in Tennessee. |
| 2001 | TN | 4 | YMCA of Middle Tennessee -- $5,000 Dawana Wade, 900 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203 Environmental Education Workshops and Projects for Formal and Non-Formal Educators The Youth University sponsored by YMCA of Middle Tennessee provides a series of environmental education and service-learning workshops for non-profit, youth-oriented agencies; teachers; and childcare, camping, and youth development staff of YMCA. The purpose of the project is to provide to those individuals a variety of educational tools for use in strengthening and enhancing their programs. In addition, the participants are provided access to various state-of-the-art environmental curricula, as well as to environmental leaders and experts in the community. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Austin College -- $22,494 Peter Schulze, 900 North Grand Avenue, Sherman, TX 75090 Conservation Benefits of Restoring Blackland Prairie The goal of the project is to educate citizens about the consequences of various land use options in the Blackland Prairie region of Texas. Demonstration of management strategies educates students and landowners about uses of small tracts and of the effects of such uses on vital natural resources. Students in environmental science classes at Austin College work with public school teachers to design teaching modules that focus on the restoration of prairie lands. Other students of environmental science are involved in the hands-on process of restoring the native prairie and leading school children and area landowners on tours of prairie areas. Both school children and college students are provided opportunities to hone their critical-thinking skills and explore careers in environmental fields. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Houston Independent School District -- $10,575 Ada Cooper, 3830 Richmond, Houston, TX 77027 Tracking: Butterflies & Weather Elementary students are involved in hands-on, inquiry-based experiments in a butterfly garden and weather station constructed by teachers and parents. Parents are invited to participate in the experiments with their children, and teachers are trained on how to conduct the experiments and relevant theory before students and parents undertake them. The environmental studies are incorporated into science and mathematics curricula to allow students to observe the effects of the environment on all aspects of their lives. The garden and weather station are used throughout the year; scheduled classes are held, while free time is left for spontaneous activities. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Richardson Independent School District -- $4,140 Eileen Rosenblum, 400 South Greenville, Richardson, TX 75081 Forestridge Blackland Prairie Garden The garden is used to initiate and sustain interest in and understanding of the Blackland Prairie through tactile exploration of plant materials and observation of the insects and birds that inhabit the garden. Students see, hear, smell, and touch some of the tall grasses, perennial plants, and trees that were seen and used by the people who were native to the area. Students observe the importance of food and shelter to the smallest inhabitants of the prairie, and they learn which birds, lizards, and insects are permanent residents and which are migrants. Language development is supported through meaningful experiences related to such areas as geology, geography, horticulture, agriculture, history, and social studies. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Richardson Independent School District -- $5,000 Jack Noteware, 1600 Apollo Road, Richardson, TX 75081 Atrium Project - Organic Education A chemical-free garden that features native ecosystems is included in the atrium project. The garden is used to provide field experience, direct knowledge of native Texas plant life, and organic gardening skills to students and parent volunteers who bring various levels of experience to the project. Most participants are apartment dwellers who represent some 25 countries of origin. For many, the atrium area is their only opportunity to experience the exposure to nature that helps humans develop an understanding of the delicate balance between humans and nature. Participants in the project learn how to start an organic garden, how to ensure their projects are cost-effective, and how to conduct long term planning and perform maintenance. Numerous partners in the community take part in the project. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Richardson Independent School District -- $5,000 Kathy Clayton, 400 South Greenville, Richardson, TX 75081 The Nature of Things - Environmental Garden The project develops an outdoor learning center that features a butterfly garden, a pond, and a native ecosystem. Through creating, maintaining, and studying the ecosystems, students increase their understanding of and respect for the environment and environmental issues that will confront them in their current and future world. The center provides real-world opportunities for students to engage in experimental, project-based learning activities, while increasing students’ attainment of state standards for science, mathematics, and reading and writing. The curriculum is extended through the Texas Parks and Wildlife. Parents and community members are invited to participate in interactive, student-led tours and programs. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Tarleton State University -- $4,960 Carol Thompson, Box T-0390, Stephenville, TX 76402 Enhancement of Environmental Sciences Education The university develops several field-based exercises for a number of existing college courses related to environmental science. The principal effort focuses on an environmental methods course. Students participate in field exercises that allow them to explore such topics as groundwater, site assessment, analysis for water quality, techniques, and wetlands. Students learn correct methods of data collection and examine the many problems that can arise in real-world settings, with both collection and interpretation. Exercises in collection techniques appropriate for water resources are collected and adapted to students’ skill levels, as well as the environmental setting of concern. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Texas A&M University -- $15,000 Kim Jones, College Hall 230, Kingsville, TX 78363 In Pursuit of Campus Ecology The objective of the project is to develop a hands-on summer internship program that assists community college students in developing plans to pursue careers in environmental science and engineering. Students in the south Texas area are recruited through community colleges and high schools to attend a summer program at the university that introduces them to environmental careers through classroom instruction, laboratory and fieldwork, discussion workshops, and exposure to environmental problems and practices. It is anticipated that the program will build a strong, long-lasting partnership between school districts and colleges in the area that will promote environmental engineering and environmental science as disciplines vitally involved in developing practical and environmentally beneficial solutions to difficult environmental problems. The complex environmental issues that confront south Texas and the Rio Grande Valley are becoming increasingly more difficult. It is anticipated that recruitment of students from the areas affected by those environmental problems to prepare for careers in environmental fields will promote career development in those fields and encourage students to develop leadership and explore innovation in natural systems solution technologies to which they may not otherwise be exposed. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Texas State Technical College -- $5,000 Sal Garcia, 307 North Breckenridge, Breckenridge, TX 76424 Teacher Training on Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Techniques Middle and high school science teachers attend a two-day workshop on techniques for monitoring and sampling for water quality. The effort is based on the premise that the public does not have a basic understanding of water quality or water pollution, in particular, non-point source pollution. If teachers are adequately trained, they can return to the classroom and transfer their knowledge to their students. The project helps increase public awareness and knowledge of water quality, watersheds, and the effects of pollution on water quality. |
| 2001 | TX | 6 | Urban Harvest -- $7,500 Elizabeth Proctor, P. O. Box 980460, Houston, TX 77098 Environmental Education Reform Models for Outdoor Classrooms Urban Harvest uses environmental models that use outdoor classrooms to train teachers, administrators, and parents in Houston and 26 neighboring school districts. During workshops, participants learn how to construct a sustainable outdoor garden and classroom. While outdoor gardens have enjoyed increasing popularity in the Houston area, the failure rate for such projects is substantial. With appropriate instruction and curriculum available, teachers and students can construct sustainable nature areas that are supportive of a healthy environment. Outdoor classrooms provide a setting for exploration and an opportunity to help children increase their understanding of and skills related to the environment. |
| 2001 | UT | 8 | Garfield County School District -- $5,000 Marilyn Blulkley, P. O. Box 398, 145 East Center, Panguitch, UT 84759 Watershed Restoration The purpose of the program is to develop an environmental education program that addresses the crucial issue in the area in which the district is located: restoration of the watershed. The objective of the program is to teach students in grades 5 through 8 of all ethnic and racial backgrounds about hands-on restoration and management of the local watershed. Students learn through hands-on demonstrations, outdoor activities, and interactive discussions with teachers and professionals in natural resources fields. |
| 2001 | UT | 8 | University of Utah -- $5,000 Lynne Chronister, 1471 Federal Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 River of Words Outdoor Classroom The annual event River of Words Outdoor Classroom reaches 120 students each year. The mission of Red Butte Garden and Arboretum at the University of Utah is to provide the intermountain west with a world-class botanical garden, an arboretum, and a pristine natural area that foster an understanding of regional horticulture and ecology. It creates opportunities for research and education and promotes and models responsible conservation of the environment. |
| 2001 | UT | 8 | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources -- $10,825 Brian Nicholson, 181 North 200 West, Logan, UT 84321 Wetlands Monitoring Program The goal of the project is to increase citizens’ knowledge about wetland resources in northern Utah and ability to make informed decisions through participation in a volunteer wetlands monitoring program. The project reaches its audience through classroom and on-site experiential training sessions. Participants interact with wetlands professionals during training and monitoring activities. The audience for the project includes 4 high school teachers and approximately 80 students; two landowners who have wetlands on their properties; and 40 citizen volunteers (working in four teams) who have a perceived “stake” in local wetlands, including hunters, birders, and members of conservation organizations. |
| 2001 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Tim Brown, 350 South 400 East, Suite G4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Develop Leadership in Utah's Environmental Education Community The goals of the project are to develop environmental education guidelines that are specific to the state of Utah, to foster an understanding among providers of environmental education of the components environmental education programs should include, to develop leadership in Utah’s environmental education community, and to increase the skills of environmental educators and the legitimacy of environmental education itself. The objectives of the project include: establishing a team of 6 to 12 people who will become leaders in Utah’s environmental education community; training at least 100 environmental educators in the guidelines; distributing the guidelines to 150 environmental educators in the state; and increasing the legitimacy of environmental education by presenting the Guidelines for Environmental Education Providers in Utah at conferences of educators and natural resource meetings, as well as to representatives of the media. |
| 2001 | VT | 1 | Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium -- $5,000 Charles Browne, 1302 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Teaching Tools for Sustainable Forestry The goals of the project are to purchase instructional and inquiry-based tools for field and classroom study of sustainable forestry, support a museum partnership with consulting foresters and a wildlife ecologist to produce a week-long professional development course on sustainable forestry for teachers in the four-state Northern Forest region, and disseminate in print and on the Internet an instructional guide that focuses on sustainable forestry and encourages inquiry-based classroom and outdoor study that meets state standards. |
| 2001 | VT | 1 | Shelburne Farms -- $5,000 Susan Dixon, 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 Place-based Landscape Analysis and Community Education (PLACE) Program Shelburne Farms and the Natural Areas Center of the University of Vermont have developed a new community-based environmental education model, PLACE. PLACE brings together teachers of kindergarten through grade 12, parents, civic leaders, and residents of the community for a series of lectures and hands-on field trips that explore the natural and cultural history of the community. Shelburne Farms works with teachers to develop curricula that engage students in kindergarten through grade 12 in real-world environmental issues in their community and that conform to state standards, as well. |
| 2001 | VT | 1 | Vermont Forum on Sprawl -- $10,000 Sarah Judd, 110 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401 "Way to Grow" Public Education Project Regarding Sprawl The organization expands its “Way to Grow” program to include: 1) 12 monthly events to take place in 12 different regions of the state, 2) a series of six articles to be submitted to weekly newspapers, and 3) improvements in the organization’s web page. The program is designed to increase awareness among the public about steps individuals can take to combat sprawl in their communities. |
| 2001 | VI | 2 | University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas -- $14,130 Julie Wright, University of Virgin Islands, #2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802-9990 Virgin Island Home and Farm Water Quality Assessment Education and Outreach Using materials that speak to the special needs of communities in the Virgin Islands, the project expands on the existing Virgin Islands Home and Farm Water Quality Assessment (VI*A*Syst) Program to educate residents about water quality and practices that can cause destruction of the important marine and terrestrial ecosystems in the Virgin Islands and teach them how to detect contaminants in drinking water. Through educational materials, workshops, and site visits, participants are encouraged to adopt practices in and around the home and farm that protect their health and safeguard water quality. The program, promoted by a multimedia campaign, also provides residents who obtain their drinking water from cisterns with low-cost water-testing kits, along with training in the use of the kits. |
| 2001 | VA | 3 | City of Hampton -- $24,885 Cheryl Copper, 22 Lincoln Street, Hampton, VA 23669 Hampton Watershed Restoration The project is intended to build environmental awareness by “bringing the home front to the waterfront” and to cultivate individual responsibility for keeping the waterways in the area clean. The objectives of the project are to reduce the amounts of lawn chemical used in the area to promote the planting of vegetative buffers, conservation of water, and composting. Residents of the Hampton area develop the understanding that preservation and improvement of water quality are vital issues in their community. |
| 2001 | VA | 3 | Eastern Shore Community College -- $14,607 Maureen Dooley, 293 Lankford Highway, Melfa, VA 23410 SPARK: Shore People Advancing Readiness for Kindergarten The objective of the SPARK project is to help families prepare their pre-school age children by developing basic skills through environmental education. The parents, along with their children, learn about the natural history of the Eastern Shore of Virginia through field trips and hands-on nature activities. |
| 2001 | VA | 3 | The River Foundation, Inc. -- $4,500 Jo Nelson, P. O. Box 8508, Roanoke, VA 24014 Environmental Education for All Ages The project is designed to teach students in kindergarten through grade 9 the importance of environmental stewardship and to increase their knowledge of such environmental issues as clean water, soil, and air. Students have the opportunity to apply techniques for environmental testing and learn to identify environmental issues. The goal of the project is to expose students to environmental science. |
| 2001 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $4,875 Pat Hobbs, 100 Sandy Hall, Mail Code 0360, Blacksburg, VA 24061 Developing an Interactive Web-Based Educational Tool for Encouraging and Understanding Ecosystems The project provides students in kindergarten through grade 12, educators, and volunteers who work with the students easy access to forest inventory and analysis data that are available only to professionals. The goal of the project is to empower students to seek solutions that improve their environment. That goal is accomplished by creating a web site on which students and their teachers can query an interactive map of counties and obtain answers to their various questions. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | Earth Island Institute -- $15,000 Paul Horton, 610 Fourth Avenue East, Olympia, WA 98501 Transportation Workshops at Olympia Schools The project organizes workshops for parents, teachers, students, and school administrators in the Olympia School District during which the participants discuss and develop school-based solutions related to transportation as an environmental, economic, and health concern. Climate Solutions leads 10 workshops for parents, students, and administrators and 6 workshops for teachers. Teacher education and participation reinforce the workshops for other school groups. The elements of the program are posted on the Internet to serve as a model for other communities that wish to explore such programs. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | Mason Conservation District -- $15,746 Jeanene Campbell, 1051 SE Highway 3, Suite G, Shelton, WA 98584-9195 Pioneer School District Environmental Education Program The goal of the education reform project is to create an environmental education program that will reach every student in the Pioneer School District by August 31, 2002. The objectives of the program include integrating environmental education into existing curricula, planning field trips throughout the year, purchasing field equipment, and establishing an outdoor learning site. A coordinator from the Mason Conservation District works to form partnerships with community members to use their expertise to create a strong program. The program is an innovative, creative use of resources that serves as a model for other school districts. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation -- $5,000 Annette Hanson, P. O. Box 3007, Sequim, WA 98382 Dungeness Bay W.A.T.C.H. Watershed Activities To Change Habits The project delivers an effective environmental education experience to 215 students in grade 7 and 350 parents. That experience helps develop participants’ ability to identify and address fecal coliform contamination in their watershed, a crucial ecosystem and environmental health issue in the area. Local environmental experts make classroom presentations, which are followed by a full-day field trip to the watershed. Participants also receive a family checklist for use in identifying sources of pollution and solutions to pollution problems. When the project has been completed, the foundation will share the program with educators; science and environmental education museums and centers; and local, state, and federal agencies so that it can be incorporated into school and public outreach programs. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | Sound Farmers Education Foundation -- $15,800 Joy Garitone, 1045 Thompson Road, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Sound Farmers Education Foundation Youth Agricultural Conservation Training Project The project educates members of 4-H and the Future Farmers of America who work in livestock projects about non-point source pollution resulting from agricultural practices. Through class presentations, demonstrations, field days at a local farm during which “hands-on” training is provided, and a tour of model farm sites in Kitsap County, the young people and their leaders learn about best management practices that can be applied to address issues related to non-point source pollution on their own small farms. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | Tapteal Greenway -- $4,995 Ginger Wireman, P. O. Box 3007, Richland, WA 99352 Watershed Education The program reaches preschool and school-age children, their adult care givers, and teachers with interactive, formal or informal, classroom or field experiences that help them develop an understanding of the water cycle, watersheds, water pollution, riparian and shrub-steppe habitats, and the web of life. After participating in the program, participants are able to describe the water cycle and the watershed, identify and appreciate plants of the riparian and shrub-steppe habitats, and describe the needs of area fish and wildlife and the life cycle of the salmon. Participants also learn to behave in a manner that protects public property and water resources and to protect their health when they come into contact with the river. |
| 2001 | WA | 10 | West Sound Academy -- $9,840 James Kolb, P. O. Box 807, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Creating a Sense of Place The project trains six members of the staff of West Sound Academy in the use of existing materials to develop and implement an integrated environmental science course for students in grades 6 through 12. With the guidance of teachers and local resource experts, students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to collect, interpret, and present data on watersheds. Students use their knowledge and skills to work with teaching staff and facilitators of the NatureMapping program to develop a community education outreach program. Working with those professional authorities, the students create two “interactive storybooks” related to the health of the local watershed for display at the Poulsbo Marine Center and Kitsap County Fair. The students also create a Puget Soundbook web site to facilitate communication with the community. |
| 2001 | WV | 3 | Cacapon Institute -- $5,000 W. Neil Gilles, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808 What's in a Watershed? This project funds Watershed Stewardship fairs (WSF) for students at three high schools. The fairs increase students’ understanding of environmental issues and enhance their ability to respond to issues in an informed manner by focusing on water quality studies. The workshop is designed to foster critical thinking in forestry practices, application of best management practices, and activities that affect drinking water quality, non-point source pollution, and conservation of plants and animals. |
| 2001 | WV | 3 | Great Kanawha Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. -- $1,500 Jackie Moales, 418 Goff Mountain Road, Cross Lanes, WV 25313 A Watershed of Wisdom: Blue Creek Watershed Association Environmental Education Project The goal of the project is to educate teachers, students, and members of the local community about watershed issues and the health issues related to water quality. The program familiarizes students with their local environment through hands-on experiences in assessment of the watershed. EPA funding provides for the purchase of a non-point Source EnvironScape Unit, a riparian kit, a groundwater kit, and watershed kits. Participants in the program include 6 teachers and approximately 225 students in grades 3 through 5. |
| 2001 | WV | 3 | Randolph County Schools -- $5,000 Carol Cain, 40 Eleventh Street, Elkins, WV 26241 Randolph County Outdoor Initiative The goal of the project is to educate 350 students in grade 5 about the importance of environmental education and to help the students explore solutions to environmental problems. Students explore local waterways and forests, examine local history and traditional folk art, and learn about resource management practices. The students develop a sense of responsibility for the preservation of the community. |
| 2001 | WI | 5 | Marinette County Land & Water Conservation -- $5,000 George Cleereman, Courthouse, 1926 Hall Avenue, Marinette, WI 54143-1717 Shoreline Best Practices Property owners receive special assistance from Marinette County Land & Water Conservation and that organization’s partners in developing stewardship plans for their properties. The plans focus on practices that are appropriate for upland and shoreland areas. Restoration and protection of vegetative shoreline buffers are key components of the plans. The goals of the project include increasing the property owners’ knowledge of the effects of development on shoreline habitat and water quality and encouraging participation in the stewardship planning process. |
| 2001 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Wetlands Association -- $4,920 Charles Luthin, 222 South Hamilton Street, Suite 1, Madison, WI 53703 Wisconsin's Purple Loosestrife Bio-Control Program The association and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources coordinates a workshop for teachers on biocontrol of the purple loosetrife. Teachers of grades 4 through 6 are written teaching materials developed from existing materials on biological control of purple loosetrife. The curriculum conforms to the state’s teaching standard. |
| 2001 | WY | 8 | University of Wyoming -- $15,000 Duane Keown, P. O. Box 3992, Wyoming Hall, Laramie, WY 82071 Wild Wonderful Wyoming Workshops Faculty and staff of the Wyoming Conservation Connection in the university’s Natural Science Program prepare and deliver eight workshops. The workshops are delivered on site in the school districts; to build a sense of place, local resources are used. The audience for the workshops is teachers of all subjects in grades 7 through 12 in Wyoming schools. The goal of the project is to help students become environmentally knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated citizens who are willing to work toward achieving and maintaining a dynamic equilibrium between the quality of life and the quality of the environment. The manual Choices for the Future are given to the 160 secondary school teachers who attend the workshops. |
| 2002 | AL | 4 | Legacy, Inc. -- $9,663 H. Paige Moreland, P. O. Box 3813, Montgomery, AL 36109 Tools for Teaching Environmental Education in Alabama's Classrooms "Tools for Teaching Environmental Education in Alabama's Classroom" is a series of workshops designed to target kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from six geographical areas in Alabama. The workshop series is held in Mobile, Dothan, Decatur, Tuscaloosa, Clanton, and Anniston. Each workshop is tailored to focus on specific environmental issues relevant to a particular geographical area. The 3-day events are composed of four components: Ecology, Waste Management, Pollution Prevention, and Natural Resources. These four components are demonstrated with hands-on teaching strategies, content lectures from field experts, field trips to relevant sites, round-table discussions, and problem-solving activities. The objective of each workshop is to equip Alabama teachers with the tools necessary to bring environmental education into the classroom. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | Alaska Boreal Forest Council, Inc. -- $4,986 Melanie Muus, P. O. Box 84530, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Training Teachers to Tap into Spring (TIS) Ten teachers are trained in two workshops that present activities unique to the Alaskan boreal forest while imparting key skills and concepts for creating sustainable conditions for the Fairbanks community. The curriculum focuses on place-based science and economic experiences, which help students develop a sense of stewardship for their forest home. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | Calypso Farm and Ecology Center -- $5,000 Susan Willsrud, P. O. Box 106, Ester, AK 99725 Youth Farm and Ecology Program - Expansion into Low-Income Schools This project expands on the existing Youth Farm and Ecology program to reach three low-income classrooms. The program provides experiential education in ecology and agriculture to elementary students in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District with the goals of fostering interest in science and raising awareness of agricultural issues. Students and teachers participate in hands-on educational activities both in the classroom and on site at the Calypso Farm to learn the basic skills necessary for home and community gardening and the steps required for taking action in their own lives. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | Fairbanks North Star Borough School District -- $24,986 Doug Crevensten, 520 5th Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701 Power Up! Develops Alternative Energy Study Sites in the Tanana Valley Watershed Automated and manual data are gathered at three alternative energy study sites developed in the Tanana Valley watershed. Middle school teachers and students use the data as a basis for learning about wind and solar-energy design, application, and environmental issues. Project teachers adapt alternative energy lesson plans and conduct workshops for other middle school teachers. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | Native Village of Afognak -- $24,425 Alisha Drabek, P. O. Box 968, Kodiak, AK 99615 Academy of Elders Science Camp Participants at two 1-week sessions of the Afognak Academy of Elders Science Camp explore how to blend traditional and scientific knowledge into public science education. The camp enhances these sessions by allowing students to conduct environmental testing and to perform projects that will be demonstrated in the Kodiak Island Borough School District Rural Science Fair. Data reports are published on a project web page promoting public awareness. Goals of the project are to: (1) strengthen critical-thinking and confidence in math, science, and technology; (2) train teachers in environmental education methodology; (3) study and communicate environmental threats to the community; (4) demonstrate how the environment can serve as a launching ground for learning; and (5) provide Afognak students with the opportunity to learn directly from elders and to explore projects relevant to Native lifestyles and cultures. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | Southeast Alaska Guidance Association (SAGA) -- $4,900 Kristy Falcon, P. O. Box 33037, Juneau, AK 99801 Southeast Alaska Guidance Association (SAGA) Serves Alaska Youth Corps Training that focuses on environmental careers available to Alaska youth improves the environmental career placement component of the Youth Corps comprehensive training program. The training improves the overall understanding of environmental career opportunities, provides the skills necessary to successfully compete for these positions, and encourages graduates to pursue environmental careers. The emphasis of the training is on land management, water resource management, and biology. |
| 2002 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska Anchorage Environmental Natural Resources Institute (ENRI) -- $35,973 (HQ Grant) Elaine Major, 707 A Street, P. O. Box 92596, Anchorage, AK 99501 Adapting Anchorage Middle School Curricula with Alaska Stream Team Methods In an effort to increase awareness of the connections between human activities and watershed health, the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Environment and Natural Resources Institute (ENRI) has embarked on a project that provides broad-based hands-on environmental education opportunities to teachers and students in the Anchorage school system. The 1-year project incorporates science-based environmental monitoring tools into existing middle-school curricula for math and science. Under the project, teachers and students in grades 6 through 8 learn how systems are interconnected, how human activities affect watersheds, and how behavior changes can positively affect water quality. Teachers participate in a 2-day workshop where they learn about watershed and general ecosystem concepts and aquatic ecology principles. A newly developed Internet database encourages continued participation by providing a place to store, share, and view data collected by classrooms across the state. ENRI partners with the Anchorage School District, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. |
| 2002 | AZ | 9 | International Sonoran Desert Alliance -- $20,000 Nina Chambers, 201 Esperanza Avenue, P. O. Box 687, Ajo, AZ 85321 Community Stewardship of the Sonoran Desert Bioregion This grant funds activities at the Arizona/Mexican border in the U.S. communities of Ajo and Gila Bend, the Tohono O'odham Native American community of Gu Vo, and the Mexican communities of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonoyta, and Puerto Penasco. International Sonoran Desert Alliance's Community Stewardship project provides teacher training in a bilingual curriculum about the Sonoran desert. It also provides for the construction of schoolyard and community habitat projects, allowing students and community members to track birds, insects, and animals. Partners for the project include Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and the Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. |
| 2002 | AR | 6 | Community Development Partnership -- $4,900 Judith Selle, 417 Fall Drive, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 Watershed Education Project The Community Development Partnership is conducting a community-wide education project about the Lake Leatherwood watershed. This project informs Western Carroll County residents about the impact of pollution on the watershed, how topography affects water pollution, and what strategies are being implemented to clean up the watershed and the 66 springs in the Eureka Springs area. The project is delivered through the production and airing of public service announcements and a community-wide education program that invites local and state experts to present workshops to the public. Workshops are taped and aired on the local cable station and shown to other interested communities. Project partners include the Eureka Springs Parks Commission, the Eureka Springs Public Works Department, the National Water Center, and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. |
| 2002 | AR | 6 | Conway Public Schools -- $4,650 Debbie Plopper, 2220 Prince Street, Conway, AR 72032 Portable Interchangeable Environmental Education Units This project helps area students and community members learn to be more conscientious of their choices when purchasing items and disposing of waste. This project raises awareness of the positive impacts of these choices, such as extending the life of the landfill and increasing recycling participation in the community and schools. The project consists of four portable interchangeable environmental education units that are designed for hands-on-learning and display at information booths, health fairs, leadership organizations and scout groups. Partners include the City of Conway and The Faulkner County Natural Resource Conservation District, with input from education specialists at the University of Central Arkansas. |
| 2002 | AR | 6 | Sebastian County Conservation District -- $18,400 Melissa Johnson, 3913 Brooken Hill Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72908 Conservation on the Move This project is changing the way students and teachers think about the environment by implementing a conservation education program. This program consists of hands-on methods for teaching scientific technology, critical-thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. As teachers and students are educated about conservation of natural resources, they create a life-long awareness and knowledge to be passed on to the next generation. The program is presented through a 2-day workshop that includes instructional materials and guidance for each module. Sebastian County Conservation District’s specialists visit educators monthly and as needed to provide assistance. Teachers who attend the workshop integrate the program into their classrooms. Partners include University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, and Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Calaveras County Water District -- $4,069 Kristin Coon, 423 East Saint Charles Street, P. O. Box 846, San Andreas, CA 95249-0846 Calaveras County Water District's Adopt-A-Watershed Program Calaveras County Water District manages an Adopt-A-Watershed program based on the Streamside Community Primary Unit. The program involves teachers, elementary school age children, and their family members from each of the ten elementary schools located throughout Calaveras County. The project familiarizes participants with the Calaveras River and its tributaries. On field trips conducted along the river system, students examine evidence of plants, trees, animals, and other natural phenomena, and write their results in field journals. Students collect tiny insects and micro invertebrates from the river, examine them to evaluate the health of the river, discuss their observations as a group, and complete follow-up essays after the field trip. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG) Charitable Trust -- $25,000 Sujantha Jahagirdar, 3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 385, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Project WET Program for Southern California Schoolchildren California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG) Charitable Trust's Water Watch Program partners with the Water Education Foundation to conduct teacher-facilitator workshops for project participants and college student volunteers on the Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Program. Project WET facilitates and promotes awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of teaching aids and programs. Participants and college student volunteers teach the Project WET curriculum in elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 6) throughout the southern California counties of San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) -- $24,725 Laura Lee Lienk, 100 Campus Center, Seaside, CA 93955-8001 Integrating Environmental Education with Service Learning California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and the Return of the Natives (RON) Restoration Education Program combine their teaching methodologies of environmental education and service learning to teach local schoolchildren about environmental community service. The plan includes conducting training for 5 local kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and 5 CSUMB students who are interested in teaching. Following training at 5 nationally recognized environmental education curriculum training sites, the 10-member team shares various curricula and incorporates ideas into a learning sequence. The team then facilitates staff development training using the learning sequence to reach a greater number of local kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Contra Costa Earth Day -- $5,000 Sheilah Fish, P. O. Box 4686, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Earth Team Restoration Initiative The Earth Team Restoration Initiative offers environmental community service and environmental education opportunities to high school students. The project identifies four sites near participating high schools in Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Francisco counties where restoration work will be performed over a 9-month period. A monthly restoration project, conducted at each site, fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among participating students. Appropriate science curricula and service learning concepts add structure to monthly projects. Specific tasks include non-native plant removal, shoreline cleanup, water and bird monitoring, and native plant propagation. Project results and highlights are posted on an Earth Team website. Participating organizations include Youth for Environmental Service (YES) and eight leading San Francisco Bay Area environmental, educational, and restoration programs. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Ecological Farming Association -- $7,745 Kristin Rose, 406 Main Street, #313, Watsonville, CA 95076 Strawberry Grower's Conference The Ecological Farming Association conducts a Strawberry Growers' Conference and Farm Tour for Central Coast growers, teaching them about successful post-methyl bromide production methods. Methyl bromide, which is currently in extensive use in strawberry farming, is directed to be phased out under the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. Outreach is directed towards underserved Latino and small-scale farmers in the strawberry production regions around Watsonville and Salinas, California. The project addresses concerns posed by the phase out of methyl bromide by educating growers about the environmental and health risks of different production methodologies and how to reduce these risks. Project partners include the nonprofit Agricultural Land Based Association of Salinas. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Foundation for Global Community -- $5,000 Susan Stansbury, 222 High Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 Getting Going Growing The Foundation for Global Community is engaging in a collaborative partnership with five local gardening and youth service organizations to create six sustainable school gardens in East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Atherton, and Menlo Park, California. School gardens provide laboratories for project-based interdisciplinary learning. The garden project offers real-world experiences such as counting leaves on a stem and extrapolating yield-per-acre based on statistical sampling. A plan derived from a needs assessment guides each site in workshop staff development, curriculum selection, and technical support for teachers, students, and parent volunteers. Monthly on-site garden visits and community forums address assessment and support, information sharing, and problem resolution. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Klamath Trinity Joint Union School District -- $5,000 Pam Olson, P. O. Box 1308, Hoopa, CA 95546 Norton/Weitchpec Elementary Schools Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Project Klamath Trinity Joint Union School District is working with the Yurok Tribe to establish the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) curriculum at Jack Norton and Weitchpec Elementary Schools. Both schools are located in a remote area with scarce public services. Using GLOBE, students in kindergarten through 12th-grade can make scientific observations concerning climate and weather near their schools, interpret the data, and report findings via the Internet. The GLOBE curriculum is geared to improve academic achievement through environmental science activities. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Land Partners Through Stewardship (LandPaths) -- $4,991 Alison Peticolas, P. O. Box 4648, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Watershed and Creeks in Our Backyard Land Partners Through Stewardship (LandPaths) and its partners, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, California Fish and Game, City of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Water Agency, Sierra Club, and Committee to Restore Santa Rosa Creek, are conducting a 3-day field trip for 22 third-through 12th-grade educators. The training is designed to build knowledge of creek ecosystems, develop skills for teaching in the outdoors, and integrate acquired skills and knowledge for classroom learning. Day one features an overview of watersheds and their interplay with land choices. The second day focuses on physical and chemical characteristics, such as channel cross sections, bank load, pH, and dissolved oxygen. The third day highlights biological features, such as invertebrates, fish, and riparian vegetation. LandPaths provides follow-up support throughout the academic year to help teachers to implement the "In Our Own Backyard" curriculum. Teachers from 16 schools in Sonoma County reach approximately 475 students and 200 parent volunteers. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Los Angeles Educational Partnership -- $25,000 Patricia Dung, 315 West Ninth Street, #1110, Los Angeles, CA 94015 Bring Back the Butterflies Los Angeles Educational Partnership and its project partners, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, and Los Angeles Unified, join together to educate kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers in inner-city South Central schools in Los Angeles on a science curriculum called "Bring Back the Butterflies." The project introduces students to the museum's insect zoo and butterfly pavilion, and field research is conducted at the Baldwin Hills Conservancy property. The project fosters awareness of habitats in the city as dynamic ecosystems, and increases knowledge about the human impact on ecosystems. The project partners adapt existing standards-based science activities around urban parks while incorporating classroom and field lessons and resources. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Resource Conservation District of Monterey County -- $92,000 (HQ Grant) Emily Hanson, 744 La Guardia Street, Building A, Salinas, CA 93905 North Monterey County Soil Erosion and Nutrient Management Education Through direct outreach to growers and landowners, local communities in the Elkhorn Slough watershed learn about the mutually beneficial relationship between resource conservation and sustainable and economically viable agricultural practices. The project targets the historically underserved, low-income minority growers by increasing public awareness and knowledge of best management practices, and by providing the resources to make informed decisions. The environmental issues addressed by this project are surface and ground water quality, enhancement of threatened and endangered wildlife populations, and protection of critical and unique coastal habitats. Supporting organizations include the Agricultural Land-Based Training Association; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; the University of California Cooperative Extension; the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Office; the Monterey County Department of Planning, Building and Inspection; and the Monterey County Department of Environmental Health. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | San Joaquin Adopt-a-Watershed Sea Scout Ship #209 -- $5,000 Linda Driver, 1545 St. Mark's Plaza, Suite 7, Stockton, CA 95207 Adopt-a-Watershed Training for Teachers Twenty kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers are trained on the identification of environmental issues that impact the San Joaquin river delta. The sponsoring organization, in cooperation with the San Joaquin Office of Education, Lodi school district, storm water offices of San Joaquin County and City of Stockton, Boy Scouts of America, Stockton Sailing Club, and the national Adopt-a-Watershed organization, conducts a 3-day training workshop where teachers develop a plan (with student input) to implement service learning projects to address priority issues. More than 900 students participate in the program and share results with the community at local Earth Day observances. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Sonoma State University -- $4,989 Richard Zimmer, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 High School Students as Environmental Education Resources for Elementary School Classes Sonoma State University and Waste Management Inc. (WMI), Sonoma County's largest waste collector, are coordinating a peer/team teaching approach linking seven Piner High School students with Biella Elementary School faculty to deliver waste management and recycling lessons to the lower-grade classes. A workshop taught by WMI provides background for the high school mentors and prepares them to work with the elementary school teachers to develop a set of grade school lessons. University staff and site administrators monitor and support the project over the 8-week presentation period. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | TreePeople, Inc. -- $5,000 Richard Wegman, 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 TreePeople's Campus Forestry Program TreePeople's Campus Forestry Program trains teachers to use a curriculum that turns a simple tree-planting project into a 3-month learning experience. The Schoolyard Explorers curriculum is a month-long unit plan consisting of five interconnected lessons that address academic content in math, science, language, and social studies. The Forestry Program's first objective is to help students and teachers work with the curriculum to gain awareness of environmental issues facing Los Angeles, such as air pollution, storm water runoff, water quality, energy consumption, and the role that trees play in the urban forest. The program's second objective is restoration of the urban forest itself. The grant allows TreePeople to work with teachers and students in 10 schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The end result is a student-designed recommendation for each school outlining the location and types of trees that should be planted. |
| 2002 | CA | 9 | Yolo Basin Foundation -- $5,000 Cheryl Chipman, 45211 Chilles Road, P. O. Box 743, Davis, CA 95616 Discover the Flyway Educator's Workshop The Yolo Basin Foundation, with support from the California Department of Fish and Game and the Yolo County Office of Education, utilizes four full-day workshops throughout the school year to train 80-100 school teachers and informal educators on techniques to maintain, preserve, and restore wetland ecosystems. The program introduces educators to the importance of wetlands and provides wetland-related activities, training, and staff support to encourage teachers to lead their students in outdoor learning experiences in the Yolo Wildlife Area. The "Wild About Wetlands" classroom kit is available for replication in localities with similar environmental characteristics. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) -- $24,625 Mike Way, 15260 Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Develop Leadership Model in Colorado's Environmental Education Community This project establishes a statewide model that provides continuity and clarity for environmental education through a set of minimum guidelines within reach of all programs. The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) is gathering a representative cross-sectional team of environmental education leaders drawn from its networks of state and national contacts. This project tests and establishes environmental education program evaluation and assessment as a valid state environmental education capacity-building mechanism. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) -- $5,000 Patrick Keegan, 1746 Colorado Boulevard, Suite 225, Golden, CO 80401 Environmental Education Tools For Home Use The Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) is expanding a small energy efficiency education pilot project to educate as many as 2,000 students and to encourage them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. CESC continues its successful collaboration with Colorado Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) to provide access to 120 schools throughout the state. The project provides education for students, economic benefits for homeowners and the community, and reduced air pollution. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Denver Zoological Foundation -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Sharon Schonhaut, 2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80205 Community Leadership Project: Teaching Urban Elementary Students about Nature The Wonders in Neighborhoods program is created by the Denver Zoo and the Colorado Division of Wildlife as an outgrowth of the successful Wonders in Nature program. The project works with volunteer elementary schools to implement environmental service learning projects either on school grounds or in the community surrounding the school. The project encourages elementary school students to work with parents, businesses, and local agencies to define issues of importance to their local community and to put into practice what they learn in wildlife conservation education classes and visits to environmental education sites. The overall goal of the project is to reach low-income urban children and families who have had little or no access to environmental science education and who lack exposure to wildlife and natural places. Key partners for the project are the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado Department of Education, the National Wildlife Federation, 25 elementary schools in 10 school districts, and 29 environmental education visitation sites. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Friends at Ridgeway State Park -- $5,000 John Young, P. O. Box 149, Ridgeway, CO 81432 Interactive Education: Ecosystem Outdoor Classroom The park provides a landmark outdoor classroom with fully handicap-accessible facilities at which thousands of rural students can experience nature first-hand. A 2-person environmental education team coordinates programs while extending the environmental education season by 2 months in both the spring and fall. The environmental education team increases the park’s capacity to develop and deliver environmental education. This allows a larger, more diverse audience to participate in age-appropriate activities that challenge students to observe and investigate ecosystems, apply skills such as critical thinking, and reflect on the use of stewardship of the park’s natural resources. The ultimate outcome is to create knowledgeable and skillful students who demonstrate improved academic achievement and who become stewards of the area’s natural resources as lifelong learners. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Front Range Earth Force -- $9,975 Lisa Bardwell, 2120 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Service-Learning Training on the Front Range Through Community Action & Problem Solving (CAPS), middle-school aged youth and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and work to create sustainable solutions to environmental problems. The program is aligned to state and national standards and incorporates best practices of service-learning, environmental, and civic education. The success of CAPS is the result of intensive training and local support provided for educators who implement the program in school-based or community-based settings. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | National Audubon Society of Colorado -- $5,000 Susan Kirkpatrick, 3107B 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80301 Important Bird Area Youth Stewardship Project This project provides at-risk youth a quality, environmental program in which the youth learn about habitat awareness through the conduct of hands-on activities that meet and supplement the stewardship needs of Fossil Creek Reservoir. The goal of the project is to introduce at-risk youth to ecological concepts and broaden their understanding of the role people play in caring for wildlife and habitat. The site of the project, Fossil Creek Reservoir, is an "Important Bird Area," as designated by the Audubon Society, and serves as a vital breeding, migrating, and wintering habitat for local birds. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers -- $4,000 J. David Hamilton, P. O. Box 1341, Basalt, CO 81621 Nature Field Trips, Trail Hikes and Fish Hatchery for Schools This project provides additional staffing for environmental education field trips for various school groups in the Roaring Fork/Colorado River Valley. A secondary aspect of the program is to improve the condition of the Riparian Nature Trail through limited re-routing and additional signage. |
| 2002 | CO | 8 | Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) -- $4,600 Gretchen Van De Carr, 2464 Downhill Drive, P. O. Box 775504, Steamboat Spring, CO 80477 Expansion of Environmental Education Programs This program increases the number of youth participants served by existing successful environmental education programs. The Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) serves an additional 40 conservation corps members by expanding to the local community youth corps programs. Fifty sixth graders and 10 high school students in the Yampa Valley Science School program are served with the addition of two school districts, Moffat County and Routt County. |
| 2002 | CT | 1 | Hispanic Health Council, Inc. -- $10,000 Kaya Townsend, 175 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106 Local Environmental Health Education: A Teacher Training and Hispanic Youth Experience Hispanic youth, ages 14-18 learn to monitor and assess their local environment under the guidance and tutorage of undergraduate students from Connecticut State University. Issues such as asthma and lead poisoning pose a significant danger to the health of many in Hartford's Hispanic community. Residents are educated about pollutants and how to reduce exposure to these health threats. |
| 2002 | CT | 1 | Upper Room Unlimited, Inc. -- $17,000 Crystal Emery, 900 Chapel Street, Suite 440, New Haven, CT 06530 "This Is Where I Live," Environmental Education Program for Inner-City Children. Through an interactive play and a flexible menu of hands-on workshops in urban schools, this program delivers environmental awareness, education, and tools that help inner-city children understand and begin to solve environmental problems affecting their communities. An experiential field trip to a local nature area is included to complement and solidify the messages drawn from the play and workshops. |
| 2002 | DE | 3 | Delaware Center for the Inland Bays -- $20,000 Edward A. Lewandowski, 467 Highway One, Lewes, DE 19958 Integrating Inland Bays Education with Delaware Science Content Standards The project provides local students an opportunity to participate in outdoor learning activities at the James Farm Ecological Preserve, a 150-acre, county-owned property situated on the Indian River Bay near Ocean View, Delaware. The property has been under lease by the Center for Inland Bays since Fall 1998 for development as an ecological preserve. Educational programs offered at the James Farm target the Delaware Science Content Standards for seventh and eighth grade. This project intends to expand these programs to accommodate the demand for an increase in program capacity at the James Farm Ecological Preserve. |
| 2002 | DC | 3 | Alliance to Save Energy -- $80,000 (HQ Grant) Marrilee Harrigan, 1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20307 Green Schools Program in Philadelphia The Green Schools program uses energy-saving actions to teach science, math, English language arts, and social studies to students in the nation’s fifth largest school district. Through the project, schools receive training, instructional materials and tools, and ongoing program support. The project assists teachers with the design of service-learning projects and provides hands-on, real world learning opportunities correlated with the new Pennsylvania state education standards. Program partners include the School District of Philadelphia, the Municipal Energy Office, the U.S. Department of Energy Regional Office, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Philadelphia Area Labor-Management Committee, and the Energy Coordinating Agency. |
| 2002 | DC | 3 | Self Reliance Foundation -- $21,232 Johnathan Hilton, 529 14th Street, N.W., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20045 Asthma and the Environment Asthma is a chronic disease with no cure, and its prevalence among children has been rising steadily for the past 20 years. The goal of this project is to create a bilingual, interactive, traveling exhibit to educate Hispanic children and their parents in a culturally sensitive manner about environmental asthma triggers and the impact they can have on the control and management of asthma. The project also seeks to educate the target audiences about preventive measures that will minimize exposure to environmental asthma triggers. |
| 2002 | DC | 3 | World Wildlife Fund, Inc. -- $11,224 Margaret Williams, 1250 24th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037 Living Planet Club This 2-phase project supports the implementation of World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Club in three Alaska native villages in the Bering Sea region. In the first phase, a team of specialists works with students and village educators to teach data collection methods, journaling techniques, mapping skills, and core ecological concepts. Secondly, the entire team relocates to a study site to conduct a rapid bioassessment, applying their newly acquired skills. Students then prepare exhibits to share their findings with the community. The data collected also serve as baseline information for monitoring long-term change in the area. |
| 2002 | FL | 4 | Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) -- $18,685 Deborah Morris, 501 West State Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 First Coast GreenWorks Education Initiative The Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) has partnered with the Jacksonville Electrical Authority (JEA) and the Duval County School District to promote public awareness and education in clean power generation technologies, particularly solar technologies. JEA, the regional public utility company, also has existing partnerships with both FCCJ and Duval County Schools to implement the Green Works program. This program arises from JEA's agreement to shift 250 megawatts of power generated annually to clean, renewable energy sources within the next 10 years. This project is focused on improving the teaching skills of high school and college teachers in the area of solar technology, in order to improve students' understanding of solar technology and their ability to make effective decisions concerning related energy and environmental issues. High school and college teachers participate in a summer workshop, regular meetings and collaborative activities throughout the academic year, including e-mail/listserv communication, and visits to their peers' classrooms. These activities prepare teachers to engage their students in classroom and laboratory activities, field trips, and career exploration activities. The project takes advantage of existing solar curricula and resources already in place as part of the First Coast Tech Prep Consortium. |
| 2002 | FL | 4 | Reef Relief, Inc. -- $5,000 DeeVon Quirolo, P. O. Box 430, Key West, FL 33041 Pump It. Don't Dump It - Educational Program for Florida Keys No Discharge Zone This project supports a workshop and training session designed to explain and identify strategies to stop boaters from dumping sewage into the sea. It proposes a multi-faceted approach to educating local and visiting boaters, tourists and community members to new rules and procedures for pumping boat sewage into facilities at marinas rather than directly into the sea. Reef Relief will collaborate with other nongovernmental organizations and several local, state, and federal government and regulatory agencies. The program consists of one workshop to teach critical skills associated with making decisions on implementing EPA's new rules prohibiting sewage discharge in the no-discharge zone in the keys. The training is augmented by the installation of signs at the entrance to harbors, creation of radio public service announcements, and publication of informational brochures and flyers explaining the rules of the no-discharge zone and listing available pump-out stations in the region. Reef Relief has also created a database of distribution points for brochures and flyers. |
| 2002 | GA | 4 | Driftwood Nature Center -- $5,000 Ann Marie Wilson, P. O. Box 20712, St. Simons Island, GA 31522 Adopt-A-Stream Program Driftwood Nature Center is expanding its program to include the Adopt-A-Stream program to its curriculum. During the academic year, 5,000 fourth- through eighth-grade students from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina visit the center for 3 days to learn hands on about its diverse ecosystem. Each visiting school specializes its learning experience by choosing from over 20 different courses, all geared towards Georgia's education standards, to supplement classroom curriculum. The Adopt-A-Stream program is included in these options. This hands-on, one-on-one program is filled with activities that teach decision-making, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills for students and community members. Driftwood Nature Center has visits from an average of two school groups per week for 28 weeks of the year. Not only do the residential students participate, but the program is also offered as part of the Center's summer camp experience. |
| 2002 | GA | 4 | University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service -- $21,635 John W. Worley, 621 Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center, Athens, GA 30602 Environmental Training for Confined Animal Feeding Operators The goal of this project is to provide assistance to farmers in Georgia with confined animal feeding operations. The objectives for this project are to: (1) improve the county agents' ability to educate and assist farmers in their geographic areas through improved tools and dissemination of current information; (2) educate farmers so they will improve their environmental management and comply with current environmental regulations; (3) provide necessary knowledge and materials for farmers to work with county agents in the development of a plan to properly deal with animal waste on their farm; and (4) continue to provide technical assistance to farmers and county agents regarding animal waste issues and regulations. A training program is offered to farmers in a 2-day interactive seminar conducted by scientists and extension specialists from the University of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Continuing education and assistance is conducted by county agents at the local level. This assistance requires the enhancement of current Internet-based and printed tools. County agents also disseminate new information on regulations and environmental issues. |
| 2002 | GA | 4 | Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Fund, Inc. -- $37,500 (HQ Grant) Bill Crawford, 1900 Emery Street, Suite 450, Atlanta, GA 30318 Watershed Patch Project - Teaching Children to Be Good Stewards of Their Watersheds Using a modified version of the EPA's Girl Scout Water Drop Patch Project, the project expands on the successful Riverkeeper Youth Network to the headwaters of the watershed located in several counties of northern Georgia. The program involves rural students in grades 5 through 8 in a year-long, hands-on study of the Upper Chattahoochee watersheds. Teachers receive training and educational materials to support student efforts to perform chemical and biological adopt-a-stream activities, participate in a cleanup, attend environmental education field trips, and to learn how to assess the health of a stream. Other students are provided with an overview of activities they can do to protect and preserve local water resources. Partners include the Elachee Nature Center, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, the Chestatee Watershed Association, and the Soque Watershed Association. |
| 2002 | HI | 9 | Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystems Education (TREE) Center -- $12,310 Pamela Davis-Lee, P. O. Box 8045, Kailua Kona, HI 96745 Environmental Restoration in Hawaii The Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystems Education (TREE) Center on the island of Hawaii is conducting an adult education program on environmental issues affecting the native Hawaiian habitat. The grant provides funding for classroom lectures, hands-on projects on how to propagate endemic Hawaiian plants, field study, and a case study project to restore habitat with native plants. Restoration work is designed to assist in the completion of the interpretive site at the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. Project partners include Hawaii Department of Education and the U.S. National Park Service. |
| 2002 | HI | 9 | Waipa Foundation -- $4,450 Malinda Sandler, P. O. Box 1516, Hanalei, HI 96714 Waipa Compost Project The Waipa Foundation, with support from the Kilauea Lighthouse Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, County of Kauai, and four local organizations focusing on persons of Hawaiian ancestry, are educating the community on the needs and procedures for composting. The project has a multiple audience focus, including elementary school youth, high school and college summer interns, and local residents and farmers. A composting curriculum titled "The Earth Machines," is available for distribution to fourth- and fifth-grade classes. Follow-up field trips to the compost site include demonstrations and hands-on activities and experiments in soil drainage and decomposition. The summer program provides training for high school and college interns to participate in projects for making, screening, and utilizing compost for erosion control. The project also promotes compost cooperatives for residents, farmers, and landscapers on techniques of composting and using compost resources in gardening. |
| 2002 | ID | 10 | Idaho Botanical Gardens, Inc. -- $1,920 Elizabeth Dickey, 2355 North Penitentiary Road, Boise, ID 83712 Idaho Wetlands Environmental Education Program for the Seventh Grade This project supports the development of a wetlands environmental education program for seventh-grade science classes in the Boise area and assists seventh-grade teachers with meeting new state science curriculum requirements. A teacher's classroom kit provides the background necessary for student participation in a wetlands field trip. During the field trip to a pond, students learn how the site provides wildlife habitat while purifying storm water runoff. The students also participate in a field study to determine the health of the pond. |
| 2002 | ID | 10 | Idaho Environmental Education Association -- $24,186 Donny Roush, 2211 South 2nd Avenue, Pocatello, ID 83201 A Model School Network for Achieving New Standards The project implements the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (EIC) approach to environmental education in 8 to 10 "model" Idaho schools, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, Environmental Education Association, and the Environmental Roundtable. This alliance demonstrates an engaging and relevant pedagogy that meets or exceeds Idaho's new high school graduation standards, forms a network of EIC schools, and provides them with a 3-day orientation and curriculum mapping workshop, monthly full-day planning meetings, and quarterly site visits. The entire education staff (about 250 teachers and 25 administrators) in the selected schools are involved. |
| 2002 | IL | 5 | Lake County Forest Preserve District -- $5,000 Nan Buckardt, 2000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL 60048 Ecosystem Investigation Institute The Lake County Forest Preserve District is conducting a 5-day ecosystem investigation workshop for third- through eighth-grade teachers highlighting three of the major ecosystem types in Illinois. The purpose of the workshop is to connect teachers with content and resources to strengthen their curricula dealing with ecosystems. |
| 2002 | IL | 5 | Lake Michigan Federation -- $4,900 Stephanie Smith, 220 South State Street, Suite 1900, Chicago, IL 60604 Great Lakes in My World This project trains 25 teachers to use the "Great Lakes in My World" curriculum (kindergarten through grade 8). The curriculum is being revised to align with state learning standards and education reform, and includes problem-solving, project-based, interdisciplinary, and real-world learning experiences. Training takes place through in-service workshops. |
| 2002 | IL | 5 | Rockford Public Schools No. 205 -- $97,817 (HQ Grant) Sharon Wynstra, 201 South Madison Street, Rockford, IL 61104 Collaboration Leading to Environmental Awareness in Rockford (CLEAR) Using an interdisciplinary approach, the project incorporates the study of water resources in relation to science, social science, math, English, and communications. The project begins with a training institute for teachers held by museum educational staff and local conservation and ecology experts. The teachers subsequently develop a program that provides classroom instruction to students prior to field trips. Middle grade students are engaged in a series of classroom and field studies during which they learn about water resources. Key partnerships include the Burpee Museum of Natural Science and INSIGHT Communications. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the City of Rockford Water Division, and the Winnebago County Forest Preserve will provide additional training and technical support. |
| 2002 | IL | 5 | Wheaton Park District -- $3,455 Kelly Joslin, 666 South Main Street, Wheaton, IL 60187 Forging Partnerships Between Educators and Preschools in Suburbia Forging partnerships between environmental educators and preschools in suburbia, naturalists are working with 20 preschool teachers and curriculum development professionals to refine the "Wetlands Wonders" program. The goal is to educate teachers on how to provide nature-based programs in the classroom and at a natural area. The project introduces experiential environmental education to as many as 400 preschoolers and their teachers. |
| 2002 | IL | 5 | Windy City Earth Force -- $10,000 Julie E. Schultz, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, The Field Museum - Environmental and Conservation Programs, Chicago, IL 60605-2496 Lake County Indiana Initiative Windy City Earth Force is partnering with the Grand Calumet Task Force and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to develop activities for approximately 100 fifth- through ninth-grade students to prepare them for a community action project on an environmental issue of their choice. |
| 2002 | IN | 5 | Calumet College of St. Joseph -- $5,000 Mary Riley, 2400 New York Avenue, Whiting, IN 46394 Urban Environmental Issues in Northwest Indiana A new course entitled "Urban Environmental Issues in Northwest Indiana" enhances the existing urban studies program. The goal is to encourage nontraditional, minority students to pursue careers in urban environmental management. The course encourages students to make informed decisions and take responsible action on environmental issues by developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. |
| 2002 | IN | 5 | Friends of Indiana Dunes -- $4,775 Kim Holsen, P. O. Box 166, Beverly Shores, IN 46301 Junior Rangers Summer Biodiversity Camp Friends of the Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center are partnering to sponsor, organize, and expand the annual Junior Rangers Summer Biodiversity Camp. During the camp, youth ages 9-13 visit a variety of park ecosystems, help restore a prairie, collect seeds, remove invasive species, monitor water, and explore partnerships with industry. |
| 2002 | IN | 5 | Rensselaer Central Middle School -- $4,995 Lana Zimmer, 1106 Bomber Boulevard, Rensselaer, IN 47978 Everyday Science "Everyday Science" is a multi-disciplinary program aimed at kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. The program seeks to broaden the education of elementary school children to include environmental studies. Through an in-service training, teachers identify goals and objectives that will lead to student-implemented stewardship projects. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | Harlan Community School District -- $14,100 Bernard Hermanson, 2102 Durant Street, Harlan, IA 51537 Student Water Quality Monitoring This project involves monitoring the water quality of two water bodies. The public uses the data generated from this project to make decisions regarding the need and effectiveness of riparian strips and the continuation or alteration of streamside activities that could potentially affect water quality. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation -- $3,490 Penny L. Brown, 7638 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50322 Walnut Creek Watershed This film project takes viewers on a journey through the Walnut Creek watershed and teaches them how waste travels through a landscape familiar to them. The film displays land-use types recognizable by the students, and discusses how every land use impacts water quality in some way. A Walnut Creek Watershed display has been created and set up at conferences and meetings around the watershed and state. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | Iowa State University of Science & Technology -- $24,655 Peggy Haafke, 2207 Pearson Hall, Ames, IA 50011 Take Responsibility for the Environment Where You Live The goal of this project is to educate urban and rural citizens on the principles of properly fertilizing lawns and crops to protect the quality of water resources. Iowa State University Extension demonstrates appropriate fertilizer applications in three cities in Northwest Iowa. Farmers and agribusiness operators are learning how to reduce water quality degradation through the correct use of fertilizers. The project develops and presents a program for groups that demonstrates how each of us can make decisions that positively affect the environment. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | Southern Iowa Forage & Livestock Committee -- $4,670 John Klein, 603 7th Street, Corning, IA 50841 Students on the Land This project provides a series of 10 to 16 field days on farm tours to demonstrate the latest livestock management methods. Each of these tours exhibit how grassland production and livestock grazing can be the superior alternative land use for environmental resource protection and economics in several working farmlands in southern Iowa. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | West Des Moines Community School District -- $5,000 Doug Woodley, 2109 Grand, West Des Moines, IA 52065 School Integrated Pest Management Program The West Des Moines School District is initiating a program to educate four focus groups (custodial staff, administrators and faculty, school nurses, and parents) about the impact of pesticide use on the environment and the alternatives of pesticides offered through integrated pest management techniques. These focus groups identify methods to reduce pesticide exposure to children. The project includes development of printed handouts for each of the focus groups along with a workshop for custodial staff. This environmental program educates teachers, students, parents and community leaders in the public about human health threats from environmental pollution, especially as it affects children, and how to minimize pollution exposure to preserve good health. |
| 2002 | IA | 7 | Western Iowa Technical Community College -- $5,000 Christine Case, 4647 Stone Avenue, Sioux City, IA 51106 Integrating Environmental Education into English The Western Iowa Tech Community College is integrating environmental education about hazardous household materials into its English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum. The ESL teaching staff is developing multi-sensory lesson plans that include printed materials, videos, guest speakers and field trips. The plans include information about how to manage household toxins ranging from lead-based paint to automotive waste, such as oil and antifreeze. Activities are tied in with community environmental themes, such as weekly curbside recycling, annual Earth Day activities, and the biannual Toxic Cleanup Day. |
| 2002 | KS | 7 | City of Wichita -- $5,000 Jack Brown, 455 North Main, Wichita, KS 67202 Discovery Boxes This project involves the creation of discovery boxes for use at the Herman Hill Environmental Education Center. These boxes provide educational outreach to classrooms, home schools, and scout groups, and contain information on water pollution, geology, hydrogeology, rivers, and streams. Discovery boxes include announcements to local public school systems, parochial schools, and home school organizations. The water and pollution education programs also are available to the public for use in community outreach programs. |
| 2002 | KS | 7 | Kansas City Community College -- $18,000 Linda Stewart, 7250 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66112 Outdoor Learning Environment This project creates an outdoor learning environment that provides a safe place for young children to interact with nature. The project also increases interest and concern for the environment among early childhood educators through train-the trainer workshops conducted by the Early Childhood Education faculty. Educators receive hands-on environmental education curriculum for young children and take children on field trips to the outdoor learning environment. |
| 2002 | KS | 7 | Kansas City Community College -- $5,030 Dolores Daniels, 7250 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66112 Urban Environmental Outreach Program Community Nature Trail This project involves refurbishing the community nature trail, gardening, and recycling. Students also participate in tree identification, which includes identifying similarities and differences between bark and leaves. During a schoolyard safari, students explore the schoolyard for signs of animal and plant life. Students also build different types of habitats along the nature trail and study animal activity. Teachers and the community attend workshops that include planting a butterfly garden, composting, recycling and laying of mulch, building bird/bat houses, and other environmental events. |
| 2002 | KS | 7 | Southeast Kansas Education Service Center -- $4,975 Brad Stefanoni, 947 West 57 Highway, Girard, KS 66743 Hands-On-Outdoor Tool (HOOT) Pack Programs for Students and Teachers This project develops Hands-On-Outdoor Tool (HOOT) packs. These packs contain binoculars, field guides, magnifying glasses, and aquatic nets to assist students in exploration of the environment. Environmental education and teaching skills are also provided to classroom teachers. Students participate in field trips to an outdoor wildlife learning (OWL) site and summer day camps. |
| 2002 | KS | 7 | Topeka Zoo -- $9,000 Christine Haden, 635 SW Gage Boulevard, Topeka, KS 66606 Alien Invaders Outreach Program (AIOP) The Junior League of Topeka and the Topeka Zoo are partners in the design and development of the Alien Invader Outreach Program (AIOP). The AIOP exposes learners to the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems and provides an opportunity to participate in service projects that lessen the effects of invasive species in the community. This highly interactive, 8-week outreach program engages students in the investigation of invasive species through live animal visits, pre- and post-visit activities, and workbooks for each participating student. |
| 2002 | KY | 4 | Bowling Green Independent School District -- $5,000 Susan Oglesby, 1800 Creason Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101 Capturing Adventurous Voyages in our Environment The grantee is partnering with the Western Kentucky University's Center for Water Resource Studies to develop and implement Project CAVE (Capturing Adventurous Voyages in our Environment). The goal of the project is to encourage students to focus on what is happening in their community and on their responsibility to preserve environmental quality. The quality of the drinking water in the Bowling Green community and in the surrounding counties has been a controversial issue. The project engages students at McNeill Elementary School to link their observations and findings with knowledge about their local environment and water quality. A 6-hour training session, facilitated by Dr. Ouida Meier from the Center for Water Resource Studies, is held at the school for all teachers. During the training, teachers learn how to utilize the school science lab effectively and how to conduct experiments pertaining to water treatment quality, as appropriate for each grade level. Dr. Meier and undergraduate biology students from the university provide guidance and assistance on a weekly basis throughout the project period. |
| 2002 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $4,964 Darlene Horton, P. O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232 The Outdoor Classroom The Outdoor Classroom for Chenoweth Elementary School provides students with an innovative classroom curriculum and opportunities for hands-on activities that support the curriculum and allow the students to see first-hand how they can impact the environment. Project activities include the creation of artificial wetlands, outdoor learning labs, and physical fitness stations for students who live in urban apartments, government housing projects, or other rental properties that do not have backyards. The students who participate in the program have never worked in a garden and have never had the opportunity to observe the life cycles of plants and wildlife. The school has a multi-phased, long range plan that includes an artificial wetland, a grove of trees, sections for various grass growth, a rotting log area, weather station, patches of native wild flowers, and various other habitat components. Students gain a better understanding of the science curriculum through real-life applications of textbook materials and laboratory activities. More than 50 percent of the 600 students participating in the outdoor classroom are considered at risk based on their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. |
| 2002 | KY | 4 | Murray State University -- $22,993 Dr. Joe Baust, 321 Alexander Hall, P. O. Box 9, Murray, KY 42071 Model Environmental Education for Secondary Pre-Service Teachers This project provides environmental education workshops in residential settings for 120 undergraduate students at the Murray State University, whose diverse majors comprise the secondary education component of the teacher education program. The workshops meet the demands of the national accrediting organization and the state of Kentucky. Key goals are to develop environmental education teaching skills and an understanding of environmental issues across the secondary education disciplines that are disjointed in the school curriculum. |
| 2002 | KY | 4 | University of Kentucky Research Foundation -- $5,000 Jack Supplee, 201 Kinkead Hall, Office of Sponsored Programs/Forestry, Lexington, KY 40506 What is Forestry? Connecting Schools and Communities The goal of this program is to connect education reform in Kentucky to existing natural resource education material and programs. The objective is to pilot, implement, and disseminate six units of study or educational models, for multiple grade levels, following the Kentucky Department of Education guidelines for resource and forestry issues. By developing standards and inquiry-based units of study that follow a 5-step learning cycle, teachers connect and integrate currently available curriculum materials in natural resource and environmental education into a cohesive, curriculum module. The units are developed by teachers, cooperative extension specialists, and other content experts. Education specialists provide training on the development of the units and cooperative extension, while other content experts provide expertise on science content issues. The program serves as a mechanism to encourage the use of existing resources, connect classroom environmental resources to teachers, introduce desired education models into the classroom, and to provide teachers with real-life examples to enhance students' conceptual understanding. The program is introduced through a 1-day workshop conducted in four areas of the state by the University of Kentucky Extension Service and partner organizations. Delivery of the program also occurs through established websites, as well as through a printed version due to inconsistent Internet access at schools across the state. |
| 2002 | LA | 6 | Administrators of the Tulane University Educational Funds -- $2,421 Thomas W. Sherry, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Learning With Birds Tulane University is conducting a workshop taught by professional ornithological scientists and educators facilitating bird-related, technologically innovative standards-based classroom and field activities. The 2-day workshop consists of a day of classroom/computer lab activities followed by a day of field activities that use existing environmental education materials. Birds make an ideal instructional subject because they are important to the local ecology and economy and are easily observed. The workshop directly benefits New Orleans urban kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and their students by providing them with subject-specific (biology and environmental science) lesson plans and curriculum-development guidance based on the most current local standards. Partners include local and national universities, a local public school district, professional ornithological societies, and government agencies. |
| 2002 | LA | 6 | Shreveport Green -- $5,000 Yvonne Lee, 3625 Southern Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71104 Non-Point Source Pollution Education This project is educating local youth about the human health threat of non-point source water pollution via classroom presentations, community fairs, and summer camps utilizing the water protection curriculum produced by Earth Force. The goal is to teach 1,000 youth in Caddo Parish about watersheds and how non-point source pollution affects them through a variety of water testing and hands-on activities. Providing the students the opportunity to participate in water quality service projects, such as storm drain stenciling and an inland waterway cleanup, reinforces the learning process. Partners include Caddo Parish Parks, Caddo Parish School Board, Earth Force, General Motors, Browning-Ferris Industries, and the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department. |
| 2002 | LA | 6 | Teaching Responsible Earth Education (TREE) -- $14,650 Sue Brown, 1463 Nashville Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115 Teaching Responsible Earth Education (TREE) This project is a 5-day, 4-night Sunship Earth Education Program for the John Dibert Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, an inner-city public school with a minority population of 94 percent. This population lacks knowledge about environmental issues and benefits greatly from a TREE's hands-on approach to environmental education. The program teaches basic ecological and life science concepts so that students gain environmental, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Partners include Louisiana Delta Service Corps and the United Way. |
| 2002 | LA | 6 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette -- $5,000 Coette Anzalone, 104 University Circle, Martin Hall, Room 340, Lafayette, LA 70503 Environmental Education Challenge: The Strongest Link This project is designed to educate seventh through tenth graders in the areas of agriculture, water quality, soil analysis, animal science, aquaculture, horticulture or plant science. The program is designed to divide classrooms into five environmental stations. Objectives are to educate teachers and students about environmental issues and challenges in the region, and to develop materials and approaches for an effective regional environmental education program. Partners include Lafayette Parish School Board and Catholic schools in the area. |
| 2002 | ME | 1 | Northern Maine Development Commission -- $14,414 Sigrid Houlette, 302 Main Street, P. O. Box 779, Caribou, ME 04736 Safe Home Drinking Water - Education of Private Well Owners in Northern Maine This program is presented to various community organizations, family health groups, as well as the general public. Issues covered include contaminant threats to groundwater and their potential health effects, as well as the differences in drilled and dug wells. The program provides tools to change poor habits at home, such as inadequate care of septic systems, purchasing and disposal of household cleaners and agricultural chemicals, and testing of drinking wells at least every 3 years. |
| 2002 | ME | 1 | The Environmental Schools -- $2,250 Matt Dubel, 2 Randall Avenue, Ocean Park, ME 04063 Using Environmental Education to Reach Main Learning Results This grant consists of three public school teacher workshops; one for kindergarten through second grade, one for grades 3 through 4, and one for grades 5 through 8. The workshops provide effective, practical activities selected from existing curricula for their ability to reach standards contained in the Maine Learning Results. The workshops include briefings on the ecological or environmental science behind each activity and are accompanied by written materials outlining the activities and additional resources. |
| 2002 | MD | 3 | Middle Patuxent Environmental Foundation -- $14,240 Cheryl Farfaras, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 21046 Linking Biodiversity and Urbanization in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area The project helps residents of Howard County, Maryland become better informed about the effects of critical land-use decisions on habitats and native species in the county. The objectives are to solicit community input about environmental issues of concern and to assess current community understanding of the issues. |
| 2002 | MD | 3 | Ward Foundation, Inc. -- $3,940 Tod Hall, 909 South Schumaker Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804 Maryland Summer Center for the Lower Eastern Shore The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art at Salisbury State University is dedicated to exhibiting wildfowl art and reflecting the heritage of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The program is centered on educational reform, and targets selected fifth-, eighth-, and 12th-grade environmental science classes, as well as math performance standards for third- through eighth-grade students. |
| 2002 | MD | 3 | Wildlife Habitat Council -- $14,000 Mandy Chestnut, 1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 920, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Wings of Wonder The Wings of Wonder program educates students, teachers, employees, and community members about the conservation of migratory species through an inquiry-based curriculum on corporate habitats. Employee wildlife teams unite with local schools, as well as with corporate sites and schools in Latin America to study migratory birds and butterflies. The project also addresses capacity building and community issues. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Cohasset Public Schools -- $3,892 Jack Buckley, 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA 02025 Assessing the Gulf River - Student Monitoring of Water Quality in the Cohasset, MA South Coastal Watershed This grant enables Cohasset Middle High School students to work as summer interns re-establishing water quality monitoring in the Gulf River, and to assist the Gulf Association in its goal of conducting a natural resources inventory (NRI) of the Gulf River Watershed. Archived water quality data (dating back 6 or more years) and data from the summer of 2002 are gathered and documented in a report that becomes part of the NRI document published by the Gulf Association. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Housatonic River Restoration, Inc. -- $13,835 Rachel Fletcher, 113 Division Street, P. O. Box 1018, Great Barrington, MA 01230 Housatonic River Restoration Environmental Education Network The network establishes a regional partnership of classroom educators and environmentalists to create quality, place-based water resource education and ensure a responsible and knowledgeable constituency of river uses. The network supports and provides curriculum guides and training for classroom teachers to encourage them to use the Housatonic River as a teaching laboratory for their students, while implementing curricula that are compatible with the Massachusetts State Education frameworks. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Institute for Just Communities -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Della M. Hughes, 40 Old Lancaster Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 Gulf of Maine Institute Without Walls: Environmental Leadership Training The goal of the project is to link adults with youth living within the Gulf of Maine bioregion while addressing the challenge of building and maintaining a sustainable environment. By employing a community youth development approach and leveraging lessons from service education, project participants work on real-life issues and concerns related to sustaining the Gulf of Maine watershed. Through the program, participants also learn about activities in each of their watersheds that have an effect on the rivers and estuaries feeding into the gulf. Teachers are provided with training and technical assistance, and during the summer, participate in a week-long Environmental Leadership Institute. The project crosses a wide variety of regional boundaries. U.S. partners include the Gulf of Maine Institute Without Walls Guide Team, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Roca Inc., the Cocheco River Watershed Coalition, the Gulf of Main Council, and the Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation. Canadian partners include the Eastern Charlotte Waterways (New Brunswick), the Tusket River Environmental Protection Association (TREPA), and the Tri-County School District (Nova Scotia). |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Keep Lowell Beautiful, Inc. -- $5,000 Frank Heslin, 32 Lowell Road, Westford, MA 01886 Keep Lowell Beautiful Litter Reduction Project The "Keep Lowell Beautiful Litter Reduction" project combines interactive education programs and hands-on cleanups in the most highly littered areas of the city, where 20,000 Spanish and Khmer-speaking people reside. These neighborhoods have community organizers and groups that will assist with raising community awareness of the negative impacts of litter, developing solutions to the issue of litter in the neighborhood, and promoting a behavioral change toward litter. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Merrimack River Watershed Council -- $15,517 Beth Brazil, 600 Suffolk Street, 4th Floor, Lowell, MA 01854 Merrimack River Children As River and Environmental Stewards (CARES) Program This program is a seventh-grade environmental education implementation program focusing on the Merrimack River and Salmon Brook watersheds. This project educates up to 22 seventh-grade teachers and as many as 1,000 students of Nashua, New Hampshire. The program includes specific community activities facilitated by the schools, such as field trips and watershed events to educate citizens residing in the towns within the Merrimack River watershed about the benefits of active watershed stewardship on public health and local environmental conditions. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) -- $5,000 Mary H. Marro, 592 Main Street, Groton, MA 01450 Ayer Nature Trail and Watershed Monitoring Project This project enables 100 fifth-grade students and 6 middle school teachers to work directly with the Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) scientist-in-residence. Once a month, the NRWA scientist visits each class, and facilitates hands-on participatory activities in the forest and at pond sites. Twenty-five parent chaperones also participate in the Explore-A-Pond Program, often learning as much as the students. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | New England Aquarium Corporation -- $20,000 John Anderson, Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 The Mercury Story This project engages public audiences to learn about mercury pollution and its prevention by designing a traveling exhibit and training program to support public education in each New England state. The components of this project are based on successful work previously conducted at the aquarium, including a mercury education day and thermometer exchange. During the first 6 months of its tour, families, school groups, and community leaders from across New England have the opportunity to interact with the exhibit and participate in a mercury education day. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) -- $5,000 Christopher Mason, 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Earth Smart Spending The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is conducting a regional energy conservation workshop for fourth-grade through high school teachers and school facility managers. The workshop takes place in Albany, New York and focuses on current technology and available consumer choices for heating, lighting, and transportation. The workshop enables participants to use educational resources and materials on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean transportation technologies. The mission of the program is to provide education about energy conservation choices that can be made at the institutional and personal level to prevent pollution through wise energy use. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) -- $5,000 Christopher Mason, 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Earth Smart Travel This project is a pilot project promoted by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) to provide support and training on environmental transportation issues to environmental education organizations, such as the Massachusetts Community Water Watch and Tanglewood 4-H Camp. In turn, these organizations bring the program activities back to the schools and students with whom they currently work. NESEA involves at least 24 new schools and 2,100 new students annually in interdisciplinary education on transportation issues. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Old Colony Y -- $4,800 Kenneth Klier, 320 Main Street, Brockton, MA 02301 Learning Environmental Awareness and Positive Attitudes (LEAP) Project LEAP is an environmental education program developed for at-risk youth, ages 12 to 21. This organization, partnering with Champion Charter School and Youthbuild Brockton, provides 80 students from alternative classrooms the opportunity to learn outdoor skills that encourage healthy active lifestyles and that develop a better understanding of environmental issues, such as water quality and urban open space. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | Stonehill College -- $10,000 Dr. Roger Denome, 320 Washington Street, Easton, MA 02357 Creation of the Campus Classroom This project makes the wild spaces on Stonehill College's campus available for educational efforts of the college and kindergarten through 12th-grade school systems in the surrounding area. Five undergraduates, working for 10 weeks in the summer research program, produce a Field Guide to Stonehill College and make it available online and in print. Ten teachers from local school districts are trained in a summer workshop focusing on the use of the guide. Teaching collaborations between these teachers and Stonehill College are developed, which in turn bring kindergarten through 12th-grade classes onto the campus for education in environmental sciences. |
| 2002 | MA | 1 | The Boston Harbor Association -- $5,000 Vivien Li, 374 Congress Street, Suite 609, Boston, MA 02210 Summer on the Harbor Education Program for Inner-City Youth The Summer on the Harbor program provides middle- and high-school-age youth with a series of interactive activities, field trips, and hands-on science projects to teach them about the complex environment associated with the Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands. The goal of the program is to promote long-term environmental stewardship of Boston Harbor among inner-city youth. Students participate in restoration activities and projects, learn about environmental and public health issues, and explore environmental career opportunities associated with the harbor. |
| 2002 | MI | 5 | Huron River Watershed Council -- $5,000 Joan Martin, 1100 N. Main Street, Suite 210, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Using Discovery to Engage Citizens in River Monitoring and Protection Residents are educated about the impact of their activities on the quality of the Huron River. Through experiential learning and personal involvement, watershed residents develop ownership of and a desire to protect the river. They learn basic tenets of stream ecology and interpretation of river evaluation measurements. |
| 2002 | MI | 5 | Lake Superior State University -- $5,000 Dr. Barb Keller, 650 West Easterday Avenue, Sault St. Marie, MI 49783 Biological Contamination Investigation High school students and their teachers work with environmental health students and faculty of Lake Superior State University and staff of district health departments to test for biological contamination and make recommendations to regulators about how the findings may affect human health. |
| 2002 | MI | 5 | Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi -- $5,000 David Jones, 2221 1 1/2 Mile Road, Fulton, MI 49052 Radon Action Bowling Tournament By participating in a 1-day bowling tournament, tribal members are educated about radon and its health effects. Eighty percent of the tribe lives in counties designated as having a moderate to high potential for having radon that exceeds allowable levels. |
| 2002 | MN | 5 | Carver County -- $5,000 Joe Enfield, 600 East Fourth Street, Chaska, MN 55318 Metro Area Children's Water Festival This water festival provides hands-on water education for 1,300 fifth-grade students in the Minneapolis - St. Paul metropolitan area. The festival gives students the opportunity to learn about the water cycle, ground and surface water, ecology, wetlands, and other related natural resources. |
| 2002 | MN | 5 | Eco-Education -- $4,995 Kathy Kinzig, 210 E. 10th Street, #375, St. Paul, MN 55101 Twin Cities Environmental Issues, Urban Teachers Network This project provides environmental education in an urban area through a workshop series and the establishment of a support network for participants. A series of 2-hour workshops are held, along with one field trip, highlighting key environmental issues in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area. |
| 2002 | MN | 5 | Minnesota State Horticultural Society -- $12,000 Vicky Vogels, 1755 Prior Avenue, Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Community Gardening the Organic Way The Minnesota State Horticultural Society has developed an educational series on organic gardening for Minnesota Green participants. Minnesota Green is a community outreach program that coordinates resources of horticultural-related organizations, state and local governments, and businesses to revitalize communities through plants. Feeding the soil, not the plants, embracing plant and community diversity, and working with the natural cycles in a garden are some of the basic principles of organic gardening that are taught in the series. |
| 2002 | MN | 5 | Prairie Country Resource Conservation and Development Area -- $4,490 Kylene Olson, 629 North 11th Street, Montevideo, MN 56265 Bringing Stream Biology Monitoring into the Classroom This project includes a 2-day workshop designed to teach 18 teachers about biomonitoring methods and techniques. Staff conduct follow-up sessions with the teachers in their classrooms and in the field to help establish regular monitoring sites and to help with the identification of macroinvertebrates, such as mosquitoes, bloodworms, and dragon flies. |
| 2002 | MS | 4 | Clinton Community Nature Center Association, Inc. -- $6,622 Nellie Neal, P. O. Box 93, Clinton, MS 39060 The Teacher Connectivity Project The Teacher Connectivity Project is a concept developed in response to the needs of individual and teacher groups seeking meaningful field trips for their students. The program goals are to: (1) encourage more teachers to visit the Clinton County Nature Center each year with their classes, and (2) provide materials and methods for meaningful, hands-on, field lab activities to teach on site. To effectively deliver this program, the center works with its informal network of science teachers to review and select environmental lab materials that coordinate with the curriculum currently used in grades 2 through 7. The criteria for selection places emphasis on the area's key environmental issues. A 1-day workshop is held for area teachers to inform them about the center and its programs and to introduce several field trip activities. During the conference, 10 "Nature Lab" activities are introduced and participants are asked to evaluate them for content and usefulness in teaching the subject matter. |
| 2002 | MS | 4 | Mississippi Urban Forest Council -- $5,800 Donna Yowell, 164 Trace Cove Drive, Madison, MS 39110 Ribbons of Green This project is a linear green space program that helps students develop an understanding of how green space, community trees, and other natural resources contribute to better communities. An introductory brochure is sent via the Mississippi Department of Education to all high school environmental science, biology, and zoology teachers throughout the state. Teachers who indicate an interest are contacted and furnished with further information. All teachers who elect to participate are given a "Ribbons of Green" tool kit for their classroom. This tool kit consists of the necessary materials to implement the program within their local school. As part of this program, participating students inventory and map the linear green space in their community. A pilot for this program has been successfully established in one local area high school and the goal is to introduce it to teachers statewide. |
| 2002 | MO | 7 | Bridging the Gap -- $24,831 Stacia Stelk, P. O. Box 10220, Kansas City, MO 64171 Leadership in Environmental Action Projects (LEAP) The Leadership in Environmental Action Projects (LEAP) works with five teachers in grades 5 through 12 of the Blue Valley, Wyandotte County, Shawnee Mission, and Kansas City area school districts in Kansas using the solid waste curriculum developed by the Gateway Center for Resource Efficiency. The Gateway Center for Resource Efficiency and Bridging the Gap train teachers in 3 groups and then train four student leaders from each school in an 8-step problem-solving model that is applied to the solid waste stream in each school. The students assess their schools' waste streams, examine options, and select and implement solutions that can reduce their school's waste stream. A final presentation of each team's projects is held in the spring semester at a student summit. |
| 2002 | MO | 7 | Crowder College -- $11,135 Art Boyt, 601 Laclede, Neosho, MO 64850 Solar BikeRayce USA Education Outreach Solar BikeRayce USA is a competition targeting high school students with the mission of promoting education excellence and knowledge of renewable energy and energy efficiency through a hands-on project based learning experience. Four teacher/student workshops and on-line education materials are developed to educate teachers about renewable energy. Students are exposed to the concepts of renewable energy and energy efficiency while gaining experience in engineering and team-based learning. The education materials from the workshops and the Internet are widely used by teachers and student team members. |
| 2002 | MO | 7 | Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council -- $4,950 Jessie Jefferson, 3210 Michigan, Kansas City, MO 64109 Litter Bug Campaign This project reintroduces the Litter Bug campaign to focus efforts on education, cleanups, and the development of community pride. It involves the participation of young children in preschool through grade 3. Newsletter articles, flyers, posters and street signs are distributed to promote the Litter Bug campaign. |
| 2002 | MO | 7 | Southwest Missouri State University -- $7,917 Janice Greene, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804 Environmental Education Workshop at Bull Shoals Field Station This project involves a workshop at Bull Shoals Field Station. Twenty sixth- through 12th-grade science teachers participate in a 2-day workshop on environmental education. Participants gain awareness and knowledge about environmental issues that are being addressed by modern scientific research methods, and learn skills necessary for creating an outdoor classroom. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Birch Creek Outdoor Education Center -- $5,000 Paul Clarke, 710 South Atlantic, Campus Box 100, Dillon, MT 59725 K-12 Experimental Environmental Education Program The 2002 Environmental Education Project is a multi-tiered project involving students, teachers, and administrators from town, rural, and tribal schools. It seeks to expand the teacher training opportunities by increasing the direct work with educators and student teachers of University of Montana-Western and Salish-Kootenai Tribal College. The program expands upon current conservation education offerings, and intensifies the cultural and social contribution to the community. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Bitteroot Ecological Awareness -- $5,000 Susanne Meikle, 615 Pinckney, Hamilton, MT 59840 Fire Ecology Pilot Program The Bitteroot Ecological Awareness Environmental Presenters Program allows local expert presenters to bring the natural world into the classrooms. The fire ecology program supplements text-based curricula with experienced-based learning. It gives teachers the support of experts to refine their environmental teaching, and provide resources to encourage locally-specific and community-based education around this important community issue. As a result of this program, the student population is more informed and more interested in the ecology of their home. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Helena Forest Foundation -- $4,500 Liz Burke, 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59601 Senior Naturalist Program (SNP) The Helena Forest Foundation, through the Senior Naturalist Program (SNP), promotes conservation and environmental stewardship within community youth organizations. The program has expanded into a year-round, after-school enrichment program. By drawing upon Montana's large resource of senior retirees and youth organization needs, SNP fosters cross-generational connections and an enhanced appreciation of natural resources. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Livingston School District 1 & 4 -- $4,345 Julie Handcock, 132 South B Street, Livingston, MT 59047 The Yellowstone River Project During this program, students participate in both classroom and field activities focused on the Yellowstone River and its value to the community. The goal is to increase students' knowledge of and appreciation for the river and consequently improve future decision making about the Yellowstone River. To achieve this goal, the project is designed to train certified teachers through Project WET, the Montana Watercourse workshop. Project WET uses materials from the International Fly Fishing Center to design a 2-week program for second- through sixth-grade students. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Missoula County Public School District Number 1 -- $5,000 Susan Arthur, 215 South 6th West, Missoula, MT 59801 Forest Outdoor Environmental Education Program This program offers outdoor environmental education coordinated by the Missoula YMCA, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). During the program, community environmental issues are examined in depth, and teachers receive advanced training. Students' educational horizons are enhanced through a community-based partnership that supplements the formal curriculum. |
| 2002 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association (MEEA) -- $24,500 Steve Eshbaugh, General Delivery, Bozeman, MT 59773 On-line Environmental Education Database for Montana This project improves and expands state environmental education programs using a sophisticated and comprehensive searchable information clearinghouse for environmental education resources. Based on the success of this program in Utah and Colorado, the organizational memberships have grown from 48 to 120. |
| 2002 | NE | 7 | Keep North Platte Beautiful -- $12,902 Sara Morris, 715 S. Jeffers, North Platte, NE 69103 Magic of Recycling This educational program brings recycling and litter prevention awareness to the community and schools. The project includes school workshops, discussion sessions with teachers and the media, and presentations to businesses and government agencies. |
| 2002 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $50,365 (HQ Grant) Marian Langan, P. O. Box 85344, Lincoln, NE 68501 Building Capacity for Environmental Education in Nebraska This project addresses capacity building and education reform through the development of a comprehensive state Environmental Education Master Plan. The target audience includes environmental education leaders, informal and formal educators; legislators; state and federal agencies; business and industry; representatives of the Nebraska Department of Education; youth group leaders; and urban, rural, and agricultural groups. Workshops provide environmental education providers and users with training in a variety of topics. This project will establish the foundation to provide statewide professional training in environmental education. Support for the project comes from Audubon Nebraska; the Folsom Children’s Zoo; the Geographic Educators of Nebraska; the Groundwater Foundation; Keep Nebraska Beautiful; Keep Lincoln & Lancaster County Beautiful - Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department; Nebraska Project WET/Nebraska Project Learning Tree - University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension 4-H; Nebraska Project WILD - Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; the Nebraska Public Power District; the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension - Thurston County; and the Urban League of Nebraska. |
| 2002 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska -- $24,666 Julia Torquayi, 303 Canfield Administration Building, Lincoln, NE 68583 Connecting Children to Environment The program teaches children about the interdependence of the life cycle through developmentally appropriate activities and teaches early childhood teachers how to incorporate environmental education concepts and activities into their curriculum. This project involves 100 preschool-aged children and their families representing 16 different countries; 100 college students working towards degrees in child development, early childhood education, and elementary education; 20 toddlers and their families; and 5 toddler teachers. An interactive workshop is held for 100 participants, including early childhood teachers and in-home child care providers. Early childhood educators implement environmental education activities incorporating investigation, analysis and problem-solving, such as creating demonstration gardens. The final product is a framework for teaching environmental education concepts to young children. A summer solstice festival is held in June 2003. |
| 2002 | NV | 9 | University of Nevada, Reno -- $21,721 Richard Bjur, University of Nevada, Reno, CESE 199, Reno, NV 89557 Energy Education and Conservation Program for Hispanic Families The College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno seeks to create an Energy Conservation and Energy Education Program for Hispanic Families. Sixty upper-elementary level students in two designated classes are slated to participate in activities to explore energy and power and the application of those physical science concepts in real life, particularly as they relate to environmental issues and natural resources. By evaluating energy use in their homes, energy sources and their environmental impacts, and opportunities for saving energy, students can develop and present an educational program on saving energy to parent groups. Student mentors from University of Nevada, Reno assist at the school as outside experts to provide technical assistance and to foster interest among participants in engineering and physical science careers. Additional professional expertise comes from Sierra Pacific Power Company and the Desert Research Institute's Million Solar Roofs Program. |
| 2002 | NH | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) -- $4,983 Tim Breen, Route 16, P. O. Box 298, Gorham, NH 03581 Appalachian Mountain Club's North Country Schools Partnership The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), partnering with the White Mountain Regional School District, focuses on using a community-based environmental education approach to curricula reform while meeting the teaching frameworks. The two groups work closely with the teachers in the district to promote the use of the local landscape as a resource for teaching and learning. Together, these organizations choose and develop several new curricula projects for the students in the district. In addition, this project helps AMC learn about the challenges and possibilities of playing a greater role in the education of students in the region. |
| 2002 | NH | 1 | School Administrative Unit #70 School District -- $11,870 John Aubin, 45 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755 Way to GO! - A Transportation Initiative This interstate school district, comprised of four schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, implements a program that heightens family and child awareness about the environmental implications of their transportation choices. The goals of the program are to create safe, walkable communities; maintain clean air with minimum pollution and CO2 emissions; and promote ways to keep children healthy. The audience is primarily 800 elementary school children and their families, but the results of the project are distributed to the 6,000 taxpayers in Hanover and Norwich. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District -- $8,625 Katrina Macht, 844 Brown Road, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Hillside's Habitats of New Jersey This program develops the educational potential of an outdoor learning site, Hillside's Habitats of New Jersey. Hillside students, community residents, and students from East Orange learn how urban sprawl and habitat destruction are effecting the ecosystems of New Jersey and, specifically, the Bridgewater community. The school district's third graders work with other students and adults of the school's Outdoor Site Committee and environmental club. Together, they design activities for the district's third graders who come to the habitat as part of their course of study. Students also make presentations about the program to the school's Outdoor Site Committee and serve as guides for visitors to the habitat. The program, which focuses on the effect of human development on natural ecosystems, is of special interest to residents of New Jersey, the country's most densely populated state. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | Citizen Policy and Education of New Jersey -- $5,000 John Weber, 400 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Lead Poisoning Prevention Because lead poisoning remains a significant threat to the health of children, the Citizen Policy and Education Fund teaches staff members of social service organizations and community groups across New Jersey to help their clients determine whether lead is present in their homes and identify ways they can avoid lead poisoning. The workshops focus on training social service and community organization staff because they interact with families considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning. Trainees attend a full-day workshop that teaches them about the sources, pathways, medical effects, prevention methods, laws, regulations, and tenants' legal rights regarding the presence of lead. Participants are encouraged to develop poisoning prevention strategies that relate specifically to the communities they serve. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | EnvironMentors Project -- $19,000 Whitney Montague, 229 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 New Jersey EnvironMentors Project The EnvironMentors Project helps students become knowledgeable about the academic and career possibilities open to them in environmental and scientific fields. High school students develop an increased competency in science and mathematics through one-on-one mentoring with adults who hold degrees in and are employed in environmental fields. The students also participate in a program to facilitate their applications to colleges and universities. Monthly seminars on environmental issues of local relevance enhance their environmental literacy and help them identify opportunities to improve conditions in their neighborhoods. This project serves 80 public high school students in Trenton and Princeton who, through environmental presentations, reach out to 1,600 local elementary school students. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $3,500 Robin Dougherty, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102 Environmental Health Education Program The Greater Newark Conservancy conducts a series of workshops on environmental health for the annual 2-day conference of the Alliance for New Jersey for Environmental Education (ANJEE). Each day consists of workshops on topics including asthma, air quality, and lead poisoning in urban and suburban communities. The goal is to help the formal and informal environmental educators who attend the conference understand key issues in environmental health education. The workshop familiarizes participants with a variety of teaching techniques and community service project models so they can implement environmental health education programs at their schools and facilities. Workshop materials include those developed by the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Management's AirCURRENTS curriculum. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $4,998 Robin Dougherty, 303-9 Washington Street, 5th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102 Environmental Health Discovery Box The goal of this project is to teach second- and third-grade students about the connection between health and the environment. The Greater Newark Conservancy has created an Environmental Health Discovery Box that is available to teachers in Newark through a free loan program. The box enables teachers to present a course of study, lasting from 1 day to several weeks, on environmental health to a class. During the loan period, the teacher has use of the box's age-appropriate materials including lesson plans, teacher guides and all necessary materials, equipment, and supplies. The lessons focus on air quality, the respiratory system, asthma, toxins in the home, the circulatory system, and lead poisoning. The hands-on inquiry lessons correlate with state curriculum standards. The Conservancy provides one-on-one support for the teachers who borrow the box of materials. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | The Port Republic School District -- $6,200 Kimberly Smitelli, 135 Pomona Avenue, Port Republic, NJ 08241 The Bristow-Phillips Enrichment Project Partnering with the Atlantic Audubon Society, Port Republic School students study the ecosystem of a 300-acre mixed woodland and cranberry bog in order to develop it as a wildlife preserve and study center. The acreage, a recent bequest to the New Jersey Audubon Society, serves as a field study resource for students and teachers who will work with the faculty at Stockton State College and Audubon staff to catalogue and investigate the flora and fauna at the site. In addition to developing an understanding of the ecosystem, students create and rehabilitate trails and look for evidence of the previous use of the site as a 19th century farm and lumber resource. The school population and neighboring community also benefit from workshops that are held over the course of the study. |
| 2002 | NJ | 2 | Wetlands Institute -- $5,000 Lucinda O'Connor, 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247 Expansion of the Junior Naturalist Program As part of this program, the Wetlands Institute works with the Middle Township Public School System, The Cape May County Mosquito Commission, The Cape May Municipal Authority, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and The Nature Conservancy to expand its Junior Naturalist Program to include economically disadvantaged students. Middle grade students participate in a week-long program that develops and supports their interest in science by providing them with in-depth opportunities to explore the natural world. Scientists and staff from the participating organizations provide guidance for the students' exploration, research, and discovery. The program helps students learn about New Jersey's natural habitats, understand the challenges humans pose to the natural world, and evaluate everyday environmental choices. |
| 2002 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, Inc. -- $20,000 Michael Garcia, 2808 Central, S.E., #122, Albuquerque, NM 87106 Summer Ecology Research Project This project provides a high quality environmental science education to interested New Mexico Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) teachers and students throughout the state. The goals and objectives of the project include providing prospective college students, especially rural and culturally diverse students, with exposure to environmentally related fieldwork and scientific research techniques; written and oral communications aspects of math, science and technology through the use of web pages; and written reports and oral presentations. The project also focuses on the importance of proper use and maintenance of natural resources by individuals and local economies, and provides enhanced teacher training to ensure the long-term sustainability of these classes. Training is conducted through workshops in a classroom setting and field trips. Key partners include the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the Albuquerque Public School District, and other New Mexico school districts with MESA programs. |
| 2002 | NM | 6 | The Family YMCA Earth Service Corps -- $5,000 Diana Martinez, 1450 Iris Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544 Environmental and Service Learning Program This project's primary goal is to establish an environmental education platform that gives area youth the opportunity to develop their skills while providing meaningful service to Los Alamos and nearby communities. The program is conducted through formal classroom and hands-on, service-learning activities that include trail restoration in fire-damaged areas, grass reseeding projects, erosion control measures, natural spring reseeding projects, riparian surveys, and documentation projects. Partners include the U.S. Forest Service's Espanola Ranger District, Los Alamos County, Los Alamos Trails and Pathways Association, and a multi-agency group known as the Volunteer Task Force. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Adirondack Council, Boy Scouts of America -- $5,000 Michael R. Martin, P. O. Box 2656, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 Development of Ecosystem-Based Education Modules for Residence Camp The Adirondack Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) develops educational programs for summer camps. Focusing on the ecosystems of the Adirondack Mountains, the modules cover acid rain, accelerated eutrophication in lakes due to human activity, nonpoint source pollution and the impact of introducing non-native species into the Adirondack ecosystems. The modules are designed to interest girls and boys in grades 3 through 5 at BSA and Girl Scouts of the USA residence camps. The program materials encourage young campers to understand their place within ecosystems. The modules are interactive and ecosystem-based, which makes them suitable for use at most residential camps. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) -- $5,000 Kirsten Munro, 100 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 The Internship Initiative The Internship Initiative expands a successful Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) program for high school and college students that increases their understanding of horticulture and introduces them to career opportunities. The initiative provides students, many from underserved communities, with a variety of intellectual resources, a positive peer environment, and caring, career-minded mentors. Interns who are Children's Garden instructors learn both gardening basics and the educational needs of youngsters. Science apprentices, who work with BBG staff mentors, use scientific methods and practices to learn more about a research topic. The school program interns rotate through BBG's education, horticulture, and library departments. Participants in the initiative are active environmental educators and learners while they explore career possibilities. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | City of New York Parks and Recreation -- $80,000 (HQ Grant) Sara Hobel, 1234 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029 The Natural Classroom: Education Reform Using New York City Parks The Urban Park Rangers mission is to link urban dwellers and city school children to the abundant natural world in the 28,000 acres of New York City parkland. Incorporating materials collectively called "The Natural Classroom," the project focuses on teacher workshops to train school administrators and teachers. The programs apply key environmental education concepts to an urban setting and offer students the opportunity to make scientific and environmental observations; collect, record, and analyze data; and develop conclusions about the park ecosystems. By bringing environmental education into the city’s parks, the project enables New York City schoolchildren to meet city-mandated performance standards. Key partners are the Urban Park Rangers, the City of New York Board of Education, and the National Geographic Society. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Constitution Marsh Audubon Center & Sanctuary -- $5,000 Eric Linc, P. O. Box 174, Cold Springs, NY 10516 Environmental Education and Steward Internship This grant supports participation by college students in an intensive summer field ecology internship program at Constitution Marsh, a 270-acre Hudson River tidal marsh in Garrison, New York. Interns receive on-the-job training focused on developing their teaching skills, increasing their knowledge of natural history, and providing experience with day-to-day work in a wildlife sanctuary. Interns rotate through several areas of the sanctuary's operations while they learn about providing effective environmental education, perform tasks in wildlife and sanctuary management, and handle nature center administration. In addition, interns design and implement a research or education-based project during their tenure. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Council on the Environment of New York City -- $5,000 Michael Zamm, 51 Chambers Street - Room 228, New York, NY 10007 Training Student Organizers to Implement Energy Conservation Action Projects Training Student Organizers is an action-oriented program that educates students about environmental issues, helps them develop citizenship skills, and provides opportunities for them to make positive contributions to the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The Council on the Environment works with the Manhattan Center for Mathematics and Science, a public high school in East Harlem, on a program involving 150 students. The students learn about energy sources; production, delivery and consumption; study strategies for conservation and alternative energy use; design classroom and school lighting conservation programs; and develop plans for strategies and projects to motivate others to play an active role in conserving energy. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) -- $13,784 Robert Lynch, 27 Lackawanna Avenue, Mount Morris, NY 14510 Environmental Justice for Migrant Farmworker Students The Geneseo Migrant Center partners with other migrant education agencies to develop a course for migrant farmworker high school students. The goal is to educate these students about the environmental health concerns that they and their families face. The environmental studies course includes topics such as pesticide use in the workplace and the health impacts of substandard housing and sanitary facilities. The project involves the development and dissemination of a portable 2-semester course for high school credit that students can pursue as their families pursue work in agriculture. The course meets state standards. Students are assisted by a cooperating teacher/mentor. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Ithaca City School District -- $4,992 Elizabeth Wolf, 400 Lake Street, P. O. Box 549, Ithaca, NY 14851-0549 Danby School of Agriculture and the Environment High School and Elementary Watershed Education Program This project educates Ithaca High School and Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) high school students about watersheds and encourages them to pursue environmental careers. Students conduct a comparative study of the local watershed by studying stream chemistry and the physical components of the ecosystems, and through plant and animal identification. They conduct their studies under the guidance of Cornell University faculty, scientists, environmental business people, and professionals involved in water-related environmental fields. These high school students share their observations with students around the world through the Global Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. They also teach fourth-grade students about watersheds at a half-day workshop. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Mohonk Preserve, Inc. -- $20,565 Glenn D. Hoagland, P. O. Box 715, New Paltz, NY 12561 The Hudson Watershed Environmental Justice Project The Mohonk Preserve and the Hudson Basin River Watch are working with the Youth Resources Development Corporation to address water quality and environmental justice issues with inner-city youth. The project targets seventh- and eighth-grade students from underserved communities. Program staff teach them about watershed issues in general, as well as about the importance of watersheds in the communities in which they reside. Students learn about how individual and community actions impact water quality. They investigate the water quality of a Hudson River tributary on Mohonk Preserve lands and water quality in their neighborhoods. Students gain a better understanding of the processes underlying water's movement, how pollution moves through a watershed, and how to determine stream health. The project combines in-school and field study components. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Research Foundation of the Plattsburgh State University of New York -- $5,000 Dr. Catherine Joyce, P. O. Box 9, Albany, NY 12201 Acid Rain and Exotic Species The Center for Earth and Environmental Science, the Department of Elementary Education and the Technical Assistance Center of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh State are conducting a workshop on acid deposition and exotic species for junior and senior high school teachers in the Adirondack-Lake Champlain region of New York. The workshop updates regional educators on the continuing acid deposition problem in local ecosystems, helps teachers understand the nature and consequences of invasive species on ecosystems, and provides classroom activities to educate students about these environmental concerns. As a result of the workshop, participating teachers and students are better able to ascertain the consequences of these ecological challenges. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Research Foundation of the Plattsburgh State University of New York -- $5,000 Dr. Melinda Wu, P. O. Box 9, Albany, NY 12201 Exotic Species: What Local Governments Need to Know The Technical Assistance Center at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Plattsburgh, New York, and the Center for Earth and Environmental Science conduct a 1-day workshop for local officials on Brownfields and exotic, non-native species. This workshop is offered to administrators in towns within the Adirondack region of New York, one of the largest tracts of wilderness in the United States. The workshop provides local officials in smaller communities with an understanding of the legal, financial, and environmental issues involved in redeveloping Brownfield sites. The workshop also focuses on the ecological consequences of, and strategies needed to deal with, exotic plant species invasion. The workshop enables administrators and managers to make informed decisions when responding to the effects of human interactions with the environment. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | The Horticultural Society of New York -- $5,000 Jennifer Klopp, 128 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 Apple Seeds Teacher Training Workshops The Apple Seed program provides hands-on environmental and horticultural workshops to teachers. Participants return to their schools equipped to conduct classroom activities that strengthen students' critical-thinking skills and self-esteem while improving their math and science literacy. Development of the Apple Seed Dozens Reference Guide, a supplement for the Apple Seed program, help teachers implement the program more effectively by providing additional teaching strategies. The reference guide is a part of the educational materials teachers learn to use as part of Apple Seed workshops. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | The Horticultural Society of New York -- $5,000 Jennifer Klopp, 128 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 GreenBranches Workshops GreenBranches provides support for gardens at public library branches, especially those in low-income neighborhoods. The program provides the community with a green space that can be used for library programming, outdoor reading, and community networking. GreenBranches provides professional architects and designers who create a garden for the particular library branch. This project supports activities to increase neighborhood members' participation in the GreenBranches workshops. Participants learn about stewardship of the library garden and then apply what they have learned to other neighborhood environments. The workshop provides strategies to help participants practice horticulture in the large and small spaces in the city that are a part of their daily lives. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | The Horticultural Society of New York -- $5,000 Jennifer Klopp, 128 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 GreenHouse Project The Horticultural Society of New York is partnering with the New York City Department of Correction to work with female and male inmates at the Rikers Island correctional facility. This program includes two components: classroom sessions during which inmates learn about environmental issues, soil science and botany; and hands-on experience in horticulture and landscaping. The program also seeks to prevent recidivism by providing education and training in job-seeking and job-retention skills. These efforts have a successful track record. Recidivism for inmates in this program stands at just 6 percent compared to the average inmate rate of 65 percent. The program stresses environmentally-sound and natural systems of horticulture. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | The River Project, Inc. -- $5,000 Diana Dos Santos, Pier 26 North River, New York, NY 10013 Estuary Exhibit This project educates the public about environmental issues associated with the Hudson River Park Estuarine Sanctuary and its relationship to the New York Harbor and the Hudson River Estuary. As part of its public education effort, the River Project develops an educational outreach kiosk. The materials selected provide a wide range of resources. The public has access to general information about the environment, specific materials relating to the Hudson River Estuary, government documents addressing local environmental programs, suggested activities for ways to improve the health of the estuary, and information about environmental educational resources for teachers and students. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $2,516 Sherry Forgash, 903 Hanshaw Road, USDA Service Center, Ithaca, NY 14850 Soil & Water Quality Assessment: A High School Educational Program This program educates high school science students and teachers on how to perform soil and water quality assessments. Workshops for teachers and students familiarize them with the background information, monitoring procedures, equipment that will be used, and techniques for monitoring and data collection and interpretation. Each school designates a monitoring team, selects sites, and develops a monitoring schedule. Stream testing takes place at locations identified by the Tompkins County Water Resources Council and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Priority Waterbody List. Soil testing takes place at urban and rural sites. Students summarize their findings in a final report. |
| 2002 | NY | 2 | York College, the City University of New York (CUNY) Research Foundation -- $16,700 Antoinette Sumter, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11451 York College Environmental Stewardship Academy York College has established an Environmental Stewardship Academy to encourage minority students to pursue careers in science, math, and technology. The academy focuses on environmental science. York College recruits actively in the community to enroll 20 junior high school students in a 2-part course of study. A 6-week summer program provides the seventh- and eighth-grade students with a total immersion experience in environmental science and career exploration. During the academic year, Saturday Environmental Stewardship Academy expands on the summer program by focusing on environmental stewardship and community service. Literacy, research skills and career exploration are combined in studies of waste management, biotechnology, urban wildlife, entomology, pesticides, and asthma. |
| 2002 | NC | 4 | Environmental Education Fund -- $21,000 David Wojnowski, 1609 Mail Service Center, P. O. Box 25825, Raleigh, NC 27611 It's Our Water Water has become a major concern throughout North Carolina and the nation. It is imperative that North Carolina citizens understand the decisions and actions that affect both water quality and quantity. One way to begin this education process is by giving every high school student in the state the opportunity for environmental literacy and offering the scientific background needed to make informed decisions about the complex issues related to water. This project consists of five modules, each containing a short video that introduces a water topic and shows real-life examples of current water issues throughout the state. Emphasis is on hands-on activities, such as Project WET, that reinforce concepts about water resources as the students investigate a stream near their school. Each module is designed so that skills and information gathered in one module are the foundation for the next module's content and skill development. All environmental science teachers in the state receive these materials. Partners for this project include the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Instruction. This is the opportune time to launch this endeavor because a new Earth/Environmental Science graduation requirement has been added to the state science curriculum at the high school level and affects thousands of students every year. |
| 2002 | NC | 4 | Mountain Retreat Association -- $5,000 Brooke B. Mallory III, 401 Assembly Drive, P. O. Box 969, Montreat, NC 28757 Raising Public Awareness Through Environmental Education Every year, 30,000 visitors from across the United States and the world come to the Montreat community to attend retreats and conferences offered by the Montreat Conference Center. The Montreat community is nestled in a cove of the Southern Appalachians and is home to 630 year-round residents and 400 students attending Montreat College. Environmental matters and issues are often taken for granted by visitors, college students, and community members. The purpose of this project is to raise public awareness through environmental education projects that focus on ecological diversity, nature's fragility, and community environmental issues. The Mountain Retreat Association, Montreat College, and the Montreat Parks and Recreation Committee partner to design and install interpretive signs along established nature trails, identify and label representative tree species throughout the town, develop educational displays for existing trail head signs, and develop environmental education literature and programs for the public. |
| 2002 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University -- $11,160 K. R. Baldwin, 1601 E. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 The North Carolina Agricultural Literacy Project - Environmentally Sustainable Food Production Systems The goal of this project is to build the institutional capacity at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to provide practical education about environmentally sound and sustainable agriculture. This project develops a model farm learning center on the campus of the college. The farm demonstrates environmentally sustainable farming practices to youth and adults. The farm serves as a site for field trips for elementary through high school youth, and demonstrates how farming practices impact the environment. Students from the Agri-science Education and Plant and Soil Science majors develop curriculum, provide instruction, and give tours. |
| 2002 | NC | 4 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro -- $5,000 Ann B. Somers, 312 Eberhart Building, P. O. Box 2617, Greensboro, NC 27402 Wolves Tracking Turtles This project is a community-based turtle study that brings together a partnership of middle grade students, their teachers, parents, neighbors, and a university. Although they are considered a declining species, little is known about box turtle numbers. As part of the project, partners learn more about the local eastern box turtle population by conducting a mark-recapture study that includes tracking by radio telemetry and use of a global positioning system. The goals of the project are to: (1) use a real-world conservation problem to increase students', teachers', and community members' environmental awareness about how urban sprawl and habitat fragmentation impacts wildlife, (2) assist teachers in developing instructional skills and content that focus on environmental issues, and (3) help students improve their science skills while contributing to the body of knowledge about a species in decline. Activities include in-class projects as well as out-of-class activities on school grounds, neighboring properties, and at the students' homes. This project serves as a model for other schools interested in involving students in hands-on science with a conservation implication. |
| 2002 | ND | 8 | Dakota Science Center -- $6,500 Jennifer Ochs, 308 South 5th Street, Grand Forks, ND 58201 Interactive Children's Water Festival The Dakota Science Center holds an Interactive Children's Water Festival to raise community awareness of the importance of water resources. Through hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations, students directly explore how water affects their lives and their environment. The goal is to increase the prudent use and protection of this precious resource. |
| 2002 | ND | 8 | Gateway to Science Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Elizabeth Demke, 2700 State Street, Suite 17, Bismarck, ND 58502 Earth Wellness Environmental Festival The Gateway to Science Center is holding its fourth annual Earth Wellness Environmental Festival in May 2003 with hands-on activities for fifth grade teachers and their students. The festival increases the teachers' and students' understanding of how their actions affect the environment, both positively and negatively. In addition, the festival is expanding to include a greater number of participants. |
| 2002 | ND | 8 | Upper Dakota Resource Conservation and Demonstration Council -- $4,400 Lena A. Bohm, 4215 Burdick Expressway East, Minot, ND 58701 Interactive Mouse River Loop Envirothon Stewards The regional Envirothon in north central North Dakota helps strengthen students’ understanding of their roles as stewards of North Dakota's natural resources. This Envirothon is a model for other Envirothons within the state. The main objective is to combine in-class curriculum with hands-on field experience concerning the management of natural resources. This is accomplished by working with numerous partners and the National Canon Envirothon format to create a positive event for students and teachers in a multi-county area. The educational priorities address educational reform, teaching skills, and career development. The target audience is composed of students between the ages of 15 and 18 and high school vocational teachers. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Clark Center Alternative School -- $5,000 Elizabeth Houck, Route 1, Box 15, Marietta, OH 45750 Phase Two of the Butterfly Exodus Garden Enterprise The grant supports the second phase of the butterfly exodus project. As part of the project, students plan, design, and build an observation deck near an existing butterfly land lab. The deck provides students, teachers, and outlying school districts with the opportunity to conduct environmental workshops. Students collaborate with teachers to plan and implement the first butterfly count. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Environmental Health Watch -- $25,000 Stuart Greenberg, 4115 Bridge Avenue, #104, Cleveland, OH 44113 Reducing Children's Exposure to Pesticide and Asthma Triggers Parents of children with asthma and managers of residential and childcare buildings learn how to adopt integrated pest management methods. Educational sessions are organized in cooperation with neighborhood health centers and professional organizations of managers of residential buildings and child care centers. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District -- $5,000 Mara Simpson, 14269 Claridon Troy Road, P. O. Box 410, Burton, OH 44021 Non-Point Source Pollution Awareness Program The district presents programs and plans events to educate the public on three concepts: the detrimental effect improper disposal of hazardous waste has on streams, rivers, and lakes; watershed drainage and the important role Geauga County serves in water quality as home to the headwaters of four major rivers; and the role each individual plays in the understanding and prevention of all types of non-point source pollution. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Ohio State University Research Foundation -- $21,762 Rossane Fortner, 1960 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210 Lake Erie Distance Education for the F.T. Stone Laboratory The F.T. Stone Laboratory instructors are able to reach mainland classrooms in underserved areas and bring them on a virtual field trip to Lake Erie while integrating lessons into their science curriculum. An interactive seminar series about Lake Erie issues is also available to college students and the public. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio -- $7,390 Kathleen Smith, 136 Huron Street, P. O. Box 30, Toledo, OH 43697 Run River Run About 400 people are participating in a series of 10 to 15 workshops during which they will learn how geography, geology, farming practices, and industrial activity affect the area's water supply, and what needs to be done to protect and improve it. |
| 2002 | OH | 5 | Ohio State University at Lima -- $33,723 (HQ Grant) Lynn Sametz, 4240 Campus Drive, Lima, OH 45804 At-Risk Youth and the Environment This project builds on a successful hands-on integrated program for at-risk students in alternative education settings previously piloted in the area. The project engages students and their teachers at three local alternative high schools in an interactive model environmental education program that features research of local environmental issues. Students interact with local environmental professionals to identify target issues. Employing an interactive problem-solving approach, the goal of the program is to enable at-risk youth to become educated, involved environmental stakeholders within their communities. Students from the Lima City High School Science Department serve as mentors during part of the program. The Ohio State University at Lima is working in partnership with the Lima City Schools Science Department, the Lima City Schools Alternative School, Allen County Educational Service Center, and the Opportunity for Parenting Teens Program. |
| 2002 | OK | 6 | Cache Public Schools -- $5,000 Robin Muse, 201 H. Avenue, Cache, OK 73527 Wonderful H20 - Friend or Foe? Hydrological Research Project Under an interdisciplinary collaborative program, learning-disabled students participate as team leaders for teams of fourth- and fifth-grade students to study water in the classroom and gather field water samples over a 6-month period at 6 different sites in the Cache Creek. The program stimulates student interest in the environmental and environmental/health issues by providing a real-world context for learning while linking the classroom to the needs of the community. Also, the research allows the students to test the water both in the buildings at school and in the watershed area using a hands-on, learner-centered and cooperative-learning approach that investigates the problem of possible water contamination. |
| 2002 | OK | 6 | Osage County Interlocal Cooperative -- $24,163 Susan Frazier, 207 East Main Street, Hominy, OK 74035 Arkansas River Watershed Ecosystems Education This project features the use of the model curricula of training resources from the Oklahoma Blue Thumb Program, the Council for Environmental Education, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project includes training in field-based and lab-based water quality monitoring through a balanced series of expert presentations on environmental careers and local environmental issues impacting the watershed. It encourages reflection, analysis, and action concerning the impacts of the watershed's natural resources in regional economic development. Through its progressive integration of watershed education into secondary school science curricula, the project also serves as a catalyst for education reform in rural, northern Oklahoma. The 22-partner project serves students, teachers, community members in 12 school districts, totaling 2,136 students in grades 6 through 12 in 17 rural communities, 12,186 residents in five counties of 201,606 residents in a 10-county watershed area of 981,682 residents. Partners include 11 other school districts, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, The Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Project GLOBE, Bartlesville Professional Development Center, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, and others. |
| 2002 | OK | 6 | Tulsa County Conservation District -- $11,500 Julie Hamilton, 5401 South Sheridan Road, Suite 201, Tulsa, OK 74145 Tulsa County Conservation Education Project This project creates a community-based environmental education program that increases awareness and understanding of natural resource conservation and promotes the wise use of the natural resources of Tulsa County. The project implements hands-on conservation activities, workshops, and education events to educate and train teachers, educators, citizen volunteers, and students of all ages. To further strengthen the environmental education teaching skills of educators, teacher workshops are given for Tulsa County Schools and universities, and to informal educators. Partners include Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tulsa Area Conservation Foundation, Statewide Blue Thumb Program, City of Tulsa, Tulsa Parks Department, City of Broken Arrow, City of Owasso, City of Sand Springs, and City of Glenpool. |
| 2002 | OK | 6 | YMCA of Greater Tulsa -- $6,562 Laura Hailey-Butler, 2405 E. Skelly Drive, Tulsa, OK 74105 Go Global! Camp Taktoka and the YMCA of Greater Tulsa present an experiential environmental education program targeting low-income schools and students. The Go Global program provides hands-on environmental education seminars during 2 school site pre-visits and a 2-day outdoor experience at Camp Taktoka. Environmental education curricula include migration, water quality, analysis, wetlands, and geology. The curricula teach field-based science concepts as they relate to the unique natural resources of northeastern Oklahoma. Because the instruction is hands on and meaningful for real-life, critical-thinking skills are enhanced and are transferred back to the students' home environments. Camp Taktoka's curriculum is able to take students from awareness to action. Partners include Oklahoma State Department of Education, Tulsa Volunteer Center, Corporation for National Service, City of Tulsa, and surrounding school districts. |
| 2002 | OR | 10 | Hood River County School District -- $5,000 Shelley Hight, P. O. Box 920, Hood River, OR 97031 May Street Elementary School - Wild Bird Habitat and Outdoor Classroom Students and teachers create a wild bird habitat and outdoor classroom at the May Street Elementary School. The wild bird habitat and the outdoor classroom are utilized in the study of life science to improve the understanding of watershed health with a focus on native bird species. The service-learning project encourages critical-thinking and science inquiry, as well as improves the connections that students make in their local watersheds, while contributing to the restoration of urban habitat for native bird species. Biologists and environmental specialists partner with the district to build the bird habitat. The program includes outreach to other schools in the district and families of the students. |
| 2002 | OR | 10 | Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership -- $9,148 Tammy Sanders, 811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97204 Crossing Boundaries Watershed Education Project This program supports a network of teachers participating in hands-on, active, outdoor education along the Lower Columbia River. The program also helps to establish community/school partnerships to increase awareness of protecting watershed resources. Currently, a group of teachers are at various stages in the development of environmental education programs that focus on the Columbia River and its habitats as a component of the standard curriculum. The teachers have taken advantage of local resources, including forest sites adjacent to school property and local wetlands to utilize as study sites. The outcome of the program is a coordinated network of schools with organizational support and interaction that has an environmental education program as part of the standard curriculum. |
| 2002 | OR | 10 | Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,950 Pam Herincks, 1080 SW Baseline, Building B, Suite B-2, Hillsboro, OR 97123 Tualatin Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Education and Outreach The project is designed to educate the public and students about community issues relating to water quality in the Tualatin Watershed. The interactive Enviro-Scape non-point source and wetlands models are demonstrated at 70 presentations, over a 12-month period, to elementary schools, libraries, landowners and community groups. A watershed workshop is held for teachers, and a parent-volunteer program is piloted in the Hillsboro area to sustain the project. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania -- $3,400 Roy Lenhart, 614 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Pittsburgh's Outdoor Classroom: Fayette County School Program Scholarships The project educates secondary school students about the effects of habitat degradation on wildlife resources and the tension between current land development practices and the preservation of natural resources. Students are involved in researching the topic through a series of informative classroom programs and hands-on, outdoor discovery programs. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Blacklick Environmental Education Center -- $4,750 Shannon Peterson, 411 Third Avenue, AMD&ART, Inc., Johnstown, PA 15906 Opportunities for Educational and Wildlife Enhancement and the Vintondale Wetlands The project strives to clean up acid mine drainage, reclaim 35 acres of abandoned mine land, and improve overall quality of life in the community. The project will create 7 acres of wetlands that explore all habitat and educational possibilities; enable community members to maintain the wetlands; engage area schools and other groups in wetlands and educational activities, and receive Wildlife Habitat Council certification. These goals are reached through hands-on activities to establish the wildlife and educational components of this site. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Borough of Central City/Shade Creek Watershed Association -- $7,000 Sharon K. Harkcom, 314 Central Avenue, Suite 201, Central City, PA 15926 Environmental Awareness in the Shade Creek Watershed The project uses hands-on investigation to encourage youth in the area to investigate and implement solutions to environmental problems through presentations, public meetings, and local news reporting. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation -- $10,000 Robert E. Hughes, 485 Smith Pond Road, Luzerne Conservation District, Shavertown, PA 18708 Exploring Pennsylvania's Anthracite Watersheds Impacted by Abandoned Mine Drainage in Luzerne County, PA The project provides a county-wide teacher training program that includes a full-day, hands-on educational workshop on abandoned mine lands, the impacts of former anthracite mining practices on land and water resources, abandoned mine reclamation techniques, and cogeneration and its environmental benefits. Opportunities to network with local resources agencies and community groups are provided, and a county-wide field tour of several watersheds that have successfully completed reclamation and remediation projects is included. Core teachers are able to train other teachers and students on the regional problems associated with this issue. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Philadelphia Health Management Corporation -- $7,019 Tine Hansen-Turton, 260 S. Broad Street, 18th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Lead Safe Babies - Evaluation of a Primary Prevention Program Addressing Childhood Lead Poisoning This program addresses lead poisoning. At nine nurse-managed health care centers in Philadelphia, evaluation is done through testing, data collection, and screening. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Riverbend Environmental Education Center -- $4,000 Timshel Purdum, 1950 Spring Mill Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035 Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment for Life-Long Environmental Learning Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) links students, teachers, and the scientific research community together in an effort to learn more about the environment through student data collection and observation. The goal of the project is to target school groups and teachers in the Philadelphia area, provide hands-on learning about environmental issues, and provide a model program for other nature centers to emulate. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | Shermans Creek Conservation Association -- $5,242 Debra H. Smith, 385 Dark Hollow Road, Shermansdale, PA 17090 Linking Communities Together Through a Local Watershed The goal of the project is to expand community educational outreach and connect students with environmental challenges facing their community and the world. A district-wide approach to science is instituted that includes laboratory investigations, analysis of environmental data in the community, and participation in town meetings. Workshops for this program are coordinated through Dickinson College's Environmental Studies Department in conjunction with the West Perry School District. |
| 2002 | PA | 3 | The Village of Arts and Humanities -- $8,812 Kelly Tannen, 2544 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19133 The Village Environmental Education Partnership The program teaches north Philadelphia children about the environment through the study of native bird species and creation of habitat for birds. By focusing on native bird species, participants gain an understanding about the interconnection of all life between individuals and the environment. The result is the creation of a replicable model for demonstrating the integrating of workshop-based and project-based instruction for effective environmental education. |
| 2002 | PR | 2 | Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico -- $23,043 Myrna L. Robles, P. O. Box 9023554, San Juan, PR 00902 Understanding the Wonders of Puerto Rico's Bioluminescent Bays and Lagoons Working with the University of Puerto Rico Sea Grant College and the Puerto Rico Department of Education, The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico is developing a documentary video and accompanying teacher guide about Puerto Rico's bioluminescent aquatic ecosystems. The video familiarizes students with conditions necessary to maintain the microorganisms that produce bioluminescence. Middle and high school students learn about the interdependence of organisms in the lagoon ecosystems and the impact of shoreline runoff and coastline degradation. Educators review the video prior to final production to ensure its applicability to educational standards. |
| 2002 | RI | 1 | Blackstone Valley Rivers Project -- $11,514 Michael J. Ferry, One Pine Street, Manville, RI 02838 Blackstone Valley Rivers Project Aquaculture Program Students from Woonsocket High School and Mount St. Charles Academy team up to research and raise fish in an aquaculture tank housed at Woonsocket High School. The objective of the program is for students to learn the developmental stages of various fish species found in the Blackstone River and to determine the water quality tolerance levels for these species. All fish raised are released into the river at selected sites. |
| 2002 | RI | 1 | University of Rhode Island -- $14,925 Carol M. Englander, 305 Memorial Union, Kingston, RI 02881 The SMILE Program: Air Quality and Human Health Learning Experiences The Science and Mathematics Investigative Learning Experience (SMILE) provides an academic enrichment program for minority and disadvantaged students in grades 4 through 12. The project uses existing environmental health science-based inquiry curricula and career exploration for SMILE participants. The basic units of the program are after-school SMILE club meetings held weekly that emphasize hands-on, inquiry-based learning in a relaxed atmosphere. Teachers review current curricula in air quality and human health during their professional development workshops. |
| 2002 | SC | 4 | Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands, Inc. -- $10,396 Sara Harden, 715 Betsy Drive, Suite B-7, Columbia, SC 29210 The Ultimate Journey The Ultimate Journey program addresses a cross section of environmental topics, thereby equipping youth with the fundamental knowledge necessary to ensure their equitable treatment in environmental law, policy, and regulation. They learn and understand why the environment is so important to all of us. Participants see for themselves how ordinary, everyday actions have an impact on the natural world. Youth gain environmental knowledge from which they have the ability to explore negative environmental consequences derived from their own actions, as well as the actions of industry and government. Each session provides several interactive activities that allow leaders to select those that best meet the needs, interests, and abilities of club members. The progression of activities from one week to the next prepares members for the culminating event - a trip to a natural area they select and plan. This program encourages young people to be engaged and receptive to the world around them and has the potential to be replicated across the country in similar settings. |
| 2002 | SD | 8 | The Source: A Boys and Girls Club -- $22,500 Curtis Dunn, 511 Main Avenue, Sisseton, SD 57262 Environmental Education Health Choices for Youth The project focuses on children's health in a structured yet informal program at the Source's three boys and girls clubs. The project also provides opportunities for staff of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe Office of Environmental Protection to network with the Source's native youth. The project focuses on hands-on learning to benefit the local environmental plan, thereby ensuring that future environmental choices for youth reflect responsible guardianship of their own environment. |
| 2002 | TN | 4 | Global Village Institute -- $5,000 Albert K. Bates, P. O. Box 90, Summertown, TN 38483 Ecovillage Children's Garden This program provides an active education experience for children of low-income rural households and underprivileged inner-city residents in the mid-Tennessee region to promote a better understanding and appreciation of environmental issues. The Ecovillage Children's Garden is designed to immerse children in the benefits of cultivating sustainable lifestyles. Underprivileged children are housed, fed, and provided instruction about activities relating to the theme of creating and enjoying frugal lifestyles in harmony with nature. Children plan, plant, cultivate, and harvest organic gardens, sample water in wetlands, grid-survey forest biota, and monitor their own energy and waste through-puts. Families with children below established poverty levels make up 100 percent of the demographic mix, of which single-parent families represent 80 percent; 49 percent are from black single-parent families. |
| 2002 | TN | 4 | University of Tennessee at Martin -- $21,732 Ramona Nelson, 145 Gooch Hall, Martin, TN 38238 Meeting Curriculum Standards with an Environmental Education Program This project brings together a team of teachers to align the GLOBE program with the Tennessee curriculum in grades kindergarten through 8, and develop implementation plans by which schools can integrate GLOBE into the required curriculum. A team of experienced GLOBE teacher/trainers meet in a 5-day session to complete the task of alignment and development. This team then conducts 3 GLOBE teacher training workshops for 63 kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers from 6 schools. These schools are located in both rural and urban settings in Tennessee. The newly trained teachers implement the GLOBE program during the upcoming school year. The final phase of the project involves the collection of pre- and post-data on the teachers and students, as well as control groups of non-GLOBE teachers and students. This data includes attitude surveys, assessment of content knowledge, and evaluation of the project. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | American YouthWorks (AYW) -- $14,883 Paul Bond, 216 East 4th Street, Austin, TX 78701 Traveling Watershed Awareness Workshop This project involves training two teachers from five participating schools in and near the Slaughter Creek Watershed and the City of Austin's Water Quality Protection Lands to use the American Youth Works Traveling Watershed Awareness Workshop in their classrooms. The workshop combines curriculum and information from the Texas Natural Resource Information System, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, and Austin's Water and Waste Water Conservation Department. Teachers learn how to present an important environmental topic using a set of hands-on tools, including a 3-dimensional model of the Slaughter Creek Watershed, Internet sites, and curriculum. The watershed travels to 5 elementary and middle schools and remains in each school for at least 2 weeks. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Houston Independent School District -- $4,536 Ada Cooper, 3830 Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX 77027 Project 3G: Getting Green at Grady Using gardening as a focus, this project provides teachers with training and resources to integrate science and environmental education across the curriculum. Issues addressed are ecosystem protection and energy conservation. Teachers attend introductory workshops on environmental education, environmental issues, and integrated lesson planning. Lessons demonstrate how environmental science can be integrated into other subject areas while meeting required curriculum goals and objectives. Hands-on activities and inquiry-based learning in the garden are emphasized. The target teacher audience includes sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade teachers of science, mathematics, and language arts from Grady Elementary. Key partners include the Houston Independent School District Science Department, the Marcile Hollingsworth Science Center, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, and the Houston Chapter of the American Meteorological Society. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Houston Independent School District -- $5,000 Ada Cooper, 3830 Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX 77027 Project Butterflies are Forever: A Project to Teach Elementary School Age Children About Ecosystems This project encourages elementary students at Askew Elementary School to study the environmental pressures affecting the populations of butterflies in Houston, Texas. The study makes students aware of human contamination of the environment. Students collect data through the observation of their own captive collection of butterflies, and through growing native plants at school. The students take several field trips to observe wild populations of butterflies living in natural settings. Entomology and botany experts present interactive programs from Rice University and students from the horticulture classes at Revere Middle School. Key partners are Dr. Carlos R. Solis, Ph.D. Rice University and Robin L. Hunter, Community Coordinator. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Keep Texas Beautiful -- $22,035 Stacey George Cantu, 823 Congress Avenue, Suite 230, Austin, TX 78701 Waste In Place This project hosts eight Waste in Place curriculum workshops and distributes Keep Texas Beautiful youth environmental education kits. Waste in Place is a hands-on youth environmental education curriculum. The interdisciplinary curriculum for grades kindergarten through 8 provides resource materials and hands-on activities for educators and students to examine their environment, including land, water, and air issues. The goals are to provide materials to increase the environmental awareness of educators and youth, to offer formal and informal educators a proven resource tool, and to provide regional workshops. The objectives include training educators through workshops offered in 8 locations in the state to reach formal and informal educators, and to reach thousands of youths. Partners include Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and Texas Forest Service. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Richardson Independent School District -- $5,000 Duana Kindle, 9501 Ferndale, Dallas, TX 75238 The Wildcat Wilderness This project is an outdoor learning lab that provides students the opportunity to experience and discover the connections between science, nature, and humanity with an interactive, hands-on approach to learning. The use of the "Wildcat Wilderness" is integrated into classroom instruction with each grade level being assigned defined areas for planting and experimenting. Students are provided interactive time in the Wildcat Wilderness with their teachers, parent/community volunteers, high school peer helpers, garden club members, and guest speakers. The 695 students that attend Lake Highlands Elementary School benefit from the experience. Partners include Eagle Scouts, labor and construction provided by the Dad's Club, the Lake Highlands Elementary Garden Club, and financial and volunteer support of the Parent/Teacher Association. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Stephen F. Austin State University -- $11,300 Elyce Rodewald, P. O. Box 13000-SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962 It's a Wonderful World: Promoting Environmental Education Programs in Deep East Texas This project promotes existing, teacher-tested, quality environmental education programs from 9 partners to 52 school districts in 11 counties. Using student participants, partners present environmental education programs to science teachers. The first method is a field day during which each teacher selects one program that best fits his or her curriculum. After the field day, partners provide subsequent, in-depth training to teachers, showing them how to incorporate the selected program in their courses. The concept is to develop a wide-reaching, cost-effective, collaborative effort to share the benefits of environmental education with teachers and students. The goals are to promote the use of existing, reputable environmental education programs, provide professional development opportunities for science teachers, and decrease duplication of existing environmental education programs in the region. The target audiences are 100 elementary and secondary school science teachers at public, private and home schools in 52 school districts in East Texas. Partners include Texas Forest Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful, Stephen F. Austin Secondary and Elementary Education Departments, Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Texas Forestry Museum, Texas Forestry Association, and Stephen F. Austin Arthur Temple College of Forestry. |
| 2002 | TX | 6 | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Jim Needham, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412 Gulf Coast Environmental Education Program Set in a region that is both environmentally rich and economically disadvantaged, the project delivers environmental education to a large and diverse group of citizens, including students in grades 5 through 7, teachers, senior citizens, and the general public. The goal of the 2-year project is to raise environmental awareness through a combination of youth summer camps, environmental education workshops for teachers, field trips for teachers and their classes, community events, and environmental expeditions for senior citizens. The project is designed to provide participants with scientific knowledge, raise awareness and understanding of key environmental issues, and impart enhanced analytical and critical-thinking skills. Key partners in the project include the Partnership for Environmental and Safety Outreach, the Corpus Christi and Flour Bluff Independent School Districts, the Texas Rural Systemic Initiative, and the Corpus Christi Community Advisory Council. Other partners include the Adopt-A-Wetland Program, the Texas State Aquarium, the CCA-CPL Fish Hatchery, the Padre Island National Seashore, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and the Sea Grant Program. |
| 2002 | UT | 8 | Glendale Middle School -- $5,000 David Roberts, 1430 West Andrew Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84104 Real World Environmental Science: Sea Monkeys and Other Mysteries of the Great Salt Lake This project uses the Great Salt Lake as a demonstration site for under-represented seventh-grade students to gain hands-on environmental education experience. Minority and low-income students investigate brine shrimp, also known as sea monkeys, which are a key food source for over 4 million migratory birds. Brine shrimp are vulnerable due to salinity in the lake. Great Salt Lake is the fourth largest hypersaline lake in the world, a closed basin with no surface water outlet. The entire Wasatch mountain front, one of North America's fastest growing urban regions, drains into the lake. The project meets the State of Utah's core curriculum requirements while engaging students' curiosity and excitement about environmental science. |
| 2002 | UT | 8 | University of Utah -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Ray Beckett, 1495 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Training High School Science Teachers and Students in the Western States Based on a successful pilot project that had been implemented in several Utah high schools, this project expands on that pilot’s environmental research and training with science teachers and students in high schools in many western states. Through a combination of teacher training workshops and mentoring support provided by university students, high school students design and implement project proposals addressing environmental problems in their communities. Under the 1-year program, students interact with students in other states, conduct research, and prepare a report documenting their efforts. Science teachers from at least five of the nine western states participate in the training. The project represents a partnership between the Utah Engineering Experiment Station; the University of Utah College of Mines and Earth Sciences and the College of Engineering; the departments of education and environmental quality in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and the business community. |
| 2002 | UT | 8 | University of Utah -- $5,000 Bill Ernest, 1471 Federal Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Field Biology Ecological Research The Ecological Research Methods course is designed in part to be a survey of research methods, so each project is completed in 1 day. While the design is appropriate for exploring many types of research designs, students do not have time to gather enough data to answer all their questions about the natural world. By completing independent research projects, students are able to conduct in-depth research along the Wasatch Front on a topic of their choice. Reports from the projects are posted on the Red Butte Garden web site to make their findings available to students, teachers, and the community. |
| 2002 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Eric Chandler, 350 South 400 East, Suite G-4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Develop Programs and Materials in Utah's Environmental Education Community The project goals are to establish a process to review Utah environmental education programs and materials in accordance with the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) guidelines and to increase the quality of environmental education programs and materials. A core team of 15 to 20 people who are experts in NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence are conducting a pilot project to review 8 to 10 environmental education programs. |
| 2002 | VT | 1 | University of Vermont and State Agriculture College -- $5,000 Beverly Blakeney, 340 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405 Vermont Campus Greening Conference The outcome of this project is the development of a set of shared goals for campuses to reduce environmental impacts and a set of initiatives coordinated with environmental agencies. The methodology is to hold a statewide conference that brings together state environmental agency representatives, students, faculty, and staff from the academic and operational sides of the 21 institutions of higher education in Vermont. While a number of institutions have recycling options, few have energy plans or purchasing policies that reflect government standards for environmental materials. |
| 2002 | VT | 1 | Vermont Forum on Sprawl -- $10,000 Sarah Judd, 110 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401 On-line Community Planning Workshop This organization, partnering with Chaplain College, offers an on-line community-planning workshop to help communities plan for future growth. The program provides public participation techniques, introduces successful development practices from Vermont and other states, explores settlement protection, and provides a model of bylaws that communities can apply to promote economic growth while reinforcing compact village and landscape patterns. |
| 2002 | VA | 3 | The College of William and Mary -- $13,256 Britt E. Anderson, P. O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 Turning Adversity into Opportunity: Linking Environmental Education Programs to Virginia's Standards of Learning This program strengthens the teaching skills of local primary school teachers by showing them how they can enhance their science curriculum by incorporating environmental education programs into their curriculum. The information gathered by this program is disseminated via teacher training workshops. These workshops introduce federal programs to the teachers, illustrate how these programs help students achieve science standards of learning, and provide teachers with information and materials that will help incorporate the programs into their existing curricula. |
| 2002 | VA | 3 | University of Virginia -- $12,000 Tanya Denckla, 1644 Rugby Road, P. O. Box 400179, Charlottesville, VA 22904 Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute This program brings together Virginia community leaders from all sectors to learn about major environmental issues and the impact of these issues on Virginia communities, ranging from health impacts to economic sustainability. The study also focuses on individual case studies and a wide range of methods that can be used to engage communities in collaborative problem-solving, productive dialogue, and resolution of environmental issues important to community health and sustainability. |
| 2002 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $5,000 Alan Raflo, 100 Sandy Hall (0360), Blacksburg, VA 24061 Career Development Through Virginia's Service Training for Environmental Progress Program (Virginia STEP) The project places two college students in one Virginia community to work on a water-related issue identified by the community. The students gain experience and skills in water resources, community organization, and public service. |
| 2002 | WA | 10 | 911 Media Arts Center -- $22,500 Malory Graham, 117 Yale Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 STUFF: The Secret Life of Everyday Things In this environmental educational program, 25 high school students explore the relationship between consumerism and waste production and their own consumption habits. They mentor with professional media producers to create a 10-minute video that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the production, distribution, and consumption of an everyday household object. The project increases the capacity of three organizations: the 911 Media Arts center (non-profit educational organization), King County Solid Waste (government natural resources agency), and Foster High School (public high school) to develop a strategic model for producing and delivering environmental education video projects on a county level. |
| 2002 | WA | 10 | City of Edmonds -- $5,000 Sally Lider, 700 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020 Schoolyard Habitat Network The goal of this project is to promote and facilitate the creation of schoolyard habitats in kindergarten through 12th-grade schools in Edmonds and the surrounding community. Participation in the planning, design, implementation, and ongoing monitoring and maintenance of habitats provide teachers and students with the opportunity to connect with nature while achieving required academic goals. The project increases the awareness of teachers about other national habitat programs, helps individual schools assess their schoolyards for habitat enhancement potential, offers an educator workshop, and facilitates the network between local schools engaged in identical projects. |
| 2002 | WA | 10 | Pacific Science Center -- $21,423 Paula Williams, 200 Second Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program This project stimulates interest in environmental science careers by providing hands-on learning opportunities for high school student participants through a project-based watershed monitoring program. The strategy uses local surroundings to generate natural curiosity for the environment and teaches concepts of biology and environmental education. It is also designed to develop job skills, to investigate environmental science as a career option, and to encourage participants to pursue their interest in environmental science through college and vocational programs and careers in the field. The students use a local watershed to develop science process skills of observing, predicting, experimenting, and collecting and interpreting data and applying knowledge. The interns interact with elementary school students to investigate science concepts and to stimulate interest in environmental science careers. |
| 2002 | WA | 10 | Quillayute Valley School District -- $5,000 Sheryl Schaaf, P. O. Box 60, Forks, WA 98331 Kids in the Creek This project helps students understand the importance of water quality as an indicator of ecosystem health. Third- and seventh-grade students increase their knowledge and experience of how science works and occurs in the real world. They raise salmon in the classroom, place them in the creek, and monitor their progress. Comparative changes throughout the year are compiled and analyzed, which are then shared with nine other school districts via videoconferencing. Teachers become better trained in ecosystem protection, how to test and monitor its health, and how to engage students in true inquiry-based science instruction. The project is conducted by the Quillayute Valley School District (led by their Science Coordinator). Practical experience is provided by the Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition and the University of Washington. |
| 2002 | WA | 10 | Stillwaters Environmental Education Center -- $15,852 Joleen Palmer, 26059 Barber Cut Off Road, Kingston, WA 98346 Carpenter Creek Integrated Watershed Curriculum Using existing watershed curricula, this project creates a "Supplemental Activities Guide" to augment the existing junior high science curriculum. The guide incorporates Critical Work Function Skills for environmental careers and the state's Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Activities are field- and classroom-based, project-oriented, and localized to this particular watershed. Teacher training workshops for about 20 teachers in 5 local schools are planned. Twenty-five volunteers are recruited and trained to assist teachers in the field and the classroom. |
| 2002 | WV | 3 | Cacapon Institute -- $5,000 W. Neil Gillies, Route 1, P. O. Box 326, High View, WV 26808 Stream Scholars Summer Camp The camp provides eighth-grade students with a mix of hands-on stream work, discussions, and writing centered around the topics of stream ecology. The camp encourages environmental careers and education to increase West Virginia's need for an increased rate of college attendance. |
| 2002 | WV | 3 | Friends of the Cheat -- $7,383 Meredith Pavlick, 119 S. Price Street, Suite 206, Kingwood, WV 26537 Acid Mine Drainage and Watershed Awareness Education Program The project raises awareness about the impacts of mining on local waterways. An acid mine drainage interpretive trail is developed that addresses environmental issues through interpretive materials found along the path. An environmental education awareness program is also developed to teach children about environmental issues in their area. |
| 2002 | WV | 3 | Lightstone Foundation, Inc. -- $5,000 Anthony E. Smith, PhD., P. O. Box 73, Moyers, WV 26815 Watersheds and Their Communities Lightstone's 600-acre organic farm serves as a dormitory, classroom, and laboratory for 1 week of intensive, experimental training that includes the study of plant and animal ecology and water. |
| 2002 | WV | 3 | Potomac Valley Audubon Society -- $11,728 Kristin Alexander, P. O. Box 578, Shepherdstown, WV 25443 A Watershed Education Initiative for Eastern West Virginia This project evaluates the effectiveness of a watershed program in the panhandle of West Virginia for future use as an outreach program by the Yankauer Nature Preserve. The program introduces fourth-grade students to the concept of watersheds, and explains why they are important and how to take care of them. Evaluation of the program focuses on students' knowledge of watersheds and related environmental issues and changes in attitudes towards the environment. Teachers evaluate the implementation methods of the program and identify areas for program improvement. The watershed concept is poorly understood by the Eastern Panhandle community at large. This program helps students and teachers gain awareness of the watershed concept. |
| 2002 | WI | 5 | Aldo Leopold Nature Center -- $20,273 Kathe Crowley Conn, 300 Femrite Drive, Monona, WI 53716 Nature Net Online Directory A teachers' statewide on-line interactive directory answers the question "Where do I go on a field trip?" The directory provides links to nature center programs throughout Wisconsin. A teacher is able to view an on-line map of Wisconsin, identify a geographic area of interest, and click on that area to obtain a list of links to nature center programs. |
| 2002 | WI | 5 | River Revitalization Foundation, Inc. -- $9,865 Kimberly Gleffe, 200 N. Jefferson Street, #201, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Take Me to the River The River Revitalization Foundation, Inc. works toward increasing awareness and appreciation of the Milwaukee River among minority students in the Milwaukee Public School District. More than 300 students are reached through the project. |
| 2002 | WI | 5 | Superior School District -- $11,100 Peggy Smith, 3025 Tower Avenue, Superior, WI 54880 Superior Community-Based Environmental Education Eight teachers in grades 7 through 12 work with 10 representatives from local businesses and government agencies to develop 3 classroom projects that integrate site-based learning into the district's environmental education curriculum. Prior to project design, the teachers visit community workplaces to learn about current environmental challenges, industry concerns, and the academic skills needed for employment. An important goal of the project is to strengthen the school program through the development of partnerships. |
| 2002 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education -- $5,000 Paul Denowski, 223 Nelson Hall, UWSP, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Investigating and Re-establishing Midwest Environmental Education Regionalism The Midwest Environmental Education Conference is an annual regional conference encompassing eight states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. The goal is to assemble key environmental education leaders from each state to examine the current regional structure, and to explore the opportunities for increasing environmental education capacity on a regional scale. |
| 2002 | WY | 8 | National Audubon Society of Wyoming -- $5,000 Vicki L. Spencer, 101 Garden Creed Road, Casper, WY 82604 Volunteer Natural Training Program The project creates a comprehensive training program for 25 volunteers who introduce visitors to the Audubon Center at Garden Creek. The volunteers are trained to provide natural history background and natural interpretation, and guide visitors throughout the facility. The volunteer naturalists expand the center's program to serve an additional 3,000 nonstudents each year. |
| 2003 | AL | 4 | University of Alabama at Birmingham -- $22,000 Alan Antenucci, 620 20th Street South, NHB 104, Birmingham, AL 35233 Birmingham Air Quality Study The goal of this project is to enhance the student awareness, knowledge, and skills that are needed to make decisions affecting environmental quality by working with middle and high school teachers and their students. Textbooks often lack specific examples of how the information provided is of practical value. By moving away from a strictly textbook-based approach, student participants experience better performance on standardized tests, improved classroom management, increased enthusiasm for learning, and greater pride and ownership in accomplishments. The first step to achieving project goals was the adoption of the GLOBE curriculum in 2000 by the Birmingham City Schools. The project offers training workshops for 30 middle and high school teachers in the Birmingham area and provides equipment and supplies for their classrooms. The training and equipment enable the teachers and their students to gather air quality and atmospheric data using GLOBE curriculum protocols. |
| 2003 | AK | 10 | Alaska Bird Observatory -- $5,000 Andrea Swingley, P.O. Box 80505, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Frosty Feathers of the Far North This project uses activity-based lessons and teacher workshops to involve fourth- through eighth-grade students and teachers in scientific inquiries into black-capped chickadee behavior and ecology in Alaska. The harsh winter conditions present a unique challenge to teaching applied environmental science during the school year. The workshops enhance teachers' skills for teaching environmental subjects and conducting scientific inquiry in their classrooms. In the first year of the project, the lessons, combined with classroom visits by the Alaska Bird Observatory's education coordinator and implementation of a project web site, have educated approximately 272 students about environmental careers, the ecology of a common resident bird species in Alaska, potential environmental threats to birds, and how to conduct scientific inquiries. |
| 2003 | AK | 10 | Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc. -- $5,000 Marilyn Sigman, P.O. Box 2225, Homer, AK 99603 Youth Area Watch Teacher Training Workshop The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc. (CACS), is developing and coordinating the first 2-day training workshop for teachers involved in the Youth Area Watch (YAW) program, which is an environmental science and education program. This program stresses the involvement of students in real-world environmental research and monitoring through scientist-student partnerships. The focus of the teacher training workshop is to (1) provide participation in ecosystem-scale environmental monitoring and research projects, (2) familiarize teachers from 11 south-central Alaska communities with the science content and environmental education expectations for student learning that can be addressed through YAW activities, and (3) integrate the Chugach School District’s science content and environmental education expectations for student learning into the YAW program for all participating schools. CACS trains teachers in Project GLOBE coastal data collection activities, and scientists introduce the environmental issues related to their research. The program serves as a model that can be extended to schools in other Alaska communities. |
| 2003 | AK | 10 | Dig Afognak Academy -- $20,000 John Larsen, 204 E Rezanof Drive, Suite 100, Kodiak, AK 99615 Academy of Elders Science Camp Environmental Education Documentary An intergenerational training camp for 10 teachers, 8 Alutiiq elders, and 36 students explores how to blend traditional and scientific knowledge in public education. The camp (1) examines environmental threats to the community and its resources; (2) strengthens students' critical-thinking skills and confidence levels in math, science, and technology studies; (3) trains teachers in methods for implementing environmental education; (4) takes advantage of firsthand knowledge from Alutiiq elders; and (5) explores projects that are relevant to rural survival and lifestyles and to native ingenuity. The Academy of Elders is making a documentary film about the training camp to educate people about the important environmental issues impacting the region. This documentary is to be made available to schools, shown at multiple venues, and aired on public access cable television. Following the completion of the camp, the students continue to work with experts in their fields of study, teachers, and elders to complete projects for a competition at the Rural Science Fair. Upon completion of the fair, the students’ projects are publicized on the camp’s web page and in the local media and are presented to tribal councils. |
| 2003 | AZ | 9 | Arizona Board of Regents - University of Arizona -- $17,834 Anne Browning-Aiken, P.O. Box 3308, Tucson, AZ 85722 ECOSTART and the San Pedro River ECOSTART is a watershed-based environmental education program that builds the capacity of Sierra Vista elementary schools to educate their students about water conservation, basic ecological concepts, and bird and fish habitats associated with the San Pedro riparian corridor in southeastern Arizona. ECOSTART links University of Arizona educators, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, the Tucson Audubon Society, and Arizona Project Wet with Sierra Vista elementary school teachers and their students, the Sierra Vista Water Wise school program, and the Friends of the San Pedro. ECOSTART uses a series of teacher workshops and student and teacher field trips to address community and school needs for knowledge and understanding of the relationships between a geographic sense of place, ecosystem functioning, and natural resources. |
| 2003 | AZ | 9 | Tucson Audubon Society -- $5,013 Jennie Duberstein, 300 E. University Boulevard, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705 Proyecto Corredor Colibri Proyecto Corredor Colibri (PCC) is a binational, collaborative project that works directly with communities in the Mexican portion of the Upper San Pedro Watershed. PCC focuses on natural and cultural resource conservation. Specific project goals include (1) capacity building among local residents; (2) conservation of biodiversity; and (3) development of ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable programs that stand as examples to communities throughout the watershed. PCC accomplishes its goals through environmental education and community outreach, research and monitoring, and economic diversification activities, seeking win-win situations for both communities and conservation. |
| 2003 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas -- $20,109 Lynne Hehr, 120 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Waste Not, Want Not - Environmental Issues of Waste Disposal This pilot project engages 25 regional science teachers in Arkansas in an initial 5-day workshop that focuses on issues associated with toxic and nontoxic waste disposal and provides 15 hours of follow-up mentoring. The instruction and information received during this project allow the teachers to have a potential environmental education impact on 3,000 to 3,750 students each year. The workshop includes lectures; hands-on sessions; visits to the University of Arkansas campus; and field trips to Waste Management Tontitown Landfill, a sinking creek in the Savoy Watershed, a recycling facility, and a wastewater treatment plant. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties -- $18,595 Janie Davies, 2750 Fourth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 Kids for Clean Air The goal of the Kids for Clean Air program is to educate young people about the causes of air pollution and how individuals can take personal action to make the air cleaner. The program is targeted toward low-income elementary school students throughout San Diego is an important pollution prevention and environmental literacy initiative. Through the program, students achieve an increase of at least 25 percent in their knowledge of how their lungs work, how contaminants affect their lungs, what causes air pollution, and what they can do to help create cleaner air. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | California Academy of Sciences -- $5,000 J. Patrick Kociolek, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 Wild City! Urban Environmental Education Wild City! Urban Environmental Education activities are for fourth- and fifth-grade public school students in San Francisco communities where residents are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. The project connects scientific and environmental concepts to everyday life and experiences in order to make learning science fun and interesting for children, many of whom have had little or no previous experience in the natural world. Wild City! helps participants understand biodiversity at the species and ecosystem levels, emphasizes the importance of local biodiversity as well as the problems facing biodiversity and possible solutions, gives each child the opportunity to contribute personally to the preservation of biodiversity through a restoration or cleanup project, and establishes a connection and a potential ongoing relationship between each child and the resources of the California Academy of Sciences. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | California State University, Chico Research Foundation -- $10,000 Roxanne Baxter, 1163 East Seventh Street, Chico, CA 95928 Kids and Creeks In the Kids and Creeks project, student activities include raising salmonids to the fry stage in the classroom, participating in riparian restoration field trips, and studying creek ecology. Fifteen classes raise salmonids in their classrooms and attend at least one riparian restoration field trip and one Creek Ecology Day field trip. California State University's objective is to help teachers by providing them with in-service training workshops, materials, mentors, and field trips to support curriculum development. Teachers play key roles in planning field trip activities, especially Creek Ecology Days. In addition to 2nd- through 12th-grade teachers and students, at least 200 community members, including college students, parents, teacher’s aides, and community volunteers, participate in the project. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Ecological Farming Association -- $10,750 Kristin Rosenow, 406 Main Street, #313, Watsonville, CA 95076 South-Central Coast Strawberry Conference Series This project involves holding a Strawberry Conference Series and farm tour for south-central coast growers in spring 2004. The project’s focus is on promoting successful post-methyl bromide production methods and on providing outreach to underserved Spanish-speaking and low-income growers. The conference series is similar to activities for Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties funded by EPA in 2002. The objectives of the conference series are to help farmers evaluate different production methods based on economic and environmental criteria and to increase their understanding of the tools, techniques, and resources available to help them make responsible production decisions for themselves and the environment. The goal of the conference series is that growers implement practices that meet economic and management requirements while reducing negative environmental and health impacts. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Friends of Famosa Slough -- $5,000 James Peugh, P.O. Box 87280, San Diego, CA 92138 Rolling Wetland Laboratories This project involves the purchase or fabrication of mobile research wagons and interactive wetland assessment tools. Together with presentations, these items provide students and the public with a better understanding of watersheds, water quality, and plant and animal communities. Moreover, the project furnishes teachers with a comprehensive, “turnkey” means of maximizing the educational value of Famosa Slough. The interactive tools help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills and impart enduring impressions of watershed investigations. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Mattole Restoration Council -- $5,000 Chris Larsen, P.O. Box 160, Petrolia, CA 95558 Mattole Ecological Education Program The Mattole Restoration Council is supporting career development projects for Mattole students. The council’s Mattole Ecological Education Program is expanding its career development services for high school students, providing 25 in-class visits and five field trips for six Mattole Watershed public schools and hosting the annual Watershed Week event. Each of these components ensures that students receive an adequate level of ecological education and that they are exposed to potential careers in local and regional watershed restoration. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | North Tahoe Middle School -- $3,455 David B. Curry, 10096 Olympic Boulevard, Truckee, CA 96161 Community Water Watch This cross-curricular, multidisciplinary, and cross-grade-level project is linking two school districts in two states to examine the environmental issues of different communities from the economic, political, social, and cultural viewpoints. The project is designed to improve the investigative skills of all the participating students and to encourage collaborative research on local, national, and global environmental issues. Community Water Watch focuses mainly on capacity building. Students connect with students from another community while studying environmental science. Students also work closely with partner agencies through use of web conferences, guest speakers, field studies, and field trips. Teachers involved in the project collaborate with one another and with the partner agencies. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Placer Land Trust and Nature Center -- $4,580 Linda Desai, 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA 95602 Learning from the Land The Learning from the Land outreach program provides a 1-day field study educational experience for fifth- through eighth-grade students at the Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary. The program addresses the history of local land use, stream and grassland ecology concepts, and restoration projects at the sanctuary. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy -- $55,350 (HQ Grant) Rick Thomas, P.O. Box 963, Glendora, CA 91740 Think River! Interactive Youth Watershed Education Program Developed by the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy, this project educates students and teachers through hands-on lessons about watershed topics and includes visioning exercises to obtain the input of young people for a watershed management plan for the San Gabriel River. The "Think River!" program promotes collaborative partnerships with local municipalities, schools, clubs, and businesses and provides a forum for ongoing evaluation of the watershed education curriculum. The project includes a high school mentor program for 11th- and 12th-grade students, a teacher education workshop for 5th-grade teachers, and a youth watershed conference for 5th-grade students. The key partners in this project are the City of Azusa and a formal planning committee made up of representatives from local organizations. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Santa Barbara Zoological Foundation -- $5,453 Jill Rode, 500 Ninos Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 The Zoo Explorers Program The purpose of the Zoo Explorers program is to encourage students in grades 9 through 12 to pursue environmental careers. The program provides the students with opportunities to meet conservation professionals and participate in hands-on conservation projects. In the year-long program, Zoo Explorers meet with professionals involved in various aspects of environmental conservation. These professionals range from plant biologists to gorilla behavior researchers to zookeepers, and the students meet a different professional each month. In addition to listening to lectures given by the environmental professionals, the students participate in hands-on activities that allow them to actually practice conservation. Throughout the program, the students develop and implement conservation projects for their homes, schools, or community. The projects are implemented at the middle of the year, evaluated at the end of the year, and judged based on the students’ development of the projects. The three students who display the best use of their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in their projects receive Youth Conservation Scholarships for college in the amounts of -- $1,000; -- $750; and -- $500. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | Save San Francisco Bay Association -- $10,000 David Lewis, 1600 Broadway, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612 Canoes in Sloughs Watershed Education and Community-Based Restoration Program The Save San Francisco Bay Association launched this program in 1996 as the first experiential education program in the San Francisco Bay area that was “on the water” and tailored to middle and high school students. The hands-on educational and restoration activities offered through the Canoes in Sloughs program help to restore wetland habitat, improve water quality and the overall health of San Francisco Bay, and build understanding of and support for the bay and its ecosystems among a new generation of bay area residents. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | South Yuba River Citizens League -- $5,000 Janet Cohen, 216 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959 River Teachers Science Docent Program The goal of the South Yuba River Citizens League River Teachers Science Docent Program is to train volunteers to work with teachers in order to expand education about water quality and salmon habitat in local first- through sixth-grade classrooms. To accomplish this goal, the Science Docent Program is providing monthly training sessions for volunteer educators. Each of these workshops trains the volunteers to present an enjoyable, hands-on lesson related to water quality or salmon habitat that is consistent with California Content Standards. After each workshop, volunteers visit their partner classrooms in pairs to present the interactive lesson to the students. The lessons give students the opportunity to learn about the natural world while developing their skills for observing, communicating, investigating, and thinking critically about the environment. By the end of its pilot phase, the program is scheduled to reach approximately 20 volunteer educators, 300 first- through sixth-grade students, and 10 classroom teachers with three hands-on lessons on water. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | TreePeople Inc. -- $10,000 Richard Wegman, 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Environmental Education - CREEC Network for Los Angeles County The project expands the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network for Los Angeles County, or “CREEC-LA.” CREEC-LA is part of a statewide network supervised (and funded in part) by the California Department of Education, Office of Environmental Education. Through this clearinghouse network, public and private educators gain quick access to a wide range of environmental education providers to support their classrooms. These environmental education providers include nonprofit organizations, resource agencies, and commercial entities that offer educational programs, curricula, and materials. At present, CREEC-LA provides 8,000 Los Angeles County teachers with a database of 250 prescreened environmental education programs. During the 2003-2004 program year (September to August), CREEC-LA is doubling the number of resources in the database, and through a series of six leadership workshops, CREEC-LA is enhancing the effectiveness of the environmental education programs. At the same time, CREEC-LA is supporting the connections between programs and teachers through marketing and by providing one-on-one support to teachers. |
| 2003 | CA | 9 | TreePeople Inc. -- $2,000 Richad Wegman, 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Campus Forestry Program The TreePeople Inc. campus forestry professional development program trains teachers to use environmental service-learning as a hands-on teaching tool through which state-mandated academic requirements can be taught. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Mike Way, 15260 Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Colorado Environmental Education Professional Development Initiative This project ensures that people entering the environmental education community are grounded with a firm understanding of the fundamentals and guiding principles of environmental education. Secondarily, the project is helping the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education to establish a sustainable process for future training and development of environmental education leaders in the state. The project is also helping to ensure that the guiding principles of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education are a focal point for Colorado’s environmental education practitioners. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Colorado Energy Science Center -- $5,000 Patrick Keegan, 1767A Denver West Boulevard, Suite 49, Golden, CO 80401 Connecting Energy Education in the Classroom to Real-World Problem-Solving The Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) is expanding its kindergarten through 12th-grade energy education initiative to support a cadre of at least 100 teachers and 1,500 students in the investigation of energy use and efficiency. In addition, CESC is providing professional development services for at least 50 teachers, implementing model classroom energy lessons, conducting at least 30 classroom programs, and hosting a public forum for at least 250 students to share what they have learned about home energy efficiency and conservation. Project achievements include more educated students, economic benefits for energy users, and reduced air pollution. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Colorado Wildlife Heritage Foundation -- $14,000 Elaine Sturges, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 Colorado Study Buddy Stewardship Program This project is helping young people learn about local ecology and is implementing local stewardship efforts that improve wildlife habitat and natural resources. The project pairs high school science classes one-on-one with elementary school classes (in grades 1 through 3) for a school year to study local ecology and implement a wildlife habitat improvement project. The older and younger students become “study buddies” as they visit each other’s schools and classrooms, take joint field trips, participate in classroom science and literacy activities, complete a community stewardship project, and make a year-end public presentation for parents and community members. The project’s main objectives are to help students learn and practice positive stewardship skills in order to improve wildlife habitat, increase the students’ science and literacy skills, and increase the high school students’ leadership and teaching skills. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Earth Walk -- $10,000 Stacy C. Turnbull, 3607 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Suite 101, Denver, CO 80205 Service-Learning Expansion This project is increasing students’ awareness of environmental issues in their neighborhoods and community using the nationally recognized Earth Force curriculum, which guides students through a research-to-action, critical-thinking process. First students explore their community and learn about its resources. Then speakers from local agencies provide students with background information about a project related to environmental restoration. Next the students engage in the project and make presentations to the community about their findings. Earth Walk is providing service-learning opportunities to 80 students in northeast Denver and is expanding into additional schools. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Front Range Earth Force -- $24,750 Lisa Bardwell, 2120 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 GREEN Youth Action Initiative: GREEN Institute for Teachers with Spanish-Speaking Students This project is incorporating a low-income and culturally diverse audience–specifically, a growing Spanish-speaking community–into both new and existing environmental education and restoration efforts. Front Range Earth Force is providing training and an award-winning curriculum in both Spanish and English to 20 schoolteachers who work in low-income regions in the Denver metropolitan area. Participating teachers learn to teach science concepts using an educational model that focuses on (1) hands-on investigation of a local watershed, (2) analysis of data collected by students, (3) understanding of the policies and practices regulating behavior in the area, and (4) effective community engagement to preserve or improve the environmental health of the watershed. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Gore Range Natural Science School -- $5,000 Kim Langmaid, 400 Pine Street, P.O. Box 250, Redcliff, CO 81649 Science Outreach and Applied Research Community Issues Education This project is expanding the Science Outreach and Applied Research (SOAR) watershed education program. This program provides students in Eagle and Lake Counties in Colorado with hands-on experience and ecological understanding of their local watersheds. The program enables the students to make informed land management decisions and to become stewards of the natural environment where they live. In addition, the program is monitoring specific sites in the Eagle River Watershed. The program is expanding to include a new sixth-grade class with approximately 100 students and their teachers, so it can establish two new monitoring locations in the watershed. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Growing Gardens of Boulder County -- $5,000 Ramona Clark, 3198 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304 Neighborhood Compost Project The Neighborhood Compost Project is increasing community awareness of and participation in composting by providing field trips, lectures, and workshops for individuals visiting the project site. This project is also integrating compost education into existing children and youth programs. In addition to providing education, the project is providing coordination for three businesses and approximately 1,200 individuals to compost their kitchen, lawn, and garden wastes, which would otherwise be sent to landfills. |
| 2003 | CO | 8 | Trees, Water, and People -- $7,270 Richard Fox, 633 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Pine Ridge Alternative Energy Education and Training Program This program has grown out of a desire expressed by Lakota youth for increased awareness and knowledge of alternative energy solutions. The program is designed to teach students about energy alternatives that are environmentally sound, culturally appropriate, and economically beneficial. Specifically, the program is providing (1) environmental and alternative energy education to at least 100 students via workshops, (2) specific technology and skill training to at least 20 students who are interested in alternative energy careers via demonstration projects, and (3) service-learning projects designed to offer hands-on training to young people. The program is raising community environmental awareness and is helping disadvantaged families reduce their energy costs. |
| 2003 | CT | 1 | Progressive Training Association, Inc. -- $4,969 Warren Godbolt, 965 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 Parent Empowerment and Education About Lead The Parent Empowerment and Education About Lead (PEEAL) project promotes awareness and provides education among poor and low-income families in Bridgeport, which has the highest number of lead poisoning cases in Connecticut. The PEEAL project is aimed specifically at providing services for parents who have children under the age of six and are re-entering the community after incarceration. |
| 2003 | CT | 1 | Science Center of Connecticut -- $16,650 Hank Gruner, 950 Trout Brook Drive, West Hartford, CT 06119 Our Cities, Our Health: Summer Ozone Monitoring Network Representatives of a partnership between the Science Center of Connecticut and the Boys and Girls Club work in seven urban areas of Connecticut to integrate an ozone monitoring project and a 5-week air pollution curriculum into each club chapter's education program. Scientists visit each club chapter at least once per week to work with children and to lead an activity with the assistance of Boys and Girls Club staff. |
| 2003 | DE | 3 | Delaware Center for Horticulture, Inc. -- $8,000 Pamela Sapko, 1810 N. Dupont Street, Wilmington, DE 19806-3308 Horticultural and Environmental Leadership Program The Horticultural and Environmental Leadership Program (HELP) is a community-based, cross-cultural environmental education and outreach program that teaches middle school students in Wilmington, Delaware, about prevalent environmental issues in their communities. HELP, which is conducted over 4 weeks during the summer, also seeks to develop the students' leadership skills through activities focusing on diversity and cultural competence, job expectations, self-esteem, team building, community activism, leadership, and personal and civic responsibility. |
| 2003 | DC | 3 | National Environmental Education & Training Foundation -- $20,000 Dena Imbergamo, 1707 H Street, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006 EnvironMentors Project Inner School Academy In partnership with Coolidge Senior High School, the Washington EnvironMentors Project (WEP) is developing the EnvironMentors Project Inner School Academy (EP-ISA), which is a structured, 2-year environmental science academic program. EP-ISA prepares students for college degree programs and professions in environmental science, natural resource management, and watershed protection. The academy includes in-school environmental curricula, an out-of-school mentoring and career awareness program, and workplace-based internships and provides significant financial support for college studies. |
| 2003 | FL | 4 | The Conservancy of Southwest Florida -- $5,000 Joseph Cox, 1450 Merrihue Drive, Naples, FL 34102 Mangrove Conservation Station - A Discovery Zone This project supports Mangrove Conservation Station - A Discovery Zone, which is a partnership between the Naples Nature Center (NNC) and the Collier County Public School System. The conservation station is an exhibit that includes a mangrove aquarium, an outline of issues related to restoration efforts, immersing activities, and an oversized mangrove diorama. The project goals are to increase awareness of the need to protect and sustain the natural environment, stimulate learning in students, and give them the opportunity to explore environmental issues and careers. To supplement the permanent exhibit, NNC is partnering with the public school system to develop a traveling exhibit using an existing curriculum developed in cooperation with the school system. The curriculum meets local school district, state, and national academic standards. |
| 2003 | FL | 4 | University of South Florida -- $22,015 Heidi Kay, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, FAO 126, Tampa, FL 33620 The University of South Florida (USF) Enviro Van Plan The purpose of the University of South Florida (USF) Enviro Van Plan is to engage Florida high school students and their teachers in environmental and public health issues by bringing a mobile environmental laboratory to their schools. The Enviro Van Plan enables students and their teachers to use advanced laboratory equipment that would be unavailable to them in a typical high school classroom. The goals of the project are to (1) make science classes relevant and exciting by introducing students to state-of-the-art equipment, (2) introduce students to critical environmental and public health issues facing Floridians through interdisciplinary problem-solving curriculum modules, and (3) show students how they can make a difference in environmental health issues by presenting a variety of career paths. The results and lessons learned during the project are disseminated to other Florida teachers. |
| 2003 | GA | 4 | Georgia Department of Natural Resources -- $2,185 Brenda Bettross, 3723 Mistletoe Road, Appling, GA 30802 Programming Kits for Teachers and Volunteers Throughout the year, school groups and other organized groups request outdoor educational programs provided by Mistletoe State Park. Most of these groups consist of approximately 40 children. Mistletoe State Park staff members develop programming kits for teachers and volunteers that provide the opportunity for larger organized groups to participate in their environmental education programs. Each kit contains a detailed lesson plan on an environmental topic, posters, activity sheets, and hands-on materials that provide a better understanding and respect for the environment. Orientation packets introduce teachers, group leaders, and volunteers to the opportunities that the programming kits create for larger groups. |
| 2003 | GA | 4 | Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association -- $2,750 Bryan Wagoner, P.O. Box 6129, Marietta, GA 30065 "Water Works" - A Professional Science Educator's 2-Day Environmental Training Workshop This project provides a 2-day workshop that offers teachers information and practical training about the most important water quality and water resource issues facing Georgia today. Fifty secondary-level science educators from across Georgia have been given the opportunity to learn about water resource curricula during this training workshop. The workshop includes plenary sessions that highlight local and statewide water-related challenges as well as numerous hands-on sessions. These sessions are based on the Water Source Book curricula developed by EPA and other partners. |
| 2003 | GA | 4 | National Wildlife Federation -- $22,000 Vicki Seastrom, 1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 475, Atlanta, GA 30309 Schoolyard Habitats and Community Outreach: Take It Home The National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Schoolyard Habitats and Community Outreach: Take it Home project is a model initiative to directly magnify the power of NWF's existing programs and resources by combining and delivering them in innovative ways and by using schools as gateways to increase community involvement. NWF targeted 12 schools to participate in this project. Five of the schools are in underserved and culturally diverse neighborhoods in inner-city Atlanta. For all 12 schools, NWF provides teachers with basic materials, guidance, and follow-up support. To fully implement and test the model, NWF works intensively with students, teachers, other school personnel, and community supporters at the five inner-city schools. The project's goal is to empower students and teachers to practice environmental stewardship as they come to understand that their health and well-being are directly linked to conservation of water resources, wildlife, and habitat. |
| 2003 | GU | 9 | University of Guam -- $8,900 Jeff D.T. Barcinas, University & Community Engagement, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU 96923 Environmental Education - Micronesia Environmental Education Network (MREEN) The Micronesia Regional Environmental Education Network (MREEN) serves as a link between environmental educators and outreach practitioners in the western Pacific region. Environmental educators in this region often face many problems not encountered by their mainland counterparts. Because environmental agencies and nonprofit organizations in the region are small, personnel working on education or outreach activities often work alone or in very small groups. Because of limited local resources, there is often nowhere for these personnel to turn when they are confronted with problems or looking for new ideas. MREEN attempts to overcome some of these obstacles by maintaining a support network of environmental education and outreach specialists who are working on similar issues under similar conditions. MREEN is currently setting up an electronic archive of environmental education materials developed in and for the western Pacific region; developing the MREEN web site to provide online access to the materials; establishing the MREEN “listserv,” which connects environmental educators and outreach specialists throughout the region; and developing a 1-day workshop on designing effective environmental outreach campaigns for Pacific islands. |
| 2003 | HI | 9 | University of Hawaii - Office of Research Services -- $19,480 Kevin Hanaoka, 2450 Dole Street, Sakamaki D200, Honolulu, HI 96822 Bioremediation for the Community The objectives of this project are to (1) assist the community in becoming knowledgeable about environmental issues and environmental technologies such as bioremediation that may effectively solve local pollution problems and (2) educate students about environmental issues, encourage them to practice environmental stewardship in their community and to assist in formulating solutions for these issues, and introduce them to career opportunities in the environmental field. The University of Hawaii provides workshops for community members in the Ala Wai Watershed (including members of the Ala Wai Watershed Association) and works with the Malama I Ka Aina program in training kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers to implement environmental curricula for students in the Ala Wai Watershed. The workshops and curricula address environmental technologies such as bioremediation and their application to such problems as the contaminated sediment in the Ala Wai Canal. Supported by the schools and community, students construct a small-scale bioremediation project that is hosted and sustained by one of the schools or by community members in the watershed. |
| 2003 | ID | 10 | Idaho Environmental Education Association -- $4,950 Donny Roush, 2211 South Second Avenue, Pocatello, ID 83201 Coaches for Kids Using Their Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning This project provides "coaches" with stipends that are used to acquire educational resources as each model school develops its Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (EIC) investigations. The coaches are nonformal educators from each school's community who have technical knowledge, have planning and facilitation skills, and offer connections to resources. The Idaho EIC Network addresses education reform by demonstrating a research-based method of meeting and exceeding standards. This method relies on community-based investigations and the incorporation of a community member into each teaching team. In the Idaho EIC Network, the Idaho Environmental Education Association, the State Department of Education, and the State Education and Environment Roundtable provide support for professional development as well as ongoing consultation and administrative support for eight school teams, each consisting of three teachers, an administrator, and a coach. With this support, these teams develop their own community-based investigations, which form the heart of the EIC method. |
| 2003 | ID | 10 | Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute -- $17,255 Gregory Fizzell, 112 West 4th Street, Suite 1, Moscow, ID 83843 Internet-Based Geographic Information Systems to Enhance Community Watershed Education This project involves designing and implementing an Internet-based Geographic Information System (GIS) interface that is directly linked to Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute’s (PCEI) existing web site. The system focuses on the Paradise Creek Watershed and provides the user with easy point-and-click access to information on PCEI’s web site, other restoration sites, and to data on water quality, weather, soils, geology, and land use. Once the GIS system is complete, an education and training guide for kindergarten through grade 12 is to be designed and published for use by teachers and students. Teacher workshops, student outreach programs, and resident workshops are being conducted to field-test the GIS system and to highlight how the web-based tool can be used to enhance student learning and achievement. |
| 2003 | ID | 10 | The University of Idaho -- $74,188 (HQ Grant) Steve Hollenhorst, P.O. Box 443020, Moscow, ID 83844-3020 Residential Environmental Science Education Center and Teaching Program As part of this project, graduate students at the University of Idaho participate in a 2-week training program focusing on protocols developed by the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. In addition, the project involves creating a residential environmental science school for hundreds of students in grades 4 through 8 that serves as a model program for math, science, and technology education. The graduate students subsequently serve as environmental education field instructors in a 10-week teaching residency at the residential environmental science school. The project supports ongoing efforts to implement a cross-disciplinary graduate course of study in environmental education and natural science. This project also increases the ability of Idaho schools to meet, math, science, and technology standards and promotes general awareness of environmental issues. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Building Opportunities for Leadership Development - Chicago Institute -- $5,000 Shelly Field, 4865 North Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60640 Calumet is My Backyard This service-learning program connects 12 teachers and 125 students in public high schools to environmental issues in the Lake Calumet region of southeast Chicago. Through participation in the program, people become leaders and take responsibility for the condition of the Lake Calumet area. The program also allows the Building Opportunities for Leadership Development Chicago Institute to offer coordinated group training for teachers. The program is designed to become a model that can be duplicated in other schools and geographic areas. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Champaign County Forest Preserve District -- $4,475 Erin Taylor, 2573 S. Homer Lake Road, Homer, IL 61849 Taking a Closer Look at Our Champaign County Environment Educator Workshop The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is planning a 3-day workshop to instruct kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers about Champaign County's natural resources in terms of their history, current trends, and the future outlook. The workshop is a continuation of a previously offered pilot program. Workshop elements include hands-on field work and a multidisciplinary approach that is correlated with state learning goals and standards. Participating teachers receive a resource kit containing field guides, historical documents, posters, publications, and data collection tools that allow them to conduct lessons in their own classrooms. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Community Supported Agriculture Learning Center Inc. -- $24,316 Tom Spaulding, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia, IL 61011 Roots and Shoots The Roots and Shoots program explores environmental and human health issues through the lens of the nation's food system. The program involves 50 children of ages 8 to 14 living in low-income urban neighborhoods, their families, eight community organizations, and an additional 250 adults and young people. Participants in the program are offered opportunities to obtain fresh produce from community farms and through farmer’s markets. The program also teaches participants how to grow their own produce. In addition, workshops are conducted to share the program model with other groups and organizations. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Interstate RC&D -- $5,000 Mark Jackson, 3020 East First Avenue, Milan, IL 61264 Project Smart Bus Project Smart Minds Are Reading Thoroughly (SMART) Bus reduces illiteracy, educates young people, and promotes environmental careers through a series of presentations and hands-on activities. The project materials are kept on a bus that travels to communities in western Illinois and eastern Iowa. The bus, which is similar to a bookmobile, reaches about 2,000 students and 1,500 adults. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Northern Illinois University -- $24,726 Murali Krishnamurthi, Mail System, Dekalb, IL 60115 Teacher Training on Web-Based Environmental Management Systems This project involves the design, development, and distribution of a web-based training program for high school and college teachers. In workshops focusing on environmental management systems, the program is used to train the teachers about creative approaches to pollution prevention in homes, communities, and businesses. Evaluators and a teacher focus group conduct program assessments before and after the training to determine whether learning goals are being met. |
| 2003 | IL | 5 | Wheaton Park District -- $7,685 Kelly Joslin, 666 Main Street, Wheaton, IL 60187 Forging Partnerships Between Environmental Educators and Preschools in Suburbia Naturalists are expanding on previous work involving creation of a preschool version of the Wetlands Wonder program. The project is introducing hands-on environmental education for up to 800 preschool students and their teachers. Teacher training workshops are scheduled for fall 2003 and spring 2004. As an incentive, teachers who complete the training are invited to either participate in a complementary program at a local marsh or have a naturalist lead their students in an exploration of their schools’ natural surroundings. |
| 2003 | IN | 5 | Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council -- $5,000 Marlene Cosby, 8699 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410 This Land is Your Land Initiative The purpose of this project is to implement "This Land Is Your Land," an environmental education and environmental justice training initiative addressing community issues in northwest Indiana. The project involves providing instruction about the history of industrial pollution in the area, Lake Michigan's role in the area's development, lake water quality issues, wetland protection, solid waste management, and what citizens can do to ensure sustainable development. |
| 2003 | IN | 5 | Indiana Department of Environmental Management -- $4,990 Paula Smith, 100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6015 Environmental Education Lending Kits and Trunks Since July 2002, more than 35,000 preschool and elementary school students around Indiana have been exposed to environmental education lending kits. Currently, 91 kits are being circulated by Indiana University and Purdue University's Teacher Resource Center. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is adding materials to the kits on topics such as pesticides and indoor air quality. IDEM staff members are also promoting the kits at education conferences around the state. |
| 2003 | IN | 5 | Purdue University -- $18,391 Timothy Gibb, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907 Educational Network for Integrated Pest Management for Indiana Child Care Facilities The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of pest control concepts among childcare providers across Indiana. A multimedia approach is being used to deliver educational messages and materials through workshops, presentations, brochures, web sites, and a technical support hotline. Purdue University is sharing the project model with other states in EPA Region 5. Other project partners are developing plans to integrate pest control concepts into existing childcare provider training. In addition, the partners are encouraging the childcare industry to adopt integrated pest management principles and are raising awareness of pest control issues among the general public. |
| 2003 | IN | 5 | St. Joseph County Health Department -- $5,000 Marc Nelson, 227 West Jefferson Boulevard, South Bend, IN 46601 Educating Water Well Installers about Managing their Water Systems This project is educating approximately 1,000 St. Joseph County residents who are installing new or replacement water wells about the importance of water system management. The residents are informed about their legal obligations, groundwater issues, water pollution, water quality testing, and water system planning. |
| 2003 | IA | 7 | Eastern Iowa Community College -- $4,200 Dr. Ellen Kabat Lensch, 306 West River Drive, Davenport, IA 52801-1221 Connected by a River The goal of this project is to educate middle school students about how to use real-life learning to increase their awareness and knowledge of environmental issues. Students develop the necessary skills to make informed decisions and take responsibility for their actions regarding the environment. The delivery method is four 1-day, 2-hour, after-school workshops conducted through the Iowa Communication Network. The students’ teachers develop skills in integrating the Connected by a River CD-ROM into the classroom. Each middle school receives a Connected by a River CD server package to use in its classrooms. |
| 2003 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- $18,750 Mark J. Slatterly, 502 East Ninth Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0034 The Pollution Prevention Intern Program The Pollution Prevention (P2) Intern Program places college graduate and upper-level undergraduate students in organizations for a 12-week period to help identify, evaluate, and implement environmental solutions for specific issues or processes. Selected interns receive 1 week of system-based P2 training from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and then begin working on their respective projects. Host facility supervisors develop work plans to ensure management support, and IDNR engineers provide mentoring and technical assistance. The interns identify, research, evaluate, and assist in the implementation of alternatives for reducing waste, pollution, or toxicity at their host facilities. The overarching goal of the project is to reduce environmental pollution by educating college graduate and undergraduate students, businesses, industries, and institutions about environmental issues. |
| 2003 | IA | 7 | Iowa Recycling Association -- $5,000 Dewayne Johnson, 2742 SE Market Street, Des Moines, IA 50317 Student Waste and Recycling Audits The objective of this project is to empower students to work with teachers; administrators; and food service, office, and custodial staff members to identify ways to reduce and recycle waste generated at their school. Iowa Recycling Association staff members are working with students to identify and target recycling and waste reduction opportunities. Students research the kinds of wastes being generated in their school and identify ways to reduce or recycle the waste or otherwise divert it from the local landfill. The project is being implemented for 15 classes. |
| 2003 | IA | 7 | Southdale Impact -- $3,300 Brian Gediinske, 627 Orchard Drive, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 Southdale Environmental Education Initiative The goal of the Southdale Environmental Education Initiative is to provide kindergarten through sixth-grade students with a variety of hands-on learning opportunities focused on the environment. The intent is to develop student activities that increase environmental awareness, generate enthusiasm, encourage family participation, and promote creativity and problem-solving skills. The students participate in a science fair, at-home energy and resource conservation projects, and recycling projects. Field trips are included as part of the educational experience. |
| 2003 | IA | 7 | West Branch Community School -- $10,000 Hector Ibarra, P.O. Box 627, West Branch, IA 52358 Hazardous Waste Awareness - Used Oil Filters In this project, middle school students from rural schools learn about the process of recovering used oil from oil filters. The students bring used oil filters to the project site, and the filters are weighed before and after compaction. The students and other community members use hydraulic oil filter presses to study the amount of used oil that can be recovered by compressing the filters. Once the filters are compressed, about 90 percent of the used oil is recovered. The project is increasing public awareness of the environmental benefits of compressing used oil filters. |
| 2003 | KS | 7 | F.L. Schlagle Library -- $7,000 Paula Ellison, 4051 West Drive, Kansas City, KS 66109 Environmental Kits for Inquiring Students and Teachers The objective of this project is to provide both tools and training to teachers that will enable them to perform successful scientific inquiries into environmental concepts with their students. The project is helping Kansas City science teachers to better train their students in environmental science and scientific investigation. The F.L. Schlagle library is providing environmental science inquiry kits that can be checked out from the library. The kits contain information that guides students through the process of scientific inquiry into environmental subjects. |
| 2003 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $68,914 (HQ Grant) Shari Wilson, 2610 Claflin, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743 Four-State Cross-Training for Environmental Education This project provides an opportunity for state environmental education organizations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska to share their collective knowledge and expertise through a cross-training and planning initiative. The initiative involves establishing a four-state committee to organize a multi-state planning event that focuses on development of environmental education skills and sharing of knowledge and expertise. The committee is developing an environmental education action plan for each state that includes a list of priorities and a plan of action and is disseminating project reports to each of the states in EPA Region 7. The primary audiences for the project are the board members of the four state environmental education organizations. The partners in this project are the Iowa Conservation Education Council, Missouri Environmental Education Association, and Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education. |
| 2003 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $24,500 Laura Downey, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 Kansas Online Environmental Education Community The goal of this project is to increase the environmental education capacity in Kansas by using electronic technology to create a comprehensive online environmental education community in the state. The project involves developing a database of environmental education providers, training opportunities, and resources to increase the state capacity to develop, deliver, and coordinate statewide environmental education programs. The database is also intended to promote the long-term sustainability of environmental education programs in Kansas. The project is enhancing the capacity to deliver quality, unbiased, science-based environmental education in Kansas. |
| 2003 | KS | 7 | South Central Kansas Education Center -- $5,091 Jason Kirchmer, 13939 Diagonal Road, Clearwater, KS 67026 Country Chemistry and Computers The objectives of the Country Chemistry and Computers water quality workshop directly support the science curriculum standards set by the Kansas State Department of Education. The purpose of the workshop is to enhance the ability of sixth- through eighth-grade teachers to help students achieve these standards. The workshop is being conducted by the science coordinator at the South Central Kansas Education Center and trains teachers in the use of scientific equipment. Information about the workshop is being distributed to 50 school districts and posted on the center’s web site. Each year from 2003 through 2007, about 20 teachers in 10 school districts are expected to benefit from attending the water quality workshop. |
| 2003 | KS | 7 | University of Kansas Center for Research -- $9,487 Gail Rooney, 2385 Irving Hill Road, Lawrence, KS 66044 Environmental Career Symposium 2003 This project is a collaborative effort between the University Career and Employment Service and the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas and is intended to expand the environmental career opportunities available to college students. The symposium includes four activities to educate students about environmental careers, a career panel featuring four to six employers, a job search workshop, a career fair, and a guest speaker. The project is assessed by students, employers, and project partners through documentation of career development activities and through evaluations completed by participants. |
| 2003 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Agriculture & Environment in the Classroom -- $10,700 Rayetta Boone, P.O. Box 814, Frankfort, KY 40601 Environment and Agriculture: Exploring the Issues This project involves establishing a college course titled "Environment and Agriculture: Exploring the Issues" to address the food and fiber system as a component of environmental education. Specifically, this project is providing course work to help meet Kentucky’s proposed environmental education endorsement. Initially a workshop is used to train 40 teachers who are seeking their master’s degrees in elementary education from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. The workshop is a 3-day course that explores the connection between agriculture and the environment in our society. The project then provides live presentations, field trips to an area farm and ethanol plant, and hands-on activities that can be applied in the classroom. |
| 2003 | KY | 4 | Murray State University -- $92,592 (HQ Grant) Joseph Baust, 421 A Wells Hall, Murray, KY 42071-3318 Statewide Capacity Building for the Commonwealth of Kentucky This project provides personnel at Kentucky's higher education institutions with the skills to develop and implement environmental literacy and environmental education programs in order to help build capacity locally and across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Directors of established environmental education centers collaborate with the Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC) to conduct a 2-day workshop that helps faculty members from each of Kentucky's state universities to develop individual plans for dissemination on their campuses. An interactive web site facilitates communication among project participants, and the sponsors provide technical assistance throughout the project. The project culminates with a second workshop that allows participants to share the plans they have developed and the actions they have taken as well as to reflect on outcomes. Partners for the project include the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, and the KEEC. |
| 2003 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University -- $8,000 Gary Hansen, One University Place, Shreveport, LA 71115 High School Watershed Education Project Louisiana State University offers workshops to teach scientifically sound techniques for water sampling and water quality monitoring, compiling field data, and conducting basic laboratory analyses. Field work is conducted in the Red River Education and Research Park, which is the site of cutting-edge environmental research led by Louisiana State University in Shreveport and other universities; business and industry; and city, state, and federal agencies. |
| 2003 | LA | 6 | Teaching Responsible Earth Education -- $15,755 Sue Brown, 1463 Nashville Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115 Earthkeepers Project: Justice through Environmental Education Two 3-day outdoor environmental learning programs are being held at Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve and Barataria Education Center for 120 students, teachers, and volunteers from the New Orleans public school system. These programs include interactive, outdoor activities that teach the students about their responsibilities and tasks as “Earthkeepers.” For example, the students’ responsibilities include learning more about the earth, experiencing it in a new way, using their knowledge to create good environmental habits, and sharing what they learn with others. All the program components build on one another and are interconnected. |
| 2003 | ME | 1 | Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District -- $9,957 Mary Gilbertson, 201 Main Street, Suite 6, Westbrook, ME 04092 Empowering Students To Become Involved Citizens Teachers in four pilot communities are trained to incorporate this environmental service-learning program into their local curricula through workshops, one-on-one guidance, and technical expertise provided by staff of the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District. The program encourages high-school students to take ownership of local environmental issues through hands-on investigations of local watersheds. In addition to meeting local needs, the program is also in compliance with Maine's Learning Results. |
| 2003 | ME | 1 | University of Maine Geological Sciences Department -- $5,000 Molly Schauffler, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5717 Maine Environmental Research Grid and Education (MERGE) The Maine Environmental Research Grid and Education (MERGE) project is a collaboration between Maine's Environmental Research Grid and the Hutchinson Center. Project staff members develop and administer a series of workshops to show environmental educators and science teachers how to locate, download, and apply environmental data available on the Internet using the online Maine Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (MEMAP) Index as a starting point. As part of the MERGE project, teachers also develop pedagogic strategies for helping students use online data to investigate environmental questions that are meaningful to them and relevant to their communities. |
| 2003 | MD | 3 | Catonsville Campus of the Community College of Baltimore County -- $89,379 (HQ Grant) Christopher Fox, 800 South Rolling Road, Building M, Baltimore, MD 21228 Community Education and Technology Initiative The Community Education and Technology Initiative (CETI) addresses climate change and its potential effects on communities. This project is intended to educate high school students and teachers, community college students and teachers, and members of local communities throughout Maryland. The CETI includes two integrated activities designed to enhance understanding of climate change at the local level. The first activity, the "Beat the Heat!" competition, involves high schools and communities working in partnership to develop emission reduction or emission sequestering strategies. The second activity, the "Nine Lives" community forums, includes presenting 18 community-focused climate change education workshops at Maryland's community colleges. The CETI is sponsored by the Community College of Baltimore County Environment Project in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. |
| 2003 | MD | 3 | Harford County, MD -- $10,065 Mary Moses, 220 South Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014 Household Chemical Safety Program for Youth This program is providing 4,000 fourth-grade students with instruction in household chemical safety. The program’s focus is on identification, safe use, and proper disposal of common household chemicals. Through this project, students develop critical thinking skills and important life skills by solving problems, making decisions, and creating presentations that showcase the knowledge they have gained. |
| 2003 | MD | 3 | Rachel Carson Council -- $5,000 Diana Post, 10711 Berwick Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904 Rachel Carson: A Real American Hero This project is a training program that provides teachers with the necessary resources to educate their students about ecological issues such as the web of life, bioaccumulation, and integrated pest management. The program uses examples from Rachel Carson's life along with science, math, and writing lessons to develop each student's knowledge of ecological sustainability. The program also is designed to inspire students to become involved in environmental protection. |
| 2003 | MD | 3 | The Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education -- $4,560 Kate Clavijo, P.O. Box 71034, Chevy Chase, MD 20813 Environmental Education Research This project involves conducting research related to the impact of comprehensive environmental education on student learning in Governor's Green Schools. The research findings provide insight into the role of environmental education in achieving the goals of educational reform. The research serves as a foundation for establishing the long-term sustainability of environmental education in Maryland schools. |
| 2003 | MD | 3 | The Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education -- $4,950 Kate Clavijo, P.O. Box 71034, Chevy Chase, MD 20813 Environmental Education Fellowship Program The Environmental Education Fellowship Program conducts research related to the impact of comprehensive environmental education on student learning in “green schools.” The research findings provide insight into the role of environmental education in achieving the goals of educational reform. The research serves as a foundation for establishing the long-term sustainability of environmental education in Maryland schools and provides a model for examining the relationship between environmental education and student achievement. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Fall River Public School District -- $2,554 Pam Tickle, 417 Rock Street, Fall River, MA 02720-3344 Project Green Fever This project targets 1,050 sixth-grade students in Fall River and focuses on environmental topics such as litter, recycling, and energy conservation. Six volunteers work closely with 19 sixth-grade teachers. Media coverage of this event reaches hundreds of additional residents. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Family Service, Inc. -- $9,648 Elizabeth Sweeney, 430 North Canal Street, Lawrence, MA 01840 Healthy Kids The "Healthy Kids" workshop is used to teach parents about the presence of toxics in their home environment, the impact of these toxics on their children's physical and mental development, and strategies to reduce the presence of toxics in the home. Bilingual/bicultural parent educators use curricula developed and tested by Family Service, Inc. This effort reaches approximately 200 parents, impacting the health of children in a cost-effective manner. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Family Service, Inc. -- $62,493 (HQ Grant) Elizabeth Sweeney, 430 North Canal Street, Lawrence, MA 01840 Healthy Homes, Healthy Kids This project involves training workers who provide direct services to parents in the northeastern Massachusetts communities of Lawrence and Worcester, which have many minority and low-income residents. The workers are trained to deliver environmental health education to parents of preschool children in order to reduce the children's exposure to toxic chemicals in their homes. The direct service workers attend an 8-hour workshop that provides environmental health education as well as strategies for dealing effectively with parents. Follow-up support is provided for the workers in two subsequent workshops. The workshops are based on curricula previously developed and tested by the project sponsors and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The training and outreach project is designed to establish a sustainable pool of community workers with expertise in environmental health education and to reach hundreds of parents. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Saugus River Watershed Council -- $5,000 Nicole Cave-Luongo, P.O. Box 1092, Saugus, MA 01906 Outreach to Schools Project The project's education coordinator visits schools in the ethnically diverse communities of Malden and Revere, Massachusetts, to teach 200 students about the current environmental issues and problems that affect them and the watershed as well as what they can do to help solve the problems. By having students work in small groups to perform interactive and hands-on activities, this intensive educational project makes a lasting impact on each student who participates. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | South Shore Natural Science Center -- $5,600 Susan Cronin, Jacobs Lane, P.O. Box 429, Norwell, MA 02061 Good Things Come in Big Puddles The South Shore Natural Science Center partners with Notre Dame Academy and the Norwell Conservation Commission to supplement an environmental education course with instruction about the importance of vernal pools and the certification process. The project is aimed at 11th- and 12th-grade female students who learn about the uniqueness of vernal pools and are exposed to possible environmental careers. Approximately 80 students in four classes are participating in the project along with three classroom teachers. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Taconic Chapter, Trout Unlimited -- $16,634 Herbert Rod, 100 Brookside Drive, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Yokum Brook Environmental Education Collaborative The Yokum Brook Environmental Education Collaborative has partnered with Becket-Washington Elementary School, which is adjacent to an active river restoration project on Yokum Brook. Through this partnership, students receive a “living classroom” education in river ecology, the biology of fisheries, and ecosystem restoration. For example, the project encourages critical thinking about the Atlantic salmon’s habitat and water quality requirements. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | The Boston Harbor Association -- $5,000 Vivien Li, 374 Congress Street, Suite 609, Boston, MA 02210 The Boston Harbor After-School Education Program This program provides inner-city youth (ages 8 through 12) with after-school opportunities aimed at promoting long-term environmental stewardship of Boston Harbor and the Harbor Islands. The program is expanding on the success of existing youth programs by creating a series of 12 hands-on environmental activities specifically designed to make use of the time after school. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | University of Massachusetts, Boston Environmental Studies Program -- $16,404 Robert B. Beattie, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125 Opening New Windows on Environmental Justice The University of Massachusetts (UMass) in Boston is partnering with Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE) to create educational videos focusing on environmental justice issues and associated improvements in local communities. To further the connection to the communities, UMass's Environmental Studies program actively recruits students who live in the neighborhoods served by ACE to be student interns on the project. The videos are used to educate the communities, are incorporated into classes at UMass-Boston, and may be used as part of a training unit on environmental justice for EPA. |
| 2003 | MA | 1 | Worcester Natural History Society (EcoTarium) -- $10,000 Jennifer Glick, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA 01604 Teen Action Science Crew The EcoTarium's multilevel, work-based program targets low-income, inner-city, minority teens in their third year of the Teen Action Science Crew (TASC) Ambassadors Program. The students focus on sustainability and environmental justice issues, building skills through program development, delivering public programs, assisting with training and mentoring other teens, and community outreach. TASC is part of the museum's Science Career Ladder, which includes a nested hierarchy of programs that serve young people from elementary school through high school. |
| 2003 | MI | 5 | Capuchin Soup Kitchen -- $2,500 Rick Samyn, 1820 Mount Elliot Street, Detroit, MI 48207 Kids for the Bees Building on an existing honeybee apiary program, this project promotes entomology and apiculture science among students in selected Detroit public grade schools. Students learn about honeybee anatomy, beehive management, and honey production. Through hands-on activities in the classroom and in the field, students learn about bee habitat, natural pest management, and the importance of honeybees to the human food system and natural environment. |
| 2003 | MI | 5 | Community Action Agency -- $5,000 Christie Cook, 3251 Beck Road, Hillsdale, MI 49242 Writing on the Bean As part of this project, approximately 300 middle and high school students visit public parks along Bean Creek near their schools. Younger students write about an aquatic insect of their choice, and older students search the water for macro-invertebrates. In addition, students conduct an inventory of native plant and aquatic species at all the public parks along Bean Creek. Using the inventory information, a watershed planning committee develops a web site containing a virtual tour of the watershed and prepares a pocket map identifying the parks and other public access sites. The back of the map details the native plants and aquatic life found at the sites. |
| 2003 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University -- $45,884 (HQ Grant) Yu Man Lee, 301 Administration Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1046 Public Education Project to Protect Endangered Species in Michigan This project is initiating a program in southeast Michigan to educate the public about the destruction of habitat for and needless killing of the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, an endangered species found only in that region of the United States. The project is intended to educate teachers and students, landowners who have reported seeing the snakes on their properties, and road maintenance personnel and other workers who may encounter the snakes. Workshops, personal consultations, and educational materials developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are used to provide the public with the necessary skills to make informed decisions about coexisting with the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake. The training includes providing information about the positive aspects of the snakes, such as their usefulness in controlling rodent populations. Volunteers from a local resource network of naturalists assist with the project. The public is also informed through public service announcements, and students are reached through the Internet and workshops held in schools. |
| 2003 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $4,892 Joan Chadde, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 Kids Make a Difference The Kids Make a Difference program provides incentives for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, teachers, and youth groups to develop projects that promote environmental education, community service, and environmental enhancement. School classes and youth groups select environmental topics to study and to teach others about, or they design and implement projects that address environmental issues in their communities. Students share their projects through presentations to other students or by publishing articles in the newspaper. All program participants receive Earth Day award certificates and tokens of recognition. In addition, their names are entered in a drawing in which they could win an educational tool kit or an environmental education field trip. |
| 2003 | MI | 5 | Wildlife Unlimited of Allegan and Ottawa Counties -- $13,634 Travis Williams, A5678 143rd Avenue, Holland, MI 49423 Wetlands and Water Quality of the Macatawa Watershed This project uses three-dimensional models of the environment called “enviroscapes” to teach students about watershed concepts and to demonstrate how people pollute water and how water pollution can be prevented. By using the models, students learn how everyone affects water quality and how they can help to prevent or clean up pollution. The classroom activities prepare students to study topography, plants, fish, buffers, and water quality when they visit ponds and wetlands. The project also builds responsibility by educating students about their role in watershed protection. |
| 2003 | MN | 5 | City of Duluth -- $23,250 Carin Skoog, 411 West First Street, Room 208, Duluth, MN 55802-1192 Energy: Dollars and Sense This project involves creating an interpretive exhibit and resource center at the main branch of the Duluth Public Library. The exhibit includes an interactive kiosk featuring an Internet site that is used to educate Duluth residents about energy production, use, and conservation. Also, the real-time and historical performance of a 2.4-kilowatt photovoltaic system located on the roof of the library is monitored and is displayed in the kiosk and on the Internet site. The site is enhanced by a variety of energy-related links and tools. The exhibit inspires critical thinking about the economic, environmental, and health issues related to energy consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Duluth residents are taught decision-making skills that help them to reduce energy-related pollution. |
| 2003 | MN | 5 | Heron Lake Watershed District -- $10,770 Jan Voit, P.O. Box 345, Heron Lake, MN 56137 Where Does this Drain? This project is providing educational opportunities for students living in the West Fork Des Moines River Watershed. The project emphasizes the effects of nonpoint source water pollution and the benefits of pollution prevention, and it increases environmental awareness by showing the students how they can personally help improve their environment. Guided by project leaders, the students identify lakeshore properties in a certain area, collect environmental samples for analysis, present their findings at a public meeting, and create public education brochures. |
| 2003 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Lakes Association -- $5,000 Paula West, 19519 State Highway, 371 N, Brainerd, MN 56401 Educating Youth in Minnesota about Lake Ecology and Stewardship The Minnesota Lakes Association is continuing work begun during Phase I of the Youth and Ecology Stewardship curriculum project. Phase II builds on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services lake ecology curriculum that was modified to educate more than 1,000 fifth- and sixth-grade students in Minnesota. An additional 500 students in at least six schools are studying under the new curriculum, which is tailored specifically to Minnesota. Students continue to learn about the specific types of lake ecology that they personally experience and about stewardship practices for lake protection. Phase II is improving academic achievement by exposing students to multidisciplinary environmental education concepts that are not routinely taught in their classrooms. |
| 2003 | MN | 5 | River Bend Nature Center -- $4,920 Nalani McCutcheon, 1000 Rustad Road, PO Box 186, Faribault, MN 55021 Developing a Community Environmental Education Initiative Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Faribault, the River Bend Nature Center is conducting environmental outreach to business leaders, government officials, and educators. Business guests at an after-work event raise their awareness of the social, economic, and cultural value of natural resources and build an understanding of environmental threats and environmental protection. At a policy forum, government officials are introduced to the tools available for natural resource protection and discuss ordinances and other policies designed to preserve the environment. Another part of the initiative, a professional development workshop for educators, provides guidance and tools for incorporating local natural resource issues into classroom curricula. |
| 2003 | MS | 4 | Clinton Community Nature Center -- $7,036 Nellie Neal, P.O. Box 93, Clinton, MS 39060 Teacher Support and Outreach The purpose of this project is to provide local teachers with substantive assistance and technical training in order to facilitate and improve their use of the environmental education resources that are available at the Clinton Community Nature Center. The center has two goals for the project: (1) to provide professional support for teachers who visit the center with their classes and (2) to include eighth- and ninth-grade classes in the center’s network of nature laboratories and teacher support. “Buddy Kits” are being developed for distribution to teachers and students visiting the nature laboratories at the center. An outreach program is being developed to contact teachers who are not familiar with the programs offered. A conference is being planned to introduce 30 new teachers to educational opportunities at the center. A stipend is to be paid to each teacher who attends the conference to cover the cost of a substitute teacher. |
| 2003 | MO | 7 | Area Resources Community and Human Services -- $25,000 Michael Nelson, 4236 Lindell, St. Louis, MO 63108 Community Access to Environmental Education The goals of the Community Access to Environmental Education (CATEE) project are to (1) mobilize St. Louis residents and students to implement neighborhood projects designed to prevent air and water pollution and (2) increase the participation of schools, households, and businesses in recycling and solid waste reduction practices. The CATEE project has been divided into two methods of service delivery: school-based and community-focused. |
| 2003 | MO | 7 | KCPT Public Television 19, Inc. -- $5,000 Karen Mell, 125 E. 31st Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 Saving the Earth Kansas City Public Television (KCPT) is developing and delivering a workshop that trains 35 teachers to integrate an existing environmental education resource, “e-Eats,” into their curricula. About 400 students and teachers are using e-Eats to examine the connections between environmental health and human health. KCPT is also developing and publishing six new lessons for the workshop and for an e-Eats web site. |
| 2003 | MO | 7 | Meramec Regional Planning Commission -- $5,000 Tama F. Snodgrass, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO 65559 Meramec Regional Children's Water Festival The goals of the Meramec Regional Children’s Water Festival are to provide an enjoyable, interactive, hands-on educational opportunity for middle school students and to promote aquatic environmental education. This festival is a 1-day event during which about 1,000 middle school students attend six sessions addressing various water-related issues. Each session lasts approximately 25 minutes. Between 25 and 30 different sessions are conducted by volunteers from different organizations. The festival focuses on protecting water resources from a variety of nonpoint sources of pollution to ensure safe drinking water and a healthy environment. |
| 2003 | MO | 7 | The Green Center -- $5,000 Shelley Welsch, 8025 Blackberry Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63130 Environmental Outreach to Youth The Green Center engages 120 students of ages 6 through 18 who are living in environmental justice communities in real-world learning experiences that develop their critical-thinking and decision-making skills through service-learning activities. The goal of the project is to improve the access of this group of students to environmental education. The students receive training in community involvement, environmental stewardship, and community service, and they perform a community service project. |
| 2003 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association -- $25,000 Steve Eshbaugh, P.O. Box 8065, Bozeman, MT 59773 Guidelines for Environmental Education Providers in Montana In 2002, the Montana Environmental Education Association established focus groups for meetings across much of Montana. These ongoing meetings reach a diverse audience of environmental education providers over a large geographic area. The meetings are used to establish specific guidelines and a baseline understanding among environmental education providers based on the Guidelines for Excellence. In addition, the project is developing leadership in Montana’s environmental education community and is increasing the skills, knowledge, and expertise of Montana’s environmental education providers. The project is also increasing the legitimacy of environmental education in Montana and is laying the groundwork for a Montana environmental education certification program. |
| 2003 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $41,765 (HQ Grant) Matthew Kraska, P.O. Box 173490, Bozeman, MT 59717 Wildlife Education in Big Sky Program The Wildlife Education in Big Sky (WEBS) program enhances the skills of middle and high school science teachers through a combination of field-based workshops and Internet-based courses. The curriculum provides teachers with information about climate change and its impacts on the wildlife and wild lands of the northern Rockies. The WEBS program trains middle and high school science teachers living in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The program also trains teachers enrolled in the Masters of Science in Science Education program at Montana State University (MSU). Key partners in this teacher-training program include Glacier National Park, the Montana Environmental Education Association, the MSU Masters of Science in Science Education program, National Biological Information Infrastructure, and the Burns Telecommunications Center. |
| 2003 | NE | 7 | Keep Lexington Beautiful -- $2,559 Cyndi Smith, P.O. Box 70, Lexington, NE 68850 Storm Drain Markers The Storm Drain Markers project addresses the problems associated with people’s dumping of oil and other products into storm drains. The City of Lexington provides the labor to apply the 500 curb markers, which say "NO DUMPING" in both English and Spanish. The goal of the project is to improve water quality by notifying city residents that dumping into storm drains is prohibited. |
| 2003 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission -- $4,850 Karen Palazzolo, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370 Wildlife Education Grant The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is purchasing Wildlife Education Trunks for distribution to six district offices. Each trunk includes animal furs, skulls, and bones; prairie plants; insect identification materials; outdoor education supplies; and related curriculum materials. The district offices are using the trunks for educational programs related to wildlife and conservation. The trunks are available for loan to schoolteachers, parents conducting home schooling, and other educators. |
| 2003 | NE | 7 | Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska -- $24,784 Frank Nemeth, 1010 East Niobrara Street, Chadron, NE 69337 Recycling and Composting Workshops This project provides educational programs about recycling, material reuse, and resource conservation for civic organizations, schools, and workshops. The recycling training focuses on buying products with recycled content. School educational programs are conducted using video presentations and samples of recycled material such as compost, chipped glass, and crushed concrete. Backyard composting workshops provide community residents and students with an opportunity to learn about composting yard waste and food scraps. Students receive information about the items manufactured using tree products. The outcome of the project is a demonstration to the community about how to buy recycled products and how to recycle, reuse, and reduce waste materials. |
| 2003 | NE | 7 | The Groundwater Foundation -- $11,230 Susan S. Seacrest, P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542 Awesome Aquifers for Science Olympiad The Groundwater Foundation has developed a groundwater-related event for high school students competing in a Science Olympiad throughout EPA Region 7. The foundation works with Science Olympiad leaders, coaches, and students. The students learn about groundwater and design and build groundwater flow models in Science Olympiad tournaments in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The project increases high school students’ understanding of groundwater concepts. |
| 2003 | NV | 9 | Board of Regents - University of Nevada -- $12,704 Cindy Kiel, Office of Sponsored Projects, Mail Stop 325, Reno, NV 89557 Lake Tahoe Media Campaign Scientists agree that the steady decline in Lake Tahoe’s water quality is due to nonpoint source pollution. The Lake Tahoe Basin Executives decided that to save the lake, a strong effort is needed to educate all community members about how to reduce and eliminate activities that lead to soil erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient pollution in the lake basin. The goal of the project is to educate large numbers of local residents through a media campaign that has already been developed. A weekly television campaign is currently being conducted on the local ABC-affiliated news station (KOLO-TV in Reno) and is being supplemented with articles in local newspapers and on the Internet. The topics and content for the 90-second television news segments are being researched by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension with input from the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition (LTEEC) Steering Committee and a Science Technical Advisory Committee of community, research, and agency experts. Project partners are also suggesting potential interviewees, appropriate graphics and locations for filming. Among many important educational messages are basic explanations of watershed hydrology, water quality parameters, sources of pollution, ecosystem management, and tips on proper installation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). |
| 2003 | NV | 9 | Environmental Leadership -- $18,318 Sonya Hern, P.O. Box 10786, Reno, NV 89510 Leaders of Waste Reduction Since 1999, the goal of the Leaders of Waste Reduction (LOWR) program has been to influence the consumption, purchasing, and waste disposal habits of the tens of thousands of kindergarten through 12th-grade students in Nevada with classroom visits, field trips, and web-based educational resources. The focus of the LOWR program is being narrowed to grades 3 through 10. The program’s objectives include (1) providing educational workshops and classroom presentations on waste reduction strategies and activities for over 900 students in grades 3 through 10; (2) maintaining and expanding the LOWR web pages to serve as comprehensive waste prevention and recycling resources for schools, educators, and students; (3) training and supervising student educators (juniors and seniors in high school and college undergraduates) to implement the LOWR curriculum; (4) educating younger students about the link between natural resource preservation and waste reduction; and (5) printing and distributing 500 color posters detailing what is recyclable in Washoe. |
| 2003 | NV | 9 | Nevada Division of Wildlife -- $10,000 Gene Weller, 1100 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512 Trout in the Classroom The mission of the Nevada Division of Wildlife is “to protect, preserve, manage, and restore wildlife and its habitat for their aesthetic, scientific, educational, recreational, and economic benefits to citizens of Nevada and the United States.” The project is a partnership between the Nevada Division of Wildlife and the Northern Nevada Regional Service-Learning Coordinator and has two major phases: (1) an environmental service-learning and Project WILD Take Action environmental education and conservation program called Trout in the Classroom and (2) completion of an interpretive public nature study area to be used in conjunction with the first phase. Trout in the Classroom focuses on interactive, hands-on environmental stewardship training and development of real-life skills through the raising of Tasmanian rainbow trout eggs to the fry state in the classroom. Teachers, high school mentors, parent volunteers, and senior citizen volunteers are trained in service-learning and Project WILD Take Action techniques to teach hands-on science lessons in the participating classrooms. |
| 2003 | NH | 1 | Northeast Resource Recovery Association -- $12,000 Elizabeth A. Bedard, 9 Bailey Road, Chichester, NH 03234 Furthering School Recycling Through Student-to-Student Peer Matching The Northeast Resource Recovery Association is partnering with New Hampshire the Beautiful, Inc., and is expanding its successful recycling efforts in New Hampshire schools to establish an active and varied peer mentoring program for school recycling. This program encourages students to learn about and advance recycling as a team, strengthens their commitment to recycling, and expands the amount of recyclables removed from schools. |
| 2003 | NH | 1 | University of New Hampshire - New Hampshire Public Television -- $4,998 Jahnay Pickett, 51 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 Teaching Skills for Multimedia Environmental Education The University of New Hampshire and its partners train and support 250 teachers of grades 4 through 8 in the use of multimedia curriculum materials for environmental education. Five teacher workshops are offered in person and through an interactive videoconferencing system. Also under development are five engaging multimedia curriculum units with hands-on activities that are intended to improve students’ critical thinking skills and environmental awareness. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | Camden City Garden Club, Inc. -- $4,994 Mike Devlin, 3 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103 Educating Home Gardeners about Water Management The Camden City Garden Club, Inc., project is educating the public about the importance of efficient water use and the environmental impact of using water in a garden. The project encourages English- and Spanish-speaking visitors to tour the Cityscapes Garden. The garden features interactive signage about using water efficiently. Visitors are also given materials about efficient use of water and other environmentally friendly gardening practices. The gardening activities addressed also include mulching, plant selection, rain barrel use, and prevention of nonpoint source pollution. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | County College of Morris -- $16,700 Dr. Jack M. Bernardo, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph, NJ 07869-2086 Stream to Sea: A Workshop Series on Water Quality for Middle School Teachers The primary goal of the Stream to Sea project is to improve the environmental education skills of sixth- through ninth-grade science teachers in northwestern New Jersey. The workshop series helps teachers implement environmental education programs at their schools with classroom lessons that meet New Jersey's Science Core Curriculum Standards. Using water as a theme, the New Jersey Statewide Initiative Regional Center at the County College of Morris conducts a series of teacher workshops and field trips using hands-on materials and activities. Teachers are then able to bring the skills gained to their students. For example, after teachers instruct their students about water pollution using classroom inquiry-based lessons, the students investigate a local pond's ecosystem, continue their investigation at associated streams, and study the streams as they flow to the ocean. The students analyze the water and study flow rates, currents, and the plants and animals living in the pond and streams. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $5,143 Robin L. Dougherty, 303-9 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102 Distance Learning Program: "My City, My Responsibility" The Greater Newark Conservancy is partnering with Verizon to educate eighth-grade students in urban centers in New Jersey about environmental issues in their communities. Participating teachers attend a seminar to develop the skills needed to explore communication technology and help students research environmental issues in their communities. The students develop a publicity campaign and associated materials to teach other students about urban environmental issues. The teachers use the Internet to share their lessons, experiences, and progress. By means of video conferencing, the students present what they have learned. The student presentations integrate communication, organizational, and critical thinking skills. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council -- $5,000 Christine Hall, 54 Old Highway 22, Suite 201, Clinton, NJ 08809 Stream Teacher Training In this project, middle and high school teachers in Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties learn to incorporate biological and chemical field testing techniques into their science, math, and language arts classes. The project partners are the County Soil Districts in Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties; the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Fish and Wildlife; and the NJDEP Division of Watershed Management's AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador Program. The partners provide three 1-day workshops on background information and associated inquiry-based lessons addressing watershed concepts, stream ecology, the value and function of riparian buffers (measures for preventing damage to and pollution of stream banks), and benthic macro-invertebrates (large invertebrates found at the bottom of a body of water). In addition, an overview of Project WET and Project WILD activities is presented. Follow-up sessions assess the benefits of the training and its implementation in classrooms. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council -- $5,000 Christine Hall, 54 Old Highway 22, Suite 201, Clinton, NJ 08809 Tools for Community Resource Protection The North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council is partnering with the Sussex and Warren County Planning Departments and the Upper Delaware and Wallkill Watershed Management projects to focus the attention of community representatives on natural resources, water quality, and smart growth. Participants in project workshops develop decision-making skills in the context of the competing demands for development and protection of the water supply and natural resources of Warren and Sussex Counties in northwestern New Jersey. The workshops also provide participants from all levels of municipal government with technical resource information and geographic information system (GIS) tools to help them implement resource protection practices in their communities. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey -- $18,500 Dr. Joan Ehrenfeld, 3 Rutgers Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Watershed and Water Quality Monitoring Web Site for New Jersey This project provides a web site where students and citizens can access information about watershed issues pertaining to most of New Jersey's urbanized watershed areas. The site is maintained in English and Spanish and has a section where volunteers can enter their water quality data. Watershed reports on the site are developed and maintained by the Rutgers University Center for Information Management to educate individuals about urban watershed issues such as flooding, nonpoint source pollution, degraded stream habitat, stream bank erosion, and limited riparian buffers. The web site is interactive and encourages critical thinking by helping users identify and implement solutions to urban watershed problems. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | South Branch Watershed Association -- $6,225 Fran Varacalli, 41 Lilac Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822 The Explorer Project This project provides an interactive web site that teaches students about the importance of protecting the land in the South Branch Raritan River Watershed to ensure better water quality and to maintain the health of the watershed. The project is intended to support middle and high school teachers in more than 80 schools in this watershed. In a workshop, teachers learn how to use a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) to help their students analyze land use changes and use data sets. Workshop participants can use the web site to create activities that their students can complete in order to understand how to protect the environment in their communities. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Inc. -- $5,000 Mary Arnold, 20 East Oakdene Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666 Hands Across the Creek The Hands Across the Creek project provides an understanding of past and present open space and land use issues to seventh and eighth graders at Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin Middle Schools. Students examine the advantages of preserving open space to benefit air and water quality, providing contact with the natural world, reduce pollution, and enhance biodiversity in Bergen County. Students learn about land use history, participate in eco-art and technology projects, and become involved in land use decision-making and environmental stewardship practices. |
| 2003 | NJ | 2 | Wallkill River Watershed Group -- $4,000 Nathaniel Sajdak, 34 South Route 94, Lafayette, NJ 07848 Wallkill River Watershed Management Project The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group is developing a calendar to provide monthly educational materials on watershed-related environmental issues such as water conservation, storm water management, point and nonpoint source pollution, and watershed management. The calendar has event and meeting dates as well as information designed to encourage stakeholders to get involved in watershed projects. Stakeholder groups; government officials at the federal, state, county, and municipal levels; and educational, environmental, and agricultural groups have worked together to produce the appropriate informational entries. The project fosters greater public involvement in the meetings and other gatherings associated with watershed stewardship. |
| 2003 | NM | 6 | Environmental Education Association of New Mexico -- $5,150 Mary Dwyer, P.O. Box 36958, Albuquerque, NM 87176 New Mexico Multi-Facilitator Training Program Educators of kindergarten through 12th grade, non-government, and government agency personnel throughout the state are invited to workshops designed to develop their skills on sound educational practices. The New Mexico Multi-Facilitator training Program is the first in a series of facilitator workshops designed to build capacity for the delivery of environmental education programs in New Mexico. The program is designed to increase the number of teachers across the state that know about natural resources and how they can integrate that information into effective classroom teaching strategies that focus on education reform. |
| 2003 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Department of Health -- $16,374 Ron Vorhees, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87502 Lead Poisoning Prevention for Expectant Teens and their Children Teachers, other school staff members, and health care providers across New Mexico are attending workshops to learn how to teach expectant teens about the adverse effects of lead exposure before, during, and after pregnancy as well as ways to prevent lead exposure. Key partners in the project are the New Mexico Department of Education, the New Mexico Department of Health, and high school teachers across the state. |
| 2003 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Environment Department -- $10,000 Sandra Ely, P.O. Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502 Public Outreach about Effects of Ground-Level Ozone in San Juan County To teach fourth-grade students about the effects of ozone in San Juan County, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is providing ozone educational activities for 28 elementary schools. NMED contacts teachers after these activities to provide follow-up instruction about lesson plan development and about how to lead students through exercises that demonstrate how ozone impacts their daily lives. |
| 2003 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Office of the State Engineer -- $5,000 Cheri Vogel, P.O. Box 25102, Santa Fe, NM 87504 Water Conservation Teacher Mini-Workshop The Water Conservation Teacher Mini-Workshop project is designed to educate teachers about water-related issues in New Mexico and to supply them with water conservation educational materials for themselves and their students. The Office of the State Engineer is partnering with local municipalities to host a series of 10 to 15 workshops throughout the state. The priority for having a workshop goes to areas that have been most affected by drought and that do not have a water education program in place. Less populated rural areas are given the opportunity to partner with neighboring school districts in order to fill a workshop. Workshops specifically designed for teachers in early elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools are available. |
| 2003 | NM | 6 | Santa Fe Children's Museum -- $5,000 Ellen O'Donnell, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Teen Educators in Earthworks The goal of the Teen Educators in Earthworks project is to increase environmental literacy among families in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. Approximately 4,000 people participate in the programs of the Santa Fe Children’s Museum each year. The museum’s Earthworks projects serve as living demonstrations of how a community can solve its inherent problems with land restoration while creating a context for hands-on environmental education. The museum’s programs are free and have no registration requirements for community members. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Arm-of-the-Sea Productions, Inc. -- $5,000 Patrick Wadden, P.O. Box 175, Malden-on-the-Hudson, NY 12453 "Thinking Like a Watershed" Arts & Ecology Workshop "Thinking Like a Watershed" is a participatory arts and ecology workshop for students of ages 11 through 16. The project is a partnership of three community-based organizations that host summer camp programs for urban youth. This project begins by developing the students' understanding of their role in the environment. Introductory sessions focus on watersheds and how they work, including the water cycle, groundwater movement, and nonpoint source pollution. The students then use multimedia materials to create paintings, sculptures, and masks depicting community environmental concerns. The students’ creations are displayed as part of a pageant for other campers and the community. The pageant is also videotaped for viewing by future audiences. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Beczak Environmental Education Center, Inc. -- $4,000 Cynthia Fox, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY 10701 After School Environmental Club The Beczak Environmental Education Center, Inc., brings children to the Hudson River to experience its beauty and learn about its history, science, and ecology. This after-school environmental club teaches students about the environment and what it means to be an environmental steward. The program targets students from the Yonkers neighborhoods with the lowest mean incomes. The fourth and fifth graders take part in interactive projects as they investigate both the river and their school environments. The students produce a poster display and a school-wide environmental improvement plan to share what they have learned with others. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- $5,000 Kirsten Munro, 100 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Sustainable Gardening - Phase II This project is an initiative of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's (BBG) community horticulture program, "Brooklyn Greenbridge." In this project, BBG extends sustainable gardening from pilot community gardens into surrounding underserved neighborhoods in New York City's five boroughs. The project expands use of native plants, facilitates partnerships between community gardens and community-based organizations, and involves community members in the environmental issues that they face. In addition to developing the understanding and skills required to improve their neighborhoods with sustainable gardens, the project participants develop the leadership skills needed to become more effective environmental stewards and leaders in their communities. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Catskill Center for Conservation and Development -- $10,000 Tom Alworth, P.O. Box 504, Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406-0504 The Catskills: A Sense of Place The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development is training teachers in the Margaretville Central, Fallsburg Central, and Onteora Central School Districts to implement the lessons and activities found in five modules of "The Catskills: A Sense of Place." The modules are as follows: (1) Water Resources, (2) Geography and Geology, (3) Human History, (4) Culture and the Arts, and (5) Ecosystems. They are designed to teach students in grades 4 through 12 about the environmental and cultural assets of the Catskill region. The modules promote environmental stewardship as students learn about their watershed and the impacts that people have on watersheds and associated communities. Teachers learn how to incorporate the module lessons into their classroom curricula and correlate those lessons with New York State Learning Standards. In addition to workshops, the program provides ongoing support for the teachers. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Friends of Crotona Park -- $10,000 Samantha Stone, 1591 Fulton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 Crotona Park Watershed Public Education Campaign This public education campaign focuses on Indian Lake in Crotona Park. The project combines a service-learning component for middle and high school students with outreach to the public. Students from the Phipps After School Program are studying lake water ecology and are conducting research on the microbiotic and macrobiotic biology of the lake and the New York City water supply system. These students also are developing a display based on their investigations for the Crotona Park Nature Center. Students from the Bronx Outreach High School are studying the New York City water supply system and are developing a display for the nature center that highlights human activities and their impacts on the watershed, Crotona Park, and the lake. The displays and other outreach materials developed by the students are used by summer camp volunteers to educate park visitors about important water issues. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,900 Elizabeth LoGiudice, 907 Greene County Office Building, Cairo, NY 12413 Creekside Classroom Program - Phase 1 The Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District is partnering with the Catskill Middle School and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County to design and implement an interdisciplinary program focusing on Catskill Creek. The program involves 40 teachers at the middle school. A core group of teachers and the partners are developing lesson plans based on existing environmental education resources and are correlating the plans with New York State Learning Standards. The selected lessons and activities focus on riparian buffers, water quality, and biodiversity. Teachers and students are designing and planning a creekside celebration to share what they have learned with parents and community residents. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Guilderland Central Schools -- $9,000 Alan Fiero, 6072 State Farm Road, Guilderland, NY 12084 Native Plant Restoration Program The Pine Brush, an inland pine barren located near the Guilderland Central Schools, has lost significant acreage as the result of development. More than 850 students in grades 2, 7, 8, and 9 are restoring the native plant population to the Pine Brush by raising the plants in their classrooms and working in the community to place the plants in local gardens. The older students mentor the younger students and work with their teachers to increase public knowledge and understanding of the Pine Brush Preserve. The purpose of establishing native plant gardens in the community is to return native species to the Pine Brush ecosystem. Students study and survey the ecosystem to determine the progress of habitat restoration. Their written reports are submitted to the Pine Brush Preserve Commission. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. -- $4,874 Christopher Bowser, 112 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 Teacher Training for the Urban Estuary This project provides 35 New York City teachers with methods and materials that they can use to teach their students about environmental issues associated with New York Harbor. The project includes a workshop to introduce teachers to the Hudson River's cultural and natural history as well as the ways that people have used and impacted the river's ecosystems. The teachers explore ways to apply what they have learned to their classroom curricula. Next, teachers attend a 1-day workshop in which they participate in small-group, interactive sessions focusing on the biology, cultural history, and current environmental problems of the Hudson River. At a follow-up meeting with each teacher, project staff help to customize studies of the Hudson River for the teacher's classroom curricula. This process includes establishing correlations with the New York State Learning Standards and identifying ways to help students improve their neighborhood environments. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Old First Ward Community Association, Inc. -- $5,000 Laura Kelly, 62 Republic Street, Buffalo, NY 14204 Community Environmental Education Demonstration The Community Environmental Education Demonstration project educates the children and teenagers in the traditionally underserved areas of the Old First Ward community about ecological problems such as pollution, contaminated soils, and numerous Brownfields associated with industrial development in their neighborhood. The Old First Ward Community Center is conducting workshops that include field trips to the nearby Tifft Nature Reserve, local greenhouses, grain elevators, and polluted industrial sites along the Buffalo River. The workshop participants focus on community garden projects as a means to explore various environmental practices that can improve their quality of life and lower their contribution to Buffalo River contamination. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Pace University -- $14,000 Fred Zalcman, 78 North Broadway, E-House, White Plains, NY 10603 The Pace Energy Project: Power Scorecard and Education Outreach The Pace Energy Project uses the Power Scorecard educational program to provide information about the electrical power industry and to encourage people to choose safer, more environmentally sound forms of energy. This program provides the public with information about their electricity options, such as “clean, green” electricity service. The Power Scorecard is a web-accessible educational tool that local organizations can access. Pace University is holding workshops to provide organizations with the opportunity to teach the public how to use the Power Scorecard. To implement the project in New York, workshops are held to discuss environmental issues in the community and electricity resources available to consumers. The objectives of the project are to establish web pages about the Power Scorecard that are specific to New York, train members of appropriate organizations, and develop a manual of existing information to assist consumers. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | South Street Seaport Museum -- $18,000 Yvonne Simons, 207 Front Street, New York, NY 10038 Marine Science for Visually Impaired Students This project teaches visually impaired students in New York City about marine ecology and science. Students attend workshops aboard the South Street Seaport Museum's educational vessels, the Pioneer and Wavertree, to learn how people and pollution affect ecosystems. The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders participate in interactive learning processes and receive hands-on science instruction. As a result of the project, students develop a greater understanding of marine ecosystems and have a greater sense of stewardship. They learn problem-solving skills, analyze environmental information, study the factors involved in population growth, and are better able to draw conclusions from data. The overarching goal is to help the students become active members of their communities. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Teachers College -- $56,202 (HQ Grant) Michael Bitz, 525 West 120th Street, P.O. Box 139, New York, NY 10027 Alternative Pathways to Environmental Learning The Alternative Pathways to Environmental Learning (APEL) project uses the arts as a pathway for educating inner-city students in grades 4 through 8 in New York City schools about important environmental issues affecting their communities. Direct and interactive programs for children and workshops for instructors are conducted to teach children about their environment and then design art and stories that demonstrate their understanding of environmental concerns. The stories present the information in a way that will interest other children. The materials generated are distributed in after-school programs and community outlets such as public housing developments, schools, and community centers. The partners for the APEL project are the Center for Educational Pathways and the After School Corporation. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Teatown Lake Reservations, Inc. -- $13,280 Gail Abrams, 1600 Spring Valley Road, Ossing, NY 10562 Teatown Lake Reservations, Inc., Water Quality Education Program This program teaches public middle and high school students in Westchester and Putnam Counties about water quality issues associated with their local streams. The program focuses on the Croton Watershed, which provides part of New York City's water supply. Teachers learn how to collect and analyze water quality data in order to identify troubled areas. Students and teachers then visit watershed streams to gather and assess the water quality information. As students learn about the watershed, they also discover their role as environmental stewards. The program includes holding a student conference and publishing students' water quality data. |
| 2003 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society -- $10,000 Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Project Creek Project Creek Restoration, Exploration and Education in Kings County (CREEK) is a partnership between the New York Aquarium and John Dewey High School. Project CREEK teaches students about environmental careers, environmental science concepts, marine science, tidal wetland ecology, and wildlife conservation. High school students attend a 1-day habitat restoration workshop, where they study endangered species and habitat loss in Brooklyn, New York. They study the environmental issues in Coney Island Creek. The program is geared toward a large, ethnically and socio-economically diverse school population. |
| 2003 | NC | 4 | Elizabeth City State University -- $5,000 Morris Autry, 1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909 Education to Prevent Children from Lead Poisoning Through this project, parents and other participants are educated about the issue of lead poisoning, which is one of the leading environmental health threats to children under the age of 6 years. The goal of this education and awareness project is to identify and reduce the number of children exposed to lead. The project is being implemented using various educational methods, including (1) a series of seminars and community forums aimed at specific target groups; (2) a media campaign using radio, television, and newspapers; (3) dissemination of lead hazard information through pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, bulletin boards, and booths and displays; and (4) design of lead hazard reduction plans for local governments. As a result of these efforts, there have been increases in the community residents’ knowledge regarding sources of lead poisoning and in safety measures to reduce and eliminate lead exposures. |
| 2003 | NC | 4 | Environmental Education Fund -- $21,998 Judy Pope, P.O. Box 25825, Raleigh, NC 27611 Earth and Environmental Science Institute This project expands the Environmental Education Fund’s successful summer institute to reach educators who have struggled to offer a viable earth and environmental science program. These educators are immersed in a week-long training session that is supplemented with subsequent mentoring sessions. The Environmental Education Fund has partnered with six other agencies, including the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, to develop a curriculum-based, technology-rich, outdoor environmental education experience. The project provides real-life opportunities for participants to practice critical-thinking and problem-solving skills while making informed, science-based decisions as individuals and as teams. Based on evaluations and feedback received during previous institutes, the demand to expand this successful initiative is greater than ever. |
| 2003 | NC | 4 | Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation -- $4,376 Marek Smith, 700 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 Educators' Naturalist Weekend The Educators’ Naturalist Weekend provides 2 days of hands-on workshops for teachers and nonformal educators at the Mecklenburg County Nature Center. Participants are given resource materials for use in their classes, and the training enables the teachers to incorporate the lessons and projects into their curricula. Two different training tracks are offered. One track emphasizes creating and using an outdoor classroom, and the other focuses on integrating environmental education with art and literature. Teacher renewal credits and North Carolina Environmental Education Certification credits are offered. |
| 2003 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts -- $5,000 Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609 North Carolina Envirothon Program The North Carolina Envirothon program is organized by an independent steering committee and is operated under the North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental education competition for middle and high school students that involves most of the natural resource agencies in the state, environmental organizations, and private resource partners. The natural resource components of the competition include soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The goals of the program are to (1) provide an environmental education opportunity for all middle and high school students, (2) provide the students with an opportunity to learn about and meet natural resource personnel, (3) provide student teams and teachers with a natural resource materials packet, and (4) get students interested in pursuing environmental careers when they attend college. |
| 2003 | ND | 8 | Gateway to Science Center, Inc. -- $5,000 Elizabeth Demke, 2700 State Street, Suite 17, Bismarck, ND 58502 "Earth Wellness" Environmental Festival Gateway to Science Center, Inc., is holding its fifth annual “Earth Wellness” Environmental Festival in May 2004. The festival has hands-on activities for fifth-grade teachers and their students and is intended to increase their understanding of how their actions can affect the environment either positively or negatively. In addition, the festival is expanding to include a greater number of participants. |
| 2003 | OH | 5 | Youngstown State University -- $21,285 Marcia Barr, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555-3355 Waste Minimization Workshop for Youngstown Students and Teachers In this project, fifth- and sixth-grade teachers from the Youngstown public and Catholic schools participate in "train the trainer" workshops that meet the Ohio Department of Education's technology standards. The workshops, with the participation of 11 public and 5 Catholic schools, provide an interactive chemistry demonstration and instruction on waste reduction and pollution prevention as well as ecosystem protection. The teachers learn how to access databases in order to determine what waste minimization regulations affect their schools. Tests are given before and after workshops so that project staff members can determine the training’s effectiveness. |
| 2003 | OK | 6 | Energy Education Partnership -- $10,716 Keith Thomas, P.O. Box 53127, Tulsa, OK 74114 Impact of Coal Seam Natural Gas Exploration and Production Students and teachers in the Farmington, New Mexico, area are participating in interactive lectures and visiting drilling sites under construction as well as active drilling sites to learn about the environmental impact of coal seam natural gas exploration and production. The project’s goals are to educate the community about the exploration and production process and to encourage environmental understanding and careers. Students and teachers participate in chemical analyses of drilling fluids and produced water associated with the process. To ensure impartiality, an independent technician leads the project participants in the chemical analyses. |
| 2003 | OK | 6 | Tulsa County Independent School District #1 -- $20,881 Judy Fessenden, 3027 South New Haven, Tulsa, OK 74114 Remington Elementary's Center for Environmental Studies The main focus of the Remington Elementary Center for Environmental Studies (RECES) is on interactive environmental education. The target audience is teachers, students, and the general community. RECES uses hands-on indoor and outdoor exhibits, working models, static displays, botanical gardens, and nature trail exhibits. This project incorporates an indoor aviary to further develop a self-supporting Center for Environmental Studies as a resource for both formal and informal education using energy and water resource management and protection as a springboard. The project proposes to increase the ability of teachers, parents, and other patrons to support children’s information inquiries about issues regarding the impact and future of developing, using and managing energy and water resources in the local Mooser Creek watershed. |
| 2003 | OR | 10 | Corvallis School District -- $13,784 Kristin Erickson, 1555 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97330 Keepers of the Creek Jefferson Elementary School is working with community members and organizations to develop, implement, and maintain a stream restoration project for the section of Dixon Creek that runs by the school. Providing a real-life laboratory for learning about the environment, the project teaches students and adult volunteers about the necessary steps and methods for restoring a stream to a more natural state. High school students monitor water quality and mentor elementary school students doing research. Elementary school students work with volunteers to plan and complete work on the creek site. Through community forums, Keepers of the Creek informs community members about the project and encourages them to participate and to apply some of the skills learned to additional areas along Dixon Creek and other local creeks. The project reaches more than 1,000 students and adults and is creating a model for other schools and community groups that are taking responsibility for the health of local streams. |
| 2003 | OR | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Oregon -- $21,857 Linda Rhoads, P.O. Box 15192, Portland, OR 97293 Building Capacity Through Leadership and Strategic Planning This project builds environmental education capacity by enhancing the leadership skills of the Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) board members, implementing a strategic planning process for the organization, and developing a booklet of EEAO volunteer opportunities. The project integrates an all-day, facilitated strategic planning session for the EEAO board members; two facilitated strategic planning sessions for all EEAO members; a seminar designed and conducted to address the leadership development needs of the EEAO board members; and use of the EEAO web site and “list serve” as well as systematic outreach activities to distribute EEAO volunteer information. In addition to the EEAO board members, the parties served by this project include 150 to 200 formal and nonformal educators as well as representatives of natural resource agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industries throughout Oregon. |
| 2003 | OR | 10 | Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership -- $9,537 Tammy Sanders, 811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97204 Lower Columbia Region Elementary School Teacher Workshops The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (LCREP) is hosting eight elementary school teacher workshops in spring, summer, fall, and winter throughout the lower Columbia River region to prepare teachers to engage their students in environmental activities in the classroom and in the field. This project targets pre-service and current teachers in the LCREP study area, which includes Oregon and Washington and extends from the Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the Columbia River. Two sets of teacher workshops for 20 teachers each (one set addressing kindergarten through grade 3 and one set addressing grades 4 through 6) focus on local habitats, the plants and animals in these ecosystems, and habitat geology. The project is designed to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to conduct field studies on school grounds and at nearby streams and wetlands. Teachers also learn to integrate the historical context of environmental issues into their curricula and to use maps to support learning. All participating teachers receive a notebook containing a number of activities, web site and curriculum resources, and a matrix that correlates the activities with Oregon and Washington state standards. Each participating teacher is assigned a partnering organization that assists the teacher with activities and field work following the workshop. |
| 2003 | OR | 10 | Parkdale Elementary School -- $3,800 Kim Bauer, 4880 Van Nuys Drive, P.O. Box 69, Parkdale, OR 97041 Fifth-Grade Water Quality Monitoring and Result Presentations As part of a larger river basin study being conducted by the State of Oregon, two fifth-grade classes at Parkdale Elementary School are conducting comprehensive water quality monitoring for a stream near the school, analyzing the data, and presenting the results. Students generate charts and graphs and use computer applications for their presentations. A translator helps Spanish speakers in the community to understand the presentations. Approximately 40 students present the results of their work to other students at the school, at a community open house, at a press conference for local media, and to the Board of Directors for the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District. The project exposes all Parkdale Elementary School students to the aquatic environment in Hood River County's upper valley and to the role that monitoring plays in assessing water quality and stream health. |
| 2003 | OR | 10 | Umpqua Basin Watershed Council -- $20,850 Nancy Geyer, 1758 NE Airport Road, Roseburg, OR 97470 Riparian Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Community Education Program The purpose of this program is to improve stream habitat conditions for the threatened coho salmon and other fish and aquatic species by encouraging landowner participation in on-the-ground projects. The program specifically targets landowners in areas where improvement of riparian conditions and removal of culverts and dams that block fish access to streams would have the greatest impact. The program uses five delivery methods: (1) mailing educational materials and “action sheets” to landowners in the target areas, (2) conducting five field trips to sites with target landowners and groups, (3) developing an interactive display and presenting it at six fairs or other events in the Umpqua Basin, (4) delivering at least 35 community presentations for target groups, and (5) writing educational articles for newspapers and community newsletters. The overarching program goal is to educate target landowners about the need, alternatives, and resources for restoring riparian areas and improving fish passages. |
| 2003 | PA | 3 | Group Against Smog & Pollution -- $5,000 Rachel Filippini, P.O. Box 5165, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Diesel Education and Monitoring Program The objective of this project is to educate the public about fine particulate matter and diesel pollution from vehicles that affect Western Pennsylvania's air quality and to encourage citizens to use this knowledge to make informed decisions and take actions on these issues. The project includes a public education program called the Diesel Education and Monitoring Program. Venues include church groups, community centers, nature centers, and college campuses. Beyond holding community meetings, the group will educate a wider audience by appearing on at least one Public Access TV station in the Pittsburgh area to educate viewers about particulate matter and diesel pollution from vehicles. |
| 2003 | PA | 3 | Intermediate Unit 1 -- $4,941 Pamela Hupp, One Intermediate Unit Drive, Coal Center, PA 15423-9642 Project Contain, Maintain, and Connect Outdoor Environmental Workshop The goal of this project is to raise the level of environmental literacy of 20 elementary school teachers in school districts in Washington, Fayette, and Greene Counties. To achieve this goal, the project is providing an opportunity for the teachers to develop an understanding of basic environmental concepts, identify local environmental problems, develop lessons for their classrooms, and use testing apparatus in field experiences. |
| 2003 | PA | 3 | National Nursing Centers Consortium -- $15,000 Tine Hansen-Turton, 260 South Broad Street, 18th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Baltimore Lead Education and Awareness Program The National Nursing Centers Consortium serves the Baltimore community by implementing the Lead Education and Awareness Program (LEAP). The program has two components that are designed to inform people about the hazards associated with lead: a home visitation program and community workshops titled "Community Lead 101." The two components of LEAP are implemented through two community-based, nurse-managed health centers in Baltimore. |
| 2003 | PA | 3 | The Magic Woods -- $25,000 Matthew Craig, P.O. Box 81798, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Magic Woods Television Series The goal of the Magic Woods television series is to inspire a broad audience of preschool children towards a deeper curiosity, respect, and understanding for nature and the environment. The series promotes ecosystem protection through education by featuring environmental lessons within each episode. The subject matter, characters, and child cast members are specifically chosen to reach out and to be inclusive of children of all races, genders, religious, and socio-economic groups. |
| 2003 | PA | 3 | Urban Tree Connection -- $5,000 Saul Wiener, 5125 Woodbine Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131-2404 Pearl Street Neighborhood Garden Project The objective of this project is to inform children from the Haddington neighborhood about the basic concepts of environmental science and the ecological importance of maintaining urban green spaces. To achieve this objective, the Urban Tree Connection has designed and developed a habitat-oriented teaching and learning garden. The project organizers work with children to cultivate the 3,300-square-foot lot and develop a "green" walkway. |
| 2003 | PR | 2 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico -- $15,000 Amaury Boscio Vargas, P.O. Box 363255, San Juan, PR 00936-3255 Promoting Environmental Careers Through an Integrated Approach Inter American University of Puerto Rico is conducting seminars on environmental areas of study for the academic community and participating students. The course of study includes field trips to develop students' knowledge about the environment and assignments to develop their problem-solving and research skills. Students are focusing their studies on the Laguna Tortuguero ecosystem with the cooperation of the Ecotourism Office of the Municipality of Vega Baja. Students hold workshops to share their acquired knowledge of the environment with the Vega Baja community and present their work to the university community at the annual Congress of the Center for Environmental Education and Interpretation. These students complete both bachelor's and master's degrees in a total of 5 years. |
| 2003 | RI | 1 | Save The Bay, Inc. -- $13,408 Michelle McAlpin, 434 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908 Urban Ecology Field Studies: A Pilot Program in Providence Save The Bay, Inc., uses an educational model developed by Boston's Urban Ecology Institute to collaborate with Central Falls High School in order to enrich its Applied Biology and Chemistry class. Immediate project goals include increasing students' intellectual and social self-confidence, familiarizing students with the scientific method, and increasing urban students' commitment to environmental stewardship and civic leadership. A larger goal is to acquaint students with the connection between what happens in their community and the environmental health of the Narragansett Bay estuary and its watershed. |
| 2003 | RI | 1 | State of Rhode Island - Department of Environmental Management -- $16,848 Thomas Getz, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 Public Awareness Study The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) is partnering with the Cambodian Society to identify ways to educate a large southeast Asian immigrant population about the potential health problems associated with eating fish caught in freshwater streams and the ocean that contain high levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. The per capita fish consumption of this group is high, and Rhode Island coastal waters have an abundance of blue fish and striped bass. The project is intended to ascertain the best mechanisms for informing the public and for identifying the community's environmental concerns. Approaches include brochures, cable television shows, public service announcements on radio and television, community meetings, and maps showing where people should not fish. |
| 2003 | RI | 1 | Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council -- $9,875 Jennifer Pereira, 532 Kinsley Avenue, Providence, RI 02909 Environmental Issues in Your Backyard The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council's environmental education initiative raises young people’s awareness of sources of toxins in urban environments and provides critical environmental and health education to children in Olneyville, an underserved urban neighborhood in the Woonasquatucket River corridor in Providence, Rhode Island. As is the case in many impoverished and urban areas, children in Olneyville are exposed to lead, pesticides, and other potential health hazards every day. As part of the project, students are creating educational video with the help of a local artist and are taking these messages back to their families and the broader neighborhood. |
| 2003 | SC | 4 | Clemson University -- $22,076 Barbara Speziale, 300 Brackett Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 Youth Water Quality Education for South Carolina This project provides environmental education about local water resources at summer day camps for 500 children of ages 8 through 14 and instruction for 50 teachers. The project uses a location-specific environmental education program called "4H20 - Pontoon Classroom/River Adventure" that is presented in both formal (middle school classroom) and nonformal (summer day camp) settings. The summer day camp experience reinforces and enhances the lesson plans used during the school year. The project expands and reinforces the children’s understanding of aquatic environments. The instruction of in-service teachers is administered as a Clemson University graduate course called “South Carolina Water Environmental Education” for 25 middle school teachers and nonformal educators. All the educational activities meet the South Carolina Science Curriculum Standards. |
| 2003 | SC | 4 | National Wild Turkey Federation -- $5,000 Christine Rolka, P.O. Box 530, Edgefield, SC 29824 Workshop for Educators Emphasizing the Importance of Land Management in Enhancing Wildlife Habitat The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) continues to host a 1-day workshop for educators that emphasizes the importance of land management in enhancing wildlife habitat. This workshop focuses on sustainable forestry principles, which involve management of the forest to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. NWTF teaches educators about land stewardship ethics that integrate growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees for creation of useful products with conservation of soil, maintenance of air and water quality, and preservation of wildlife habitat. |
| 2003 | SC | 4 | University of South Carolina Research Foundation -- $60,690 (HQ Grant) Jeffrey Priest, Sponsored Programs and Research, USC Columbia, Columbia, SC 29208 Underrepresented Populations Learning in Nature's Kindergarten Focusing on underrepresented populations, the Underrepresented Populations Learning in Nature’s Kindergarten (UPLINK) project improves student achievement by providing real-world activities in a natural environment. This project involves use of a mobile classroom at the Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary in which students can collect, analyze, and summarize data that will enable them to make decisions about an environmental problem or issue. Students in grades 3 through 12 at schools in high-poverty areas participate in five project visits during the year: three visits to the Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary and two visits with the UPLINK instructor in their own schools. In addition to promoting student achievement, the project enhances students' interest in natural resources and exposes them to possible environmental careers. The UPLINK project is a cooperative effort between the Natural Resources, Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education Programs at the University of South Carolina; the South Carolina Chapter of the National Audubon Society; and the Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary. |
| 2003 | SD | 8 | Children's Science Center -- $24,927 Julie Smoragiewicz, 501 East Street, Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701 The Air We Breathe: Black Hills Air Quality and Its Impact on Health and the Environment This project is integrating an interdisciplinary, after-school enrichment program called Nature’s Elements with a hands-on, interdisciplinary, science-based, after-school educational program focusing on air quality issues. The after-school program integrates science and the humanities to study the environment and to focus on air quality as it relates to science and public policy. The curriculum also accommodates a variety of learning styles, including visual, verbal, and kinesthetic learning. |
| 2003 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Center and Aquarium -- $4,820 Anne Lewis, 805 West Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 Wonders of Wetlands on the River Teacher Workshop This project is called Wonders of Wetlands (WOW) on the River and consists of a workshop using Montana Watercourse’s WOW curriculum. The workshop includes an overnight field trip in which teachers kayak to a riverine wetland and engage in hands-on learning. The participants communicate the value of using the local environment as a classroom to their colleagues. |
| 2003 | TN | 4 | Global Village Institute -- $5,000 Albert Bates, P.O. Box 90, Summertown, TN 38483 Ecovillage Children's Kitchen The Ecovillage Children’s Kitchen is designed to introduce children from low-income families to the benefits of cultivating sustainable lifestyles. Underprivileged children are housed, fed, and provided with instruction about creating and enjoying frugal lifestyles that are in harmony with nature. Children plan, plant, cultivate, and harvest organic gardens; learn to prepare, cook, and serve healthy food; and monitor their own energy use and waste. Newly designed instructional courses and multimedia, hands-on projects take place in the whole-system immersion experience of the Ecovillage Training Center. The center provides pollution prevention training using interactive, multimedia exhibits; exploration of natural areas; exercises in composting and waste recycling; instruction in organic gardening; and demonstrations of water and energy conservation. |
| 2003 | TN | 4 | Granger County Board of Education -- $5,000 Billie Ann Combs, P.O. Box 38, Rutledge, TN 37861 Granger County Outdoor Science Classroom This project involves transformation of an existing nature trail into an outdoor classroom. Instructors and their classes catalogue and label trees, test water quality, install a weather station, and clear trails to develop the classroom. Students participate in activities that involve problem-solving, hands-on learning, group decision-making, and service-based learning. Teachers are introduced to the project through in-service programs, tours of the teacher center located at the Soil Conservation Office, workshops, interactive programs, and field trips. This project is also conducted during after-school and summer programs. |
| 2003 | TN | 4 | Middle Tennessee State University -- $5,000 Myra Norman, P.O. Box 60, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 Backpack Biology In the 1990s, the National Park Service developed a greenway along the Stones River in Rutherford County to allow “city folk” to enjoy nature hikes, walking, bicycling, and wayside exhibits that interpret natural and Civil War history. The Backpack Biology project extends the enjoyment of the greenway by developing educational backpacks about environmental topics. The backpacks are made available for checkout by educators and local residents using the greenway. These backpacks focus on topics ranging from environmental awareness to the river ecosystem. An environmental education training program is being designed and implemented in cooperation with partners to continue to enhance the project. |
| 2003 | TN | 4 | Swan Conservation Trust -- $5,000 Douglas Steveson, P.O. Box 162, Summertown, TN 38483 Rare Plant Protection on the Western Highland Rim of Tennessee The mission of Swan Conservation Trust (SCT) is to “preserve and protect the watersheds and riparian forests of the Western Highland Rim of Tennessee.” SCT initially focused its efforts in the watershed of Big Swan Creek and has been successful in protecting more than 2,000 acres of riparian forest and uplands through ownership and cooperative management. Through the project, SCT is expanding the education component of its mission by teaching the public about the native plant communities of the area and the threats to their existence. Using presentations, workshops, and field trips, SCT principally educates landowners, members of business and civic organizations, and school groups. |
| 2003 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom -- $20,000 Chris Fleming, P.O. Box 313, Columbia, TN 38402 Planting Ideas: Harvesting Success This project focuses on educating public and private school teachers about methods of using environmental and agricultural education materials to address state-mandated academic objectives. Teachers are trained in 1-day workshops held at 10 locations throughout Tennessee. The workshops are held in cooperation with the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Regents schools. Each school represented is eligible for a matching garden mini-grant to establish a hands-on learning laboratory. The mini-grant requires the teachers to form partnerships with their local extension services and Natural Resource Conservation Service. Project participants’ continued progress is monitored by means of online updates of lessons used and reports of gains made by their students. |
| 2003 | TX | 6 | Central Independent School District -- $5,000 Susan Sanders, 7622 Highway 69N, Pollok, TX 75969 Teacher Training Using the Central Outdoor Classroom Kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers are using the Central Outdoor Classroom to learn about inquiry-based science. Environmental studies of the forest ecosystem are examined through lessons and field experiences. Teachers work with scientists in various fields of study who are affiliated with the Texas Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service, and other agencies. Visiting scientists assist in developing six field investigation units that focus on defining environmental problems, conducting research, and collecting and analyzing data. |
| 2003 | TX | 6 | Council for Environmental Education -- $13,000 Josetta Hawthorne, 5555 Morningside Drive, Suite 212, Houston, TX 77005 Migratory Bird Conservation Education in Schools The Council for Environmental Education provides training for teachers in urban middle schools in the Houston area to help them implement classroom lessons and projects related to bird conservation. Teachers are trained how to use birds as a highly visible connection between urban children and the natural world and how to incorporate important issues affecting birds into their curricula. Both teacher and student training explore how to plan and conduct a school bird festival as well as how to initiate related service-learning projects involving bird conservation, biology, and migration. Schools are encouraged to work with a variety of groups to plan bird festivals. |
| 2003 | TX | 6 | Council for Environmental Education -- $16,788 Josetta Hawthorne, 5555 Morningside Drive, Suite 212, Houston, TX 77005 Water Education for Teachers School Teachers in urban middle schools in the San Antonio area attend a series of workshops designed to help them incorporate activities from the Water Education for Teachers (WET) in the City Curriculum and Activity Guide into their own curricula. Teachers and community volunteers learn how to successfully mentor student-driven water stewardship projects and how to develop strong networks of local organizations and businesses in order to obtain technical and financial support for participating schools. |
| 2003 | TX | 6 | Groves Educational Foundation -- $6,000 Ianthia Fisher, 1105 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Crockett, TX 75835 Youth, Adult, and Family Development The Groves Educational Foundation is using several types of media to educate young people and adults about the importance of their environment. Project participants take field trips to historic sites in order to investigate the region’s heritage and participate in community cleanups and interactive programs. The participants learn about the importance of keeping their community clean through involvement in hands-on activities such as community garden maintenance, pest control, and water conservation. |
| 2003 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $25,000 Eric Chandler, 350 South 400 East, Suite G-4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Utah Regional Capacity-Building Project This project is building environmental education capacity by bringing together environmental education leaders and organizations, providing localized professional development opportunities for environmental education practitioners throughout Utah, and providing communication and networking opportunities for regional environmental education communities. The project involves conducting 1-day mini-environmental education conferences throughout the state. The mini-environmental education conferences provide professional development opportunities for environmental education providers in or near their hometowns. In addition, the mini-environmental education conferences are supporting capacity building efforts that are currently underway in Utah by facilitating communication, promoting sustained professional development, and offering leadership development. |
| 2003 | VT | 1 | Association of Vermont Recyclers -- $5,000 Karin McNeill, P.O. Box 124, Montpelier, VT 05601 Education for School Composting Programs This project creates a statewide model for teaching Vermont school populations facts about the state's goal to reduce solid waste, and to teach techniques for beginning and sustaining a composting program. The project uses five theater shows and 10 workshops to target kindergarten through eighth grade students interested in learning about composting. |
| 2003 | VT | 1 | Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. -- $21,155 Lynn Rubinstein, 139 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301 New England Strategic Outreach and Education Plan for Reuse and Waste Prevention This project promotes reuse of materials and waste prevention among school and municipal government purchasing agents. The project focuses on developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills and applying them to understand the environmental benefits of reuse and waste prevention as well as how state and federal procurement laws apply. |
| 2003 | VT | 1 | Trust for Wildlife -- $5,000 Marshal T. Case, 127 Ehrich Road, Shaftsbury, VT 05262 Development of a Trail System This project involves developing a trail layout and accompanying interpretive booklet for the 109-acre Southwest Vermont Middle School property. The effort is intended to familiarize students and faculty with the property, integrate use of the property into all subject areas of the seventh- and eighth-grade curricula, and promote wise use of the property as an outdoor laboratory. The interpretive trail and booklet are the focus for community awareness and involvement efforts. |
| 2003 | VA | 3 | Coalition for Jobs and the Environment -- $5,000 Denise Peterson, 102 North Court Street, P.O. Box 645, Abingdon, VA 24212 Greening the Classroom: An Environmental Education Conference Greening the Classroom is a project within the Learning Landscape Program that is currently offered to several schools in Washington County, Virginia. This pilot program is intended to help develop outdoor classrooms. The program provides workshops for kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers, home school teachers, and parents that focus on using wildlife habitats and ecosystem study areas as outdoor classrooms. This program fosters new teaching techniques, accommodates alternative learning styles, and encourages community involvement. |
| 2003 | VA | 3 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $24,769 Scott Richardson, 1908 Mount Vernon Avenue, 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22301 Teacher Training about Watershed Health in the Lower Potomac Earth Force, Inc., is providing materials and training to teachers in northern Virginia through a watershed stewardship program called the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). The Arlington Public School District provides expertise in academic standards; identifies participating teachers; and works with Earth Force, Inc., to ensure that participating schools support program activities. The goals of the partnership are to (1) create opportunities for middle school teachers to incorporate meaningful watershed experiences into their core curricula and (2) meet recently revised standards of learning (SOLs) that require students to understand watershed concepts, habitats, and health. |
| 2003 | VA | 3 | Lynchburg College -- $74,960 (HQ Grant) Jeffrey Corney, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501 Central Virginia's Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience In an effort to enhance awareness and knowledge of watershed science, this project sends students and teachers from 26 elementary schools on a "watershed experience" field trip to Lynchburg College's Claytor Nature Study Center. The project provides hands-on environmental education lessons about watershed ecology and human impacts on water resources. This project improves students' standard-based academic achievement in the sciences. Over the course of the 2-year project, hundreds of students and their teachers will attend the watershed field trip. Teachers also will attend summer training workshops and receive curricular materials. This training is intended to help teachers incorporate environmental education themes into lessons on science and natural resources. Community volunteers also are involved in the project as field instructors. Lynchburg College is the primary sponsor of the project in partnership with the Lynchburg City Public Schools and Bedford County Public Schools. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | Educational Service District 113 -- $20,672 Kathy Jacobson, 601 McPhee Road SW, Olympia, WA 98502 River of Words: Catalyst for Watershed Education and Action This is a year-long project in which over 45 teachers and 1,550 students in grades 4 through 12 are introduced to "River of Words," a watershed poetry and art project designed to challenge students to explore and interpret their local watersheds through the arts. Teachers participate in a 2-day “River of Words” teacher’s institute and in a 1-day follow-up training session. Students receive instruction in the classroom and participate in field studies that incorporate water quality monitoring, art, and writing activities. Working with community partners, students also engage in watershed action projects. A “Student Congress” culminates the project and features opportunities for students to lead workshops and showcase their work. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks -- $18,134 Lexi Taylor, 201 South Jackson Street, Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98104 Wheels to Water 2: Extending Water Quality Education to All King County Students This project expands King County's Wheels to Water program, which promotes water quality education by providing free transportation for students to on-site environmental education programs covering topics related to water quality. King County increases the water quality-related knowledge and analytical skills of about 1,800 kindergarten through 12th-grade students and teachers across the county by maximizing the number of free bus trips offered, targeting and conducting outreach to schools with the highest proportions of low-income and culturally diverse students, increasing the number of sites that the program serves, broadening the range of services offered, and expanding the geographic areas served. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | Longview School District -- $9,935 Ann Cavanaugh, 2715 Lilac Street, Longview, WA 98632 Wake Robin Virtual Visitation Project Through the purchase and installation of scientific monitoring devices at the Wake Robin Outdoor Learning Center, every classroom in the Longview School District has computer access to round-the-clock data from the site. This information is used to provide a context for math and science instruction. Training for 25 teachers offers strategies for using inquiry to connect classroom lessons to the data. Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills are emphasized as 500 students study stream conditions, plant and animal life, and the impact of human development on the site over time. Regardless of weather conditions or funding for field trips, the school district’s students have direct connections to the natural world that help to educate them. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | Olympic Park Institute -- $12,903 Ian Miller, 111 Barnes Point Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363 Gateway Communities Initiative In this outreach program, over 500 students on the Olympic Peninsula learn about the environment and their own connections to the natural world through discovery-based science instruction and a variety of stewardship activities designed by Olympic Park Institute's environmental educators. The field science curriculum is introduced to rural and tribal students in their own communities. The program also expands the reach of school-based programs, gives young people a broad and informed base of options for resolving environmental issues in their communities, and promotes environmentally responsible behavior among the participants. The program includes a series of school visits and outdoor, inquiry-based, holistic learning experiences with the students. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | Salish Seas Expeditions -- $5,000 Lori Mitchell, 647 Horizon View Place NW, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Girls on the Sound Girls on the Sound (GOTS) is a 3-month program for seventh- and eighth-grade, low-income girls living in inner-city Seattle. The program teaches critical-thinking and decision-making skills, fosters self-confidence, and encourages interest in environmental and marine science careers. Students design their own marine research projects, participate in a kayaking expedition that introduces them to Puget Sound, receive mentoring from environmental scientists, and take part in a 3-day research expedition aboard a 61-foot-long sailboat in Puget Sound. Throughout the program, participants, staff members, and GOTS mentors meet weekly for 2 hours away from the classroom. The students get to know one another and themselves in challenging exercises; are introduced to the scientific method, marine science, and Puget Sound issues through hands-on experiments; and conduct research on the Internet and using local news sources. The environmental scientists who visit the classroom help each student to frame and organize a research project, give water quality lectures, and are available for contact as potential role models in the sciences. |
| 2003 | WA | 10 | Woodland Park Zoo -- $10,000 Dave Hill, 601 North 59th Street, Seattle, WA 98103 Wild Wise Wild Wise (WW) is a free outreach and education program in which middle school students are equipped with the skills of a naturalist, explore the outdoors looking for wildlife, and work on real science projects in their own communities. WW combines interactive, multimedia curricula with outdoor science experiences. The classroom portion of the program takes students on a virtual visit to five major Washington habitats and uses examples of conservation success stories to demonstrate wildlife observation and data collection skills. Students also learn how to observe and identify wildlife, the importance of mapping, how observations become data, and how to use data to help identify conservation issues and save species. Through its promotion of science, geography, and math skills, the program fulfills state-mandated Essential Academic Learning Requirements for fifth- through seventh-grade students. Teachers are provided with comprehensive WW curricula, maps and descriptions of local natural areas that are customized for each school visited, and training workshops and conferences. |
| 2003 | WV | 3 | Cacapon Institute -- $8,408 Neil Gillies, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808 Internet-based Watershed Learning Center This project involves development of an Internet-based Watershed Learning Center for teachers and students on the Cacapon Institute web site. The learning center allows teachers to engage students with more substantive exercises over longer periods than is possible in the context of brief classroom visits. It also increases the number of students that teachers can reach in a cost-effective manner. The learning center is an effective resource that can be readily scaled up to serve teachers and students over a greater portion of the Appalachian region. |
| 2003 | WV | 3 | Glenville State College -- $9,686 Loralyn Hilton-Taylor, 200 High Street, Glenville, WV 26351 The Little Kanawha Watershed Project One objective of this project is to revise the educational goals of the laboratory component of a general biology course at Glenville State College. A second objective is to expand environmental science research opportunities for undergraduates at the college. Currently, the undergraduate research course consists of predominantly literature research, but as students make a transition into the new curriculum, this course will become an independent research course where students will design and conduct their own independent research projects. The grant provides funding to establish a watershed-based environmental research program to provide research experience to all interested undergraduates. |
| 2003 | WV | 3 | Lightstone Community Development Center -- $7,060 Alexander Struminger, HC 63, Box 73, Moyers, WV 26815-9502 New Technology Applications for Watershed Environmental Field Data Gathering To enhance a college-level course called "The Human Environment: Watersheds and Their Communities," the Lightstone Community Development Center is introducing new technology applications such as field collection of environmental data using handheld devices and field test kits and field mapping with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These technological advances are helping to enhance the science curricula in the school systems in West Virginia and Virginia as well as the curriculum at a regional 2-year college. |
| 2003 | WV | 3 | The Children's Tree House Child Development Center -- $5,000 Joyce Leonard, Rural Route 1, Box 166, Sheperd Grade Road, Sheperdstown, WV 25443 Outdoor Environmental Learning Center The Outdoor Environmental Learning Center project involves creating an outdoor learning space where the public, children, and their parents can learn about human health threats associated with environmental pollution. The project gives special emphasis to providing information about how pollution affects children and how human exposure to pollutants can be minimized in order to preserve good health. |
| 2003 | WV | 3 | The Mountain Institute -- $5,000 Elizabeth Byers, 100 Campus Drive, LA 108, Elkins, WV 26241 Thematic Weekend Workshops in Environmental Sciences This project addresses two major needs within the West Virginia science teacher community that have been identified by the West Virginia Science Teacher Association: (1) a need for more opportunities to receive field training in environmental sciences and (2) a need for better hands-on approaches to field and classroom teaching in general. The project is addressing these needs by providing teachers with hands-on training in workshops titled “Mountain Biodiversity” and “Changing Upland Watersheds.” |
| 2003 | WI | 5 | River Country RC&D Council, Inc. -- $25,000 Heather Amundson, 1304 N. Hillcrest Parkway, Suite B, Altoona, WI 54720 One on One Intensive Grazing Education This project is providing intensive, hands-on grazing education to farmers and landowners within a 22-county area. Farmers and landowners are educated in grass management, use of grazing animals as management tools, pasture and paddock layout, watering and fencing systems, and other tools necessary to implement a successful grazing system. The one-on-one project could serve as a model anywhere in the Midwest where there is potential to graze livestock. |
| 2003 | WI | 5 | Riveredge Nature Center, Inc. -- $64,937 (HQ Grant) Christine Kelly, 4458 West Hawthorne Drive, P.O. Box 26, Newburg, WI 53060 Center for Regenerative Learning: A Regional Environmental Education Training Program This project involves creating a Center for Regenerative Learning that offers a training program for volunteer environmental educators in southeastern Wisconsin. The training program is supported by a 3-month internship, a 24-month mentoring program, and an ongoing set of locally based continuing education courses. Designed using guidelines developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education, this training program, which is conducted by volunteers, equips middle-school educators with environmental decision-making skills and professional development opportunities that allow them to promote responsible environmental actions. Partners for the project include the Urban Ecology Center, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station, Lac Lawrann Conservancy, and Pier Wisconsin. |
| 2003 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin Stevens Point -- $4,839 John Heusinkveld, 2100 Main Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Youth Environmental Leadership in Riparian Zone Management Young people from the Tomahawk and Lac Du Flambeau tribes are working together to create a coalition that identifies riparian forest management issues, monitors environmental factors, and analyzes data. The coalition, which was created by Treehaven, also carries out a community support action plan. Goals of the coalition include increasing student and teacher awareness of the components necessary for a healthy riparian ecosystem, bolstering knowledge of scientific sampling techniques, and encouraging community involvement in environmental preservation. |
| 2003 | WI | 5 | Waterloo School District -- $7,797 Connie Schiestl, 813 North Monroe Street, Waterloo, WI 53594-1175 Waterloo School District Environmental Education Project Supported by the Waterloo School District, this project encourages high school students to restore a shoreline habitat that was damaged when an unsafe dam on the Maunesha River was removed. The students learn how to design a habitat and grow some of the plants needed for the restoration. They are also building an interpretive walking path along the shoreline for community education purposes, and they are conducting soil and water sampling during the project. The high school students pass on their knowledge during field trips with middle and elementary school pupils. |
| 2003 | WY | 8 | Audubon Wyoming -- $5,000 Vicki L. Spencer, 400 East 1st Street, Suite 308, Casper, WY 82601 Wildflower Garden at the Audubon Center at Garden Creek The goal of this project is to create a garden area where young children and adults can view native wildflowers, butterflies, and birds in an outdoor setting. The approximately 8,000-square-foot garden area is composed of four distinct zones: a garden designed to attract butterflies, an area designed to attract birds, an area of native grasses, and a desert-like area. Pathways allow visitors to walk among these zones and observe a wide variety of plants along with the butterflies and birds those plants attract. Because the garden area is close to a parking lot and classroom facility at the Audubon Center, young children and the elderly can view the plants and animals without having to hike out into the prairie. |
| 2003 | WY | 8 | National Audubon Society -- $10,000 Vicki L. Spencer, 400 East First Street, Suite 308, Casper, WY 82601 Audubon Wyoming and You: Making a Difference for Birds (A Video Production) The purpose of this project is to create an educational video in order to increase awareness and knowledge of environmental issues affecting bird species and populations in Wyoming. Project goals include introducing environmental education and citizen science programs to individuals throughout the state, showing people how they can get involved in these programs to make a difference in the environment, and helping people learn how to make informed decisions and take responsible action in order to protect valuable resources. |
| 2004 | AL | 4 | Alabama Forestry Foundation -- $5,000 Rick Oates, 555 Alabama Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 36th Teachers Conservation Workshop In this project, the Alabama Forestry Foundation hosts a 5-day workshop for teachers designed to give them a better understanding of the role that Alabama's forest ecosystems play in protecting other parts of the environment. The workshop makes use of field trips as well as guest speakers. The workshop also incorporates Project Learning Tree, Legacy, the GLOBE program, and other environmental curricula. Topics discussed include endangered species, water quality, soils, the importance of fire in an ecosystem, and energy conservation. The teachers are given field trip guides, papermaking kits, and leaf identification kits that they can use to teach their students about forest ecosystems. |
| 2004 | AL | 4 | Friends of Winnataska, Inc. -- $23,990 Ellen B. Buckner, 1524 Shades Crest Road, Birmingham, AL 35226 Winnataska Consortium for Teacher Education in Environmental Studies The purpose of this project is to initiate a consortium for teacher education in environmental studies at Camp Winnataska. While setting up an office at the camp site, Friends of Winnataska, Inc., revised the camp waste management services to offer recycling. This organization is providing materials to support the consortium workshops on site. The workshops, 12 for teachers and 2 for students, address biology, chemistry, ecology, geology, geography, and environmental education. |
| 2004 | AK | 10 | Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Education Association -- $10,530 Courtney Sullivan, P.O. Box 871528, Wasilla, AK 99687-1528 Environmental Education Across Alaska Under this grant, the Alaska National Resource and Outdoor Education Association helps to develop environmental education leaders in the state. Alaska faces special challenges to environmental education, including great travel distances, high teacher turnover rates, cultural diversity issues, and other factors that are unique to the state. The project focuses on three specific components identified by the National Environmental Education Advancement Project as being important for a comprehensive environmental education program at the state level: (1) conducting educator training at regional conferences in Anchorage and Fairbanks; (2) establishing a statewide, interagency environmental education committee; and (3) developing a statewide resource guide. The goal of the project is to increase the effectiveness of environmental education efforts across the state through coordinated and effective partnerships. The project reaches nearly 500 environmental educators in the state, including state and federal government, university and formal and nonformal educators. |
| 2004 | AK | 10 | Calypso Farm and Ecology Center -- $20,000 Leah Sansone, P.O. Box 106, Fairbanks, AK 99725 Employing Alaskan Teens in Gardening Employing Alaskan Teens in Gardening (EATinG) educates a culturally diverse population of students about sustainable agriculture and offers low-income teens environmental career options. The goal of the project is to use sustainable farming practices to develop a network of gardens in the Fairbanks School District and to involve students in every aspect of the process. The project serves students by providing garden-based lessons inside and outside the classroom, conducting the EATinG employment program, maintaining a student hiring committee, and conducting field trips and training at the Calypso Farm and Ecology Center. Teachers enhance the students' understanding by integrating lessons learned into their classroom discussions. EATinG incorporates environmental education, environmental justice, nutrition, science, math, and English studies. |
| 2004 | AZ | 9 | Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc. -- $5,000 Ann Marie Wolf, 3202 East Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716 Environmental Education Center for Rillito, Arizona The town of Rillito is disproportionately affected by pollution from a number of sources. The major issue facing the town is air pollution generated by a local cement plant. The residents believe that they lack the information needed to make informed decisions about their environmental future. The project, which is a result of a partnership between the town residents and Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc., involves establishing the Rillito Environmental Education Center. The center provides a variety of educational opportunities, including workshops, an after-school program for local students, and volunteer activities. The project aims to increase the decision-making abilities of community members and provide them with the skills needed to critically analyze the air quality issues affecting them. |
| 2004 | AZ | 9 | Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment -- $15,968 Kathryn Kyle, P.O. Box 873211, Tempe, AZ 85287-3211 Inquiry Teacher Training Model The purpose of this project is to develop and pilot a model for training teachers to conduct open-ended science inquiries with their students on school grounds while focusing on the local ecology and other environmental topics. State and national science standards require that science be taught as a process of inquiry, but most teachers are not equipped to teach science as inquiry. The project addresses how best to train teachers so that they are able to provide authentic inquiry experiences for their students without needing outside "experts" to lead those experiences and model them for the teachers over a long period. |
| 2004 | AR | 6 | Central Arkansas Planning and Development District -- $5,000 Carol Bevis, 115 Jefferson Street, Lonoke, AR 72086 Greta Green Environmental Education Program As part of this program, the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District is providing interactive presentations and workshops for over 52,000 students, teachers, and community groups to educate them about recycling, composting, proper disposal of household chemicals, and the adverse effects of littering. The presentations are designed to provide both children and adults with information on community environmental issues, health issues, and teacher training and can easily be used as models. The central focus of the workshops is "Greta Green," a character representing recycling who is used to explain the importance of developing good environmental habits. Teachers take the lessons learned from the presentations and incorporate them into regular classroom curricula. Posters, textbooks, and related materials are given to the teachers for use in their classrooms. In addition, the District helps the teachers' schools to implement school-based recycling programs. |
| 2004 | AR | 6 | Central Arkansas Planning and Development District -- $7,544 Leigh Ann Covington, 115 Jefferson Street, P. O. Box 300, Lonoke, AR 72086 Environmental Education Program for Floodplain Management Under this program, the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District is conducting environmental education workshops for local floodplain managers. Areas covered by the workshop include floodplain-related education, proper floodplain management, and possible mitigation projects for housing located within floodplains. In addition, floodplain education projects are being scheduled for public schools in six counties, and floodplain management presentations are being delivered to civic clubs in the six-county area. Low-income, minority communities are a major focus of the program, as these communities are at the greatest risk of living in housing in flood-prone areas. School-age children are provided with interactive computer programs that use flooding scenario models. |
| 2004 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service -- $20,000 Burnett Kessner, 2301 S. University Avenue, Pulaski, AR 72203 Nature Mapping Project for Home-Schooled Youth In this project, home-schooled young people participate in an intensive, 12-week winter session to learn about Nature Mapping, a data collection and monitoring program that they can use to keep track of natural events by mapping what they observe. The goals of the project are to meet the science education and life skill development needs of home-schooled youth. The session incorporates experiential, science-based activities that correspond with the state science curriculum framework, which consists of physical systems, life science systems, earth and space systems, and 4-H life skill-based experiential activities. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Bay Area Wilderness Training -- $8,000 Kyle Macdonald, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133 Wilderness Leadership Training and Environmental Stewardship Education Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) trains education leaders, supplies wilderness gear, and provides urban youth with opportunities for educational and life-changing experiences. The core program includes a Wilderness Leadership Training course and supplementary 1-day seminars in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and use of a map and compass for adults who work with urban youth. In 2003, BAWT initiated three new programs, including a Youth Wilderness Leadership Training course modeled on the adult course and a 3-day Mt. Diablo Complete course held for adults in the Bay area and designed to be easily replicated with young people. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Community Resources for Science -- $20,024 Anne Jennings, 1375 Ada Street, Alameda, CA 94702 Environmental Learning Partnership The purpose of the Environmental Learning Partnership project is to help both classroom teachers and non-formal educators maximize and measure the impacts of environmental education on elementary school students. As part of the project, 40 teachers and 20 environmental education program providers are being trained to effectively integrate environmental education into elementary school curriculums in order to provide thousands of students with more engaging environmental learning experiences. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Earth Team -- $5,000 Sheilah Fish, P.O. Box 4686, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Earth Team Restoration Initiative The Earth Team Restoration Initiative (ETRI) is a project-based learning program designed to involve high school students in local habitat restoration projects. Through ETRI, students are educated about the environment and habitat restoration in the context of their local watershed and natural community, and provided with opportunities to take action as environmental stewards. ETRI bridges the gap between teachers, young people, and community organizations by reaching out to schools and linking them to local service projects. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program -- $23,109 Madaleine O. Macholtz, 687 State Street, El Centro, CA 92243 Imperial Valley Student Entrepreneurs for Recycling The Imperial Valley Student Entrepreneurs for Recycling program raises students' awareness about recycling and resource management to improve their overall academic performance. Another goal of the program is to help students explore environmental careers and find ways to make positive contributions to the local environment. As part of the program, middle and high school teachers are being trained using the California Integrated Waste Management Board's "Closing the Loop" curriculum guide. The teachers work with six middle and high school groups to develop school-based recycling businesses. Information about the students' efforts is disseminated throughout the community. The target audience for this grant includes students from a low-income, culturally diverse, rural community. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Inner City Business Association -- $24,015 James Justus, 2208 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92102 Negocio Verde Project The Negocio Verde project links college students with owners of small automotive businesses through multi-media educational workshops that focus on pollution prevention in the underserved minority population centers of San Diego and National City. The goal of the project is to provide cross-media education and skills to owners of small businesses in environmental justice communities in order to help them make environmentally responsible choices that also bring cost savings. The college students meet with the owners of small automotive businesses, participate in the workshops, and gain important experience in interacting with the owners of small businesses. The multi-media workshops use the San Diego Area Green Business Automotive Self-Audit Checklist and educate both the business owners and students about pollution prevention. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | National Wildlife Federation -- $10,721 Stephanie Stowell, 3500 5th Avenue, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92103 Community Workday for Wildlife The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is launching a Community Workday for Wildlife, which is part of the larger Community Wildlife Habitat Initiative. NWF engages Los Angeles urban, low-income neighborhoods in long-term environmental education regarding water conservation, air pollution, and local wildlife and habitat. As part of this effort, the project is helping residents create habitats by building bird baths, rockpiles, and bat homes and planting native plant species around their homes, schools, businesses, and other community locations. The results of the project include a growing network of functioning wildlife friendly habitats throughout the community and increased resident awareness about community environmental health. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Placer Land Trust & Nature Center -- $4,550 Linda Desai, 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA 95602 Waste Busters In this project, the Waste Busters program will be added to the Environmental Science Travels (EST) program, which is a set of five interactive programs for elementary school students that brings environmental science into the classroom. Subjects of the EST program include water resources; recycling; food chains; and birds, bats, and bugs. For example, the Water Basins program enhances middle school science curriculums by making connections between the physical science concepts that students learn about in the classroom and the energy and natural resources that they use in everyday life. Although a traditional science curriculum addresses the concepts of energy and its application, it does not make energy issues personal for students. The EST program connects the concepts taught in the classroom with students, their homes, and their community. Thus, the program offers students a fuller understanding of energy and natural resources and their application in every aspect of the students' lives. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Project Understanding -- $2,400 Lynn Austin, 43 East Vince Street, Ventura, CA 93001 This Land Is Your Land Using volunteer tutors, the This Land Is Your Land program helps students improve their academic performance, learning skills, self-esteem, and motivation. Students learn about key environmental issues by creating a land-use map for the county. The program gives each student a basic understanding of the various uses that compete for land in the county. As a result of the program, students are better able to interpret the news and events of the day that presumably involve changes in the local environment and to form their own conclusions. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Redefining Progress -- $79,030 (HQ Grant) Dahlia Chazan, 1904 Franklin Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 The Shadow We Cast: Strengthening Environmental Education with the Ecological Footprint The goal of this project is to help teachers develop skills and knowledge that they can integrate into their classroom instruction on the scientific and social aspects of society’s use of renewable resources. The project is based on the use of the Ecological Footprint™ analysis. Footprint, which was developed by Redefining Progress, is a tool for measuring sustainability. The project builds on two earlier phases that focused on the study of use of the Footprint in the classroom and development of educational materials. For this project, more than 100 geography and social studies teachers for grades 5 through 8 in California are trained in the use of Footprint training materials. Lesson plans and other materials are made available to educators at workshops and at a national conference. An online community for teachers also provides support for teachers across the state. Partners of the project include Creative Change Educational Solutions and the California Geographic Alliance. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Save San Francisco Bay Association (Save the Bay) -- $20,000 Jason Morris, 1600 Broadway, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612 Wetland Restoration and Bay/Watershed Education Programs Save the Bay began its Canoes in Sloughs Watershed Education Program in 1996 to address a lack of San Francisco Bay-related experiential education for middle and high school students. The program combines hands-on bay wetland restoration activities with educational canoe trips, in-class sessions, teacher training, and use of the program's San Francisco Bay Watershed Curriculum. The students learn to identify non-native plants, collect native seeds, and test water quality while building their knowledge of and connections to the bay and the community as well as help to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Solano Land Trust -- $5,000 Karen Swan, 744 Empire Street, Suite 112, Fairfield, CA 94533 Young Stewards Solano Land Trust's Young Stewards watershed education program helps fourth-grade students and their teachers become stewards of their watershed and sets stewardship examples for their families and community. Students and teachers discover what a watershed is, how the water cycle works, what pollution is, and where pollution comes from. They also learn about wetlands. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Venice High School -- $15,077 Julie Mann, 13000 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90066 The Learning Garden Composting Demonstration Site The Venice High School Learning Garden includes a functional and educational composting demonstration site that serves as a learning center for students and community members. The Learning Garden is a green waste reduction post for the high school and surrounding neighborhoods, and it produces rich soil amendment for its own use. The goal of the project is to incorporate the theory and practice of composting into the school system and the curriculum by utilizing existing environmental education materials. Local businesses are encouraged to compost their wastes at the site. Weekend workshops are held every two months targeting different areas of the community. The workshops educate residents about composting options and landfill issues. Through community use of the composting site, participants learn how to reduce the amount of waste being landfilled while producing a beneficial soil amendment that can be used to green their homes and neighborhoods. |
| 2004 | CA | 9 | Youth Employment Partnership, Inc. -- $10,000 Michele Clark, 2300 International Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94601 Team Oakland Environmental Training Program The Team Oakland Environmental Training program is a 6-month employment training and education program that provides 100 high-risk, low-income young people (ages 14 through 17) with paid employment in environmental cleanup and beautification projects. The program provides the participants with environmental education, field trip experiences, and opportunities to develop environmental leadership skills. More than 90 percent of the program's participants are people of color who live in households at or below the federal poverty level. The program is specifically designed to meet their needs and to enable them to understand the critical connection between their urban environment and the surrounding coastal, marine, and wilderness environment. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $15,000 Ali Goulstone, 15260 S. Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Colorado Environmental Education Competencies Project The Colorado Environmental Education Competencies Project enhances quality assurance measures designed to improve the effectiveness and consistency of environmental education programs in Colorado. This project defines specific performance standards and requisite skills for environmental education program managers and instructors. Through training programs, the managers and instructors learn to assess their own level of environmental education competency and identify means to improve it. The project also helps to ensure that the instructors meet the same high standards of professional excellence that are expected for the design of environmental education programs and materials. This project follows specific guidelines issued by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) as part of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | Colorado Energy Science Center -- $5,000 Susan Toth, 1767A Denver West Boulevard, Suite 49, Golden, CO 80401 An Energy Education Initiative for Elementary Students and their Families The Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) is expanding its kindergarten through grade 12 energy education initiative to reach 2,500 fourth- and fifth-grade students; their families; and 100 teachers with the Energy Hog Traveling Road Show Program. The Energy Hog Education Kit offers activities that provide an interdisciplinary context for learning about energy. The kit is correlated with the Colorado Model Content Standards for science, math, reading, and writing. The program components include an Energy Hog Education Program that demonstrates how energy is wasted in homes and schools and presents ways to avoid high energy bills. Students, family members, and teachers participate in activities that include 15 modules of investigational learning. CESC’s goal is to conduct at least 100 classroom programs on energy efficiency for fourth- and fifth-grade students at schools throughout the Denver metropolitan area and to hold related assemblies as evening family events at five of the participating schools. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | Colorado Renewable Energy Society -- $17,960 Sheila Townsend, P.O. Box 933, Golden, CO 80402 Renewable Energy and Green Building Education Program This program increases public knowledge and awareness of both renewable energy and various "environmentally superior" green building products and practices that have been successfully and economically used in homes, schools, and commercial buildings across Colorado. The program consolidates existing educational materials and provides training to organizers, teachers, the general public, and the building community. This program has a positive impact on the use of solar power and green materials in Colorado. Kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school educators attend two training workshops, including an annual training workshop, which train them to integrate the Renewable Energy and Green Building Education Program material into existing science curriculum. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning for Kids -- $22,000 Stacie Gilmore, 14460 East 50th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239 Denver Youth Naturally Program Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) is a non-profit, community-based organization that offers education and training to underserved young people in the Denver metropolitan area. ELK’s environmental science program is correlated with the Colorado State Standards for Education and uses interdisciplinary curricula. During the formal classroom training, students learn about water quality testing and wildlife conservation. In this program, classroom training for the students is supplemented with field trips to visit environmental science professionals. These field trips provide the students the opportunity to discuss science careers with environmental science professionals. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | National Wildlife Federation - Tribal Lands -- $14,000 Tahlia Bear, 2260 Baseline Road, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80302 Ute Tribe Wildlife Habitat Project The National Wildlife Federation, in partnership with the Ute Tribal Lands Associate Coordinator, provides training for tribal educators working at three reservation schools. The training focuses on environmental issues concerning the reservation. The Ute Tribe Wildlife Habitat project provides tribal educators with environmental education tools that enhance the class curricula for over 150 Native American students. Key project partners include the Southern Ute Indian Academy in Ignacio, Colorado, and the Ute Mountain Head Start Programs in Towaoe, Colorado, and White Mesa, Utah. The project may lead to an extension of the partnership to the Prairie Band of Potawatomi in Kansas and the Pierre Indian Learning Center in South Dakota. |
| 2004 | CO | 8 | Trees, Water and People -- $8,000 Richard Fox, 633 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Pine Ridge Alternate Energy Education and Training Program Trees, Water and People (TWP) is a non-profit organization that educates Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge Reservation about alternative energy sources. Because 70 percent of the Lakota community’s income is used to heat homes on the reservation, TWP is conducting a training program designed to teach students and their families about energy alternatives that are environmentally sound, culturally appropriate, and economically beneficial. The objectives of this program are to provide environmental and alternative energy education and training; conduct specific technology and skill training for students who are interested in pursuing alternative energy careers; and offer service learning programs designed to provide hands-on training, raise community awareness of alternative energy sources, and help underserved groups reduce their energy costs. |
| 2004 | CT | 1 | Progressive Training Associates, Inc. -- $4,998 Warren Godbolt, 965 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 Project PEEAL (Parent Empowerment and Education About Lead) This project is expanding an existing program that provides education about lead poisoning for low-income families in Bridgeport, which has the highest number of lead poisoning cases in the state. The project is aimed specifically at providing services for parents who are re-entering the community after incarceration and who have children under the age of 6 years. |
| 2004 | CT | 1 | Sea Research Foundation, Inc. -- $20,104 Ingrid Walker, 55 Coogan Boulevard, New London, CT 06355 Protecting the Jewel in Our Backyard: The Long Island Sound Curricula Outreach Program This project is developing a week-long summer institute for approximately 30 teachers of grades 5 and 6 in the New Haven public schools. The institute focuses on critical issues facing Connecticut's marine ecosystems and features outdoor field experiences, hands-on activities, interactive workshops, presentations, and discussions. The workshops and presentations are aimed to enhance the teachers' understanding of marine science. |
| 2004 | CT | 1 | Solar Youth, Inc. -- $14,000 Stephanie Bergman, 425 West Rock Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515 Hands-on Outdoor Learning Adventure (HOLA) Program This is a school program that provides hands-on, outdoor learning opportunities to students in grades 4 and 5 from a low-income urban community. The program emphasizes the scientific benchmarks in the New Haven Public School Standards and helps students to understand that their personal choices can affect the environment. The students participating in this program increase their scientific achievement while developing the knowledge, attitude, skills, and commitment to integrate environmental ethics into their lives. |
| 2004 | DE | 3 | Delaware Ecumenical Council on Children and Families -- $9,870 Robert P. Hall, 240 North James Street, Suite B1B, Wilmington, DE 19804 Environmental Education in Faith-Based Communities The Delaware Ecumenical Council on Children and Families works through faith-based community organizations to educate people about critical environmental issues, including air quality, water quality, and problems related to land use and industrial pollution. By disseminating educational materials to congregation and community leaders and conducting workshops for parents of small children, caregivers for elderly relatives, and the elderly themselves, the Council educates people about the dangers of pollution and offers strategies to address its effects. |
| 2004 | DC | 3 | Living Classrooms Foundation -- $21,756 John Dillow, Henson Center, 2000 Half Street SW, Washington, DC 20024 Environmental Education Many public school teachers in the District of Columbia (DC) are currently being asked to teach subjects that they are not familiar with or to eliminate class time for environmental science in order to focus on other curriculum requirements, such as reading. As part of the project, the Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF) has coordinated with the DC Environmental Education Consortium and the DC Public Schools to select 10 teachers in need of environmental education assistance. During the project, these teachers participate in two hands-on workshops; supplies, curriculum materials, and support are provided for all the workshop participants. Teachers who attend each workshop earn a corresponding field experience for their classes. The two workshops address river ecology and shad and herring restoration. At the close of the project, the teachers will meet with LCF to critique their experience with the project and discuss how it may have helped them bring environmental science into their classrooms. |
| 2004 | FL | 4 | Charlotte County School District -- $27,963 (HQ Grant) Jackie Speake, 1445 Education Way, Port Charlotte, FL 33948-1053 Charlotte's Watershed and Tidal Estuarine Research (Charlotte's W.A.T.E.R.) Designed for environmental and marine science high school students in the Charlotte County School District in Florida, the Watershed and Tidal Estuarine Research (W.A.T.E.R) project enables teachers to take students into the field to conduct investigations of local ecosystems and to collect and analyze data over time. Teachers attend a workshop prior to field work in order to develop field activities and define the scope of the data collection and analysis. In the classroom, students analyze data by applying the scientific method, using graphs and charts, writing in scientific journals, and conducting research on the history of local ecosystems. The data are shared by the four participating high schools, the scientific community, and the public on a web site. Through their research-based field studies, students develop inquiry-based learning and team-building skills. Approximately 900 students, most of whom participate in federal free and reduced-cost lunch programs, are the target audience for the project. A key partner in this project is the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center. |
| 2004 | FL | 4 | School Board of Broward County -- $4,998 Debbie Stasiw, 600 Southeast Third Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 Environmental Protection Project at Driftwood Middle School This project involves establishing an outdoor classroom to support science and other academic activities. The outdoor classroom contains 10 large picnic tables, including one that is accessible for the handicapped, and is designed to facilitate hands-on learning experiences for students. The students plant native and non-native plants in three adjacent areas to attract butterflies, birds, and other species of wildlife. The students also develop research, writing, observational, critical-thinking, and other analytical skills. A Web site will be developed to display progress of the project. |
| 2004 | FL | 4 | University of Florida -- $15,577 Dr. Norm Leppla, Building 970, Natural Area Drive, P.O. Box 110110, Gainesville, FL 32611-0110 Integrated Pest Management Toolboxes to Reduce Pesticide Use in Urban Communities Under this project, extension agents train homeowners to implement integrated pest management (IPM) in order to reduce the use of pesticides. Master Gardeners are University of Florida-trained volunteer teachers who serve as integral links between the public and extension agents. An "IPM Toolbox" contains hands-on training activities that improve the pest management decision-making skills of Master Gardeners. The project aims to assemble and distribute toolboxes to the 50 Florida counties that have not yet received them and to train extension agents who will in turn conduct Master Gardening training. Originally, the toolboxes were developed for extension agents working with Master Gardener programs. The toolboxes will also be used to enhance the existing Florida's Yards and Neighborhoods program, which includes homeowners in the 50 counties. |
| 2004 | GA | 4 | Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on Behalf of the University of Georgia -- $19,120 Dr. Jim Affolter, 2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30605 Teacher-Training Web Site for the Georgia Endangered Plant Stewardship Network This project involves development of a Web site to serve as an integral component of a successful environmental education program created by the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance in 1996. The Georgia Endangered Plant Stewardship Network is a teacher training program that emphasizes rare plants, threatened habitats, and conservation biology as a focus area for science education. The training program includes teaching manuals, lesson plans, science kits, slide shows and a newsletter. The training materials are placed on the Web site along with tools such as an interactive Lesson Planner that will facilitate use of the materials in classrooms across the state. Educators have first access to the Web site at a new teacher training workshop. |
| 2004 | GA | 4 | DeKalb County Park and Recreation Department -- $5,000 Dave Butler, 1300 Commerce Drive, Suite 200, Decatur, GA 30030 Constitution Lakes Wetland Monitoring The intent of this project is to introduce students and teachers from urban schools to the value of wetlands, particularly in an urban environment, as well as wildlife habitat, water quality, and flood reduction. Students and teachers visit a wetland site and are provided with water quality test kits and other materials. The project is conducted using Project WET (Wonders of Wetlands) resources and Adopt-A-Wetland program techniques supplied by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The teacher training includes both classroom and field study. The community, which consists largely of a minority population, uses this information to address issues related to wetlands, wildlife, and water quality. |
| 2004 | ID | 10 | Friends of the Teton River -- $6,200 Lyn Benjamin, 36 Little Avenue, P.O. Box 768, Driggs, ID 83422 Teton River Watershed Education Program This program is establishing and implementing the Teton River watershed curriculum to increase elementary through high school students’ awareness of the watershed and to enhance their critical-thinking skills with regard to environmental issues. The program participants, which include six teachers and their classes, are engaging in classroom learning experiences, field trips, and local watershed hikes. Members of the public also participate in the local watershed hikes, which are designed to educate participants about local watershed issues and encourage them to become involved in protecting their watershed. |
| 2004 | IL | 5 | Center For Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation -- $98,835 (HQ Grant) Trudi Volk, 1925 New Era Road, Carbondale, IL 62901 EE Leadership Project In an effort to expand the number of teachers trained and qualified to use the Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA) curriculum, the Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation (CISDE) is conducting a 6-day national workshop for 30 teachers and EE professionals with outstanding leadership abilities. IEEIA, an instructional model designed to help teachers understand the inquiry-based process of investigating environmental issues, trains teachers to better incorporate inquiry-based learning techniques into their EE programs. The teachers and EE professionals then plan and conduct 10 to 12 regional workshops in order to instruct approximately 250 teachers and environmental educators in how to use the IEEIA curriculum. The IEEIA-trained educators reach approximately 3,000 students across the nation who benefit from instruction in the development of critical thinking and decision-making skills. Key project partners are the Department of 4H and Youth Programs and the University of Florida. |
| 2004 | IL | 5 | Lake Michigan Federation -- $5,000 Stephanie Smith, 220 South State Street, Suite 1900, Chicago, IL 60604 Great Lakes in My World Great Lakes in My World is a kindergarten through eighth-grade curriculum designed to teach students about the Great Lakes based on the core curriculum areas of science, social studies, and language arts. The project curriculum, which may be used by both formal and nonformal educators, is consistent with state learning standards for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The project originated with a 2002 environmental education award that was used to develop and evaluate the pilot curriculum. |
| 2004 | IL | 5 | Lewis and Clark Community College -- $24,986 George Banziger, 5800 Godfrey Road, Godfrey, IL 62035 Environmental Education Watershed Stewardship In this project, 35 middle and high school teachers as well as a select group of high school and college trainers participate in an engaging, hands-on watershed education experience that includes both laboratory and field testing. The teachers conduct tests on local watersheds and the high school students and college trainers lead trips to the watershed and oversee water monitoring by students. The objectives of the project include involving teachers in field experiences at watershed sites and using methods of scientific inquiry to monitor watersheds. |
| 2004 | IL | 5 | St. Charles Park District -- $1,800 Renae Frigo, 8 North Avenue, St. Charles, IL 60174 Native Illinois The St. Charles Park District is developing a cross-curricular field trip program that combines elements of earth science with a social studies unit that covers American Indians. The program focuses on how American Indian communities use natural and ecological resources. The program is being coordinated with the district's third-grade curriculum. |
| 2004 | IN | 5 | Allen County Soil & Water Conservation District -- $4,570 Allison Van Zandt, 3718 New Vision Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Project WET: Water Education for Teachers This project funds Project WET training in Allen County, Indiana. Project WET is an international water science and education program for educators and students in kindergarten through grade 12. Project WET workshops train educators how to improve their teaching of water resource topics in their classrooms and make hands-on educational activities available. |
| 2004 | IN | 5 | Camp Fire USA Indiana Heartland Council -- $5,000 Jerome Delbridge, 1410 South Post Road, Indianapolis, IN 46239 WorldWise Summer Youth Program Through this program, 800 young people from low-income families are introduced to ecological concepts. The program consists of five units that focus on ecological topics ranging from energy cycles to ecosystems. In addition to learning about ecology, the young people address community issues by designing and implementing service projects that improve the natural environment. Key program partners include the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, and the Boys & Girls Club. |
| 2004 | IN | 5 | Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County -- $14,000 Robin Costley, 3838 North Rural Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205 Asthma Education for Low-Income Head Start Families This project expands current Head Start asthma screening and education efforts by focusing on high-risk pediatric populations. After an initial asthma screening is conducted, an asthma educator visits each Head Start family to devise a plan of care. Home visits also are conducted by indoor air specialists and public health nurses. The screenings and home visits result in fewer emergency room visits, increased participation in asthma education classes, and better preparation of families to recognize and address in-home asthma triggers. |
| 2004 | IN | 5 | Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center -- $5,000 John Hayes, 700 Howe Road, Porter, IN 46304 DuneSCOPES High School Program Expansion DuneSCOPES (Students Concentrating on Positive Environmental Science) has three goals: (1) engage high school students in monitoring ecological change, (2) link students together using special events and the Internet so that they can learn about each other and their communities, and (3) share information regarding environmental careers with students who are making choices about their future. The participation of high school students in the Chicago and northwest Indiana areas increases environmental stewardship activities and implementation of long-range projects that benefit the communities in the region. |
| 2004 | IA | 7 | Hamilton County Agricultural Extension District -- $14,873 David N. Brown, 735 2nd Street, Webster City, IA 50598-1436 Youth Environmental Agriculture Days The objective of the Youth Environmental Agriculture Days project is to demonstrate how agriculture impacts the environment and the health and safety of young people in rural areas. Youth Environmental Agriculture Days give fifth graders and their teachers the opportunity to participate in three environment-related and four agriculture-related educational sessions in a single day. These 25-minute sessions address the importance of water quality and groundwater, how people get food from farms, the positive and negative effects of the sun, biotechnology, how trees impact the environment, corn and soybean by-products, and how animal by-products are used in people’s daily lives. The sessions are intended to teach students about how to keep water safe, how to avoid the harmful effects of the sun, the importance of trees to the environment, the value of various agricultural by-products in everyday use, and other matters. |
| 2004 | IA | 7 | Hartman Reserve Nature Center -- $5,244 Vernon Fish, 657 Reserve Drive, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 After School Program The After School Program provides after-school environmental education activities for elementary and middle school students both in their schools and at the Hartman Reserve Nature Center. The activities are conducted in partnership with the local Girl Scout and Boy Scout Councils. The objectives of the program are to expose students to local environmental issues, use these issues to develop the students’ problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, and increase student achievement in core academic areas. Five hundred students in grades 6 through 9 at six middle schools in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa, participate in the program. The participating Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are in grades 1 through 9 and live in the 12 counties in northeast Iowa served by the Conestoga and Winnebago Councils. The program uses activities from established environmental curricula, such as Project Wild; Project Learning Tree; Project WET; and IOWATER, a water quality testing program. |
| 2004 | IA | 7 | Proteus, Inc. -- $25,000 Terry Meek, 3115 Douglas Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310-5307 Agribusiness Employers Conference The goal of the Agribusiness Employers Conference project in Iowa is to hold a statewide conference for 200 employers of Hispanic, immigrant, and migrant farm workers. The objectives of the project are to teach and update these employers about environmental regulations and issues pertaining to the workplace. A principal focus of the project is the health hazard posed by herbicides, pesticides, and other toxic substances to which workers may be exposed through skin contact, inhalation, and ingestion. The conference is intended to enhance the employers' decision-making skills with regard to safe work practices. At the conference, employers are provided with educational techniques and resources that they can use to conduct effective environmental education for their Hispanic, immigrant, and migrant farm employees. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | American Lung Association -- $6,433 Lynne Crabtree, 4300 SW Drury Lane, Topeka, KS 66604 Removing Chemicals from the Classroom: Introduction to Rehab the Lab Under this project, teachers, maintenance staff, and administrators are educated about health threats posed by potential environmental pollutants in the school setting, such as hazardous chemicals stored in classrooms or maintenance areas. The project involves identification of old, unused chemicals that have been stored in science laboratories, maintenance shops, and art departments. If exposed to air or otherwise released into the school environment, these chemicals could cause significant breathing difficulties and other health problems for the people in the school. The project is intended to raise the awareness of school personnel, enable them to recognize potential chemical hazards, and teach them how to properly manage and dispose of chemicals. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | Blue River Watershed Association -- $5,000 Joan Leavens, 9824 Briar Drive, Overland Park, KS 66207 Teaching Rivers in an Urban Environment: The Blue River Watershed Project The goal of this project is to facilitate communication and networking among school-based water quality monitoring groups throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area in Kansas and Missouri. As part of the project, teachers and students communicate with other “stream teams” across school districts, municipalities, counties, and state lines. This communication occurs through an annual teacher evaluation and networking session called the Teacher Summit and through posting of stream data on a Blue River watershed map. For the project, the Blue River Watershed Association (BRWA) recruits, trains, and equips three teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 and 300 students in the Blue River watershed. Fifty teachers presently participating in the project are also involved in the Teacher Summit. BRWA’s education director conducts project training for teachers, provides them with TRUE Blue Project curricular materials and equipment, and leads stream monitoring classes for students. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo -- $1,000 Kathy Sexson, 403 South 4th Street, Garden City, KS 67846 Wildlife Trade Teachers' Workshop The Wildlife Trade Teachers’ Workshop project involves 55 teachers and reaches 1,000 students in grades 5 through 12. The teachers are invited to participate in a workshop about wildlife trade. The workshop uses materials from Windows on the Wild: Wildlife for Sale educator guides to introduce wildlife trade issues to teachers. The teachers then use what they have learned to integrate wildlife trade issues into their curricula. The wildlife trade information can be integrated into curricula for science and other subjects such as geography, math, and language arts. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | John Dewey Learning Academy -- $11,400 Dr. James R. Wheeler, 620 E. Woodson, Lecompton, KS 66050 Environmental Service Learning The goal of the Environmental Service Learning project is to integrate environmental education into local and state educational goals as part of the No Child Left Behind initiative. The objectives of the project are to: (1) integrate environmental studies into all curricular content areas (math, science, social studies, language arts, and vocational education), emphasizing Kansas’s newly developed environmental standards; (2) develop a thematic curriculum focusing on "Connecting with Your Environment"; and (3) demonstrate how environmental education and service learning can be used to motivate students to complete high school and establish goals for the future. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $38,65 (HQ Grant)0 Laura Downey, 2610 Clafin Drive, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743 Professional Development for Kansas Leaders Through professional development opportunities, use of a planning workshop, and implementation of pilot projects, this project establishes a framework that enables state and local leaders in communities across Kansas to make informed decisions on matters that impact the environment. Following a 2-day professional development seminar intended to increase participants’ skills in using the framework for making environmental decisions, the participants work in small groups to develop projects for sharing the lessons of the seminar and the environmental decision-making framework with other state and local leaders involved in making decisions that concern and affect the environment. Through the use of subsequent pilot projects, the project involves more than 100 participants across the state and serves as the basis for the development of the Plan for Environmental Education and Decision-making for Kansas Leaders. Partners for the project include Kansas State University Research and Extension (KSU R&E), Office of Local Government; the Kansas PRIDE, a cooperative program of the Kansas Department of Commerce and KSU R&E; the KSU R&E Leadership Excellence And Dynamic Solutions (LEADS) team; and the Kansas Environmental Leadership Program (KELP). |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $20,190 Laura M. Downey, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743 Sprouting Waterspout Gardens in Kansas: Statewide Educator Workshops The Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), in partnership with Green Topeka, is providing hands-on environmental education that focuses on development of a waterspout garden as a tool for both learning and community improvement. A waterspout garden is a planted area with a shallow indentation that collects and holds water, preventing it from reaching a storm drain. A waterspout garden can serve as both an outdoor learning space and a community awareness tool in that it shows how personal and community actions can reduce storm water runoff and the associated pollution. The project involves conducting a series of six workshops using existing national environmental education materials and waterspout garden curricula. The workshops take place throughout Kansas and target educators and neighborhood and community leaders. Workshop participants learn how to construct a waterspout garden and how to use it as a school and community educational resource. KACEE and Green Topeka make project-related presentations at environmental education conferences in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. |
| 2004 | KS | 7 | No Till On the Plains -- $21,878 Brian Lindley, P.O. Box 379, Wamego, KS 66547 Friendly Farms The Friendly Farms project educates students, teachers, and the general agricultural community about the benefits of food production using a no-till cropping system and the importance of agricultural production methods that preserve the environment and conserve resources. One objective of this project is to expand the educational program of No Till on the Plains (NTOP) to reach 300 high school students and 10 teachers in Kansas with EPA’s Stream Team curriculum. A second objective is to provide students with hands-on training in data and information collection through a comparative study of 10 no-till model farms and farmers and 10 traditional farms and farmers. The environmental benefits of no-till farming are documented to support development of a public education and promotion program designed to reach 10,000 people. The project delivers training through classroom instruction, farm visits (for on-site data collection), and Web-based approaches. Students participate in writing press releases, making presentations, and writing articles. Each team conducts educational sessions at the annual NTOP conference. In addition, NTOP is preparing a public education campaign to be conducted in print, on the radio, through presentations at conferences, and via the Internet. |
| 2004 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $5,000 Larry Hamfeldt, 3332 Newburg Road, P.O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 Outdoor Classroom Project This project supports development of an outdoor classroom at an elementary school within the public school district. The goal is to provide students with real-world experiences in order to reinforce the classroom curriculum. The outdoor classroom allows students to observe and experiment with living things and processes found in nature. Through hands-on activities such as planting, observing, recording observations of plants and animals, using and analyzing data, making predictions, performing experiments, and developing an ecosystem, the outdoor classroom concepts support both the school and state core curriculums. |
| 2004 | KY | 4 | Murray State University -- $25,000 Dr. Joe Baust, 3201 Alexander Hall, Murray, KY 42071 Model Environmental Education for Pre-Service Teachers The goal of this project is to provide 2-day environmental education workshops for the 360 undergraduate students making up the group of pre-service teachers at Murray State University. Hands-on, minds-on field experiences and interdisciplinary instruction are essential to environmental education because teachers and students are often disconnected from the environment. Six workshops each containing 60 pre-service teachers are being held in an outdoor laboratory setting. The workshops are led by current teachers. The workshops draw on programs such as Projects WET; WILD; Learning Tree; Food, Land, and People; and Outdoor Biological Instructional Strategies. |
| 2004 | LA | 6 | Louisiana Science Teachers Association -- $12,500 Jean May Brett, 1627 Taylor Street, Kenner, LA 70062 Project DEEDS (Developing Environmental Education Decision-making Skills) This project provides educators with the tools needed to help their students become better decision-makers regarding the environment. Learning strategies are being explored in 12, 6-hour workshops. Participants are taught to engage students in discussions of how their everyday decisions impact the environment; for example, a discussion might address environmental factors to be considered when purchasing a vehicle. At the end of the workshops, participants are be able to identify and state a decision-making problem, identify viable options, research risks and benefits, make decisions based on rational methods, and present their decisions coherently and logically. |
| 2004 | ME | 1 | Merryspring, Inc. -- $4,500 Kerry Hardy, 30 Conway Road, P.O. Box 893, Camden, ME 04843 Environmental Education Modulesxcvbvc Merryspring, Inc. partners with public schools in a three-county area to enhance their curriculums in natural science and ecology. The program takes students in kindergarten through grade 5 out of the classroom and into a natural setting to learn about local habitats and the plant and animal species native to this part of Maine. |
| 2004 | ME | 1 | University of Maine -- $5,000 Laura R. Wilson, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5717 Education and Action Through Lake Leaders This program is an expansion of the Lake Leaders training. Over 250 lakefront landowners have received training about lake threats and lake protection methods. The program is providing additional training to more than 20 individuals in lake leadership, outreach, and water quality education methods. After the training, these individuals develop small-group proposals for better lake protection. |
| 2004 | MD | 3 | Anacostia Watershed Society -- $5,000 Robert R. Boone, The George Washington House, 4302 Baltimore Avenue, Bladensburg, MD 20710 River of Words With this grant, the Anacostia Watershed Society supports coordination, outreach, and educational efforts associated with the River of Words Poetry & Visual Arts Competition. River of Words is an acclaimed international poetry contest for children that is organized in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the International Rivers Network. River of Words is designed to help young people explore the natural and cultural history of the places where they live and express their discoveries in poetry and art. River of Words encourages students to visualize their connection to the river and express it through words and art. Students are encouraged to explore and understand their watershed using art literature to discover their place in the wider community while learning about regional history and local flora and fauna. The young people who participate represent a low-income neighborhood comprised of African-American and Hispanic residents. |
| 2004 | MD | 3 | Environmental Concern, Inc. -- $4,942 Suzanne Slear, P.O. Box P, Talbot Company, St. Michaels, MD 21663 Wetland Youth Leadership Program The Wetland Youth Leadership Program empowers young people to take control of their future. By linking theory with practice while addressing important community issues, the program enhances student learning and civic awareness. The program uses hands-on, community-based learning to connect classroom and co-curricular experiences. In a 3-day course, students learn about wetlands through field explorations and activities drawn from a nationally respected wetland curriculum guide, “WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands” (WOW!). The students also learn visual presentation, speaking, and teaching skills, including how to organize a presentation, make it audience-specific, and handle challenging audiences. The students must organize and give a presentation about wetlands based on activities from “WOW!” |
| 2004 | MD | 3 | Living Classrooms Foundation -- $53,110 (HQ Grant) Christine Truett, 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21231 C2K Bay S.T.A.R. The Students, Teachers, Academics, Restoration (S.T.A.R.) project involves approximately 10 teachers and 400 students in grades 4 through 8 in the restoration of Maryland’s tidal wetlands to support the Chesapeake Bay 2000 (C2K) Agreement. The C2K Agreement, an important element of Maryland’s educational reform initiatives, engages students and their teachers in protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Teachers participate in a 2-day workshop to learn more about the educational requirements of the C2K Agreement and how to incorporate Chesapeake Bay watershed issues into their curricula. The students, who represent an at-risk and low-income community, participate in land and sea programs both at a maritime museum and on an historic skipjack, where they conduct experiments, explore Chesapeake Bay ecology, discover the history of the area, and use teamwork to crew the sailboat. In the classroom, students grow and care for native wetland grass seedlings that they later plant as part of a local restoration project. Project partners include the Maryland State Department of Education, the EcoLogix Group, Environmental Concern, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. |
| 2004 | MD | 3 | Parks & People Foundation -- $21,377 Jacqueline Carrera, 800 Wyman Park Drive, Suite 010, Baltimore, MD 21211 The KidsGrow Urban Ecosystem Education Program The KidsGrow Urban Ecosystem Education Program (KidsGrow) is being implemented in a low-income, underserved community with serious environmental problems. KidsGrow gives students the tools they need to help address environmental issues in their community, including illegally dumped trash, lead poisoning from lead-based paint consumption, contaminated rainwater runoff, and lack of trees and native plants. Rather than focusing on one environmental issue, KidsGrow attempts to provide students with a full understanding of urban ecology through integration of the social, physical, and biological sciences with examination of issues affecting air, water, soil, vegetation, and wildlife. The students participate in field trips, gain first-hand experience on the Chesapeake Bay, monitor local water quality, and partner with teacher and other school officials to promote mixed paper recycling. |
| 2004 | MD | 3 | Salisbury University -- $9,890 Betsy C. Corley, 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801 Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center The goal of this project is to minimize childhood exposure to environmental contaminants. The project offers childcare providers a comprehensive training program to help them better understand environmental contaminants, the contaminants’ health effects on children, and ways to minimize exposures. The project also equips the providers with environmental health curricula and resources that they can use to educate children. By helping to minimize children’s illnesses, the project aims to reduce the number of workdays lost by parents caring for ill children. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club -- $10,200 Dr. Kenneth Kimball, 5 Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108 The Mountain Watch Program The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) offers educational programs and workshops for the public. The Mountain Watch program educates the local community, students in New England schools, and members of the public visiting the AMC facilities in New Hampshire about the relationship between air pollution, climate variability, and their potential impact on the northeast's higher peaks. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Cohasset Middle High School -- $4,855 Jack Buckley, 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA 02025 Building Assessment Tools for Monitoring Bacteria in the Gulf River and Cohasset Harbor This project enables students and teachers to further develop assessment tools for monitoring bacteria in accordance with an educational model for water quality monitoring. A summer institute engages students in investigations of community problems and trains the students to conduct these investigations in accordance with protocols. The students present their results to the public following the completion of the projects. The outdoor environment is used as the primary classroom. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Northeast Sustainable Energy Associates, Inc. -- $7,355 Chris Mason, 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Problem-solving Transportation Issues This project is expanding the Earth Smart Travel program by increasing the number, geographic range, and effectiveness of environmental education organizations that train teachers and that reach students directly. The project provides activities that involve students in evaluating the environmental impacts of their current transportation options and identifying earth-friendly means of transportation. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Tent City Corporation -- $4,800 Angela Perondi Pitel, 359 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 Fuel Cell Education Program This program is implementing a fuel cell environmental education unit as part of the Boston Renaissance Charter School's eighth-grade science curriculum. Teachers attend a workshop to learn about the fuel cell technology and how to integrate it into their science curriculum. The teachers return to their classrooms to pilot this educational unit. Renewable energy resources, such as hydrogen fuel cells, offer solutions for environmental problems as well as economic opportunities. These resources have the potential to revolutionize the way energy is produced and used in our society. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | The Walden Woods Project -- $17,997 Dr. Kent Curtis, 44 Baker Farm, Lincoln, MA 01773 Approaching Walden 2004 The Walden Woods Project is expanding its successful teacher training seminars with Approaching Walden 2004, a project that targets public high school history, science, social science, and English teachers in Massachusetts to attend a 2 week seminar. The project uses the writings of Henry David Thoreau and the Walden Woods setting to create place-based lessons about the teachers' own communities and links those lessons to the state's learning standards. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Town of Amesbury -- $4,936 Kathleen Crowley, 62 Friend Street, Amesbury, MA 01913 Citizen Scientist Project The Camp Kent Environmental Center and the Powow River Conservation Area conduct many programs throughout the year, such as a 6-week program for students in grades 3 through 8 and free monthly family programs. In the new Citizen Scientist project, children, teens, adults, educators, and families participate in hands-on, environmental science-related field observations. The participants collect local environmental data, which in turn gives the community a better understanding of flora and fauna species. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Urban Ecology Institute, Inc. -- $97,800 (HQ Grant) Charles Lord, 355 Higgins Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 The Urban Ecology Collaborative This project implements a multistate vision for EE programs for urban youth in kindergarten through grade 12 by building the capacity of the Urban Ecology Collaborative (UEC). UEC is a partnership of state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public schools in Boston, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; New York City, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Washington, DC, that are working to coordinate the delivery of EE programs to urban youth. During the project, UEC representatives oversee a strategic planning process, conduct an inventory of EE programs across each of the six UEC cities, link EE programs within and between the UEC cities, and foster efforts related to capacity-building and improved outreach. This collaborative project is the first of its kind to address the pedagogical needs of urban students from an EE perspective. Key project partners are the Boston Public Schools, the Urban Resources Initiative, the New Haven Ecology Project and Common Ground High School, the Institute for Ecosystem Studies, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, the Parks and People Foundation, the Casey Trees Endowment Fund, the Schoolyard Greening Consortium, the Green Education Movement, and Conservation Consultants, Inc. |
| 2004 | MA | 1 | Westport River Watershed Alliance, Inc. -- $5,000 Gay Gillespie, 1151 Main Road, P.O. Box 3427, Westport, MA 02790-0703 Watershed Education Program Two components of this program, Adopt-A-Trout and the Dune Restoration Project, provide fifth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students with interdisciplinary, project-based learning experiences while they make improvements in the ecological health of some of the natural habitats found in their own back yards. The project also hopes to develop and test new methods of assessment to measure student learning. |
| 2004 | MI | 5 | Calhoun Soil Conservation District -- $5,000 Tracy Bronson, 13464 Preston Drive, Marshall, MI 49068 Stream Ecology in Calhoun County Schools In this project, a Stream Ecology Workshop provides teachers in the Albion and Battle Creek School Districts with the knowledge, experience, and tools needed to instruct their students about stream ecology concepts, land-uses, water quality issues, and watershed science. As a result, students develop the critical-thinking skills required to investigate water quality issues in the local watershed. The students also develop a community service project to improve water quality and raise community awareness of the issues. |
| 2004 | MI | 5 | Copper County Intermediate School District -- $24,756 Shawn Oppliger, 809 Hecla Street, Hancock, MI 49930 Developing Environmentally Informed Scientists, Educators, and Stewards for the Future In this project, Michigan Tech University students are recruited and trained to support two programs for elementary and middle school students: an after-school environmental science class and a forest and pond ecology field trip. Approximately 600 students in kindergarten through grade 8 participate in the environmental science class, and about 2,500 students complete the field trip. Pre-serve education and environmental engineering students conduct and facilitate the after-school program and field trips. University students gain valuable training and presentation skills while introducing young students to environmental careers. While on the field trips, educators are involved in modeling environmental education methods. |
| 2004 | MI | 5 | Hiawatha Interpretive Association -- $2,500 Autumn Jauck, 400 East Munising Avenue, Munising, MI 49862 Raptor Education Project The Raptor Education Project increases the knowledge of 200 fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade students in Munising, Michigan about the effects of pollution, hunting, development, and deforestation on raptors. The students learn to make informed decisions about their own behavior when interacting with wildlife species and their habitats. Students display their knowledge at a Birding by the Bay Festival. The Montana Raptor Center is a key partner in the program. |
| 2004 | MN | 5 | Initiative Foundation -- $10,000 Kathy Gaalswyk, 405 First Street SE, Little Falls, MN 56345 Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program This program is expanding the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership program model to include new communities throughout the region. The program is designed to build the capacity of citizen leaders and local government officials to develop strategic water management plans as well as to help the public make informed decisions regarding the natural environment. The goals of the program are to provide opportunities for shoreline property owners to network, work cooperatively, learn from one another, and work toward healthier waters in Minnesota. |
| 2004 | MN | 5 | Minnesota State Horticultural Society -- $13,000 Vicky Vogels, 1755 Prior Avenue North, Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Healthy Soil, Healthy Food-Healthy Me! In this program, children and their parents, teachers, members of the community learn that their health depends on the health of the environment and the educated choices they make about land and food. The “Healthy Soil” curriculum focuses on soil, worms, and composting, while the “Healthy Food” curriculum addresses the important role that insects play in pollination and in the planting of seeds for food crops. Program information is disseminated through classes, demonstrations, and articles in the "Northern Gardener" Magazine. |
| 2004 | MS | 4 | Clinton Community Nature Center Association, Inc. -- $17,200 Nellie Neal, 617 Dunton Road, P.O. Box 93, Clinton, MS 39060 Teacher Connectivity Model Project This project involves developing a working model for community-based teacher support in environmental education; embedding the model in central Mississippi for the next decade; and extending the Clinton Community Nature Center's environmental resources to more schools, teachers, and students by presenting and using the model. The model is being documented in a handbook, sample "buddy kit," brochure, Web page, CD, and PowerPoint presentation. The handbook explains the process of teacher connectivity and the use of "buddy kits" by those who organize and approve field trips and nature laboratories at the center. These materials are being distributed to schools and the community. The Web page makes this information available online. The CD and PowerPoint presentation contain targeted information for dissemination. |
| 2004 | MS | 4 | Mississippi Forestry Commission -- $3,800 Harold Anderson, 301 North Lamar Street, Suite 300, Jackson, MS 39201 Environmental Education Workshop for Teachers Project Learning Tree (PLT), sponsored by the Mississippi Forestry Commission, the USDA Forest Service, and the Mississippi Forestry Association, is an unbiased, fact-oriented teaching program based on sound science. The program's goal is to teach students "how to think, not what to think" about environmental issues. The program focuses on pre-service teachers at major universities. PLT is correlated to the Mississippi education framework. PLT is implementing the program through a series of 6-hour workshops, each of which is attended by the 24 pre-service educators funded by the grant. Thus far, 233 educators have received the training and 280 additional educators are scheduled to receive the training. The educators receive PLT activity guides, high school curriculum modules, workshop supplies, and other educational resource materials. |
| 2004 | MO | 7 | Area Resources for Community & Human Services -- $8,400 Dr. Laura Lambrix, 4236 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108 The Community Access to Environmental Education This project teaches community members about environmental health hazards for children. The purpose of this project is to equip families, students, and educators with the information they need to identify dangerous chemicals present in their environment. As part of the project, 30 students in three St. Louis public schools participate in the Minority Junior Science Investigators program to learn about environmental issues. In addition, 25 adults complete train-the-trainer workshops to establish a volunteer corps of environmental educators. The project participants share what they have learned with their peers and neighbors and thus expand the service area of the project. |
| 2004 | MO | 7 | Metropolitan Community & Economic Development Corporation -- $22,320 Samuel Marshall, 2310 E. Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64109 The Ivanhoe Environmental Education The Ivanhoe Environmental Education project focuses on educating Kansas City residents about health issues associated with exposure to lead-based paint, asbestos, and household chemicals. The goal of this project is to teach the public how to avoid such exposure and how to properly dispose of household chemicals. The intention is to educate approximately 5,500 families by holding group forums and conducting experiential laboratory activities, teacher training sessions, and parent and community outreach. Each forum makes use of educational material produced by the Kansas City Health Department. The training raises public awareness of health issues posed by indoor environmental hazards, engages the participants in assessment projects that include hands-on activities, provides instruction in basic ecological principles, and identifies environmental issues facing urban communities. |
| 2004 | MO | 7 | Missouri Department of Agriculture -- $9,127 Marla Young, P.O. Box 630, Jefferson City, MO 65102 Jefferson City Farm Stewardship Field Day Under this project, fourth-grade students in the Jefferson City School District act as Missouri farmers for a day. They are asked to face the natural resource stewardship decisions that must be made to produce the ingredients of a favorite student food–pizza. The goal of this event is to forge a connection between the student participants and local water and soil resources, helping the students to understand the responsibilities of stewardship and informed decision-making. This educational activity reaches approximately 675 fourth-graders in the Jefferson City community. Following the event, the students are taught more about environmental stewardship using a curriculum called "Show Me Agriculture". |
| 2004 | MO | 7 | World Bird Sanctuary -- $2,076 Susan Zietlow, 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Road, Valley Park, MO 63088 Educator Eco-Workshop The World Bird Sanctuary hosts a half-day Educator Eco-Workshop for local teachers of kindergarten through grade 12. This workshop provides the participants with the information and resources they need to teach their students about local environmental challenges and issues. Examples of topics addressed by the workshop and the resources include habit restoration, reintroduction of endangered species to habitats, monitoring of species population levels, and enrichment of ecosystems to enhance bird reproduction. |
| 2004 | MO | 7 | YMCA of the Ozarks -- $7,784 Mariah Hughes, Route 2, P.O. Box 240, Potosi, MO 63664 Enhancement and Expansion of the Environmental Education Program The project is intended to enhance and expand the existing environmental education program of the YMCA of the Ozarks. The YMCA places educational signs on roads, walkways, trails, and buildings at its facility and presents educational displays in its nature center and dining room area. These environmentally oriented interpretive materials enrich the natural experience of every visitor. In addition, environmental assessment equipment is made available for students and teachers to use in outdoor classrooms. Approximately 40,000 people participate in YMCA programs throughout the year. The environmental education program conducted by the YMCA offers multiple opportunities for students, teachers, and the general public to learn more about forestry, prairies, streams, ponds, and caves in their community. |
| 2004 | MT | 8 | Boone and Crockett Club Foundation -- $17,979 Lisa Flowers, P.O. Box 230, Dupuyer, MT 59432 Sustaining the Source through Watershed Education Program The Rocky Mountain Front is a large region where controversies currently exist regarding land subdivision, public land access, oil and gas extraction, animal grazing, water use and quality, and other environmental issues. The Sustaining the Source through Watershed Education Program is a partnership of Blackfeet Community College, Montana Watercourse, the Pondera County Conservation District, the Blackfeet Conservation District, the De La Salle Blackfeet School, the Valier Public School, the Dupuyer Elementary School, and the Boone and Crockett Club. The program is a year-long endeavor to bring together junior high school students and teachers from three underserved communities so that they can explore watershed issues and conduct three local watershed restoration and enhancement projects. Students conduct community open houses to showcase their efforts and share their knowledge about the local watershed. |
| 2004 | MT | 8 | Missoula County Public School District #1 -- $5,000 Dr. Jim Clarke, 215 S. 6th Street West, Missoula, MT 59801 Outdoor Environmental Education Program Missoula County Public School District #1 is partnering with the University of Montana School of Education and Missoula Outdoor Learning Adventures to conduct the Outdoor Environmental Education Program for sixth-grade students and to provide associated training for their teachers. The objectives of this program are to integrate environmental education into the public school curriculum, offer teachers environmental education training that focuses on specific environmental issues in the Missoula area, provide students with information about environmental careers and career development, and support environmental education capacity building in Montana. |
| 2004 | MT | 8 | Montana Environmental Education Association -- $17,000 Steven Eshbaugh, P.O. Box 7022, Bozeman, MT 59771 Environmental Education Certification Program The Montana Environmental Education Association and the University of Montana are developing an Environmental Education Certification Program for the state. The program’s training initiatives lay the groundwork for the implementation of higher environmental education standards across Montana. As part of the program, a Certification Summit is held to provide organizations and individuals with the opportunity to demonstrate their attainment of certain benchmarks in environmental education excellence that are outlined in a Certification Rubric. The certification program also provides training for Assinibione-Sioux tribal members who conduct environmental education programs on the Fort Peck Reservation. |
| 2004 | NE | 7 | Educational Service Unit #15 -- $20,930 Paul M. Ekberg, P.O. Box 398, Trenton, NE 69044 Invasive Species in Wetlands and Prairie Ecosystems Designed for teachers and students in Nebraska and Kansas, this project gives participants the opportunity to investigate the adverse impacts of two invasive species, Canadian geese and red cedar trees, on pond water quality and native prairie grasses. The participants propose possible solutions to these problems and implement approved solutions in a pond-prairie ecosystem in south-central Nebraska. Ten environmental research teams, each consisting of one teacher, four students, and one community member, visit the pond-prairie site to gather pertinent data about the effects of the large populations of Canadian geese and red cedar trees on environmental quality. All the data collected, interactive educational activities, and final assessments of the solutions implemented are placed on the Internet for use by teachers, students, and communities. School visits are conducted to provide project information and assistance. A total of 10 teachers and 40 students in grades 5 through 8 are invited to attend project workshops and participate in pond-prairie activities. |
| 2004 | NE | 7 | Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful -- $12,292 Angela King, 715 S. Jeffers, P.O. Box 313, North Platte, NE 69103 Recycling Projects This project provides hands-on recycling, litter prevention, and water conservation activities for students. Teachers and their students visit recycling centers, and the students design gardens at their schools, as part of an environmental service project. As part of the project, the students explore waste handling techniques and study how today’s waste management methods will affect future generations. Project workshops for teachers are conducted by Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful. |
| 2004 | NV | 9 | Environmental Leadership -- $20,036 Amy Giffin, P.O. Box 10786, Reno, NV 89510 Leaders of Waste Reduction Since 1999, the goal of Leaders of Waste Reduction (LOWR) has been to encourage environmentally friendly purchasing, consumption, and waste disposal choices of the tens of thousands of Nevada students in kindergarten through grade 12. Grant funds are being used to provide a new population, the 16,500 Hispanic students in Washoe County schools, with information about the importance of waste reduction. LOWR produces and distributes posters detailing in English and Spanish the items that are recyclable in the county. Training and supervision are provided to student educators to help them implement the curriculum. Other activities include conducting educational workshops to English as a Second Language students and maintaining and expanding LOWR's Web site. |
| 2004 | NH | 1 | Keene State College -- $15,450 A. L. Rydant, 229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03435-2001 Worms Go To School This project is introducing and establishing vermicomposting, which uses worms to break down organic material into compost, in secondary school settings by creating a core curriculum for grades 7 through 12 that combines vermicomposting with the National Geographic Standards. This curriculum is a natural extension of the elementary school curriculum that Keene State College developed under a previous EPA environmental education grant. Maintaining a worm bin provides students with hands-on experience in ecosystem management and helps them understand the physical and human dimensions of ecosystems. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Camp Vacamas Association, Inc. -- $5,000 Michael Friedman, 256 Macopin Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 Environmental Awareness Project The goal of the Environmental Awareness Project (EAP) is to immerse Vacamas Academy students in a study of the Camp Vacamas environment that includes exploration of the indigenous plants and trees, wildlife, aquatic life, and insects. The students also explore potential threats to the area, both natural and manmade. EAP combines field studies with research and culminates in the creation of a nature trail at the camp and a Web site dedicated to the students' findings. EAP develops environmental stewardship by educating low-income and culturally diverse students about environmental issues in formal and nonformal settings and by encouraging the dissemination of environmental information. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Comité De Apoyo A Los Trabajadores Agrícolas -- $5,000 Nelson Carrasquillo, 4 South Delsea Drive, P.O. Box 510, Glassboro, NJ 08028 Delmarva Environmental Education Program The purpose of the Delmarva Environmental Education Program is to empower agricultural workers to take an active part in addressing the pesticide exposure hazards that place them and their families at risk. The Comité De Apoyo A Los Trabajadores Agrícolas (CATA) is conducting the project in the Delmarva Peninsula. Project activities include providing extensive outreach to the migrant and immigrant Hispanic communities, performing an environmental assessment of the workers’ living and working conditions, conducting educational workshops about pesticides and protective measures in which critical-thinking and decision-making skills are developed, and coordinating an evaluation of the project by its participants and staff. CATA has four pesticide educators, three of whom are Master Trainers. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Friends of Palmyra Cove, Inc. -- $21,014 Clara Ruvolo, 1335 Route 73 South, Palmyra, NJ 08065 Friends of Palmyra Cove - Wetlands Education Program The goal of the Wetlands Education Program is to provide 240 college, secondary school, and elementary school educators with 12 training sessions on wetland ecology over a 12-month period. By engaging in this biodiversity study program, the participants learn how to define and identify wetlands, identify wetland plants and animals, characterize macroinvertebrates, and test water quality. The participants also develop an understanding of wetland restoration and remediation. The participants modify the training to provide their students with hands-on lessons about wetland ecology and its relationship to the local watershed, which encourages stewardship. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $4,789 Robin Dougherty, 303-9 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102 Environmental Field Trips to Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey The Greater Newark Conservancy is developing a program in which students in kindergarten through grade 3 in Newark, New Jersey, take part in an environmental education field trip to Monarch Meadow, a habitat established for butterflies in Essex County's Branch Brook Park. During the field trip, the students learn about the environmental resources that are available in their urban community and about such matters as the importance of trees, the preservation and restoration of habitats for birds and butterflies, and the need for open urban spaces. After learning about the vegetation in Monarch Meadow, which is selected and planted to attract butterflies, the students help to restore the park using plant plugs and seed balls and then participate in a literacy activity related to their meadow experience. The program fosters environmental stewardship by involving the students in restoration of an urban habitat to attract wildlife. This is an approach that has proven successful in giving students a sense of responsibility for their environment. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Rocky Springs Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Inc. -- $2,250 Donna A. Fox, P. O. Box 141, Broadway, NJ 08808 Our Wildlife Neighbors The Rocky Springs Wildlife Rehabilitation Center's "Our Wildlife Neighbors" program educates young people about coexisting with wildlife in their communities. The students learn how to respond to orphaned or wounded animals and how to deal with encounters with wildlife as the human population grows in Warren and Hunterdon Counties. The program consists of interactive presentations for students and scout groups in these counties. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Seton Hall University -- $5,800 Miriam Lyons-Frolow, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079 Master Classes in Environmental Studies Master Classes in Environmental Studies provides opportunities for both high school and Seton Hall University students to learn from experts about the current issues in the environmental field. The class instructors and presenters provide career development information and describe educational pathways to environmental careers. Four Master Classes of 20 to 30 students each are scheduled for the 2004-2005 academic year. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Seton Hall University -- $8,775 Miriam Lyons-Frolow, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079 Seton Hall University Sustainable Communities Roundtable The College of Arts and Sciences at Seton Hall University is launching the Sustainable Communities Roundtable, a model outreach program. The goal of the Roundtable is to educate the public about environmental and health issues in northern New Jersey. The program provides members of the community with access to the latest information about such issues. The Roundtable’s participants include scientists, government officials, and representatives of community-based organizations and industry. During the roundtable's panel discussions, experts and a moderator present multiple points of view and recommendations regarding specific environmental issues that impact northern New Jersey. Roundtable topics include open space preservation in the face of urban and suburban sprawl, transportation and associated air pollution, and watershed management. Participants become better informed, better equipped to make responsible decisions, and are encouraged to become more involved in community efforts to address the issues. A pamphlet summarizing the key points discussed at the roundtable and identifying additional resources will be provided. |
| 2004 | NJ | 2 | Stevens Institute of Technology -- $85,373 (HQ Grant) Edward A. Friedman, Castle Point on the Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030 Do Particulates Matter? "Do Particulates Matter?" is an Internet-based science curriculum for students in grades 6 through 12 that raises awareness of environmental and health hazards posed by fine particle pollution. Using real-time data downloaded from EPA’s AirNow web site, students in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona collect, record, and analyze particulate matter data. By conducting “real world” scientific investigations, the students are learning firsthand about air quality issues. The project also targets a small subset of teachers who attend workshops to learn about current air quality issues, particularly as they relate to particulate matter; how to use the air quality curriculum materials in their classrooms; and how to train other teachers to use the curriculum. At the end of the project, the Particulates Matter curriculum will be available on the Internet for use by schools across the country and will be distributed at national and regional conferences and workshops attended by thousands of educators. The Institute for Learning Technologies at Columbia University’s Teachers College is a key partner of the project. |
| 2004 | NM | 6 | Heritage Ranch Institute -- $13,900 Jim Winder, 18330 Highway 27 NE, Deming, NM 88030 Young Environmental Stewards The goal of this project is to infuse environmental education into the core subjects at middle schools in the Truth or Consequences, New Mexico School District. Teachers are designing 24 field trips and related studies to be used as innovative tools in middle school classes. The students learn about the fundamentals of resource management and gain a thorough knowledge of biotic and abiotic environments, resource use by various cultural groups, and the rates at which resources may be renewed or depleted. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | American Littoral Society -- $5,000 Don Riepe, 28 West 9th Road, Broad Channel, NY 11693 Junior Bay Ranger Program The Junior Bay Ranger Program is a career development initiative for middle school students in Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. The program promotes environmental stewardship and educates the students about environmental issues related to the preservation of Jamaica Bay. The students are encouraged to explore and investigate environmental issues as well as related careers through a series of workshops, field trips, and lectures. The students gain a greater appreciation for nature while learning about potential careers in the environmental field. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation -- $5,000 Kirsten Munro, 1000 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225 The Water Conservation Initiative The Water Conservation Initiative provides assistance for development of school gardens as part of community planting projects. The long-term goal of the project is to help students and teachers in Brooklyn's underserved neighborhoods gain a greater understanding of the importance of water resources to the environment and of environmental stewardship. The focus of the project is to teach students what they can do to conserve water in their daily lives and communities. To implement this project, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation (BBG) is conducting an ongoing educational initiative for young people and their teachers. BBG is producing age-appropriate materials on water conservation for 600 students and 20 teachers and is providing water conservation kits to 10 classes that choose to create school gardens. The materials and kits help to link the students with community resources that can be used to help sustain the gardens. BBG’s goal is to sustain the project beyond the grant period so that it becomes a continuing part of the organization’s educational programming. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Buffalo Society of Natural Science -- $20,796 Cheryl Spengler, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo, NY 14211-1293 Authentic Learning Communities The Authentic Learning Communities program is a partnership between the City of Buffalo School District and the Buffalo Museum of Science/Tifft Nature Preserve. This program uses the theme of natural and human communities as a unifying concept for environmental education. Combining examination of authentic specimens, research, problem-solving, and real-world experiences, the program engages students in an inquiry-based citizen science project that focuses on invasive species. The students’ environmental literacy and stewardship are developed through use of new technologies, data collection, and study of current and past ecological health issues. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | City Parks Foundation -- $22,486 David Rivel, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021 Green Girls Green Girls introduces seventh- and eighth-grade girls in East Harlem and the Bronx to career opportunities in the sciences and supports the girls’ academic achievement. The City Parks Foundation in New York City provides these middle school girls with after-school, weekend, and summer activities to promote environmental stewardship. The Green Girls program encourages the girls to consider careers in the sciences, enriches their understanding of science by introducing the girls to successful female scientists who share their knowledge and love for the field. The program also exposes them to environmental and social issues that affect their communities. The girls also become familiar with New York City’s educational resources and develop their critical-thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Cornell University -- $21,671 Jeff Corbin, 120 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 Environmental Careers Skills Program The Environmental Careers Skills Program focuses on ecosystem protection. This program provides college students with the skills and knowledge they need to become better environmental stewards and to explore potential environmental careers. Program participants learn about field sampling techniques, study environmental issues, are introduced to environmental career paths, and learn leadership and team-building skills that improve their ability to work with others to protect the environment. In addition, students attend a 3 to 4 day training workshop that teaches them strategies for networking with professionals and their peers. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies -- $4,600 M'Lis Bartlett, 444 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 Environmental Science Literacy Training Project The Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) offers professional development programs for HSES teachers to increase their environmental literacy and understanding of environmental stewardship. These interdisciplinary programs are designed to help teachers feel comfortable in incorporating environmental issues into any subject area. HSES is implementing a project to support science literacy efforts as a means of promoting understanding of environmental issues. This project offers training to both English and science teachers through inquiry-based discussions of environmental readings that reinforce concepts taught in high school science classes. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Hofstra University -- $5,000 Dr. Russell Burke, 144 Hofstra University, 200 West Library Wing, Hempstead, NY 11549-1440 Hofstra University Environmental Education Diamondback terrapins are the most abundant reptiles at Ruler's Bar Hassock in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. This project uses the ecosystem and factors that impact the interactions between the components of the ecosystem as a context in which to teach about ecosystem balance and management. The project offers the general public and high school teachers an opportunity to become involved in researching this problem. Teachers are encouraged to have their classes participate in volunteer activities around the refuge that comprise the study project. A university graduate student is coordinating volunteers to explore environmental education methods and pursue wildlife research. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks -- $74,180 (HQ Grant) Valerie Trodeau, P.O. Box 897, Tupper Lake, NY 12986 Loon Migration: Linking People and the Environment The loon is used as an educational topic for this project because of its popularity in this region. The project teaches the public about environmental factors, such as mercury pollution and acid rain, that affect aquatic ecosystems in eastern North America. Through this project, the public gains an understanding of the links between loon breeding, migratory, and wintering areas and learns how environmental issues in one area can affect wildlife species, such as the loon, throughout their migratory range. Various delivery methods, including an interactive web site; public programs; curricula about loon natural history, loon migration, and environmental impacts on loon populations; teacher training programs; and media materials, are used to actively engage students, teachers, and the general public in the project. The audience for the project includes Adirondack Park residents, visitors, school children, and teachers as well as members of the general public along the eastern United States who live in the migratory and wintering range of Adirondack loons. Partners collaborating on the project include the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, BioDiversity Research Institute, Audubon Society of New York, and U.S. Geological Survey. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Oceanside School District -- $5,000 Ed Wilensky, 3160 Skillman Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572 Shipboard Marine Science In-Service Teacher Course This 30-hour, in-service course enables science teachers to improve their students’ skills in collecting ecological data and it provides teachers with materials on marine science careers for their students. The course immerses participants in maritime experiences that they share with their students. The teachers become adept and share their training in measuring water temperature, density, transparency, depth, salinity, and pH; collecting plankton samples; and conducting other data collection activities. The course includes a field trip to a marine study area in the Oceanside estuary and a working trip on a fishing vessel. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Pace University -- $12,095 Fred Zalcman, 78 North Broadway, E-House, White Plains, NY 10603 Power Scorecard and Education Outreach The Power Scorecard education program, a web-based educational tool, is designed to empower consumers to buy cleaner, greener electricity supplies. Pace University, in partnership with local community organizations in Texas, conducts workshops through local roadmapping activities to make Power Scorecard educational resources available to retail electricity consumers. One purpose of the workshops is to build a network of partner organizations that will conduct grassroots education efforts to encourage consumers in their communities to purchase cleaner, greener, renewable electricity. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Prospect Park Alliance -- $5,000 Carol Giangreco, 95 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Midwood Green Team Project The Prospect Park Audubon Center's Midwood Green Team Project engages 20 pre-teens in hands-on study, restoration, protection, and interpretation of Prospect Park's Midwood, a natural habitat. The project is intended to improve the development and implementation of ecological programs for underserved youth. Project participants design, produce, and install educational signage to encourage environmental stewardship among park visitors. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | The Horticultural Society of New York -- $5,000 Jennifer Klopp, 128 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 GreenHouse/Green Team GreenHouse/GreenTeam is a career development project that educates inmates on Riker's Island, a correctional facility, about environmental issues and stewardship. The project participants learn about the environment as they develop skills in landscape design, installation, and maintenance. The project stresses environmentally sound systems of design as it helps the inmates develop an appreciation for the natural world. The inmates work in gardens, a greenhouse carpentry shop, and a classroom on Riker's Island to gain knowledge about ecology as well as plants and animal behavior. The Horticultural Society of New York works with the inmates both while they are incarcerated and after their release to help them develop the work skills and discipline they need to find and hold permanent jobs. After their release, GreenHouse/GreenTeam participants maintain public library gardens and design and install gardens as requested by public and private customers. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Workforce Investment of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties -- $5,000 Alice J. Savino, 209 Elizabeth Street, Utica, NY 13501 Workforce Investment Board Science and Technology Education Partnership The Science and Technology Education Partnership (STEP) is an innovative pilot effort to provide hands-on, interactive environmental education for students in grades 9 through 11 who live in traditionally underserved areas of Utica, New York. The students learn about local brownfield sites and the interventions required to make the sites useful again to local communities. The program is designed to give students a sense of environmental stewardship and to assist them in their transitions from high school to college to careers. STEP supports efforts to increase the number of young people from disadvantaged families and at-risk neighborhoods who are pursuing careers in environmental science. The program provides both a summer learning experience and support during the school year to maintain students’ interest in environmental science and improve their academic achievement. |
| 2004 | NY | 2 | Wyckoff House & Association -- $12,095 Philip Forsyth, 5816 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn, NY 11203 Wyckoff Farmhouse Community Demonstration Garden The goal of the project is to establish an organic market garden that serves as a dynamic community center for sustainable living. The garden is used to educate community members about issues associated with urban land use, food access, and the environment, with a focus on development of sustainable local food systems. Interns from local high schools and volunteers learn about sustainable organic gardening and related environmental issues. Garden staff members conduct free workshops on sustainable gardening and the environmental significance of urban agriculture that provide the participants with first-hand experience in sustainable food production. |
| 2004 | NC | 4 | Center for Agricultural Partnerships -- $23,500 Heather Cavanaugh, 1 West Pack Square, Suite 401, Asheville, NC 28801 Hispanic Orchardist Integrated Pest Management Education Program Under this grant, 40 Hispanic orchardists in Washington State participate in integrated pest management (IPM) field training and group learning sessions. These hands-on sessions are conducted in Spanish and ultimately give the orchardists the knowledge and tools they need to adopt IPM practices and reduce their dependence on pesticides. The project funds 12 in-orchard sessions that focus on pest identification and scouting as well as classroom sessions that address pest mating disruption technology and low-risk insecticides and fungicides. The sessions consist of class discussions and orchard walks. The walks allow the orchardists to practice the techniques learned during class. The goal of the project is to provide orchardists with information about environmentally friendly pesticide alternatives. |
| 2004 | NC | 4 | Hillandale Elementary School PTA -- $20,963 Nancy Sung, 2730 Hillandale Road, Durham, NC 27705 Hillandale Outdoor Laboratory The purpose of this project is to create a sustainable program of environmental science education by involving all teachers and students in regular outdoor investigations on the school grounds of Hillandale Elementary School (HES). The 43-acre HES grounds include a 10-acre area designated as the "Hillandale Outdoor Laboratory," that harbors both deciduous and coniferous forest, a field undergoing succession, and a winding stream that is being developed as an outdoor classroom. An environmental education guide is being adapted to the school grounds and aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This cross-curricular guide is being assembled by a selected team of teachers and introduced to the faculty during teacher workshops. The reformed curriculum is being piloted by all the teachers in HES during the school year and serves as a prototype for the entire school district. |
| 2004 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources -- $4,995 Holly B. Denham, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611 Expanding Water Quality Education and Stewardship in North Carolina This project is expanding citizen water quality monitoring and stewardship programs into suburban and rural areas of North Carolina and is increasing public participation in water quality monitoring statewide. Seven regional Stream Watch Coordinators and four Adopt-A-Stream staff members facilitate two Project WET/Water Quality Monitoring training workshops for a statewide total of 22 workshops. In these workshops, each of which contain 20 people, the regional coordinators and Adopt-A-Stream staff members demonstrate the use of water quality monitoring kits to evaluate physical, chemical, and biological parameters. |
| 2004 | ND | 8 | North Dakota Multi-County Special Projects Consortium -- $10,768 Jack Maust, 8850 18th Avenue NE, Willow City, ND 58384 Multi-County Habitat Project For years, various agricultural and environmental issues have been very controversial in North Dakota. The North Dakota Multi-County Special Projects Consortium creates understanding and cooperation among such organizations as agricultural agencies, the Pembina County Soil Conservation District, 4H Clubs, and scouting and hunting clubs. The Consortium’s main goal is to train teachers about issues related to agriculture, conservation, water quality, and local economics. Educational tools are being developed, which participating teachers can use to instruct students about environmental issues that affect their local communities and economies. |
| 2004 | ND | 8 | North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department -- $2,350 Dorothy Jane Streyle, 1600 East Century Avenue, Suite 3, Bismarck, ND 58502 Ecosystems and Stewardship Traveling Trunk Program The Ecosystems and Stewardship Traveling Trunk Program provides educators with a collection of hands-on educational tools that help students build a strong understanding of ecosystems and environmental stewardship. This statewide program has a strong community focus. The program greatly increases the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department’s ability to educate the public and students regarding state and local efforts to maintain and restore healthy ecosystems. |
| 2004 | OH | 5 | Camp Fire USA Northeast Ohio Council -- $5,000 Barbara Smith, P.O. Box 516, 516 Leffingwell Road, Canfield, OH 44406 Environmental Education and Awareness Activities In this project, the Camp Fire USA Northeast Ohio Council teams up with neighborhood centers to bring environmental education activities to an after-school site on the east side of Youngstown, Ohio. Approximately 40 inner city youth learn about trees, forests, rainforests, earthworms, soil composition, threatened and endangered habitats, recycling, waste reduction, and the difference between landfills and dumps. |
| 2004 | OH | 5 | Seneca County General Health District -- $5,000 Deborah Magers, 71 South Washington Street, Suite 1102, Tiffin, OH 44883 Home Sewage Treatment Education Through a series of home inspections conducted by the Seneca County General Health District, Clinton Township residents are being educated about the proper way to operate their home sewage treatment systems. A homeowner’s guide on the subject has been developed, and homeowners are being taught about human health threats associated with pollution from malfunctioning septic systems. The guide provides tools to help homeowners make responsible decisions concerning the operation of their home sewage treatment systems. |
| 2004 | OH | 5 | Youngstown State University -- $25,000 James Shanahan, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555 Mahoning River Education Project 2004 The Mahoning River Education Project is the outcome of an EPA sustainable development challenge grant. The project increases the awareness of middle school students regarding the importance of the Mahoning River to the region’s future. As part of the project, 4,800 middle school students and 290 teachers are given the opportunity to engage in hands-on studies of the river’s systems. Students at each middle school grade level focus on a theme, such as ecosystems; the water cycle; water quality; or land, rocks, and soil. Student activities and indicators are matched with Ohio's academic content standards by grade level. |
| 2004 | OK | 6 | Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma -- $9,886 Leslie Flenniken, 731 Elm Avenue, Room 134, Norman, OK 73019 Public Participation Geographic Information Systems This project informs community residents about the benefits of developing and using a public participation geographic information system to address environmental issues and to encourage active participation in environmental policy decision-making at the state and federal levels. One goal of this outreach project is to create an awareness of the value of public geospatial information for community empowerment in relation to environmental issues. A second goal is to familiarize community residents with existing public databases and data-providing organizations. The final goal is that participants gain knowledge regarding the use of geographical information systems and its significance in advancing environmental justice in their communities. Presentations are held throughout the state of Oklahoma, several of which are conducted in American Indian communities. |
| 2004 | OK | 6 | Energy Education Partnership, Inc. -- $24,957 Keith T. Thomas, P.O. Box 53127, Oklahoma City, OK 73152 Improving the Environmental Education Practices in West Virginia The Energy Education Partnership, Inc. (EEPI), serves as the coordinating agency for a 1-day coal seam natural gas (CSNG) education seminar. The seminar participants are science and environmental science teachers from middle and high schools in the Beckley and Princeton area of southern West Virginia. The objective of the project is to educate these teachers about the specific environmental impacts of CSNG exploration and production in southern West Virginia so that the teachers can accurately address this subject in their classrooms. Working with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, EEPI conducts lectures and guides field trips in the CSNG fields of southern West Virginia. These activities advance the goals of the project by providing teachers with an understanding of the specific procedures used for CSNG exploration and production. |
| 2004 | OK | 6 | Great Plains Resource Conservation and Development Association -- $5,550 Larry Wright, 1505 N. Glenn English, Washita, OK 73632 Reduce, Recycle, and Return to Beauty As part of this project, eight workshops are being conducted for the rural residents of an eight-county area as well as county commissioners and members of the Seven Indian Nations of the Southern Plains to encourage proper solid waste disposal and recycling in their respective communities. The goals of the workshops are to reduce the amount of solid waste going to local landfills by 2 percent, increase the number of residents participating in solid waste programs by 2 percent, and eliminate illegal dumping. About 80 percent of the residents in the eight-county district use a solid waste service. Students are encouraged to attend the workshops to learn about the importance of waste management and recycling. The workshops inform students on how they can start a recycling program at their school. Handouts are provided, and updated information is accessible for teachers, students, and the public on a newly redesigned Web site. Education regarding recycling and how to properly dispose of waste plays a key role in community waste management. |
| 2004 | OK | 6 | Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County, Inc. -- $5,000 Hyder Hope Houston, 400 North Walnut Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 Groundwater Area Protection The objective of this project is to inform teachers and non-formal educators about environmental issues, such as groundwater protection, to improve their environmental education skills. Workshops and school-based service learning activities are being used to achieve this objective. As a result, the educators are better equipped to teach their students and fellow community members about environmental issues. Several hazardous waste sites, including Superfund sites, are present in the community, and they can have impacts on area groundwater. A needs assessment was conducted in the area that revealed great public concern about issues related to the water supply, water quality, and environmental pollution. Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County, Inc., which is conducting the project, aims to educate community members about what they can do during their daily activities to help ensure that area groundwater is not further contaminated. |
| 2004 | OR | 10 | Polk Soil and Water Conservation District -- $4,110 Jackie Hastings, 580 Main Street, Suite A, Dallas, OR 97338 Polk County Environmental Experience In this program, students in grades 1 through 8 participate in a 1-day outdoor classroom experience at the Delbert Hunter Arboretum, which is adjacent to Rickreall Creek. Teachers are provided with curriculum materials for natural resource study areas. After some classroom work, students move through stations where they test water quality, collect aquatic insects, model soil characteristics, and assess riparian health. The students gather data on site conditions and develop reports on their findings. The data collected is used by the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District to assess the health of the creek. |
| 2004 | OR | 10 | Portland State University -- $86,400 (HQ Grant) Portland State University, Cramer Hall, Portland, OR 97201 The FEED Project: Food-based Environmental Education Design Grant funds are used to provide seed money to three competitively selected elementary schools that establish Environmental Education Councils (EECs) which bring together school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community members to generate schoolwide environmental programs. The EEC in each school creates a food- and project-based EE curriculum specifically tailored to the needs of the school. Students, many of whom represent low-income and minority communities, learn how growing food, preparing and eating meals, composting and recycling, and buying food from local sources are intertwined with environmental issues. Participating teachers attend 15 workshops on agriculture, food, and nutrition and learn how to incorporate garden- and food-based learning into their lesson plans. The project reaches approximately 150 children in grades 4 and 5, their parents, and 20 elementary school teachers. The project, while focused on improving student achievement in mathematics and science, also encourages environmentally responsible decision-making by students, parents, and teachers. The project partners are the Portland International Initiative for Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning; Oregon Tilth; 47th Avenue Farm; and Friends of Zenger Farm. |
| 2004 | OR | 10 | Portland State University -- $6,284 Patrick Edwards, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751 Increase Ability to Collect High Quality Monitoring Data The primary objectives of this project are to increase teachers’ aquatic insect identification skills, allow them to practice and refine their data collection procedures, provide them with data collection equipment and insect identification books, and give them opportunities to verify data. The project is implemented through a 5-day workshop in which at least 15 teachers from four to six high schools participate. |
| 2004 | OR | 10 | Willamette Resources and Educational Network -- $24,922 Holly McRae, 751 South Danebo, Eugene, OR 97402 Project Wetland Education Support and Training Project Wetland Education Support and Training (WEST) targets formal and nonformal educators of students in grades 3 through 8. WEST provides the educators with assistance and guidance for incorporating wetland curricula and hands-on activities into their instructional efforts. As part of the WEST program, teachers participate in two, 5-hour teacher training workshops that focus on the ecology of the West Eugene Wetlands. A week-long summer institute is held for 30 teachers, and the Willamette Resources and Educational Network's wetland education guide is provided online. The teachers are provided with support while they implement watershed-related activities in their classrooms and design lesson plans. The project includes a staff-supported wetland field trip and classroom presentations for 60 educators and about 1,800 students. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | Fayette County Conservation District -- $4,000 Heather Knupsky, 10 Nickman Plaza, Lemont Furnace, PA 15456 Fayette County Children's Water Festival The Fayette County Children's Water Festival is an educational event that teaches sixth-grade students from throughout the county about basic water concepts. Through hands-on exercises in a lively atmosphere, the students learn about such topics as surface water and groundwater; water's importance to all life; the role of the water cycle; the links between water, plants, wildlife, and soil; and the effects of human activities on water and all of nature. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | Mast Community Charter School -- $9,574 Christopher Cichonski, 1800 Byberry Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 Storm Water Runoff and Biotreatment Design Project In this project, environmental science students evaluate the storm water runoff conditions at their school and design strategies to address contaminated runoff. In partnership with fellow students in visual communication classes, the science students create interpretive displays that present their findings regarding treatment of the contaminated runoff. With their newly developed interpretive skills, the science students work to heighten awareness of this important problem within the school and among its residential and commercial neighbors. The project engages the students in a complex environmental issue with competing demands--for example, the need for parking space as opposed to the need for green space--and helps them design a solution that balances these needs. The students learn to collect sound data that they can use to assess all sides of the question, and they learn to think creatively about possible solutions. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | Owen J. Roberts School District -- $8,471 William Richardson, Administration Building, 901 Ridge Road, Pottstown, PA 19465 Scientific Evidence of Wetlands Restoration Effectiveness This project gives 540 high school students and teachers an opportunity to scientifically evaluate the effects of wetland restoration techniques used at the Century Oaks Farm. The 250-year-old family farm was degrading the nearby wetland habitat of the Welkinweir Preserve through nutrient and sediment loading as well as through stream bank collapse caused by farm livestock. Working with the Green Valleys Association headquartered at the Welkinweir Preserve and the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center, the students and teachers collect field data, which provides scientific evidence of the effectiveness of the nutrient containment, buffer fencing, and buffer revegetation projects implemented at the Century Oaks Farm in 2002. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | Pittsburgh Voyager -- $11,815 Beth A. O'Toole, 1501 Reedsdale Street, Suite 2001, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Strengthening Teaching Competencies in Environmental Education This project aims to strengthen the environmental education competencies of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in Allegheny County by engaging them in three experiential workshops. These workshops explore how water quality is related to places, people, and other living things; foster awareness of and sensitivity to the county’s environmental issues; demonstrate how local issues relate to Pennsylvania's environmental and ecological education standards; share techniques for integrating these standards into their curriculum; inspire consideration of public policy that impacts the environment and ecology in Pittsburgh; and model the types of hands-on activities and explorations that teachers can use in the classroom to promote deeper student understanding of environmental concepts. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education -- $12,151 Tracy Kay, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128 Manayunk Watershed Education & Protection Program As part of this program, 60 students in two middle schools in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia are participating in a series of watershed-related classroom sessions, field trips, and community outreach efforts as well as a hands-on watershed protection project. Through this environmental education experience, the students increase their awareness and knowledge of water quality issues and have the opportunity to improve the water quality of the Schuylkill River. Through such outreach efforts as storm drain marking and distribution of water use tip cards, the students become teachers and educate other students, family members, and members of the community about ways to change their behavior in order to protect their drinking water. The students are also mentored by local community groups during the stream cleanups. |
| 2004 | PA | 3 | The Village of Arts and Humanities -- $7,200 Kelly B. Tannen, 2544 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19133 The Plot to Planet Environmental Footprint Project The Plot to Planet Environmental Footprint Project uses gardening and other hands-on agricultural activities to educate young people about local and global environmental issues and the connections between them. Approximately 200 children of ages 3 through 12 design, prepare, plant, maintain, and harvest vegetables from a large garden. Through their stewardship of this land, which was formerly an abandoned lot, and through their involvement in the details and processes of urban gardening, the participants develop a greater awareness of the complex, interconnected environmental issues facing their neighborhood and the rest of the world, including water and air pollution, soil erosion, solid waste management, and habitat loss. |
| 2004 | PR | 2 | G Works Inc. -- $20,844 Gretchen Guzman, Street L-A-13 Torremolinos, Guaynabo, PR 00969 From My Area to the World and Back In this project, teachers help students define local environmental problems. The students use the colossal Earth Balloon as a laboratory in which they develop environmental stewardship, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills. They also identify and assess the causes and consequences of local environmental problems and consider how those problems relate to worldwide environmental issues. In examining potential solutions to the problems, the students come to understand that environmental stewardship has both local and global ramifications. |
| 2004 | RI | 1 | Save The Bay -- $24,789 Michelle McAlpin, 434 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908 Hands-on Field Science for Urban High School Students In collaboration with Central Falls and Newport's Rogers High School, this project educates biology students in grades 10 through 12 from low-income urban communities about the connection between their community and the environmental health of the Narragansett Bay estuary and its watershed. Because many of the students participating will not attend a 4 year college, the project is also intended to expose them to possible environmental education careers. |
| 2004 | RI | 1 | Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association -- $5,000 Denise J. Poyer, 203-B Arcadia Road, Hope Valley, RI 02832 Standardizing Water Quality Monitoring This project standardizes water quality monitoring protocols used by Rhode Island and Connecticut middle and high schools by providing a format for publishing data and supports teachers in their development of students' science skills. By enabling schools to collect water quality monitoring data in such a way that data comparisons can be made between schools across the states and region, the project enhances the students' sense of stewardship for their local water systems. |
| 2004 | RI | 1 | Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council -- $10,326 Jennifer Pereira, 532 Kinsley Avenue, Providence, RI 02909 Woonasquatucket River as a Classroom Partnering with the Blackstone Valley River Project, this project provides training for about 30 elementary and secondary school teachers who teach students from low-income neighborhoods on how to integrate a river curriculum based on the Woonasquatucket River watershed into their classrooms. The curriculum combines chemistry, biology, earth science, geography, language arts, and mathematics. The project also prepares teachers to educate their students about nonpoint source pollution and the importance of keeping the river clean. |
| 2004 | SC | 4 | Clemson University -- $4,980 W. Howard Brown, 300 Brackett Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-5712 Extreme Environment The purpose of this project is to provide environmental education opportunities for at-risk middle school students participating in the Community in Schools Program (CIS). The project arranges for students to participate in four weekend sessions at the RM Cooper Leadership Center in South Carolina. The students engage in a variety of outdoor activities, such as understanding soil horizons, testing water quality, and identifying and conducting research on trees and wildlife. Each session component has an indoor laboratory assignment that integrates computer technology. The activities are interactive and enjoyable, and they provide the students with learning tools that enable them to be more successful in school. Teachers also participate in a weekend program and benefit from pedagogical methodology of experimental learning. |
| 2004 | SC | 4 | Clemson University -- $62,540 (HQ Grant) Lynn Kunkle, Office of Sponsored Programs, Box 345702, 300 Brackett Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-5702 Reducing Pesticide Risk through Education Building on a previous grant project conducted by Clemson University, this project introduces children in kindergarten through grade 5 to the basic concepts of integrated pest management (IPM). The project’s intention is that the children will be less likely to be unnecessarily exposed to pesticides and that as adults, they will be more likely to use nonchemical pest management practices. As part of the project, teachers from two elementary schools attend local workshops to receive training in IPM and learn how to incorporate IPM education into their curricula. The training is also offered to all kindergarten through grade 5 teachers in South Carolina at eight Math and Science Centers where teacher recertification training in math and science is conducted. An ultimate goal of the project is to promote statewide adoption of IPM as part of the state’s science curriculum standards for elementary school children. Project partners include the two participating elementary schools and the South Carolina Department of Education. |
| 2004 | SC | 4 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $12,357 Jason A. Sakran, 266 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401 Earth Force High School Expansion Project This project focuses on increasing the environmental training of high school educators in four South Carolina counties. The educators are trained to implement the Earth Force program within an existing standards-based curriculum. Educational materials and on-going support are provided to ensure successful implementation of the program in the schools. The cross-disciplinary nature of the program allows integration of environmental education into other areas of the curriculum. The program creates opportunities for young people to become involved in environmental conservation through both hands-on work and expression of their ideas. The expected outcome is that 250 high school students will design and complete an environmental project to help the local community. |
| 2004 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium -- $4,600 Kristie Maher, 805 West Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 Wonders of Wetlands II - Teacher Education Wonders of Wetlands II is a collaboration between the South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium and the Pierre Indian Learning Center, a residential boarding school for at-risk Native American children in grades 1 through 8. This program equips Pierre Indian Learning Center and other reservation teachers with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to incorporate wetland curricula into their classes. The training program exposes teachers to critical wetland issues, including health-related issues and groundwater contamination problems. After completing the training, the teachers develop lesson plans using activities from the Wonders of Wetlands II program. Continuing education credits are granted to the teachers when they complete their lesson plans. |
| 2004 | TN | 4 | Discover Life in America, Inc. -- $21,000 Jeanie Hilton, 1314 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 Connecting the Dots: Students Surveying Life Across America The purpose of this project is to host an environmental education train-the-trainer workshop for 10 high school teachers and 10 environmental educators with non-profit organizations. At the workshop, the participants learn about threats to biodiversity by collecting Eumycetozoa (slime mold) specimens at participating land conservation units in the area. These specimens are sent to a team of researchers who identify them and include the identification information in the Global Inventory funded by the National Science Foundation. Specific biodiversity threats to be covered in the workshop include how air and water pollution, habitat fragmentation, and the introduction of exotic species affect an ecosystem. The participants post their slime mold data and photographs on the "Hands on the Land" Web site. By accessing the Web site, the students involved in the Global Inventory and others are able to compare the various habitats and specimens found from the coast of Maine to the Arizona desert. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | American YouthWorks -- $16,381 Paul Bond, 216 East 4th Street, Austin, TX 78701 Traveling Bull Creek Wetlands Awareness Workshop American YouthWorks has developed the Traveling Bull Creek Wetlands Awareness Workshop to raise wetland, watershed, and water quality awareness in Austin and Round Rock area schools. The project is intended to promote environmental education in order to increase environmental stewardship. The project combines outreach tools with educational materials, such as a working wetland model that shows the dynamics of a wetland. The model makes meaningful connections between everyday lifestyles and their impacts on wetlands, watersheds, and water quality. The model also shows people how they can lessen these impacts to benefit the environment. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | Center for Responsible Environmental Strategies -- $15,000 Edward Selig, P. O. Box 27884, Austin, TX 78755-7884 Reducing Water Use Along the Border People living along the Texas-Mexico border are the focus of a campaign aimed at reducing water use. Community leaders receive instruction in how to protect their water supplies, including instruction in recognizing water sources, reducing water consumption, encouraging water conservation, and addressing impacts on water quality. In addition, youth groups, parent-teacher associations, and schools are asked to participate in community events, such as water conservation workshops and exercises. The Texas Education Agency’s Region 1 Education Service Center and school librarians work with teachers to integrate campaign strategies into classroom curriculums using the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills guidelines. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. -- $17,700 Stacy Cantu, 1524 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, TX 78704 Stop Trashing Texas - It's the Law The goal of Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. (KTB) is to implement Stop Trashing Texas - It's the Law, an illegal dumping educational program. KTB engages its statewide network of community affiliates to promote workshops held in geographically and economically diverse areas of Texas in order to support elimination of illegal dumping. KTB's efforts concentrate on law enforcement personnel, such as code enforcement officials, police officers, and sheriff's office representatives. This program gives law enforcement personnel the opportunity to attend workshops and gather training tools and resource materials that can be used to support community enforcement efforts with the ultimate goal of eliminating illegal dumping in Texas. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | National Wildlife Federation -- $17,000 Marya Fowler, 44 East Avenue, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78701 Earth Tomorrow The project initiates Earth Tomorrow, an interdisciplinary, after-school and summer program in environmental education and leadership for under-served high school students. The goal of the project is to address the environmental education and leadership needs of today’s young people by increasing their environmental literacy. This is being accomplished by means of teacher training to align after-school enrichment with classroom instruction, field trips, career mentoring in the environmental sciences, and a 5-day residential summer institute at a local university. At this institute, students, teachers, and community leaders have the opportunity to explore the environmental sciences through field trips, hands-on data collection and analysis, discussions with environmental professionals, and planning for a community action project. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | Nature Heritage Society -- $15,000 Glenn Miller, 4103 Brisbane Street, Houston, TX 77047 American Naturetum Initiative This project is intended to help public schools and the Texas Education Agency develop environmental education curriculums for urban students that encourage greater student achievement under statewide standardized testing protocols. During project field trips, over 500 students, 30 teachers, and park professionals are exploring natural science history as well as new technologies in order to encourage the students to consider environmental careers. The Nature Heritage Society is partnering with the Houston Independent School District and the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department to implement the project. Through community-based nature education and exposure to the local natural landscape, urban students are being taught how their actions impact the environment. |
| 2004 | TX | 6 | Texas Southern University -- $15,100 Laura Solitare, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004 Environmental Education for Environmental Justice The goal of this project is to educate local residents and community leaders about environmental justice, environmental planning, and urban revitalization issues through six interactive, hands-on workshops. The workshops give the participants a basic understanding of environmental systems and the regulations that frame the field of environmental planning. In particular, the workshops focus on water issues, municipal solid waste, and contaminated land. The workshops also examine how local residents and community leaders can help achieve environmental justice in their communities. |
| 2004 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Janet Ross, P.O. Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535 Teacher Retention and Renewal through Bioregional Outdoor Education In an effort to build capacity as well as improve teacher retention and renewal, this project enhances the skills of elementary school math and science teachers in the four states of the Colorado Plateau Bioregion. Throughout the 2-year project, more than 200 teachers participate in professional development activities, including workshops, field activities, and a 10-day summer institute. The teachers can then adapt their math and science outdoor education skills and curricula to better reflect issues and concerns that are unique to the plateau bioregion. Students in 24 elementary schools on the Colorado Plateau are the key audience for the project. The students represent a diverse, low-income community composed primarily of Native Americans along with Hispanics and Caucasians. Partners for the project include the Utah Society for Environmental Education; the National Science Foundation; the Eastern Navajo Bureau of Indian Affairs; school districts in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado; and the Colorado School of Mines. |
| 2004 | UT | 8 | Snow College -- $16,000 Michael T. Benson, 150 East College Avenue, Ephriam, UT 84627 Nature High Environmental Education Summer Program Students attending Snow College’s Nature High Environmental Education Summer Program learn about environmental issues at the Great Basin Environmental Education Center. The students also become better informed about career opportunities in environmental science and agriculture. The program teaches the students through use of structured lesson plans; applied field work; practice in sampling techniques; and hands-on demonstrations by professional scientists, who also instruct the students about the academic qualifications needed for careers in environmental and agricultural agencies. One purpose of the career training is to connect agency professionals who can serve as mentors to high school students from underserved communities. These mentors can assist students in developing future career goals and in identifying job opportunities in the environmental and agricultural fields. |
| 2004 | UT | 8 | Utah Federation for Youth Incorporated -- $5,000 Jack Wilbur, 350 South 400 East, #G-4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Watershed Program & Events Utah Federation for Youth Incorporated (UFY) is working in partnership with the Utah PTA Health Commission to facilitate an Environmental Education (EE) Week modeled on the Red Ribbon Campaign for Drug Prevention. A week of education and activities called the "Healthy Communities, Healthy Kids" Campaign (HCHK) will incorporate the Utah Governor's new Watershed Initiative. UFY will work with project partners to facilitate a model watershed education program for the state of Utah. It will include educational activities, curriculum resources, and an evaluation process, and will be delivered to PTA Presidents and Health and Safety Commissioners throughout Utah. |
| 2004 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $18,000 Jennifer Visitacion, 350 S. 400 East G#4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Utah Multicultural Environmental Education Capacity Building Project The Utah Society for Environmental Education recognizes that outreach and education for underserved communities are essential for community-based environmental stewardship programs. The Utah Multicultural Environmental Education Capacity Building Project seeks to use regional training programs for formal and nonformal educators to promote knowledge and understanding of environmental education and to encourage use of the techniques needed to work with underserved populations. In addition, these training programs support capacity building efforts by facilitating communication, providing networking opportunities, and offering community leadership development. |
| 2004 | VT | 1 | National Wildlife Federation -- $24,143 Jean Semprebon, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 Habitat Stewards: Building Community-level Ecological Stewardship This project is a community-wide education initiative that provides community members, teachers, students, and administrators with opportunities to contribute to healthy wildlife habitats by becoming stewards of their local environment. A 3-day workshop trains 25 community volunteers to educate and assist other residents in the creation and restoration of wildlife habitat. Two local persons are trained as hosts, who are qualified to facilitate the Habitat Stewards workshops. |
| 2004 | VT | 1 | University of Vermont State Agricultural College -- $5,447 Sarah Cooley, 340 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160 Summer Work and Learning Program This project is taking a successful job training program for teens based on sustainable agriculture into its next phase of career development, namely the growing of vegetables and selling them at a local farmers' market. The main goal of the project is providing employment for young people that will allow them to develop teamwork, leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving skills that can be transferred into the workforce. |
| 2004 | VA | 3 | Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, Inc. -- $8,300 Jean F. Clements, 4415 Boonsboro Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503 Environmental Education at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Camp Kum-Ba-Yah offers a quality environmental education program to local community schools. Students participate in a full day of outdoor field studies, observing nature, participating in group activities, and experiencing firsthand the issues and problems confronting their community with regard to protecting and preserving the rapidly shrinking natural habitat. The program is designed to accommodate up to 60 students per day. Students are divided into small groups and rotate through three 90-minute courses selected from a six-course curriculum. Following the field activities, each class receives follow-up materials that ask the students to identify one of the issues they learned about, study possible solutions, and explain how they could be actively involved in implementing those solutions. Results are shared with all the participating schools to encourage collaborative involvement in activities pertaining to protection and preservation of the environment. |
| 2004 | VA | 3 | Hoffler Creek Wildlife Foundation, Incorporated -- $17,150 Randi Strutton, 505 Washington Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704 Watering the Watershed: Interpretation of Low-Impact Development Technologies The Watering the Watershed program addresses the broad issues of water conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay by demonstrating specific applications of sustainable development. The full program involves installing pervious pavement in parking areas and constructing rainwater collection facilities at the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, a 142-acre riparian forest; producing interpretive signage and literature illustrating how these systems benefit the watershed; promoting the systems by hosting a special open house; and equipping volunteer guides with materials and training so that they can explain how these models of low-impact technology help to protect watershed resources. The preserve hosts many field trips for local school groups, exposing the students to the preserve's low-impact technology solutions for watershed management. The grant funds the interpretive components of the program. |
| 2004 | VA | 3 | Virginia Department of Environmental Quality -- $90,500 (HQ Grant) Ann Regn, P.O. Box 10009, Richmond, VA 23240-0009 Virginia Naturally: Statewide Environmental Education This project implements the Virginia Office of Environmental Education’s strategic plan for building EE capacity in Virginia. In focusing on community-based programs, the project builds state capacity for EE by expanding on previous efforts to establish an effective leadership network and funding sources and to develop a programmatic infrastructure that supports community-based initiatives. To reach the target audience of community-based organizations in Virginia, grant funds are used to maintain and expand the network of EE partner organizations; nurture collaboration between partners in the network; and provide information, training, and programmatic assistance to community-based EE organizations. The project involves use of a wide array of education and communication techniques, such as monthly electronic newsletters, a Web site, regional forums, workshops, and a statewide conference. Partners in this project include the Virginia Resource-Use Education Council, an interagency committee with representatives from 26 federal, state, and local education and natural resource agencies; Smithfield Foods; and the Virginia Environmental Endowment. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Bryant Elementary School PTA -- $5,000 Julia Jones, 3311 NE 60th Street, Seattle, WA 98115 Water Quality Survey of Ravenna Creek The goal of this project is for Bryant Elementary School teachers and students to gain a better understanding of the condition of Ravenna Creek. The participants first have a 4-day stay at the Island Wood Residence and then participate in a year-long community service project. During this project, the participants collect and analyze samples from Ravenna Creek to assess the quality of the creek water. Island Wood faculty members provide curriculum consultation and an orientation workshop for the teachers to help them plan individual class projects. The students post the results of their water quality analysis on the school Web site and present their findings at a summit meeting. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Dayton School District #2 -- $3,200 Doug Yenney, 609 S. Second Street, Dayton, WA 99328 Best Management Practices in the Dayton Area This project addresses two essential questions: what practices are local agricultural producers using to protect soil and water resources, and how can the effectiveness of these practices be measured? The Dayton School District teaches 120 high school students about the effects of local agricultural conservation practices using project-based learning. The students hear agricultural producers talk about best management practices (BMP), and then the students design a test of the effectiveness of the BMPs in protecting soil and water resources. The project also includes five field visits over a period of 1 year; during these visits, the students conduct field measurements and testing. In addition, the students collect water quality data along the Touche River every 2 weeks. The students analyze their findings, write reports, and present them to local growers. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | East Valley School District #361 -- $4,453 Georgianne Delgadillo, 12325 East Grace Avenue, Spokane, WA 99216 Fish Tales This project involves approximately 180 middle school science students and five teachers in a study of rainbow trout, one of the key species inhabiting the Spokane River. The students learn about the life cycle of the rainbow trout and evaluate the river’s capability to sustain the trout population. The teachers receive training in use of sampling equipment and in the curricular elements of the project. The students participate in classroom activities, visit a fish hatchery to see and handle rainbow trout, and participate in extensive field activities to study the Spokane River habitat. They present their findings using a variety of methods, including posters, oral presentations, and research papers. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Franklin Conservation District -- $22,645 Heather Wendt, 1620 Road 44 N, Pasco, WA 99301 Salmon in the Classroom Program This is a joint program between the Franklin and Benton Conservation Districts. The program’s goal is to educate students and the public about local water quality issues and their effects on salmon. As part of the program, students raise salmon from eggs in the classroom and then release the fry into the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. Under this grant, an additional 11 4th- through 12th-grade classes are participating in the program. Teachers use the Salmon in the Classroom curriculum to educate the students about salmon and the environment. Conservation district personnel visit the participating classes to help them with their projects as well as water quality testing. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | National Wildlife Federation -- $23,485 Gretchen Muller, 418 1st Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119 Development of Five Schoolyard Habitat Sites The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is assisting five elementary schools in the development of NWF-certified outdoor learning classrooms called Schoolyard Habitats. These classrooms provide the essential habitat elements of food and shelter and serve as places where wildlife can live and raise offspring. Through a series of educator workshops and field visits, teachers learn how to best configure, plant, and use the outdoor classrooms. Through educational activities, the students are involved in the design of the habitat and the selection of appropriate plant species. The classrooms are designed to enhance students’ interest in the environment and to give them hands-on outdoor lessons in protecting and conserving wildlife habitat. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Olympic Park Institute -- $5,000 Scott Schaffer, 111 Barnes Point Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363 High School Advanced Field Science Program Scholarships The purpose of this program is to expose high school students to real science in order to encourage them to pursue a career in environmental science. The program is based at the Olympic Park Institute in the Olympic National Park. Six scientists work with three groups of eight students in an intensive 8-day study of the scientific method. Topics covered through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on teaching in the field include wildlife and fishery biology, forest ecology, watershed health, and native and invasive plant ecology. The students complete scientific investigations and write research papers. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Port Townsend Marine Science Society -- $13,735 Cinamon Moffett, 532 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Onshore-Offshore: Marine Ecology for Teachers Onshore-Offshore is a professional development program for teachers. The program offers teachers hands-on, inquiry-based, science education skills that are transferable to their classrooms. The program includes a week-long residential workshop for 24 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. The teachers work alongside research scientists both onshore and at sea to formulate research questions. Based on these questions, the teachers design inquiry-based mini-research projects. They then evaluate the results of their data gathering under the direction of scientists and educators, who also provide the teachers with examples of curricula that are suitable for classroom use. The offshore sessions are conducted on a University of Washington vessel and a historic schooner. Through these sessions and a series of lessons, teachers are prepared to return to their classrooms and teach inquiry-based science. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation -- $4,900 Bob Boekelheide, P.O. Box 3007, Sequim, WA 98382 Dungeness River Studies This project provides hands-on field experiences in science for fourth- and fifth-grade students (including home school students) in the northern Olympic Peninsula. The focus of the project is to instill students with an interest in science careers and to educate the students and public about protection of at-risk watershed resources, an important community issue. The students monitor specific physical and chemical characteristics of the Dungeness River while learning about the importance of consistent monitoring and accurate and reliable data collection. The Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation compiles all the data collected by the students, and the results are distributed through displays at the Dungeness River Center, a student presentation for the public, the Foundation newsletter, and river and partnership Web sites, including the National Audubon Society, Olympic Peninsula chapter, and the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. |
| 2004 | WA | 10 | Wenatchee School District #246 -- $10,146 Jeanine Butler, 235 Sunset Avenue, Wenatchee, WA 98801 Wenatchee School District Science Field Experience Under this grant, the Wenatchee School District is conducting a region-specific field experience for all of its first-grade students that focuses on protection and conservation of the remaining shrub-steppe habitat in eastern Washington. The project provides in-service training for 24 first-grade teachers to increase their knowledge of botany and enhance their instructional skills. The teachers provide instruction to 555 students over a 2-month period using the school district’s botany curriculum. Classroom instruction is complemented by a field trip during which students observe, measure, and write descriptions of native shrub-steppe plants. |
| 2004 | WV | 3 | Friends of Cheat, Inc. -- $3,232 Keith Pitzer, 119 S. Price Street, Kingwood, WV 26537 Acid Mine Drainage Awareness Education Program This grant supports development of an Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Awareness Education Program for 32 students at Preston High School, 50 students at Bruceton School, 60 Boy Scouts, and 53 4H members. This program provides the participants with a thorough understanding of water quality issues, water sampling, AMD, and the importance of restoring the Cheat River to health as a waterway. In addition, the program provides guided tours of the AMD Interpretative Trail in Preston County to educate the public about the impacts of coal mining on the Cheat River watershed and what is being done to restore the Cheat River to its original state. |
| 2004 | WI | 5 | Biodiversity Project, Inc. -- $10,000 Jane Elder, 214 North Henry Street, Suite 201, Madison, WI 53703 Great Lakes Public Education Initiative In this project, Biodiversity Project, Inc., hosts a 2-day, retreat-style meeting of representatives from leading organizations and agencies engaged in public environmental education related to the Great Lakes. The participants in the meetings share lessons learned from a pilot public education campaign conducted in Wisconsin. The participants also collaborate in planning an expanded regional public education campaign regarding Great Lakes topics and build partnerships to implement the campaign. |
| 2004 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin-Madison -- $24,288 Dr. Elizabeth McCann, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison, WI 53572 Classroom Support for Environmental Inquiry on School Grounds In this project, arboretum staff members from the University of Wisconsin-Madison help students learn how to think and act like scientists. The staff members accomplish this by providing in-class support to kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers while they engage their students in inquiries related to ecological restoration on school grounds. The cornerstone of the project is a 2-week, multidisciplinary summer institute at which teams of teachers learn about loss of biodiversity and the process of ecological restoration. Teachers learn how to teach this process to their students through hands-on activities. The teachers are provided access to an online forum to discuss successes and share advice with other participants. |
| 2004 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point -- $5,000 Anna Haines, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Land Use Environmental Education: Planning for the Future Under this project, master's degree students have the opportunity to sign up for an online course in land-use environmental education. The course introduces current and aspiring educators to the concepts, issues, ideas, and available resources related to land-use, and facilitates the students' adaptation and creation of environmental activities and lessons for specific land-use topics. This is the first online course offered on the topic of land-use management. Additionally, presentations about the innovative project are being delivered to educators at conferences. |
| 2004 | WY | 8 | Teton Science School -- $4,928 Dr. Doug Wachob, P.O. Box 68, Kelly, WY 83011 Connecting People to Water through Education and Research Program The Teton Science School, in collaboration with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, is promoting appreciation of Wyoming's water resources through watershed awareness, teacher education, and research programs. The program objectives are to foster knowledge of Wyoming's water resources through watershed awareness initiatives, provide teacher training with a focus on watersheds and water quality, and promote career opportunities in the environmental sciences among students in grades 7 through 12. |
| 2004 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Association for Environmental Education -- $6,622 Susan R. McGuire, P.O. Box 11246, Jackson, WY 83002 Environmental Education Capacity Building in Wyoming The Wyoming Association for Environmental Education (WAEE) promotes quality environmental education programs across the state. As a non-profit state affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education, WAEE is conducting the project as the first necessary step in building the capacity of Wyoming's environmental education profession. The goals of this project are to identify new environmental education leaders, create a communication network among environmental education professionals, evaluate the status of environmental education programs in the state, and create a statewide strategic plan for environmental education for the next 3 to 5 years. |
| 2005 | AL | 4 | Alabama Coastal Foundation, Inc. -- $12,310 Cathy Barnette, 122 Fairhope Avenue, Unit 3, Fairhope, AL 36533 Alabama Coastal Kids Quiz Conservation Scholarship Competition The Alabama Coastal Kids Quiz Conservation Scholarship Competition is an educational contest for all fifth grade students in coastal Alabama. The contest is designed to emphasize, introduce, and test their knowledge in coastal resources, conservation, and the environment. Teams of five students from public and private schools in Mobile and Baldwin Counties participate. Questions are based on concepts and relationships developed through the Project Conservation Action through Education (CATE) CD-ROM and teacher tool kit. The major objective of the Coastal Kids Quiz is to teach issues in water quality and conservation to the students. The competition provides an outlet for promoting dialogue about social, economic, and environmental interests. It further introduces conservation principles to children in Alabama’s coastal area who have not had the opportunity to express their knowledge and understanding outside the classroom. Elementary school teachers tutor the students and assist in hosting the contest. The competition also provides an important and useful resource for fifth grade teachers. |
| 2005 | AL | 4 | Dauphin Island Sea Lab Mobile Bay National Estuary Program -- $10,051 Roberta Swann, 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) Education for land use professionals about the economic feasibility of altering land use practices to reduce storm water runoff and nonpoint source pollution, in the process hoping that they become better environmental stewards, is the goal of this project. The expected outcome is the adoption, use, and promotion of environmentally sensitive development practices by land use professionals. Participants are recruited through networking with the Mobile Area Association of Realtors, the Baldwin County Association of Realtors, the Montgomery Association of Realtors, and Barkerville Donovan, Inc., a Mobile-based engineering firm. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) advertises the program on the “grassroots, inc.” and MBNEP Web sites. In addition, MBNEP develops letters, flyers, and e-mails to each real estate board for distribution to its members. Land use professionals participate in an on-line course and two live workshops, receive an e-newsletter, and are exposed to networking opportunities. |
| 2005 | AK | 10 | Homer Soil and Water Conservation District -- $9,000 Bridget Paule, 4014 Lake Street, Suite 201, Homer, AK 99603 Alaska's Natural Resource Career Program An environmental and natural resource field career development curriculum module is designed and implemented through this project to be tested in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District high schools’ natural resources technology class. Rural, Native Alaskan, and Russian students in grades 9 through 12 are involved in the project, which includes outreach to additional students at two nearby schools. The curriculum is specific to Alaska’s unique career needs in the environment and natural resources. It can be offered as a model program that other school districts and education organizations could implement across Alaska. The project is targeted at encouraging students to choose careers in natural resource and remain in Alaska after they graduate from college. The curriculum includes classroom instruction, guest speakers, field trips, statewide conferences, internships, community service, and individual projects. |
| 2005 | AK | 10 | Takshanuk Watershed Council -- $9,325 Tim Shields, P.O. Box 1029, Haines, AK 99827 Nature Studies Outdoor Education Expansion for Haines Borough Under this project, students in grades 3 through 8 from the Haines Borough School District receive education about local environmental issues and individual choices and their effect on the watershed. It provides educators with an existing environmental education curriculum expanded from nine study units to 20, with a focus on increasing activities for middle school grades. It also introduces students to the work of professional and technical scientists to encourage environmental careers. Each “nature studies” unit consists of a pre-lesson in the classroom, an in-depth field lesson or series of lessons, and at least one follow-up analysis back in the classroom. Topics of the lessons include juvenile fish trapping, identification, and mapping; trash collection and revegetation; and distribution of plants and animals in the watershed. |
| 2005 | AZ | 9 | Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona -- $19,971 Marti Lindsey, P.O. Box 210207, Tucson, AZ 85721 TCE Contamination and Clean-up Curriculum (TCE CCC) Under this project, the environmental and environmental health teaching skills of high school teachers are improved by focusing on the trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination that occurred in the 1950s at the airport in Tucson, Arizona. The area is now a Superfund Site. High school science and social studies teachers who use the project’s curriculum in the Sunnyside Unified School District are trained during a conference. The trained educators in turn teach the interdisciplinary curriculum to students. The curriculum focuses on hard sciences and social studies and advances student comprehension of the science associated with contamination and cleanup, as well as the social and governmental processes involved. |
| 2005 | AZ | 9 | Cibecue Community School -- $11,160 Juan Aragon, P.O. Box 80068, Cibecue, AZ 85911 Repeat Photography Project This project engages Cibecue high school and college students and teachers to observe and interpret ecological change through repeat photography of wetlands in the community. This community’s watershed and forestlands were severely damaged by wildfire in 2002. The most important environmental issue in this community is restoration of the lands and water, as its economic development depends completely on natural resources and the culture depends on a strong understanding of springs and other traditional places. This interdisciplinary project develops skills in ecological assessment, scientific reasoning, geography, social science, and visual arts. Through this project, the students and the community at large develop active, collective visions of how the land and waters have changed in recent decades and how to make decisions about restoration. |
| 2005 | AZ | 9 | Pima Vocational High School -- $85,163 (HQ Grant) Gloria Proo, 97 East Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701 The Green Careers Program Through the Green Careers Program, at-risk young people learn about environmental careers and the value of environmental stewardship. This program is a new environmental education and training initiative at Pima Vocational High School in Arizona and is designed to help unemployed, out-of-school young people obtain their high school diplomas and sustainable jobs. Building on existing curricula, the program provides its high school-age participants with a broad understanding of environmental issues and principles through the new Conservation Leadership course, which is an introductory environmental science course, as well as field investigation activities. The participants are also provided with job counseling, on-the-job training, mentoring, and on-site technical training. Following their completion of the course, the participants are provided with job-shadowing opportunities and paid internships with environmental professionals at the key partner organizations. The young people, who live in a low-income, minority community, gain marketable skills, job training, and practical experience while being introduced to career opportunities in the environmental science and technology fields. The key project partners are the Tucson Audubon Society; Pima County One-Stop Employment Center; Pima County Department of Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation; and City of Tucson Water Department. |
| 2005 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas Board of Trustees (AR UABT) -- $27,550 Lynne Hehr, 120 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201 Waste Not, Want Not This program targets Arkansas environmental science educators, particularly those working with middle and high school science teachers, and trains them in an integrated approach to environmental science teaching. This approach, designed for middle and secondary grade level students, consists of hands-on activities and decision-making scenarios that allow teachers, students, and the public to work through problems that clearly relate to solid and electronic waste (E-waste) issues in Arkansas. The project takes place on the University of Arkansas campus and specifically addresses state-wide E-waste issues through regional problems and concerns as examples. The Waste Not, Want Not institute combines 1 day of regional and state-wide concerns in both lecture presentation and hands-on session format; 2 days of field trips to area waste management sites, recycling centers, and geologic areas pertinent to waste disposal issues in the area; and 1 day of potential answers and solutions to state-wide concerns. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Ballona Wetlands Foundation -- $7,812 Abby Fox, 1 LMU Drive, North Hall, MS 8160, Los Angeles, CA 90045 The WOW Team The Wonders of Wetlands (WOW) Team teaches students about the diverse habitats, biology, cultural history, and functions of the Ballona Wetlands. Students first encounter the WOW Team program during an interactive presentation that features illustrations, experiments, and activities in the classroom. The students then experience the Ballona Wetlands on a guided field trip through the wetlands’ unique habitats, where they observe a wide variety of wildlife. Hands-on activities, such as exploration and observation, experiments, and restoration work at the wetlands, also reinforce key ecological concepts. This educational program reaches kindergarten through grade 5 children across the Los Angeles region each year. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | California Integrated Waste Management Board -- $91,276 (HQ Grant) Joanne Vorhies, 1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812-4025 Education and the Environment Initiative Implementation Project In an effort to improve implementation of the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI), the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) provides environmental nongovernment organizations (NGO) in the state with professional development opportunities and technical assistance. Established by a state law in 2003, the EEI requires CIWMB, the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), and the California State Department of Education to develop principles and approaches for incorporating environmental education into elementary and secondary school curriculums. The EEI also requires the agencies to create a model environmental education curriculum based on California’s academic content standards. As part of the EEI implementation project, representatives of environmental NGOs attend professional development workshops conducted in six regions across the state followed by a series of technical assistance workshops. These workshops are intended to help the NGO community revise existing environmental education materials in order to better align them with California’s model curriculum. The workshops also provide increased opportunities for the NGOs to collaborate with schools on environmental education reform. As a result, environmental concepts are being further integrated into the education of California’s elementary and secondary school students. Each environmental NGO works with California teachers to help them integrate the revised materials into their curriculums, a process that also builds the capacity of the NGOs. As another element of the project, CIWMB is creating a Web-based environmental education provider database that gives teachers and organizations the ability to communicate and exchange expertise. Key CIWMB partners in the project include Cal/EPA, the California Resources Agency, the California State Department of Education, the Office of the Secretary for Education, and the State Board of Education. The project is also supported by a large number of associated partners. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Central Modoc Resource Conservation District -- $17,675 Abby Kingdon, 804 West 12th Street, Alturas, CA 96101 The Pit River Watershed Adoption Project The Pit River Watershed Adoption Project is a cooperative effort to offer students in Modoc County a hands-on opportunity to learn more about the watershed where they live and what it takes to maintain a healthy watershed for the wildlife and people who depend on it. The strategy is for students at each grade level to be responsible for a minimum of one service-learning project each year. Goals are to increase awareness of the Pit River and its watershed and toafford students and the community a sense of ownership and pride in its natural resources. The program also is intended to promote good land use decisions and choices among emerging leaders, promote cooperation among competing interests, and create a shared vision of watershed enhancement in the region. Instructors include biologists from the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, Modoc National Forest nature resource specialists, Bureau of Land Management specialists, and parents and volunteers from the community. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Community Environmental Council -- $8,410 Cay Sanchez, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 CEC Teacher Training Series The Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) Teacher Training Series addresses the inter-connectedness of environmental systems with a focus on waste reduction and water quality issues, which are of specific importance to the Santa Barbara community. CEC will conduct nine teacher training workshops and field trips and will train teachers, student teachers, and nonformal educators. These educators will transmit the knowledge gained in the workshops and field trips to students over the course of their teaching careers. The series provides information, curriculum, methodologies, and resources for teaching environmental education in subjects such as service learning, waste reduction, water quality, school gardens, and composting techniques. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Coral Reef Alliance -- $20,000 Brian Huse, 417 Montgomery Street, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94104 Improving the Teaching Skills of Marine Recreation Providers The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) organizes and leads workshops on the islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, and Oahu. The first section of the workshop provides an overview of reef ecology, threats to the reef, and reef conservation strategies. The second section focuses on sustainable tourism for marine recreation. The third section focuses on public speaking and communication skills and on how to give an effective pre-dive and snorkel briefing. Participants practice in front of each other and are taped for feedback. The workshops are interactive and incorporate a range of group exercises, such as threat ranking, solution trees, and group evaluation. The goal of the workshops is to promote critical thinking among the participants so that they make an informed decision to educate their clients. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Friends of Deer Creek -- $10,000 Joanne Hild, 132 Main Street, Nevada City, CA 95959 The Bug Book The goal of this project is to develop and distribute a supplemental benthic macroinvertebrate identification manual for volunteer water quality monitors. Friends of Deer Creek (FODC) science staff work with volunteers from the Deer Creek Water Quality Monitoring Program who have been involved in identifying aquatic insects over the last 4 years. FODC is developing an easy-to-use publication to assist citizens with the classification of biological data collected in their watersheds using the lessons learned from this program and the knowledge of two expert entomology experts and a state-approved technical advisory committee. The outcome is a cost-effective, supplemental method for identifying benthic macroinvertebrates in the Sierra Nevada to provide viable data to state and federal water regulatory agencies. The manual includes “lessons learned” from FODC and is used to train other watershed groups through its distribution as well as workshops and training days. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Golden Gate Audubon Society -- $10,000 Elizabeth Murdock, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G, Berkeley, CA 94702 Eco-Oakland Project The Eco-Oakland Project targets East Oakland elementary students and their teachers and families. The project involves students in hands-on, watershed-wide experiences in environmental education and restoration. Both in-class presentations and field-based activities are included in this program. Cleanup and native plant restoration take place at several points in the local watershed. The goals are to provide opportunities for East Oakland residents to invest in local resources, address the severe shortage of environmental education programs in the East Oakland community, foster community-based environmental stewardship within the community through hands-on activities, and improve academic achievement in science, math, and literacy through place-based education. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Los Angeles County Education Foundation -- $9,000 Roberta Gerarde, 9300 Imperial Highway, Room 106, Downey, CA 90242 EarthWorks - Careers That Serve the Earth Earth Works – Careers that Serve the Earth is a new program that educates students in grades 10 and 11 about environmental careers such as forestry and the atmospheric, space, and earth sciences. Earth Works addresses crosscutting topics using presentations by career professionals and small group work through use of the property known as Blue Sky Meadow in the San Bernardino Mountains. These presentations emphasize local environmental issues, field study, and service learning projects, such as habitat improvement and modification or native plant restoration. Through interactive discussions, written materials, and guided activities, students learn how to identify and achieve their academic and vocational goals. The students learn about the steps that lead to careers in geology, meteorology, astronomy, teaching, environmental engineering, and forest management. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Mono County Office of Education -- $5,500 Margina Rhyne, 1651 Merdian Boulevard, P.O. Box 130, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 Eastern Sierra Environmental Video Project Middle and high school students working in groups examine different views and investigate various solutions to an environmental issue of local concern under this grant. The students then use this information to plan and script a brief videotape project. In planning the videotape, students enhance critical thinking skills by deciding how to present an informative, appealing message to a community of diverse interests. The project promotes environmental stewardship by educating the participating students and the local community in recycling, conservation, and pollution reduction practices. |
| 2005 | CA | 9 | Trinity County Resource Conservation District -- $35,773 Pat Frost, 1 Horseshoe Lane, Weaverville, CA 96093 Trinity County Environmental Education Project This environmental education project focuses on teaching about the role of wetlands and riparian zones as critical components of healthy watersheds. Students take part in an actual wetland restoration project as a living laboratory. Objectives of the project include building a mentoring relationship between high school and elementary school students for the salmonid education program; providing students with natural resources professionals as role models; and involving more teachers and parents in restoration and water quality education, thus broadening community buy-in for watershed restoration. The project also provides opportunities in environmental education opportunities, and sponsors the Salmon Festival. In addition, high school students provide environmental education activities for elementary school children at the summer day camp. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Colorado Energy Science Center -- $24,300 Patrick Keegan, 1626 Colorado Boulevard, Suite 375, Lakewood, CO 80401 Community-Based Energy Education in Urban Schools Colorado Energy Science Center’s (CESC) mission is to increase the public’s understanding of energy science and technology. CESC, in partnership with Denver Public Schools, Energy Outreach Colorado, and Colorado MESA (Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement), conducts community-based environmental education programs related to energy science to middle and high school students in lower-income and underserved communities. In addition, parents attend community-related presentations. CESC also conducts two teacher training programs at Colorado School of Mines for teachers in underserved communities. Through activities that discuss basic principles of energy science and hands-on education, teachers and students learn how to analyze data on energy usage and decide whether the data provide any economic or community benefits. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Colorado State University -- $10,339 Carmen Morales, 2002 Sponsored Programs, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Issue Investigation and Action Training for Middle Schools The action training project facilitates an investigative process for middle school students to research, analyze, and evaluate land use decisions in relation to ecosystems protection. Based on principles established by the State Educational Standards for science and civics, students acquire fundamental knowledge about ecosystems, biological cycles, and wildlife habitat. They also assess the social and political contexts of land use decisions and assess alternatives, including articulating recommendations based on their analysis. In addition, middle school teachers are trained on methods in investigative teaching through Colorado State University (CSU) that encourage problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills. The Environmental Learning Center (ELC) collaborates with the Poudre School District, the Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development, the Pioneer School for Expeditionary Learning, and the CSU Student Leadership and Civic Engineering Office. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Denver Zoological Foundation, Inc. -- $62,545 (HQ Grant) Sharon Schonhaut, 2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80205 Community Leadership Project Under this grant, the Community Leadership Project (CLP) provides formal and non-formal educators in the Denver area with the skills to utilize service-learning as a teaching and learning tool in their classrooms and programs. Service-learning combines community service with academic study. Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade educators (formal and nonformal), who teach in highly diverse neighborhoods, participate in an 8-hour training course at the Denver Zoo to learn how to incorporate the CLP service-learning model. The participants are provided revised training manuals that explain the service-learning model and topic-specific loan boxes. Participants gain an enhanced understanding of local environmental issues and learn how to implement activities identified in the loan boxes, which include an educator project manual, community involvement suggestions for environmental service projects, and resource opportunities including volunteer assistance and additional Web sites and guidance. During the academic year, CLP staff provides 40 in-class lessons that focus on specific loan box topics, such as building of bird houses, habitat gardens, and recycling. Key partners include the Adams County Public Works Department, the Adams County School District 14 Afterschool Program, Front Range Earth Force, the Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Mile High Girl Scout Council, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning for Kids -- $25,000 Stacie Gilmore, 14460 East 50th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239 Learning Environmental Activities for Families (LEAF) Learning Environmental Activities for Families (LEAF) educates lower-income and underserved families of students who participate in Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) about environmental issues that affect their communities. LEAF also introduces families and students to science-related careers. Through group field activities facilitated by natural resource professionals, LEAF uses urban environments as classrooms to teach about weighing the various sides to environmental issues. Families also learn how they affect the health of urban communities and to work together to make decisions and tangible improvements in the communities. The program provides a strong support network for parents who wish to encourage their children to pursue careers in science. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Regents of the University of Colorado -- $29,070 Ralph L. Brown, 3100 Marine Street, Campus Box 572, Room 481, Boulder, CO 80309-0572 Teacher's Guide: My Water Comes From the Mountains In partnership with the National Science Foundation, this program provides educator training and development of an Educator's Guide for formal and non-formal educators in grades 2 through 5. Included in the training is a corresponding materials pack based on the award-winning book, My Water Comes from the Mountains. The educator training provides investigative learning techniques through water quality analysis and interactive activities that describe various water uses for ecosystems, community consumption, and recreation. The guide supplements the training and is used as a resource for formal and nonformal classroom activities. |
| 2005 | CO | 8 | Thorne Ecological Institute -- $30,000 Jessica Feld, P.O. Box 19107, Boulder, CO 80308 Connecting Students to Nature and Environmental Careers The Sombrero Marsh Environmental Education Center was established through collaborative partnerships among the Thorne Ecological Institute, the Boulder Valley School District, and the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department. The center provides a multitude of ways to educate elementary school students and teaching assistants about how they affect their environment and about opportunities in environmental careers. This project provides inquiry-based education about wetlands ecology, conservation, and land stewardship to elementary and middle school students in formal and nonformal settings. Various career professionals conduct classroom presentations and discussions on environmental careers. |
| 2005 | CT | 1 | New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. -- $5,000 Betsy Sneeth, 358 Spring Side Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515 Earth Day at Common Ground Building on two successful Earth Day events held previously by the New Haven Ecology Project (NHEP), students in grades 1 through 4 from New Haven, Connecticut, and surrounding areas participate in an Earth-centered education and celebratory event. Participants at the Earth Day event learn about ecosystem protection, air and water pollution, hazardous waste recycling, natural resources, and stewardship for their own neighborhoods. |
| 2005 | CT | 1 | Yale University -- $34,945 Jamie Alonzo, 155 Whitney Avenue, P.O. Box 208337, New Haven, CT 06520-8337 Environmental After School Program Yale University is partnering with Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, New Haven Public Schools, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to provide middle and high school students an after-school and summer program to explore the natural and environmental sciences while they learn about associated majors and careers. Although it directly serves students in the local community, the program also includes an outreach component where students work with local environmental organizations as well as use the final exhibit projects to engage the general public in environmental education. The following issues of local importance are discussed: air pollution, asthma triggers, lead paint, and radon. |
| 2005 | DE | 3 | Delaware Center for Horticulture, Inc. -- $9,267 Pam Sapko, 1810 N. Dupont Street, Wilmington, DE 19806-3308 Strong Roots to Strong Shoots Program Strong Roots to Strong Shoots is an 8-week intergenerational garden pilot program with an organized curriculum for children ages 10 through 13 that is centered around a community garden. The program explores gardening, environmental issues, and community stories. It also provides opportunities for adults and youth to engage in environmental and ecological activities in an urban setting through efforts that involve edible landscapes, soils and compost, and building raised beds and window boxes. This program will be used as a model for current and future community gardens in Wilmington, especially for the Boys and Girls Club in Hedgeville, and for the Latin American Community Center in Hilltop. |
| 2005 | DC | 3 | National Environmental Education and Training Foundation -- $22,700 Susan Carlson, 1707 H. Street, N.W. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006 Washington, DC EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program The District of Columbia EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program project establishes a sustained investigative- and experience-based academic framework within the district public school system to help build an environmental workforce and public who are more knowledgeable about and representative of the full diversity of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. EnvironMentors meets these goals through a new 2-year program that exposes urban high school students to environmental science and careers through rigorous science projects. Students achieve this through skills workshops, mentor participation, classroom presentations, Chesapeake Bay Watershed field trips for experiments and study, workplace internships, and college and career guidance. The DC EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program supports the DC Public Schools (DCPS) academic reform initiatives. The DCPS Office of Career and Technical Education has adopted the model of inner school pre-career academies to focus students academics in specific career areas and provides students with smaller learning environments. Inner School Pre-Career Academies have proven a successful school reform model in other large urban school districts and are strongly recommended by the Council for Great Urban Schools. |
| 2005 | DC | 3 | The Earth Conservation Corps -- $19,560 Jill Smith, First and Potomac Avenues, Washington, DC 20003 The Saturday Environmental Academy Using classroom and field experiences on the Anacostia River, the Earth Conservation Corps (Saturday Environmental Academy) helps middle school students gain an appreciation for the natural world and their place in it. The academy also helps students understand the interaction between the environment and their communities and provides an integrated educational experience that supports school studies in math, science, writing, English, geography, and social studies. The project encourages environmental stewardship practices that will help clean up the Anacostia River and the surrounding communities and exposes students to a number of environmental careers. |
| 2005 | FL | 4 | Florida Atlantic University -- $12,000 Pat Welch, 777 Glades Road, ADM 236, Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991 Sustainability and Ecosystem Education The Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, a division of Florida Atlantic University's College of Education, hopes to be recognized as the center of choice for ecosystem and sustainable living education in Palm Beach County. The educational program provides start-up or first-year financial support to establish a model multi-year program. The project targets adults, with emphasis on life-long learning associations, homeowners groups, and civic organizations. Pine Jog Environmental Education Center offers a series of six workshops that focus on ecosystems, native plants, and sustainable living. This project increases Pine Jog’s long-term capacity to engage the community, collaborate with numerous local organizations, and create interdisciplinary academic programs. |
| 2005 | FL | 4 | Mote Marine Laboratory -- $12,771 Lorienne White, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236 Patching Up Florida's Coral Reefs Developed by Mote Marine Laboratory, this program teaches Gulf Coast Girl Scouts about coral reefs, current research in marine science, conservation, and how to “patch up the reefs.” The program partners with the Girl Scouts and its troop leaders from grades 1 through 12. Three full-day events are offered when the Girl Scouts and troop leaders rotate through discovery stations at Mote Laboratory, including activities, laboratory experiments, and Mote’s new Immersion Cinema National Marine Sanctuary: Florida’s Coral Reefs tele-presence. Troop leaders receive World Wildlife Fund’s Oceans of Life curriculum as well as training by Mote educators. The girls develop a sense of stewardship toward the reefs, as well as skills in critical thinking for making informed decisions in the future. After the girls complete the program, they earn a Mote-specific patch. |
| 2005 | GA | 4 | Georgia Department of Natural Resources -- $55,000 (HQ Grant) Kimberlee Bailey, 4244 International Parkway, Suite 104, Atlanta, GA 30354 Building Capacity for Environmental Education in the Southeastern States. Through this project, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) is creating a Web-based environmental education clearinghouse for each of seven states and is developing an integrated environmental education Web site for the southeastern United States. The project builds on an effort initiated in 2000 to develop a Web site intended to disseminate information about environmental education activities, opportunities, and resources in Georgia. Using the Web site developed for Georgia as a model, GDNR is developing state-specific environmental education Web sites for Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Web sites provide environmental education lesson plans and curriculum guides; information about grants, awards, outreach programs, field studies, and conferences; and news about professional learning courses for formal and nonformal educators. Each site also contains a directory that provides educators with access to a searchable database of environmental education organizations, schools, and resources. The sharing of quality resources on the sites and the exchange of information among the sites' users increase educators' ability to provide effective environmental education programs and reduce duplication of effort across states. GDNR's Web site development effort could be replicated in other regions. Key GDNR partners in the project are the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and the Georgia Parent Teacher Association. |
| 2005 | GA | 4 | Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy -- $7,728 Lauren Lott, 540 B Telfair Street, Augusta, GA 30901-2301 Environmental Education Loan Box Program This project extends the success of the "loan box" program to the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy Nature Park's new field trips and revamps the materials and supplies of existing loan boxes. The loan boxes provide kindergarten through grade 12 teachers with introductory information about nature park field trips and classroom activities to use both before and after the trips. The academy's education programs at the nature park offer students hands-on, engaging activities that inspire curiosity and facilitate learning. The academy assembles 14 new loan boxes that correlate to seven new field trips and revises 21 loan boxes that correlate to seven existing field trips. The goal of this program is to intensify environmental stewardship throughout the educational system. |
| 2005 | GA | 4 | Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc. -- $25,000 Page Gleason, 3 Puritan Mill, 916 Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30318 Partners for Clean Water After-School Program for Hispanic Youth The outreach program, Partners for Clean Water, focuses on developing environmental stewardship in Hispanic students in grades 5 and 6 and their parents in Hall County. Stewardship is developed through a series of eight field trips and a variety of environmental lessons. Partners for Clean Water exposes participants to various aspects of the watershed, including creeks, the Chattahoochee River, and Lake Lanier. |
| 2005 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Nature Center, Inc. -- $20,000 Gregory Dunn, 2131 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 Hawaiian Watersheds from the Mountains to the Sea Hawaiian Watersheds from the Mountains to the Sea allows teachers and students to participate in Hawaii Nature Center, Inc.’s (HNC) watershed curriculum. A three-part program consisting of project-oriented, hands-on, and investigative wetland, forest, and coastal experiences, the curriculum follows a detailed action plan created by environmental educators and classroom teachers. The plan is to teach science and instill an environmental ethic in the participants. A cornerstone of this program is the belief that making a personal connection with nature and becoming well informed about Hawaii’s natural environment are among the first steps to becoming wise stewards. |
| 2005 | ID | 10 | Bonneville County Historical Society -- $9,800 Bonnie Jacobsen, 200 N Eastern Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Rocky Mountain Adventure This project expands a summer youth camp, which serves children from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and migrant Hispanics, to include a week dedicated to teachers. The camp offers field trips to the diverse ecosystems of eastern Idaho, classroom instruction at the Museum of Idaho, role-playing, and other interactive studies. These activities emphasize how teachers can use the local environment to teach principles of environmental education to their students. This for-credit camp fosters an appreciation of the social, economic, and environmental concerns that must be considered when regulatory agencies make environmental decisions. The teachers learn how organisms are affected by factors that are essential to their survival. They gain the ability to identify and explain causes of species endangerment and the effects of species extinction on an ecosystem. They also learn about the habitats and coping techniques of animals and plants in harsh environments and how unique natural resources affect the biodiversity and ecology of the local flora and fauna. |
| 2005 | ID | 10 | Idaho Department of Health and Welfare -- $30,000 Kara Stevens, 450 West State Street, 6th floor, Boise, ID 83720 Environmental Education Curriculum Workshops Under this project, an environmental health teacher training program designs, tests, and implements 10 “Teach the Teacher” workshops for middle and high school health and science teachers across the State of Idaho. The focus of the training is on specific environmental health concerns in the state, such as exposure to arsenic, nitrates in groundwater, hazardous waste disposal, exposure to diesel exhaust, and others. Existing environmental health curricula used in the workshops align with Idaho state learning requirements. Teachers receive credit offered by Boise State University. Partners in this project include the Boise School District, Partnerships in Education, the Boise State University College of Health Sciences, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. |
| 2005 | IL | 5 | Grand Boulevard Federation -- $45,515 Greg Washington, 715 East 47th Street, Chicago, IL 60653 Reducing Air Pollution Impacts The Dan Ryan Expressway reconstruction project is under way in an area of Chicago where asthma rates are among the highest in the city. The Grant Boulevard Federation issues Community Air Alerts, which are based on air quality data provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation. These alerts are issued in an effort to improve community awareness of the impact of air quality on lung health and to promote residents’ understanding of available air quality data related to the Dan Ryan project, Federation community educators also deliver workshops on air quality and asthma. The workshops raise awareness of air pollutants, health impacts, and government health standards for air and prevention tools. Community health educators increase awareness about and knowledge of asthma management in the community by offering “Asthma 101” and “Open Airways for Schools” programs to area schools, centers, and churches. The project empowers the community to apply asthma management techniques in home and school environments, thereby reducing the number of people - especially children, the elderly, and those with lung disease - exposed to asthma triggers from a large-scale construction project. Community educators provide both door-to-door community education and education at senior and recreational centers, parks, libraries, and day care centers and nurseries. |
| 2005 | IL | 5 | Prairie Grove Consolidated School District -- $9,996 Kathy Wolfe, 3223 Illinois Route 176, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 Prairie Grove's Green Lab The Prairie Grove Consolidated School District works with kindergarten through grade 5 students and staff, and the community in and around McHenry County. The students learn about seeds, soils, and plants in the classroom before they travel to the school’s land laboratory to experience hands-on activities. Classes also study conservation by taking trips to the McHenry County Conservation District’s Education Center. The school is located in McHenry County, which is one of the fastest-growing counties in Illinois. Prairie Grove was once a strong, agricultural, rural community, but has quickly become a suburban community fighting hard to keep its green space. |
| 2005 | IN | 5 | Springs Valley Community Schools -- $8,840 Roger Fisher, 498 South Larry Bird Boulevard, French Lick, IN 47432 Is Our Drinking Water Safe? Springs Valley Junior and Senior High School students conduct water quality studies of Lost River both upstream and downstream of French Lick and West Baden to find out the effect of human activities on Lost River. The studies measure dissolved oxygen, nitrate levels, and turbidity, and then compare the results with Patoka Lake, another local source of drinking water. Students present the results of the studies to the town boards of French Lick and West Baden. |
| 2005 | IN | 5 | The Jack and Shirley Center for the Arts -- $9,990 Edwin Shelton, 101 West 2nd Street, Michigan City, IN 46360 Great Lakes Summer Eco-Art Camp The Great Lakes Summer Eco-Art Camp is a collaborative venture between the Lubeznik Center and LaPorte County Youth Serving Agencies Coalition. The art project is integrated into the coalition’s ongoing summer camp program, which reaches children and youth in the Lake Michigan and Great Lakes communities. The participants study a major issue related to lakeshore ecology and develop eco-artwork and reflection statements as they investigate the manner in which personal and community decisions affect the lakeshore. |
| 2005 | IA | 7 | Iowa Conservation Education Council -- $9,781 Craig A. Meyers, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 Midwest Environmental Education Conference The Iowa Conservation Education Council partners with the North Iowa Area Community College to host a Midwest Environmental Education Conference. Educators and natural resource professionals from across the Midwest attend the conference. The goal of the conference is to offer participants workshop sessions in environmental, economic, and cultural changes that have occurred during the past several decades. Educators learn about new directions in environmental research and education. Participants also gain new skills and techniques in environmental management. |
| 2005 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- $31,605 Brian Tormey, 502 East 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 Sustainable Systems Class Students participate in a 12-week internship program on pollution prevention under this project. The program teaches undergraduate and graduate students about sustainability concepts. Students learn about pollution prevention, energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmental compliance, environmental management systems, and environmental design. The goal of this project is to serve as a catalyst for students to learn how to create sustainable and pollution-free communities and to apply these concepts to class projects. Knowledge gained from this course empowers Iowa students, making them a more valued commodity in the workforce and in the communities. |
| 2005 | KS | 7 | Cheney Lake Watershed, Inc. -- $8,023 Lisa French, 18 East 7th, South Hutchinson, KS 67505 Nutrient Cycling Decisions for Clean Water Watershed farmers develop and practice decision-making skills for nutrient management and protection of soil and water quality during the Nutrient Cycling Decisions for Clean Water. There are three trainings: a 1-day workshop and watershed tour for a group of farmers, a series of workshops on nutrient management planning for dairy farmers, and training for one farmer through an environmental leadership program. All trainings connect the conditions of water quality in the watershed to the daily decision making process on watershed farms. |
| 2005 | KS | 7 | Kansas Rural Center -- $31,096 Kirck Randall, 304 Pratt, Whitting, KS 66552 Educational Center for Children and Young Adults This project addresses career development and involves children ages 5 through 12 and young adults ages 13 through 19 who work on a farm. The farm reconnects children to nature by exposing them to vegetable and fruit crop production, with an emphasis on health, nutrition, and the environmental impact of these crops on our food supply. Students learn how sound environmental management choices are applied to a farm and a surrounding ecosystem, about the links between pollution and the long-term stability and preservation of agricultural production, and about human health and nutrition in relation to the environment. |
| 2005 | KS | 7 | Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas -- $5,090 Annie Frietag, P.O. Box 271, Horton, KS 66439-0271 Community and School Environmental Education Under this project, teachers are trained through workshops on environmental issues such as water quantity and quality, solid waste issues, and indoor air quality. The teachers then deliver outreach presentations to community members and students about the importance of these environmental issues to the Kickapoo Tribe. In addition, they incorporate the material into the classroom curriculum and develop lessons and activities for students. |
| 2005 | KY | 4 | University of Kentucky Research Foundation -- $10,962 Carol Hanley, 201 Kinkead Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0057 Translating Air Quality Regulations for Extension Professionals The University of Kentucky Research Foundation hosts an air quality focus group and charges it with identifying and adapting educational materials on ambient air quality issues and regulations for use in workshops. As a result, Cooperative Extension Service professionals are programmed and educated in all programmatic areas, along with other interested professionals, on ambient air quality issues and regulations, accomplished through two workshops and follow-up communication. |
| 2005 | KY | 4 | Western Kentucky University Research Foundation -- $30,000 Karen Powell, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101 Enhancing Environmental Discovery within Rural Communities Participating teachers and students are offered a focused study of the environment through three interactive environmental education experiences at Brigadoon State Nature Preserve. The project reaches its audience through a professional development workshop and interactive programs held in informal settings. The goal is to involve middle school teachers and students at schools near Brigadoon and Mammoth Cave. Teachers are provided with activities and a teaching kit that contains all the necessary resource materials and background information to educate the students about local natural resources. The program at Mammoth Cave focuses on endangered species and the unique cave and karst landscape, while the program at Brigadoon focuses on the importance and conservation of mature growth, mesophyllic forests. This program encourages teachers to include environmentally focused reading and writing assignments in the curriculums. Students are involved in an investigative water quality laboratory and become more informed about local resources, the environmental issues related to the resources, and how they can protect these resources. They are exposed to professionals in the environmental field, including educators with the Regional Science Resource Center, a field officer with the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, and a park ranger with the National Park Service. Students also engage in reading and writing assignments that have an environmental theme. The writing assignments are reprinted in local publications to educate the public about important environmental issues in the area. |
| 2005 | LA | 6 | Lake Pontchartrain Basin Museum & Research Center -- $30,000 Nixon Adams, 133 Mabel Drive, Madisonville, LA 70447 Monitoring Underwater Aquatic Environments This project employs underwater robots and their Internet-based operations to bring children close to the underwater environment to educate them about local freshwater ecosystems, interior wetlands, marine habitats and organisms, and techniques for water quality monitoring. The goal of this project is to develop an educational program for upper elementary, middle, and high school students, their teachers, and the public of the local community centered on the environmental issues of the Tchefuncte River and Lake Pontchartrain using underwater robotics. Key issues studied include water quality and pollution levels of the river and lake. The project is innovative because it combines environmental education with high-tech robotics in a manner that appeals to children. Students of engineering and environmental science at Tulane University mentor the children on environmental education and high-tech equipment such as robotics and computers. In addition to raising environmental awareness, the hands-on active learning approach encourages children’s interest in mathematics, science, and engineering. By nurturing this interest, students become motivated to study emerging areas of advanced science and engineering, such as life sciences, energy, and environmental technologies. |
| 2005 | ME | 1 | MDI Water Quality Coalition -- $32,426 Jane E. Disney, P.O. Box 911, Mt. Desert, ME 04660 Environmental Stewardship Through Service Learning The Mount Desert Island (MDI) Water Quality Coalition is expanding the current service learning environmental education projects. Third graders stencil drains, sixth and seventh graders monitor red tide organisms, eighth graders monitor water quality in streams and ponds, and tenth graders participate in swim beach monitoring as part of these projects. MDI enriches these programs with teacher training and fuller discussions with the students to develop greater stewardship. A Youth Watershed Forum Convener’s Handbook containing case studies of the service learning projects is published and later presented at the Youth Watershed Forum. MDI is partnering with School Union 98 of the Mount Desert Schools and Union River Watershed Coalition at the College of the Atlantic. |
| 2005 | ME | 1 | Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District -- $9,991 Tamara Lee Pinard, 51 Court Street, P.O. Box 121, Machias, ME 04654-0121 Conservation Ed Web The Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District is one of 16 districts working to promote the conservation and stewardship of soil, water, and related natural resources. The goal of this project is to identify, assess, and prioritize statewide natural resource education needs, evaluate conservation districts’ programs that address the statewide needs, and prepare an implementation plan for achieving coordinated education programming. Facilitated stakeholder meetings provide the basis for developing the implementation plan. |
| 2005 | MD | 3 | National Aquarium in Baltimore -- $40,000 Laura Bankey, 501 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Student Conservation Work-Study Program The initiative encourages underserved college students to experience hands-on coastal ocean and conservation sciences that will lead to future career development in those fields. The Student Conservation Work-Study Program focuses on underserved undergraduate students because of their historical under-representation in the field of conservation sciences. College students from 15 regional underserved institutions are influenced through the recruitment process, where career participation in the conservation sciences is encouraged and promoted. Underserved undergraduate students participate in an 8-week work-study program consisting of two tracks: Wetland Ecology, and Marine Mammal Conservation. The Wetland Ecology track (Chesapeake Bay) provides students with hands-on experience in planting, monitoring, and identifying typical wetland species in the Chesapeake Bay area. Through the Marine Mammal Conservation track (Ocean Health), students study and experience the human impact on healthy oceans by working with the most affected species in that environment. The impact of marine debris, pollution, increased boat traffic and their effects on ocean health, along with the resulting consequence to marine mammals and their habitats, are studied. This initiative will be presented as a model to other conservation, education and scientific organizations. The initiative also includes visits to local area high schools to introduce students to careers in coastal ocean and marine science before they enter college. |
| 2005 | MA | 1 | Earthworks -- $20,000 Laura Doty, 34 Linwood Street, Boston, MA 02119 Model Outdoor Teacher-in-training Program Earthworks is expanding its Outdoor Classroom Program to include a teacher-in-training component. The Outdoor Classroom Program enables students in a limited number of second and third grade classes in three Boston schools to receive weekly hands-on lessons from Earthworks staff on nature, ecology, and stewardship for schoolyard and neighborhood orchards. Additional staff teams teach with classroom teachers on the Outdoor Classroom Program to include every grade and every class (K-5) in the three Boston schools Earthworks is now assisting. The “teacher-in-training” pilot program significantly expands the successful Outdoor Classroom Program. |
| 2005 | MA | 1 | Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center -- $9,772 Harriet Webster, 23 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, MA 01930 Rockport High School Eelgrass Cultivation Program The Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center (GMHC) is implementing a program that enables two teachers from Rockport High School to attend a 5-day workshop on the ecology and biology of eelgrass. GMHC is partnering with Rockport High School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant Hatchery, and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. The teachers instruct students in aquaculture classes about how to grow eelgrass from seed and replant it in designated local waters. Students learn about the various forms of eelgrass, how it grows, how it creates a critical marine habitat, how it filters out pollutants, and how it prevents erosion. At the end of the school year, teachers will gather at a symposium to discuss the successes and challenges of the first year of the eelgrass cultivation project. |
| 2005 | MA | 1 | Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds -- $40,000 Lisa Sorenson, Department of Biology, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215 Community Education for the Wise Use of Wetlands A significant environmental concern in the Caribbean — threats to and destruction of wetlands — is addressed under this project. The Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds is partnering with the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society to conduct workshops in Arecibo for educators and public information sessions for the community. A goal is forming a local wetlands support group. The workshops provide educators, students, and the community with an understanding of how stewardship for wetlands can reduce pollution. |
| 2005 | MA | 1 | Tellus Institute -- $12,200 Erika Spanger-Siegfried, 11 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the New England States Stakeholders are educated about creating the most cost-effective solutions to adapting to climate change as part of this project. Coastal zone, forestry, and agriculture sectors tend to be vulnerable to changes in climate. By targeting educators in these sectors, a greater awareness is fostered to find solutions to reduce current and future impacts. This project delivers education through direct outreach, informational meetings, and train-the-trainer workshops. Stakeholder groups in each community are provided with the background and means to use new outreach materials and information to educate their constituents and the broader public on reducing the effects of climate change. |
| 2005 | MI | 5 | Creative Change Educational Solutions -- $15,274 Susan Santone, 229 Miles Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48198 Land Use Education for Youth Under this grant, high school teachers from across southeast Michigan attend a 2-day workshop to learn about local land issues. The teachers then integrate lessons learned into the classrooms. The culmination of the project is a youth leadership forum where students share what they have learned, identify priorities, and create action plans that address land-use issues, specifically urban sprawl. One important feature of “Lessons in Leadership” is the content flexibility of its model (teacher education plus classroom instruction plus youth leadership). The flexibility offers the potential for other regions to adapt the model to pertinent environmental issues. |
| 2005 | MI | 5 | Inland Seas Education Association -- $11,640 Tom Kelly, 100 Dame Street, PO Box 218, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Critical Great Lakes Issues Workshops Under this grant, Michigan high school teachers participate in a 2-day workshop aboard the Inland Seas Education Association’s 77-foot schooner. The teachers attend seminars and discussions with Great Lakes experts and participate in hands-on classroom activities and research projects. The workshop gives teachers an understanding of critical issues in the Great Lakes and provides them with the resources they need to relay this information to their students. |
| 2005 | MI | 5 | Michigan Family Resources -- $9,990 Mary Hockwalt, 2626 Walker Avenue NW, Walker, MI 49544 UNited LEAD EDucation (UNLEADED) As the primary provider for Head Start services in Kent County, Michigan Family Resources serves more than 1,600 children and their families. The UNLEADED program educates service providers, community leaders, and decision makers about childhood lead poisoning and its causes, and suggests intervention and prevention strategies. Outreach materials for parents, caregivers, and members of the public are produced and distributed throughout Kent County. |
| 2005 | MI | 5 | River Raisin Institute -- $8,790 Michael Neumann, 610 West Elm Avenue, Monroe, MI 48162 River Raisin Watershed High School Monitoring Project The River Raisin Institute works with high school teachers and high school students to conduct field sampling and analysis of River Raisin. The results are shared at a student watershed congress, and a videotape that documents the project is broadcast on local public access cable television to promote stewardship of the river. Benefits to the students include increased understanding about the hydrologic processes and environmental health issues related to the watershed. |
| 2005 | MI | 5 | The Greening of Detroit -- $10,000 Rebecca Salminen Witt, 1418 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48216 Green Heroes Program The Green Heroes program increases environmental awareness among Detroit’s youth by providing elementary school students and adult partners with out-of-school training, guidance, and materials to create cleaner and greener spaces in their own neighborhoods. The program partners with two groups to promote a better understanding of the environment to children and adults. It provides resources to participants for areas selected for revitalization. Additionally, community groups and youth investigate their neighborhoods by creating maps of areas that need to be cleaned up and planted with vegetation to create a healthier ecosystem. All participants are recognized for their efforts in protecting their environment and creating a cleaner and healthier Detroit. |
| 2005 | MN | 5 | Alliance for Sustainability -- $10,000 Sean Gosiewski, 1521 University Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Congregations Caring for Creation The Alliance for Sustainability supports 15 congregations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area to become “energy star'” congregations. Participants at the workshops prioritize, implement, and report on energy conservation actions taken by the congregation. Volunteers from the congregations form environmental stewardship committees to engage their members to make informed choices to save energy, support renewable energy, reduce waste, prevent pollution, and improve environmental health. |
| 2005 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Council on Economic Education -- $10,000 Claudia Parliament, 1994 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108 Environmental Decision Making for Grades 4 Through 6 The Minnesota Council on Economic Education is conducting two national train the trainers workshops in St. Louis and Atlanta for middle school and college teachers. The newly trained teachers then serve as trainers for other teachers for the curriculum “Seas, Trees and Economies.” The lessons in “Seas, Trees and Economies” provide students with the tools they need to recognize fundamental trade-offs, to explain how and why choices are made, and to explain how people can make better choices about the use of natural resources and disposal of wastes that production and consumption unavoidably create. |
| 2005 | MN | 5 | North Shore Community School -- $9,900 Barbara Kohlstedt, 5226 Ryan Road, Duluth, MN 55804 Solar Energy Education Project (SEEP) Sixth graders at North Shore Community School gain first-hand environmental experience by assisting in installing solar photovoltaic panels that generate a portion of electricity at the school. This project pilots a national “best practice” education reform model called the Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC). EIC incorporates the teaching strategies of local community focus, team teaching, and cooperative learning and student-centered investigation of local issues. The project, combined with classroom lessons, activities, and field trips, enables students to expand their technological literacy and environmental awareness. The students also create educational displays about the photovoltaic panels for the rest of the school. |
| 2005 | MS | 4 | St. Catherine Creek Refuge Association, Inc. -- $5,000 Charman Cupit, P.O. Box 1027, Natchez, MS 39121 Wetland Wonders - A Study of Water Quality and the Effects of Pollutants Students in grades 7 through 9 visit the St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge and use test kits to analyze nearby stream and pond water for pollutants and overall water quality. Through hands-on activities, students learn the importance of water quality and the effects of pollutants on not only wildlife and their habitat, but on humans as well. Students investigate the source of pollutants and develop plans to drastically reduce or eliminate them from the environment. |
| 2005 | MO | 7 | Area Resources for Community & Human Services -- $50,000 Laura Lambrix, 539 Grand Boulevard, 6th Floor, St. Louis, MO 63103 Natural Intelligence Project Classroom presentations, field trips, and after-school workshops at six public schools are part of the Natural Intelligence Project. These educational experiences focus on environmental issues that include air and water quality, recycling, conservation of natural resources, and pollution prevention. Students participate in recycling, water quality monitoring, and pollution prevention. In addition, teachers learn how to incorporate environmental excellence standards into classroom curriculums. This environmental curriculum is integrated into classroom lessons to improve students’ knowledge and skills in math and science. Students acquire the knowledge and skills to help them make informed decisions, to recognize and solve problems, and to gather, analyze, and apply information and ideas. Environmental education services are provided to students to increase academic achievement and raise Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores at target schools in math and science. |
| 2005 | MO | 7 | Center Middle School -- $7,915 Ronald E. Scott, 326 E. 103rd Street, Kansas City, MO 64114 Restoration Education Service Project Middle school teachers gain new skills to teach environmental science to students under the Restoration Education Service Project by participating in trail construction and habitat restoration. Teachers incorporate these new skills and materials into classroom curricula and field instruction. Students attend field trips that address environmental issues such as trail construction, habitat restoration, water quality, and identification of non-native species. |
| 2005 | MT | 8 | Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources -- $10,000 Frank Allen, 121 Hickory Street, Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59801 Great Waters Institute Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources (IJNR) conducts the Great Waters Institute for journalists. The Great Waters Institute is a 9-day expedition into rural parts of Wisconsin and Michigan that provides practical learning experiences in relevant outdoor settings. Journalists explore the conditions of forests, farms, fisheries, rivers, and lakes. They examine logging practices, watershed restoration projects, shoreline developments, and mining and Superfund sites. Along the way, they will meet and talk with expert speakers. IJNR mentors the journalists after the expedition is over. |
| 2005 | MT | 8 | Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources -- $10,000 Frank Allen, 121 Hickory Street, Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59801 2005 Salmon Country Institute Education for journalists about agriculture, forestry, and water quality under this project is intended to enable them to report more accurately and with more depth. Participants study logging practices, watershed restoration projects, dams, and agricultural operations during several field trips in coastal parts of Oregon, Washington, and Canada. They talk with more than 40 experts from federal and state agencies; representatives from local timber, energy, mining, and seafood companies; family farms; and grassroots environmental groups. These experts offer knowledge on all aspects of environmental issues. After the training, the institute follows up with individualized professional coaching and mentoring that lasts for at least 1 year. The goal of the project is to improve reporting on environmental issues to expand and reinforce public understanding. |
| 2005 | MT | 8 | Missoula County Watershed Education Network -- $16,200 Debbie Fasshecht, The Swift Building, 315 South 4th Street East, Missoula, MT 59801 Missoula County Watershed Education Network Program The Watershed Education Network (WEN) conducts hands-on educational programs to elementary, middle, and high school students about water quality and non-point source pollution issues. Through several community outreach events, classroom activities, and field experiments, WEN empowers citizens to make decisions about local water quality and community land use practices. In addition, parents attend the special events and field experiments. |
| 2005 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Rural Water Association -- $6,939 Barney Whatley, 3390 Ponderosa, Wahoo, NE 68066 Watering the Grass Watering the Grass raises the awareness and involvement of the public in protecting drinking water supplies. After they complete a survey on water use and knowledge, residents receive free water testing from the Future Farmers of America. The water is tested for nitrates and other parameters. High school students map potential contaminants on the wellhead protection area map and help water operators complete contaminant source inventories. Older students mentor elementary students by providing water education using ground water models and the “test your well” program. |
| 2005 | NE | 7 | The Groundwater Foundation -- $62,318 (HQ Grant) Cindy Kreifels, P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558 Awesome Aquifers for the Science Olympiad The goal of this project is to encourage and challenge middle school students to learn about the nature and value of aquifers and groundwater. In 2003, The Groundwater Foundation (TGF) introduced Awesome Aquifers into the Science Olympiad as a pilot competition. The Science Olympiad is a program for middle and high school students that consists of science-oriented tournaments held at the local, state, and national levels. The project builds on the success of the Awesome Aquifers pilot effort by expanding the competition to the national level to provide hands-on, experience-based groundwater education to a larger audience. During their preparation for the Awesome Aquifers competition, middle school students conduct groundwater research, design and build model aquifers, and identify possible groundwater remediation techniques. The students then present their findings at local, state, and national Science Olympiad tournaments. While the students conduct research, they learn about the importance of groundwater systems and are exposed to career opportunities in the environmental science field. To promote Awesome Aquifers and support its long-term sustainability, TGF produces Awesome Aquifers kits for students who are interested in competing. These “starter kits” include a demonstration video, written instructions, basic groundwater information, and materials for constructing model aquifers. Key TGF partners in the project include the U.S. Geological Survey, individual Science Olympiad organizations, the American Water Works Association, the Water Systems Council, and the Groundwater Resources Association of California. |
| 2005 | NE | 7 | The National Arbor Day Foundation -- $48,380 Susan H. Wirth, 211 North 12th Street, Lincoln, NE 56508 Conservation Education Pathway A tram trail for a conservation education pathway at Arbor Day Farm that connects many conservation demonstrations into a one-of-a-kind environmental education experience is under construction as part of the Conservation Education Pathway. The Arbor Day Foundation creates interactive environmental education learning stations at key points along the pathway. This project serves as an outdoor campus for middle and high school students, for Future Farmers of America and 4-H groups, and for University of Nebraska students in agriculture, forestry and urban planning. Students explore sustainable agriculture practices at the learning stations. The stations are equipped with audio-active interpretive panels and environmental education kits that contain professional equipment and supplies for hands-on environmental education. This project serves as a model to educate current and future farmers, landowners, and community planners about alternative agricultural practices that are more sustainable and have less environmental impact on soil and water than current methods. |
| 2005 | NV | 9 | Nevada Division of Environmental Protection -- $10,000 Kathy Sertic, 333 West Nye Lane, Suite 138, Carson City, NV 89706-0851 Nevada Project Water Education for Teachers (WET) The Nevada Project Water Education for Teachers (Project WET) is intended to create informed, environmentally aware citizens who will promote and incorporate water protection and conservation into their daily lives. These educator workshops and educational events enhance teaching competence in the field of natural resource education and make it possible to reach students with a message about environmental stewardship. Project WET, which includes the WET Curriculum Guide and sponsorship of successful water festivals, is an accredited international water science program. This program increases awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship among teachers and students. |
| 2005 | NV | 9 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association -- $4,670 Erin Casey, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village, NV 89451 Lake Tahoe Property Owner Welcome Packet Lake Tahoe’s water quality is threatened by nonpoint source water pollution and improper land management techniques. Additionally, fire suppression and the existing forest health make a devastating wildfire possible. Many first-time property owners in the Tahoe Basin are unfamiliar with the rules and regulations required to live in this delicate and regulated environment. Under this grant, the collaborative community information Lake Tahoe Property Owner Welcome Packet is developed, and an educational workshop series for residents is conducted. Workshops for property owners explain best management practices, defensible space, and integration of landscape and property management to protect the environment. |
| 2005 | NH | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club -- $10,575 Gary Gresh, P.O. Box 298, Gorham, NH 03581 Mountain Watch Program The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is expanding its current Mountain Watch Program, an effort that involves volunteers who help monitor air quality on mountains and ridgelines from 16 fire towers and other key vista locations. Partnering with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, AMC educates the public on fine particulate pollution (regional haze) and air quality and its causes, potential health effects, and steps the public can take to improve the situation. |
| 2005 | NJ | 2 | Hopeworks 'N Camden -- $10,000 Manthu Tekhna, 543 State State, Camden, NJ 08102 Hopeworks GIS Summer 2005 City Green Survey Career and educational experiences are provided to youth of Camden, New Jersey, through their participation in the Hopeworks GIS Summer 2005 City Green Survey project. High school students learn about the environment and develop the skills to perform surveys and environmental analysis using ArcGIS and City Green software. Classroom instruction and field work give students from traditionally under-served communities experience in transferable career skills and an opportunity to earn free college credits. |
| 2005 | NJ | 2 | Marine Mammal Stranding Center -- $5,000 Sheila Dean, 3625 Brigantine Boulevard, Brigantine, NJ 08203 Future Coast Keepers Under this project, residents of Brigantine, New Jersey, and vacationers receive education about marine ecosystems through hands-on activities. The activities include seining, beach cleanups, training for stranded marine mammal response, and beach walks. Experts from outside organizations provide presentations about various environmental issues that affect marine ecosystems. The project promotes environmental stewardship through first-hand experience, with a goal of establishing life-long respect for the environment and inspiring participants to pursue environmental careers. |
| 2005 | NJ | 2 | New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium -- $9,306 Claire Antonucci, Building 22, Fort Hancock, Highlands, NJ 07732 Biology of the Hudson Raritan Estuary Under this project, high school teachers from New Jersey and New York receive training and professional development on the biology of the Hudson Raritan Estuary, two significant estuarine zones in the region. Educators acquire knowledge and skills on sustainability and its application to the coastal zone. Participants in this project receive 24 hours of professional development training during the 2005-2006 school year. The goal is to reach teachers who will use the strategies in the classroom. Additional teachers receive 6 hours of professional development in sustainable coastal zone science. |
| 2005 | NJ | 2 | Seton Hall University -- $7,000 Miriam Lyons-Frolow, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079 Teachers Institute for Environmental Studies The Teachers Institute delivers four workshops on environmental topics that affect northern New Jersey to build ecological and scientific literacy for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and Seton Hall University students. Experts present workshops on an environmental or community health issue. A breakout session follows, when participants develop strategies to incorporate the topic into curricula. Participants share results, strategies, and resources, which are posted on Blackboard. |
| 2005 | NM | 6 | Heritage Ranch Institute (NM HRI) -- $12,533 Jim Winder, 231 W Hall Street, Hatch, NM 87937 Young Environmental Stewards (YES), Corona, NM Young Environmental Stewards (YES) teaches skills in forest management, forest ecology, and fire ecology, which are important environmental issues facing the Corona community, to kindergarten through grade 12 students in Corona, New Mexico,. Teachers provide instruction about forest management to the students using Project Learning Tree’s curriculum modules for Forest Ecology and Fire Ecology and Forest Issues. The teachers lead students on field studies to illustrate the concepts of the curriculum and evaluate the impact of the project on the students’ understanding of healthy forests. Teachers also integrate YES projects with related Forest Service actions, such as replanting trees, shrubs, and grasses in areas destroyed by catastrophic wildfires. |
| 2005 | NM | 6 | New Mexico - The Volunteer Center of Grant County (NM TVCGC) -- $10,000 Lisa Grinnell, 915 Santa Rita, Silver City, NM 88062 The Gila Volunteer Educator Project The Volunteer Center of Grant County (TVGCC), New Mexico, recruits, mobilizes, and trains volunteer educators from area conservation agencies. These volunteers assist the Gila Conservation Education Center (GCEC) in Silver City, New Mexico, in implementing the Gila Volunteer Educator Project. The project, targeted at students in kindergarten through grade 12, includes 20 educational trunks that provide materials that help educators teach classes about community environmental issues. The GCEC establishes a retired educator volunteer program to supplement its education programs. The program also links two interns from colleges and universities with GCEC programs, which provides the students valuable pre-service teacher training in environmental education. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Capitol District YMCA Camp Chingachgook Outdoor Center -- $5,000 Brian Leibacher, 1872 Pilot Knob Road, Kattskill Bay, NY 12844 Food Source Reduction and Composting The goal of this project is to reduce Chingachgook’s food waste, create a useful compost product, and educate participants in the annual program on the ease and benefits of Food Source Reduction and Composting. The target audiences for this project are school children, summer campers, and adults and family members from diverse backgrounds. These participants are taught about the value of waste reduction and the amount of energy that is required to produce a meal from “grow to throw.” Students and campers weigh food waste and learn to separate out composting materials. Source reduction and composting is also incorporated into Chingachgook’s free semiannual teacher training day and camp food and maintenance conferences. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Friends of Crotona Park -- $9,878 Rosemary Ordonez, c/o Philipps CDC, 1591 Fulton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 Crotona Park Intern Opportunity The Crotona Park Intern Opportunity program provides college-aged participants with useful training that prepares them for careers in the environmental field. As interns, these participants assist with education programs designed to increase environmental stewardship and appreciation of the Crotona Park in South Bronx. They achieve this goal through community environmental programs and through hands-on, inquiry-driven methods to teach park visitors, youth, and children in after-school and camp programs about freshwater lake ecology and wildlife. These programs also address other issues, such as urban ecological restoration, energy conservation, park protection, and water pollution. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Friends of Van Cortlandt Park -- $10,000 Christina Francis, c/o Van Cortlandt Park Golf House, Bronx, NY 10471 Environmental Internship Program The Environmental Internship Program is intended to educate high school student interns about human health, the environment, and potential environmental careers. The interns learn through use of the local environment and ecology, hands-on activities, workshops, field trips, and guest speakers from environmental organizations. The interns then teach younger children from the Riverdale Neighborhood House after-school program and the broader community about both local and global environmental issues. This project promotes environmental stewardship by teaching students about ways they can protect human health and environment. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | National Audubon Society -- $15,230 Andrew Mackie, 200 Trillium Lane, Albany, NY 12203 Aububon New York's For The Birds! Audubon New York’s For The Birds! program is offered to elementary school students in New York (Utica, Syracuse, and Queens). Trained community volunteers and graduate students provide participants with hands-on studies in the surrounding natural environment, focusing on bird habitats. The goal of this program is to promote environmental stewardship by forging a connection between elementary school students and the local environment. Bird habitats are used to facilitate an understanding of how humans can improve and preserve habitats, especially in the natural environment near their homes. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Onondaga Lake Cleanup Corp -- $9,995 Edward M. Michaelenko, 102 West Division Street, Third Floor, Syracuse, NY 13204 Testing the Water Testing the Water is a pilot project that incorporates basic water quality testing of local creeks as a platform for enhancing teaching skills while providing students in grades 5 and 6 an outdoor experience that integrates environmental education with New York State Intermediate Science Core Curriculum Standards in area schools. The project develops in-class teaching skills during student activities on water quality testing, aquatic food webs, and an introduction to the local watershed. School groups visit area streams during 12 field trips and learn through classroom activities. Students learn to test water quality, collect and analyze scientific data, and exercise critical thinking and problem-solving skills. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Queens College (CUNY) and Research Foundation -- $25,000 Dr. Allen Ludman, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11367-1597 Queens College Research The primary focus of this project is to improve the teaching abilities of kindergarten through grade 12 teachers by training them in the content and pedagogic skills needed to make the schools centers for authentic environmental research. Teachers who represent 10 Queens and 10 Bronx schools attend 5 days of workshop training, where they learn to carry out rigorous scientific protocols appropriate for their students’ developmental levels. Teachers learn to use GPS receivers, various scientific instruments and the Internet, and stimulate and maintain student inquiry. |
| 2005 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society -- $90,771 (HQ Grant) Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Project POWER (Protecting Our Wetlands with Educators and Regulators) Building on a successful program developed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the New York Aquarium in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Project Protecting Our Wetlands with Educators and Regulators (POWER) expands the delivery of courses focusing on conservation regulations and wetland ecology. The 1-day Tidal Wetland course is targeted at violators of New York State’s tidal wetland laws. The goal of the course is to foster an understanding of the importance of wetlands and the laws that protect them as well as to prevent repeat violations. Penalties for participating violators from the New York City area are reduced upon their completion of the Tidal Wetland course. Another goal of the project is to assist the participating state regulatory agencies and environmental education centers such as zoos, nature preserves, and aquariums in replicating the training for their organizations. Representatives of participating organizations attend a 2-day Project POWER Leadership Seminar that focuses on workshop development logistics, course content, and teaching strategies. WCS and its partners also provide technical support for the organizations that implement the internal training, including making resources available online. Key WCS partners in Project POWER include the New York Aquarium and NYSDEC. |
| 2005 | NC | 4 | Forest History Society -- $10,000 Tom Marshall, 701 William Vickers Avenue, Durham, NC 27701 "If Trees Could Talk" Curriculum The grant offers a two-part Teacher Institute for middle school teachers. The first part is a 3-day non-residential institute where teachers meet with noted environmental historians and forest managers for presentations, discussions, and readings on selected concepts in forest and environmental history. The teachers are introduced to primary archival materials and classroom activities they can use. The second part is a classroom application of one of the historical topics by each participant during the 2005-2006 school year. The Forest History Society’s curriculum specialist will provide assistance for each classroom. |
| 2005 | NC | 4 | State Institution of Higher Learning, NC State University -- $15,596 Richard Venditti, Box 7514, Raleigh, NC 27695 Workshop: Analysis of Environmental Issues Through New and Renewable Plant Sources High school teachers’ skills to weigh various sides of environmental issues and to make informed, objective, science-based decisions using critical thinking and problem solving are strengthened through this project. High school science teachers from the southeast attend a 3-day intensive workshop at North Carolina State University (NCSU), where they are taught how to use environmental impact and life cycle analysis models as tools to evaluate petroleum and plant-based processes. Experimental kits are given to the teachers so that they can conduct the experiments executed during the workshop in their high school classes. |
| 2005 | NC | 4 | Wake County -- $4,492 Angeline McInerny, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, NC 27602 Access Nature Program Blue Jay Point County Park hosts a 10-hour, 2-day workshop so participants, classroom teachers, and environmental educators can discover the “Access Nature” curriculum developed and taught by the National Wildlife Federation. The participants develop the skills necessary to tailor environmental education exercises to incorporate all students. Participants likewise gain an increased awareness of the need to adapt lesson plans so that all students are included, regardless of any motor, cognitive, hearing, and visual disabilities. The focus is to provide educators the tools to ensure all students have access to nature. |
| 2005 | ND | 8 | North Dakota State University -- $14,620 Valrey Kettner, Box 5756 NDSU Station, Fargo, ND 58105-5756 Educating University Students About Environmental Issues in Architecture Under this grant, North Dakota State University (NDSU) conducts a pilot educational project that educates third-year architecture students about environmental issues in architecture. This project expands the students’ existing knowledge and skills related to environmental performance analysis of new buildings. These educational classes help ensure an adequate supply of well-trained architects who can analyze complex environmental challenges. Students become familiar with analytical techniques in environmental performance, solve environmental design issues, compete in competitions, quantify the environmental benefits of energy efficient designs, and make informed decisions about energy science in relation to architectural design. |
| 2005 | OH | 5 | Mill Creek Restoration Project -- $89,750 (HQ Grant) Robin Corathers, 1617 Elmore Court, Cincinnati, OH 45223 Mill Creek Watershed Environmental Education Programs One goal of the Mill Creek Restoration Project (MCRP) is to strengthen and enrich learning opportunities for students and members of the local community in the Mill Creek watershed. Mill Creek is a polluted and degraded river that flows through economically depressed inner-city neighborhoods of Cincinnati, Ohio. Members of MCRP, a nonprofit organization, are working together to improve both the environmental conditions and educational opportunities at Laughing Brook, a new environmental education facility located in the Mill Creek watershed. For example, MCRP is installing sculptures covered with moss and wetland plants that help to cleanse storm water runoff, building a boardwalk for observation purposes, and creating a butterfly garden that serves as habitat for local species. Both students and adult volunteers are engaged in planting native species in the butterfly garden and in monitoring water chemistry within the watershed. In another MCRP educational program, students learn firsthand about habitat restoration and reforestation by planting shrubs and trees on the Queen City Freedom Trees site, a blighted property located in a heavily commercialized area within the Mill Creek watershed. In addition, students in local middle and high schools participate in a special problem-solving project that focuses on reducing the volume of solid waste and construction debris that must be disposed of in landfills. The students conduct research to determine whether potential waste materials could be reused or recycled at the Laughing Brook and Queen City sites and develop reuse and recycling prototypes that could be replicated in the future. In conjunction with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, MCRP also produces educational materials that illustrate the important role of Mill Creek during the time of the Underground Railroad. Key MCRP partners include ArtWorks, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and Hamilton County Environmental Services. |
| 2005 | OH | 5 | Ohio Environmental Council -- $10,000 Micah Vieux, 1207 Grandview Avenue, Suite 201, Columbus, OH 43212 Black River Watershed Safe Fish Consumption Project In its effort to educate people about the dangers of contaminant exposure via fish consumption, the Ohio Environmental Council provides educational workshops for conservation and public health groups, conducts seminars in hospitals and clinics, and partners with a group that offers health education and parenting skills for teenage mothers. The Ohio Environmental Council trains community supporters, healthcare providers, and high school teachers on the best ways to communicate Ohio’s sport fish consumption advisory and how to minimize exposure to contaminants to preserve good health. |
| 2005 | OK | 6 | Tulsa County Independent School District #1 -- $38,847 Judy Fessenden, 3027 S. New Haven, Tulsa, OK 74114 Nose to Knows with Nature Nose to Knows with Nature provides a “being there” learning experience for fifth graders in Tulsa Public Schools. This project provides transportation, supplies, and a part-time assistant for Remington Elementary’s Center for Environmental Studies, located in the Mooser Creek Watershed of Southwest Tulsa, to become an environmental center serving the Tulsa School District. This project’s goal is to raise the level of understanding and appreciation among students and the community for the interaction of different populations of organisms in an environmental community. Students work as a team to further the environmental education experience. They receive support from classroom teachers and parents. The program emphasizes the interdependence of organisms for food, shelter, and reproduction, and how changes in environmental conditions that result from natural causes and human interaction can affect the livelihood or survival of a population or species. |
| 2005 | OR | 10 | Beaverton School District -- $43,325 Steve Day, 16550 SW Merlo Road, Beaverton, OR 97006 Marmot Dam Removal Environmental Education Project Students and teachers representing kindergarten through grade 12 from across the Beaverton School District are involved in a comprehensive watershed monitoring program in the surrounding area to evaluate the effects when the Marmot Dam is removed in 2007. The district is sponsoring a student study of the changes in the ecosystem pre- and post-dam removal. This project takes advantage of a dramatic, one-time event in the Beaverton community to inspire environmental study and stewardship. The 3-year project also includes building a database of watershed ecology parameters before, during, and after dam removal that will be accessible to the public. The teachers and students have access to sophisticated equipment and training to implement advanced field ecology protocols at the middle and high school levels, conduct basic watershed ecology monitoring at the elementary level, and facilitate individual student inquiry projects for students in grades 4 through 12. |
| 2005 | OR | 10 | Cascadia Region Green Building Council -- $20,000 Glen Gilbert, 721 NE Ninth Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97209 High Performance Green Building: Weighing the Options The Cascadia Region Green Building Council is coordinating a series of 12 workshops, “High Performance Green Building: Weighing the Options,” to teach professionals in commercial and residential building design and construction how to evaluate the costs and benefits of high performance buildings. This grant extends the Portland program to Seattle; the City of Seattle is a partner in the project. Participants learn how to evaluate and make informed decisions about adopting green building practices and learn how to measure potential premiums in construction cost against savings generated over a building’s life cycle. As a result of the workshops, the participants are better able to evaluate choices in materials, equipment, and building techniques to build in a manner that is both environmentally sustainable and economically profitable. The series of workshops also offers public tours of existing commercial and residential green buildings. |
| 2005 | OR | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Oregon -- $30,000 Linda Rhoads, 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Suite 307, Portland, OR 97204 Environmental Education Certification Program A state-approved certification program for teachers, college and university faculty, and nonformal educators developed by the Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) formalizes the environmental education profession. EEAO considers certification programs other states have adopted. The project improves the quality of environmental education by defining the critical skills and knowledge in natural resources and teaching methodologies necessary to deliver effective environmental education, clarifies key competencies, programs a mechanism for evaluating performance, and establishes a process for improvement. EEAO researches existing curricula and aligns them with certification program requirements, carries out administrative requirements for a state-approved program, and establishes EEAO as the accrediting body for the state-approved EE certification program. EEAO holds forums around the state to continue developing stakeholder commitment and support. Key partners of this project, identified as a need by the State Department of Education, include the Oregon Department of Education, Clackamas Community College, Portland State University, Pacific University, Oregon State University, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, Metro Regional Services, Oregon Zoo, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, and Weyerhaeuser. |
| 2005 | OR | 10 | Friends of Zenger Farm -- $9,800 Wisteria Loeffler, 11741 SE Foster Road, Portland, OR 97266 Grow Wise Youth Education Program This program takes kindergarten through grade 12 students in disadvantaged South Portland neighborhoods to a working urban farm and wetland for hands-on experience in wetland delineation, water quality testing, insect monitoring, garden planning and maintenance, science inquiry projects, seed exploration, and composting. The students learn about the ecological impacts of agriculture, the importance of species diversity and watershed health, and how choices in food and energy affect the environment. The farm staff participate in pre- and post-program visits to the classroom to prepare for or follow-up on farm programming. Staff from the Oregon State University Extension Service and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services provide teaching assistance to the students about wetland ecology and insect lifecycle and monitoring. |
| 2005 | OR | 10 | Portland State University -- $9,550 Dr. Julie Smith, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207 Walking Softly A 4-day summer teacher workshop in the Portland area is offered under this project. The workshop introduces kindergarten through grade 12 teachers in the metropolitan Portland area who use a field-based curriculum to incorporate low-impact protocols, thereby reducing potential damage to fragile urban ecosystems from high-density usage. Before the workshop, Portland State University staff design an in-class activity to increase student awareness of their impact on the environment during field trips. The workshop introduces teachers to the in-class activity and shows them how to model low-impact use through field trips to four different ecosystems. Teachers on the field trips learn about an ecosystem and site-specific techniques to reduce impacts. The teachers see accessible natural spaces available for field trips near their schools, share field-based curricula, and provide follow-up assessment of the impact of the workshop. The project encourages teachers to discuss ways to raise student capacity to be successful in environmentally sensitive ways. Partner organizations with this project include the City of Portland Environmental Services, the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Oregon Trout, Portland Parks and Recreation, Friends of Tryon Creek State Park, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, and the Student Watershed Research Project. |
| 2005 | PA | 3 | Doylestown Township Environmental Advisory Council -- $30,742 Kate McGovern, 425 Wells Road, Doylestown, PA 18901 Environmental Workshops for Elementary School Teachers Greater interest in environmental science is stimulated under this project through environmental education workshops for elementary school teachers in the Central Bucks County School District. Elementary school teachers of second, fourth, and fifth grades benefit from the program as it instills a basic understanding of environmental principles and facilitates more effective use of existing educational tool kits and teaching aids across all environmental media. The teachers encourage scientific discovery and problem solving at an early age and provide a foundation for future secondary instruction in environmental issues and careers. The project serves as a model and example for other school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. |
| 2005 | PA | 3 | GreenTreks Network, Inc. -- $15,000 Amanda Bailey, 1420 Walnut Street, Suite 1304, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Protecting Our Children's Health in Philadelphia Campaign Protecting our Children’s Health in Philadelphia Campaign is a comprehensive communication resource package created to reduce the number of children affected by lead poisoning and pollution-related asthma in the Philadelphia area. Working in partnership with the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC), GreenTreks Network develops, creates, and distributes during home visits interactive DVDs (both in English and Spanish) that connect parents with the stories of others who have been in the same situation. The DVDs provide an in-depth resource that enables people to take action in their own homes and communities. NNCC uses the DVDs as an outreach tool to reach urban families. GreenTreks Network and NNCC reach households with this vital information and improve their home environments. |
| 2005 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania State University Penn State Institutes of the Environment -- $9,671 Dennis Decoteau, 110 Technology Center Building, University Park, PA 16802 Enhancing Teacher Knowledge of Air Pollution Effects on Plant Health Teacher Knowledge of Air Pollution Effects on Plant Health enhances the knowledge of teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 on the effects of air pollution on plant health through a 1-day, hands-on workshop. The on-site workshop provides background information on air pollution and its effects on plants, demonstrates air pollution-induced injury on plants, and enhances critical thinking on environmental variables and subsequent plant responses through data analysis of recorded ozone levels and the occurrence of plant injury symptoms to sensitive plants. |
| 2005 | PA | 3 | The Pennsylvania State University -- $9,535 Dr. Laura Guertin, 110 Technology Center Building, University Park, PA 16802 Science, Programming, HERE, Scouts! (SPHERES) Created to encourage Brownies and Girl Scouts to earn science and technology badges, “Science, Programming, HERE, Scouts!” (SPHERES) allows elementary and middle-school age girls to “learn and earn” by participating in planned environmental science programs. SPHERES includes hands-on, authentic field and laboratory science experiments conducted on campus by the Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts troops during two Saturday badge events and two 1-week themed day camps. The use of hand-held science equipment and computers allows the girls to become active environmental scientists by conducting daily experiments, experiencing hypothesis formation, data collection and processing, and analyzing and communicating results. Undergraduate students conduct the Saturday program as part of the required service learning component in the earth and geoscience courses. Service learning components for undergraduate students provide an opportunity to further their environmental education and conduct environmental education outreach. |
| 2005 | PA | 3 | The Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc. -- $8,240 Kelly Tannen, 2544 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19133 Plot-to-Planet Environmental Footprint Project This project uses gardening and other hands-on agriculture to educate urban community youth about local and global environmental issues and the connections between them. Participants learn about the impact of litter, water and air pollution, soil erosion, and habitat loss by cultivating an inner-city garden through all phases of the growth cycle, from seed to harvest. Elementary school children who live in the Fairhill Apartment complex adjacent to the Fairhill Community Center participate in weekly environmental workshops where the following topics are discussed: pollution prevention, reducing solid waste, basic science related to gardening, stabilizing polluted soils, improving ground filtration, and providing fresh local vegetables to the community. Activities include composting, plant pressings, field trips to state parks and orchards, harvesting, and pollution prevention puppet shows. |
| 2005 | RI | 1 | Childhood Lead Action Project -- $15,594 Roberta Hazen Aaronson, 1192 Westminister Street, Providence, RI 02909 Creation of a Lead Video Owners of rental property in Rhode Island are required by law to take a lead awareness course that provides the information and resources they need to work with lead-based paint safely and to avoid poisoning children during maintenance. The Childhood Lead Action Project is creating and developing a videotape on safe work practices with lead for use in a 3-hour Lead Hazard Mitigation course and is educating course instructors. The videotape complements the existing educational materials while educating owners on safe lead work practices. |
| 2005 | RI | 1 | Groundwork Providence -- $9,497 Sally Turner, 69 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 Education Team Tree Task Force The Groundwork Providence’s (GWP) Education Team Tree Task Force (E-team) is developing activities and hands-on service projects to teach the importance of clean, safe, and beautified neighborhoods to elementary and middle school children and neighborhood groups. The E-team consists of underserved high school-age youth and partners with the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program and Rhode Island Tree Council. The E-team youth and elementary and middle school children work throughout the summer and academic year on the environmental stewardship tree program. The goals of this project are to create, develop, and implement a tree stewardship program through weekly meetings with the students, create a similar program for neighborhood groups that receive street tree grants, develop plans for sustainable tree plantings around the schools where they teach, and lead tree plantings in school yards and neighborhoods where they work. |
| 2005 | SC | 4 | Heritage Elementary -- $9,850 Martha Kinard, 1592 Greer Highway, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 Integrated Environmental Science Education Project for Heritage Elementary Heritage Elementary integrates existing education modules with established environmental education programs at parks and reserves in South Carolina through field trips. The program highlights local environmental issues and implements laboratory exercises with studies from local streams to show older students how science can support decision making in the community. The audience includes students, parents, extended families, and teachers from Heritage Elementary. Heritage Elementary students gain environmental knowledge through Greenville County environmental science modules in the classrooms, presentations from local environmental professionals, field trips, laboratory experiments, and an environmental science fair. |
| 2005 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Department of Education -- $84,629 (HQ Grant) Edward Falco, 1429 Senate Street, Suite 1005, Columbia, SC 29201 South Carolina Environment as an Integrating Context School Network Through this project, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is expanding its successful Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC) program to 12 middle schools. Based on the concept of using the local environment as a classroom, EIC improves student achievement, behavior, and attitudes and helps students contribute to their communities. Teachers from 12 South Carolina middle schools participate in a 4-day summer institute that provides the educators with instructional strategies, curriculum content, environmental education techniques, and supporting resources. During the academic year, the teachers develop and implement lesson plans based on the techniques learned at the institute. The teachers then engage their students in environmental investigation projects involving field studies and research. The students at each school collect and analyze field data and interview local residents to supplement their research. Based on their investigation, the students then choose a service learning project that benefits their community. After completing this project, the students present their findings to members of their community. Key SCDE partners in the EIC program include Clemson University Landscapes for Learning; SC Maps and Aerial Photographic Systems/SC Life; the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control; the South Carolina Wildlife Federation; the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League; the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; the SouthEast Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence; South Carolina Parks, Recreation, and Tourism; the South Carolina Forestry Commission; the Lexington, Beaufort, and Richland County Soil and Water; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; and the Society of American Foresters. |
| 2005 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Aquarium -- $14,240 Heather Degartano, One Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37499 Smart Cart The Tennessee Aquarium is developing a highly interactive, technology-based mobile education program that focuses on local environmental conservation issues. The Smart Cart program annually offers 20,000 guests and community members access to more in-depth and accurate environmental issues that affect their local area and surrounding region. Smart Cart consists of a cart, computer, document camera, and speakers. This program provides a fun learning opportunity to families visiting the city park that surrounds the aquarium. The Tennessee Aquarium is advancing its current gallery program to capture the interest of an ever-evolving audience, presenting the most current environmental data through an advanced technology venue. The program is intended to create passion and depth of interest on aquatic ecosystems and their inhabitants and to connect personal actions with environmental health and stewardship. |
| 2005 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Environmental Education Association -- $10,000 Mary Ball, 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN 37882 Tennessee Environmental Education Summit Conference The groups involved in the Tennessee Environmental Education Summit Conference meet to consider issues that affect environmental education programs in Tennessee, set common priorities, and engage in statewide strategic planning about environmental education. The summit is intended to gather these groups together to maximize impact and minimize duplication of effort. The 2-day summit conference includes state coordinators and supporting agencies and organizations of Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and Project WET, as well as representatives from the Tennessee Department of Education, state natural resource agencies, and non-profit groups that provide environmental education. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | A Nurtured World, Inc. -- $69,860 (HQ Grant) Susan Roothaan, 6404 Wilbur Drive, Austin, TX 78757 Consumer Environmental Education for Secondary School Students Designed for middle and high school teachers in Texas, this project provides the educators with the skills and techniques they need to teach their students how to make informed decisions about their personal behavior in order to reduce associated impacts on the environment. The teachers participate in pilot workshops to enhance their understanding of consumer conservation and to learn about the Consumer Environmental Education curriculum developed by A Nurtured World, Inc. The curriculum, which is an innovative, inquiry-based course of study that links environmental impacts to issues of concern to individuals, helps teachers engage students by connecting environmental and earth sciences to real-world experiences. An advisory team composed of representatives of the key project partners and several secondary school teachers provides assistance and guidance for the pilot workshop participants. One purpose of the pilot workshops is to obtain feedback from the participants in order to appropriately customize the curriculum for secondary school students. Following the pilot workshops, the teachers participate in two 1-day train-the-trainer workshops at which they receive teacher kits that include lesson plans, homework assignments, and descriptions of field activities. Online resources are also made available to the teachers. The key project partners are the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Environmental Education Team and the Texas Education Agency. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | Botanical Research Institute of Texas -- $8,543 Patricia Harrison, 509 Pecan Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102 Environmental Science Youth Mentoring Program The Environmental Science Youth Mentoring Program provides unique opportunities for middle and high school students to work with professionals in environmental fields and gain experience that will build on their classroom learning. The goal is to provide young people, who may not perceive themselves as college bound, with opportunities to learn about careers in the environment. The program audience is students in grades 8 through 12 who have an interest in science, along with sponsoring teachers. The students work with professionals in various community agencies to identify relevant environmental issues. These agencies include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, the City of Fort Worth Environmental Management Department, the City of Fort Worth Forestry Department, the City of Arlington Garbage and Recycling Department, the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | Del Valle Independent School District -- $10,800 Sandra Aguilar, 5301 Ross Road, Del Valle, TX 78617 Project Plantasia Project Plantasia provides pre-kindergarten through grade 6 inner-city students, parents, and community volunteers a hands-on and inquiry based outdoor environment. The Plantasia Committee consists of one staff member from each grade level who manages and oversees the project and its activities. The objectives of the program are to establish an ecosystem using flowers, shrubs, grasses and trees native to Texas; provide a designated area for demonstrations, experiments, workshops, observation, and classroom activities; and prepare a garden and plant sustainable food crops using non-polluting and environmentally safe practices. Through creating, maintaining, and studying the ecosystem, the students increase their understanding of and respect for the environment and environmental issues that will confront them in their current and future world. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA) -- $9,967 Jane L. Laping, 3100 Richmond, Suite 309, Houston, TX 77098 Ozone Theatre Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA) trains leaders (college students, young adults, parents, and educators) to present “Ozone Theatre” in classroom-type settings to kindergarten through grade 5 students in the Houston-Galveston area. “Ozone Theatre” helps children gain a better understanding of pollution and empowers them to make decisions that protect their health. The objective is to teach children about specific sources of air pollution and how to apply EPA’s colored-coded Air Quality Index of health precautions to daily activities. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | Texas Discovery Gardens -- $10,000 Mary C. Schoeffel, P.O. Box 152537, Dallas, TX 75315 Terrarium World Elementary-Aged Environmental Education The Texas Discovery Gardens Terrarium World project targets students in grades 2 through 6 and educates them about terrariums. Students learn about the life-sustaining characteristics of terrariums, habitats and their application to terrariums, and the physical cycles that exist on earth: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and water, and how they operate in terrariums. Terrarium World animates the natural world, providing students with a first-hand experience of their impact on the environment. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | Texas State University - San Marcos -- $15,412 Eric Mendelman, 601 University Avenue, San Marcos, TX 78666 Learning Urban Watersheds Under this grant, high school teachers from the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas participate in two 2-day workshops to learn how to integrate intellectual and practical experience in watershed monitoring. The teachers then return to their classrooms, conduct field investigations, and collect water quality data with the students during the remainder of the school year. The program also includes an Earth Day event for middle school students in the Austin area that concludes with a 1 -day Splash into Learning Event. High school students present information at this event about their collection efforts and findings in water quality data. |
| 2005 | TX | 6 | University of Texas Health Center at Tyler -- $11,914 Dr. Larry K. Lowry, 11937 U.S. Highway 271, Tyler, TX 75708-3154 Seniors to Middle School Students The Seniors to Middle School Students project uses volunteers from the Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health at the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler to recruit and train senior citizens from the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI). These senior citizens teach elementary and middle school children about health issues associated with air, water, and toxins. The presentations take place during Earth Day and are delivered at a WeatherNet Symposium and are provided to student campers at Sky Ranch. |
| 2005 | UT | 8 | Center for Green Space Design -- $20,000 Christie Oostema, 311 South 900 East, Suite 201, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 West Capitol Hill Environmental Education (EE) Project: A Community-Based EE Effort The Center for Green Space Design (CGSD) conducts environmental education programs related to green space design and development in the West Capitol Hill subdivision of Salt Lake City to adult community members. Working in partnership with the City of Salt Lake and Utah Division of Water Resources, CGSD delivers classes through community meetings and training classes so that local residents learn about the various environmental impacts they may face during the West Capitol Hill Development Project. These impacts may be environmental- and health-related, such as resource management, water quality, and sewage. CGSD also trains residents to understand the city’s process on open space design and resource management. This training allows residents to articulate and prioritize their vision of the community during the development’s planning phase, while teaching them how to become better stewards of the local environment. |
| 2005 | UT | 8 | National Energy Foundation -- $10,000 Robert Poulson, 3676 California Avenue, Suite A117, Salt Lake City, UT 84104 Energy Efficiency and Clean Fuels for Utah Driver Education Program The National Energy Foundation (NEF) is partnering with the Utah Department of Air Quality, Salt Lake Clean Cities, and the Utah Society for Environmental Education to conduct a pilot program to educate students in driver education classes on issues related to air quality and transportation. Teacher training is provided to high school driver education teachers. Teachers are instructed to conduct inquiry-based educational programs related to air quality and transportation. Students evaluate issues in community and personal transportation, including maintenance and usage, as well as regional economy, public health, the environment, and homeland security. |
| 2005 | UT | 8 | Zion Natural History Association -- $10,000 Eileen Smith, Zion National Park, Springdale, UT 84767 Diversity in Environmental Education and Protection (DEEP) Project DEEP (Diversity in Environmental Education and Protection) is a partnership between the Zion Natural History Association and the Zion Canyon Field Institute. Under the grant, Project DEEP conducts English as a Second Language (ESL) environmental education programs in local schools and at local adult literacy programs. Project DEEP also provides community training programs. Training uses an inquiry-based education curriculum and discussions of multi-faceted environmental issues that affect the participants’ community. Students and participants learn how to develop various solutions to complex environmental issues and take steps to complete environmental projects. |
| 2005 | VT | 1 | Strafford Historical Society -- $10,000 John Kent Freitag, P.O. Box 100, Strafford, VT 05072 Mining's Long Shadow: An Environmental Lesson Under this grant, the Stafford Historical Society produces and distributes three educational documentaries about Vermont’s copper mining industry. One 1-hour documentary targets the public, and two 20-minute documentaries target school-age youth. The documentaries educate adults and students about the complexity of land use issues and raise awareness of mining’s potential effects on the environment. More than 30 viewings of the documentaries will be held in Vermont and New Hampshire. In addition, local schools incorporate the films into their science classes. |
| 2005 | VT | 1 | Vermont Association of Conservation Districts -- $10,000 Ken Hafner, 487 Rowell Hill Road, Berlin, VT 05602 Vermont Envirothon Program The Vermont Envirothon allows students to gain knowledge and skills and demonstrate a willingness to participate in natural resource problem-solving issues. Students learn about aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a fifth topic, “Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate.” Five high school students and a teacher advisor form a team to compete. Activities include development of curriculum from in-class and hands-on field experiences. |
| 2005 | VT | 1 | Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Inc. -- $10,000 Lisa M. Purcell, 2723 Church Hill Road, Woodstock, VT 05091 Urban ELF More than 30 years ago, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) developed the Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) curriculum to bring students in kindergarten through grade 6 out of the classroom to learn about and explore nature in schoolyards and neighborhoods. Specially trained parents and other community volunteers teach the ELF program. This initial year of a 3-year project expands the ELF curriculum by developing supplemental activities and materials for urban and suburban elementary students who participate. Schools in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Rutland, Vermont, participate in this expansion. ELF encompasses five concepts: cycles, habitats, adaptations, designs of nature, and earth and sky. |
| 2005 | VA | 3 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $23,200 Vince David Meldrum, 1908 Mt. Vernon Avenue, 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22301 Virginia GREEN: A Watershed Studies Program for Science Educators Virginia Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) focuses on training science educators in grades 4 through 8 in Northern Virginia. Educators participate in Virginia GREEN workshops to develop new skills, gain a deeper understanding of watershed and water monitoring issues, diversify teaching strategies, and form lasting relationships with community environmental partners. Each area of development contributes to a teacher’s ability to instill critical thinking and leadership skills, which are necessary for the future care of natural resources. The middle-school students participate in stewardship projects that involve the Lower Potomac watershed by applying their knowledge and understanding of environmental science concepts. |
| 2005 | VA | 3 | Newton Marasco Foundation -- $9,443 Debi McGhee, 9302 Lee Highway, Suite 500, Fairfax, VA 22031 Bringing Environmental Science from the Classroom to the Field The Newton Marasco Foundation, in Partnership with Central High School, St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, conducts an environmental education program for students in grades 11 and 12. The grant supports projects to educate students about the wetlands of St. Croix and develops their commitment to environmental stewardship. Students conduct field studies and study the impacts of land use decisions. Experts teach students how to study wetlands and act as mentors. The foundation provides guidance, curricular materials, leadership, naturalist experts, and incentives (including course credit) to enable students to complete and continue this study of the environment. |
| 2005 | VA | 3 | Newton Marasco Foundation -- $9,854 Debi McGhee, 9302 Lee Highway, Suite 500, Fairfax, VA 22031 Field It: Bringing Environmental Science from the Classroom to the Field The Newton Marasco Foundation augments existing environmental curriculum for students in grades 11 and 12 by providing hands-on, real-life workshops, field trips, guest speaker programs, and three college scholarship opportunities. Students of Loudoun Valley High School in Virginia learn about water quality issues, critical ecosystems and wetlands management, forestry, plant studies, land use, and land revitalization. The classroom activities and field studies encourage critical-thinking skills and environmental stewardship practices. The program raises awareness, passion, and interest in environmental issues, which encourages students to pursue environmental studies and careers. |
| 2005 | VA | 3 | Rockbridge County Public School -- $10,000 Alice Moore Waddell, 1972 Big Spring Drive, Lexington, VA 24450 Sustainable Living for All Times Sixth-graders at Maury River Middle School are trained as student leaders who are grouped in learning teams. Together, the teams develop a model for a sustainable living community, illustrating sustainable living practices. The students share the model with participating students in grades 1 through 6 and the public to raise awareness of the human impact on natural resources. Students investigate and understand their own impact on natural resources to become citizens who practice sustainable living as well as life-long environmental stewardship. Before the project is in the schools, all teachers involved attend a 1-day workshop at Boxerwood Nature Center to acquire the science content they can use in their classrooms to reinforce environmental education. |
| 2005 | WA | 10 | Puget Sound Action Team, Port Townsend Marine Science Society -- $10,000 Anne Murphy, 532 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Port Townsend Marine Science Center Discovery Lab Monitoring Program Under this project, additional laboratory equipment is provided for a hands-on sea water research and science laboratory project conducted by the Port Townsend Marine Science Society (PTMSS). The project is a collaborative effort with the Olympia Region Harmful Algal Bloom Partnership and the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program. This additional equipment allows the laboratory to participate in two local research projects to collect data on harmful algal blooms and dissolved oxygen in Hood Canal. Members of PTMSS train teachers, students, and local volunteers to use the monitoring equipment. The monitoring that is undertaken is grade appropriate at all levels and includes inquiry projects initiated by individual students. Other activities funded under the grant are teacher training on monitoring and remote sensing techniques, site visits for students, and pre- and post-field trip classroom activities. |
| 2005 | WV | 3 | Friends of the Cheat, Inc. -- $5,175 Danielle Adams, 119 S. Price Street, Suite 206, Kingwood, WV 26537 Structuring Friends of the Cheat's Education Initiatives The Friends of the Cheat’s (FOC) current educational initiatives that involve acid mine drainage (AMD) are structured under this project. AMD is a result of mining practices by the coal mining industry that occurred from the early 1900s and polluted streams in north-central West Virginia. FOC works with educational professionals to promote and implement initiatives that raise awareness about AMD. Awareness is raised by development of a flyer and Web site that describe the educational opportunities FOC offers as well as school instruction and outdoor educational activities, including interpretive watershed tours. These initiatives are shared with elementary, middle, and high school children (including home-schooled children); Girl Scout and 4-H groups; and civic groups. This project leads to concerned, educated citizens who become active and involved in community watersheds and the quality of the water. |
| 2005 | WI | 5 | Rock River Coalition -- $5,090 Suzanne Wade, PO Box 141, Watertown, WI 53094 A Rain Garden in Every Community The Rock River Coalition installs rain gardens at schools and other community locations. A rain garden is a native plant garden that receives rain from a roof or paved area, allowing the water to soak in instead of flooding off. With these gardens, the coalition educates youth, adults, and community leaders about the concerns of storm water runoff and groundwater recharge. Teachers are trained on storm water concerns and educate students both in the classroom and at demonstration sites. |
| 2005 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum -- $100,000 (HQ Grant) Elizabeth McCann, Research and Sponsored Programs, 750 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1490 Restoration-Education and Science Training for Outreach to Regional Educators This project extends the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum’s nationally recognized Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) Program model for professional development of teachers to a broader audience. Through this project, EPS is promoting and replicating ecology-based education in other states by establishing EPS Program Facilitating Centers at four nonformal educational sites. Teachers and nonformal educators at the four sites participate in a Restoration-Education and Science Training for Outreach to Regional Educators (RESTORE) Train-the-Trainer Summer Institute to learn how to provide restoration-based education. The RESTORE initiative is an interdisciplinary approach to providing education on biodiversity loss and ecological restoration that involves restoring native ecosystems on school grounds. Teams of instructors create, implement, and evaluate high-quality professional development training programs for each center. These instructors also attend an annual Winter Meeting to discuss successes and lessons learned and to network with their fellow participants; this forum helps to create a national learning community of professionals who are well versed in schoolyard habitat restoration. EPS staff members provide support and resources to the teams of instructors throughout the process. Each center is expected to train approximately 40 to 60 local nonformal educators and teachers of kindergarten through grade 12. Key project partners include Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, the University of Wisconsin – Madison Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Wisconsin-based EPS Program Facilitating Centers. |
| 2005 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education -- $9,975 Susan Ermer, 403 LRC, WCEE, WE-SP, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Wisconsin Puerto Rico Environmental Exchange Project Teachers from Puerto Rico and Wisconsin participate in an exchange program to expand their knowledge about environmental education. Through the Global Environmental Teachings program, teachers participate in workshops, tours, and lectures about island ecology in Puerto Rico and temperate ecological communities in Wisconsin. Puerto Rican teachers visit several Wisconsin sites, including the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, a natural history interpretive hike at Copper Falls State Park in Melon, and a boat tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore that begins in Bayfield. |
| 2006 | AL | 4 | Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) -- $75,000 (HQ Grant) Spencer Ryan, 340 North Hull Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 Clean Campus Program The Clean Campus Program promotes environmental stewardship through education about litter, thereby creating a cleaner, healthier, and less polluted environment for all Alabama school systems, colleges, and universities. The program, which is focused on a variety of hands-on projects, provides students, faculty, and staff in kindergarten through grade 12 with all the tools and educational support needed to transform campuses into cleaner, safer places. These tools are supplied through seminars, educational materials, projects, and leadership and community building activities. By learning how to minimize pollution and litter at its source, the students are becoming environmentally aware and are learning how their behavior affects the environment. The faculty and staff are, in turn, learning how to build a foundation for future adult behavior and advance the concept of personal responsibility in caring for the environment. Participating schools receive, free of cost, on-site seminars, an environmental curriculum, trash bags, brochures, and on-site banners. In return, participating schools provide environmental education as part of the curriculum and are also required to support an ongoing recycling program at the school. The program partners with the Alabama Education Association and more than 400 schools throughout the State of Alabama. |
| 2006 | AL | 4 | Camp Fire USA Central Alabama Council -- $14,295 Gen Williamson, 3600 8th Avenue, South, Suite 502, Birmingham, AL 35222 Camp Fletcher: Spring Environmental Field Trip Program Outdoor environmental education field trips are provided to low-income kindergarten and elementary school students at no cost to schools under this grant. Students are taught the health implications of air pollution; the connections among lakes, rivers, and streams and the drinking water that comes from their taps; and learn about animal habitats, urban development, and the importance of establishing national forests, parks, and wildlife preserves. Environmental stewardship is therefore easily understood and the knowledge retained at a higher level. The method of instruction is based on Project WILD and Project Learning Tree, and is provided by volunteer teachers. |
| 2006 | AK | 10 | Calypso Farm and Ecology Center -- $10,000 Susan Willsrud, P.O. Box 106, Ester, AK 99725 Schoolyard Garden Initiative The Schoolyard Garden Initiative is a coordinated effort to create a network of school gardens across the Fairbanks-North Star Borough School District to be used for hands-on learning and environmental education. The project funds a series of teacher trainings at pilot elementary schools and a comprehensive garden-based resources guide adapted for conditions in Alaska. The gardens respond to a need for hands-on, environmentally based education in the public schools in conjunction with the desire for fresh, locally grown food. The goal of the project is to integrate garden-based environmental education into teaching the core subjects: math, English and language arts, science, and social studies. Calypso Farm and Ecology Center provides educators with a comprehensive garden-based lesson and resource guide correlated to state and local grade-specific learning standards. The manual is a collection of quality educational resources specifically adapted for garden-based teaching in the unique conditions in interior Alaska. The teacher training series focuses on improving the environmental education skills of educators to support the core subjects. |
| 2006 | AK | 10 | Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council -- $17,682 Robert Rosenfeld, 815 2nd Avenue, Suite 201, Fairbanks, AK 99701 Reduce the Use - A Youth Initiative Students in grades 10 through 12 work in four villages to eliminate plastic grocery bags and Styrofoam cups. In addition, this initiative provides education about solid waste accumulation in landfills and introduces re-usable “potlatch bags.” Youth from each of the four communities work with mentors in each community to initiate the campaign. They work with the tribal council and the city for support to eliminate the products identified and to educate the community through media and classroom presentations. The youth and their mentors attend a 2-day retreat to develop the campaign and a community outreach education plan. Participants also implement alternative practices by distributing potlatch bags (small canvas bags with a dish, bowl, cup, and flatware) to community members to use at every gathering. They assess the amount of waste collected from community dinners by counting the number of garbage bags and comparing the amount with the dinners that have taken place previously. |
| 2006 | AS | 9 | American Samoa Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. -- $13,197 Paul Van Ryzin, P.O. Box 5169, Pago Pago, AS 96799 Nu'uuli Polytech High School Conservation Club A combination of classroom presentations, hands-on plant propagation, and public outreach is used to educate high school students and the public about the issue of nonpoint source pollution. Field day events, greenhouse instruction, and communication to the public through newspapers and local public access television are also included. High school students are recruited and trained to educate village residents on topics such as stewardship, water quality, nonpoint source water pollution, and basic conservation bioengineering. Additional residents of the territory are exposed to the stewardship message through signs and local television coverage. Students learn about careers in conservation through their participation in the project. Guest instructors also discuss career options in the environmental sciences. Because local knowledge and expertise in environmental areas are low, it is planned that the student training may lead to long-term careers in the environmental sciences, which will benefit the community. The partnerships of the project fulfill a need for improving access to educational tools and curricula for teachers in the areas of conservation and plant propagation. |
| 2006 | AZ | 9 | Scottsdale Community College -- $12,000 Roy Barnes, 9000 East Chaparral Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 Sonoran Desert Biodiversity Educational Outreach Program The Center for Native and Urban Wildlife (CNUW), a conservation biology organization based out of Scottsdale Community College (SCC), anticipates reaching students in grade 4 over the next two years. The short-term goal is to instill an appreciation and understanding of biodiversity in desert ecosystems; the long-term goal is to be an additional point of reference during a student’s education, culminating in greater environmental literacy. Teachers are provided with a CNUW learning packet that contains educational materials that meet the Arizona state science standards. After they work with these materials, the fourth graders come to SCC, where they tour CNUW’s living biodiversity exhibits in Toad Hall, wildlife demonstration gardens, and a greenhouse and amphibian vivarium, and receive a presentation from the Liberty Wildlife Foundation. At these facilities, students learn about endangered species, reintroduction, restoration, the scientific method, and how all of these concepts relate to biodiversity and science. |
| 2006 | AZ | 9 | The Arboretum at Flagstaff -- $19,555 Rachel Edelstein, 4001 South Woody Mountain Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Navajo Uses of Native Plants The goal of “Navajo Uses of Native Plants” is to educate northern Arizona youth about the traditional uses of native plants and to encourage stewardship on their part. By teaching school groups to appreciate the traditional uses of native plants, local children can see that the plants are not only beautiful, but can also be part of their cultural heritage. The Arboretum plans to recruit and train contract educators from the Indigenous Studies Program at Northern Arizona University and the Navajo language program at Coconino Community College. By training Navajo educators to lead field trips, the Arboretum can offer curricula about native plants that meet the national and state standards for all area schools. |
| 2006 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas -- $20,763 Lynne Hehr, 12 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701 WATERS: Wonder About Teaching Environmentally Relevant Science Under this grant, Arkansas environmental science educators participate in a summer environmental education institute through the University of Arkansas Center for Math and Science Education. The workshops take place on campus and at the stream site located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. During the week-long institute, teachers spend the first part of the week learning to incorporate the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of stream quality into hands-on and minds-on activities suitable for the classroom. The remainder of the week involves an inquiry-based field trip where streamside sampling, on-site analysis, and discussions about outdoor classroom management are experienced. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Aquatic Adventures Science Education Foundation -- $18,542 Shara Fisler, 2211 Pacific Beach Drive, San Diego, CA 92109 SEA Series Initiative The SEA Series Initiative, a hands-on science classroom program, is provided to students in grades 3 through 6 in the San Diego region. The program at each grade level includes professional development provided to classroom teachers, experiential classroom learning, field trips, and thematic units (incorporating language arts, math, and social studies lessons that build off the environmental science theme). In addition, the program encompasses lending libraries and a community service component that enables students to translate environmental awareness into action. Through the community service component, students, families and others are engaged in environmental stewardship activities such as urban canyon restoration, street cleanups, and on-campus recycling campaigns. The program fosters education on environmental issues, demonstrates how students and families can take responsibility for the health of their community’s environment, and builds a lifetime stewardship ethic. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Catholic Charities CYO -- $5,000 Deidre Rettenmaier, 180 Howard Street, Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94105 Developing Youth as Environmental Leaders and Stewards This project, “Developing Youth as Environmental Leaders and Stewards,” addresses challenges to the riparian corridor of two discrete stretches of Salmon Creek and one of its tributaries that run through 220 acres of coastal redwood forest in Sonoma County. The program will serve students and teachers during 5-day retreats offered 24 times throughout the year. A new creek and watershed curriculum has been introduced, emphasizing on-the-ground restoration activities that are the direct result of student field study, observation, evaluation, decision making, and problem solving. The goal is to develop the environmental leadership and stewardship skills of the students through direct exposure to local environmental challenges. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Coyote Point Museum Association -- $6,900 Carl Oosterman, 1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo, CA 94401 Youth Environmental Stewards (Y.E.S.) Club This organization has launched the Youth Environmental Stewards (Y.E.S.) Club for middle school students and their families, with emphasis on weekend marine cleanup and recycling projects. The Y.E.S. Club is intended to inspire each young person to protect and preserve the local Shoreline Park by involving them in hands-on, place-based environmental works that will assist them in learning about the park’s coastal and marine ecosystems. Participants in the Y.E.S. Club learn, among many other things, the value of a healthy environment, as well as principles of scientific inquiry and how they can make a difference in the community. It is believed these rewards will encourage youth to consider environmental careers. Projects include soil and water quality monitoring; wildlife population monitoring; and marine and debris recycling. Through these activities, students are able to develop a deeper connection to the environment and begin to understand how the choices they make in their daily lives affect the natural treasures around them. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Friends of the Sea Otter -- $6,000 D'Anne Albers, 125 Ocean View Boulevard, Suite 204, Pacific Grove, CA 93933 In-School Sea Otter Education Program The In-School Sea Otter Education Program is a tool for local schools to increase the breadth of academic disciplines their students experience, emphasizing key issues such as endangered keystone species, conservation, and ecosystems. Friends of the Sea Otter plans to reach students with their in-class instruction, which includes PowerPoint presentations and hands-on stations. The objectives are to increase students’ understanding of sea otter biology and the adaptations and impediments to species recovery, thereby giving students the tools they need to protect sea otters and their habitat. Protection of this valuable species depends on the continuing education of youth by fostering awareness and introducing the concept of stewardship to younger members of the community. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Generation Green -- $4,900 R.C. Ferris, 2066 Donald Drive, Moraga, CA 94556 Traveling Trash Transformations Generation Green will provide at least 20 hands-on workshops on recycled art at libraries and farmer’s markets throughout Contra Costa County. The objective is to inspire people, through creative endeavors, to see the potential value of the raw materials that are recycled. The organization hopes to attract participants at the farmer’s markets and students at county and school libraries, who will take part in “eco art” activities that generate enthusiasm and fun, while teaching folks to use unused, recycled materials, and to think before it is thrown away. Generation Green wants to enable people to create, make, and make do; to inspire people to experiment with junk. The organization wants to help create a generation of recyclers so that it will be second nature to look at something discarded and wonder, “What else can this be?” or “What can I make with this?” |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, USA -- $75,000 (HQ Grant) Abby Young, 436 14th Street, Suite 1520, Oakland, CA 94612 Climate Protection Decision-Making Tool Development and Training Project The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)-Local Governments for Sustainability is developing a climate protection decision-making tool that enables mayors and other local officials to consider the impacts of policy decisions on local air pollution. Developed in response to the need for better tools to enhance climate protection, ICLEI based the design of the tool on greenhouse gas quantification protocols established for local governments. The tool, targeted for use by mayors throughout the U.S., provides local government staff with the analytical framework necessary to determine the impact of specific decisions on increasing or decreasing emissions of greenhouse gas and regulated air pollutants. Developed in close consultation with the extensive network of local government staff and elected officials who participate in ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection campaign, the tool is a stand-alone electronic survey. The survey guides the user through a series of questions that lead to an estimate of the quantity of emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria air pollutants that will be increased or decreased by appropriate policy recommendations. By using the tool, mayors and other local government officials gain decision-making skills that result in improved local air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and a better understanding of the long-term ramifications of policy decisions. Training on the use of the tool is provided at ICLEI’s annual Sundance Summit: A Gathering of Mayors for Climate Protection. The key partner in the project is the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Mono Lake Committee -- $9,261 Bartshe Miller, P.O. Box 29, Lee Vining, CA 93541 Mono County Eastern Sierra Watershed Program Field trips to local creeks and classroom activities combine to educate grade 6 students in the towns of Mammoth Lakes and Lee Vining, California. The program trains volunteer docents from the Stand By Me Mentor Program and teachers at a workshop to increase staff capacity to provide an appropriate ratio of students to supervisors in the field. The idea of the program is to educate students about the importance of scientific research in land stewardship. Students are introduced to field monitoring techniques and the specific topics employed in monitoring. They also learn fish surveying, stream flow measurement, and greenline transect. The results of their activities are gathered into a database that future classes can use and expand. The work that the students engage in is similar to a range of activities that local area professionals conduct in the field. These professionals, who lead the programs, have an opportunity to explain their jobs to students before they demonstrate the monitoring techniques so that students see how these activities can be part of a career in the environmental field. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Northern California Society of American Foresters -- $10,000 Heather Morrison, P.O. Box 339, Camptonville, CA 95922 Forestry Institute for Teachers The Forestry Institute for Teachers will reach teachers in kindergarten through grade 12, using the forest ecosystem as a tool to provide them the skills and knowledge needed to teach their students about the intricate relationship between forest ecology and sustainable forestry, and to use the ecosystem to teach universal concepts. The institute offers three workshop sessions per year in forested areas in various Northern California settings. Each session is a 6-day, hands-on field workshop. Participants are trained and encouraged to use existing materials such as Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and Project Aquatic WILD. Field trips include a tour to spotted owl habitat, a lumber mill, an actively managed forest, a salmon-bearing stream, and a meadow restoration site. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Rising Sun Energy Center -- $15,000 Ori Skloot, 2033 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Solar Education Workshop Rising Sun Energy Center sponsors 1-day Solar Education workshops four times a year for the professional development of teachers in grades 4 through 12 to teach them how to lead conservation and renewable energy projects for their students. The workshops cover energy-efficient home design, home energy conservation, solar electricity, and solar water pumping. The teachers receive a guidebook with grade-specific curriculum and projects. Furthermore, the teachers have on-going access to an online library of solar energy and energy conservation technologies, which they can borrow to use in their classrooms. They also learn how to use solar energy technology and receive background information on the global, national, and state energy situation. This effort brings students a hands-on experience of energy education through projects such as solar race car building, passive solar home model building, solar electric wiring and circuits, and home energy efficiency retrofitting. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | San Diego County Office of Education -- $77,936 (HQ Grant) Brian Swagerty, 6401 Linda Vista Road, Outdoor Education, Room 410, San Diego, CA 92111 San Diego Environmental Literacy in Action The San Diego Environmental Literacy in Action (SanDELA) project increases opportunities for professional learning in environmental literacy for educators in kindergarten through grade 12 and engages students in opportunities that build awareness of environmental issues. This program also promotes access to and participation in activities that foster environmental stewardship. To implement the project, teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 work together to develop a guidebook based on the California Science Standards and the California Education and the Environment Initiative. The guidebook, which identifies an environmental literacy issue at each grade level, describes a grade-specific stewardship project or field-based learning experience that supports the targeted environmental issue. Teachers who use the guidebook will gain hands-on, science-based examples of how to implement an environmental education program that aligns with state education standards. The guidebook is being drafted during SanDELA Academy workshops and will be tested in the field by participants. The final guidebook is being disseminated to kindergarten through grade 12 schools in 42 school districts in San Diego County and will also be available online. Four teacher workshops will be conducted on use of the guidebook. The key partners on this project are the San Diego County Office of Education’s Outdoor Education Department and the Science Department and the San Diego Science Alliance. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | STAR, Inc. -- $9,938 Katya Bozzi, 10117 West Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232 STAR Kids Lead L.A. This program explores environmental issues pertaining to the Santa Monica Bay Watershed through hands-on watershed classes, field trips to Santa Monica Bay habitats, and real-world stewardship projects, all through daily after-school programming. The idea is to develop a model program that educates students about local environmental issues surrounding the watershed. Nine-week after-school courses are delivered centered on laboratory activities and encounters with wildlife rescues. Field trips are included to various living habitats in the Santa Monica Bay Watershed. The program culminates in a community action project, where students test their newly acquired knowledge in the real world by undertaking a service learning action project that manifests their personal concerns and visions for their own health and of the community. Examples of action projects are local beach, school, or neighborhood cleanups, wetland restorations, recycling projects, and educational murals. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | The Watershed Project -- $6,000 Wendy Strickland, 1327 South 46th Street, #155, Richmond, CA 94804 Healthy Schools Inside and Out The Watershed Project is offering its “Healthy Schools Inside and Out” program in a new location: Contra Costa County. “Healthy Schools Inside and Out” is a program that builds on California’s Healthy Schools Act of 2000, which established requirements for notification on pesticide use in school buildings and on school grounds. Its 1-day workshop for teachers offers activities that will dramatically and effectively illustrate the impact of toxins on the environment and human health in ways that excite participants and stimulate them to learn and think critically. It also gives them both the tools and support to implement what they have learned with their students and communities. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Yolo Basin Foundation -- $10,000 Donald Morrill, P.O. Box 943, Davis, CA 95617 Discover the Flyway Educators' Workshops The Yolo Basin Foundation’s “Discover the Flyway” educational program is intended to make wetlands and their stewardship, in the context of the Yolo Basin, a consistent educational component of the schools of Sacramento. This project’s goal is to train teachers, volunteers, and interns so they become skilled educators for the program. Seven workshops will be delivered throughout the year. The workshops focus on many of the ecosystem processes and beneficial aspects of the Yolo Wildlife Area and nearby City of Davis Wetlands. The program seeks to expand educators’ awareness of local conservation efforts, the compatibility of urban life and agriculture, flood control, effective wildlife management, and how all these factors contribute to a healthy delta ecosystem. |
| 2006 | CA | 9 | Youth Employment Partnership -- $13,550 Michele Clark, 2300 International Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94601 Team Oakland Environmental Stewardship Program Youth are engaged in hands-on, nontraditional environmental education, as well as introduced to careers in the environmental field through the Team Oakland Environmental Stewardship Program. It provides a comprehensive environmental and science educational program to youth enrolled in Youth Employment Partnership’s (YEP) Team Oakland program and to students in the YEP Charter School. These youth take part in 25 hours of classroom-based education on the local marine and coastal environment, 25 hours of in-field education on coastal and marine resources and ecology, and 50 hours of cleanup at Lake Merritt and sites along the Oakland Estuary. In addition, they participate in a public awareness campaign to educate local merchants and businesses about how they can help prevent drainage of toxins to the San Francisco Bay. Educational programming is delivered by graduate students from the University of California, Berkeley’s, College of Natural Resources, and from a credentialed science teacher from the YEP Charter School. |
| 2006 | CO | 8 | Colorado Allergy & Asthma Centers -- $10,000 Robin Lynn Wilson, 125 Rampart Way, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80230 Breathe Right Better Bus Colorado Air Project The non-profit Breathe Better Foundation (BBF) was founded in 1993 by staff and volunteers of the Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers. Its mission is “improving the quality of life of children and adults with asthma and allergies.” The Breathe Better Bus is a direct service program of the BBF and promotes lung health, knowledge of asthma, and indoor and outdoor air quality issues, and reinforces youth tobacco prevention messages. The project uses existing and newly enhanced environmental education curricula to public and private schools (kindergarten through grade 8), along with local community health fairs. The program is also conducted at six sites, including several elementary and middle schools, along with local health fairs. Outcomes expected are increased student and teacher awareness of air quality and pollution issues and increased decision-making skills on how to improve air quality in their local community. The Breathe Better Bus has a proven 4-year record with more than 85 site visits per year. |
| 2006 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning for Kids -- $48,100 Stacie Gilmore, 14460 East 50th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239 Youth in Natural Resources - Science and Environmental Career Development Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) is a non-profit, community-based environmental education organization with programs that give participants the opportunity to experience Colorado’s natural world. The program also enables participants to increase their science skills, participate in stewardship projects, and be exposed to careers in the field of natural resources. Youth in Natural Resources introduces youth in northeast Denver and Commerce City to environmental issues, science, natural resources, and environmental-related careers while building skills in critical thinking and providing new opportunities for youth to experience Colorado’s outdoors. ELK staff provide interactive, academically based environmental education programs and mentoring programs to students from the neighborhoods of Park Hill, Montclair, Green Valley Ranch, Montbello, and Commerce City. The delivery methods include career exploration through monthly environmental activities, college campus visits, college preparation, and summer work experience. Expected outputs include stewardship, such as pollution prevention, watershed protection, water quality monitoring, and wildlife habitat improvement, which will help the target audience become stewards in their communities while developing an informed, active constituency. |
| 2006 | CO | 8 | Freshwaters Illustrated -- $24,200 Jeremy Monroe, P.O. Box 2252, Fort Collins, CO 80522 Riverwebs: An Educational Documentary on Stream Ecosystems and Aquatic Conservation Freshwaters Illustrated (FI) is a non-profit organization that works to raise public awareness about freshwater biodiversity, science, and conservation. Colorado State University (CSU) is the primary project partner, helping to facilitate production and promotion of Riverwebs. Riverwebs and its accompanying DVD, along with online resources, contributes to EPA's environmental education priority of community issues. It provides an educational resource that can help introduce a general audience, which includes classrooms and community groups, to river ecosystems, water pollution issues, and their conservation needs. The students are introduced in both formal and informal settings to the field of aquatic ecology and are provided resources and references for exploring this discipline. The educational DVD package is distributed to students in grades 6 through 12, college teachers, conservation groups, and educators through promotions with national societies and organizations. The expected output is that the DVD package and online resources will increase public awareness of freshwater ecosystems, habitat restoration and destruction, along with the continuing growth of invasive species. |
| 2006 | CO | 8 | FrontRange Earth Force -- $15,000 Lisa Bardwell, 2120 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Greenways Project: Using Greenways to Help Educators Integrate Science, the Environment, and Service Learning The non-profit FrontRange Earth Force (FR Earth Force) was established in 1997 as part of an initiative sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trust, designed to encourage disadvantaged youth to become active in community service. Today, this independent organization is one of eight Earth Force field offices operating across the country. The purpose of the Greenways Project is to increase the environmental literacy of science teachers and their students and encourage participants to increase their stewardship commitment to improving and protecting the environment. The project offers professional development training on how to teach content material using effective inquiry-based strategies. Outputs include training courses, intensive workshops, and on-going coaching and technical assistance. In addition, field excursions provide hands-on instruction for teachers and their students, promote student development of a service-learning project designed to address an environmental concern, and enhance student exposure to a range of environmental careers. Students gain hands-on experience as they study native and non-native plants and wildlife, water quality, biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and the effects of urban growth on the system. |
| 2006 | CO | 8 | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research -- $75,144 (HQ Grant) Timothy Spangler, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80301 Protecting Watersheds by Educating Broadcast Meteorologists about Smart Growth This grant is directed at broadcast meteorologists who deliver local weather reports. It enhances ongoing training efforts to provide meteorologists with core environmental knowledge that can be easily conveyed to their viewers. The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training (COMET), part of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, is developing two units to train meteorologists on how to report on land use, transportation, sprawl issues, related environmental and health consequences, and the impact of these issues on local watersheds. The two new units will be incorporated into an existing online curriculum on watersheds administered by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the National Environmental Education Training Foundation (NEETF). The online curriculum, available on the COMET Web site, is accessed by broadcast meteorologists, as well as forecasters, colleges and universities, and the kindergarten through grade 12 community. The curriculum will also be available through AMS’ Continuing Education Program, which is required for all certified broadcast meteorologists. By learning how to incorporate environmental knowledge in daily weather reports, the meteorologists help to educate communities about the relationship between the health of watersheds and the principles and practices of smart growth. In turn, communities become better educated about local watersheds and their role in protecting them. NEETF is the partner on this project. |
| 2006 | CT | 1 | Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice -- $10,755 Mark Mitchell, P.O. Box 2002, Hartford, CT 06145 Bridgeport Asthma Speakers' Bureau The target audience of the Bridgeport Asthma Speakers’ Bureau is the residents in Bridgeport’s low-income neighborhoods. The speakers are drawn from neighborhood residents who are trained to educate their peers on asthma and on taking control of the indoor and outdoor environments. The first effort is focused on recruiting low-income residents who have the cultural and linguistic competency for four train-the-trainer workshops of about two hours each. Community residents and families are then invited to attend community asthma and air quality talks and strategy sessions for resolving problems. These residents are recruited through local community partners. The incentives offered to the residents attending the meetings include transportation, refreshments, and childcare. |
| 2006 | CT | 1 | New Haven Ecology Project -- $10,022 Betsy Sneath, 358 Springside Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515 Earth Day At Common Ground This organization holds an annual Earth Day festival for students in grades 1 through 6 and adults. During this day-long festival, participants are educated on food systems and on local, sustainable food, ecosystem protection, pollution, recycling, and organic farming. The festival raises the awareness of participants on their role in environmental protection and their connection to the natural world. These goals are achieved through interactive lessons and tours by trained Common Ground High School student and adult staff volunteers. |
| 2006 | CT | 1 | New Haven Urban Resources Initiative -- $10,750 Colleen Murphy-Dunning, 205 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511 Open Spaces as Learning Places This project reaches students in grades 4 through 6 in an urban setting on the ecological systems around them. Open Spaces as Learning Places focuses on six types of urban open space in New Haven: school grounds, reclaimed abandoned lots that are now community-managed, city parks, rivers and wetlands, pond life, and historical cemeteries. Through these open spaces, students are educated on water cycles, nutrient cycling, wildlife biodiversity, forest structure, the connection between species and habitat diversity, and adaptation, and the impact of the urban environment on its natural counterpart. Teachers are trained to both educate the students about these open spaces and to continue the open space curriculum. |
| 2006 | DE | 3 | Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc. -- $15,000 Kathy Klein, One Riverwalk Plaza, 110 South Poplar Street, Suite 202, New Castle, DE 19801 Teachers & Trees Teachers & Trees is a pilot program to help teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 understand the importance of native tree restoration and the critical environmental role they play in the Delaware Estuary ecosystem. The program provides participants of the Delaware Estuary Teachers Watershed workshops the opportunity to work with scientists to learn research methods. Teachers learn about available educational resources and work toward including what they have learned into the school districts’ curriculum. The program increases awareness and develops environmental stewardship in students, parents, community landowners, and elementary, middle, and high school teachers in the estuary. |
| 2006 | DC | 3 | Environmental Literacy Council -- $15,000 Kenneth Green, 1625 K Street, NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC 20006 A Critical Review of Energy Literacy in K-12 Environmental Education Materials The Environmental Literacy Council has reinvigorated its review of environmental education materials and science textbooks by launching a review of materials related to energy literacy. Areas where current educational materials are considered to be falling short on teaching the fundamental scientific and economic concepts are identified to help students develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues related to energy literacy. A report generated through the review process will form the basis for the Energy Literacy Resource Guide. Middle school science teachers, curriculum coordinators, and science supervisors in school districts across the country are the target audience for this grant. |
| 2006 | DC | 3 | William James Foundation -- $15,440 Ian Fisk, 1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20036 Smart Fuel Project The William James Foundation Smart Fuel project engages middle school teachers and students of the Wissahickon Charter School located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students learn to create biodiesel, a climate-friendly, vegetable oil-based fuel that reduces almost all criteria pollutants and can be used in any diesel vehicle. This program includes three major components: (1) biodiesel processor design and development, (2) on-site processing, and (3) community outreach. The main audience is middle school teachers and students, who will also provide community outreach and education on the creation and effects of biodiesel. Based on safety and other design features outlined by Smart Fuel and a system designer, students participate in the actual design of the system. The students also participate in construction and processing. Finally, the students host an evening “view and brew,” where they open the processor to the community to explain how biodiesel is created and its environmental benefits. Particular attention is paid to include other middle school students in field trips to the processor. |
| 2006 | FL | 4 | Duval County Health Department Environmental Health & Safety Division -- $9,881 Antoinette Jackson, 900 University Boulevard, North Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32211 Duval County Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Practices The Duval County Cooperative Extension Service is providing four modules on household Improved Pest Management (IPM) train-the-trainer workshops. These modules include: (1) general IPM; (2) lawn: insect pests, disease, and weeds; (3) garden; and (4) home: ants, cockroaches, and termites. This certificate-based training is delivered to health department staff and community volunteers. The certified trainers are provided with train-the-trainer kits to deliver workshops in home improvement and hardware stores, and to neighborhood associations and community organizations. The Duval County Cooperative Extension Service uses public service announcements, health fairs sponsored by community organizations, brochures and flyers for healthcare partners, and informational resources to obtain participants once trainers have been certified. |
| 2006 | FL | 4 | Florida State University -- $7,450 Gang Chen, 97 South Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32306 Incorporation of Ecology and Biology Education in Environmental Engineering Florida State University (FSU) incorporates ecological and biological sciences into its existing environmental engineering program. A curriculum on Environmental Ecology, Wetland and Environmental Restoration, and Applied Environmental Microbiology has been established to provide specialized study in environmental ecology and environmental biology. FSU uses research field facilities for teaching and provides practical experience for students to gather first-hand information on environmental restoration. This course fulfills a need since the original program offered only traditional water and air quality engineering education without specializing in the ecological and biological aspects of the environment. The project trains the students to obtain knowledge on natural sciences relevant to environmental engineering and increases their ability to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a contemporary interdisciplinary environmental issue. Their ability to work on multi-disciplinary teams will therefore be enhanced. |
| 2006 | FL | 4 | Resource Depot, Inc. -- $4,258 Deb Romanelli, 3560 Investment Lane, #103, Rivera Beach, FL 33404 Assisting Communities to Thrive (ACT) Resource Depot, Inc. presents a program called Assisting Communities to Thrive (ACT). This project increases awareness of the economic and lifelong environmental advantage of using free reusable materials derived from landfills. High school science teachers participate in workshops to learn how to teach environmental education with ease and to share environmental information with the community using student-led teams. The teachers also learn how to obtain free reusable materials for education projects. In turn, the students learn how to gather discarded materials and create fliers and brochures to distribute to business owners about how to reduce waste. |
| 2006 | FL | 4 | University of Central Florida -- $12,012 Richard Paradise, 12443 Research Parkway, Suite 207, Orlando, FL 32826-3252 Energy Conservation and Sustainability This project addresses the community issue of energy conservation. Energy and environmental awareness workshops are conducted for students living in the university residences and building managers who administer all educational and general buildings on campus. This project is intended to change cultural thinking about energy conservation and sustainability in their community. The long-term goal is to develop an Energy Conservation and Sustainability initiative to reduce energy consumption. The medium-term goal is to reduce energy consumption along with greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent. The project also provides volunteer opportunities and involves the development and distribution of a newsletter, and the conduct of energy project demonstrations. |
| 2006 | GA | 4 | Bibb County Board of Education Keep Macon Bibb Beautiful, Inc. (KMBB) -- $10,000 Karl Johnston, 601 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201 Waste In Place The Keep Macon Bibb Beautiful program hosts workshops for teachers in grade 3 in the Bibb County Board of Education (BOE) system. Bibb County has committed to implement an environmental education program throughout the school system that teaches children how to make personal and informed choices that will positively affect the environment around them. The curriculum, Waste in Place, uses an integrated approach to manage municipal solid waste. It includes a multitude of hands-on projects to teach environmental stewardship as well as responsible solid waste management practices that may be implemented in schools and homes. Students enrolled in grade 3 in the 31 elementary schools in Bibb County receive instruction from teachers who participate in the workshops. |
| 2006 | GA | 4 | Medlock Elementary School -- $4,000 Paige Stanfield, 2418 Wood Trail Lane, Decatur, GA 30033 Georgia Native Plants: Teaching Skills and Stewardship Through Gardening The Medlock PTA sponsors the Georgia Native Plants Initiative at Medlock Elementary School, which supports and enhances an already established gardening program. By working directly with soil, seeds, and plants, students learn about the life cycles of plants and flowers, the animals these plants support, and the importance of habitat and environmental stewardship. Pre-kindergarten through grade 5 students participate in this endeavor. Benefits of the project include an improved community garden and butterfly habitat, which not only teaches and serves the teachers and students, but also senior citizens, providing a location for environmental learning, community activities, and community environmental stewardship. Special needs students are included in the target audience. Teachers participate in 2-day Project WILD workshops, which focus on teaching skills, strategies, and proven instructional tactics that help motivate student learning and participation. |
| 2006 | HI | 9 | Hanalei Watershed Hui -- $17,357 Barbara Kaaumoana, P.O. Box 1285, Hanalei, HI 96714 Sediment Pollution and Erosion Control in the Watershed This environmental education program reaches students in grades 5 and 6 on the North Shore of Kauai. Its focus is on sediment pollution in the Hawaiian watershed, how it is caused, its effects on fresh water and coral reef ecosystems, and how the pollution can be controlled. The program provides a hands-on stewardship experience that combines classroom learning with outdoor experiences. Students work together in cooperative groups to conduct field research on a local trail to assess the sediment and erosion problem. They then design and implement a community-based traditional restoration project that will reduce erosion on the trail. In a final reflective phase, the students analyze and synthesize their findings into reports and presentations that they will share locally and on their Web site. |
| 2006 | ID | 10 | Friends of the Teton River -- $10,584 Lyn Benjamin, 36 East Little Avenue, P.O. Box 768, Driggs, ID 83422 Blackfoot Farms Outdoor Classroom Project The Teton Watershed Curriculum is implemented via the Blackfoot Farms Outdoor Classroom on the Blackfoot Farms Property. This curriculum was developed by Friends of the Teton River under a previous EPA grant. This curriculum is preparatory, in-field, and provides follow-up resources for learning about watershed science. Friends of the Teton River has collaborated with Blackfoot Farms on this outdoor classroom and watershed rehabilitation project for students in kindergarten through grade 12. The outdoor classroom provides two teacher workshops and teaches the existing curriculum to local students on site. In addition, two wetland ponds and Kid’s Creek are rehabilitated and monitored for native Yellowstone cutthroat trout habitat. The projects include creating interpretive signs for rehabilitating sites and the outdoor pavilion and facilitating a student-made portfolio of all activities over the length of the project. Friends of the Teton River will work with teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 and students from elementary, middle, and high schools. |
| 2006 | ID | 10 | Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute -- $14,805 Greg Fizzell, P.O. Box 8596, Moscow, ID 83843 Building a Water-Conscious Moscow Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute delivers locally developed, age-appropriate water-conscious curricula to teachers and students in kindergarten through grade 12. Classrooms participate in educational programs, and then the students are assigned to assess water use at their homes. The results are discussed in the classroom, and the students are given the opportunity to sign a pledge to be a “water-conscious citizen.” In addition, a Water-Conscious Business Program provides training and consultation to businesses in Moscow about ways to conserve; businesses that participate in the training receive recognition for their role as a regional leader in conservation. |
| 2006 | ID | 10 | University of Idaho -- $26,708 Steve Hollenhorst, P.O. Box 443020, Moscow, ID 83844-3020 Growing What Works: A Graduate Residency and Outreach Program The University of Idaho implements a cross-disciplinary graduate course of study in environmental education that includes a one-semester teaching residency at McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS). Graduate students from across the country and Americorps members in the community participate in the training on community ecology, environmental education testing methods, low-impact outdoor travel, and Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program protocols. The graduate students subsequently serve as environmental education field instructors in a 10-week teaching residence at MOSS. Concurrently, they take three graduate-level courses and earn 15 credits over the course of the semester. Students in grades 5 and 6 participate in a 5-day ecosystem monitoring study using scientific protocols. Students spend six hours a day in the field collecting data and two hours in a laboratory setting analyzing, comparing, and synthesizing data across several different ecosystem types. Classroom teachers participate in all aspects of the field and laboratory studies. In the spring after the MOSS teaching residency, the graduate students will deliver MOSS outreach programs to additional students in grades 5 and 6 across the state. |
| 2006 | IL | 5 | City of Chicago, Department of Environment, Community Programming and Outreach -- $43,345 Juri Jones Moore, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60602 Becoming an Environmental Steward Local university interns educate students in 24 Chicago public schools about environmental issues in the urban community. The project is an outgrowth of activities used to promote America Recycles Day and incorporates the Growing Green environmental education curriculum developed by the state Department of Environment. The project is divided into two phases. The first phase focuses on recycling. Students explore issues related to recycling and its environmental implications, such as resource depletion and finite landfilling capacity; and barriers to recycling in urban environments. They also study efforts the city is undertaking to encourage recycling; the benefits of recycling, both economic and environmental; steps students and individuals can take to increase recycling at school, home, and play; and ways to make recycling a factor in daily decisions and choices. They capture the information on video. Interns are trained to work with students in developing creative videos that focus on the environmental issue of the students’ choice. In the second phase, the students select another issue as a focus for Earth Day. The issue concentrates on plants, natural resources, energy, and recycling. The second issue also is captured on video as a class project. |
| 2006 | IL | 5 | CSA Learning Center -- $10,000 Tom Spaulding, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia, IL 61011 Roots and Wings The Roots and Wings program increases the capacity of at-risk youth in the Rockford, Illinois, area to serve as environmental stewards in their community through hands-on farm- and garden-based education and community service. Youth learn about the environmental and health impacts on the food system and serve as peer leaders to help design and lead activities. Parents, community members, and civic leaders are engaged with environmental and health issues through the expansion of a youth-led farmers market business and production of the area’s first youth-generated arts performance about food, health, and the environment. |
| 2006 | IL | 5 | Lewis and Clark Community College -- $35,521 Jessica Pascoe, 5800 Godfrey Road, Godfrey, IL 62035 Environmental Conflict Resolution In an effort to develop a best practice in environmental stewardship, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) established a program of participative experiences in conflict management on environmental policy issues. NGRREC is a partnership of three primary parties: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Lewis and Clark Community College, and the Illinois Natural History Survey. High school teachers and their students are targeted from southwest Illinois. A teacher professional development workshop is created to cover the following issues: techniques of conflict resolution, background on environmental issues such as management of wetlands in the Mississippi and Illinois River watersheds, building levees for economic development, conservation, environmental protection, protection of agricultural areas and tourist areas, and identification of the primary interests of all parties involved in these issues. These parties include promoters of economic development, tourism, transportation, recreation, and agriculture. Teachers are provided with a curriculum to integrate into their lesson plans. |
| 2006 | IN | 5 | Improving Kids' Environment Inc. -- $15,729 Janet McCabe, 1201 North Central Avenue, #9, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Smart Schools Don't Idle “Smart Schools Don’t Idle” educates students, teachers, staff, administrators and parents at Indianapolis elementary schools about the environmental and health effects of unnecessary vehicle idling. The goal of the project is to provide a prototype that educates the entire Marion County elementary school community on the health effects of motor vehicle idling and to dispel myths about motor vehicle idling. As a result, students, parents, school administrators, and teachers have the necessary tools to make informed decisions about how their personal behavior affects air quality. Workshops are presented to teachers and school staff so they can learn about the project. By adapting existing materials, as needed, the project provides teachers with classroom activities and information that will help children understand how pollution is emitted by idling vehicles and how the emissions affect their health and the environment. |
| 2006 | IA | 7 | Eastern Iowa Community College -- $12,782 Ellen Kabat Lensch, 306 West River Drive, Davenport, IA 52801 The PEER Project: Protecting the Environment and Earth's Resources Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATECC), in partnership with United Neighbors, Inc. (UNI), and Eastern Iowa Community College, has developed a 1-year Protecting the Environment and Earth's Resources (PEER) project to educate inner-city youth about natural resources, conservation, and environmental issues. Elementary school students study life forms and habitat on a river, the role of wetlands, sources of pollution and their effects on the river, and the impact of man-made structures on the river. ATECC staff train UNI staff to use the Connected by a River educational CD-ROM and to use local environmental programs in the community for education. Educators implement the CD-ROM guidance and conduct field trips with a group of inner-city children during the UNI after school and summer program. Students learn about environmental issues and environmental careers and see first-hand professionals working in environmental fields during the field trips. ATECC will evaluate the pilot program and develop a PEER guide to assist additional instructors in replicating the PEER project based on the evaluation. |
| 2006 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- $13,199 Brian Soenen, 502 East Ninth Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 A Watershed Awareness River Expedition (AWARE) Project AWARE is coordinated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Keepers of the Land volunteer programs. This project focuses on watershed education and environmental stewardship. The goal of this project is to involve students, adults, and members of the community in analysis of water quality data to see how water quality changes throughout the watershed. IOWATER, a volunteer water quality program, is used to analyze water quality. Participants study habitat change, stream flow, and land use. |
| 2006 | IA | 7 | Iowa Department of Public Health -- $30,376 Sara Colboth, Lucas State Office Building, 321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 Pesticides and Chemicals in Child Care A childcare workgroup consisting of six agencies educates teachers, students, parents, and community leaders about threats to human health from environmental pollution, especially as it affects children, and how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health. These agencies include the Department of Public Health; Department of Human Services; Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship; Department of Education; Iowa Poison Control Center; and Iowa State University Extension. The target audience is licensed childcare providers. This project protects children enrolled in childcare centers throughout Iowa from injury and illness caused by exposures from misuse of hazardous chemicals that are used in childcare centers. The Iowa Department of Public Health has developed and distributed educational materials through this project that explain the EPA labeling system, the importance of reading product labels, whether there is a need to use some chemicals to correct a problem, and Integrated Pest Management. Educational seminars are held throughout the state. In addition, educational materials are distributed, and the importance of safe and proper use of pesticides in the presence of children is discussed. |
| 2006 | KS | 7 | American Lung Association of Kansas -- $44,740 Lynn Crabtree, 4300 SW Drury Lane, Topeka, KS 66604 Rehab the Lab - Removing Hazardous Chemicals from Classrooms The American Lung Association of Kansas, in partnership with Kansas State University, coordinates and conducts four workshops that target high school chemistry teachers in Kansas. This project educates high school, college, and university science teachers about the potential respiratory and other health risks to students and others when they are exposed to hazardous chemicals. This project helps high school science teachers acquire the skills and some of the supplies needed to return to their classrooms and begin using “green science” and micro-scale chemistry experiments. One workshop for college and university faculty is held in conjunction with the Kansas College Chemistry Teachers conference. All four workshops offer lectures about rehabilitating the laboratory and laboratory safety, followed by two simultaneous hands-on laboratory tracks using green science experiments and principles of teaching and demonstrations with micro-scale chemistry kits. |
| 2006 | KS | 7 | K-State Research & Extension Wyandotte County -- $2,948 Lynn Loughary, 9400 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66112 Backyard Composting Educational Program K-State Research & Extension and Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners created four compositing demonstration sites that educate elementary school students and adults on a variety of different backyard composting techniques and how to recycle yard and garden waste. Master gardeners provide and maintain the demonstration sites and teach the composting workshops throughout the year. |
| 2006 | KY | 4 | Lincoln Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc. -- $7,760 Jill Butler, 589 Westport Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701 Sinking Creek Watershed Education Outreach Initiative This environmental educational outreach initiative enhances the awareness of local residents on environmental issues that involve pathogens and sedimentation, which are threats to the water quality of Sinking Creek. The target audience includes local residents, loggers, and farmers in the watershed area, teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 at schools in Breckinridge and Meade Counties, and students in the science classes in kindergarten through grade 8. This project is accomplished by disseminating educational tools and materials to local residents through community events, public forums, an agricultural field day, and workshops for local educators. |
| 2006 | KY | 4 | Mason County School System -- $9,303 Tim Moore, 2nd & Limestone Street, P.O. Box 130, Maysville, KY 41056 TRAILWAYS Nature Trail on School Grounds The TRAILWAYS project established an outdoor classroom and nature trail on school grounds that brings high-quality environmental education to students in kindergarten through grade 12, school personnel, and the community. The nature trail teaches students the species of trees that are native to the area while preserving a natural history for the community. In the outdoor classroom, students learn genus and species along with care and maintenance of the trees planted. |
| 2006 | KY | 4 | Western Kentucky University Research Foundation -- $41,714 Karen Powell, Office of Sponsored Programs, 1906 College Heights Boulevard #11016, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1016 Expanding Environmental Discovery Within Rural Communities Environmental education and community issues – with emphases on clean water and ecosystem protection – are promoted through the Expanding Environmental Discovery within Rural Communities program. Under this grant, teachers representing schools located near Mammoth Cave and Brigadoon State Nature Preserve participate in workshops to learn how to develop and facilitate effective environmental learning experiences. By focusing on the ecosystem in which they live, the teachers are educating rural youth about their role in protecting the environment. The participating students, who write about environmental issues local to the area, are in turn helping to educate members of the community about topics such as clean water and protection of the ecosystem. |
| 2006 | ME | 1 | Cultivating Community -- $33,200 Craig Lapine, P.O. Box 3792, Portland, ME 04104 Earth Steward Garden Initiative The Earth Steward Garden Initiative educates middle school and high school students on environmental stewardship through food-based issues. The project includes gardening programs at area schools. Teachers and students explore the environmental impacts they cause as consumers and producers of food so that they may assess the ecological consequences of food choices, value local foods as a way to minimize resource use and preserve open space, and learn techniques to minimize waste streams and conserve soil fertility. This organization implements the program through school partnerships and youth programs. It expects to partner with at least three schools and train several teachers in Cumberland County on food- and garden-based programs. This organization’s Compost Corps program also expects to enroll high school students to participate in this program. |
| 2006 | ME | 1 | University of Maine System acting for University of Maine -- $61,780 (HQ Grant) Kathryn Carson, 5717 Corbett Hall, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Orono, ME 04469 Aquatic Invaders in Maine (AIM): Education, Exploration, and Stewardship Seeking to improve literacy on the aquatic environment and to promote environmental stewardship, this project involves the development of an education program for 12 Maine middle schools on aquatic invasive species and related concepts in biodiversity. This program augments science education in middle schools by integrating information on aquatic invasive species and biodiversity into the curriculum and empowering students to analyze valuable and useful scientific data. Under the grant, students learn how to use Vital Signs, a monitoring technology that engages and teaches them about aquatic environments. Using hand-held computers, the students identify invasive species and report their observations on an Internet mapping site used by scientists who are tracking the spread and location of these species. These hands-on experiences provide the students a unique opportunity to learn and practice scientific skills and methods and to learn first-hand about local ecosystems and ecology. Participating teachers and volunteers attend a 5-day institute at the Darling Marine Center, followed by monthly in-school visits or field activities by project staff and volunteers. The teachers receive a toolbox to help them teach and learn about aquatic invasive species and their environmental impact, along with guidance on how to integrate lesson plans with the existing curricula. Participants in the program learn about the need to collect meaningful data on aquatic invasive species. These participants also learn about the importance of their role in preserving aquatic biodiversity, thus promoting environmental awareness and stewardship. The program focuses on empowering students and members of the local community to utilize “real-world” data that are also useful to scientists who track the spread of aquatic invasive species within the State of Maine. Partners in this project include the Maine Shore Stewards Program and 12 middle schools in Maine. |
| 2006 | MD | 3 | Anne Arundel Community College -- $9,440 Martha Smith, 101 College Parkway, Arnold, MD 21202-1895 StreamWaders Program Students investigate the relationship between land cover and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The activity is integrated into the existing Environmental Science curriculum at the community college, which includes segments on bay ecology and threats to water quality. The project provides a hands-on, field-based approach to learning the importance of tributary management and land use planning in protecting the Bay. Students participating in the project are given a broad overview of the Chesapeake Bay and learn what they can do to improve the quality of the Bay. By learning first-hand how their individual actions can positively affect the water quality, the students are on their way to becoming environmental stewards in protecting the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. |
| 2006 | MD | 3 | Audubon Society -- $6,388 Rick Leader, 23000 Wells Point Road, Bozman, MD 21612 Women in Science Institute The Women in Science Institute addresses career development by introducing girls ages 11 through 14 to the various careers in science. Students are exposed to various scientific disciplines and participate in three days of intensive science exploration through investigations, such as exploring the tributaries by canoe, conducting water quality experiments, using nets and fishing rods to identify the type of organisms that live in the Chesapeake Bay, and attending lectures by marine biologists and ornithologists on conservation and ecological issues. Students investigate various environmental issues on the health of the bay, from restoration of wetlands to chemical waste removal. In addition, students participate in a field visit to the Shehan Audubon Sanctuary to develop an understanding of the process that leads to environmental stewardship. The program culminates in an annual gathering of participants, mentors, and the public in celebration of student achievement. Graduates are tracked for 10 years to follow academic and professional choices and successes. |
| 2006 | MD | 3 | Maryland Zoological Society, Inc. -- $4,800 Elizabeth Grieb, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD 21217 Conservation Interpretation in the Maryland Wilderness The Conservation Interpretation in the Maryland Wilderness project, sponsored by the Maryland Zoological Society, Inc., provides a conservation-themed “outpost” education program for students and the public at the Zoo’s Maryland Wilderness exhibit. Volunteers, using a variety of interpretive tools that include “biofacts,” playing environmental games, or conversing through questions, encourage guests to think critically and problem solve environmental issues that lead to good environmental stewardship on local Maryland topics. |
| 2006 | MA | 1 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment -- $9,468 Julie Johnson, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002 Riverview: A Current Look at the Sawmill River The Riverview project brings elementary school students into contact with a local habitat, the Sawmill River, and its watershed. Students, teachers, and school administrators learn through direct contact about local habitat, causes of and solutions to pollution, resource conservation, and plant and wildlife habitat protection in the watershed. Students deliver presentations throughout the project. They wrap up the program with student-led presentations and demonstrations (science projects, journals, maps, and storybooks), which are showcased in public buildings throughout the town for the public. |
| 2006 | MA | 1 | New England Wildlife Center -- $85,000 (HQ Grant) Katrina Banagis, 19 Fort Hill Street, Hingham, MA 02043 New England's Wild Legacy This project is geared toward students and teachers in low-income communities in and south of Boston, many of whom have never had the opportunity to learn in outdoor classrooms. The New England Wild Legacy project is expanding its programming so that schools that receive the Sevens curriculum also obtain the As Clear As Mud curriculum. Sevens promotes awareness and understanding of natural objects, and As Clear As Mud enables students to use this new understanding to assess habitat quality and create individual action plans. The goal of this project is to develop a model that can be replicated, working with teacher teams and students to provide a continuum in environmental education from elementary to middle school. The project provides teachers and undergraduate students with scientific skills and a knowledge base so that they can pass environmental stewardship on to their students and peers. Staff from the New England Wildlife Center (NEWC) conduct nature walks around schools and neighborhoods with teachers so that they can become knowledgeable about plants, animals, and habitats near the classrooms. NEWC co-teaches Sevens and As Clear As Mud with teachers in the classrooms, and all of NEWC’s resources and materials are available to participating teachers and classrooms. In addition, college students who participate in NEWC’s internship program assist teachers and students in the classroom, on field trips, and at the NEWC facility. Key project partners include the teachers and principals from Raymond, East Junior High, and North Junior High in Brockton, Massachusetts; Murphy, Shaw and Uphams Corner Charter Schools in Dorchester, Massachusetts; Haggerty School in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Hale School in Roxbury, Massachusetts; McKay School in East Boston, Massachusetts; and South Shore Public Charter School in Norwell, Massachusetts. |
| 2006 | MA | 1 | Trips for Kids New Bedford, Inc. -- $9,938 Joann Clarke, 224 Brock Avenue, New Bedford, MA 02744 Explore Your Environment Explore Your Environment (EYE) educates inner-city youth, ages 9 through 15, on a variety of environmental issues, including air and water quality, litter reduction, healthy natural habitats, and vernal pools. It also provides education on industrial waste and pollution, because there is a hazardous waste site in the community. Students and staff visit New Bedford Harbor as an introduction to the significant local issues of industrial waste and pollution. They also identify many varieties of seaweed and their uses in food and medicine. The students visit the Bioreserve to explore vernal pools and learn about ecology and habitats. This program is offered through a summer camp program, where students and staff use the local environment as the classroom. Professional teachers and naturalists lead all the exercises. |
| 2006 | MI | 5 | Big Bay de Noc School District -- $9,375 Lois Thibault, 8928 0.025 Road, Cooks, MI 49817 Hands-On, Minds-On Science Learning for Life The Big Bay de Noc School District and Garden Township own a combined 18 acres of wooded wetland with 1,500 feet of shoreline on Big Bay de Noc, Lake Michigan. The entire acreage is designed and developed into an outdoor environment-based learning laboratory featuring the Hands-On, Minds-On Science-Learning for Life program. A landscape architect and environmental planner evaluated the site and designed a handicap-accessible development plan. The plan includes observation stations, raised boardwalks over environmentally sensitive areas, an outdoor classroom, parking, public picnic areas, and more. The district has reformed its curriculum by adopting an environment-based curriculum that is aligned with Michigan Science Standards. Pre-kindergarten through grade 12 outdoor investigations, guided tour materials, and information packets are developed. The target audience is pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students from Big Bay de Noc School District and its staff. Additional target audiences include citizens and community groups from the Big Bay de Noc School District and from surrounding school districts. |
| 2006 | MI | 5 | Calvin College -- $14,996 Kenneth Bergwerff, 3201 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 An Inquiry-Based Approach to Education with the Plaster Creek Watershed High school teachers are introduced to existing curricula, activity books, and tools in a workshop that carries graduate credit to learn about watershed issues. The workshop is followed by a year of in-class implementation and a 1-day session to assess and modify materials. High school teachers then develop teaching units about the Plaster Creek watershed that meet state benchmarks. Within the educational units, students use scientific inquiry to formulate, design, gather, analyze, and present information on the physical, biological, and chemical water quality of the creek. Teacher pedagogy and student learning emphasize open-ended and inquiry-based investigation. Grade 9 students are involved in regular monitoring of the flow and stream profile characteristics, including macroinvertebrate inventories of Plaster Creek. The surveys provide a context for successful projects to be developed for upper-level environmental science courses. |
| 2006 | MI | 5 | Eastern Michigan University -- $125,903 (HQ Grant) Rebecca Martusewicz, Starkweather Hall, 2nd Floor, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Building Leadership Capacity for Sustainability Education This project targets kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, administrators, and community partners to strengthen the capacity of four public school districts in New Hampshire, New York, Michigan, and Minnesota to re-orient themselves around sustainability and become models for other schools. The goals of this project are to develop a network of effective school leaders who can demonstrate and advance education in sustainability as a critical reform approach and to disseminate a model process for building this leadership capacity. To achieve these goals, four leadership teams are completing status reports to outline the strengths, weaknesses, and needs in student achievement, opportunities for involving students in environmental stewardship, existing reform efforts in sustainability education, and internal capacity. Based on these data, a 2-day retreat is designed where the teams are provided with training in strategic planning, planning assistance, and existing resources in sustainability education. After the retreat, the teams develop a strategic plan that outlines 1-, 3-, and 5-year goals and budgets for: (1) implementing programming to meet the needs identified, (2) involving students in stewardship, (3) evaluating the impacts of their efforts on student achievement and environmental stewardship, (4) sustaining their work through funding, and (5) promoting the reform work to other educators. Teams are provided with a rigorous framework in strategic planning, technical assistance, evaluation methods, and networking to achieve the objectives. Creative Change Educational Solutions and four public school districts in New Hampshire, New York, Michigan, and Minnesota are the partners on this project. |
| 2006 | MI | 5 | Oakland University -- $85,473 (HQ Grant) Dyanne Tracy, 2000 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309 Michigan Teachers' and Students' Honey Bee Apiary Project for Ecology The Michigan Teachers’ and Students’ Honey Bee Apiary Project for Ecology (MITSHAPE) increases public awareness and knowledge about the needs of the common honey bee (Apis mellifera). MITSHAPE, designed for kindergarten through grade 12 and college undergraduate students, instructs teachers about the skills necessary to become beekeepers. Using these skills, they can build one or more beehives at the local school district’s environmental center or school property, thus engaging students in the study of entomology, beehive management, honey and beeswax production, and the impact of honey bees on the local ecology and agriculture. Through participation in this project, teachers and students engage in environmental stewardship within their communities and implement actions necessary to address the decline of honey bees that began in 1986. Selected teachers participate in a three credit-hour course and build an apiary after they complete the coursework. Partners on this project include the Michigan Beekeepers Association and the National Honey Board. |
| 2006 | MN | 5 | Eco Education -- $15,000 Kathy Kinzig, 509 Sibley Street, #375, St. Paul, MN 55101 High School Urban Environmental Education Initiative The project builds on a successful 2001 grant that focused on workshops for teachers in grades 5 through 8 to build their knowledge of current urban environmental issues and apply it to environmental service-learning and issue investigation in the classroom. The model is expanded to local high schools and provides teachers the opportunity to learn, practice, and teach the skills and components of service-learning, issue investigation, making and keeping community contacts, and facilitating youth leadership in environmental issues, thus acquiring proficiency to eventually conduct projects on their own. The goal is to assist teachers in exposing students to and involving them in addressing current environmental issues that face their communities and the State of Minnesota. The primary audience is teachers in grades 9 through 12 from Minneapolis and St. Paul schools. Eco Education’s program coordinators and community resource partners work with individual teachers and their classrooms during the school year to model and facilitate the issue investigation process. Partners are community and regional organizations and agencies that provide experts to teachers and students and who share their knowledge on the most pertinent environmental issues facing the Twin Cities community. Each teacher involved works with three to four partners. Partners already established include the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy, the University of Minnesota Extension Service, Friends of the Mississippi River, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. |
| 2006 | MN | 5 | The Patricia L. and Wendell W. Maltby Foundation -- $6,285 Jeff Maltby, 789 Sciota Trail East, Randolph, MN 55065 Connecting Communities to the Cannon River Teachers are recruited to the program via a summer institute that is taught, in part, on the Cannon River. This institute is presented in partnership with the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics and the Science Museum of Minnesota, with funding from the National Science Foundation. After a week of intensive river study, participants are required to develop an action plan to implement what they have learned into the classroom curricula. The Maltby Nature Preserve contains more than 90 acres of woodlands, prairie, open grasslands, ponds, and almost one mile of Cannon River shoreline. Watershed education is a major focus for the center’s outreach program. Scientific inquiry and the nature of science are benchmarks at every level under the recently adopted Minnesota academic standards. A model is designed and implemented to involve students in grades 7 and 8 in an authentic inquiry of the health of the Cannon River. The activities used build a sense of connection to the river as students investigate water quality, explore the concept of watersheds, and recognize that their daily actions and choices have effects on water quality. Students make repeated trips to the river to collect and analyze information. |
| 2006 | MS | 4 | Mississippi's Lower Delta Partnership -- $9,360 Meg Cooper, P.O. Box 214, Rolling Fork, MS 39159 Great Delta Bear Affair Youth Education Day A field trip for area fourth graders introduces the students to a variety of conservation-related topics and careers, all of which affect the black bear habitat and population in the Mississippi River delta. Students learn about bear habitat, population, protection, monitoring, and efforts to return the black bear to Mississippi by rotating through a series of presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and interactive activities presented by natural resource professionals. The students can become good environmental stewards and make more informed decisions about the environment. |
| 2006 | MO | 7 | Blue River Watershed Association -- $13,937 Ginevera Moore, P.O. Box 22395, Kansas City, MO 64113 KC Clean Streams The Blue River Watershed Association organizes a water quality project designed to provide students, teachers, and adult volunteers in the Kansas City metropolitan community an opportunity to learn about and address an important community issue: the adverse impact of litter and trash on water quality in Kansas City. They observe the effect of trash on waterways and participate in an environmental stewardship experience. This project consists of a 1-day cleanup event that involves students and teachers in grades 4 and 5, as well as adult volunteers from the community. They learn about water quality issues with standards-based curriculum materials. Students participate in an environmental stewardship experience that demonstrates how individuals can make a positive difference in the environmental health of the community. |
| 2006 | MO | 7 | Migrant Farmworkers Project -- $18,599 Suzanne Gladney, 920 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108 Proyecto Verde: Growing a Healthy Community The Migrant Farmworkers Project addresses lead poisoning, pesticide exposure, and polluted waterways both by providing education on lead poisoning and by testing migrant children for lead. Migrant farmworkers and seasonal workers receive education vital to the health of migrant families about the dangers of exposure to agricultural and household pesticides. Migrant youth also learn how clean waterways are important to creating and preserving healthy plant and fish habitats. Elementary, middle, and high school-age children and adults learn about the dangers of lead poisoning and prevention strategies. In addition, Migrant Farmworkers provides information on recycling to migrants and encourages land stewardship by collecting and reusing recyclable materials. Migrant Farmworkers teaches migrants about agricultural and household pesticides safety, and migrants learn about clean waterways, water ecosystems, and fish that are safe to eat. Migrant Farmworkers encourages stewardship of the land through safe gardening techniques and beautification of the environment. Information is provided about native plants and organic gardening. |
| 2006 | MO | 7 | Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation & Development -- $11,217 Richard Stricklin, 6726 Highway 63, Houston, MO 65483 Jacks Fork Rivers Users Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation & Development conducts educational workshops for students and the public to educate them about the environmental concerns and issues that affect the Jacks Fork River. Students in grades 4 and 5 learn about clean water. A watershed Web site has been developed to update the community about educational activities within the watershed and about the Jacks Fork River. |
| 2006 | MT | 8 | Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources -- $12,000 Frank Edward Allen, 121 Hickory Street, Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59801 A Field-Based Learning Expedition for Reporters and Editors The Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources (IJNR) is an independent, non-profit educational group that conducts expedition-style programs for selected representatives in the field of journalism. To date, IJNR has conducted 31 learning expeditions and a year-around mentoring program serving journalists in 37 states. The institute works with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with representatives in the timber, energy, and food services industries, grass roots organizations, and family-owned farms. For nine consecutive days in September, a diverse group of journalists, serving rural and urban communities in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and the Dakotas, will be visiting various ecosystems. There, they learn about drilling sites, logging and grazing operations, watershed restoration projects, power plants, and wind farms. Journalists are required to improve their competence as critical thinkers and as investigators of trends. They interact with 50 expert speakers and site hosts and visiting communities such as Pinedale, Big Piney, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Rifle, and Salt Lake City. |
| 2006 | MT | 8 | Rim Country Land Institute -- $10,000 Carol Schmid McEvoy, 70 Hanging Tree Gulch, Clancy, MT 59634 Revitalizing Communities Through Place-Based Education and Stewardship The non-profit Rim Country Land Institute (RCLI) offers educational workshops, teacher training, and community service projects in the Yellowstone County and Billings area. Education programs focus on initiatives in environmental stewardship, impacts to the prairie ecosystem, urban sprawl, and conservation easements and Smart Growth policies. This project offers teacher training sessions for state and tribal teachers in the local area; monthly student activities including community service projects; environmental workshops to increase environmental literacy; and school field trips for local schools. Partnerships have been established with Montana State University, Project WET, the Prairie Alliance, the Montana Natural History Association, the Montana Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy – Helena Office, along with tribal representatives from the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne. Partnerships also have been established with federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), EPA, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). |
| 2006 | MT | 8 | Sun River Watershed Group -- $9,990 Alan Rollo, 808 52nd Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405 Montana Watershed and Stewardship Program The non-profit Sun River Watershed Group is dedicated to increasing environmental literacy and stewardship in the Great Falls School District for middle and high school students. This program is a joint venture of the Sun River Watershed Group, Cascade County Conservation District, and Sun River Science Club. Students learn about rivers and watersheds, and in particular issues surrounding the Missouri River and the Sun River and Teton watersheds using hands-on activities related to ecological issues in the area. Teacher seminars involve collecting and interpreting data, improving creativity, as well as developing and applying logical processes in science and environmental issues. The program also demonstrates environmental projects using the Mobile Environmental Science Lab (MESL). This small school bus has been remodeled into a mobile laboratory where demonstration kits and equipment can be transported to the students and teachers. Project curricula and materials used come from several sources, including The Montana Watercourse, Healthy Water Healthy People, Water Quality Educators Guide, and the Air & Waste Management Association’s Environmental Resource Guide on Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention. |
| 2006 | NE | 7 | Chadron State College -- $9,067 Chadron State College, 1000 Main Street, Chadron, NE 69337 Environmental Stewardship of Streams in Northwestern Nebraska Chadron State College faculty and students organize and participate in a stream monitoring program for secondary school teachers and students. This project promotes environmental stewardship of streams in northwestern Nebraska. Teachers and students participate in field trips to study sites and to Project WET workshops. In addition, secondary school teachers participate in biology courses that consist of trips to study sites and Project WET workshops. These activities improve their teaching skills in science education. A biological assessment course is taught on how to conduct volunteer stream assessments. Students create digital maps of study sites, a database of all results, and a Web page for participants to use and share data as they work through the project. Additionally, they learn about environmental careers while assisting secondary school teachers in stream monitoring. |
| 2006 | NE | 7 | Keep North Platte & Lincoln County Beautiful -- $13,577 Angela King, 715 South Jeffers, P.O. Box 313, North Platte, NE 69103 Storm Water Protection Education Keep North Platte & Lincoln County Beautiful educates the public on the causes and effects of storm water pollution and on behaviors to prevent and reduce storm water pollution. Keep North Platte & Lincoln County Beautiful also educates and provides opportunities for members of North Platte and Lincoln County to address community issues on storm water management and protection. The organization works with the city’s storm water protection programs by educating the public on how storm water systems work and how proper household hazardous waste options can help protect local water systems. Presentations are also given to service organizations and at business association meetings. Furthermore, educational materials on preventing storm water pollution are provided to participants. Finally, community members participate in local events such as home shows to give presentations on storm water pollution. |
| 2006 | NE | 7 | The Groundwater Foundation -- $14,439 Cindy Kriefels, P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542 H20 on the Go Train-the-Trainer The Groundwater Foundation provides on-the-go education in ground water to elementary and middle school students where they are, rather than bringing children to ground water education events. The foundation works in partnership with the Westside Boys & Girls Club of Omaha, U.S. Geological Survey’s Iowa Water Science Center, the Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Educators learn how to adapt existing ground water education lesson plans and hands-on activities into their programs. Educators then deliver these programs to elementary and middle school students in informal educational settings for children, such as camps, summer day programs, after-school programs, and boys and girls clubs. The Groundwater Foundation trains nonformal educators throughout EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) to use the H20 on the Go Train-the-Trainer model in programming. The training sessions begin with basics of ground water and then teach educators how to incorporate fun, hands-on ground water education into existing programs. Educators offer a 4- to 6-hour training that includes basic information on ground water, lesson plans with ideas for hands-on activities, and tools for adapting lessons and activities to fit differing settings and audiences. |
| 2006 | NV | 9 | Winnemucca Recycling Center -- $10,000 Angela Metcalf, 655 Anderson Street, Winnemucca, NV 89445 Winnemucca Recycling Center The Winnemucca Recycling Center’s mission is to establish a sustainable recycling program in this Nevada community, a state with a goal of a 25 percent recycling rate but that remains at 10 percent or less. The center’s Recycling Education Team develops and presents environmental education programs and materials to local schools and residents. These programs include tours of landfills and recycling centers, slide presentations, information on composting, and existing cross-curricula lesson plans on recycling. The goals and plans are to use five existing integrated thematic units in preparing and teaching lessons throughout the community and in the schools, arranging community meetings on recycling, and to teach classes based in artistic crafts that can be constructed with recycled materials. The audience encompasses all of Humboldt County, but in particular local businesses, schools, and the surrounding rural community. |
| 2006 | NH | 1 | Audubon Society of New Hampshire -- $39,000 Helen Dalbeck, 3 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301 The Merrimack River Stewardship Program The Merrimack River Stewardship Program is a school-year-long, interdisciplinary place-based science education program, introducing elementary and middle school students to a wide variety of watershed topics. These topics include nonpoint source pollution, water quality, hydrology, habitats, wetlands, aquatic ecology, cultural use of rivers, and the study of migratory fish as models to a healthy watershed. The program develops and delivers three teaching workshops to new teachers who deliver the watershed curriculum to the students. The teachers use lessons from existing and enhanced curricula and teach in different classrooms with Fishways staff and volunteer facilitators. |
| 2006 | NJ | 2 | Collier Services, Inc. -- $7,174 Ellen Kelly, 160 Conover Road, P.O. Box 300, Wickatunk, NJ 07765 Environmental Career Odyssey The Environmental Career Odyssey is a program focused on fostering environmental stewardship among middle school students from traditionally underserved communities in Monmouth County. The youth, ages 11 to 14, participate in a 1-week program where they increase their knowledge about environmental topics, such as marine science, forestry, water pollution, and habitat destruction, and learn how to take responsible actions to protect the environment. During the week, the students also participate in field trips that enhance the traditional classroom experiences by providing hands-on access to environmental activities. The students also learn about careers in the environmental field. |
| 2006 | NJ | 2 | Georgian Court University -- $10,600 Louise Wootton, 900 Lakewood Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701 Curricular Unit on Invasive Species with Focus on Phragmites Australis Georgian Court University has developed an integrated curriculum unit on invasive species for use by middle school teachers. The unit, consisting of a series of lesson plans and links to other related sites, is posted on the university’s Web site and deals with Phragmites australis, the common reed. “Learning trunks” with materials for educators using the unit, are available for loan by teachers to integrate the unit into classroom programming. By focusing on a highly visible invasive species, teachers and students are developing a better awareness of how human activities alter the environment and are increasing their ability to act as environmental stewards. |
| 2006 | NJ | 2 | Pequannock River Coalition -- $7,390 Michelle Brook, P.O. Box 392, Newfoundland, NJ 07435 River in the Classroom and Watershed Detectives The Pequannock River Coalition conducts classroom programs with students in grades 4 thorough 6 in Morris, Sussex, and Passaic Counties in New Jersey to teach them about the Pequannock River and its watershed. Students learn about nonpoint source pollution, watershed dynamics, and pollution prevention strategies for the Pequannock. Students identify areas where temperature has changed and participate in native planting restorations at sites as a hands-on stewardship project. |
| 2006 | NJ | 2 | Seton Hall University -- $14,218 Michael Taylor, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079 Environmental Quality Monitoring and Public Education Seton Hall University has developed a volunteer environmental quality monitoring and public education program for the East Branch of the Rahway River. University students learn about surface water issues and collecting monitoring data. They share their knowledge and skills with community volunteers and organizations to promote environmental stewardship. This project supports establishing and collecting data at water monitoring stations, training community volunteers in water quality monitoring, developing educational brochures and a Web site on surface water issues and water pollution prevention, and programs in classrooms and at local events on watershed ecology protection. |
| 2006 | NM | 6 | Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park -- $10,000 Stephanie Bestelmeyer, P.O. Box 891, Las Cruces, NM 88004-0891 Desert Teachers and Learners Project The Desert Teachers and Learners Project enhances knowledge about complex environmental systems and issues in southern New Mexico and west Texas. Delivered to elementary through high school teachers and the public, the project is three parts, consisting of: (1) two 1-day teacher workshops (water conservation and desertification, erosion, and air pollution), (2) follow-up support for teachers through the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park’s successful Schoolyard Desert Discovery Project of 30 hands-on, inquiry-based activities for use by students in kindergarten through grade 12, and (3) two Saturday morning public education events coordinated by teacher workshop participants and scientists. The teachers use their teaching expertise and new knowledge about environmental science to design the public programs. Scientists provide content information and learn from the teachers about how to teach non-scientists. All participants serve as both a teacher and a learner in the Desert Teachers and Learners Project. The project produces trained teachers who present public education events on relevant community environmental issues. These teachers later help their students eliminate stereotypes about who can become a scientist and educate them about environmental issues to encourage environmental careers. |
| 2006 | NM | 6 | Hawks Aloft, Inc. -- $15,212 Sarah Young, 6715 Eagle Rock Road, Albuquerque, NM 87113 Living with the Landscape Living with the Landscape is an innovative environmental education program developed by Hawks Aloft. The goals of this program are to teach elementary school students about the importance of environmental stewardship and to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving through a hands-on, project-based curriculum. It aims to increase motivation for students to become environmentally responsible citizens and to encourage empowerment, enabling students to “make a difference” in their communities. The main strategy is to use live non-releasable birds of prey (raptors) to interest and excite students and to illustrate important ecological concepts. The target audience is eight classrooms in New Mexico that are on Tribal lands or that have a high percentage of Native American students. The project consists of three classroom visits, two field trips, and one conservation project per classroom. The student-led conservation project is implemented in the local community and is designed to provide a measurable environmental benefit. During all events, students are encouraged to think about environmental careers and discuss how to achieve this goal. This population has not traditionally received funding for non-traditional education programs. Teachers are provided with a hands-on interactive curriculum that can be used without the presence of the raptors. Teachers also gain an enhanced awareness of the importance of and tools to teach and promote environmental stewardship with their students. The indirect audience is other students and faculty members in participating schools and members of the local community. |
| 2006 | NM | 6 | New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science -- $16,665 Selena Connealy, 1801 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104 Student Ecology Project The Student Ecology Project (SEP) engages high school students in basic field research through 6-week-long, student-centered projects. Working with teachers as partners, the SEP guides students through the process of experiment design, data collection and analysis, and communicating the results of the work at a final congress that is based on the model of a scientific meeting. Four communities are targeted and teachers will be recruited to mentor the students. The New Mexico Math Engineering and Science Achievement (NM MESA) partners with the museum to provide summer enrichment courses for students that build skills in math and science while engaging them in ecology research. Three graduate interns from regional universities are recruited and trained to provide student training and technical assistance to teachers as they work with the students in carrying out their ecology research projects. Components of the project include: (1) training teachers to design and teach a successful 6-week field ecology course to high school students; (2) providing equipment, study design, and technical assistance to each of the four sites; (3) supporting teachers during the duration of their courses; and (4) convening a final congress to allow students to communicate the findings of their research through poster and PowerPoint presentations. This approach, while staff intensive, has proven to be a successful way to provide teachers with the tools to teach effective courses, while at the same time exciting students about environmental science and numerous environmental career choices they can pursue. |
| 2006 | NM | 6 | Santa Fe Children's Museum -- $9,960 Jason Scott, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Teen Teachers in Earthworks The Teen Teachers in Earthworks project seeks to hire teens from the Santa Fe area who will participate in a mentorship program, attend biweekly training sessions, lead daily environmental programs, and facilitate a series of environmental service projects in the spring of 2007. The target audience is school-age children who are scheduled to visit the museum. The Teen Teachers in Earthworks presents — free to the public and without a registration requirement during regular museum hours — environmental programs for families and school groups. These environmental programs encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. In addition, each of these teens will lead public community service projects at the museum in the spring of 2007. The overall goal of this project is to increase the environmental literacy in the Santa Fe community by building environmental education into the overall museum experience. Short-term goals to be achieved are to enhance the quality of public environmental knowledge through an outstanding mentorship program for teen educators; and to increase the self-confidence of these teenagers, their teaching skills, and their work ethic, as well as their concern and passion for the environment. Long-term goals are to increase environmental stewardship among the participating teenagers, as well as the museum’s visitors, and to empower the teen teachers to become environmentally conscious citizens and future leaders in science, education, and the environment. |
| 2006 | NY | 2 | City of Kingston -- $10,356 Kevin Gilfeather, 467 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401 Kingston Parks: An Outdoor Classroom The Outdoor Classroom project provides teachers and students with a hands-on interactive approach to environmental studies by using local parks as the location for field experiences. These experiences involve local land uses, water quality of the Hudson River, and the role of communities and nature centers in protection of endangered species. The program is correlated with state core curricula. Teacher workshops prepare educators for the programs at the parks and will include pre- and post-trip materials. Students take part in field trips to the parks and participate in activities that help them understand the history and ecology of the site. This grant provides fee-free stewardship to build educational experiences to Kingston students in kindergarten through grade 12. |
| 2006 | NY | 2 | Long Island Regional Envirothon, Ltd. -- $8,801 Sharon Frost, 423 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901 Long Island Regional Envirothon Participation of high school students in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties in an annual environmental education competition is supported through this grant. Students prepare by studying various topics and issues, such as aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and current environmental issues. They then compete by responding to questions and challenges on these environmental topics, demonstrating what they have learned. Their involvement in the program fosters interest in environmental careers and develops environmental stewardship. |
| 2006 | NY | 2 | Rochester Institute of Technology -- $13,614 Katherine Clark, 141 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 Sustainable Product Design and Development: Initiation of a Minor Program Rochester Institute of Technology offers a minor in sustainable product development (SPD). The SPD program teaches students to consider the complete lifecycle in product development. The program involves technically oriented students interested in the relationship among engineering, technology, and sustainability. Traditional classroom instruction, Web site development, student participation in a speaker series on environmental themes, and site visits to natural and industrial sites are included in the course. As these students learn about SPD, they understand the importance of minimizing the environmental impacts of products they will develop during their careers. They also understand how to be more responsive to human impacts on the environment, find ways to mitigate those impacts, and develop the habit of environmental stewardship. |
| 2006 | NY | 2 | Rocking the Boat, Inc. -- $35,000 Adam Green, 60 East 174th Street, Bronx, NY 10452 Rocking the Boat Education Program Two programs focusing on the Bronx and East Rivers are conducted for high school-age students in New York City. Students in the Out-Of-School-On-Water program meet twice a week after school for a 13-week semester, and four days a week for seven weeks during the summer. Using wooden boats built by their peers, they conduct river water quality studies, including data collection, research, and physical restoration of the Bronx River. Students who participate in the Community Environmental Program also take part in a similar program during the school day. Rocking the Boat educators work with classroom teachers in the community education program to develop projects where students combine classroom learning with field experiences on the rivers. Both projects promote environmental stewardship, as students are involved in implementing conservation and restoration projects. |
| 2006 | NY | 2 | Trout Unlimited -- $15,000 Rochelle Gandour, c/o NYDEP, 59-17 Junction Boulevard, 19th Floor, Flushing, NY 11373 New York Trout in the Classroom Teacher Conferences By raising trout and managing their in-classroom water environment, teachers and students who participate in Trout in the Classroom (TIC) learn about the importance of clean, fresh water. They also learn about the human impacts on watersheds, how water conditions affect living things and human drinking water supplies, and how to care for this vital ecosystem. This grant agreement supports three teacher conferences where educators gain the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate TIC fully into the classes. Kindergarten through grade 12 teachers are the target audience, but their students also learn how to care for the environment and develop environmental stewardship attitudes and skills. |
| 2006 | NC | 4 | Clean Air Community Trust Inc. -- $6,500 Margie Meares, P.O. Box 2824, Asheville, NC 28802 CAST - Clean Air Student Training Under this grant, basic lessons in air quality are delivered to local high school and middle school students through Clean Air Student Training, known as CAST. The lessons include basic information on specific air quality issues in western North Carolina, a program in electricity conservation, and a class in transportation fuels. By participating in the class, students can recognize air pollution problems and consider specific, concrete actions that can be taken to reduce air pollution emissions. The lessons also serve as hands-on introductions to contests run at both the middle- and high-school levels. |
| 2006 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts -- $10,000 Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609 North Carolina Envirothon Program This hands-on Envirothon for high school and middle school students and teachers from across North Carolina gives students an opportunity to work together to find the answers to potential environmental problems. During the competition, the students make their own observations, run tests, and solve problems as a team to increase environmental knowledge and critical thinking skills used in the competition. The students work together to study natural resources and current environmental issues. This competition helps to foster interest of the students in pursuing careers in the environment. |
| 2006 | NC | 4 | Wake County Government -- $4,800 Angeline McInerny, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, NC 27602 Wake County "Feed the Bin" Teacher Training Workshops "Feed the Bin" is a recycling program that consists of interactive demonstrations, discussions, presentations, hands-on activities, and site visits to an operating solid waste management facility. This workshop is for high school teachers who learn about recycling issues and return to the classroom with the tools necessary to incorporate solid waste environmental education into the curriculum. It is important that the school teachers understand and embrace the “Feed the Bin” program so they can promote environmental stewardship in the classroom to ensure the success of this recycling program. The Wake County Solid Waste Management Division offers teacher trainings in the form of 10-hour workshops to educate staff on the recycling program and to provide them with the tools and lesson plans needed to promote recycling habits in a classroom setting. |
| 2006 | ND | 8 | Solid Waste & Recycling Association -- $13,375 Angela Boeshans, P.O. Box 235, Carrington, ND 58421 Alternative Disposal for Construction and Demolition Materials The North Dakota Solid Waste and Recycling Association (NDSWRA) is a non-profit organization that was formed to educate, train, and promote environmentally sound waste management practices. This project increases public knowledge about issues related to backyard burning of household garbage and alternative disposal of construction and demolition materials. Five training sessions are conducted in various regional locations in the communities of Devils Lake, Valley City, Bismarck, Dickinson, and New Town, as well as at the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, and Standing Rock Indian Reservation. These training sessions are promoted to a public audience that includes regional and tribal health district units, local and tribal governments, and teachers and students from state and tribal schools. These training sessions and related conferences discuss the environmental and health impacts of backyard burning and improper disposal of construction and demolition material. In addition, alternatives for destruction or disposal of solid waste are discussed. |
| 2006 | OH | 5 | Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus -- $13,949 Kimberly Royal, 700 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115 The Euclid Creek Watershed: Community Stewardship Through Environmental Education The Euclid Creek Watershed project develops a multi-disciplinary course about the watershed for local teachers and community group leaders to educate and increase environmental stewardship. The course involves both classroom instruction at Cuyahoga Community College and hands-on field instruction at the watershed. The project produces an educational water quality assessment DVD that details the physical, chemical, and biological sampling techniques used by teachers, students, and other stakeholders. The DVD is disseminated to teachers at middle schools, high schools, and environmental organizations, and through the Cuyahoga Community College Web site and Smart TV community cable channel. The project primarily reaches middle and high school teachers and students. An additional target audience of other informal educators affiliated with organizations that promote conservation and stewardship is reached. The project increases stewardship through a better understanding of the integrated cultural and ecological history of the watershed, which helps educators and students appreciate the quality of the watershed. |
| 2006 | OH | 5 | Ohio River Basin Consortium -- $5,700 Tiao Chang, Ohio University, 147 Stocker Center, Athens, OH 45701 Workshop for Secondary School Teachers: Current Status of Ohio River Waters The goal of the Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education is to promote inter-institutional research and education in water-related concerns and other environmental issues in the Ohio River Basin. The consortium, a group of universities, colleges, governmental agencies, industries, and individuals, has organized a special workshop on the river-wide status of the Ohio River waters based on the River Run 2005. The Ohio River Run 2005 was a 981-mile snapshot of the Ohio River at low flow. During this time, scientists and students monitored the physical, chemical, and algal responses to the river from inputs from its tributaries and from point source effluents, such as wastewater from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. The workshop is conducted based on the data collected from the 981-mile Ohio River. Secondary-school teachers, especially from economically disadvantaged areas, are recruited and selected for participation. |
| 2006 | OK | 6 | University of Oklahoma -- $30,951 J. Scott Greene, 731 Elm Avenue, Room 134, Norman, OK 73019 Teacher Training in Wind Energy The Renewable Energies Educational Development (REED) program uses the three Ws — workshop, workbook, and Web site — to provide a comprehensive and cohesive renewable energy curriculum at no cost to the teacher or school district. The workshop strengthens environmental stewardship in Oklahoma by educating middle and high school teachers who will take back to their classrooms new skill sets, teaching strategies, free education materials — including an easily reproducible workbook — and classroom activities related to renewable energies. The outputs of the REED program result in a more scientifically and technologically proficient population who are better able to make decisions on the environmental welfare of Oklahoma. The workshop, workbook, and Web site incorporate concepts from the Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS), enabling teachers to apply and design lesson content for their classrooms and instruction. The target audience is Oklahoma teachers in grades 7 through 12. |
| 2006 | OR | 10 | Institute for Applied Ecology -- $11,000 Jennie Cramer, 563 SW Jefferson Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97333 Native Comeback Initiative Local schools are paired with local native prairies, where students plan and participate in restoration and re-introduction of endangered plant species and habitat for the endangered butterfly, the Fender’s blue. The middle and high school students are taught about the ecology, botany, and horticulture of the Willamette Valley, giving them the skills and tools needed to understand, restore, and re-introduce endangered species to Willamette Valley prairies. Students collect, plant, and monitor native seeds and work in the classroom, greenhouse, and field. The Institute for Applied Ecology works closely with teachers and land managers to ensure the efficient coordination and scientific integrity of the restoration. The project involves local school children as stewards in habitat restoration using inquiry-based science and addresses one of the most highly endangered ecosystems in the United States. |
| 2006 | OR | 10 | Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center -- $13,840 Brian Windrope, 917 SW Oak Street, Suite 412, Portland, OR 97205 Opal Creek Native Youth Careers Project The Opal Creek Native Youth Careers Project conducts a week-long intensive training for Native American high-school age youth in forest and watershed management skills. The project partners with natural resource professionals, regional Native leaders, and Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center staff to lead hands-on field exercises in forest ecology, aquatic ecology, and biomonitoring using the Opal Creek ecosystem as a classroom. Tribal organizations in the Pacific Northwest are increasingly asked to manage extensive forest and riparian areas. This project introduces Native youth to a range of skills that will qualify them to work in natural resource management and contribute to improved stewardship of Tribal forests and watersheds. |
| 2006 | OR | 10 | Oregon State University -- $11,000 Melissa Feldberg, P.O. Box 1086, Corvallis, OR 97339 Climate Change Workshops for Teachers: Moving from Information to Action Oregon State University holds two on-site climate change workshops for middle and high school science teachers. The project develops a cadre of teachers in Oregon who are equipped with the latest research-based information and teaching materials on climate change to be shared with their students and other teachers in their area. The project is designed to focus on “information to action” — to encourage teachers and students to develop specific projects and changes in personal lifestyles to reduce their contribution to climate change. The project is further designed to emphasize the importance of informing students and the public on current environmental research and stimulate critical thinking and problem solving skills; and improve teaching skills in environmental problem solving using the topic of climate change. |
| 2006 | OR | 10 | Wolftree, Inc. -- $10,000 Jay Hopp, 516 SE Morrison Street, Suite 710, Portland, OR 97214 Madras High School Research and Stewardship Project Wolftree, Inc., engages highly motivated Madras High School students from a high-risk rural community to undertake research and stewardship projects in the community. The program provides 10 field days and 10 classroom sessions (90 minutes each) for high school students. The focus is on ecological monitoring and restoration with mentor scientists, “real life” questions, state-of-the-art equipment training, and inquiry. The Haystack Reservoir in the Crooked River National Grasslands, just outside Madras, is used as the outdoor classroom. The students focus on three major management and restoration issues: (1) Western juniper expansion, (2) non-native weed invasion, and (3) wildlife habitat restoration. Science professionals, including Wolftree, Inc., staff and mentors from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Crooked River National Grasslands, Deschutes and Ochoco National Forest, Portland General Electric, and Raven Research guide the students in small research teams. This project serves a community that has limited access to quality programs in science. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Awbury Arboretum -- $10,000 Gerald Kaufman, 1 Awbury Road, Philadelphia, PA 19138 The Tacony-Frankford Watershed Teacher Education Project Awbury Arboretum provides a series of professional development sessions to local kindergarten through grade 8 teachers in the Tacony-Frankford watershed. The sessions demonstrate new activities and methods for teachers and motivate them to use local wetlands as “outdoor classrooms” for teaching about the watershed. The participants are taught to think about the watershed in three ways: scientifically; as a community resource affected by local pollutants and usage; and as a natural resource. Participating teachers are from the local public, charter, or private schools, and a few represent the homeschool community. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $10,000 Janet Wynn Starwood, 100 Greenwood Avenue, Wyncote, PA 19095 Green City Youth Program Earth Force develops environmental literacy and stewardship skills of inner-city youth through service learning projects focused on urban greening. Underserved elementary, middle, and high school students from low-income communities in the School District of Philadelphia and their educators benefit. The program encourages environmental stewardship and works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). Student projects are presented to the public at the PHS Kids Grow Expo and Earth Forth Youth Summits. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Group Against Smog and Pollution, Inc. -- $10,150 Rachel Filippini, Wightman School, Community Building, 5604 Solway Street, Room 204, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Fueling the Future The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) aims to educate middle and high school teachers and community members about the human health and environmental hazards of diesel exhaust and pollution from vehicles. Teachers learn about alternative fuels, vehicles, and other strategies to reduce exposure that is summarized in lesson plan format with hands-on activities for classrooms. GASP targets teachers in Allegheny and surrounding counties for the hands-on workshop and in-school trainings. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Northampton County Area Community College -- $17,054 Arthur Scott, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 18020 For the Birds: Invasive Species and Environmental Stewardship Northampton Community College (NCC) students participate in the invasive species and environmental stewardship project “For the Birds.” Students on the Monroe campus of NCC study the effects of human development and invasive species in stream corridors within the Pocono Mountains. The goal of the program is two-fold: (1) teach students to think critically about environmental issues, analyze information, and design realistic environmental plans, while encouraging students to pursue environmental careers; and (2) educate the local community on the importance of balancing population growth with the natural environment, and encouraging environmental stewardship. The project involves students in introductory biology in service-learning projects and students in field ecology in interactive field laboratory experiments. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania Resources Council -- $10,000 David Mazza, 64 South 14th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 African-American Cultural Heritage Garden and Living Laboratory The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) has designed and developed an African-American Cultural Heritage Garden and Living Laboratory Project on two abandoned lots. PRC, in partnership with the Helen S. Faison Arts Academy (HSFAA) and the Rosedale Block Cluster, Inc., offers its expertise to help restore the site and create a Living Laboratory that will instill environmental stewardship. The living laboratory consists of healthy soil, handicapped-accessible garden paths and elevated beds, composting bins, a rail barrel, African-American gardening traditions, educational garden signage, and a school and community gathering area. The target audience is predominantly underserved elementary school students (including some who participate in a full-day HSFAA summer program), students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5, teachers and HSFAA faculty members, and the greater Homewood community. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Saint Vincent College -- $11,228 Norman Hipps, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650 Field Institute for Environmental Learning Saint Vincent College conducts a 5-day Field Institute for Environmental Learning for students in kindergarten through grade 6 and pre-service teachers in the graduate program. The project is field-based and focuses on curricula that address the Pennsylvania academic standards for Watersheds and Wetlands; Ecosystems and their Interactions; and Humans and the Environment. Through increased content knowledge on freshwater ecosystems, teachers gain the ability to effectively use field-based techniques with their students, increasing the students’ capacity to investigate the natural world, and gain a sense of appreciation for the water ecosystems within the community. Field-based activities include studying and identifying aquatic and terrestrial organisms, developing visual observation equipment for elementary school students, water quality testing, tracking and barefoot mapping, and practicing identification techniques using field guides. |
| 2006 | PA | 3 | Strawberry Hill Foundation, Inc. -- $9,877 Yvonne Werzinsky, 1537 Mount Hope Road, Fairfield, PA 17320 Watershed Ambassadors Program of Adams County Strawberry Hill Foundation, Inc. has designed a Watershed Ambassadors Program geared toward teachers and underserved middle school students (grades 5 through 7) with an interest in the sciences and the environment. In collaboration with “El Centro” (the Center), a local non-profit institution, students learn about the Monocacy River watershed, its connection to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and its impact on the area. Students participate in a series of experiential field trips to reinforce lessons, which include stream water quality testing as an indicator of water health, a visit to a bald eagle nesting site, and a community service project. Students also visit a sustainable organic farm to compare its farming methods with farming methods that use pesticides and other chemical applications — and the subsequent impact on the environment, hike through a nature preserve, and culminate with an educational environmental display designed by the students at the Adams County Community Fest. The project instills environmental stewardship through critical thinking skills and serves as a model that will be adapted to other areas throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland. |
| 2006 | PR | 2 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico -- $25,507 Amaury Boscio-Vargas, P.O. Box 363255, San Juan, PR 00936 Environmental Programming and Career Development for College Students College and high school students and community members are educated about the environment, especially as it relates to protection of Laguna Tortuguero Natural Reserve, an ecosystem with the largest freshwater lagoon in Puerto Rico. College students, in seminars, learn about the ecosystem, conduct scientific field work at the reserve, and teach high school students — also on field trips — about the reserve ecosystem. They also conduct workshops, partnering with the Ecotourism Office in Vega Baja, for science teachers and community volunteers. The field experiences include extensive microbiological analysis of water quality in the reserve. All involved will learn how they can be environmental stewards. |
| 2006 | PR | 2 | Universidad del Turabo, Ana G. Mendez University System -- $39,297 Eddie Laboy, State Road 189m Km.3.3, P.O. Box 3030, Gurabo, PR 00778-3030 Saturday Environmental Academy The Universidad del Turabo works with educators from southeast Puerto Rico. Elementary school teachers participate in workshops, field trips, hands-on activities, and brainstorming sessions as they explore the ecology of southeast Puerto Rico and learn about current environmental impact issues. Teachers, in addition to participating in a simulated public hearing on a current environmental concern in the ecosystem, employ the same interactive model in the classrooms. Students explore their local ecology and the ways pollution can affect it. This process is designed to foster a sense of environmental stewardship and, in turn, enable teachers to share their care for local ecosystems with their students. |
| 2006 | RI | 1 | Childhood Lead Action Project -- $23,311 Roberta Hazen Aaronson, 1192 Westminister Street, Providence, RI 02909 Rhode Island Lead Hazard Mitigation DVD (Spanish) Owners of rental property in Rhode Island are required by law to take an awareness course about lead. This organization is creating and developing a DVD in Spanish to illustrate lead-safe practices that can be carried out by owners of rental properties. The DVD complements the other materials used in the 3-hour Lead Hazard Mitigation Course to educate participants on lead-safe work practices. This project includes three phases: creating a workshop to design and film the DVD, training instructors on use of the DVD, and alerting the target audience that the DVD is available. |
| 2006 | RI | 1 | Save The Bay -- $10,756 Patricia A. DeMarco, 100 Save The Bay Drive, Providence, RI 02905 Girls in Science Bay Camp: Pilot Program This project educates middle school-age girls in a 2-week summer camp that provides instruction on degradation of water quality, destruction versus restoration of critical habitats, and the health of various watersheds. There are two camps: one at Bay Center in Providence, and the other at Fort Adams in Newport. Included in the program is exploration of careers in science, and particularly marine science. Students have an in-classroom session with discussion, laboratory work, group work, compiling and analyzing data, a lunchtime career seminar with speakers, and an “on-the-water session” (kayaking, snorkeling, water quality studies, and trawling for critters). |
| 2006 | SC | 4 | University of South Carolina Research Foundation -- $17,017 Jeffrey Tipton, 901 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208 Watershed Ecology Center Program at University of South Carolina This project is design to implement a watershed education and pollution prevention program for Lake Lyman residents and students in kindergarten through grade 12. The project has developed and implemented a long-range adult education and outreach program and administers a watershed curriculum in school districts in the Lake Lyman watershed. The audience is reached through public school education programs, a summer children’s pontoon classroom on Lake Lyman, regularly scheduled town meetings, a water education festival, volunteer educators, and presentations and printed material at local events. |
| 2006 | SD | 8 | Lower Brule Sioux Tribe -- $21,035 Shary Lynn Fire Cloud, 187 Oyate Circle, Lower Brule, SD 57548 Summer School/Work Environmental Science Program The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (LBST) Environmental Protection Office (EPO) has been in existence since 1994 with the purpose of developing technical capability and management of the reservation’s natural resources. The focus of this project is preserving the reservation’s ecosystems in partnership with the Brule Sioux High School, LBST’s Wildlife Department, LBST’s Cultural Resource Office, and the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks fishery crew. Project outputs include conducting programs in environmental education and field experience to high school students. These students learn to identify the various ecosystems and their locations and identify the land-use practices that could affect these ecosystems and tools to preserve the areas. The students also maintain and irrigate trees planted earlier in the spring, analyze water quality, create simulations of possible Brownfields projects and develop future uses, and develop creative ideas on how to preserve the wildlife while balancing human needs. The students also increase their knowledge of stewardship and the responsibility for managing these ecosystems. Students participate in classroom activities and interactive work experiences and field trips. |
| 2006 | TN | 4 | Tennessee Aquarium -- $13,150 Heather DeGaetano, 201 Broad Street, Suite 200, Chattanooga, TN 37402-1010 Sturgeon Reintroduction and Education Program The Tennessee Aquarium partners with a grade 5 class from Gap Creek Elementary School to raise awareness about the lake sturgeon and the cause of its declining numbers. The children are exposed to hands-on conservation efforts and critical thinking about the local environment. The public that uses the river for recreation is educated about the lake sturgeon and its role in protecting it. The project uses well-planned activities, classroom lectures, and information cards. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Austin College -- $9,880 Peter Schulze, 900 North Grand Avenue, Suite 6P, Sherman, TX 75090 Expanding Community Awareness: Benefits of Native and Restored Blackland Prairie Austin College graduate students hone their teaching skills by developing and giving presentations to elementary school children and their teachers about the Blackland Prairie. They also present to the children a myriad of careers that they can pursue that will benefit the environment. The ecology of Blackland Prairie, the history of land use, the potential for restoration of the prairie, and the benefits of native and restored tallgrass prairies are taught through a series of field trips. Target audience is Grayson, Collin, Cooke, and Fannin County students in grade 4 from public and private schools, scout troops, and home school organizations and their teachers or sponsors. While they are at the prairie, students plant seeds, compete to find the most varieties of plants in a hoop placed on the ground, and observe a demonstration on the effects of ground cover on runoff and erosion. In addition, they observe animals in their natural habitats, imitate individual animals in a bison herd, and learn to appreciate the delicate balance of the Blackland Prairie ecosystem. The field trips are supplemented with a video and an extensive set of classroom lessons. The video and lesson plans reinforce and expand on the lessons of the field trip. Collectively, these activities foster a sense of responsibility for stewardship. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority -- $8,900 Cynthia Thomas-Jimenez, 933 East Court Street, Seguin, TX 78155 Nonpoint Source Pollution Public Outreach The population of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Basin is projected to double in the next 30 years. This growth and subsequent development could impair water quality within rivers and streams in the basin, which are the source of the majority of drinking water systems basin-wide. Outreach is conducted, including a demonstration of a Guadalupe River Basin Watershed model that educates both school-age children and the public about nonpoint source pollution and the impact their actions can have on water quality. The Guadalupe River Basin Watershed model is a replica of the Guadalupe River Basin that can be used to demonstrate the impact of nonpoint source pollution on the river basin. Educating these citizens, both young and old, will assist them in developing proactive attitudes and actions for waste, disposal, and proper use of hazardous substances. The Guadalupe River Watershed model is used primarily in school settings at the fifth-grade level. A series of demonstrations has been developed for interactive learning of the impacts of nonpoint pollution on water sources. There are seven large school districts in this region. During the first year, the campaign seeks to reach 50 percent of these schools. The campaign plans to reach adult citizens through a variety of meetings that target homeowners and business owners. These meetings present opportunities to participate in discussions about watershed management and nonpoint source pollution. Reference booklets that are specific to each county are provided. In addition, adult groups have the opportunity to experience the model. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi -- $43,794 James Needham, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412 Redefining Environmental Education The Corpus Christi region is a diverse and sensitive environment that supports an abundance of living resources, including several endangered species. Unfortunately, social and economic conditions contribute to a general lack of environmental consciousness. The goal of this project therefore is to raise environmental awareness and create environmental stewards. The project consists of five components: summer camps for youth, environmental education training for teachers, field trips for rural teachers and their students, environmental expeditions for senior citizens, and environmental education at community events. Participants gain a science-based understanding of environmental issues relevant to the Corpus Christi region. Learning objectives include the science of the local environment, awareness of specific environmental issues, objectivity, and teamwork achieved through experiential learning. This project provides a unique experience in environmental education to an audience of underserved individuals. The target audience includes people with physical and mental disabilities, blind children and adults, rural students and teachers, disadvantaged youth, abused women and children, and senior citizens. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas State Energy Conservation Office -- $8,000 Juline Gurasich, 111 East 17th Street, Room 1114, LBJ State Office Building, Austin, TX 78774 Energy Education The goal of the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) Energy Education curriculum program is to improve Texas teachers’ understanding of the nature and extent of energy and its resources, energy conservation and efficiency, the economic and environmental effects of energy use, and alternative energy technologies. The goal also is to increase their awareness of alternative energy in their communities. The program strives to lay the foundation for environmental stewardship in teachers and students through critical-thinking and problem-solving investigations in workshops approved by the Texas Education Agency. SECO offers a series of statewide educator workshops that will be held in Regional Education Service Centers, universities, conference centers, and museums. In addition, the curriculum is linked on multiple Web sites, and free curriculum CDs are made available to teachers and groups or organizations that sponsor workshops. The program provides classroom-ready material for teachers of general, physical, biological, environmental science, and integrated physics and chemistry. Lesson plans are correlated to state educational standards for grades 6 through 12. Workshops target teachers in grades 6 through 12 and district-level curriculum specialists. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Texas Tech University -- $6,124 Eileen Johnson, Box 41035, Lubbock, TX 79409-1035 Lubbock Lake Landmark Educators Academy Lubbock Lake is a National Historic Landmark, a State Archeological Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The landmark’s 315-acre preserve, located at the northwestern edge of the city of Lubbock, Texas, serves as a natural laboratory for the study of the shortgrass prairie ecosystem of the Southern High Plains. Workshop series are designed to introduce educators to the fundamentals of environmental education (EE) and to demonstrate how EE can be integrated into classroom curricula across disciplinary boundaries to address the state standards. The workshop series includes training in five nationally recognized environmental education programs (Project Learning Tree, WILD, WET, Food, Land and People, and River of Words), and a workshop on the fundamentals of environmental education. The framework of each of the programs provides the teachers the tools needed to immediately implement EE in the classroom. The target audience is elementary and middle school classroom teachers; home school educators also have the opportunity to participate in this series as the landmark works to build an environmentally literate citizenry by offering professional education for educators. This education will be used in classrooms and non-formal settings to further student understanding of environmental issues. |
| 2006 | TX | 6 | Upper Texas Coast Waterborne Education Center -- $6,634 Amy Hill, 810 Miller Street, P.O. Box 9, Anahuac, TX 77514 Public Wetland Education Project The Waterborne Education Center (WEC) conducts six full-day field laboratories and workshops open to the public. Participants spend a 1-hour class on shore, where they learn wetlands vocabulary and take part in guided hands-on activities to demonstrate runoff pollution sources and solutions. The group then boards an educational boat for a field laboratory in the Trinity River delta. A ranger discusses the project, its history, and ecological impacts to the area of the Wallisville Lake Project saltwater barrier. Participants don hip waders and disembark for hands-on, feet-in learning, such as seining for organisms and water quality testing. The return trip consists of a discussion about the relationship between the marsh and the economy, ecology, and health of the local area. These field laboratories immerse participants in the local coastal wetlands and educate them on the importance of conserving these valuable locations. |
| 2006 | UT | 8 | Plateau Restoration, Inc. -- $13,500 Tamsin McCormick, 3170 Rimrock Road, Moab, UT 84532 Habitat Restoration and Education in Southeastern Utah Plateau Restoration, Inc. (PRI), is a non-profit organization that has conducted service-learning programs for college students in southeast Utah since 1995. The goal of the project is to improve wildlife habitats by increasing public awareness of issues surrounding habitat loss caused by development and overuse and to improve environmental stewardship. Middle school, high school, and college students, along with teachers, are targeted for this program. The program includes habitat restoration projects in riparian and upland areas. It provides effective hands-on learning opportunities that educate students about local environmental issues and encourage them to increase stewardship initiatives that involve habitat protection and restoration. The primary focus is on native vegetation, soil erosion, weed invasion and weed control, along with air and water quality issues. Educational materials come from existing resources, such as ecosystem curricula and lesson plans from EPA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Center for Global Environmental Education, Wildlife Habitat Council, National Wildlife Federation (Backyard Wildlife Habitat), and Royal Horticultural Society (U.K.). Canyonlands Field Institute’s (CFI) existing educational materials and handouts for PRI are also used, along with additional material from Utah State University Department of Forest, Range, and Wildlife Sciences. |
| 2006 | UT | 8 | Salt Lake City Corporation -- $10,000 Lisa Romney, 451 South State Street, Room 306, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Environmentally and Economically Sustainable Business Education Program The Salt Lake City Corporation (SLCC) is a municipal government agency that initiated the Salt Lake City Environmentally and Economically Sustainable (e2) Business Education Program. This innovative, model program educates local small business owners on best management practices that lead to pollution prevention and promote a business culture of environmental stewardship. The objective is to educate small business owners on improving public health and sustainability through conservation strategies and environmental policies. The e2 Business program conducts educational programs for local small business owners using the environmental assessment tool (e2 Environmental Baseline Report and Improvement Plan) that will help them identify ongoing environmental improvements. This tool also helps to evaluate environmental impacts of their business operations. Long-term program outcomes are reductions in or alternative uses of toxic materials, such as cleaners, solvents and caustics, and the reductions in or proper disposal of hazardous and solid waste materials, along with the conservation of water, energy, and other natural resources through sustainable practices. |
| 2006 | VT | 1 | Association of Vermont Recyclers -- $30,000 Karin McNeill, P.O. Box 428, Plainfield, VT 05667 Youth Environmental Coalition Youth Environmental Coalition (YEC) fosters teen leadership in conservation and waste reduction through recycling, composting, and conducting waste audits. The program educates teens, adults, and school clubs and home school groups on waste reduction and the world-wide environmental, health, and social consequences of wasteful consumption. Students develop and complete 15 to 20 service projects on waste reduction in the schools and make others aware of how they can reduce waste. Participants are reached through in-school and after-school meetings, training workshops, school-wide assemblies, online communication tools, YEC newsletters, and teen peer mentoring programs. In addition, all participants attend the Annual Environmental Summit, highlighting these and other environmental topics. |
| 2006 | VA | 3 | Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship -- $15,000 Shawna DeWitt, 11661 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville, VA 20132-1944 Birds of a Feather Environmental Education and Awareness Program Birds of a Feather establishes an ongoing outdoor environmental education program year-round to educate participants and raise awareness about the importance of avian diversity and habitat conservation. Activities include teacher training, development of a self-guided, 1-mile route that traverses three distinct avian habitats, and installation of two chimney swift towers. In addition, activities include docent recruitment and training, development of learning and teaching training aids, community outreach, and hosting groups and independent visitors. The audience includes teachers and school children in kindergarten through grade 5. |
| 2006 | VA | 3 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $80,480 (HQ Grant) Vince Meldrum, 1908 Mount Vernon Avenue, 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22301 Earth Force Teacher Professional Development Initiative This initiative incorporates teaching strategies and techniques that are linked to improved student performance into watershed education to assist environmental education professionals and educators. This project brings together leading researchers in teacher effectiveness with the award-winning Global Rivers Environmental Education Network’s (GREEN) watershed curriculum to train a cadre of local environmental educators. The Earth Force Teacher Professional Development Initiative trains environmental education professionals, who are expected to work with educators in six states. The goals are to provide the tools needed to assist students as they perform a watershed assessment, conduct balanced research, discover water quality issues from a variety of perspectives, and take action to implement a long-term solution. Earth Force teachers lead real-world stewardship projects that enhance student understanding of crucial concepts in environmental science, work alongside watershed experts to use advanced water analysis, and empower students to identify and address a water quality problem in each designated watershed. This initiative builds on national and local academic standards for teaching essential skills to elementary-, middle-, and high school-aged youth, including critical thinking, problem solving, and the application of science to real-world problems. Partners on this project are Western Kentucky University’s Center for Mathematics, Science, and Environmental Education; the Rocky Mountain Watersheds Volunteer Monitoring Network; Pickering and Associates; RMC Research; and the North American Association for Environmental Education. |
| 2006 | VA | 3 | Piedmont Environmental Council -- $4,800 Melissa Wiley, P.O. Box 460, Warrenton, VA 20188 Cultivating Watershed Stewardship The Piedmont Environmental Council’s project educates teachers, students, residents, and local decision-makers about water quality and local watershed issues in Loudoun County, Virginia. Field trips for high school students and teachers are conducted in the fall and spring to carry out a plant survivability protocol in the field and to plant trees based on the results from the fall field work. The program results in long-term increased watershed awareness and stewardship and a reduction in nonpoint source pollution. |
| 2006 | WA | 10 | Indochinese Cultural & Service Center -- $75,000 (HQ Grant) Donna Woskow, 1724 East 44th Street, Tacoma, WA 98404 Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Youth Environmental Education Program Under this project, Asian/Pacific Islander youth in middle and high school are educated about environmental pollution, risks, and related prevention strategies that affect the surrounding marine environment in Puget Sound. The youth participate in 48 after-school meetings and attend 20 after-school classes using the curriculum Connections: Guide to a Healthy Environment, and Investigating & Evaluating Environmental Issues & Actions Skills Development Program. During the meetings and classes, the youth learn how to collect samples and conduct laboratory analysis with the assistance of representatives of several non-profit organizations, federal, state, and local agencies, and universities. After the meetings and classes, the teenagers then reach out to their peers, parents, families, and senior citizens to share information about local environmental health risks. They prepare, present, and disseminate information, including public service announcements, to the Asian/Pacific community using methods that are culturally appropriate. They also make presentations to public school classes and to adults attending English as a Second Language, citizenship, and other workshops and classes. By participating in this project, the youth are learning how to take actions to protect the marine environment of Puget Sound and to promote prevention of pollution in the sound. Members of the local community are, in turn, more aware of existing environmental risks in the community. The Korean Women’s Association of Tacoma/Pierce County is the partner on this project. |
| 2006 | WA | 10 | Pacific Science Center -- $16,500 Apryl Brinkley, 200 Second Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program High school students from southeast Seattle, Renton, and Bellevue are recruited for a 12-month internship. The interns attend weekly after-school meetings, quarterly creek monitoring and surveying sessions, professional development field trips, and restoration projects. They also prepare lessons to present to fourth-grade classrooms and work with mentors to develop Watershed Discovery Carts on the Lake Washington watershed to reach the visitors of the Pacific Science Center. The carts include hands-on, interactive demonstrations that allow staff and volunteers to interact with visitors on a more personal level by providing presentations that can accommodate groups at the Pacific Science Center. The goal is to promote critical thinking for the interns, students, and the public about the effects of pollution on an important source of water in the community. |
| 2006 | WA | 10 | Seattle Audubon Society -- $13,882 Susan Tallarico, 8050 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Finding Urban Nature (FUN) for School Grades 2-5 Finding Urban Nature (FUN) delivers inquiry-based, hands-on science and environmental education experiences in zoology, botany and ecology at public schools, mostly in central and south Seattle, for children in grades 2 through 5 right in their schoolyards and classrooms. Volunteers are trained to assist FUN staff to provide 1-hour lessons 8 to 10 times over the course of the school year. The FUN curriculum meets both the Environmental Education Standards of Washington State and the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) of the Seattle Public School District’s Life Science Framework for students in kindergarten through grade 5. Volunteers and participating teachers receive two intensive training sessions during the year to apply this curriculum. The goal of the project is to equip students with research skills in natural science and a basis for understanding urban nature. |
| 2006 | WA | 10 | Washington State University -- $31,899 Lynda Paznokas, P.O. Box 643140, 423 Neil Hall, Pullman, WA 99164-3140 Pre-Service Environmental Education Project (PEEP) The Pre-Service Environmental Education Project (PEEP) incorporates environmental education into the majority of pre-service teacher preparation programs throughout the state, thus readying future teachers to effectively teach these concepts and skills in Washington classrooms. Seventy-five percent of Washington’s teacher preparation programs are expected to participate. Teachers are trained to deliver experiential, field-based, effective, accurate, and age-appropriate environmental education skills and content to students within the framework of Washington’s Environmental Education Guidelines for Washington Schools. Training programs at each university differ according to the unique student population and the missions of the university; however, they all include common elements such as field trips with children, curriculum training, field investigations, problem-based learning, and case studies. |
| 2006 | WV | 3 | Oglebay Institute -- $9,910 Mark Williams, 1330 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003 Mission Ground Truth: Enhancing Teaching Through Technology and Field Experiences The Olgeby Institute: Mission Ground Truth is an integrated, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based ecosystem assessment program that incorporates field studies and innovative technologies for middle school teachers. Teachers explore environmental education concepts and methods, complete freshwater stream and deciduous forest ecosystems testing, and equipment usage that assist in integrating the program into the classroom curriculum. The project is designed and developed for grade 7 and 8 teachers in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. |
| 2006 | WV | 3 | Tucker County Family Resource Network -- $12,043 April Miller, 501 Chestnut Street, Parsons, WV 26287 Organizational County Connections The Tucker County Family Resource Network — Tucker County Connections (TCC) community education initiative in West Virginia assists young people in developing a relationship with the natural environment. TCC teaches elementary through high school-age children to treat the local streams and woodlands responsibly. Students and teachers from Tucker County elementary, middle, and high school, Boy and Girl Scouts, and 4-H groups participate in educational field trips to local public land preserves, providing students with a model of environmental, experiential teaching and learning practices. A Natural and Cultural History Field Trip Series and Resource Guide also have been developed. |
| 2006 | WI | 5 | River Country RC&D Council Inc. -- $23,000 Brian Brezinski, 1304 North Hillcrest Parkway, Suite B, Altoona, WI 54720 Partnership for Prairie Education and Restoration The Partnership for Prairie Education and Restoration project encourages stewardship of prairie remnants in the Eau Claire area. The project focuses on measures to protect remnants of the prairie near Xcel Energy’s gas and electric lines as well as other spots in the area. Local organizations, schools, community groups, and the public are asked to volunteer to work on the sites. Participants volunteer their time and commitment to restoring the prairie through the project’s educational demonstrations, classroom instruction, and community gatherings. In addition to awareness, a collaborative education effort is pursued that consists of creating or modifying educational curriculum and materials. A Web site has been created to showcase efforts made with the prairie. The Prairie Partnership consists of community members who represent the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Northstar Middle School, and Prairie Enthusiasts. |
| 2007 | AK | 10 | Sitka Community Schools -- $17,150 Curt Ledford, 601B Halibut Point Road, Sitka, AK 99835 Cutthroat Creek Environmental Trail and Preserve The Cutthroat Creek Environmental Trail and Preserve enhances environmental education opportunities in the Sitka School District by refurbishing, expanding, and documenting the environmental trail and preserve to make it more usable for the students and staff near a local elementary school. The trail has been in place for 10 years, but is not handicapped accessible and has fallen into disrepair and disuse. The students, parents, and teachers are involved in designing the expansion, the actual refurbishing, and the ultimate re-use of the trail. Documentation and an updated curriculum that are based on the trail and preserve are presented to the teachers in workshop format and then used at each grade level in the school. Teachers receive in-service credit for attending the workshop. |
| 2007 | CA | 9 | Our City Forest -- $21,100 Rhonda Berry, 595 Park Avenue, Number 100, San Jose, CA 95110 Planet Tree The urban forest is central to the urban ecosystem, so understanding it, as well as how to care for it, is paramount. Education – teaching not only the importance of trees, but the importance of citizen involvement – is the key to a healthy urban forest and, in turn, a healthy ecosystem. Planet Tree is an environmental education and action program for students in kindergarten through grade 12. It is designed to teach and inspire students to be stewards in the community by providing interactive education in urban forestry in the classroom, through Planet Tree curriculum tailored for each grade level in kindergarten through grade 12, and by experiential learning through tree planting at their schools. The first phase of the project recruits and trains volunteers to be Planet Tree teachers. In the second phase, these teachers will offer training at schools. Train-the-Trainer workshops will be used to train the program teachers. In turn, they conduct interactive Planet Tree classes in schools throughout the county. On-site tree plantings, including tree care and stewardship teachings, are provided. The program provides students the opportunity to design their own tree planting projects and offers the schools free shade trees and technical assistance to implement the projects. A key outcome of Planet Tree is increasing the students’ awareness of the need for environmental stewardship. Planting a tree is important, but it is the easy part. Caring for it takes commitment. The slogan, “It takes 5 years to plant a tree,” makes the point. By becoming involved and taking responsibility for our environment, we can build healthy, sustainable communities. |
| 2007 | CA | 9 | The Bay Institute of San Francisco -- $92,882 (HQ Grant) Grant Davis, 500 Palm Drive, Suite 200, Novato, CA 94949 The Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed (STRAW) Project The STRAW Project educates kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, community educators, and students about environmental issues specific to the San Francisco Bay region. Participants gain knowledge, skills, and experience in environmental science and place-based learning methodologies that ultimately improve community environmental stewardship. Teachers and community educators participate in a 3-day training institute and subsequent workshops that focus on hands-on scientific studies of riparian and wetland ecosystems, restoration methodology, and local land use history. STRAW helps teachers develop methods for integrating environmental topics into the standard curriculum. Students attend presentations that explain the land use history, environmental problems, and objectives and methods of restoration for the specific watersheds where they will be working. The presentations prepare students to participate in professionally designed restoration projects on rural and urban creeks, including revegetation with native plants; removal of non-native invasive species; and sophisticated biotechnical work for erosion repair in riparian corridors. Students develop presentations based on data collected in the field and deliver them to other classes and STRAW staff members. Key project partners include the Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, Marin Resource Conservation District, Sonoma County Water Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Point Reyes Bird Observatory. |
| 2007 | CA | 9 | Tuolumne River Preservation Trust -- $42,900 Patrick Koepele, 914 Thirteenth Street, Modesto, CA 95354 Tuolumne River Education Project The Tuolumne River is an invaluable natural resource to Stanislaus County. It is a source of drinking water, irrigation water, and hydroelectricity. It also supports an important ecosystem that is a habitat for several listed species. The objective of this project is a community that is well-informed about the river’s importance and is able to make educated choices about its stewardship and management. To help achieve this goal, the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust offers students, teachers, and parents a series of field trips, classroom lessons, tours of the watershed itself, and a service learning project related to stewardship of the river. Additionally, teachers undergo a separate training program that will include “Trekking the Tuolumne River” curriculum activities, use of “science suitcases” on water-related topics, and a service learning training. The audience includes students in grade 4, teachers, and parents trained as field trip chaperones. This project has at its foundation an existing California Science Standards-based curriculum (“Trekking the Tuolumne River”) designed to educate people about the river’s ecosystem and encourage its stewardship through hands-on experiences at the river and participation in restoration projects at local sites. The project is designed to encourage students to draw conclusions and evaluate their impact by monitoring and evaluating their own field work based on basic scientific constructs taught in pre- and post-field classroom lessons. |
| 2007 | CA | 9 | University of the Pacific -- $69,626 (HQ Grant) Carol A. Brodie, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95211 Environmental Education at the Terrestrial-Marine Interface This project is a collaborative effort that links the curriculum agendas at the University of the Pacific and the University of California, Davis, to foster interest in environmentally related career paths and to broaden societal awareness about environmental issues and the need for stewardship. The project provides formal environmental education experiences for undergraduate and graduate students through summer research projects and three class modules. During the modules, the students measure three beach profiles at locations along the Northern California coastline to evaluate beach erosion and monitor water quality and water flows in several watersheds along the Northern California coastline and in the coastal ocean. The students also learn about environmental careers during panel discussions with environmental professionals. The modules promote critical thinking and decision-making skills, cultivate stewardship, and encourage environmental careers. Each module concludes with student participants creating displays for community interaction and education and developing fact sheets and teaching packets for high school educators. A project Web site is also developed to provide a central clearinghouse for downloadable versions of teaching materials to ensure they are widely available and applied. |
| 2007 | CO | 8 | National Wildlife Federation -- $31,438 Alexis Bonogofsky, 2260 Baseline Road, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80302 Creating Wildlife Habitat with American Indian Focus Schools The concept of the Creating Wildlife Habitat Project is to improve overall environmental knowledge and stewardship opportunities of students, teachers, and community members of Denver Public Schools (DPS) American Indian Focus Schools (AIFS). The environmental issues addressed by this project are habitat, habitat loss, and habitat restoration. The goal of this project is to use hands-on teacher trainings while providing opportunities in environmental stewardship to improve environmental education teaching skills of AIFS teachers, to provide teachers with opportunities to educate their students and community members about environmental issues that involve wildlife habitat, health habitats, and habitat loss, and to promote environmental careers. The audiences served by the Creating Wildlife Habitat Project will include up to educators and students in kindergarten through grade 8 from the DPS AIFS. It also includes families and interested volunteers from the participating schools communities. Developed open space and agricultural land increase air and water pollution, putting a strain on the water supplies and destroying wildlife habitats. Animal populations throughout the region have experienced declines related to loss of habitat that can be traced to rapid human population growth, grassland to farmland, urbanization, and habitat fragmentation. Aimed at the educators and their students, the project is intended to increase their impact as environmental stewards and promoting environmentally responsible behaviors. The objectives of this project are to (1) improve the environmental education teaching skills of educators from the Denver Public American Indian Focus Schools, (2) introduce students to local environmental issues and environmental careers, and (3) provide the AIFS schools and their communities with opportunities in environmental stewardship related to restoring and creating wildlife habitat. Delivery methods include teacher training; habitat restoration projects on schools grounds; school visits by Native American and other environmental professionals; community volunteer training; and community environmental stewardship projects. |
| 2007 | DE | 3 | Delaware Ecumenical Council on Children and Families -- $9,375 Rev. Robert P. Hall, 240 North James Street, Suite B1B, Wilmington, DE 19804 Environmental Education through Parent Leadership The Delaware Ecumenical Council provides environmental education through programs that serve parents and other caregivers of children, on critical environmental issues, including home safety, habitat preservation, and other problems related to land use and industrial pollution. The Delaware Ecumenical Council educates its constituents about the dangers of pollution and strategies to address its effects. The project emphasizes the educational priority of health, along with a focus on reaching parents, counselors, health care workers, and clergy on the negative impacts of environmental pollution on the health and well-being of children and those who care for them. Several workshops are designed to address several key environmental issues, including (at a minimum) air quality, especially the problem of ozone, and particulate pollution; water safety, especially for homes with wells; and home environmental protection, especially lead and radon contamination and mold. |
| 2007 | DC | 3 | Casey Trees Endowment Fund -- $17,030 Robin Dublin, 1425 K Street, NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC 20005 Urban Conservation Youth Leadership Program Activities under this project, which addresses preserving and protecting natural habitat within an urban setting, focus on natural and human impacts to watersheds, including rivers, estuaries, and bays that eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean. This grant curricula and activities foster a voluntary commitment to amend behaviors and focus on achievements that will protect and improve the 40-acre natural camp habitat. This project also allows the students to study the relationships among organisms in terrestrial food chains, animals, the resources they share, and their interdependency. Students study how the streams and ponds of the camp are supplied with water, and where the water goes once it leaves the camp, along with the impacts of potential pollution and runoff. Additionally, students are exposed to environmental careers. |
| 2007 | GA | 4 | Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful -- $14,000 Laura Riley, 1124 Clark Street, Covington, GA 30014 Detective Seymore Green Puppet Show Keep Coving/Newton Beautiful is the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful. This non-profit organization coordinates production of a new puppet show each year. The shows are written with interesting characters and catchy songs to teach environmental concepts. The puppets repeat these messages and songs on commercials broadcast on local cable television. The group has a volunteer puppeteer team that travels to all elementary schools in Newton County as well as to clubs, churches, and other organizations to stage the puppet show. The primary goal is to inspire everyone in Newton County to take responsibility for a clean and beautiful community by recycling. The purpose is to educate children about procedures and benefits of recycling in a way that is fun and memorable for them. |
| 2007 | HI | 9 | Moanalua Gardens Foundation -- $30,000 Pauline Worsham, 1352 Pineapple Place, Honolulu, HI 96819-1754 Native and Invasive Species - Their Impact on Hawaii The natural environment of Hawaii is in crisis. Of the 150 natural communities on the islands, 85 are considered critically endangered. Furthermore, Hawaii has the highest rate of bird extinctions in the world. The loss of native ecosystems, particularly forested watershed cover, has affected not only native species, but soil resources, ground and surface water, and the marine environment as well. This project produces a Native and Invasive Species instructional module that meets the Hawaii Department of Education’s (HDOE) standards for teachers and students. The eight-lesson plans and resource materials, tailored to Hawaii’s special environmental issues, are developed by a credentialed science educator. The content and practical exercises for students are designed to help students understand the concept of responsible stewardship and motivate them to become effective future workers, problem solvers, and thoughtful community leaders and participants. As a result of this project, HDOE teachers in grades 1 through 7 have a state-of-the-art Native and Invasive Species curriculum and updated resources materials. Through this teaching module, and its classroom instruction and meaningful practical exercises, students in Hawaii’s public and private schools learn the importance of respecting, caring for, and maintaining the islands’ complex, diverse, and unique ecosystems. |
| 2007 | ID | 10 | Idaho Environmental Education Association -- $14,530 Amy Pike, 110 East Fife Street, P.O. Box 791, Lava Hot Springs, ID 83246 Idaho's Next Steps in Building Statewide Capacity This project continues to increase the environmental education capacity in the state by providing a year of leadership development and strategic planning. A trained facilitator works with the association’s 11-person board to conduct a statewide needs assessment to find out the current needs of Idaho’s environmental educators; provides leadership development about the association’s place in the larger environmental education establishment; implements a recommended community relations system to improve the association’s communications and networking systems; and writes a strategic plan for 2007 through 2012. There is no statewide environmental education mandate in Idaho, so the association must be as effective and strategic as possible in its work. The grantee holds training sessions, professional facilitated meetings, semi-structured interviews (for needs assessment), and presentations at professional meetings, and participates in the North American Association for Environmental Education annual conference (in particular the affiliates pre-conference workshop). All these delivery methods are used to increase capacity building, conduct the needs assessment, build leadership development, and develop the strategic plan. |
| 2007 | IL | 5 | Chicago Academy of Sciences -- $16,038 Rafael Rosa, 2430 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614 TEENS: Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Science The education resources at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum are paired with the field-based environmental and conservation organizations in the Chicago Wilderness coalition to provide underserved and minority students in Chicago public high schools with opportunities to increase knowledge in environmental science: gain exposure to careers in environmental research, conservation and education; and participate in environmental monitoring and restoration in the Chicago area. Opportunities for learning are delivered through TEEN’s program expansion model’s two new environmental career tracks for students: environmental guides (E-Guides) working alongside museum educators and translating science knowledge into interactive programming for museum visitors; and environmental investigators (E-Investigators), working alongside scientists in local environmental monitoring and conservation initiatives. The program increases or expands participants’ educational aspirations, educational and work skills, attitudes toward careers in science; attitudes in science learning and knowledge about science and science-related careers. Outcomes include increased occupational and post-secondary aspirations among program participants, particularly in the sciences and science education; improved student knowledge of and attitudes toward environmental and natural sciences; a national model for museums to implement effective out-of-school time programs for urban teenagers in collaboration with other science research and education organizations; enhancing the ability and capacity of program partners to conduct environmental monitoring and restoration; and developing a model to build capacity for training Chicago’s and the nation’s next generation of environmental scientists and educators to reflect the region’s and nation’s rich cultural diversity. |
| 2007 | IL | 5 | Chicago Public Schools, District #299 -- $86,303 (HQ Grant) John Schmidt, 125 South Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60603 Adopt-an-Ecosystem Imitative This initiative engages teachers and high school students in low-income communities in service-learning projects that strengthen and enhance the science curriculum and restore and conserve critical urban green and waterway spaces throughout the City of Chicago. Partnering organizations engage schools near identified ecosystems and deliver training, support, and curriculum resources. Teachers who participate in the Adopt-an-Ecosystem Initiative attend workshops to receive training that provides them with tools tot enhance their knowledge of environmental issues. Teachers use classroom curricula to prepare students for stewardship. In turn, students learn about threats to the environment, including invasive species, development, pollution, and neglect, and consider strategies for developing responses to restoring and conserving natural areas in the city. After the classroom lessons, students complete initial site assessments of the ecosystem chosen and spend multiple days involved in on-site restoration and conservation. Partners on this project are the Alliance of the Great Lakes, Friends of the Parks, Building Opportunities for Leadership Development (BOLD) Chicago, Friends of the Chicago River, and the Field Museum. |
| 2007 | IA | 7 | Iowa Lakes Community College -- $15,313 Judith A. Cook, 19th South 7th Street, Emmet, IA 51334 Sustainable Energy Interactive Modules The Sustainable Energy Interactive Modules involve college faculty who create a center for sustainable energy education. This center increases the college’s capacity to develop and deliver sustainable energy education across the State of Iowa. College faculty develop three sustainable energy education modules. In addition, a Web-based energy seminar is held for naturalists to teach them how to deliver energy education modules to students. College faculty provide naturalists and teachers with curriculum to incorporate into lesson plans. Furthermore, naturalists conduct outreach to middle school students during guest lectures to teach them about sustainable energy. Teachers develop a long-range plan to identify what needs to be done to establish the college as a sustainable energy center. Finally, students learn why sustainable energy is important and how to use energy and natural resources efficiently. |
| 2007 | IA | 7 | Polk County Conservation Board -- $21,355 Patrice Petersen-Keys, 11407 Northwest Jester Park Drive, Granger, IA 50109 Junior High Service Learning Program This service learning project addresses several environmental issues and develops the next generation of leaders to protect and restore native ecosystems. Environmental educators make initial presentations to students in the classroom to discuss their project. Students then visit a wetland, park, prairie, or woodland to participate in projects such as planting trees, controlling erosion, and removing invasive species. Students also learn about native ecosystems and their effects have on the quality of life. This project raises awareness, has become a model program for reaching large groups of students at one time, and provides youth with the tools to become environmental stewards. |
| 2007 | IA | 7 | Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee -- $11,784 Melissa Maynes, 603 7th Street, Corning, IA 50841 Land Stewardship for Vocational Agricultural Students Land Stewardship for Vocational Agriculture Students involves retired university extension specialists who train vocational agriculture teachers. Educators teach high school and college agriculture students about stewardship practices and how they relate to farming. Students learn the use of grasses and legume forages, about soil particles that carry water pollutants, and about croplands and grasslands. Agriculture teachers and university extension specialists demonstrate and teach land stewardship practices to students. This project provides long-term education to future land managers to encourage environmental stewardship. |
| 2007 | KS | 7 | No-Till On The Plains -- $13,553 Jana Lindley, P.O. Box 379, Wamego, KS 66547 No-Till on the Plains Information initiative The No-Till on the Plains Information Initiative teaches young people, teachers, community members, and the agricultural community about the benefits that result from use of a no-till cropping system. Teachers and community members identify potential farms and farmers to be used in the project. In turn, students learn how to adopt environmentally friendly farming techniques and how no-till farming preserves the environment and conserves resources. Youth participate in field trips to observe model no-till farmers. Students also attend and present sessions on the environmental benefits of no-till farming practices at the annual no-till on the plains conference. |
| 2007 | ME | 1 | Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory -- $21,125 Michael P. McKernan, Old Bar Harbor Road, P.O. Box 35, Salisbury Cove, ME 04672 Marine Environmental Education at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory This project supports environmental education in the Myers Marine Aquarium, which houses unique vertebrate and invertebrate marine animals as well as algae from Frenchman’s Bay and the Gulf of Maine. Specific objectives are to (1) recruit an experienced marine environmental education teacher for the summer season, (2) modify existing and design new educational displays and aquaria by recruiting an undergraduate research intern for the summer program, and (3) enhance the education of students, teachers, and the community through monitoring using the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) research community and the Community Environmental Health Laboratory and its ongoing environmental research projects. This project has undertaken a key partnership with the Mount Desert Island Water Quality Coalition. |
| 2007 | MD | 3 | Irvine Natural Science Center Inc. -- $22,838 Ilene Briskin, 8400 Greenspring Avenue, Stevenson, MD 21153 The Urban Education Program at Irvine Nature Center: Schoolyard Discovery Irvine Nature Center is a hands-on environmental urban education program serving Baltimore City’s most economically and educationally challenged neighborhoods. This program provides curriculum-based environmental education to high school students who, in turn, become teachers and mentors to younger students in a partner elementary school. The Irvine Nature Center brings students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community agencies together to develop schoolyard habitats that restore and revitalize school grounds. The Irvine Natural Science Center develops leadership and vocational skills among high school students through a 6-week summer fellowship program. |
| 2007 | MA | 1 | Appalachian Mountain Club -- $15,000 Gary Gresh, 5 Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108-1490 A Mountain Classroom Through a 1- to 5-day field trip to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, the A Mountain Classroom program exposes students to hands-on exploration in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The program offers a unique combination of investigative lessons in ecology, exposure to spectacular mountain environments, and physically challenging activities that result in teambuilding and develop character. Curriculum options include Biological Sciences (forest ecology, watersheds, winter ecology, and wildlife), Earth Sciences (mountain weather and geology), and Outdoor Skills (teambuilding, leadership, map and compass, hiking, snowshoeing, and low-impact outdoor ethics skills). When they participate in this program, teachers observe AMC staff modeling relevant hands-on teaching and learning techniques that integrate environmental education into various disciplines. The teachers then integrate these techniques their classroom. |
| 2007 | MA | 1 | Silent Spring Institute -- $39,075 Ruthann Rudel, 29 Crafts Street, Newton, MA 02458 Promoting a Novel Web-based Environmental Health Mapping Tool The goal of this project’s outreach effort is to advance awareness of the link between the environment and women’s health by engaging a broad audience in using an innovative Web-based interactive geographic information system (GIS) mapping tool, the Massachusetts Health and Environmental Information System (MassHEIS). The Silent Spring Institute informs the public and community decision-makers about MassHEIS and facilitates their use of this new resource through numerous presentations to state-wide organizations of local health and decision-makers, as well as to grassroots health-affected and environmental groups. Through follow-up with users, Silent Spring evaluates (1) the impact of MassHEIS on their understanding of environmental and health issues, and (2) actions users have taken to reduce pollution, plan for improved environmental and health data collection and tracking, or promote environmental stewardship in other ways. |
| 2007 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University -- $40,878 Yu Man Lee, 301 Administration Building, East Lansing, MI 48824 Living with the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake A network of resource personnel are established to respond to massasauga rattlesnake reports or to conduct public education. Workshops, educational materials, and personal consultations provide the public with comprehensive and accurate information, resources, and skills to make informed decisions about co-existing with the massasauga rattlesnake. In addition, landowners are provided specific recommendations about stewardship actions that they can implement to benefit the massasauga and its habitat. These efforts help to address misconceptions and cultivate greater awareness on this species and assists with implementation of needed stewardship. The project continues efforts to build a sustainable massasauga education and outreach program in Michigan. The public and landowners are reached through educational workshops, educational materials such as brochures, posters, and informational handouts and a Web page; interpretive exhibits; a locally based resource network and the local media through a press packet, and press releases and articles. The local resource network targets volunteers, natural resource and other professionals, and educators who conduct public education and outreach. |
| 2007 | MS | 4 | Rust College -- $33,068 Frank Yeh, 150 Rust Avenue, Holly Springs, MS 38635 Rust College Environmental Health Education Program This project proposes to achieve two goals. The first goal is to develop an environmentally friendly, informed and responsive public via environmental education. The project achieves this first goal through two main objectives: (1) chemical and microbial analyses of ground and surface water contamination by phosphates, nitrates, and microbial organisms believed to come from cattle ranching practices in three counties of rural northwestern Mississippi; (2) present and discuss research findings and data obtained in a public forum with the stakeholders of the counties. This objective is intended to educate the county leaders and citizens about risks to human health in the continued use of contaminated ground and surface waters. The second goal is to develop a sustainable environmental stewardship. An action plan is developed to address water quality restoration needs during the public forum with the leaders and citizens and during nonpublic meetings with stakeholders. Rust College has taken on responsibility to educate and train its students and the citizens of the four counties by offering service learning environmental courses for the students, summer academies for school teachers, and seminars for the public. |
| 2007 | MO | 7 | Global and Multicultural Education Center -- $4,838 Manny Pedram, 3009 Holmes Street, Kansas City, MO 64109-1435 Climate Change: Myth or Reality This project involves teachers who participate in weekly seminars on climate change and teaching strategies. Staff from the Global and Multicultural Education Center, in partnership with the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Continuing Education faculty, conduct workshops for teachers. These workshops give teachers an opportunity to examine the complexity of the climate change issue. Teachers participate in exercises to develop conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. These professional development activities focus on teaching skills strategies and effective classroom techniques for teaching students about global environmental complexities of climate change. Teachers then incorporate climate change information into their lesson plans to teach students how they can become environmental stewards. |
| 2007 | MO | 7 | Parents as Teachers -- $14,533 Kate A. McGilly, 2228 Ball Drive, St. Louis, MO 63143 Parent Education to Prevent Child Development Delays Parents as Teachers conducts a workshop titled “Neurotoxins: Their Effects on Development, Learning and Behavior.” This project involves training early childhood professionals on how to teach women of child-bearing age and families about child development through parent education. Parents as Teachers holds a train-the-trainer workshop and conducts visits to deliver information to women on the effects of household chemicals, hazardous materials, and exposure to chemical mixtures on child development. This workshop teaches women about precautions they can take when they handle hazardous chemicals and how to prevent a broad array of birth defects and disabilities. These activities serve families with support and enhancing child development through parent education. |
| 2007 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $13,080 Janet Bender-Keigley, P.O. Box 170575, Bozeman, MT 59717-0575 Expanding Water Education Opportunities The Montana Watercourse and Girls Scouts of Big Sky Council partner to provide a series of trainings for Girl Scouts and their leaders on the importance of water quality issues and clean water. Trainings include water resources components for the leader training,; water education training for the residential camp counselors; and water education modules for day camp programs, providing direct education to Girl Scouts themselves and troop leaders. These trainings lead to a cadre of girls and volunteer leaders who are more aware of water quality and the importance of individual action and knowledge. In all cases, the emphasis is on empowering the leaders and their girls to think critically and to act on water resource issues that affect their daily lives. |
| 2007 | NE | 7 | Niobrara Council -- $12,624 Pamela Sprenkle, P.O. Box 206, Valentine, NE 69201 Niobrara National Scenic River Literacy Outreach This river education and outreach project covers Brown, Cherry, Keya Paha, and Rock Counties in Nebraska. The project involves the Niobrara Council, which creates a river education library of educational materials consisting of books, software, and equipment to be used by the community. Council staff work with teachers to incorporate river issues into science and humanities classes. This project teaches the community about issues that affect the river. Students become involved in service learning; river preservation, local river cleanup days, and river scouting projects. These activities teach students how to protect the natural resources of the Niobrara National Scenic River. |
| 2007 | NJ | 2 | Montclair State University -- $39,888 Kirk Barrett, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 Passaic River Environmental Education and Monitoring Organization (PREEMO) This project brings together a diverse set of schools within New Jersey's Passaic River basin to study river ecology and water quality in the Passaic River, how rivers are affected by urbanization and pollution and, finally, what can be done to protect them by personally involving students and fostering environmental stewardship. The project includes teacher training, numerous field trips, a long-term and expanding hands-on environmental education program and a project Web site to serve as an information repository, resource center, virtual meeting place, and clearinghouse. Data is entered on line by the students into existing Internet-based data management systems. Students use data they and others collect to investigate an environmental science question and produce a report. Another output is a year-end conference that brings participating students together to present and discuss their results and other environmental concerns. The Passaic River Institute will continue to support PREEMO and its Web site in subsequent years and will seek to add more schools. This project increases student knowledge and personal involvement in environmental quality and results in better trained and more highly motivated teachers. |
| 2007 | NY | 2 | Bronx River Alliance, Inc. -- $19,875 Anne-Marie Runfola, One Bronx River Parkway, Bronx, NY 10462-2869 Bronx River Classroom The Bronx River is a rich learning laboratory, providing youth and adults with a local natural area to explore and opportunities to engage in real-life environmental assessment, monitoring, and restoration projects. Through the Bronx River Classroom project (BRC), the Alliance Education Program provides teachers and community-based educators with training, curriculum consulting, lesson plans, equipment, supplies, and in-field support to help them become more aware of the local environment and understand its importance and how it can be protected. The goal is to enable educators to take the knowledge and skills gained from the BRC and use the river and its watershed as an outdoor classroom. By bringing youth to the river, educators not only give students a tangible place to learn about the environment, but also an opportunity to contribute to their community. These experiences create an aware, involved community and foster development of stewards to protect and improve the corridor and watershed. |
| 2007 | NY | 2 | Clearpool, Inc. -- $15,000 Stephanie R. Bergman, 33 Clearpool Road, Carmel, NY 10512 Dual-campus Resource Investigation for New York City Kids (DRINK) Program The DRINK program provides opportunities for students in three partner schools to engage in experiential learning to better understand watershed issues in the greater New York City area. Students explore watershed ecology of both the local, urban environment and at a preserved 350-acre campus to discover ecological processes in these systems, learn how human impacts can affect the health of a watershed, and find out what they can do to mitigate these impacts. The DRINK curricula support the New York state and city curriculum, targeting specific key ideas and performance indicators, through hands-on, inquiry-based learning in the out of doors. Students who participate in this program increase their science achievement while they develop the knowledge, skills, and commitment to integrate an environmental ethic into their lives. Additionally, students develop skills to communicate effectively and coordinate action with others. |
| 2007 | NY | 2 | Groundwork Yonkers -- $17,878 Rick Megder, 6 Wells Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701 Eco-Awareness and Imagination in the Outdoor Classroom Under this project, Groundwork Yonkers develop materials and train educators to use a new, comprehensive schoolyard garden with multiple learning environments. It is the first such teaching resource in Yonkers, the state’s fourth-largest city. Over the last 2 years, this organization has developed the garden at an elementary school with the largest enrollment of immigrant families. With students and volunteers, including senior citizens from the community, a blighted schoolyard is being turned into a vibrant, outdoor learning space. The project supports a local school by making the garden a true resource with teacher guides, teacher training, interpretive signs, and hands-on demonstrations. Groundwork Yonkers is adapting and synthesizing existing materials on schoolyard habitat and urban ecosystems for this purpose. Themes related to pollution reduction, ecological literacy, and natural life cycles are emphasized. Once it is established, this outdoor classroom at Fermi will become a resource for educators throughout Yonkers. |
| 2007 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society -- $14,260 Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Wild Explorations Wild Exploration addresses the EPA goal of “educating teachers about environmental issues to improve their environmental education teaching skills.” It shows teachers how they can effectively introduce ecological concepts, with an emphasis on predator-prey relationships and reintroduction of carnivorous species; provide a balanced view of the issues involved; and capture the imagination of students, motivating them to pursue a study of the environmental sciences. The project is directed toward teachers and museum educators working in communities throughout Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana that are adjacent to the Yellowstone National Park and where the study of carnivore reintroduction is especially pertinent. A network of educators has been equipped to provide relevant environmental education, focusing on reintroduction issues for high school-level learners. The goal is a model program that could be emulated by other museums in areas where reintroduction of carnivores is being considered or has been completed. Yellowstone-area students will be prepared to participate in discussions of environmental issues related to ecology and conservation and motivated to understand how conservation efforts, including predator reintroductions, affect ecological and human-wildlife relationships. |
| 2007 | NC | 4 | Alamance County Health Department -- $15,000 Marcy Green, 319 North Graham-Hopedale Road, Burlington, NC 27217 Alamance County Indoor Air Quality Improvement Project The Alamance County Health Department hires a part-time environmental health educator who is responsible for delivering workshops and education on indoor air quality to school personnel, daycare staff, elementary students, parents, healthcare providers, and business. This educator also refers facilities to the health department for indoor air quality assessments and teaches asthmatic children in grade 3 on how to effectively manage asthma and reduce asthma triggers in their environment. This training is delivered through workshops, training sessions, educational brochures, media, newsletters, and special events. The Alamance County Health Department also develops brochures, newsletters, and flyers to inform the public on indoor air quality events. |
| 2007 | NC | 4 | MountainKeepers -- $11,622 Nancy Reigel, PO Box 21DTS, Boone, NC 28607 Community Water Education in North Carolina's High Country The MountainKeepers were prompted to host an environment summit in 2005 as a result of increasing concerns about regional water conditions. This summit was the driving force for this project. The goals of this project will be achieved with two objectives: (1) to educate communities about the science behind the region’s water supply, and (2) to identify water-related efforts to facilitate linkages among various communities that will lead to improved environmental conditions. Participants suggested that educating communities about water would help alleviate tension between urban and rural communities. As university ambassadors, student interns work with MountainKeepers and subject matter experts to develop science-based materials and use them to increase the knowledge level about water among the region’s residents and begin a dialogue about improving water stewardship. The team also solicits information from communities about water-related efforts. For example, one community is working with an ASU professor to begin a well monitoring program because of links established at the summit. Some local residents also have constructed rain gardens to help keep pollutants from surface waterways and to contribute to groundwater recharge. This linkage facilitates long-term interaction to leverage resources, share knowledge, and work together to contribute to a sustainable, clean water supply. |
| 2007 | OH | 5 | Communities in Schools -- $18,943 Beth Urban, 510 East Broadway, Columbus, OH 43214 Recycling Awareness Communities in Schools provides environmental education opportunities to students in after-school programs. The opportunities focus on community issues of (1) litter, (2) lack of environmental stewardship, (3) waste reduction (4) limited willingness to recycle, and (5) limited access to free recycling centers in low-income areas of Columbus. Students learn the effects of littering along with the value of recycling and environmental stewardship. Goals are achieved through use of EPA’s Planet Protector and Make a Difference curriculum and field trips and by starting recycling programs in each participating school. The project is implemented in three phases: (1) educational programming during the after school program, (2) active participation in school and community recycling, and (3) promoting greater access to recycling bins for the school community. Students involved in the project educate the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and the local government about the importance of recycling. |
| 2007 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $16,600 Huantian Cao, 431 Human Environmental Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078-6114 Building a Sustainable Oklahoma This workshop educates the public about the presence of toxic materials in consumer products and their role in sustainable development. The workshop is titled “Building a Sustainable Oklahoma” and is presented at the annual Oklahoma Sustainable Network conference. After the conference, workshop materials are posted on the Oklahoma Sustainability Network and Oklahoma State University Web sites for wide distribution to members of the Oklahoma Sustainable Network and other interested groups or persons. |
| 2007 | OR | 10 | Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve -- $14,996 Jan Curry, 2600 SW Hillsboro Highway, Hillsboro, OR 97123 Algae-Barley Science Inquiry Project The Algae-Barley Science Inquiry Project provides a real-world project model of science inquiry and environmental stewardship for educators and middle and high school and college students that can be transferred to the community. The first component of the project involves the students in interaction with scientists working on a wetlands-based research effort. This project studies the effects of barley straw treatment on suppression of algae and models science inquiry processes and stewardship for clean water. In the fall, a teacher workshop is held to learn, plan, and share ideas and materials. Field trips to the wetlands are held in the fall and in the spring to learn about science processes, water quality parameters, and algal data collection. The second major component of the project, during the winter, involves students in science inquiry projects or stewardship projects in the communities. In the late spring, the students present their findings at a public “Science at the Wetlands” celebration. |
| 2007 | OR | 10 | Tillamook School District #9 -- $16,904 Clair Thomas, 6825 Officer's Row, Tillamook, OR 97141 Develop Wetland Monitoring Curriculum to Promote Environmental Stewardship and Vocational Training This grant establishes a wetland study area where students monitor conditions, design and carry out restoration projects, analyze trends in wetlands due to human and natural causes, and will provide an outdoor laboratory to design and carry out original research. Students from advanced science classes act as peer teachers for the younger grades on field trips. Science professionals from the community work with the students to help them understand the link between the natural resources and their community. Field trips, field trip presentations, guest speakers, student peer leaders, and varied classroom activities and labs are all used in this project. As the program develops and high school students are trained, the program will expand to all grade levels with grade appropriate level material. |
| 2007 | PA | 3 | Southeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center -- $17,900 Susan DiGiorgio-Poll, 35 South High Street, West Chester, PA 19382 Minimizing the Risks from Environmental Toxins through Education Janitors, teachers, and other staff including healthcare practitioners in child care centers in Philadelphia are educated about the harmful effects to both children’s health and the environment caused by indoor air pollution, especially harsh cleaning products and pesticides used in these facilities. The health education center uses the funds to promote and increase the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and pest control in the child care centers selected and in the home to protect children’s health. All participants attend an interactive educational session, held at the daycare center, on environmental education topics that focus on indoor air pollution and pest management. |
| 2007 | TN | 4 | Ijams Nature Center -- $20,310 Paul James, 2915 Island Home Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 Living Clean and Green Living Clean and Green is a series of 16 programs designed to inform the public and improve the environment. The Ijams Nature Center presents these programs to civic organizations, church groups, neighborhood associations, and garden clubs. The key concepts embraced in Living Clean and Green are natural cycles, interrelationships, biodiversity, understanding community, environmental stewardship, personal responsibility, and living in balance with the natural world. The programs are scheduled by request; these hour-long programs or workshops include a slideshow overview of the basic concepts for each program, followed by an interactive discussion. A number of the programs involve outdoor components. Programs held on site at Ijams Nature Center have added value because of the natural outdoor setting. However, many of the programs can be presented easily indoors and off site or can be modified to accommodate the audience and location of the workshop. The annual audience reached through the programs consists of members of the public, school students, and college students. |
| 2007 | TX | 6 | Brenham Independent School District -- $27,398 Nancy Oertli, 711 East Mansfield Street, Brenham, TX 77833 Teacher Training - Outdoor Classroom This project expands Brenham Independent School District’s (ISD’s) outdoor classroom program to include students in grades 7 and 8. As a part of this project, students in grades 5 through 8 and their teachers visit Nails Creek and Birch Creek Park and learn to use scientific methods to address real environmental problems while they develop an awareness of natural ecosystem and explore their roles and environmental stewards. This project is also supported by volunteers from the Blinn College, Texas Master Naturalists from the Gideon Licecum Chapter, and the Washington County Extension Agency. |
| 2007 | TX | 6 | The Artist Boat, Inc. -- $50,000 Karla Klay, 4919 Austin, Galveston, TX 77551 Eco-Art Adventure via Kayak Program The Artist Boat increases awareness among and instills an environmental ethic in middle school students. The program employs an innovative and effective inquiry-based teaching methodology, which integrates art and science to engage all types of learners — visual, auditory, and tactile. The program consists of Eco-Art Workshops (2-hour in-class workshops); Eco-Art adventures (4-hour waterborne field classes) on kayaks at Galveston Island State Park; and interdisciplinary environmental curricula in art, math, science, social studies, and English (8 pre and post classroom lessons teachers deliver). The nonprofit organization also provides faculty members with Eco-Art Professional Development training. This program meets the goals of the Texas Education Agency — Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and Galveston Bay Estuary Program’s goals for public participation and education in the Galveston Bay watershed. |
| 2007 | UT | 8 | Southern Utah University -- $31,886 Charlotte Pedersen, 351 West University Boulevard, Cedar City, UT 84720 Removal of Arsenic Contamination from Surface Water using Phytoremediation The project is to clean the Desert Mound Mine from contamination by arsenic using native plants for phytoremediation. Arsenic in drinking and surface water is a major concern in the U.S. Several severe effects, such as weakening of the immune system and cancer, can be caused by exposure to arsenic. The Desert Mound Mine is a popular swimming hole for local youth and an important source of water for wildlife in the Great Basin Desert. The remediation project is used to conduct a high school teacher workshop to address an environmental component in teaching skills. The workshop is designed to help educators incorporate more applied environmental science into the science curriculum. Two workshops for high school teachers are offered state-wide through the Utah Department of Education. In addition, community seminars are advertised on the radio, in the local paper, and through fliers. Undergraduate students at Southern Utah University (SUU) are involved in all aspects of the project, from cleaning up the site using native plants to conducting field trips to the site and giving talks at local venues. An important aspect of this project is that the undergraduate students are involved in new, cutting-edge applied research. They are designing and conducting the experiment, but they are also involved in collecting the data and conveying the findings to the community at large. |
| 2007 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $92,100 (HQ Grant) Jennifer Visitacion, 350 South 400 East, Suite G4, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Utah Project for Excellence in Environmental Education Strengthening the capacity and quality of environmental education programs, non-formal educational programs, and teacher partnerships in Utah are among the goals of this project. The Utah Society for Environmental Education is inventorying state environmental programs and materials related to energy conservation, air quality, water quality, and waste management issues. A needs assessment is being conducted to identify how to best support kindergarten through grade 12 teachers throughout Utah to improve the use of environmental education as an integrated context for teaching the core curriculum. A focus group is discussing the results of the inventory and needs assessment to decide how many teachers are integrating environmental education topics into their lesson plans and the best strategy for supporting teachers to make environmental education an integral part of what they do. In addition, the focus group is developing an implementation strategy for a model program to help guide non-formal environmental educators throughout Utah about how to effectively correlate their programs to the state core curriculum while inspiring and empowering students to become more environmentally literate. Partners on this project include the Utah State Office of Education, Utah State University Water Quality Extension, Utah Project WET, Pine View High School, Utah House, Tracy Aviary, and Four Corners School of Outdoor Education/Bioregional Outdoor Education Project. |
| 2007 | VT | 1 | The DREAM Program, Inc. -- $18,800 Pete Land, 87 Elm Street c/o Family Center, P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 A Participatory Environmental Video Project for Urban Youth in Vermont. DREAM Environmental Productions empowers high school students living in affordable housing communities in Vermont with the opportunity to create videos about their local environment during a 12-week workshop. They share their videos with a larger audience through public screenings at the neighborhood family center, at a film festival, and on a Web site that they design and create. By producing their own videos, students begin to recognize and take ownership of the environment that exists, not off in the mountains, but in their backyards. Students learn to become stewards of the streams, forests, and green spaces that affect the quality of life in their communities. |
| 2007 | VA | 3 | Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Inc. -- $12,000 Jean Clements, 4415 Boonsbono Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503 Earth Education at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah - Hands-on Field Studies for Area Schools, Roots and Shoots Garden/Healthy Life Choices This project helps expand the existing school field work study program to grades –3 through 5. It is an outdoor facility available for environmental study and exploration to a segment of the area population as broad as possible and to integrate learning experiences on earth education into all camp-sponsored activities. The priority objective is to provide real-life, close and personal interaction with the environment that will result in greater respect for the natural surroundings. |
| 2007 | VA | 3 | Virginia Department of Environmental Quality -- $62,156 (HQ Grant) Ann M. Regn, 629 East Main Street, P.O. Box 10009, Richmond, VA 23240-0009 Building Statewide Capacity by Supporting Four Regional Alliances in Virginia Virginia’s master/business plan for environmental education for community-based programs that was adopted in 2004 is implemented through this project. The goal of the project is to build the capacity and sustainability of environmental education in the State of Virginia by implementing the plan and developing leaders to revise the plan in 2010. To achieve this goal, the Virginia Office of Environmental Education is: (1) establishing at least three regional environmental education alliances; (2) increasing membership and collaboration in regional alliances; (3) providing an annual meeting and leadership forum; (4) conducting a strategic planning and needs assessment in each region; (5) providing 3 days of professional development to meet the needs identified by each region; and (6) recognizing community-based initiatives and community environmental education leaders. This project employs a full array of communication and education techniques, including monthly electronic newsletters; Web sites; meetings; professional development workshops; an annual conference; strategic planning exercises; and printed materials aimed at increasing partnerships, identifying funding sources, and facilitating communication and networking. The project helps community-based educators connect their programs to the public, link to other statewide or local programs, and find and leverage support for their programs. The primary partner on this project is the Virginia Resource – Use Education Council. |
| 2007 | WA | 10 | River Center Foundation -- $14,998 Robert Boekelheide, P.O. Box 3007, 2151 Hendrickson Road, Sequim, WA 98382 Teaching Science Skills/Ecosystem Protection of the Dungeness River Watershed This grant develops and provides two continuing education workshops that help teachers develop classroom lessons about the water quality, habitat protection, fish, and wildlife of the Dungeness River watershed. These lessons help the teachers understand and use basic scientific methods, inquiry-based learning, problem solving, and hands-on techniques. The project instructs the teachers about how to apply state education testing goals and skills to watershed health on the North Olympic Peninsula. The River Center partners with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, the Sequim School District, and Audubon of Washington on this project. |
| 2007 | WA | 10 | Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force -- $15,396 Cara Ianni, P. O. Box 5006, Everett, WA 98026 Restoration Ecology for Young Stewards This restoration program is for students to design and implement an experimental stream restoration project within the school’s watershed. The curriculum is project- and inquiry-based and engages youth in an authentic salmon habitat restoration project. It increases environmental stewardship within the communities where it is implemented. The program works with Snohomish County Surface Water Management, local city governments, local school districts, and local tribal entities to offer students the opportunity to learn about ecosystems, enhance their skills in scientific inquiry and investigation, and design solutions to real-world problems faced by restoration professionals. The curriculum includes two field-based and seven in-class lessons. Student collect observational data, perform simple experiments, learn the life history of the salmon, conduct investigations, implement stream restoration, and communicate their learning. The project reaches classrooms within the Arlington and Snohomish School Districts. |
| 2007 | WV | 3 | Cacapon Institute -- $14,924 W. Neil Gillies, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808 A New Model for Regional Environmental Education Using the Internet The Cacapon Institute professional education and outreach staff work with the region's schools and communities to promote watershed awareness. This grant is used to reach a teacher-targeted audience through the use of Project Learning Tree workshops, working with education faculty at universities, through personal visits to schools, and by using the teacher contacts with other environmental organizations and agencies. Teachers use :Internet-based activities to educate students and help provide a unique venue for critical thinking using real science. |
| 2007 | WI | 5 | Burnett County -- $21,477 Richard Schneider, 7410 County Road, K #16, Siren, WI 54872 Grassroots Sustainable Development - Citizen and Municipality Education Burnett County is implementing the Natural Step program (a philosophy of sustainable development) to communities in a two-county area. Participants, including representatives from two county high schools, are educated on subject areas where sustainable development can have a meaningful impact (education, transportation, or waste management, for example) through workshops and field trips. Using the books “The Natural Step for Communities — How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices” and “The Natural Step for Businesses,” introductory training sessions are taught on the community level. The goal is to learn that sustainable development is one of the strategies that can be a vehicle to guide sensible development without permanent and irreparable damage to our environment. |
| 2008 | AL | 4 | Alabama Forestry Foundation -- $10,700 Chris Erwin, 555 Alabama Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 Teachers Conservation Workshop This 4-day workshop is designed to give teachers a better understanding of the important role Alabama’s forest ecosystems play in protecting the environment while providing economic resources to the citizens of the state. Guest speakers from government agencies, academic institutions, and industry covers topics such as wildlife, silviculture, fire, tree identification, and water quality. The workshop includes field trips, classroom lecture, and hands-on activities. The audience for this workshop is kindergarten through grade 12 teachers from across Alabama. The teachers come away with a better understanding of the necessity of managing the forests and other natural resources to keep them healthy and productive. |
| 2008 | AL | 4 | The Martin Foundation -- $121,500 (HQ Grant) Angela Martin, 110 Pawnee Drive, Anniston, AL 36206 Community Unity for a Healthy Life By educating teachers, students, parents, community leaders, and the public about threats to human health from environmental pollution, Community Unity for a Healthy Life increases the public’s awareness and knowledge about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and mercury for residents of the city of Anniston and Calhoun County, Alabama. This project helps to address concerns about these environmental toxins, which have been dumped in the counties over a period of 40 years. Through a community education approach that includes weekly workshops, seminars, and health fairs, members of the community are educated about threats to human health from the toxins and learn how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health. In addition, several resources, including a Web site, a monthly e-newsletter, and an informational brochure, have been developed to further inform community members about various ways that humans may be exposed to contaminants. By increasing the community’s awareness and knowledge, this project enables community members to develop skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions for their health care. Partners on this project include Family Links, Inc., the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Albany, and Jacksonville State University. |
| 2008 | AK | 10 | Prince William Sound Science Center -- $15,000 Lindsay Butters, P.O. Box 705, Cordova, AK 99574 Clean Ocean Robotics Clean Ocean Robotics guides sixth-grade students to become skilled in the use of robotic technology and its potential application in oil spill response. Students are educated about ocean health and robotics via classroom presentations, workshops, and field trips to local sites, and then provide outreach on the topic during a community-wide festival. Furthermore, five groups of students from grades 4 through 12 participate in marine debris removal during the 2009 National Environmental Education Week. The project enhances stewardship of marine and coastal ecosystems through a series of educational programs; engages a wide range of audiences in ocean-based educational activities using a variety of program delivery techniques; and exposes participants to regional marine research projects and careers in ocean sciences by involving guest scientists in program delivery. |
| 2008 | AK | 10 | Takshanuk Watershed Council -- $11,259 Emily Seward, P.O. Box 1029, Haines, AK 99827 Green Careers for Haines High School Students Green Careers is a vocation-based internship program for high school students. The program offers a series of internships that integrate existing high school curriculum with rigorous, individualized job training experiences in local fisheries management, tourism, and fish and wildlife law enforcement organizations. The project includes field trips and matches the students with mentors and, the potential for hometown green careers. Students share their knowledge weekly by preparing episodes of “Watershed Weekly” on a local radio station in Haines that airs issues of local environmental concern. This program builds on the Eco-Studies program funded by EPA in 2003. |
| 2008 | AZ | 9 | ABOR, Northern Arizona University -- $15,000 James Allen, 1501 S. Knoles Drive, Building 56, Suite 240, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4130 Junior Forester Academy In light of the enormity of the issues and the problems surrounding global climate change, solutions must be sought at the local level in each of our communities. Northern Arizona University addresses this reality by modeling it—by offering a week-long overnight summer camp focusing on finding solutions to global climate change and on empowering students within the context of environmental career potential. A collaboration between the College of Education and School of Forestry, the Junior Forester Academy program brings together Arizona youth, ages 13 through 16, in career groups led by experts in the environmental sciences. Among the career fields introduced are environmental engineering, forestry, political science, and conservation. Teaching staff recruited from college campuses throughout the United States undergo rigorous training in the climate-change curriculum and in hands-on learning techniques that engage students. This highly structured program includes in-class learning, projects and activities, guest speakers, a National Science Foundation field trip, and field work. Each career group creates a professional presentation, to be given before a panel of experts and community members. Empowered with new visions of their career opportunities and the initial tools to do something positive for the environment, students represent the community based model for solutions to global climate change. |
| 2008 | AR | 6 | Benton County Regional Solid Waste Management District -- $12,837 Serina Wilkins, 5702 Brookside Road, Bentonville, AR 72712 Mobile Environmental Learning Center The Mobile Environmental Learning Center is an interactive trailer where students in grades kindergarten through 6 learn about the importance of recycling and environmental stewardship. Teachers from local Benton County elementary schools are instructed on how to use the center and guide their students through it so they can learn about protecting the environment. Students learn the importance of conservation and recycling. The learning center includes several interactive displays that educate the children on the importance of the environment. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Art From Scrap -- $9,249 Cay Sanchez, 302 East Cota Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 AFS Green Schools Teacher Training Workshops Getting “back to the garden” is the method Art from Scrap uses to teach elementary school children in Santa Barbara County to foster appreciation of the natural world. This teacher education program is the first step to promoting positive messages about environmental stewardship in Santa Barbara County schools. It offers the beginnings of a social foundation for encouraging environmental practices that enhance land use for tourism and mitigate the potential for groundwater contamination from commercial use of pesticides and fertilizers in regional agriculture. Art from Scrap sponsors workshops in organic gardening and in composting to classroom teachers, student teachers, classroom aides, parent volunteers, and administrators. Program partner Healing Grounds Nursery provides free plant seedlings and composting worms, the living beginnings for a laboratory where age-appropriate experiments are conducted every day in the most natural way, as children cognitively and physically engage with nature. The fruit of the garden for the community is the opportunity it provides children to internalize positive associations with stewardship of the environment. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | California Integrated Waste Management Board -- $103,100 (HQ Grant) Christy Humpert, 1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812 Strategies for Incorporating the EEI Curriculum into California Classrooms The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) is responsible for implementing the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI), a program developed under a California law that was enacted in 2003. It requires development and dissemination of a kindergarten through grade 12 environment-based education program for all students in the state’s public schools. The EEI curriculum focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment and addresses various environmental issues, including sustainability, water, air, and pollution prevention. Under this project, CIWMB is developing and implementing a strategy for incorporating the EEI curriculum into California school districts to produce more environmentally literate students. In addition, CIWMB is developing a professional development plan for training educators in use of the EEI curriculum. Teachers attend workshops to learn about EEI and participate in focus group meetings. This project serves as a model for bringing environment-based education into public schools nationwide, institutionalizes environment-based education, and helps to develop more environmentally literate students. Partners in this project include the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Education, the State Education and Environmental Roundtable, and the National Geographic Society. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose -- $39,800 Jenni Martin, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110-2780 BioSITE: Students Investigating Their Environment The Guadalupe River in San Jose is adapting to massive ecological change after the completion of a -- $100 million urban park and flood control project. BioSITE (BioStudents Investigating their Environment) is dedicated to engaging students in grades 4 through 12 in the ecological restoration of the river, including research and observation of water issues, animal adaptation, fish habitats, life cycles, and bird migration. Its parent organization, the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, promotes “volitional learning through interactive exhibits and programs that engage children in a meaningful inquiry process.” This comprehensive environmental education program, including teacher training in support of learning that is contextualized and concrete, provides high school students with opportunities to gain practical understanding of natural systems, while participating in journaling, cross-age mentoring, public outreach activities, and service projects. Elementary grades 3 through 6 are served by an after-school program and a curriculum that includes water research activities. BioSITE, if not the Guadalupe River, is a persuasive force and model for educational reform: more than 50 percent of its students are considering careers in environmental science or science teaching. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Earth Island Institute -- $20,000 Krista Mendelsohn, 1771 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703 Watershed Action Program: Safe Bay Food Consumption Project Concern for the decline of the ecology of the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas—the San Francisco Bay Estuary—and its threat to human health from toxic pollution drives the Kids for the Bay teaching program for health awareness and educator skills. Fish and shellfish from the bay are contaminated with toxins, including pesticides at concentrations above thresholds. Studies indicate a significant percentage of bay anglers know nothing about a health advisory, and children particularly are at risk for developmental abnormalities and cancer. Kids for the Bay partners with low-income urban schools that demographically represent the at-risk fishing population. Students and teachers participate, including fourth grade classes, from schools within 5 miles of the bay. Students learn about toxins, watersheds, food chains, and associated risks to human health and transfer that knowledge to the community through demonstrations to their schools and families and to local fishing people. Teachers trained in hands-on environmental activities for the classroom and in the field, including cleanup, learn alongside their pupils and have the opportunity to earn university credit. This program empowers students as the messengers of toxics reduction for their communities, with the advantages of cultural and first-spoken language fluency and Kids-for-the-Bay science literacy. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Friends of the Children's Museum at La Habra -- $20,000 Kimberly Powell Albarian, 301 S. Euclid Street, La Habra, CA 90631 Clubhouse H2O With limited regional water resources, two-thirds of California’s population, and a drought-prone climate, Southern California stands to benefit from The Children’s Museum at La Habra’s plan to make awareness of water conservation a way of life for students and teachers in kindergarten through third grade. A permanent interactive exhibit featuring a downscaled Clubhouse H2O, with kitchen, bathroom, garden, and replica of the municipal water system, is incorporated into the existing mountain watershed display. Reflecting accepted childhood developmental theory, as well as the museum’s ethos, the design of the new exhibit encourages age-appropriate sensory and motor encounter. Envisioned as a destination point for school field trips, the Clubhouse H2O project educates broadly to the community, as the museum receives 95,000 visitors each year. The museum partners with school districts where half the children are impoverished and one-third learn English as a second language. Teachers in the program receive professional training in how to integrate new ways of teaching science into the daily curriculum. The completed project features bilingual standards-based science instruction. Increased benefit to the community is achieved, particularly for low-income households, when conservation-savvy consumers reduce the burden of their water costs. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Friends of the Dunes -- $15,000 Margaret Stoudnour, P.O. Box 186, Arcata, CA 95518 Kid's Coastal Education and Collaboration Initiative The Humboldt Bay beaches and dunes are the largest continuous dune system in northern California, with a variety of wildlife habitats. They provide an ideal outdoor classroom for environmental education along 34 miles of coast. For 25 years, Friends of the Dunes has supported environmental education and stewardship programs on the Samoa Peninsula, with its dune forest, beach, and freshwater wetlands. With the recent purchase by Friends of the Dunes of a 35-acre property on the peninsula, the outdoor classroom gains something akin to university stature among natural teaching settings. The Humboldt Bay Coastal Education Center and Reserve, including a trail system, has been created there as a center for regional coastal education. The current community stewardship project overhauls and adapts all programming to meet the project’s expanded scope. Stronger connections with schools and a weeklong non-residential summer camp for 8 to 12-year-olds are planned. Guides trained for field trips develop games based in concepts such as predator and prey. A daylong fall and spring elementary school field-trip program, an Adopt a Dune service program, and an annual Ocean Day event currently serve students in grades 3 through 6 and their teachers. The “campus” that is the Humboldt Bay coastline and the new center accommodate the need for increasing numbers of kids to have graduated from nature’s school of environmental stewardship. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | Placer Nature Center -- $6,937 Linda Anne Desai, 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA 95602 Science and Stewardship in the Schoolyard “You need look no further than your own backyard to learn about ecosystems and the interrelationship of all things.” That is the first lesson the fourth and fifth graders attending Placer County public schools learn through the Science and Stewardship in the Schoolyard program. The spirit of the field trip resides in the hands-on exploratory nature of this learning opportunity, where students are outfitted with such scientific tools as microscopes by The Placer Nature Center. Students examine both living and nonliving aspects of the environment in pursuit of knowledge about processes such as photosynthesis and decomposition. They are introduced to larger environmental concepts, such as watersheds, and observe animal life within the context of habitat. Applying science concepts, the students take an active role in restoration and stewardship of the schoolyard ecosystem, evaluating the daily results of their actions. Teachers have the opportunity to gain expertise and access to naturalists and volunteer docents. The immediate goal is to bring more science into the curriculum and improve assessment scores, as surveys reveal that science is being taught minimally or not at all. The journey to the schoolyard culminates in stewardship service, which might be planting trees or native grasses or otherwise enhancing wildlife habitat. |
| 2008 | CA | 9 | The Regents of the University of California -- $29,897 Penelope Walgenbach, Office of Research, Sponsored Programs, 1850 Research Park Drive, Suite 300, Davis, CA 95616 Envirovet Summer Institute 2009 The Regents of the University of California at Davis see the paradigm shift in veterinary medicine under way as an opportunity to respond to the large and looming environmental crises of the day—climate change, habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, chemical and biological contamination, and specie invasion. The Envirovet Summer Institute is phase 1 in meeting the commitment to training and preparing promising individuals who can assume leadership roles in programs that work toward more sustainable ecosystems for man and animal. It provides veterinary students and professionals with career paths and the initial tools for making long-range investments in environmental research and protection. As it moves closer in focus to its agrarian origins, ensuring food safety, and crop production and transportation, veterinary medicine is fertile ground for developing future environmental leaders. During an 8-week immersion, veterinarians and veterinary students engage in didactic and experiential learning on topics ranging from environmental toxicology to wildlife conservation, and from ecological economics to environmental law and global citizenship. Ultimately, the desired outcome is that veterinarians tend not only to domestic animal companions and to livestock but to all wildlife. |
| 2008 | CO | 8 | Cottonwood Institute -- $19,935 Ford Church, 2930 Birch Street, Denver, CO 80207 Community Adventure Program The program is a class offered for credit during the school day to public high school students in grades 9 through 12 at New Vista High School and at P.S. 1 Charter School, both alternative schools. Through outdoor education, environmental education, and environmental service-learning, the Community Adventure Program inspires high school students (1) to become active community leaders by completing the award-winning environmental service-learning curriculum; (2) to develop the essential camping and wilderness survival skills of participants; (3) to develop the life skills of participants, including problem solving, project management, logistical coordination, leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. During this class, students go on hikes to practice nature awareness skills, practice essential camping and wilderness survival skills during overnight camping trips, brainstorm local environmental issues, choose an issue to address as a class, and collaborate with other local organizations to design and implement a student-directed action project to address the issue. |
| 2008 | CO | 8 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $90,068 (HQ Grant) Vince Meldrum, 2120 W. 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Preparing Pre-Service Educators to Use Environmental Action Strategies Earth Force, a national environmental education organization, trains teachers around the country on a unique approach that blends inquiry-based science education with community engagement. Activities are focused on increasing the number of pre-service educators who are trained to integrate environmental action strategies into their classrooms and improving the quality of environmental educators. Earth Force is training staff at each participating university in environmental action strategies, partnering with universities to develop a model that integrates environmental action strategies into their work with pre-service educators, and helping to pilot the integration model with pre-service educators at the universities. The integration model is presented at the 2008 National American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference and National Service Learning Conference. Integration of the environmental action plan into pre-service environmental education programs helps position colleges and universities for National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation. By adopting the environmental action approach in the classroom, teachers facilitate real-world stewardship projects, which enhances student understanding of environmental science projects. It further empowers students to indentify and address environmental issues in their communities. Partners in this project include Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. |
| 2008 | CO | 8 | Eco-Cycle, Inc -- $50,000 Cyndra Dietz, P.O. Box 19006, 5030 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80308 Green Star Schools Program Green Star Schools Program represents a change in the way natural resources are managed and consumed. The program is a first-in-the-nation model project that is educating the public about environmental issues in the community, such as waste reduction, recycling, composting, resource conservation, and zero waste. The primary delivery method is waste monitoring, kick-off assemblies, compost, recycling collection, classroom and staff training, lunchroom monitoring, restart assemblies, introduction of reusables, school appreciation and incentives, waste reduction, and zero waste events. The program includes development of promotional materials, incentives, and recognitions for participants. |
| 2008 | CT | 1 | New Haven Urban Resources Initiative -- $21,199 Colleen Murphy-Dunning, 205 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 05611 Green Skills = Green Streets The Green Skills = Green Streets program engages students in community-driven planting project. Students are educated about water cycles, nutrient cycling, wildlife biodiversity, forest structure, the connection between species and habitat diversity, adaptation, and the impact of the urban environment on its natural counterpart. As part of this project, students plant more than 100 street trees throughout the city to help restore New Haven’s street tree canopy. The New Haven Urban Resources Initiative teaches Yale School of Forestry graduate students and high school students about the best practices for street tree planning and the ecosystem services provided by the city’s tree canopy. By engaging them in the planning effect, this project provides high school students with job skills and fosters their sense of environmental stewardship. |
| 2008 | CT | 1 | The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc. -- $25,082 Jamie Dickinson, 10 North Water Street, Norwalk, CT 06854 The Water Stewards Project for Norwalk 6th Grade Students Through living exhibits, marine science and environmental education, the Maritime Aquarium inspires people of all ages to appreciate the Long Island Sound and protect it for future generations. This project teaches all sixth graders from the Norwalk Public School District about nonpoint source pollution affecting Long Island Sound. Students learn how human activity affects water resources in Connecticut and its ecosystems through educational kits, field trips, school and home activities, and science presentations. Teachers learn how to conduct an inquiry-based curriculum focused on nonpoint source pollution. Families are also encouraged to participate and learn about nonpoint source pollution. |
| 2008 | DE | 3 | Delaware Center for Horticulture, Inc. -- $17,580 Joseph Matassino, 1810 North Dupont Street, Wilmington, DE 19806 Youth Environmental Stewardship Program This project provides technical support for community gardeners throughout the city to beautify Delaware’s roadsides with native vegetation; maintain many of Wilmington’s gateways, corridors, and streetscapes; lead regional conservation stewardship projects to enhance the urban forest in public green spaces; and provide educational programs for children, teens, and adults. The students participate in tree planting, perennial and bulb plantings, a park cleanup, and hands-on learning, and engage in programming with professionals in the environmental field. Urban residents, particularly from low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, are often exposed disproportionately to negative environmental conditions that are more serious than litter. The problem is worsened because there are only a few leaders in the urban neighborhoods who have the background to speak up about environmental concerns. Specifically, this project provides community stewardship by building a consensus regarding neighborhood revitalization efforts and park enhancement. The goal is to encourage continued involvement and volunteerism by youth and cultivate the community’s future environmental leaders. Specifically, this project will provide community stewardship by building a consensus regarding neighborhood revitalization efforts and parks' enhancement activities. The goal is to encourage continued involvement and volunteerism by youth and cultivate the community's future environmental leaders. |
| 2008 | DC | 3 | National Council for Science and the Environment -- $24,625 Susan Carlson, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036 EnviroMentors DC Chapter: College and Careers Access Pathway Students engage in workshops designed to increase their understanding on the many, varied environmental careers available at both the professional and technical levels, the wide variety of environmental college degree programs and the desire among these programs to increase student diversity inclusion. It also emphasizes the array of scholarships, fellowships, and grants available for underrepresented students interested in pursuing environmental science degree programs. Specifically, this project provides the students with career development priorities. The goal of the program is to interest and prepare underrepresented high school students in the Washington, DC, area for college degree programs and careers in science and environmental fields. Among EnvironMentors’ guiding precepts is the belief that full inclusion in the environmental workforce of all cultural and socio-economic groups — particularly those most heavily affected by environmental, health, and justice issues — is needed to achieve environmental sustainability at the local, regional, and national levels. |
| 2008 | FL | 4 | Dream in Green -- $41,220 Jane Gilbert, 2000 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Suite 647, Coral Gables, FL 33134 Green Schools Challenge The aim of this grant is to make concrete steps toward a more “green” society. This goal is accomplished by integrating hands-on, inquiry-based learning about the local and global environmental impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, sources of and conversion factors for GHG emissions, energy assessments, and conservation methods to teach science, math, and language arts. This project supports the training, resources, coaching, and tracking support necessary for its participating schools to educate students about energy and resource conservation, reduce the carbon footprint of the schools and students’ homes, and provide highly engaging, real-world learning opportunities for students through the use of professional energy analysis tools. |
| 2008 | FL | 4 | The Conservancy of Southwest Florida -- $12,692 Geva Salerno, 1450 Merrihue Drive, Naples, FL 34102 Stormwater Outreach Project The Conservancy of Southwest Florida creates an outreach program by using volunteers who educate its citizens about the need for stormwater management and water quality protection along the coastline where it affects estuaries and beaches. This program provides lectures to civic groups, clubs, and homeowner organizations in the region. This project teaches individuals about the importance of protecting the land as well as to share practical tools that can be used in their everyday lives. It targets local citizens in the 55 to 75 age range to leverage the number of members and time available. |
| 2008 | FL | 4 | University of Central Florida -- $13,703 Terri Vallery, 12201 Research Parkway, Suite 501, Orlando, FL 32826-3246 Education Recycling Education Recycling aims to increase recycling rates on the university campus by conducting workshops on environmental stewardship and recycling that targets students living in University of Central Florida (UCF) housing on campus and the building managers for all 123 campus buildings and the entire staff of the UCF library. This project focuses on the community and national issue of recycling and the need to increase recycling rates on a national basis to approach a zero waste stream goal. This project empowers the UCF community to think about its role in stewardship of the environment and the need to increase recycling toward the goal of a zero waste stream campus. Education leads to further knowledge in the community that is be carried back home and to a new generation about the role recycling plays in environmental stewardship. |
| 2008 | HI | 9 | Alaka'ina Foundation -- $28,856 Todd Lawson, 1600 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 530, Oahu, HI 96814 Maui Malama Kahakai Project (Maui Take Care of the Beach) The Alaka‘ina Foundation provides opportunities in science and technology education to public schools in the County of Maui. The Maui Malama Kahakai (Maui Take Care of the Beach) project employs beach cleanup and ongoing observation of the costal ecosystem by youth as a foundation for long-term stewardship of the ocean environment. It seeks to increase public awareness of an environmental threat to which Hawai‘i is particularly vulnerable—manmade marine debris brought in a “trash gyre” from thousands of miles away. Students in kindergarten through grade 5 and their teachers from the new Pōmaka‘i elementary school confronts the gyre’s destructive potential by adopting the 27-acre shorefront of the Waihe‘e Preserve. During outings, students focus on the direct effects of pollution and study shore animal life and habitats, including endangered species. The project partners with the Maui Coastal Land Trust and the Department of Land and Natural Resources in developing an ocean-literate student body and heightened public sensitivity to manmade marine debris. Although significant concern has been established over the harmful effects of manmade marine debris for other locations, to date little attention has been given to the Waihe‘e Preserve. |
| 2008 | HI | 9 | The Kohala Center -- $24,224 Gregory Smitman, 65 1271A Kawaihae Road, Kamuela, HI 96743 Replicating Kahaluu Reef Teach Each of the Hawaiian Islands has a premiere beach or reef complex that is a well-trod tourist destination point. Of the 3 million tourists who visit the islands annually, Kahalu‘u Bay receives more than 400,000 visitors. To reduce tourism’s negative impact, The Kohala Center has developed the Saving Kahalu‘u Bay as part of the Reef Teach network. Through instruction on environmental stewardship principals, visitors learn how to experience the reef ecosystem without disturbing turtles, monk seals, and other reef inhabitants. At one time, the bay courted its own destruction as the premier reef encounter with safe, clear, shallow water and abundant tropical reef fishes. Today, trained and dedicated volunteers teach visitors how to distinguish and protect living coral and rock and how to experience the reef without threatening its ecology. Participants in the pilot Reef Teach were found to cause 93 percent less damage to the fragile coral reef when compared with non-participants. The scope of the expanded community education and stewardship network raises awareness of “reef etiquette” and reduce the footprint of a growing audience, including Big Island residents. |
| 2008 | ID | 10 | Friends of Teton River -- $17,125 Amy Verbeten, 36 East Little Avenue, P.O. Box 768, Driggs, ID 83422 Watershed Teacher Institute The Friends of Teton River holds a 4-day intensive workshop, which includes field and classroom sessions. The program is offered to teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 from rural schools in the Teton Henry’s Fork watershed. The goals of the project are to (1) expand the reach of these programs and improve student performance in science and literacy by developing the teachers’ teaching skills; (2) familiarize teachers throughout the area with the Teton Watershed Curriculum; (3) build teacher knowledge in watershed science concepts; and (4) enhance teaching skills that promote student inquiry, critical thinking, increased achievement in science, and literacy in and stewardship of water resources. |
| 2008 | ID | 10 | Idaho Department of Fish and Game -- $14,978 Amy Parrish, 600 Walnut Street, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707 Trout in the Classroom Teacher Training This project provides training for new and existing “Trout in the Classroom” teachers in grades 4 through 12 in a one-credit, 15-hour workshop throughout Idaho. The training covers trout biology, habitat requirements, water quality, and tank care. “Trout in the Classroom” is an existing program in Idaho where teachers and students raise trout in a classroom aquarium and release them into the wild. The program gives students a hands-on opportunity to observe trout development, monitor water quality in the aquarium, and explore a variety of other trout-related educational topics. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is expanding the program to encourage existing “Trout in the Classroom” teachers to use the program and recruit additional participants. |
| 2008 | ID | 10 | Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute -- $23,354 Greg Fizzell, P.O. Box 8596, 1040 Rodeo Drive, Moscow, ID 83843 MY WOODS: Moscow Area Youth Working Outdoors Offering Direct Service This program adds a school-year component to a pilot summer camp offered in a local county park for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI) staff provides schoolyard and field experiences for students and teachers to explore a variety of native ecosystems, empower and instruct teachers in delivery of environmental education, and hosts a 5-week summer program for highly motivated students. Students and their teachers receive multiple exposures to environmental concepts, stewardship behaviors, and to the outdoors itself. The project also develops teachers’ capacity to provide environmental education to students throughout the year through recommended activities, modeling strong environmental education practices, and formal and informal communication before and after field experiences. |
| 2008 | IL | 5 | Chicago Horticultural Society -- $14,000 Patty Benveniste, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022 Fairchild Challenge Chicago The Fairchild Challenge Chicago is a series of multi-disciplinary educational challenges that increase student knowledge of local environmental issues and facilitate informed decision making and problem solving skills that enable students to address these concerns. Developing these challenge projects involves students in an array of activities, including civic engagement, service learning, marketing, and a variety of artistic options. The diverse challenge categories provide multiple entry points for varied backgrounds and interest levels, attracting a wide cross-section of youth. Student’s work is recognized at a public awards ceremony and traveling gallery exhibit that highlights their ability to take action on local environmental interests, while bringing regional conservation messages to an array of community stakeholders. |
| 2008 | IL | 5 | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County -- $11,054 David Guritz, 3 South 580 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187 Earth Partnership for Schools The Earth Partnership for Schools curriculum is a nationally recognized model for restoration-based educational programming. The program trains teachers in methods for active engagement of their students in an inquiry-based process for restoring native plant landscapes. Teacher teams attend a 5-day summer institute. After the training, partner agencies provide support services, including classroom outreach, field trip instruction, and technical support for development of native plant landscapes on the school grounds for each participating team. |
| 2008 | IL | 5 | Illinois Department of Public Health -- $40,589 Ken Runkle, 525 W. Jefferson Street, Springfield, IL 62761 Online Safe Chemicals in Schools Workshop The Safe Chemicals in Schools workshop has been a successful environmental education program for teachers to learn about proper chemical storage and handling. In response to increased demand for the workshops, the project takes materials and lessons learned from the workshops and adapts them to an online format. Topics included in the workshop are hazardous chemicals, how to physically store chemicals in the school, microscale and green chemistry, proper purchasing, and how state learning standards can be used to teach science safety more effectively. |
| 2008 | IL | 5 | Northern Illinois University -- $26,689 Dara Little, 301 Lowden Hall, Dekalb, IL 60115 Integration of No Child Left Inside to Promote EE Teachers are trained on integrating the concept of “No Child Left Inside” within the “No Child Left Behind” framework through the design, development, and delivery of innovative workshops on environmental education. Formal and nonformal teachers identify and gain knowledge about local environmental issues and develop competencies in addressing challenges related to nature deficit disorder. Teachers participate in a training workshop that helps them design a 12-week-long teaching unit and project to integrate into their courses. At the end of the implementation effort, participants are invited to share their outcomes with other educators. A complimentary workshop is offered to nonformal educators. |
| 2008 | IN | 5 | Ball State University -- $36,630 Mary Annette Rose, 2000 W. University Avenue, Muncie, IN 47306 EnviroTech The mission of the EnviroTech Project is to initiate, enable, and facilitate a critical examination of a contemporary issue that ultimately enhances environmental literacy and technological literacy of technology teachers and their students. A series of Webinars are the primary interactive medium for teachers, the instructor, and guest participants. Between the Webinars, peer-to-peer collaborations and mentoring of teachers are enabled through a discussion board. All resources and tools are accessible from a dedicated Web site. The project provides instruction on (1) understanding environmental processes and systems, (2) skills for identifying, analyzing, and assessing the impacts of technology on the environment, and (3) pedagogical skills in use of guided inquiry. Two questions guide the experience for teachers and students: (1) how might replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) affect the environment and society, and (2) what strategies might individuals and communities use to reduce the negative impacts of replacing incandescent lamps with CFLs? |
| 2008 | IA | 7 | Iowa Public Broadcasting Board -- $20,000 Gwen Nagel, 6450 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131-6450 Using Technology to Provide Environmental Careers Outreach This project teaches students in grades 4 through 8 and teachers about environmental careers and resources available for students to pursue careers in science. Students and teachers are also taught about environmental issues in their communities. Iowa Public Television, in partnership with youth organizations, universities, and nonprofit organizations, presents interactive video sessions on environmental issues and information about science careers. Students have an opportunity to become aware of science careers and coursework, learn skills to analyze problems, draw conclusions about environmental issues, such as renewable energy, and arrive at an action plan. They also learn how this issue affects their futures and how they can prepare for the challenges ahead in pursuing science careers. |
| 2008 | IA | 7 | Polk County Conservation Board -- $17,642 Patrice Petersen-Keys, 11407 NW Jester Park Drive, Granger, IA 50109 Green Arts Pilot Project Middle and high school students serve as mentors in a green arts pilot project. This project merges the arts and conservation techniques and encourages environmental stewardship. Local artists, naturalists, and high school student mentors provide green art experiences for sixth grade students. This green arts project connects students with nature, addresses environmental issues, and develops awareness of native ecosystems and their effects on the quality of life. This project also addresses environmental issues, including landscape and habitat restoration, waste reduction, recycling, and water quality. |
| 2008 | KS | 7 | Blue River Watershed Association -- $16,593 Kate Delehunt, 7930 State Line Road, Suite 204, Prairie Village, KS 66208 Project TRUE Blue As part of this project, teachers participate in a 1-day summit to learn about watersheds and storm water runoff. They learn about the geographic features of the Blue River Watershed, including elevation changes and its major tributaries. Teachers study flooding problems, pollutants, their sources, and the impact on water quality. Teachers also develop a TRUE Blue curriculum and lesson plans for students to study the Blue River Watershed. Finally, students take a field trip to the watershed to monitor water quality. |
| 2008 | KS | 7 | Friends of the Kaw, Inc. -- $19,566 Laura Calwell, P.O. Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044 Kids 4 the Kaw Kids 4 The Kaw project involves students, teachers, and parents in using science to understand river ecology and public health threats from river pollution. This project has added a kid’s corner to the Kaw River Web site and created a Sandbar School. A Sandbar school teaches students ages 9 through 18 about natural history, fish species, how rivers work, and geology and geography. The Sandbar Schools serve students in grade 4 in Douglas County and middle school students from the Potawatomi Boys and Girls Club, their program sponsors, or teachers and families of the students. |
| 2008 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $80,500 (HQ Grant) Laura Downey-Skochdopole, 2610 Claflin, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743 Capacity Building at the Regional Level This project, developed by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), increases education capacity by enhancing state-level initiatives that legitimize and professionalize delivery of quality, science–based education in the four-state region of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. KACEE works with EE leaders to assess current capacity-building structures and works collaboratively with a stakeholder team consisting of formal and non-formal environmental educators to create action plans to increase state EE capacity. Program management teams work with stakeholders through workshops, meetings, and a 2-day stakeholder retreat. By drawing on expertise at the regional level, each state develops and implements action plans that advance EE, including EE master plans, EE certification programs, materials and resource review, and an ongoing assessment of environmental literacy at the state level. Through these actions, the project increases state capacity to deliver quality EE and therefore the environmental literacy of the region’s citizens. Partners on this project include the Iowa Conservation and Education Council (ICEC), the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA), and the Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education (NACEE). |
| 2008 | KS | 7 | University of Kansas Center for Research -- $19,999 Peter Macfarlane, 2385 Irving Road, Lawrence, KS 66044-7552 Environmental Stewardship of an Urban Stream in Kansas City, Kansas Environmental Stewardship of an Urban Stream helps middle school students learn about environmental stewardship of an urban stream in Kansas City, Kansas. Students monitor a local stream and evaluate stream health. This project provides middle school students an opportunity to explore and become environmental stewards of the watershed and to learn about stream monitoring methodology. Students also learn about environmental science, engage in watershed cleanup, discuss stewardship issues, and prepare presentations about their work. This project is in partnership with the University of Kansas, The Central Plains Center for BioAssessment, and the Kansas Geological Survey. At the end of the project, students lead a symposium for community members to share the results of the study. Members of the public have an opportunity to learn how they can become involved in improving the quality of streams in the community. |
| 2008 | KY | 4 | Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet -- $18,000 Aaron Keatley, 300 Fair Oaks Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601 Kentucky Sustainability Institute The Kentucky Sustainability Institute is a 1 -day workshop to address sustainability, including green buildings, smart growth, and Brownfields redevelopment. These issues have impacts on all areas of the environment, including habitat preservation, stormwater management, and energy conservation. Public health, economic development, and infrastructure issues can also be addressed via sustainable redevelopment methods that increase public awareness of environmental issues such as traffic congestion, health problems, sprawl, sewer overflow, and many others. This workshop brings forth ideas on how to best prepare for these issues that can be a hazard to the public’s health. The workshop is delivered at four Kentucky Community and Technical College System campuses across the state to ensure that interested parties have an opportunity to attend the workshop in an area close to their community. The initial target audience is municipal and county government officials and staff, community leaders, and citizens. |
| 2008 | KY | 4 | Jefferson County Public Schools -- $10,000 Rosalind Scott, P.O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232-4020 Farmer's Fragile Floyds Fork Watershed Connection The intent of this project is fourfold: (1) to construct an outdoor classroom to provide assistance to teachers in planning lessons to connect school campus to the classroom curriculum; (2) increase linkages between disciplines that are standards-based and focus on student work; (3) design a high-performing learning environment that encourages out-of-the classroom work and allows students to achieve at high levels; and (4) to provide a focal point for staff development that supports and enhances the work of daily instruction. All Farmer teachers participate in the professional development sessions, collaborate with the science teachers to address the critical issues in an interdisciplinary approach to learning, and help to build and use the outdoor classroom in some capacity. |
| 2008 | LA | 6 | Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.) -- $114,483 (HQ Grant) Sue Brown, 1504 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Earthkeepers Earthkeepers is part of a series of innovative programs developed for New Orleans-area school children by Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.) to improve student academic outcomes and prepare students to serve as future social, civic, and environmental leaders. Earthkeepers offers both real-world exploratory learning experiences in the outdoors and hands-on activities in the classroom to teach the core life science concepts of energy flow, cycles, interrelationship, and change. Students in grade 4 are engaged in 12 interactive, problem-solving activities over 3 school days at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. In addition, students complete a series of stewardship activities at home and in the classroom to educate their families and other students and to apply their knowledge to their own lives. The program teaches students that they have the ability to alter the quality of the environment and their own lives. This knowledge is imparted by immersing students in the natural world to convey essential life science concepts and engaging students in hands-on activities that reveal interdependence of humans and nature. The integration of this program into the fourth-grade curriculum advances state and local education reform goals, increases environmental stewardship and literacy, and improves sustainability for environmental education programs. Partners on this project include New Orleans charter schools, the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve, and the College of Education at the University of Arizona. |
| 2008 | LA | 6 | Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.) -- $46,984 Sue Brown, 1504 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Sunship III Sunship III is a 3-day and 2-night program for seventh grade students. Sunship III offers real-world exploratory learning experiences at a 22-acre wooded outdoor classroom site and hands-on introductory and continuation activities in the classroom throughout the school year. The outdoor classroom teaches the core life sciences concepts of energy flow, life cycles, interrelationships, and change. These concepts are presented by engaging students in 12 interactive problem-solving activities over 3 school days at the outdoor classroom. In the classroom and at home, students complete a series of stewardship activities to educate their families and other students and apply their newly learned knowledge to their own lives. This program builds on grade 4 Earthkeepers and the grade 5 Sunship Earth experience that is offered in New Orleans. The goal of the T.R.E.E. organization is “to educate children and adults about the life science processes that govern our planet, to inspire them to appreciate the natural world and to motivate them to protect it”. |
| 2008 | LA | 6 | University of New Orleans -- $17,514 Diane Frances Maygarden, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 Coastal Wetlands Stewardship Project in Greater New Orleans Schools This project involves teachers and students in a hands-on wetlands restoration project. Teachers attend a 3-day workshop, including a field trip to learn about the science of the coastal marshes and biology of the plants they grow with the students. University staff work with school teachers and students to prepare them for growing the wetlands plants in the schools. Secure growing areas are set up at each participating school. University staff provide plants and planting supplies, monitor progress, and provide classroom support as the students nurture the plants and study their growth. Science projects are developed at each stage of the simple growing and monitoring activities. At the end of the school year, students participate in planting these plants at a wetland restoration site. |
| 2008 | ME | 1 | Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed -- $12,330 Tamara Whitmore, P.O. Box 5003, Augusta, ME 04332 Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed's "Watershed Education in the Classroom Project" The Watershed Education in the Classroom Project teaches students in grades 4, 5, and 6 in the Cobbossee Watershed about nonpoint source pollution and invasive aquatic plants that affect the ecological and economic stability of the watershed. The project's goal is to increase knowledge of water quality issues and concepts in the watershed for current and future stewards. |
| 2008 | ME | 1 | Good Will Home Association -- $9,804 Deborah Staber, Route 201, P.O. Box 159, Hinkley, ME 04944-0159 After School Programs: Inspiring an Interest in Maine's Natural Environment In after-school programs for children (kindergarten through grade 5) and their families, this project teaches about Maine’s natural habitats, wildlife diversity, and environmental stewardship. Students learn about environmental issues created by road salt, rubbish, invasive plants and animals, and potential solutions and outcomes. There are 16 12-week sessions and eight Saturday family exploration sessions. |
| 2008 | ME | 1 | Gulf of Maine Institute -- $106,433 (HQ Grant) John Terry, 487 Clarks Mills Road, Dayton, ME 04005 Gulf of Maine Institute Teacher Training Initiative The Gulf of Maine Institute’s (GOMI) mission is to inspire young people, in partnership with adults, to lead stewardship efforts in the Gulf of Maine and its watershed. As part of the Teacher Training Initiative, GOMI is developing a model teacher training program that prepares social science and environmental educators to incorporate hands-on, experiential initiatives into the curriculum. Participating teachers attend 2-week-long summer workshops that serve as core training in environmental science, team building, and civic engagement. In addition, participants develop a teacher’s kit designed to effectively introduce teachers to “place-based” experiential education. Participating teachers develop community-based initiative teams at their schools and form a cadre of trainers to disseminate these tools and resources at their schools. Dissemination of this model is further aided with presentations at several regional annual teacher conferences, as well as with workshops and Web site development. The initiative enables students to become more competent in science and environmental stewardship by helping to foster teams of educators who change the ways science and social science are taught and learned. The primary partner on this project is Tufts University. |
| 2008 | MD | 3 | Garrett County Board of Education -- $64,888 (HQ Grant) Barbara Baker, 40 South 2nd Street, Oakland, MD 21550 Explorers - Environmental Education and Stewardship Development Program The pilot Explorers-Environmental Education and Stewardship Development Program is implemented by Garrett County Schools to excite students about environmental education and provide teachers with the necessary skills to integrate environmental education into the regular classroom instruction. The program consists of an after-school science club that focuses on the local watershed and uses it as an organizing principle to integrate disciplines while providing a meaningful context of learning. The program involves various school sites that teach about schoolyard ecosystems as well as the people and communities of the watershed. During the program, fourth-grade students meet on a regular basis after school and for a 4-day summer workshop. In addition, there are three field trips, including a trip to the Canaan Valley Institute research watershed. Teachers receive additional professional development workshops for content and curriculum design. Through this program, students address topics on the sustainability of natural resources, including watershed concepts, human impacts, sustainable communities, and civic action. The goal is to produce high-performing, environmentally literate students and to create schools that model best environmental practices. Partners on this project include the Maryland State Department of Education’s Environmental Education Program (MEEP), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory, the Youghiogheny River Watershed Association, and the Hickory Environmental Education Center. |
| 2008 | MD | 3 | National Aquarium in Baltimore -- $21,934 Carl Hackerman, 501 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Community-Based Restoration of Atlantic White Cedar Habitat Through live exhibitory, education programs, and community-based habitat restoration, the Baltimore Aquarium seeks to instill in both adults and children an appreciation for and an awareness of the Earth’s marine ecosystems. The National Aquarium in Baltimore proposes to build partnerships with local schools in Worcester County, Maryland, to provide a unique, hands-on experience for students to restore critical Atlantic white cedar (AWC) habitat in Bishopville, Maryland. This project restores and enhances the ecosystem in the upper St. Martins River, currently regarded as the most degraded river in the Coastal Bays. The proposed project creates a compelling pathway for scientific investigation and stewardship over the year. The project provides teachers and students with hands-on education experiences in the Coastal Bays using the Schoolyard Spartina model. It supplies practical investigative experience using horticultural experiments to grow AWC for the community-based project. A workshop introduces teachers to the project and the role students and teachers play. In addition, 900 AWC are monitored, maintained, and then planted at the Bishopville restoration site. Finally, an environmental education program that meets the Maryland and National Science Content Standards is implemented, along with three safe and effective restoration field events. |
| 2008 | MA | 1 | Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center -- $22,574 Harriet Webster, 23 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, MA 01930 Ocean Explorers: 3rd and 4th Grade Marine Science Program The Ocean Explorers: 3rd and 4th Grade Marine Science Program educates students on local marine resources. Through first hand exposure to the local marine source, Gloucester Public Schools elementary students develop a respect for the natural environment and a sense of their own impact on the environment. In this project, third- and fourth-grade GPS classrooms make two full day visits to the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center where students rotate through a series of hands-on activities in the lab and aboard a small research vessel. A GMHC educator visits each classroom four times during the school year to conduct hands-on lessons relating to marine science topics. Students explore plankton collection and identification, water quality, marine habitats, and human effects on this environment. Through these activities, this program equips children with skills and information needed to pass state mandated science tests and develop a model program for dissemination to other New England coastal communities. |
| 2008 | MA | 1 | Organization for the Assabet River -- $12,502 Amanda Lee Davis, 9 Damonnmill Square, Suite 1E, Concord, MA 01742 Community-Based Water Wise Workshops Working in partnership with Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Drumlin Farm Education Department, this organization offers a series of 1-hour, outdoor, summer workshops for children ages 6 through 12 on watershed and the water cycle, aquatic plants, aquatic animals, water bugs, water testing, water conservation, and water pollution. A total of 56 workshops are being offered over the 7 weeks of the summer program. |
| 2008 | MI | 5 | Dickinson Conservation District -- $23,508 Ann Hruska, 102 N. Hooper Street, Kingsford, MI 49802 Energized for the Future Energized for the Future takes curriculum lessons on energy, fossil fuels, and sustainable resources, its uses, and its impact on the environment and makes them come alive for students. Students in eighth grade learn how to audit their own energy use in school and at home. Teachers are reached through a kickoff workshop and direct classroom contact. Students benefit from the classroom interactive programs and the inquiry-based energy saving tools supplied to use at home with their family. Community members participate by viewing energy conservation messages through cable television, interviews on local television, newspaper articles, and a Web site. The purpose of this project is to help students and teachers connect energy resource issues to their everyday lives, both as individuals and collectively as part of a school or home, and that they can be a part of the solution by employing real word energy quantification and conservation methods to make wise energy decisions. With the knowledge gained both in the classroom and from community field trips, they make real world recommendations and help encourage decisions in the classroom, school and home that promote sustainable use of earth's resources relating to energy. |
| 2008 | MI | 5 | Inland Seas Education Association -- $29,770 Tom Kelly, 101 Dame Street, P.O. Box 218, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Invasive Species Education Initiative The Invasive Species Education Initiative contains the following components: Invasive Species Field Course for Teachers, Advanced Invasive Species Field Course for Teachers, High School Invasive Species Field Course, and enhanced invasive species exhibits at the education center. The objective of the initiative is to increase awareness and knowledge of invasive species and provide educational materials to integrate invasive species research into classroom and local communities and form networks to increase access to resources on invasive species. |
| 2008 | MN | 5 | Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs -- $15,000 Julia Nerbonne, 2233 University Avenue W, Suite 210, St. Paul, MN 55114 Environment and Agriculture The Higher Education Consortium for Higher Affairs offers a 2-week immersion course for undergraduate students in environment and agriculture. The program offered in the spring focuses on connections among agriculture, sustainability, and global environmental justice. During the first week, students explore environmental themes as a group through reading, discussions, and group field trips to select farms. During the second week, students participate in a 3-day farm stay, where they use a set of guided questions to better understand the day-to-day challenges of running a sustainable farm. After the farm stay, students explore how farming relates to urban sustainability in Minnesota and abroad. |
| 2008 | MN | 5 | Proctor Public Schools ISD 704 -- $44,446 Diane Podgornik, 131 9th Ave, Proctor, MN 55810 Lake Superior Youth Symposium A Lake Superior Youth symposium for middle and high school students throughout the Lake Superior watershed is hosted by Proctor Public Schools. The goal of the symposium is to enhance the ability and motivation of middle and high school students and teachers to understand and act on the environmental issues that face Lake Superior, both now and in the future. To accomplish the goal, students explore hands-on investigations, field trips, challenge courses, workshops, and exhibits. Through educator workshops, teacher and parent chaperones obtain new knowledge and problem-solving skills that can be integrated into their work with young people. Model student groups are invited to make presentations on projects they have implemented in the local communities around Lake Superior to inspire participants to do the same after the symposium. |
| 2008 | MO | 7 | Friends of the Green Center -- $24,280 Susan Mintz, 8025 Blackberry Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63130 Calvary Prairie Education and Restoration Project The Calvary Prairie Education and Restoration Project involves three components. First, the Ecological Restoration Corps (ERC) provides hands-on workshops and restoration projects for high school students in grades 10 through 12. ERC also provides training in conservation to encourage career exploration in the sciences. This portion of the project involves restoration of the Calvary Prairie through burning, plant reintroduction, and exotic species control. Outreach and education efforts have been expanded to build community support for the project. The second component is a field experience program for students in grades 3 through 5 at elementary schools. Students participate in seasonal field trips to Calvary Prairie in both fall and spring. Activities include carver plot studies, wildlife surveys, nature journaling, food web investigations, and propagating and planting native plants. The third component is an enviroarts project. In this component, residents from local churches, a public library, four local schools, neighborhood associations, and a community arts training program develop a formal collaborative to work on a project at the prairie. |
| 2008 | MO | 7 | Missouri Botanical Garden -- $24,507 Glenda Abney, 3617 Grandel Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108 Investigate Green School Students and teachers assume the roles of energy auditors, building designers, and green building ambassadors to present the benefits of green buildings to the public. They present information about the advantages of going green and create public service announcements to get the message out to the public and at school board meetings. Students and teachers learn about green schools, steps school districts can take to “green” their buildings, and how schools can lead community-wide sustainability efforts. They also learn about energy consumption, the impact of schools on the environment, and options for reducing energy in schools. |
| 2008 | MO | 7 | Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. -- $22,403 Kate McGilly, 2228 Ball Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 Prevention Through Parent Education in Texas Parents as Teachers conducts a workshop titled, “Neurotoxins: Their Effects on Development, Learning and Behavior.” This project involves training early childhood professionals on how to teach women of child-bearing age and families about child development through parent education. Parents as Teachers holds a train-the-trainer workshop and delivers information to women about the effects on child development of household chemicals, hazardous materials, and exposure to chemical mixtures. This workshop teaches women about precautions they can take when they handle hazardous chemicals and how to prevent a broad array of birth defects and disabilities. These activities serve families with support and enhance child development through parent education. |
| 2008 | MO | 7 | Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. -- $9,738 Kate McGilly, 2228 Ball Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 Prevention Through Parent Education in Arkansas Parents as Teachers conducts a workshop titled, “Neurotoxins: Their Effects on Development, Learning and Behavior.” This project involves training early childhood professionals on how to teach women of child-bearing age and families about child development through parent education. Parents as Teachers holds a train-the-trainer workshop and delivers information to women about the effects on child development of household chemicals, hazardous materials, and exposure to chemical mixtures. This workshop teaches women about precautions they can take when they handle hazardous chemicals and how to prevent a broad array of birth defects and disabilities. These activities serve families with support and enhance child development through parent education. |
| 2008 | MT | 8 | Montana Tech of the University of Montana -- $23,780 Matt Vincent, 1300 W Park Street, Butte, MT 59701 Clark Fork Watershed Education Program Director This project provides teachers with the skills and knowledge to integrate place-based environmental education content into standard curricula and promotes inclusion of place-based environmental education content in standard district curricula. To build stewardship, communities must understand the science motivating the Upper Clark Fork Basin transformation and what average citizens can do to maintain the health of the newly restored watershed. The CFWEP, with its partners, manages and conducts the project. The audience served by this project consists of teachers working in grades 5 through 9 with an emphasis on science and math teachers. The strategy of this project is to design, promote, and deliver professional development workshops that provide teachers with existing environmental education curricula and supporting materials. Teachers gain background content knowledge on the environmental history of the watershed and the science behind ongoing reclamation and restoration. They are trained in use of environmental education content to meet state and national education standards. Environmental literacy improves in Upper Clark Fork Basin communities, resulting in increased environmental stewardship and the continued restoration and perpetual health of area ecosystems. |
| 2008 | NE | 7 | Groundwater Foundation -- $19,000 Cindy Kreifels, 5561 South 48th Street, Lincoln, NE 68516 Waterways Education for Urban and Rural Youth Waterways for Urban and Rural Youth is a creative outdoors water project to encourage creative play and inquiry-based learning methods. This project builds awareness and establishes a connection to nature and to groundwater. This project teaches information on groundwater to students in kindergarten through grade 12. Students have an opportunity to attend field trips to learn about groundwater, nature, and the environment. Project partners also encourage creative water activities to be incorporated and delivered to existing youth programs throughout Nebraska. |
| 2008 | NE | 7 | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission -- $20,000 Jeanine Lackey, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503 Nebraska's Bird Diversity - An Educational Toolbox Teachers create a tool box composed of curriculum on CDs that contain videos, slide shows, and interviews, a teacher’s manual on each topic, resources, classroom activities, and lesson plans. This tool box covers topics such as avian adaptations, bird species at risk, habitat needs, and ecoregion-specific information. Students, teachers, and landowners receive information on Nebraska’s birds, habitats, and the environment. Copies of the tool box are distributed to teachers in grades 5 through 8 during workshops at schools, nature centers, and conservation organizations held across the state. Two of the workshops focus on training resource professionals, the public, and landowners; the other two focus on teachers. These materials have the potential to reach students, landowners, and resource professionals throughout Nebraska. |
| 2008 | NV | 9 | Sierra Nevada Journeys -- $9,850 Jonathan Mueller, 1901 Silverada Boulevard, Suite 10, Reno, NV 89512 Journeys Outdoor School Forty-five percent of Nevada fourth graders tested below proficiency in science in 2005. Increasingly disconnected from opportunities to study science, students in Western Nevada have the opportunities to experience the natural world. Sierra Nevada Journeys is offering school outreach and extra-school programs to foster a community of youth who are leaders, scientists, and stewards of the natural world. To meet the need of students to engage with their local ecosystems and natural communities, Journeys Outdoor School conducts a 4-day residential education program at Grizzly Creek Ranch, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This program involves extensive experiential learning, appealing to multiple intelligences, including daylong hikes, wildlife counts, and astronomy sessions. Lessons in natural resource conservation include water use and its impacts. Service projects teach forest management techniques—key to stewardship of the drought-prone slopes of the eastern Sierra Nevada—with the ranch’s herd of goats as ambassadors of fuel suppression. The program serves students in Washoe County and Carson City, generally in grades 5 through 7, and teachers. Anticipated outcomes include students who are enthusiastic self-motivated learners, maturation in interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and increased science scores. |
| 2008 | NH | 1 | Clean Air - Cool Planet, Inc. -- $41,714 Amanda Muise, 100 Market Street, Suite 204, Portsmouth, NH 03801 Fostering Environmental Stewardship and Action in Southern New Hampshire New Hampshire towns are creating Local Energy Committees (LECs) – community groups charged with assessing and improving their town’s actions on energy use and conservation. Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP) works with existing LECs and fosters creation of new LECs with the goal of increasing environmental stewardship and encouraging towns to make sustainable decisions on energy, transportation, waste disposal, and land use. This project facilitates a series of community meetups featuring insight from local leaders to educate town residents about local environmental issues and solutions to climate change. In addition, CA-CP organizes face-to-face workshops for LEC members, writes and distributes case studies, and updates the LEC handbooks. |
| 2008 | NJ | 2 | Burlington County College -- $24,000 Cathlene Leary-Elderkin, 601 Pemberton Browns Mills Road, Pemberton, NJ 08068 New Jersey Pinelands, Pollution and You This project, “New Jersey Pinelands, Pollution and You” takes students into the New Jersey Pinelands to learn the ecological principles, human impacts on, and the role environmental stewardship play in the Pinelands, a large watershed for 19 rivers within the Pinelands Natural Reserve. Pre- and post-trip classroom activities enhance the lessons learned on the field trips. This project provides environmental education programs for sixth through eighth grade students in schools designated as “in need” in Camden, Burlington, and Ocean Counties. A poster contest encourages students to incorporate the lessons learned about environmental stewardship into a visual message. Copies of the winning poster are distributed to schools throughout the regional watershed to further encourage development of stewardship for this important natural resource. Pine Barrens Ecology, a curriculum resource, is revised as part of the funded project. |
| 2008 | NJ | 2 | Great Swamp Watershed Association -- $8,966 Hazel England, P. O. Box 300, New Vernon, NJ 07976 One River, One Community Project The Great Swamp Watershed Association is partnering with two fourth-grade classes — one from the upper and one from the lower Passaic River — and two high school classes, from Great Swamp Watershed and Newark, to take part in learning and discovery on the biological and environmental issues that affect the Passaic River. Students take part in classroom, online, and field educational programming. Teachers and students learn about water quality issues that affect the Passaic and explore similarities and differences between the upper and lower river ecosystems. Innovative methods in this program include peer-to-peer teaching: the high school students teach the fourth graders. Students prepare posters and, at a culminating event, share with the community various steps citizens can take to be stewards of the river and its drainage area. |
| 2008 | NM | 6 | Asombro Institute for Science Education -- $20,000 Stephanie Bestelmeyer, P.O. Box 891, Las Cruces, NM 88004 Real-World, Real-Science Project The Asombro Desert Nature Park is a non-profit organization established in 1990 to improve scientific literacy and environmental understanding of the Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem. The organization created a “Real World - Real Science Project” that expands the field trip learning experience for middle school students. The Real World - Real Science Project hosts a workshop for middle school teachers from Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and El Paso County, Texas, to train them to use a full, enhanced program that relates the field trip experience with the rest of the curriculum. They host pre-field trip activities to help introduce students to vocabulary and concepts. The teachers also hold activities after the field trip that help students extend the information they learned to other areas of their lives. |
| 2008 | NM | 6 | Gila Conservation Education Center -- $25,648 Bob Wilson, 3005 E. Camino del Bosque, Silver City, NM 88061 San Vicente Creek-side Classroom The San Vicente Creek riparian area is threatened by illegal dumping and neglect. The project, San Vicente Creek-side Classroom, educates students in grades kindergarten through 12 by conducting outdoor learning expeditions through an outdoor classroom for learning sponsored by the Gila Conservation Education Center. Kiosks, educational signs, and a bench theater seating area are available for visitors to the center. Local high school students and area experts conduct guided tours for elementary age students, and local citizens and visitors conduct self-guided tours with information provided by the kiosks. The ultimate goal is to provide education on preserving the San Vicente Creek riparian area. |
| 2008 | NM | 6 | Hawks Aloft, Inc. -- $15,902 Gail Garber, P.O. Box 10028, Albuquerque, NM 87184 Living with the Landscape This project teaches students in grades 1 through 5 about the importance of environmental stewardship and encourages critical thinking and problem-solving through a hands-on, project-based curriculum. This project uses live non-releasable birds of prey (raptors) to illustrate important ecological concepts. First graders in the program receive a classroom visit with live raptors. Second and third graders receive a classroom visit with live raptors and a conservation education program delivered by their fourth and fifth grade peers. The fourth-grade program consists of three classroom visits and two field trips per classroom. The classroom visits include discussion sessions, presentation of two raptors, and other educational activities. Field trips focus on putting theory presented in the classroom into practice. Fifth graders select a school-wide conservation theme to study for the year and implement a conservation project in the local community. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | Alfred University -- $12,000 Michele Hluchy, 1 Saxon Drive, Alfred, NY 14802 Environmental Science Training Workshop This Alfred University project enables undergraduate education students (pre-service teachers) and current (in-service) teachers to provide the materials and skills to teach students about the role humans play in degrading and protecting the environment. Educators (both pre- and in-service) take part in workshops to learn how to use the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program, a well-respected, scientifically oriented and environmentally focused program. Teachers and their students participate in a field day at Alfred University using the GLOBE protocols for studying soil, water, and land use with assistance from the workshop leaders. This program fosters environmental stewardship as both the current and future teachers who participate in this program implement ongoing environmental classroom and field activities. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Inc -- $10,000 Christopher Collins, 24-20 FDR Drive Service Road East, New York, NY 10010 The Green Design Lab The Green Design Lab teaches high school students to assess energy, water, waste, and food flows in the Manhattan Comprehensive high school building. They create a detailed proposal for how to “green” the school, including a plan for capital renovations. This project uses existing curricula and resources to pioneer a new environmental educational strategy that incorporates science, art, design, community stewardship, and career development, with an emphasis on creativity, applied problem solving, and career training. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | City Parks Foundation -- $34,200 Jessica Lerman, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021 Seed to Trees City Parks Foundation works to improve New York City’s neighborhood parks by providing free, high-quality parks programs, particularly in underserved areas, that appeal to the diverse interests of New York City residents. This funded project, “Seeds to Trees,” includes classroom lessons and parkland field experiences for students and workshops and ongoing assistance throughout the school year for teachers at participating schools. Program units include forest ecology, urban wildlife and human impact, geology, decomposition and waste reduction, and water conservation. Students and educators develop the awareness, knowledge, skills, and understanding to become stewards of their local environments and urban parks. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | Friends of Van Cortlandt Park -- $15,000 Christina Taylor, 124 Gale Place, Apt. GRA, Bronx, NY 10463 Summer Environmental Internship Program The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park runs the Summer Environmental Internship Program for New York City high school students. The program provides hands-on summer employment within Van Cortlandt and other parks in the city. The summer environmental interns obtain first-hand experience maintaining and learning about the ecosystems in urban parks, in the process developing an understanding of the need to protect the natural environment and the ways visitors to a natural area affect its ecosystems. Students work with staff and volunteers from environmental and natural resource providers, agencies, and organizations to acquire increased knowledge of career opportunities in the environment as well as basic job skills. By working in this urban ecosystem, participants acquire environmental knowledge and skills and undertake tasks reflecting their commitment to environmental stewardship. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | National Audubon Society, Inc. -- $120,000 (HQ Grant) Judy Braus, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 Climate Change "Train the Trainers" Workshop and Pilot Under this project, the National Audubon Society helps community and educational leaders across the country acquire the knowledge, skills, and resources to educate people about climate change issues and assists in developing the skills to make decisions about reducing their carbon footprints. Audubon uses a “train–the-trainers” online conferencing workshop for individuals selected from various Audubon centers and their partner community-based organizations to enhance their knowledge about climate change and develop scientifically accurate and educationally sound programming to engage the target audiences. In the workshop, the leaders learn how to design new programs as well as components about climate change that can be embedded into courses that their organizations already offer. Workshop participants are provided with materials that can be used for local outreach and programming. After the workshop, Audubon pilots the development, implementation, and evaluation of climate change programming, with the objective of reaching new audiences and capturing best practices for dissemination among Audubon’s entire network of centers and partners. Results of this project include education leaders who are better trained and equipped to educate people across the country about what they can do to affect climate change, citizens who are more aware of how their actions affect climate change, and a model for climate change that can easily be replicated in other regions. The key partner in this project is the National Wildlife Federation, along with a variety of community-based organizations. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | The Point Community Development Association -- $15,000 Maria Torres, 940 Garrison Avenue, Bronx, NY 10474 The Jackie and the Beanstalk Project This program serves children in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx in New York City. It fills a need to educate fourth, fifth, and sixth graders about the environmental health issues in the South Bronx that directly affect them, especially asthma. Centered on an interactive live performance of “Jackie and the Beanstalk,” the program includes a pre-performance classroom component and a follow-up civics lesson as student learn about the factors that affect air quality. Students learn about the ways to minimize the risk of asthma (its incidence is elevated in this community) and preserve good health for themselves and their community. They discover how they can interact with members of the public, community, and government who, along with them, can take action to improve air quality. This immediate and meaningful topic promotes environmental stewardship as students take steps to improve local air quality. |
| 2008 | NY | 2 | Wildlive Conservation Society -- $19,949 Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Voyage from the Sun Voyage from the Sun is an online training course for middle school teachers in New York and across the U.S. The course focuses on the links among energy, ecology, and conservation as well as climate change. The online course is directed toward teachers across the U.S., with and emphasis on those without ready access to advance state or local education reform goals. The project promotes environmental stewardship by equipping educators with the means to teach students how use and extraction of energy-related resources affect ecosystems and effective approaches to ameliorating those impacts. |
| 2008 | NC | 4 | Elon University -- $15,000 Bonnie Bruno, 100 Campus Drive, 2610 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27215 Haw Rivers Land Stewards This project fosters a conservation ethic among Haw River landowners through recruitment for and participation in the Haw River Land Stewards (HRLS) program. HRLS provides educational opportunities and resources through direct contact with the landowners. It also reduces pollution loading to Haw River from riparian areas through land purchases for conservation and promotes public awareness of the need to protect regional water quality related to the Haw River by prominently visible signage designating “Haw River Land Steward.” The conservation outcomes of this project are a community and social network of riverfront landowners interested in the welfare of the river, recruitment and identification of a group of landowners who are interested in becoming HRLS, and the ability to make additional presentations on conservation opportunities and benefits to landowners. A final intent is to foster the willingness of some of the landowners to enter their land into permanent conservation programs either through sale or donation of land to an appropriate agency. |
| 2008 | OH | 5 | Ohio River Foundation -- $19,592 Erin Lang Crowley, P.O. Box 42460, Cincinnati, OH 45242 School Rain Garden In greater Cincinnati, there is a significant lack of education and information about the Ohio River and its watershed, even though it is a source of drinking water to millions of people. The first function of this project is to provide hands-on learning about watersheds and stormwater management. The school rain garden is an education-outreach and stewardship program geared for students in grades 6 through 12. The second function is to enable students to design and implement rain gardens that serve as a model for the community at large. Designing and building rain gardens further develops skills in math and science. |
| 2008 | OR | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Oregon -- $40,813 Linda Rhoads, 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Suite 307, Portland, OR 97204 Watershed-focused Leadership Development This project brings together formal and non-formal educators and community representatives from across Oregon to create educational solutions for watershed stewardship, ecosystem protection, and sustainability. The Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) leads, manages, and facilitates an 11-month planning process culminating in a 3-day leadership clinic for participants to design and create action plans for watershed-focused educational and community engagement projects. At the conclusion of the clinic, the teams, which are composed of educators, watershed council representatives, and other community leaders, have developed action plans for projects to implement in their home watersheds. EEAO uses a national workshop model developed by the National Environmental Education Advancement Project funded by EPA for the leadership clinic and offers continuing education credits for the teachers. |
| 2008 | OR | 10 | Lane Community College -- $14,673 Jennifer Hayward, 4000 East 30th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97405 Lane Community College's Sustainability Infusion Project Lane Community College’s Sustainability Infusion Project (SIP) equips college faculty members with the skills and tools necessary to infuse concepts of sustainability into existing teaching curricula. The college is hosting two “train-the-trainer” workshops to train faculty members. The trained faculty members in turn train additional faculty members, each providing the teachers a strategy for infusing sustainability into all aspects of student learning across campus departments. SIP replicates the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability across the Curriculum Leadership workshops. |
| 2008 | OR | 10 | Resource Innovation Group -- $24,281 Robert Doppelt, P.O. Box 51182, Eugene, OR 97405 Climate Brigade Program This project (1) completes a model for outreach to households around climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;(2) runs two pilots on outreach to businesses in Eugene on the same topic; and (3) plans to disseminate the model regionally and nationally. The program trains Climate Masters during a 10-week train-the-trainer program modeled after the Master Recycler program and mobilizes a brigade of citizens to fight climate change. Once trained, the brigade conducts outreach around reduction of GHG emissions in homes and businesses through individual and business climate consultations (which include personalized audits and site-specific recommendations) and attends conferences to speak about the program and distribute literature. |
| 2008 | PA | 3 | Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology -- $25,825 Bill McGlinn, 3145 Hamilton Boulevard Bypass, Allentown, PA 18103 Community of Modelers Using the Community of Modelers, the Da Vinci Science Center engages teachers, students, and other community members in using desktop computer-based climate-modeling software, Educators Global Climate Model (EdGCM). The Da Vinci Science Center provides in-depth training workshops and online and in-person follow-up and troubleshooting to enable educators and citizens to use and understand the same global climate modeling software used by environmental scientists. The Da Vinci Center also facilitates an online forum where workshop graduates exchange data and analysis derived from their climate models. Participants become more aware of the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions and better able to use scientific models to make decisions about local, regional, and national climate policy. |
| 2008 | PA | 3 | Northampton County Area Community College -- $25,915 John Leiser, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 18020 Farming for the Future: A Model for Community Supported Agriculture Northampton Community College (NCC) students on the Monroe Campus study the operation of the Josie Porter Farm to see its function as an area of sustainable biodynamic agriculture that provides food within the community it serves. By working the farm and meeting with members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), participants are able to recognize the goals of the farm to promote environmental stewardship. Students then work with faculty and the Cherry Valley Community Supported Agriculture (CVCSA) to design a model for demonstrating community supported agriculture enterprises to municipalities working to secure open space and to teach public workshops on the farm around the topics of stewardship and sustainable agriculture. The proposed project is intended to promote sustainable interactions between the population of Monroe County and the wild resources found in the region. Project goals are threefold: (1) to teach students critical thinking about environmental issues so that they analyze information and design realistic environmental solutions to problems, while encouraging the students to adopt sustainable options in their own lives; (2) to educate the local community about the importance of balancing population growth with the need for renewable food resources, and (3) to educate municipal leaders about community supported agriculture by developing a model for incorporating CSA land into open space initiatives. |
| 2008 | PA | 3 | PA Resources Council -- $19,360 David Mazza, 64 South 14th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Health and the Environment: The Human Connection This project draws on existing curriculum materials developed by PA Resources Council Inc. and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute-Center for Environmental Oncology to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental causes of cancer, minimize the public’s exposure to environmental pollutants and contribute to the prevention of cancer, especially among children, by educating middle and high-school students, their parents or guardians, and teachers and pre-service teachers. Specifically, this curriculum seeks to enhance critical thinking and decision making skills as a means to effectively analyze information and make informed decisions about purchase and use of products and behavioral changes as a means to avoid or reduce pollution exposure. This project encourages participants of all ages to accept responsibility for reducing and eliminating toxins in the environment by decreasing their consumption of products that contain these substances. Participants acquire skills that assist them in making informed decisions concerning conscious consumerism (label reading and alternatives to toxin-containing products). |
| 2008 | PR | 2 | University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla -- $49,861 Robert Mayer, P. O. Box 6150, Aguadilla, PR 00604-6150 Caribbean Center for the Reduction of Aquatic Debris The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla Caribbean Center for the Reduction of Aquatic Debris delivers workshops for university students, who then conduct workshops with teachers and students in kindergarten through grade 12 and the public on aquatic debris. The program educates both university students and the public on the ways they can be environmental stewards as they take action to change behaviors that affect local and global waters. Nine workshops are provided for university students to prepare them to conduct the educational outreach. They deliver 19 educational workshops for students in kindergarten through grade 12 throughout Puerto Rico and six workshops for the public. The program also conducts four beach and four lake cleanups to involve students and the public in stewardship. In addition, students develop public service announcements that are offered to the media and enhance the marine debris Website. |
| 2008 | RI | 1 | Scituate School Department -- $14,895 Shannon Donovan, 197 Danielson Pike, North Scituate, RI 02857 Using Technology in Environmental Monitoring to Promote Natural Resource Conservation This project trains teachers and students in the use of state-of-the-art mapping technologies. Students learn to use both global positioning systems (GPS) and geological information systems (GIS) for mapping a variety of environmental parameters in the community, including invasive species, nonpoint pollution sources, and water quality monitoring stations. Participants learn about threats to the natural resources and generate management plans as solutions. |
| 2008 | SC | 4 | Clemson University -- $24,120 William Brown, 300 Brackett Hall, Box 345702, Clemson, SC 29634-5702 Extreme Environment The purpose of this grant is to provide an opportunity for fourth and fifth grade students from disadvantaged schools to experience environmental education in a natural setting in a way that is interactive and fun, while providing them with learning tools that enable them to be more successful in school. Students attend a 3-day camp at Camp Cooper. The curriculum features four main exercises: Water Quality, Soil Horizons, Forestry, and Amazing Animals. Students examine environmental issues such as testing water quality, collecting soil samples, and learning about the nature of soil, its composition, and its relationship with vegetation, water, and wildlife. This program serves to advance environmental education and as a catalyst for advancing educational reforms. |
| 2008 | SC | 4 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $14,795 Anna Richardson, P.O. Box 22583, 125 Cannon Street, Charleston, SC 29413 Earth Force Beyond the Classroom Earth Force beyond the Classroom is designed to engage young people as active citizens who can improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. The youth and their adult facilitators are provided the skills, resources, and knowledge to turn their passion for the environment into real and lasting change in their communities. Participants examine the root cause of an issue and focus on sustainable solutions to improve the local environment. The knowledge they gain enables them to assess issues in their community and choose a local environmental problem to address, conduct balanced research so that they understand the problem from a variety of perspectives, and to take action on the issue by implementing a long-term solution. |
| 2008 | SD | 8 | Tutuaca Mountain Center -- $48,572 Cindy Tolle, 12134 Mountain Goat Center, Custer, SD 57730 The French Creek Watershed Project This French Creek Watershed Project designs and implements an environmental education program for the Custer School District in Custer County French Creek. The students study French Creek, collect global positioning system (GPS) data, integrate the data into a geographic information system (GIS), and collect water quality data on the drainage. Each grade level contributes to the overall knowledge of the watershed with grade-appropriate activities as dictated by the project. It teaches students about water, using Project WET, Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, and other activities. Information is provided to students through workshops, classroom teachings, and laboratory (both field and classroom) sessions. Teachers in grades kindergarten through 12 in the Custer School District are trained to teach the students. When the project is finished, the students understand the water cycle, the importance of clean water, and how to keep the aquifer healthy. |
| 2008 | TN | 4 | Fort Loudon Lake Association -- $10,500 Penny Mitchell, 956 Volunteer Landing Lane, Knoxville, TN 37915 Restaurant and Automotive Education Instructions This instructions project is intended to maintain the water quality of Fort Loudon Lake by educating food service and automotive facilities about preventing stormwater pollutant discharges. This goal is achieved by conducting monthly training workshops to address businesses that have the potential to discharge pollutants such as oil and grease, soapy wash water, antifreeze, and litter into the stormwater that reaches Fort Loudon Lake. Because of the small size and large number of these facilities, local municipalities have difficulty with tracking and regulation. Furthermore, many of these businesses lack the knowledge and resources to address stormwater issues because of the businesses' high employee turnover rate. The educational component introduces best management practices to inform about low-cost, practical solutions that prevent stormwater pollution. The information is disseminated to the business community by a series of training workshops, printed material, and site visits. |
| 2008 | TN | 4 | Trust for the Future -- $18,270 Jennifer Barrie, P.O. Box 60322, Nashville, TN 37206 Kilowatt Ours The Kilowatt Ours grant is used to increase student, teacher, and administrator understanding of energy issues and foster environmental stewardship by providing tools such as training sessions, classroom presentations, interactive online calculator or “kilowatt counter” kilowatt ours net-zero, and teachers workshops to reduce energy consumption and increase renewable power use in homes and in schools. The Peer Education Program (a component of the Kilowatt Ours Youth Initiative) assigns college students as peer educators in fourth through 12th grade classrooms across the greater Nashville to spend three hour-long class periods working with the younger students to reduce energy consumption and increase use of renewable power in homes and schools. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | A Nurtured World, Inc. -- $90,935 (HQ Grant) Elizabeth Roothaan, 6404 Wilbur Drive, Austin, TX 78757 Consumer Environmental Education in Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma Combining both technical and inquiry learning elements into curriculum is at the heart of A Nurtured World’s model to effectively drive change in environmental behavior. A Nurtured World has developed an innovative inquiry-based curriculum that helps individuals understand and make informed decisions about their personal environmental impacts and ties the environmental impacts to issues important to the individual. Under this project, the curriculum is being expanded and adapted to include materials appropriate for middle school students and to correlate with math, science, and English state standards. Middle school teachers and students learn how to make informed decisions about their behavior and reduce their environmental impact, and high-quality curriculum is provided to participating teachers to help them meet curriculum standards and enhance critical thinking. Two train-the-trainer teacher workshops are being conducted in each state to prepare teachers to effectively deliver all or parts of the curriculum to their students using a combination of classroom and field activities. During the workshops, participants report measurable outcomes from the project, including reductions in environmental impacts and cost savings. These actions help enhance teachers’ skills in delivering technical content and leading inquiry-based discussions related to personal environmental responsibility. Key partners include the Texas Education Agency, Keep Pearland Beautiful, De Soto School District, Yavapai County Education Service Agency, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | Historic Downtown Galveston Partnership -- $19,799 Lesley Sommer, 2326 Strand, Galveston, TX 77550 Environmental Stewardship for Historic Downtowns The Historic Downtown Galveston Partnership, whose mission is to help restore the economic vitality and physical attractiveness of Galveston’s central business district, is going to promote environmental education through the project, Travel Partners. The Travel Partners project engages middle-school children in activities that involve environmental studies. Children from the Galveston area school district promote a healthy environment by encouraging family and friends to walk, vanpool, or ride the train to work. Travel Partners is an earth-saving environmental education fund-raising project for the school. Teachers are trained in the “Drive Clean Across Texas” curriculum and then teach students how to reduce the carbon footprint by using alternative forms of transportation. The Travel Partners competition is a simple, exciting way to raise money for the school by “selling” environmental stewardship instead of candy bars. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | Martinez Street Women's Center -- $30,433 Joleen Garcia, 1510 S. Hackberry, San Antonio, TX 78210 Maternal and Child Health Education Program: Childhood Lead Prevention Project The Martinez Street Women’s Center was founded in the summer of 1999 by women from diverse professional backgrounds with a shared goal of creating a community space to promote the health and well-being of women and girls in San Antonio. The center has created a project called the Maternal & Child Health Education Program that helps promote awareness on lead poisoning. A partnership with Family Based Safety Service caseworkers provides the tools to work with case load families and educate them on lead poisoning. Through this partnership, the Lead Poisoning Education Project refers children for free or low-cost lead blood level testing throughout the City of San Antonio. Families in high-risk areas and families through the health educational workshops benefit from this project. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | Mothers for Clean Air -- $12,132 Rosalia Guerrero-Luera, 3100 Richmond Avenue, Suite 309, Houston, TX 77098 Ozone Theatre: Setting the Stage for Air Pollution Education This project has developed an interactive Ozone Theatre for middle school students in grades 6 through 8. Ozone Theater is an innovative program that uses theatrical techniques to teach students about air pollution. The program also provides insight into Houston’s particular air quality issues. The new module helps students in grades 6 through 8 to gain a better understanding of local air pollution problems and the associated health effects. Mothers for Clean Air has developed the module, activity guide, and evaluation tools; solicits feedback from middle school students and teachers; and pilot tests the module in three middle schools, reaching both teachers and students. Once developed, this module is expanded to students in Harris, Brazoria, and Galveston Counties, ultimately reaching middle school students throughout the non-attainment area. The goal of this project is to raise student awareness of local air quality and to teach them how to take personal responsibility for responding to unhealthy levels of outdoor air pollution. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | Texas Discovery Gardens -- $15,000 Fran Anderson, 3601 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75210 After-School EE Program Texas Discovery Gardens is an organic, botanic gardens located in historic Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The garden has created a program called the “After-School Environmental Education Program” for children to attend after school lets out for the day. Students from local school groups participate in the “Life in the Compost Bin Earthkeepers.” In this program, students focus on sustainable urban development and waste management through composting and recycling education. This program reaches many local households by working with and empowering the children of these communities. The students who participate in this program learn about community stewardship and environmental issues. The student participants develop a community project and conduct outreach programs in their neighborhoods. While they are involved in these outreach programs, the students coordinate with media outlets to produce newsletters and brochures to use in these outreach efforts. The students also produce a short-film documentary of the outreach efforts for use as a public service announcement. |
| 2008 | TX | 6 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston -- $21,944 Catherine Moore, P.O. Box 20036, Houston, TX 77225 Environmental Education for Promotoras and Community Health Workers The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston provides targeted environmental education to promotoras and community health workers working on the Texas and Mexico border and two selected metropolitan areas with high numbers of medically underserved populations. The project develops, demonstrates, and promotes cost-effective, preventive measures to correct multiple health and safety hazards in the home environment that produce serious illness and injuries in children in the low and very low income families. Using a holistic approach to improve indoor air quality, foster lead-safe practices, and implement integrated pest management controls in the home decreases the incidence of asthmatic episodes that may require hospitalization, childhood lead poisoning, and acute pesticide poisoning and result in enhanced environmental awareness and improved corresponding health impacts to the public. |
| 2008 | UT | 8 | Boys and Girls Club of Weber Davis -- $17,500 Patricia Bair, 127 24th Street Suite 3, Ogden, UT 84401 Recycling Rangers Elementary Education Program The Boys & Girls Clubs of Weber-Davis manages nine club sites in Weber and Davis Counties, Utah. The “Recycling Rangers” program encourages environmental community stewardship by educating inner-city children in grades 3 through 6 about the impact of solid waste on the environment and how recycling can make a difference. The ultimate goal of the program is to encourage inner-city families to participate in Ogden City’s curbside recycling program. Children involved in this special program gain a strong sense of responsibility toward the environment and it also teaches members of their family the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. The outcome of the experiential program is both fun and educational, involving a variety of classroom and field trip experiences, guest speakers (including rescued animals from the Ogden Nature Center), multi-media presentations, and hands-on activities. |
| 2008 | VT | 1 | NorthWoods Stewardship Center -- $28,900 Luke O'Brien, 154 Leadership Drive, P.O. Box 220, East Charleston, VT 05833 "Power for Change" Community Energy Use Education The “Power for Change” project increase access to renewable energy education resources both through public outreach and through teacher trained in renewable energy education. Residents and fourth- through eighth-grade students in the northeastern Vermont region participate in site tours, workshops, take-home tool kits, and educational displays on renewable energy alternatives as part of the project. Area schools are reached through interactive field trips to our site as well as programs presented by NorthWoods staff at the schools. Participants learn about the impacts of individual energy choices, efficiency, the costs of and options for renewable energy, and access to renewable energy resources. The NorthWoods Stewardship Center facilitates teacher training workshops to distribute a standards-based “Power for Change” curriculum. The training includes background information, written curriculum materials, and classroom activity kits. |
| 2008 | VA | 3 | Boxerwood Education Association -- $20,256 Hunter Mohring, 963 Ross Road, Lexington, VA 24450 Project Nurturing Environmental Stewardship Together (NEST) The goal of Project Nurturing Environmental Stewardship Together (NEST) is to enhance integration of environmental education into the curricula and institutional practices of four elementary schools in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Project NEST enhances teaching skills by: (a) modeling effective outdoor teaching and learning strategies to teachers at Boxerwood Nature Center and in schoolyards; (b) introducing high-quality environmental curricula for adaptation to each teacher’s specific school setting; (c) offering teacher workshops in conjunction with the Washington and Lee University (W&L) Teacher Education Program, with special focus on inquiry and project-based learning; and (d) funding modest classroom-initiated environmental stewardship projects that introduce service-learning methodologies while also improving the instructional potential of the schoolyard. Specifically, this project addresses education reform by helping four schools meet expectations set forth in the Business Plan for Environmental Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The plan includes goals of creating “outdoor classrooms” at every school to encourage authentic, real-world learning and develop sustained teacher training using an integrated environment-based learning approach. |
| 2008 | VA | 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- $25,217 Sharron McElroy, 1880 Pratt Drive, Suite 2006, Blacksburg, VA 24060 Environmental Stewardship and Career Awareness Program for Education A collaborative relationship among high school student scientists, their teachers, and researchers from Virginia Tech in collecting, interpreting, and sharing environmental data at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is the goal of this project. Students collect data on tree rings, soils, and forest composition and enter this information into an online, digital database. Students also participate in Web-based analysis of the data and scenario-based learning directed toward increasing their critical thinking abilities, their sense of environmental stewardship, and their interest in careers in environmental science. |
| 2008 | WA | 10 | Community Agricultural Development Center -- $15,000 Albert Kowitz, 985 S. Elm, Colville, WA 99114 Food and Environmental Stewardship: Food Choices that Support Sustainable Agriculture The Community Agricultural Development Center (CADC) is partnering with Quillisascut Farms and Washington State University (WSU) Extension in Stevens County to train high school teachers in health and food science programs. They are learning how to evaluate the impacts of food choices on the environment and to prioritize ways to reduce the size of their own and students’ environmental footprint. Teachers from across the State of Washington attend a 5-day training at the Quillisascut Farms training center. The focus is on food choices that result in a healthier diet for students and support a more sustainable food production and distribution system. Issues that are addressed include pesticide use, fertilizers, energy usage, soils, surface and ground water, and animal, vegetable, and fruit production. The hands-on multidisciplinary training on Farm to Table issues changes the ways the group thinks about the food system. The teachers are taught about organic food production, what a local food community is, how environmental stewardship affects purchasing and kitchen practices, and biodiversity and the food environment. |
| 2008 | WA | 10 | Department of Ecology -- $30,000 Cedar Bouta, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Hazards on the Homefront Curriculum The Department of Ecology and King County are revising and widely distributing King County’s “Hazards on the Homefront” curriculum (grades 7 through 12) in association with the ToxicFree Tips household campaign. The curriculum is updated with current resources and new findings related to household hazardous waste and toxics. Teacher trainings are delivered in Yakima, Kitsap, and Lewis Counties to teachers, and the Department of Ecology provides ongoing support to educators. Additional educators access the teacher’s guide either through Web sites or on CDs. The program helps people properly use, store, and dispose of hazardous waste and encourages safer alternatives; increases environmental stewardship, protects health, improves indoor air quality; and reduces environmental impacts from waste; and fosters smarter consumers. |
| 2008 | WA | 10 | Evergreen State College -- $29,611 John McLain, 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW, Academic Grants, SEM II D3105, Olympia, WA 98505 Curriculum for the Bioregion The goal of the Curriculum for the Bioregion is to infuse the content and concepts of environmental literacy and practices of environmental stewardship and sustainability into a large number of high-enrollment introductory college courses in the Puget Sound bioregion. The project aims for chemistry college faculty members and sociology faculty members to participate in professional development experiences that introduce selected regional environmental issues relevant to introductory chemistry and sociology classes. The teachers examine the environmental curriculum resources that are currently available in these disciplines, work collaboratively to integrate the sustainability concepts with core concepts that they already teach in introductory classes, and introduce and evaluate at least one environmental “Teaching and Learning” activity in each class. They also disseminate their strategies and experiences via the Curriculum for the Bioregion Web site and optionally through professional conferences. |
| 2008 | WA | 10 | Washington State University -- $85,347 (HQ Grant) Lynda Paznokas, PO Box 642114 School and Community Collaboration Center College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2114 Sustainability and Environmental Education for Pre-Service (SEEP) The Sustainability and Environmental Education for Pre-Service (SEEP) project is a coordinated statewide effort that incorporates training on environmental and sustainability education into teacher preparations to ensure that these concepts and skills are effectively taught in Washington classrooms. The program is managed by Washington State University’s (WSU) College of Education’s School and Community Collaboration Center, on behalf of Teacher of Teacher of Science (TOTOS), a group of science methods professors from Washington’s colleges and universities. Under this program, WSU trains pre-service teachers through several different teacher preparation programs to incorporate and deliver high-quality environmental and sustainability education into the classroom. The training includes: (1) a workshop with governmental agencies and informal science education institutions to discuss human and material environmental resources; (2) a workshop to discuss implementation strategies for evidence-based teacher preparation of environmental and sustainability issues; (3) a regional conference with the Northwest Chapter of the Association of Science Teacher Education; (4) development of collaborative publications that describe SEEP’s models; and (5) environmental equipment support for TOTOS through WSU’s Equipment Loan Program. Ultimately, the SEEP project leads to incorporation of more significant environmental and sustainability education into nearly all pre-service teacher preparation programs throughout the state, thus preparing future teachers to effectively teach these concepts and skills in Washington classrooms. Partners in this project include Washington’s office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Woodland Park Zoo, Association for Science Teacher Education, Environmental Education Association of Washington, Pacific Education Institute, Facing the Future, and several WSU units. |
| 2008 | WV | 3 | Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association, Inc. -- $7,103 Val Page, P.O. Box 196, 300 Front Street, Mullens, WV 25882 Community Stewardship Initiative The Community Stewardship Initiative allows the Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association (UGWA) the ability to reach farther into the watershed through small community forums, public meetings, the media, stream cleanups, and by fostering meaningful partnerships. While it cultivates an enthusiasm for watershed stewardship, UGWA teaches the community about the health risks surrounding untreated wastewater and how to avoid hazardous contact. The goal of the wastewater project is to increase access to adequate wastewater treatment facilities in local communities and reduce human health risks caused by discharges of untreated household wastewater. |
| 2008 | WI | 5 | Northland College -- $124,845 (HQ Grant) Clare Hintz, 1411 Ellis Avenue, Ashland, WI 54806 Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education As sustainability becomes a widely embraced concept, more and more local communities and households are attempting to engage in sustainable initiatives. The Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education uses education as the catalyst for community-based initiatives that engage all aspects of sustainability to maximize the knowledge, interest, and engagement of community members. Teams of educators, administrators, community leaders, and students make up innovative partnerships that engage people and communities in positive change. Northland College is creating and piloting a Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability that exemplifies innovative, place-based approaches to learning, promotes long-term community stewardship, and encourages regional approaches to sustainability education. In addition, Northland College facilitates dialogue on best practices in sustainability education by developing a leadership team and launching a regional Web portal for sustainability education. Regional communities nationwide participate in national conferences to be trained on the Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability. Dissemination of this model results in increased sharing of regional formal and non-formal educator’s best sustainability teaching and learning practices, increased environmental knowledge and public awareness, and increased exchange of local, regional, and national expertise. Key partners in this project are Shelburne Farms, the Cooperative Educational Service Agency, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, the Alliance for Sustainability, and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. |
| 2008 | WI | 5 | The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System -- $122,668 (HQ Grant) Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715-1218 RESTORE: Children and Nature The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum’s Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) program uses ecological restoration of school grounds as a means of reforming educational practice in science, math, social studies, language, and the arts. As part of the program, students study site history, measure physical and observe aesthetic features, analyze soil, and learn the biology of native ecosystems through an inquiry-based learning and a hands-on collaborative setting. The RESTORE: Children and Nature initiative is designed to reconnect children and nature by expanding EPS to a broader nationwide audience, leading to improved teaching skills, enhanced student learning, and citizen involvement in restoring local environments. As part of this initiative, pilot partnerships are established with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and regional partners to nationally expand the unique EPS model. During the project, environmental education and conservation organizations are recruited as Earth Partnership Facilitating Centers. Teams from the centers, consisting of non-formal educators, kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, and citizen volunteers, attend a 2-week RESTORE Institute at the UW-Madison Arboretum to be trained in offering EPS programs to teams from local and regional schools and communities. In addition, FWS resource personnel attend 2-day trainings in their states and collaborate in regional institutes and the subsequent schoolyard habitat projects. This project addresses several key issues, including biodiversity, ecological restoration, pollution prevention, and ecological literacy. Key partners in this initiative include the FWS Schoolyard Habitat Program, National Conservation Training Center, Oklahoma Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Great Plains Nature Center and Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, La Crosse District, and regional EPS Facilitating Centers in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Minnesota. |
| 2008 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Children's Center/Madison Children's Museum -- $10,000 Allison Hildebrandt, 100 State Street, Madison, WI 53703 Leap into Lakes Leap into Lakes is an inquiry-based, hands-on experience that immerses young children in the underwater world of lake critters and plants and plays on their innate connection to living creatures while connecting them to larger ecological concepts such as stewardship. Leap into Lakes addresses the educational priorities of promoting stewardship, health and teaching skills by bringing scientifically sound curriculum to classrooms to educate children, parents and teachers about the basic concepts surrounding Wisconsin waterways and freshwater ecosystems, the importance of clean water and its relation to health and to build teacher capacity and confidence in science education in head start classrooms, preschools, and family child care programs. The project is delivered to preschools throughout the Madison metropolitan region and at community events. |
| 2008 | WY | 8 | Fremont County School District #14 -- $36,707 Cheryl Williams, 638 Blue Sky Highway, Ethete, WY 82520 Wyoming Indian Elementary School After School Ecology Program The Wyoming Indian Elementary School after School Ecology program is an intensive after-school science program for students in grades 2 through 4 from the Wind River Indian Reservation who have never had any formal exposure to science. The program strives to improve chronically poor student achievement through field experiences that encourage cultural and ecological stewardship of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Its three main objectives are (1) to improve poor academic achievement by engaging students in science education; (2) to provide inquiry-based, culturally relevant field ecology to underserved students; and (3) to encourage local environmental and cultural stewardship and overall appreciation for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This school program brings together Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho students with academics whose research focuses on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with the hope that students benefit from the direct experiences of resource professionals and that resource professionals recognize the various cultural and economic conditions within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Future stewardship of the ecosystem relies on both. |
| 2009 | AK | 10 | Alaska Bird Observatory -- $31,000 Tricia Blake, 418 Wedgewood Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99701 Creamer's Field Educational Program The project increases existing school programs on Creamer's Refuge in Fairbanks by incorporating additional inquiry-based lesson choices for schools; correlating existing programs with curriculum standards; making the refuge curricula available to educators and parents on the Web; increasing professional development opportunities for teachers; and initiating a student internship program for University of Alaska Fairbanks students. Two 3-day professional development workshops are offered to kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, where they are introduced to the natural and human history of Creamer's Refuge and offered a menu of lesson choices so that they may design a program that is best suited to their classroom study. The Creamer's Refuge Program serves elementary classes through field trips and the provision of education materials on the Web. |
| 2009 | AK | 10 | Copper River Watershed Project -- $15,000 Kate Alexander, P.O. Box 1560, Cordova, AK 99574 Watershed Stewardship Campaign The Watershed Stewardship Campaign is promoting the health of the Copper River Watershed by educating residents and visitors about the watershed. The campaign uses a multi-faceted approach, including school year field trips with elementary, middle, and high school students, summer camp field trips, and educational activities at community festivals. The program operates by engaging community members in citizen science monitoring programs and bringing together community partners to create educational signage on watershed ecosystems to display throughout the watershed. The goal is to get the community and visitors to the area to think about a watershed as an entire interrelated ecosystem, rather than as a series of separate independent rivers, streams, and lakes. |
| 2009 | AZ | 9 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum -- $22,052 Debra Claire Colodner, 2021 North Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743 Adapting to Aridity The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM) is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden. Its mission is to inspire visitors to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering appreciation and understanding of the Sonoran Desert. Museum outreach programs serve children at schools, community centers, and libraries, in a region with a significant Hispanic population, a portion of which lives below the poverty level. The Adapting to Aridity project focuses on adaptations of desert plants and animals and how people can best manage precious resources in an arid environment. Development of a day-long teacher education workshop includes a segment on human water use and its impact on wildlife and introduces participants to resources for examining and managing their own use of water. Teacher education provides practice with digital resources and techniques for whole-class, small group, and individual instruction on site and on outdoor field trips. Five workshops train teachers for instruction of grades 3 through 6. To enhance the long-term potential to change awareness of desert adaptation and human water use, the project builds on the museum's existing digital library by creating informational pages and interactive games featuring Adapting to Aridity project topics. |
| 2009 | AR | 6 | Sebastian County Conservation District -- $49,436 Melissa Johnson, 3913 Brooken Hill Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72908 Planting Seeds for the Future Under this grant, teachers and Conservation Employees are provided Conservation Education Program (CEP) training, which helps to ensure that children form responsible environmental habits at an early age. The CEP is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Education for professional development hours in science, Arkansas history, technology, and parental involvement. The correlation of the CEP to professional development hours and Arkansas educational standards provides educators with the skills and tools to integrate environmental education into their daily lesson plans. The CEP is provided in workshops to educators in kindergarten through grade 8 with follow-up classroom support as the educators implement the training program, reaching students in the first year of the program. The Sebastian County Conservation District (SCCD) has partnered with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, and Arkansas River Valley Economic Development Council to implement the CEP. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Alameda County Waste Management Authority -- $15,000 Michelle LeBeau, 1537 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612 Regional Bay-Friendly Sustainable Gardening Project The Regional Bay-Friendly Sustainable Gardening Project of Alameda County conducts three workshops and distributes guidebooks on best management practices for home gardeners, addressing a wide range of environmental concerns. The Bay-Friendly approach to landscaping and gardening is holistic and is based on principals identified to foster the health of the soil and conserve water and other valuable resources, while reducing waste and preventing pollution. It protects California's unique ecosystems, including the San Francisco bay watershed, which covers 40 percent of the state. Workshop topics include composting and soil health, integrated pest management, planting for pollinators, selecting appropriate plants, water conservation, and sustainable garden design. The program's guidebook, a comprehensive reference on the design and day-to-day maintenance of sustainable gardens, is distributed more broadly to the general population of home gardeners. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | California Institute for Biodiversity -- $56,000 (HQ Grant) Carol Baird, 1660 School Street, Suite 105, Moraga, CA 94556 Sierra Nevada Climate Change Program Through field experiences and an interactive multimedia curriculum, the Sierra Nevada Climate Change Program provides teachers with direct experience and tools to develop their skills and apply them to the classroom. The 10-day program, hosted by the California Institute for Biodiversity, is for middle and high school teachers from across California. The program includes a 6-day institute held at the Jack L. Boyd Outdoor School in Fish Camp, California, led by an instructional team consisting of scientists, educators, and instructors. During the program, teachers participate in a hands-on curriculum focused on the Sierra Nevada ecosystem, watershed dynamics, and the impact of climate change on these ecosystems. The program includes guided experimental design, science activities, and role-playing exercises. Participants receive curricula and materials they can use during the school year. After they participate in the program, teachers are eligible for a student transportation grant so that their students may participate in outdoor scientific and stewardship projects. The program seeks to provide teachers with a professional development experience that directly affects their ability to address environmental education issues with the students, especially the impact of climate change. Key partners include California State Parks, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the California Academy of Sciences. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Center for Land Based Learning -- $15,000 Mary Kimball, 5265 Putah Creek Road, Winters, CA 95694 Restoring Ecosystems with High School Students The Center for Land Based Learning expands its Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) high school program by bringing together high school classes from Sonoma and Napa Counties. The environmental issues addressed are cross cutting and include sustainability, clean water, ecosystem protection and restoration, wildlife habitat, watershed management, and reduced erosion. Each SLEWS high school adopts a habitat restoration project for the duration of the school year. The program develops an intra-school dynamic in keeping with the basis of the center's work: "A strong connection to the natural world is a foundation of community." The experiential nature of the learning supports understanding of the critical interplay of agriculture, nature, and society. The intra-school community is primarily composed of high school sophomores and juniors. The expanded program engages young people in real projects that improve environmental quality while promoting stewardship skills, values, and behaviors. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Coastal Watershed Council -- $24,856 Nik Strong-Cvetich, 345 Lake Avenue, Suite F, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Trees to Sea Watershed Education Program The Trees to Sea Watershed Education Program maintains a living classroom onboard a catamaran sailing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This catamaran is the schoolhouse for a segment of the Coastal Watershed Council's 5-day comprehensive summer watershed education pilot program serving students in grades 4 through 6. Hands-on lessons about the marine habitat and its ecological importance are directly linked to the idea of watershed connectivity with the ocean. The program is broken down in phases according to the watershed with field trips to its various features. The curriculum balances science skills, recreation, and topical learning, covering ecosystems of the upper watershed, the urban watershed, the estuary, and inter-tidal areas. In this extraordinary setting, students are equipped with environmental science and leadership skills, which foster a sense of stewardship in their local watershed. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Earth Team -- $24,563 Maggie Fleming, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite L, Berkeley, CA 94702 Something's in the Air Earth Team is a community-based education organization that engages teens and teachers in dynamic media, health, and environmental restoration projects. Something's in the Air (SITA), a health science unit, educates high school students on asthma and air quality in their schools and communities. SITA students volunteer in an after-school workshop to develop action plans for educating others. The program engages students in environmental science investigations that promote inquiry skills. Research includes interaction with four guest experts in relevant fields. The students develop and implement action plans for community education, produce a television documentary for the public, and provide curriculum, resources, and assistance to eight classroom teachers at four high schools. The program engages in community stewardship, using youth leadership, to increase awareness of asthma mitigation techniques. The SITA classroom component (under development) raises awareness of the relationship between air quality and asthma and ways to improve the indoor and outdoor environments for improved respiratory health. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation -- $19,020 Mark Green, P.O. Box 7886, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 Public Watershed Education The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation works to protect, restore, and encourage public appreciation and stewardship of the North Bay Area region of California's most biologically diverse area. Volunteer educators are recruited for a 10-week training course in ecology, ecosystems, characteristic species, and ecosystem services provided by the Laguna de Santa Rosa wetland complex. When they have completed the training, the new recruits teach in the Learning Laguna classroom and field trip program serving local elementary students in grades 2 through 5. They also provide guided tours for members of the public annually. The education program, which is based on a curriculum that meets California teaching standards, typically results in at least 1,300 hours of docent service over the 2-year commitment period. This estimate is conservative, as many education volunteers stay in the program. One of Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation's goals in raising public awareness of the wetland ecosystem is to encourage household behaviors that reduce pollution, and to increase environmental literacy and promote environmental stewardship. Project partners include the City of Santa Rosa and area elementary schools. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Pro Peninsula -- $13,285 Frances Marie Kinney, P.O. Box 3953, San Diego, CA 92163 Ocean Connectors Pro Peninsula is an organization dedicated to empowering individuals, communities, and other organizations throughout San Diego and the Baja California Peninsula to protect and preserve the environment. Ocean Connectors, its environmental education program, crosses borders and cultural boundaries by linking elementary students in the U.S. and Mexico to create a shared learning environment and a shared sense of stewardship of coastal resources. Ocean Connectors promotes a bi-national pen-pal letter exchange and conducts three field trips, introducing students to national wildlife refuges and allowing them opportunities to form personal connections with nature. Classroom presentations support field learning. Study of migratory aquatic species and their habits is used to teach ocean conservation principles and to connect the student populations, grades 4 through 6, on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Through the program, students in low-income schools are able to study the connections between terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. Extended learning, once the project is completed, takes place through an online children's Web page. |
| 2009 | CA | 9 | Sierra Institute for Community and Environment -- $25,000 Jonathan Paul Kusel, 4438 Main Street, Plumas, CA 95983 Natural Resource Academy's Stewardship and Field Research Program The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment is an education organization dedicated to advancing rural community health and sustainable ecosystem management. This organization developed and implemented the Natural Resources Academy (Academy) for grades 7 through 12, in partnership with the Plumas Unified School District and staff at Greenville Junior/Senior High School. As a result, the education program is based on California teaching standards. Sierra's key partners include the Plumas National Forest and the California Department of Transportation. The academy is developing a field program to advance outdoor learning and promote environmental stewardship as well as, secondarily, to encourage career development. Through rigorous focused field studies, students connect to their rural landscape, which was significantly impaired by a fire in 2007. The field program powerfully combines learning and on-the-ground action through work in the watershed and restoration of portions of 65,000 fire-damaged acres. Students in grades 7 through 12 are given the motivational opportunity to improve in all subjects as a result of their dynamic involvement with the environment. Lead teachers receive training, along with staff and administrators. As the academy is shared with other school districts, the stewardship force is expected to expand, benefiting the damaged landscape. |
| 2009 | CO | 8 | Earth Force, Inc. -- $142,455 (HQ Grant) Lisa Bardwell, 2120 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Community Building Initiative In collaboration with a diverse set of local partners, the Community Building Initiative develops community-wide systems to deliver environmental education in local cities. As part of the initiative, Earth Force trains local staff at a 3-day program and provides technical assistance materials. This training program provides Earth Force staff members with the tools, knowledge, and skills necessary to build partnership groups in their home communities. These partnership groups are responsible for developing a local strategy for implementing environmental education within the community. The partnership groups, or "Environmental Literacy Action Tanks," work together to develop community-wide education plans that engage young people in environmental problem-solving efforts. The partnership groups are designed to give underrepresented youth (between the ages of 11 and 19) the opportunity to participate in the initiative more than once. Working with both formal and informal educators, the partnerships provide young people with real-world experiences in stewardship projects along with an understanding of key environmental science issues. Young people are reached through programs offered in classrooms, after-school settings, and community-based organizations. Earth Force works with a range of community-based organizations, higher education institutions, and school districts to develop the tools necessary to deliver environmental education locally. |
| 2009 | CO | 8 | Front Range Earth Force -- $20,150 Ana Soler, 2130 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 The River Connection The River Connection is a model endorsed by the Conservation Funds Forum on Nature and Children to provide young people living in public housing a program focused on preparing them to become environmentally aware, knowledgeable, and engaged. The program, a seamless continuum of activities beginning in preschool and spanning through the teen years, imbues young people with an ethic of environmental stewardship. These young people emerge with job readiness skills to fill the green careers market. The river connection portion of this program provides upper elementary and middle school-aged students with coordinated year-round opportunities to understand their connection to the watershed and local river. Through their school work, school activities, and summer programs, they learn about the river as a natural connector in their community and work together as a team to develop and implement projects to ensure its ongoing stewardship. To ensure a more meaningful connection to nature, the young people engage in a sequenced series of field trips and hands-on experiences to help them better understand and relate to their watersheds. The students design and implement a stewardship project of their own choosing, resulting in tangible environmental improvement. This program also includes professional development training, field excursions, and year-round programming and program support. Adults learn how to help their students increase critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills while improving the young people's environmental education content knowledge. |
| 2009 | CT | 1 | Housatonic Valley Association -- $11,851 Dennis Regan, 150 Kent Road, P.O. Box 28, Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754 Building Watershed Stewardship in Housatonic River Communities. Members of the public are educated through six guided river tours that are adult and family friendly, and a series of five educational workshops aimed at adults. High school students in the Berkshire County are also educated on various environmental aspects of the river. The workshops and tours of the Housatonic River educate students and adults on water quality and protection, wetlands and land use around the river, water conservation, non-point source pollution, and the health and history of this river. |
| 2009 | DE | 3 | Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Inc. -- $16,001 Karen Johnson, One Riverwalk Plaza, 110 South Poplar Street, Suite 202, Wilmington, DE 19801 The Delaware Estuary Teacher's Watershed Workshop The Delaware Estuary Teacher's Watershed Workshop initiative educates teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 students about environmental issues that affect the Delaware Estuary. Through a mixture of laboratory and field experiences, teachers are provided with the opportunity to explore the difference between urban and rural watersheds and compare the upper portions of the Delaware Estuary with the mouth of the bay. Teachers gain hands-on experience in using water chemistry tests, identifying macro-invertebrates, sampling fish populations, and studying wetland functions. The ultimate audience for the workshop is the students whom teachers educate by drawing on the lessons learned in the workshops. |
| 2009 | FL | 4 | Florida Atlantic University -- $26,000 Glen Thomas, 777 Glades Road, AD-247, Division of Research/Sponsored Programs, Boca Raton, FL 33431 Pine Jog Fellowship 2009 The Pine Jog Fellowship program encourages community-wide education about environmental and sustainability issues through a multifaceted youth outreach effort targeted towards minority, low income, and historically disadvantaged groups. The program recruits high school-aged fellows. These fellows are trained to conduct mentoring and outreach activities for kindergarten through grade 12 school and after-school programs. Over the course of their three-semester commitment, fellows gain knowledge and teaching skills that enable them to effectively engage in service-learning activities and address environmental stewardship in their projects. The program includes an intensive week of classroom training during July, followed by monthly seminars with Pine Jog Fellowship instructors that supplement independent study. For independent study, pairs of fellows work together on community service-learning projects. |
| 2009 | GA | 4 | Jekyll Island Foundation, Inc. -- $29,000 Terry Norton, 381 Reverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 Sea Turtle Education Project The Sea Turtle Education Project (STEP) addresses issues of coastal ecosystem vulnerability and reducing human impact. STEP engages public and private school students in grade 3 and their teachers in a three-part environmental educational outreach program using the evidence-based "Amazing Adaptations," "Georgia's Sea Turtles," and "Garbage in the Water" curriculum for third graders. STEP increases student understanding of, and appreciation for, conservation efforts related to the Southeast Coastal environment. These outcomes are achieved by engaging public and private school students in on-site workshops, field trips, and guided investigations. Students participate in research and creative problem-solving to develop strategies for reducing the adverse impact of humans on Georgia's coastal ecology and sea turtle populations. |
| 2009 | GA | 4 | Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc. -- $25,000 Sally Bethea, 916 Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30318 Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center The Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center offers learning opportunities aboard a specially equipped floating classroom. This hands-on laboratory is used to study the lake's ecology and its local watersheds. This project provides students from diverse communities with information to help teach their families, friends, and neighbors how to preserve their water and how to use it more efficiently. It also offers an opportunity for students and teachers to make the connection between the waterways that supply their drinking water and their daily lives through hands-on, problem-solving activities. |
| 2009 | HI | 9 | University of Hawai`i at Hilo -- $66,590 (HQ Grant) Darius Kalvaitis, 200 West Kawili Street, Hil, HI 96720 Hawaii Island Coastal Education and Stewardship (HICES) Through a multifaceted approach, the Hawai`i Island Costal Education and Stewardship (HICES) project provides environmental education and stewardship opportunities on oceans and watersheds to teacher and students. The HICES project builds partnerships between coastal environmental education organizations across the state to provide coordinated educational programs to the students and the community. The project reaches pre-service teachers, teachers of kindergarten through grade 6, elementary students, and community members through meetings, trainings, classroom lessons, field trips, service learning, and films. Formal EE training provided by the University of Hawai'i provides both pre-service and elementary teachers the tools to teach environmental science related to watershed and ocean literacy. In addition, the HICES project is incorporated into the required course work in the Teacher Education Program at the University of Hawai`i Hilo (UHH). The skills developed through these efforts are used to teach students how to collect water quality data and gain a better understanding of the relationships between land, watersheds, and coastal ecosystems. Students and their families are directly engaged in EE lessons through service learning opportunities offered at their schools, local ocean organizations, and in the field. Community service components engage students and families in environmental stewardship activities such as hands-on beach restoration and storm drain stenciling. Partners in this project include the UHH Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Mokupapa Discovery Center, the Hilo Bay Watershed Advisory group, the Kohala Center, and local public schools. |
| 2009 | ID | 10 | Idaho State University -- $14,041 Donna Lybecker, 921 South 8th Avenue, Stop 8046, Pocatello, ID 83209-8046 Framing Citizenship with Recycling Idaho State University (ISU) surveys a sample of its students, faculty, and staff to find which view of citizenship (duty-based or engaged) is prevalent in the ISU community and how members of the community view a "frame" (recycling). Once the results have been compiled, educational materials, informational booths, activities, and signage on recycling are tailored to the different views of citizenship. A post-outreach survey is conducted to evaluate whether the materials are educating people on recycling. In addition, tracking is also done monthly on the amount of recycling at ISU to evaluate current recycling amounts with the amount that had previously been recycled. ISU wants to be able to expand this program to the City of Pocatello and to the nearby Tribe. |
| 2009 | ID | 10 | Salmon Valley Stewardship -- $19,484 Gina Knudson, 513 Main Street, Salmon, ID 83467 Sense of Salmon The Sense of Salmon project focuses on children 6 to 12 years of age in Lemhi County and at the Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Reservation. It includes "River of Raptors" and "Sagebrush Adventures" classes that each run for 6 half days on Fridays during the school year; "Trees, Please" and "Mountains of Wool" are day camps that each run for 5 half days during the summer. In addition, a 2-day Salmon River raft trip in August is sponsored for children entering grade 6. Each piece of the Sense of Salmon project weaves together science, culture, and art using an interdisciplinary approach. Students engage in hands-on inquiry activities to learn about local natural environments, traditional uses and interactions with the environment, and implications of the actions on the future. They communicate what they have learned to the community through creative arts and writing and on-the-ground stewardship projects. |
| 2009 | IL | 5 | Angelic Organics Learning Center -- $18,439 Corinne Reynolds, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia, IL 61011 Creating a Healthy Food System The goal of the Engaging Youth as Peer Educators in Creating a Healthy Food System project is to teach skills in environmental education to youth peer educators and their teachers through hands-on food and farming activities. Food and farming are cross-cutting ecological issues that affect many areas of environmental and human health. Project training increases knowledge and critical thinking skills related to these issues among school age students. Youth educators help to lead environmental education activities for peers and initiate environmental stewardship projects at school. Through the project, Angelic Organics Learning Center grows a network of schools and individual youth leaders engaged in building a healthier food system. The audience for the project includes youth peer educators (grades 6 through 12) and their teachers from schools in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The youth peer educator and teacher teams work with students from their schools during a field trip at a farm-based learning center. A follow-up stewardship project reaches even more students and family members. |
| 2009 | IL | 5 | Chicago Public Schools, District #299 -- $90,307 (HQ Grant) Jon Schmidt, 125 South Clark Street, 12th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603 Carbon Emissions Reduction Action Project (Ce-RAP) The Chicago Carbon Emissions Reduction Action Project (Ce-RAP ) creates opportunities for students and teachers in the district to learn about climate change by implementing environmentally focused service-learning projects. Through Ce-RAP, high school students work to reduce carbon emissions in their communities and address the problem of climate in a structured manner. The expected outcome of Ce-RAP is to implement carbon emissions reduction projects across the district and enable schools to work together to address climate change. As a part of the carbon reduction projects, students learn about the consequences of climate change, become familiar with the city's Climate Action Plan, and learn how to conduct carbon emission inventories. Using this knowledge, students conduct emission inventories of their schools, homes, and at local organizations to gather data and establish a baseline of emissions. Students then work with their schools and families to begin to reduce the carbon footprint. The projects are led by teachers and supported with resources, technical assistance, and access coordinated by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS)-Learning Initiative. Ce-Rap builds instruction capacity among teachers by providing training, curricular resources, and access to hands-on service projects that enhance classroom learning. Key partners include the City of Chicago's Department of Environment, the Sierra Club of Illinois, and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. |
| 2009 | IL | 5 | Friends of the Fox River -- $45,900 Jenni Kemph, P.O. Box 1314, Crystal Lake, IL 60039 Monitoring Network Expansion Expansion of the Fox River Water Monitoring Network increases the geographic area monitored, protects more underserved areas of the watershed, and increases citizen participation. Many of the volunteer monitors are teachers and students (grade 3 through college). The Fox River Watershed Monitoring Network provides services that enable students to better understand water quality issues and perform real science while developing a stewardship ethic. The network's expansion attracts more students and teachers from underserved areas and provides added services and opportunities to those in the rest of the watershed. Teachers and students learn new mapping skills, present data, and write local area descriptions for a watershed curriculum to be used by thousands of their peers under new program initiatives. Students attend an annual conference to learn more from professionals and to share information. These students also attend a watershed congress to collaboratively develop initiatives. Network expansion also forms new agency partnerships in underrepresented regions and establishes new training sites and equipment loan locations. |
| 2009 | IN | 5 | Indiana Wildlife Federation -- $22,500 Benjamin Reinhart, 4715 West 106th Street, Zionsville, IN 46077 Environmental Habitat Steward Certificate Program Indiana Wildlife Federation, along with other environmental professionals, is developing a curriculum-based certificate program to provide focused environmental and ecological training addressing the preservation and enhancement of natural habitats. The Environmental Habitat Steward Certificate Program teaches participants fundamental concepts in habitat management and provides information on current practices that can be used during development projects to preserve or enhance environmental habitats. By focusing on the concepts of habitat management, participants are able to apply environmental principles to their traditional professional methods in creative and innovative ways based on the needs of particular development projects. The program looks to publicly recognize and encourage environmental stewardship in the realm of human development. Thus, the program addresses education reform in two ways. First, by adapting existing environmental and ecological curriculum resources, development professionals find it easier to understand habitat management concepts and how they apply to the built environment, aiding in increasing the environmental knowledge and awareness of the target audience. Second, by establishing a high-quality certificate program, Indiana Wildlife Federation and its partners work to encourage a new environmental standard among development professionals and ensure, through a final examination, that all participants who successfully complete the program meet the standard. |
| 2009 | IA | 7 | Boone County -- $26,390 Michael J. Salati, Jr., 201 State Street, Boone, IA 50036 Keep Boone County Healthy Under this grant, staff members of the Boone County Health Department deliver quarterly seminars to teach homeowners and renters how to recognize environmental hazards such as lead-based paint and radon, to properly operate and maintain septic systems, and to properly manage household hazardous wastes. The residents learn how to identify lead-based paint hazards and develop plans to reduce or eliminate them, and attend seminars where Boone County Health Department staff show them how to reduce and remove potential home-based hazards and how to properly operate and maintain septic systems and residential water wells. Community members learn how to protect and improve their environment and health by reducing these hazards. |
| 2009 | IA | 7 | City of Dubuque -- $28,000 Cindy Steinhauser, 50 West 13th Street, Dubuque, IA 52001 Generation Green As part of this Generation Green project, city staff teach homeowners, businesses, and students about energy efficiency. The project curriculum includes a sustainable communities conference, the Mayor's Green Pledge, a stormwater drain stenciling program, a green vision school certification, a bio-fuels state conference, creation of a Web site focusing on topics such as sustainability and recycling, and tips on how to use energy efficiently. City personnel conduct educational seminars, events, and classes and develop toolkits to teach the community about ways to save energy and money. |
| 2009 | KS | 7 | Flint Hills RC&D Council -- $8,790 Angela A. Beavers, 3020 West 18th Avenue, Emporia, KS 66801-6191 Clarks Creek Watershed Soil Testing Farmers within the Clarks Creek Watershed learn about long-term soil testing and soil management practices to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that runs off cropland fields into surface waters. They receive assistance from the county extension service with soil tests and interpretation of the results. The farmers also learn how to apply proper amounts of fertilizer to balance the need for soil fertility while reducing excess applications that can contribute to runoff and water quality issues. |
| 2009 | KS | 7 | Hesston College dba Dyck Arboretum of the Plains -- $19,847 Brad Guhr, 177 West Hickory Street, Hesston, KS 67062 Dyck Arboretum of the Plains Using outreach, this project creates a network of prairie landowners to improve understanding of the connection between people and the prairie. Participants learn about prairie preservation in South Central Kansas. Staff from the arboretum provides landowners with information on prairie management to assist in assessing the ecological value of their property. This network of landowners shares ideas about managing their property and creates a prairie management plan for Kansas. |
| 2009 | KY | 4 | Board of Education of Jefferson County -- $145,270 (HQ Grant) Rosalind Scott, VanHoose Education Center, P.O. Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232 Supporting Science Instruction through the Development of EE Projects Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) helps students develop an understanding of environmental interrelationships and their role in protecting the environment through a systematic program of classroom and field study investigations. The expected goal of this project is to make EE the centerpiece of the Cane Run and Portland elementary schools by integrating EE into curricular work and developing field studies programs. To achieve this goal, the JCPS Center for EE identifies field studies programs that support science instruction but are not currently part of the Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum. Partner and resource members work to align the field programs identified with the curriculum content. JCPS then works with the Urban Design Studies and University of Louisville landscape architects to design an outdoor learning space on school grounds. Using these resources, students participate in a variety of projects, which include tasks such as documenting the diversity of life in school communities, identifying and addressing threats to specific plants and animals, and planting gardens in the community that provide habitats for native plants and animals. The project also offers professional development for the faculty at both Cane Run and Portland to integrate EE in preparation for the field studies. Key partners include the Louisville Zoo and Blackacre State Nature Preserve. |
| 2009 | LA | 6 | The Nature Conservancy -- $24,491 Jean Landry, P.O. Box 675 4090 Highway LA 1, Grand Isle, LA 70358 Grand Isle Maritime Forest Environmental Education Project The Grand Isle Maritime Forest Environmental Education project focuses on bringing the local community together to work toward a unified goal to preserve and enhance the maritime forest on Grand Isle. This goal is achieved by designing and implementing an environmental education program that complements the establishment of a community-based native plant nursery. Specific objectives of this project are to promote environmental stewardship by implementing a diverse educational program for Grand Isle students in kindergarten through grade 12, teachers, and community members; collaborate with local residents, school children, and partners to identify, select, and restore important tree species indigenous to the live oak forest; and create and distribute an education brochure that highlights the project's goals, details how to properly care for the seedlings, and identifies benefits of native plant communities to restoration and protection of the island's unique maritime forest. |
| 2009 | ME | 1 | Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory -- $45,730 Amy Pelletier, Old Bar Harbor Road, P.O. Box 35, Salisbury Cove, ME 04672 Ecologist-in-Residence Program This project creates an Ecologist-in-Residence program in the Mount Desert Island elementary schools. After the elementary school staff has assisted in narrowing the goals and objective of this program, a staff person spends one full week in each of the schools educating students on the eelgrass restoration project. Working together with the students, the ecologist-in-residence develops a classroom-based environmental education program on eelgrass growth by assessing reproduction rates in a closed aquarium system. Students in grades 6 and 7 focusing on marine ecology are educated on eelgrass ecosystems, surveying organisms associated with the eelgrass, and marine conservation efforts. In turn, middle school-aged students create a Student Summit to demonstrate their knowledge. |
| 2009 | MD | 3 | NorthBay LLC -- $49,846 Keith Williams, 11 Horseshoe Point Lane, North East, MD 21901 Estuarine Issues Investigation and Action The Estuarine Issues Investigation and Action project trains middle school teachers through week-long immersion sessions to encourage them to use estuarine issue investigation as an engaging vehicle for teaching core curricular subjects. This method ultimately produces environmentally and estuarine literate students, in turn producing environmental and estuarine stewards. The project trains teachers in estuarine issue investigation techniques focused on the Chesapeake Bay region. Among its four main objectives, teachers: (1) realize the benefit of using the Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA) curriculum model in their classrooms; (2) understand the IEEIA process; (3) implement IEEIA approaches in the classroom; and (4) learn how to implement student-led estuarine investigation and stewardship projects. |
| 2009 | MD | 3 | Prince George's County Board of Education -- $8,360 Margaret Lynch, 6001 Good Luck Road, Riverdale, MD 20737 Project Teaching and Learning with Monarchs The purpose of Project Teaching and Learning with Monarchs is to train educators of kindergarten through grade 12 students in Prince George's County, Maryland, about the biology, history, and ecology of the monarch butterfly. A workshop approach is used to achieve this training. The growing Monarch Teacher Network trains teachers to use monarch butterflies to teach a variety of concepts and skills, including the need to be responsible stewards of the environment. The workshop provides teachers with the skills necessary to facilitate raising monarch butterflies in their classrooms with their students, develops student interest in environmental education through hands-on engagement with monarch butterflies, contributes to successful protection of monarch butterfly habitat through environmental education, and encourages teachers and students to become stewards of the environment. |
| 2009 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society, Inc. -- $14,810 Gloria Villegas-Cardoza, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 Greening the Greenway Partnering with Groundwork Lawrence, high school students create a Green Team. The Green Team is then provided with 55 hours of direct training and experience and undertakes assessments of the Spicket River and adjacent green areas in Lawrence by identifying plants, animals, and urban ecology. Students document the ecological value of seven sites along the river, review information to create a natural resource management plan for the river, and present the information to local stakeholders, such as the Lawrence City Council and the community. |
| 2009 | MA | 1 | Nashua River Watershed Association -- $10,313 Elizabeth Campbell, 592 Main Street, Groton, MA 01450 Service Learning to Address Invasive Species In this project, students learn about healthy ecosystems and use math, science, and English to integrate their knowledge across curricula areas. In the summer before the school year, teachers and volunteers are trained regarding what a balanced ecosystem requires, how invasive species disturb an ecosystem, how to identify five invasive plants, and how to control invasive species and preserve a balanced ecosystem. During the school year, students in grade 5 identify and participate in a range of activities focused on ways to improve wildlife habitat. Students study their local ecosystems through hands-on projects to identify invasive species, to participate in a range of methods to control purple loosestrife, and to identify ideas, through critical thinking, for the most successful ways to improve wildlife habitat. |
| 2009 | MA | 1 | WGBH Educational Foundation -- $103,025 (HQ Grant) Kate Taylor, One Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135 The Children's Sustainability Shorts and Teacher Project The Children's Sustainability Shorts and Teacher Project is designed to supply elementary school teachers with a diverse set of materials and resources to provide sustainability education to elementary students. As part of this project, WGBH produces four animated short videos for children that creatively explain and present the hidden systems at work behind everyday products and processes. An interdisciplinary team of producers, writers, animators, and Web developers works collaboratively to generate the videos that serve as a catalyst for teachers to engage their students in sustainability issues. In addition, WGBH produces a variety of professional development materials for educators, including lesson plans to enable them to teach sustainability concepts presented in the videos. The materials are delivered on line via Teachers' Domain, a service designed to help teacher introduce concepts as part of formal classroom instruction. This on-line source improves sustainability education nationally by delivering an accessible resource for elementary school teachers that can be used to enhance their teaching. |
| 2009 | MI | 5 | Kent County Conservation District -- $16,860 Robert Holst, 3260 Eagle Park Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525 Connecting Families with Nature Passport Program The Connecting Families with Nature Passport Program links seven local providers of environmental education throughout Kent County to increase family-level participation in children's environmental education and outdoor experiences. Participating families attend environmental education programs at partnering facilities and take part in stewardship as a family to earn a stamp on their "nature passport." Through completion of the program, families develop a habit of regular participation in outdoor activities throughout the year and meet criteria that teach them an understanding of their natural world while encouraging environmental stewardship and civic responsibility. Outcomes include development of a sustainable partnership among seven environmental education providers, increased access to environmental education programs, an understanding of environmental issues, and increased stewardship. The program's Web site provides a schedule of eligible programs, additional community resources, and ideas for families to further connect children to nature. |
| 2009 | MN | 5 | Red Lake Band reservation of Chippewa Indiana -- $34,227 Jenilynn Bohm, P.O. Box 550, Red Lake, MN 56671 Water Festival and GLOBE The 5th Grade Water Festival and Citizen Science Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program promotes environmental stewardship, science skills, and environmental literacy. It also sparks an interest in environmental careers through education on non-point source pollution, water quality and water monitoring on the reservation. Students learn about aquatic invertebrates, groundwater, the water cycle, and soils. The achievements of this project include integrated community stewardship of the watershed; the connection of people with nature; increased understanding of the watershed size, pollutant sources, and natural resource environmental issues; and improved teacher training and involvement on environmental concerns. The water festival introduces students to climate change and key water quality concepts such as the water cycle, watersheds, land use practices and run-off, and contaminants in fish. Teaching students the value of clean water and the impacts of water quality degradation on habitat are valuable steps to promoting community stewardship. |
| 2009 | MN | 5 | Regents of the University of Minnesota -- $67,520 (HQ Grant) Jeffrey Corney, 450 McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Improving Ecological Literacy in Central Minnesota The University of Minnesota's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve uses training and field-based learning activities to provide ecological science education to high school-level teachers and students. These activities enhance student and teacher understanding of complex ecological concepts and the practice of sound scientific methodology. As part of the project, teachers attend a 2-day intensive workshop that combines ecological science content and environmental education pedagogy. The goal of the workshop is to provide teachers with a foundation in how EE can be used effectively to teach Minnesota's academic standards. After the workshop, teachers take students on a full-day field trip to the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Reserve to implement hands-on, critical thinking lessons in environmental education. The reserve provides students with equipment and instruments for conducting environmental tests at the site. Through this field-based experience, students learn about aquatic and terrestrial ecology and the human impact on water quality and the ecosystem. This project is conducted in partnership with four Central Minnesota school districts: Anoka-Hennepin, Forest Lake, St. Francis, and Cambridge-Isanti. |
| 2009 | MO | 7 | Green Works in Kansas City -- $25,000 Katherin Corwin, 4334 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64111 Environmental Connection Opportunities for Students Environmental Connection Opportunities for Students involves a year-long environmental stewardship curriculum for high school students with service learning, field trips, and mentors in the environmental field. Students learn about local environmental issues, including: clean water, solid waste, recycling, air pollution, energy use, urban forests, and climate change. They have an opportunity to learn about new jobs in fields such as green building construction, engineering, hydrology, urban planning, and environmental science. Environmental Connections Opportunities for Students is divided into three sessions, each 10 weeks long. Topics for Session 1 include introduction to sustainability and urban water. Session 2 addresses solid waste, recycling, life cycle concepts and consumption, and Session 3 covers air pollution and transportation, energy and conservation, urban forests, and climate change. Each session includes classroom activities, discussion, videos, and science journals. |
| 2009 | MO | 7 | National Audubon Society -- $31,158 Robin McAlester, 201 West Rivera Drive, Suite A, Joplin, MO 64804 Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center Through Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center, students in grades 3 through 4 learn about water quality and how to protect water resources. Students study water quality assessments, journaling, wildlife management, and bird habitats at the Shoal Creek, Silver Creek, and Wildcat Spring watersheds. These students also address two major environmental issues: the water quality and quantity of Shoal Creek, and rare chert glades. The Audubon Center provides hands-on, science-based study of water resources and glade habitat to a diverse audience and meets the water education needs and concerns of local educators. |
| 2009 | MT | 8 | Montana Audubon -- $31,440 Paul Belanger, P.O. Box 595, Helena, MT 59624 Yellowstone River Education and Stewardship Project The purpose of the Yellowstone River Education and Stewardship Project is (1) to promote environmental stewardship by young students (grades 3 through 8), (2) increase environmental knowledge as measured by pre- and post training surveys, (3) improve environmental literacy, and (4) develop a sustainable environmental education program. Students connect with nature by studying the Yellowstone River ecosystem and by examining related environmental issues such as habitat loss and water pollution. The students visit the Audubon Conservation Education Center (ACEC) at least three times a week during the school year to participate in environmental monitoring, stewardship, and environmental education activities that reinforce themes previously introduced in the classroom. The ACEC field trip engages students in monitoring water quality, tree growth, fish, turtles, frogs, small mammals, dragonflies, and birds. The project also targets teachers (grades 3 through 8) who collaborate to plan a curriculum that introduces basic ecological concepts and environmental themes into the classroom and provides an opportunity for students to participate in outdoor learning opportunities to reinforce and bring to life what they have learned in the classroom. The Yellowstone River Education and Stewardship Project at the ACEC in Billings is a collaborative partnership with Yellowstone River Parks Association, Billings School District #2, Montana State University-Billings, and several area schools. |
| 2009 | MT | 8 | Montana Outdoor Science School -- $21,543 Ciara Wolfe, 4056 Bridger Canyon Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715 Science in Residency Program (SIRP) SIRP supports state and local science education standards through an interdisciplinary approach to teaching science and environmental education. The SIRP module incorporates science and environmental education into weekly curriculum through subjects such as literature, art, and math. SIRP instructors help ensure that key material is covered and understood, assisting classroom teachers with building student skills and a knowledge base in preparation for testing. The program is designed to aid teachers in their effort to convey the importance of science concepts to their students, bringing topics to life through techniques that are often excluded in the classroom. SIRP lessons not only engage the students in natural science and environmental issues, but also the teachers by demonstrating useful methods for bringing these concepts to the table without adding stress to their workload. |
| 2009 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $77,579 (HQ Grant) Debra Earl, P.O. Box 172470, Bozeman, MT 59717 Student Water Monitoring Program Montana Watercourse (MTWC) is a statewide water education program that supports water resource decision-making and stewardship for Montana citizens. This project expands on these efforts by offering a 2-year education and service learning program that engages students in real-world investigations. In coordination with partner organizations, MWTC delivers water quality training to students and provides new components to help strengthen the ongoing volunteer water monitoring program. These events encompass targeted regional water monitoring trainings for teachers, personalized site visits, a statewide Water Summit for Students and Teachers, service-learning projects, and coordination of statewide water quality events. New school groups that join the monitoring program are trained in service projects that consist of classroom learning with real-world application to solve local watershed issues. To prepare school monitoring groups, MWTC coordinates a mentorship program comprised of experienced educators and local watershed protection groups and distributes World Wide Monitoring Kits. Students coordinate and design water monitoring and river cleanups within their local communities. Students then share this knowledge with the community through community presentations, public service announcements, and posting data on the World Water Monitoring Data Web site. Key partners included the Clark Fork Coalition, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conversation, the Montana Outdoor Science School, the Montana Science Teacher's Association, the Montana State University Big Sky Science Partnership, the Montana Watershed Coordination Council, and the Yellowstone River Watch. |
| 2009 | NE | 7 | Board of Regents University of NE-Lincoln -- $24,556 Joan Mendoza-Gorham, 312 North 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68588-0431 Environmental Research Opportunities Environmental Research Opportunities is a project that teaches and prepares high school students for careers in science and environmental fields. Students participate in a 5-week workshop to learn about engineering, technical trades emerging in green building construction, wastewater treatment, wetlands, and grasslands. Through this workshop, students increase their knowledge about environmental research methods, analysis, and data collection. To learn about environmental issues and resources, students participate in field trips to national parks and an environmental center. In addition, they develop an environmental research project to study environmental issues such as climate change, environmental health, environmental justice, stewardship and sustainability. |
| 2009 | NE | 7 | Doane College -- $27,082 Nancy G. Wehrbein, 1014 Boswell Avenue, Crete, NE 68333 No Stream Left Behind A volunteer stream monitoring network is recruited and trained as part of the No Stream Left Behind project. Volunteers participate in water ecology and aquatic analysis techniques. The project encourages citizens of Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline, and Thayer Counties to protect and improve local water quality by raising awareness of water quality problems and including citizens in monitoring and intervention. The result of No Stream Left Behind is a network of trained, involved citizens working to learn about, monitor, improve, and teach others about water quality in the area. |
| 2009 | NV | 9 | Sierra Nevada Journeys -- $14,980 Jonathan Mueller, 1301 Cordone Avenue, Suite 110, Reno, NV 89502 Western Nevada's Green Schools Initiative The goal of Sierra Nevada Journeys is to empower youth through positive risk taking and experiential leadership, science, and outdoor education. Its programs supplement school district classes with opportunities for students to connect with the natural world. Western Nevada's Green Schools Initiative, a new program, provides after-school science clubs and outreach programs, as well as teacher professional development. Elementary, middle, and high school students brainstorm and learn about personal and community values relating to the environment and the definition of a green school. In this hands-on, kinesthetic education program, students conduct health assessments relative to pollution, implement service learning projects, and perform combined health assessments and energy audits of their schools. The final learning experience is brainstorming potential improvement projects and proposing them to teachers and school administrators. The initiative teaches community stewardship, with a secondary emphasis on health, and provides career development on these topics to teachers. |
| 2009 | NH | 1 | Kimball Union Academy -- $15,005 Jim Gray, 57 Main Street, Meriden, NH 03770 New Hampshire Natural Leaders Program The New Hampshire Natural Leaders Program is a high school education and leadership development program designed to provide knowledge on the environment and conservation concepts in the community, to instill a greater understanding of the natural world and human impact on it, to expose participants to potential career opportunities in the environmental and conservation fields, and to develop a sense of environmental stewardship in students (grades 9 through 11). The program begins with a 2 -week-long experience in the summer, predominantly in an outdoor setting, followed by a series of events, each with a different environmental topic, throughout the remainder of the year. |
| 2009 | NJ | 2 | American Littoral Society -- $40,000 Eileen Kennedy, 18 Hertshome Drive, Suite 1, Highlands, NJ 07732 Environmental Education Expansion Project With this grant, the American Littoral Society (ALS) expands its coastal environmental education programming to provide field-based learning experiences to additional students. The 12-week afterschool coastal environmental enrichment program, coastal environmental science immersion weekend, and dune restoration program targets middle and high schools students from urban coastal areas. The ALS programs fills a gap in the students' environmental science program and enables traditionally underserved students in Camden, Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Newark, and Keansburg to become better stewards of their coastal ecosystems. |
| 2009 | NJ | 2 | Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation -- $12,797 Joyce Hagen, 800 North New Hampshire Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Environmental Ambassador Workshops The Atlantic City Aquarium, a subdivision of the Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation, conducts two 1-week programs, both known as Environmental Ambassador Workshops, for middle school students. The participating students, from Boys and Girls Clubs in traditionally underserved communities, take part in educational field experiences at four local ecosystems: an upland river valley, a salt marsh, a beach, and the open ocean. The students produce models or posters about what they have learned and use these visuals for presentations at their schools. The student ambassadors encourage their peers to organize cleanup events and to implement conservation practices. These hands-on and follow-up experiences are designed to foster environmental stewardship among the ambassadors and the students, teachers, and community residents they reach. |
| 2009 | NM | 6 | Keep New Mexico Beautiful (KNMB) -- $24,072 Marsha Jane Kellogg, P.O. Box 90924, Albuquerque, NM 87199-0924 Dusty Roadrunner's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Program The Keep New Mexico Beautiful (KNMB) Dusty Roadrunners Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Program helps elementary school teachers and students in rural New Mexico schools identify the types of waste they generate, investigate options for reducing and handling this waste, and plan and implement a realistic course of action to reduce, reuse, and recycle in their communities. A KNMB environmental education specialist works with students, teachers, and community partners throughout this process to facilitate learning, model environmental education teachings skills, support action plans, and communicate results. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension -- $14,200 Anne Lenox, 6064 State Route 22, Suite 5, Pittsburgh, NY 12901 Creature Caretakers This project supports a garden-based environmental education program in a county school using Access Nature, a standards-based National Wildlife Federation curriculum. Hands-on classroom- and garden-based activities and field trips give participants an understanding of wildlife habitats including how wildlife habitats can be cared for to prevent pollution, and how individuals can become stewards of their local wildlife's ecosystems. In addition, science teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 receive in-service training on the importance of environmental education, wildlife habitats, and landscaping to prevent pollution. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Elmsford Union Free School District -- $13,498 Sandra Calvi, 98 South Goodwin Avenue, Westchester, NY 10541 Education for Sustainable Living The Elmsford Union Free School District project, Education for Sustainable Living, fosters ecological literacy and stewardship in grades kindergarten through 12. The project includes professional development for educators and age-specific hands-on activities for students. The Greenburgh Nature Center and Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) are partnering with the district to provide staff development and classroom support for educators. Junior and senior high-school earth science and living environment students focus on biodiversity and are provided hands-on activities and field work centered on developing schoolyard habitats. Also as part of this effort, the Village of Elmsford works with district schools to implement a recycling program. The overall goal is to produce a school community committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable habits. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Hudson River Park Trust -- $12,000 Lauren Donnelly, 353 West Steet, Pier 40, Suite 201, New York, NY 10014 Teaching the Hudson River The Hudson River Park Trust, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, sponsors eight 6-hour teacher workshops. Workshops use teaching materials from field-tested environmental education programs, including the Hudson River Park Estuary Initiative and Projects Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Water Education for Teachers (WET). Topics include watershed ecology, water quality, invasive species, combined sewer overflows, and water pollution. Teachers develop a better understanding of how they and their students can protect the Hudson River and the environment in general. Their understanding fosters environmental stewardship. Preparation for the annual "Day in the Life of the Hudson River Estuary" is an integral part of the workshops. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | New York Restoration Project -- $45,500 Nik Charov, 254 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001 Million Trees NYC Stewardship Education Program New York Restoration Project is partnering with Million Trees New York City to deliver educational programs in elementary and middle New York schools in neighborhoods with fewer than average street trees and higher than average rates of asthma among students. The program includes classroom and field instruction, a schoolyard survey, and a greening day when students plant trees and flowers in their schoolyards. This program enables students to become the stewards of their newly developed urban green spaces. The overall goal is to combine tree planting and education to strengthen the positive health-related impact of trees in economically disadvantaged and underserved communities. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Surprise Lake Camp Teva Learning Center -- $22,199 Alexandra Kuperman, 307 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001 Environmental Stewardship in Schools, Congregations, and Communities The Teva Learning Center offers a Bring it Back to Our School program, which is being expanded to educate middle school students on ecological and environmental issues at congregations. The project is a broad environmental program where students make the commitment to become better stewards of the environment. The program includes waste reduction, energy audits, school gardens, compost bins, elimination of plastic ware and paper products from lunchrooms, and paper reduction initiatives. As students are educated on a variety of environmental issues, they are encouraged to use their knowledge at home and in their community. In addition, the school hosts three community events to help the public learn more about the environment and the community's role in keeping the environment healthy. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | The River Project -- $10,552 Nicole Sahady, Pier 40 Houston and West Street, New York, NY 10014 New York Harbor Underwater Exploration DVD The River Project, a marine science field station, produces a documentary about the underwater habitats and marine life of New York Harbor. The documentary provides an understanding of ecosystems that cannot otherwise be seen and the issues that face these ecosystems. It promotes a critical thinking process, taking viewers through the complex issues impacting the harbor flora and fauna. Several points of view and proposed solutions are presented, enabling viewers to think about and make their own decisions about the problems depicted. The River Project distributes this documentary by providing it in a DVD format. The DVD is widely disseminated at no cost to educators, community leaders, and other groups in the New York Harbor area. The documentary is also available on the River Project's Web site. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Town of Ithaca/Cayuga Lake Waterfront Intermunicipal Organization -- $14,800 William Foster, 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Trout in the Classroom (TIC) This project expands a successful Trout in the Classroom (TIC) pilot program to more schools near the southern end of Cayuga Lake. TIC is an environmental education program in which students raise trout from eggs in tanks and monitor the tank water quality. The program also engages students in stream habitat study efforts. As students grow to understand ecosystems, they develop a sense of stewardship for the area's streams. The program also includes (1) creation of a public event for the local community to showcase the students' experiences and (2) establishment of an online resource center for educators and volunteers. |
| 2009 | NY | 2 | Wildlife Conservation Society -- $94,963 (HQ Grant) Lee Livney, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 Online Teachers Academy for Environmental Education In an effort to improve access to environmental education training, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is creating an on-line academy for teachers. The academy hosts college-accredited courses and a variety of free programs. The program enables WCS to provide all teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 with access to EE training and serves as a model for other environmental organizations. The academy is directed toward teachers across the U.S., with an emphasis on teachers with limited access to EE education resources. The on-line courses are designed to provide a series of recorded mini-lectures that present the formal instructional content. In addition, the courses involve a series of interactive lessons and readings that are adapted from the WCS curricular program. Teachers participate in group work and communicate with instructors through electronic bulletin boards. Before the academy is hosted on line, WCE sets up the Web site to host the on-line academy and provides potential students with background information. WCS also trains instructors of the academy in distance education design and instruction. The training provided by the academy focuses on energy, conservation, and climate change. In addition, the courses explain how teachers can effectively present ecological concepts to students and provide a balanced view of key environmental issues. |
| 2009 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Rural Communities Assistance Project, Inc. -- $50,000 Peter Kittany, 21 Hillsboro Street, Suite 5, Pittsboro, NC 27312 Healthy Homes for all Promotora Program The Healthy Homes for all Promotora Program addresses health hazards associated with pest infestation and pesticide use in low-income rural communities, especially those related to vulnerable populations such as young children and pregnant women. It also addresses concerns about water quality within community watersheds and the quality of public drinking water. Community health advisors engage the community by visiting families, participating in community speaking events, conducting outreach at local fairs and festivals, and providing access to information within the target communities. Funds from the grant are used to train and support community health advisors and cover operational, programming, travel, and printing costs associated with the project. |
| 2009 | OH | 5 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College -- $30,000 Ann Gunkel, 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45223 Environmental Mountain Ecology Course The Environmental Mountain Ecology course is designed to expose college students who are focusing on environmental studies to principles of ecology as they pertain to mountain ecosystems, which are vastly different than the ecosystems generally found in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Environmental Mountain Ecology course is designed to expose college students who are focusing on environmental studies to principles of ecology as they pertain to mountain ecosystems, which are vastly different than the ecosystems generally found in Cincinnati, Ohio. The course provides students with hands-on training in areas that cannot be learned in the local region and provides a broad exposure to environmental careers, environmental challenges, and potential solutions. Field activities include vegetation analysis using a variety of techniques and taxonomic keys. Terrestrial vertebrates are monitored and identified with field guides. Students study and analyze ecosystem areas of varying elevations, slopes, and exposures (to fire and flooding). The impact of human activities is studied at mining, Superfund, and logging sites and at wastewater treatment facilities. Geologic formations unique to these areas and river ecosystems are also analyzed. The course provides students an opportunity to engage in a variety of practical studies in real world situations. Students interact with professionals in the field of environmental education and learn first-hand about problems facing the environment, while proposing solutions that can help address these concerns. The course ends with a capstone project designed to pass on knowledge the students have gained to other students and the community. |
| 2009 | OH | 5 | Mill Creek Restoration Project -- $98,500 (HQ Grant) Robin Corathers, 1617 Elmore Court, Cincinnati, OH 45223 Mill Creek Green Schools/Green Infrastructure Pilot Program The Mill Creek Restoration project (MCRP) offers education and service learning focused on green infrastructure strategies that can reduce the volume of urban storm run-off to Mill Creek. The project uses a variety of venues for learning, including classroom presentations, field reconnaissance and observations, environmental design workshops, hands-on fieldwork, and water quality monitoring. MCRP offers teacher and volunteer training on how to implement the program at the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) Industrial Waste Laboratory. In collaboration with teachers, MCRP offers interactive classroom presentations on topics that include sustainability concepts and practices, urban storm water runoff, and the science of watersheds and ecosystems. Field activities offered to students emphasize both analytical and creative thinking to improve their urban environment. With the help of a multidisciplinary team and volunteers, students in grades 6 through 12 of the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) district research, design, and install green infrastructure projects on school campuses using methods such as reforestation and green roofs to prevent storm water runoff. In addition, students are responsible for monitoring and tracking storm water runoff from their school to Mill Creek using a combination of sewer maps, field trips, and geographic computer software. Other field activities offered to students include soil and water testing at Mill Creek. At the end of the year, students present the field research along with recommended green storm water projects to an all-schools assembly hosted by MCRP. Partners include the CPS district, the City of Cincinnati, the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, and a variety of Mill Creek businesses and donors. |
| 2009 | OK | 6 | Red Star Inc. -- $44,351 Rebecca Hawkins, 57251 East 120 Road, Miami, OK 74354 Train, Teach, and Track Project The Train, Teach, and Track project provides professional development for elementary-grade teachers and others actively involved in the formal and informal instruction of pre-kindergarten through grade 5 youth in the Ottawa County, Oklahoma Project area. Project workshops recruit and accommodate both formal instructors (such as public and private school and Head Start teachers) and informal instructors (such as daycare providers and 4-H and scout troop leaders). The project makes available a wide variety of quality, stewardship-oriented, environmental education curricula and related resources in five locally held training sessions or workshops that are free to participants. The workshops provide participants with ideas for using the curricula to meet Oklahoma State education goals (Pass), methods to incorporate culturally diverse viewpoints into their instruction, and methods to find other EE curricula and evaluate them using the North American Association of Environmental Education guidelines. Participants have access to a Web site with a secure chat room to share ideas and seek assistance with curriculum questions. The project team uses the Web site to regularly survey the participants over a period of one school year to identify useful aspects of the trainings and materials presented in regards to helping the instructors effectively deliver environmental curricula in the classroom (or other instructional setting). |
| 2009 | OR | 10 | IAE- Institute for Applied Ecology -- $15,000 Jennie Cramer, P.O. Box 2855, Corvallis, OR 97333 RARE: Connecting Students and Nature The Restoration and Reintroduction Education (RARE) Partnership is an environmental stewardship program that pairs local schools with neighboring restoration sites where students interact and connect with nature through stewardship. For this project, local elementary, middle, and high schools focus on restoring habitat for the Fender's blue butterfly, an endangered animal of the Willamette Valley prairies. The project team works closely with students and teachers, instructing the students in Willamette Valley ecology, botany, and horticulture. They provide students with the necessary skills and tools to understand and reintroduce endangered species and restore habitat in the Willamette Valley prairies. The students are actively involved in the restoration and inquiry process, collecting seeds of the targeted species from nearby healthy populations and growing them experimentally in school greenhouses. In the spring, the students plant the fruits of their labor and monitor the success of their restoration efforts. As a result, students build their sense of place and stewardship and cultivate valuable restoration skills as they work to save an imperiled species. |
| 2009 | OR | 10 | International Sustainable Development Foundation -- $26,000 Lori Stole, One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 210, Portland, OR 97204 Build Capacity for Sustainability The goal of this project is to increase the capacity of Oregon's Educational Service Districts to support education in kindergarten through grade 12 for sustainability, with a special focus on how sustainability education can support career and technical education and support state economic needs. Teams from Oregon's Educational Service Districts (ESDs) are participating in one of four education sustainability workshops. Each ESD forms a team with members (teachers, district staff, college staff, sustainability consultants, and community leaders) and apply to participate. The products of the workshops include (1) a list of opportunities for ESDs to provide sustainability education services to the district, (2) ESD sustainability education action plans, and (3) information on how to implement the action plans. The results are presented to all ESDs at an annual conference. ESDs compile the results, and the products are shared across the state with the hope that they are incorporated into the education curriculum. |
| 2009 | PA | 3 | Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers -- $17,449 Amanda Jane Hymansmith, 3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Crew Leader Education Program Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers (WRV) is an ecology-oriented organization that works with community volunteers to restore the natural environment of the Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia. WRV training fosters stewardship, accountability, and restoration ideals so that trainees can become lifelong advocates of the environment. The WRV Crew Leaders Education Program works with volunteer groups from high schools, colleges, and religious and service organizations to restore the Wissahickon Valley Park. The role of the crew leaders is critical in educating volunteer groups about the value of a restored environment in safeguarding water quality, maintaining a healthy ecosystem and providing recreational opportunities in a natural setting. |
| 2009 | RI | 1 | Southside Community Land Trust -- $33,453 Leo Pollock, 109 Somerset Street, Providence, RI 02907 A Living Laboratory for Environmental Education This program educates elementary through high school students who study the environmental, economic, and social impact of urban agriculture through analysis of the ecosystems of three urban food gardens. Focusing on a 3/4-acre farm in a city's neighborhood and on two gardens at local schools in the city, participants learn about pollution threats in the urban setting and sustainable methods of mitigating these threats. Trained scientists lead this educational effort as students assess how these three food gardens contribute to the health of the city. This program assesses the contribution gardens make to the health of the urban environment, identifies steps to enhance each garden's positive environmental impact, and stresses their importance in protecting the biodiversity of the city. Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) has partnered with two colleges and a local agency to work with 6 to 14 year old students and the public on this project. The staff implements the curriculum through the SCLT's Youth Garden Club programs. |
| 2009 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Department of Education -- $196,603 (HQ Grant) Edward Falco, 1429 Senate Street, Suite 1005, Columbia, SC 29201 Integrating Nature by Discovery, Inquiry, and Going Outdoors (INDIGO) Integrating Nature by Discovery, Inquiry, and Going Outdoors (INDIGO) consists of several activities that incorporate an EE-themed curriculum into real-world, relevant, and standards-based studies and serves as a model for middle school education reform. Indigo strengthens South Carolina's Department of Education (SCDE) EE program by providing professional development for teachers and expanding the model in existing and new schools. Professional development is provided through a 3-day summer institute and technical assistance visits to ensure high-quality implementation. In addition, teachers are provided resources such as instructional television programs, a film series, and a Web site with downloadable resources. These tools present EE best practices and help teachers integrate curriculum standards, core subjects, and local environmental issues. Through field studies and correspondence with their local council and school boards, students are engaged in local environmental issues. Students work with community organizations to plan and complete an environmental service project that targets a local environmental issue. Service learning projects further help students participate in collaborative teams and contribute to their communities. In addition to existing schools, SCDE implements the model in alternative education schools with at-risk students. Core partners include Lowcountry Environmental Education Programs, South Carolina Educational Television, South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Clemson University, and Open Dome Productions. |
| 2009 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Discovery Center -- $24,971 Anne Lewis, 805 W Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 Biomonitoring for Climate Change Biomonitoring for Climate Change is a project that trains and equips educators to develop the environmental literacy of their students. The goal is to provide educators the skills, knowledge, and resources to teach about climate change using hands-on activities, and then implement ecological monitoring activities that yield data to track conditions sensitive to climate change, among other ecological stressors. This project provides professional development for teachers so they may begin to improve instruction about climate change, biomonitoring (ecology monitoring), and how the two relate. The guidelines for preparation and professional development of environmental educators published by the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education are used in designing the training. |
| 2009 | TN | 4 | Children's Museum Corporation of Rutherford County -- $13,000 Billie Little, 50 Southeast Broad Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Wetland Wonder Packs This project encourages community stewardship of wetland habitats by using educational materials available at the museum's Discovery Center to teach the public about the biodiversity of wetlands, heighten public awareness of the importance of wetlands, encourage conservation of wetland habitats, and spark an interest in science by teaching basic observation and identification skills. Funds provide (1) materials that are made available for visitors to explore the Murfree Spring Wetland, a 20-acre space adjacent to the museum's grounds, and (2) training for staff and high school volunteer guides for visitors. |
| 2009 | TN | 4 | Knoxville Zoological Gardens, Inc. -- $25,000 Nancy Berger, P.O. Box 6040, Knoxville, TN 37914 Zoo S.E.N.S.E. Education Program Zoo S.E.N.S.E. is designed to supplement teachers' science curricula and measure the progress made in student understanding of conservation, sustainability, and recycling concepts. Through this initiative, the zoo has developed a model program that delivers repeated and dynamic messages about recycling and sustainability. The program encourages middle school students to make a difference at home, at school, and throughout their lives. Students learn how the everyday choices they make affect the future availability of the planet's natural resources. |
| 2009 | TX | 6 | Galveston Bay Foundation -- $20,000 Courtney Harris, 17330 Highway 3, Webster, TX 77598 Get Hip to Habitat Get Hip to Habitat is a school-based coastal wetlands nursery program for Galveston Bay Foundation's education and restoration initiatives. The program involves kindergarten through grade 12 formal and non-formal students who harvest plugs of smooth cordgrass from existing nursery ponds, transplant the plugs into containers, and cultivate them on their campus grounds in saltwater pools to mimic an estuarine marsh environment. After they nurture the plants for a year, the students culminate their project by transplanting the container grasses to a designated local marsh restoration site selected by the Galveston Bay Foundation. The general goals of the program are to provide a sequence of experiences and activities to introduce students to Galveston Bay and its ecosystems. Lessons convey the importance of marsh habitat and restoration and increase the number of citizens involved in environmental awareness and education. |
| 2009 | TX | 6 | Migrant Clinicians Network, Inc. -- $24,084 Amy Liebman, 1001 Land Creek Cove, P.O. Box 164285, Austin, TX 78716 Protect Farmworker Children from Pesticide Exposure in Puerto Rico The Migrant Clinicians Network partners with PathStone (a not-for-profit community development and human services organization) to provide environmental health education to farm worker parents in Puerto Rico. The program trains the trainers, who then educate farm worker families and provide them with appropriate materials in Spanish. Family members learn how to evaluate their children's risk of pesticide exposure and take necessary actions to reduce or eliminate the risk. The target audience is farm worker families in rural and isolated communities in Puerto Rico (such as Utuado, Maricao, Adjuntas, Orocivis, Humacao, and Santa Isabel). |
| 2009 | TX | 6 | Texas Camp Fire USA Balcones Council (CFUSABC) -- $24,400 Rebecca Benz, 1603 East 38 1/2 Street, Austin, TX 78722 Texas Campfire USA Balcones Council The Texas Camp Fire USA Balcones Council is a new program fostered from the Leave No Child Inside national movement. The program encourages families to experience nature together outside, where parents can feel confident in the outdoors experience. Participants benefit from being outside in the fresh air, enjoying healthy physical activities, and learning life-long outdoor skills while they engage in environmental service projects. During the year-long pilot, families are recruited to participate in Camp Fire Clubs. Each family becomes a member of a group of four to eight families who gather monthly to participate in a wide variety of activities. The Camp Fire Council provides training on keeping children safe in the outdoors and other specific skills so that adults feel more comfortable in taking their children outdoors. The structure and support of the program is particularly important to single parents, grandparents, and other adults who are raising children outside the traditional family structure. |
| 2009 | TX | 6 | Texas State University - San Marcos -- $83,962 (HQ Grant) Julie Tuason, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666 Urban Watersheds Project By combining the activities and curriculum of three statewide programs (Texas Stream Team, Texas Parks and Wildlife Amphibian Watch, and Project WILD Aquatic Program), the Urban Watersheds Projects addresses the issue of water quality and pollution within the watershed of Oso Creek. The project constitutes the second phase of a larger, three-phase effort to increase environmental literacy and stewardship of middle-school students. The 2-year program consists of the summer teacher workshops, hands-on classroom activities, field-based water quality monitoring events, and a service learning component. Teachers in grades 6 and 7 from Cunningham Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, participate in a 3-day workshop, where they are trained as certified water quality managers and educated on the use of hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities. Teachers then train students in grades 6 and 7 in water quality and amphibian monitoring techniques using hands-on classroom activities. Students also participate in creating and delivering at least one service learning activity relating to water quality. These activities can include stream cleanup, creation of pamphlets or brochures, and audio or video public service announcements. Due to its school-wide scope and inclusion of a comparison (control) population, the proposed Urban Watersheds Project gives the team a large enough study population to generate scientific evidence of this multi-program approach in improving students' environmental literacy and stewardship. Key partners on this project include Texas Amphibian Watch and Project WILD. |
| 2009 | UT | 8 | Grand Staircase Escalante Partners -- $20,116 Cindy Oster, 190 East Center Street, Kanab, UT 84741 GSENM Ecosystem Restoration Through Growing Native Plants and Education The project goal is to establish and monitor scientific plots in each habitat zone within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) ecosystems through reintroduction of native plants, using science education as the means. The project includes growing and studying native plants using the Kanab High School greenhouse and Laboratory. GSENM ecologists work closely with Kanab High School students to grow and study native plants to help inform future GSENM ecosystems management decisions. Students learn critical thinking skills, apply the scientific method, and implement native plant ecology for on-the-ground results. Students also are exposed to careers in environmental science and resource management. The GSENM education specialist directs the project and coordinates the partnership between monument staff, high school students, and teachers. Paid summer internships are offered to students to continue the project when school is out of session. All data and results are posted on an interactive Web site accessible to all. An additional unit of curriculum on native plant ecology and ecosystem restoration has been developed by GSENM's education specialist and added to the monument's high school science curriculum. The project is beneficial to all parties because the curriculum is based on standards that help meet educational goals required by the State of Utah. |
| 2009 | UT | 8 | Utah Society for Environmental Education -- $32,750 Jason Taylor, 466 E 500 S, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Region 8 Environmental Education Conference The goal of the Region 8 Environmental Education Conference is to strengthen the capacity of all of the regional EE providers and the leadership of state EE organizations. The goal is achieved by meeting the following objectives: (1) bring together educators from Utah and Region 8 states for a 3-day EE conference; (2) provide, on the first day of the conference, a day-long forum focusing on regional capacity building, during which the model program implementation strategies developed from the 2007-2008 Utah Project for Excellence in Environmental Education are highlighted; (3) develop a regional collaboration plan based on information gathered at the conference to be disseminated region wide; and (4) provide support for students attending the conference, including scholarships and a mentoring component. |
| 2009 | VT | 1 | The Nature Conservancy -- $25,050 Sharon Plumb, 27 State Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT 05602 Wise on Weeds! Community and Youth Outreach Initiative Wise on Weeds! Community and Youth Outreach Initiative is a program to educate the community and youth about the ecological and economic threats posed by invasive species. The project educates high school students with hands-on conservation projects and introduces them to potential career opportunities through the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. In addition, the program educates landowners on management options to prevent and control the spread of invasive species. |
| 2009 | VA | 3 | Rivanna Conservation Society, Inc. -- $20,000 Jack Tanner, P.O. Box 1501, Charlottesville, VA 22902 Teacher Watershed Summit The Teacher Watershed Summit connects area teachers with professionals and experts from diverse academic backgrounds for a full day of premier environmental education. The summit also offers roundtable discussions among the teachers to share activities and approaches that do and do not work to help teachers meet Virginia's Meaningful Watershed Environmental Education (MWEE) requirements. The Teacher Watershed Summit accomplishes the MWEE's criteria for environmental education as the Rivanna Conservation Society (RCS) provides a host of opportunities for young people to engage with the watershed through water monitoring, river paddling, and stream bank cleanups. Specifically, this project focuses on youth programs that include the Fourth Annual Teacher Watershed Summit, the Second Annual Youth Watershed Summit on World Water Monitoring Day, and Youth Education Programs. These programs and events are specifically designed to bring young people, of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, to the river's edge. By providing both progressive in-class and field experiences, the project enriches the next generation of water conservationists with the knowledge and concern necessary to protect our waters far into the future. |
| 2009 | VA | 3 | Sweet Briar College -- $15,066 Michael Hayslett, 134 Chapel Road, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 Schools for Pools The Schools for Pools project promotes community stewardship of vernal pools and related wetland environments and improves the teacher skills of regional educators on the environmental values and conservation issues associated with protecting these fragile ecosystems. The classroom and environment-based activities increase awareness of these wetland environments as undervalued wildlife habitats. The new knowledge and skills gained by students, teachers, and their networks of family, neighbors, and local leaders encourage them to be more responsible in recognizing the value of these environments in the landscape. Specifically, this project focuses on addressing the informational need as a pilot in the Central Virginia region. Students and teachers participating in the project study assess an "adopted" wetland habitat and bring the importance of this sensitive environment to the attention of their local communities and leaders. |
| 2009 | VA | 3 | The Elizabeth River Project -- $28,121 Robin Dunbar, 475 Water Street, Suite 103 A, Portsmouth, VA 23704 The Elizabeth River Project The Elizabeth River Project captures the imagination of school children through story-telling, followed by problem-based lessons on river stewardship. The project reaches schools in four cities. The project also launches what is considered to be the world's first floating wetland classroom. The learning barge offers evocative exploration of its sun and wind power, a live wetland, a seining pool, and a grey water and compost system. The project recruits schools to conduct year-long, problem-solving projects related to river stewardship, including growing wetlands plants in the classroom for placement on restoration sites. |
| 2009 | VA | 3 | Virginia Department of Environmental Quality -- $84,376 (HQ Grant) Ann Regn, 629 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 Improving Delivery of High Quality EE The goal of this project is to increase education capacity through state-level initiatives that deliver high-quality, science-based education. To accomplish this goal, the Virginia Office of Environmental Education (VOEE) works collaboratively with community educators and education leaders to strengthen local teams through a series of workshop trainings and meetings. In addition, VOEEE works with formal and non-formal environmental educators to create regional action plans and local stewardship projects. These action plans are developed and implemented by each region, advance EE, and contribute to an assessment of environmental literacy. The regional plans include specific goals and objectives to enhance delivery and expand EE in the region. VOEE supports regional teams by facilitating communication and networking, providing professional development workshops and leadership instruction, and providing electronic newsletters and printed materials aimed at increasing partnerships. Professional development is delivered through two leadership training summits and 10 environmental steward institutes focused on enhancing EE initiatives in each specific geographic region. These tasks build on previous work undertaken in Virginia to develop regional teams and a professional development program. Partners for this project include the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources and the Virginia Resource Use Education Council. |
| 2009 | WA | 10 | Educational Service District 101 -- $26,469 Steve Witter, 4202 South Regal, Spokane, WA 99223 Eastern Washington Environmental Education Stewardship This project provides hands-on environmental education for students (grades 5 through 8) who conduct and document stream testing and restoration on the Palouse River and Hangman Creek watersheds in Eastern Washington. The project also promotes long-term environmental awareness and stewardship by enhancing the knowledge and skills of kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and by creating opportunities for students, parents, teachers, and communities to learn and work together in environmental settings. Two staff development programs on water quality are created and offered to teachers in all of the area school districts. A project Web site is created for the students to share information. Community members are recruited to assist in planting trees for stream bank restoration and to be guest speakers in the classrooms to discuss local water quality issues, including how the streams are affected by environmental pollution that is detrimental to human health. The middle school students are to present their environmental and health science-related projects at the Spokane Environmental Youth Conference, to be held in May 2010. |
| 2009 | WA | 10 | Environmental Education Association of WA -- $41,000 Abigail Marie Ruskey, P.O. Box 6277, Olympia, WA 98507 Schools of the Future: Sustainability Design Project The Sustainability Design Project recruits and trains teachers from various Washington state school districts to actively and effectively make use of the people, tools, and resources available for sustainability education. It supports a cadre of teacher leaders in school districts by engaging in professional development on sustainability education, forming sustainability teams, implementing and teaching sustainable design project units in classrooms, and creating a learning community network. These teacher leaders attend the 2009 Sustainability Education Summer Institute at Islandwood. Each teacher develops and teaches a sustainable design project unit to students and leads and supports other teachers in his or her school district to implement the same project with their students. Teachers are also scheduled to attend the Team Leader's Summit in 2010. |
| 2009 | WV | 3 | Appalachian Trail Conservancy -- $20,000 Amy McCormick, 799 Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 Volunteer Environmental Monitoring, Management and Conservation The goal of the Volunteer Environmental Monitoring, Management and Conservation program is to promote community stewardship of the Appalachian Trail and its conservation corridor by educating residents in towns along the trail in North Carolina, especially students, families, and other local groups. The program administers 11 training sessions in one day, enabling community members to learn about the importance of environmental monitoring for mitigating threats to ecosystems related to climate change, pollution, habitat fragmentation, and invasive plants. Workshops train participants to monitor rare, threatened, and endangered plants; monitor and control invasive plant species; and begin restoration of ecosystems harmed by invasive plants. Part of the project is also directed at training teachers who participate in the "Trail to Every Classroom" program, providing them with the resources and preparation to teach environmental monitoring to their students. |
| 2009 | WV | 3 | Friends of Deckers Creek -- $21,907 Sarah Veselka, P.O. Box 877, Dellslow, WV 26531 Friends of Deckers Creek The Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) program monitors the biological community and water quality of the watershed and disseminates the findings to the public. This program is the only ongoing FODC project designed to track trends in the water quality and biological communities of streams in the Deckers Creek watershed. Data collected and published through this program are used to educate the public about the impact of acid mine drainage and other environmental pollutants, as well as to steer restoration efforts, evaluate the success of restoration, and educate community members, leaders, and students on the steps taken to improve current conditions and to protect Deckers Creek in the future. |
| 2009 | WV | 3 | Ohio County School -- $11,250 Leah Stout, 2203 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003 Project Green and Growing Well Project Green and Growing Well builds awareness of environmental and health issues facing the young generation and helps students assume responsibility for launching an Environmental Stewardship Community Project. An additional focus of this project is disseminating information to members of the public to make them participants in a greener and healthier community environment. By involving the young generation in sustainable school projects and an environmental stewardship community service project, the students' homes, schools, and community reap environmental benefits. As part of the project, students participate in a recycling drive and help make environmental changes to a biking and walking trail. The project further heightens the public's awareness through a science fair focused on environmental topics. |
| 2009 | WI | 5 | Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee -- $20,074 Jeremy Simon, 1558 North 6th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212 Wisconsin Forest History and Urban Forestry Program The Wisconsin Forest History and Urban Forestry Program has three primary, inter-related goals. The program creates a better understanding among Southeastern Wisconsin's youth of the significance of Wisconsin's urban forests and vegetation, and the role these resources play in the students' and their community's daily lives now and in the future. Additionally, students in Milwaukee and Waukesha County communities are educated about the role of forests in shaping Wisconsin's history and why forests are still relevant to the state's economic, social, and environmental composition. In addition, a community outreach event -- Lumberjack Days -- is hosted to engage the residents of Southeastern Wisconsin in participatory learning activities at camp. To achieve these goals, participants from Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee's (BGCGM) school-based sites in Milwaukee, and students from various Waukesha County schools, collaborate with Camp Whitcomb/Mason in a forestry education program. The project incorporates Project Leaf and Project Learning Tree forestry education materials into an Environmental Education curriculum delivered within schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties and through participatory activities at Camp Whitcomb/Mason. |
| 2009 | WI | 5 | The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System -- $196,261 (HQ Grant) Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715 RESTORE: West/Northwest RESTORE: West/Northwest establishes new partnerships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and West and Northwestern partners to provide professional development and an interdisciplinary curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum focuses on biodiversity, ecological restoration, pollution prevention, and ecological literacy to enhance the FWS schoolyard program. During the project, EE and conservation organizations are recruited as Earth Partnership Facilitating Centers. Teams from the centers -- consisting of non-formal educators, kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, and citizen volunteers -- attend a 2-week RESTORE Institute at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum to be trained in offering Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) programs to teams from local and regional schools and communities. Educators are trained to deliver experiential, restoration-based education. In addition, FWS resource personnel attend 2-day trainings in their states and collaborate in regional institutes and the subsequent schoolyard habitat projects. FWS personnel help recruit schools, regional partners, and resources for the projects at each school. During the schoolyard habitat projects, students, citizen volunteers, and teachers collaborate as community stewards in restoring schoolyards and nearby nature areas. The expected outcomes of these activities are to expand EPS to a new geographical region and enhance student learning and citizen involvement in restoring local environments. Key partners include the U.S. FWS Regions 1 and 8 Schoolyard Habitat Program, National Conservation Training Center, and regional EPS centers. |
| 2009 | WY | 8 | Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens -- $30,743 Riana Perez, 710 South Lions Park Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82001 Children's Village for Sustainable Living The Children's Village for Sustainable Living implements a hands-on learning curriculum in the botanic gardens that models sustainable practices and exposes children and families to the technologies that power a greener world. Science coordinators for the district have been involved in the planning process to develop the Children's Village, which is Cheyenne's first children's museum and the first children's garden in the nation to teach sustainable practices as its primary learning objective. The goal of the project is to foster a conservation ethic and introduce children from pre-kindergarten to grade 6 to sustainable practices and technologies. The project also offers mentorship opportunities for middle and high school students. The Children's Village is designed to be a place of self-directed imaginative play and educator-directed imaginative learning. |
| 2010 | AK | 10 | Maniilaq Association, Inc. -- $40,694 Dickie Moto, P.O. Box 256, 337 Second Avenue, Kotzebue, AK 99752-0256 The Kobuk School Learning Environmental Learning Lab Project The Kobuk School Environmental Learning Lab Project reconnects the native village students, families, and the community to nature. A large portable greenhouse serves as a learning laboratory for kindergarten through grade 12 students. Five study stations teach students about composting and waste management, renewable energy, plant propagation and growth, climate change, water quality, gardening, and food preparation. Classes on energy conservation, food production, and preservation are held for parents and community members. The laboratory provides an engaging and fully interactive setting in which to learn and apply natural world knowledge for a better understanding of soil and water quality, renewable and sustainable environmental energies, waste management, arctic horticulture, and climate change. This project can serve as a model to other schools to turn the classroom into a 360 degree environmental laboratory for improved student participation, interest, and learning. |
| 2010 | AZ | 9 | Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of North Arizona University -- $19,447 Mehrdad Khatibi, P.O. Box 4130, 1298 South Knoles Drive, Building 56, Suite 240, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Tribal Sands Dunes Project The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) investigates the impact of drought and climate change on sand dunes. Brought by drought in Northern Arizona, and potentially affected by broader climate change, sand storms initiate geographically broad dust plumes and mobilize sand transport, blocking roads and threatening infrastructure. The mobile sand dunes threaten wildlife habitat and reduce grazing lands for domestic animals, particularly impairing traditional subsistence herders living at the poverty level. The Tribal Sand Dune project uses curricula provided by partner Arizona Project WET to engage Native American middle and high school students in collecting and analyzing scientific data and in identifying appropriate actions for mitigating the impacts of drought on their communities. Students learn about career opportunities in environmental science and teachers receive professional development, assisted by the U.S. Geological Survey. During the project, students and teachers live in college residence halls for 1 week. |
| 2010 | AZ | 9 | Watershed Management Group Inc. -- $75,734 (HQ Grant) James MacAdam, 3809 East 3rd Street, P.O. Box 65953, Tucson, AZ 85728 Green Streets - Green Neighborhoods The goal of Green Street- Green Neighborhood is to build a base of knowledgeable and motivated citizens who can improve environmental conditions through the use of green infrastructure (GI). Through residents' participation in public workshops and an interactive webinar series, the project increases awareness and adoption of GI strategies in the community. The interactive webinar provides a multi-city education exchange to share case studies and lesson learned in GI approaches, which reaches the cities of Tucson, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, Canada, and Washington, D.C. Residents also acquire skills and hands-on experience by participating in the design, installation, and maintenance of GI practices. Additionally, the project builds the capacity of neighborhood leaders in Tucson (with a focus on under-served neighborhoods) to address urban environmental issues through a 15-month Neighborhood Leaders training program. The program trains leaders from four Tucson neighborhoods through workshops in community development, urban watershed assessment and GI design. Participants work with the Watershed Management Group staff to design, install, and maintain GI sites in each of the neighborhoods. At the completion of the workshop, the neighborhood leaders provide a tour and present a demonstration of each site to reach additional residents. Partners include PRO Neighborhoods, Tucson Clean and Beautiful, the Center for Watershed Protection, the City of Vancouver Community Services/Planning Group, and the City of Portland Environmental Services Sustainable Stormwater Group. |
| 2010 | AR | 6 | County of Washington -- $17,385 Robyn Reed, 280 N. College, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Unraveling the Trash Cycle This program educates kindergarten through grade 12 teachers at rural Washington County schools on solid waste issues in the community so that they can ultimately deliver this knowledge to their students. School faculty gain knowledge about the benefits of recycling and composting, the hazards of illegal dumping and burning, the requirements for properly maintaining and operating a local landfill, how to recycle in their school and community, and how to incorporate this knowledge into classroom lessons. Teachers obtain this knowledge through a field trip to several facilities such as a recycling facility, a transfer site, a composting site, a household hazardous waste and electronics collection facility, and the local landfill. This project creates a foundation for environmental education and teaching skills and fulfills 9 hours of Arkansas's annual required 60 hour professional development. Unraveling the Trash Cycle is strengthened by partnerships with the City of Fayetteville Solid Waste Division, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Waste Management Eco-Vista Landfill, and the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Cool the Earth, Inc. -- $15,000 Chloe Martin, P.O. Box 694, Kentfield, CA 94914 San Francisco Bay Area Expansion Program Cool the Earth, Inc. (CTE), a climate change education program recognized for excellence by the California Air Resources Board, partners with The Climate Project and Safe Routes to School in response to evidence that changes in household actions can significantly reduce a population's greenhouse gas emissions. Safe Routes to School empowers communities to make biking and walking to school safe and routine. The CTE project educates students, and ultimately their families, about climate change through multiple interactive education components, including a conservation pledge program and other monthly activities. It recruits and provides training resources for volunteer coordinators at kindergarten through grade 8 schools and mounts a campaign for up to 6 months, based on the program's motto: Every action counts. Students learn skills for assessing what actions lead to greenhouse gases and become catalysts for adjustment of household priorities. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Cycles of Change -- $21,450 Maya Carson, P.O. Box 70292, Oakland, CA 94612 School-Based EE and Stewardship Cycles of Change (CC) works to build healthy and sustainable urban communities by connecting youth with the natural world. The project offers programs in public schools and community centers of low-income East Bay neighborhoods, where up to 80 percent of residents are reported as socioeconomically disadvantaged and up to 25 percent are reported as limited in English proficiency. CC promotes bicycles as the primary transportation for youth to make use of local parks and open spaces. Watershed field studies are the basis of its stewardship programs. To significantly increase elementary and middle school student participation, the project partners with the East Bay Asian Youth Center and adapts a field-study curriculum module for after-school implementation. The project provides on-the-job training for teachers and after-school providers. It is a replicable model for school districts throughout the area, supporting shifts in community strategy relative to the logistics of connecting urban youth with ecosystems and integrating habitat restoration into education practices. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Landpaths-LandPartners through Stewardship -- $13,040 Bree Lynn Benton, 618 4th Street, Suite 217, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Poppy Creek Community Powered Stewardship Project Landpaths-LandPartners through Stewardship partners with the Sonoma County Water Agency, the City of Santa Rosa's ArtStart, and Steele Lane Elementary School to engage third graders in restoration of a portion of Poppy Creek. Returning the creek to a vital riparian habitat provides a migration corridor for birds and mammals, critical for offsetting the potential dramatic effects of climate change in this urban area. Students engage in habitat restoration field trips, classroom presentations, and community stewardship days for project maintenance. In addition, a nature-based art program reinforces students' interactive exposure to the natural world. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Literacy for Environmental Justice -- $29,525 Pamela Calvert, 800 Innes Avenue, 11, San Francisco, CA 94124 Environmental Justice Training at the EcoCenter Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ) is an urban environmental education and youth development organization created specifically to address the ecological and health concerns of Bayview Hunters Point and the surrounding neighborhoods of Southeast San Francisco. LEJ opens the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park, the culmination of a decade of effort by LEJ in partnership with the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Department of the Environment, and the State Coastal Conservancy. Drawing on concrete linkages among human health, the environment, and urban quality of life, LEJ offers nine teacher training sessions and a minimum of 30 co-teaching sessions in classrooms and on field trips. In addition, participating teachers bring their students to this former Brownfields cleanup site, now a vibrant wetland. LEJ manages Heron's Head Park through a community stewardship program that relies on thousands of local volunteers. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Orange County Coastkeeper -- $20,960 Briana Madden, 3151 Airway Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Back Bay Eelgrass Project Orange County Coastkeeper partners with the California Department of Fish and Game and the City of Newport to protect and preserve Orange County's marine habitats and watersheds. This two-part expansion of the Back Bay Eelgrass Project, initiated in 2009, provides hands-on learning experience to local low-income middle and high school students, while working to preserve and restore diminishing eelgrass habitat in Upper Newport Bay. It pilots an eelgrass cultivation program in school classrooms, giving students a daily opportunity to augment their knowledge of eelgrass and natural resource management. Critical to estuary ecology and protected by the Clean Water Act, eelgrass habitat is a natural water treatment system and source of nutrients for other organisms. Field trips to the Back Bay allow students to participate in habitat restoration and to harvest eelgrass for cultivation at school. Coastkeeper facilitates lectures, activities, and classroom laboratory setup, as well as laboratory operation. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | Plumas Rural Services -- $25,473 Elizabeth Powell, 586 Jackson Street, Quincy, CA 95971 Digging In: Experiential Agroecology Addressing community food and farming issues in Northeastern California since 2006, community-based Plumas Rural Services (PRS) partners with Women's Mountain Passages, which empowers women and youth for improved quality of life. Other partners for Digging In: Experiential Agroecology include land and resource management organizations. The project introduces students in grades 3 through 6 with careers related to sustainable agriculture. Through two growing seasons, students practice food production and are introduced to concepts of ecology, society, and agriculture. Eleven weekly 3-hour sessions engage youth in inquiry during summer break. Students participate in three field trips that teach them about native plants and watershed restoration, American Indian agricultural practices, identification of wild edibles, and ranchland indicators of healthy hydrologic function. Ongoing lessons in Quincy Elementary School and practice of agroecology provide food for students to take home, empowering them to improve their health and lifelong stewardship skills. |
| 2010 | CA | 9 | The Watershed Project -- $13,819 Harold Hedelman, 1327 South 46th Street, Richmond, CA 94804 Riparian Lab The Watershed Project established the Riparian Laboratory (RL) to address water quality issues in creeks and watersheds of two under-served communities in the East San Francisco Bay Area. Partnering with the Davis Park Recreation Center and two elementary schools, its purpose is to break the cycle of apathy in local culture to environmental issues, as result of the long-term history of industrial environmental abuse and general urban misuse. Eight after-school and summer-break sessions at local creeks engage students in problem-solving and stewardship activities, including habitat restoration and cleanup. Among the activities for students are field journaling, mapping the creek, water quality testing, a field trip to creek headwaters, an aquatic bug safari, and community outreach. The population to be served is approximately 70 percent African American and Hispanic, with a per capita annual income of under -- $20,000 for residents of Richmond. |
| 2010 | CO | 8 | Colorado Association of Conservation Districts -- $15,000 Darlene Jensen, P.O. Box 4138, Woodland Park, CO 80866 Camp Rocky Through the cooperation of environmental agencies and organizations, Camp Rocky provides teens each year with hands-on outdoor experiences in conservation and natural resource management and mentors students in career opportunities. Educational advancement occurs through instruction in five principles: water and soil conservation, fish and wildlife management, forest management, rangeland science, and recreation management. Students implement their work plans, from riparian area restoration projects to trail construction, among others. Located at the base of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains, Camp Rocky is a week-long experience that engages students in conservation projects, from installing gabions for riparian aquatic management to thinning trees and debris for forest fire mitigation. The program includes presentations conducted by students at meetings of conservation districts, national meetings of conservation partners, local community events, and career days at their schools. |
| 2010 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education -- $76,461 (HQ Grant) Katie Navin, 15260 South Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401 Environmental Education for Everyone Working with a diverse group of stakeholders, Environmental Education (EE) for Everyone aims to create a state environmental literacy plan that provides the framework and tools to allow schools to expand and improve their EE programs. Feedback and information is collected through stakeholder meetings and advisory committee meetings to coordinate the independent efforts of teachers and EE providers and ensure that the plan adequately addresses all the stakeholder needs. Using the stakeholder feedback, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) builds an online network and tool that links formal and non-formal educators across the state and allows them to access the tools, resources, and support needed to foster environmental literacy and stewardship. Kindergarten through grade 12 educators across the state are provided access to the Colorado Environmental Literacy Plan and Network through online and in-person resources and trainings on the effective integration of EE into the classroom. Additionally, EPA Region 8 states participate in regional meetings to facilitate collaboration among the region and build capacity for environmental literacy planning. Partners include the National Wildlife Federation, Boulder Open Space and Mountain parks, the Colorado Department of Education and the Lieutenant Governor's Office, and other Region 8 EE organization. |
| 2010 | CO | 8 | Earth Force -- $121,850 (HQ Grant) Lisa Bardwell, 2555 West 34th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 Bridging the Gap To ensure the success of pre-service education, Earth Force is developing a model to support educators as they make the transition from college student to educator. Bridging the Gap creates a link between pre-service education programs and placement of educators in kindergarten through grade 12 school districts to improve the quality of environmental education young people receive and develop a model for pre-service educators that can be replicated in other schools and school districts across the country. The project develops and launches a teacher mentorship program that places pre-service environmental educators with experienced mentors who work directly with educators to support their incorporation of environmental action strategies into the classroom. Ultimately, pre-service educators use the environmental action approach in their classrooms to facilitate real-world stewardship projects that empower students to identify and address environmental issues in their communities. Through this environmental action approach, students gain critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Earth Force works with partners in Erie, PA (Gannon University and the Erie Public School District); Tampa, FL (University of Southern Florida and the Hillsborough Public School District); and Portland, ME (University of Southern Maine, and the Portland Public Schools). |
| 2010 | CO | 8 | Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) -- $50,000 Cindy Chang, 14460 East 50th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239 The Leadership Corps The Leadership Corps program provides career, leadership, and life skills development to youth ages 13 through 18 in ELK's under-served communities. The goals of the program are to: (1) promote environmental stewardship of Colorado's natural resources; (2) diversify science and environmental professionals; (3) increase career success for participants; and (4) cultivate future community leaders. The program achieves these goals by using a combination of environmental education, career development, mentorship, community service, and leadership training activities (at least three per month). Activities include college campus visits, college preparation workshops and assistance, portfolio development, monthly adult and peer mentoring sessions, and summer work experience. The program also provides leadership training, including an intense week-long leadership program and environmental education training. Youth are required to participate in at least one self-designed community service project, and Leadership Corps students are committed to participation through a contract signed by youth and parents. |
| 2010 | CO | 8 | Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) -- $27,000 Jessica Evett, 3012 Sterling Circle, Suite 201, Boulder, CO 80301 Youth and Community Stewardship Initiative The mission of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) is fostering a community spirit of shared responsibility for the stewardship and restoration of public lands among residents of the Northern Colorado Front Range and beyond. As a result of their proximity to a fast growing urban population, public lands along the Northern Colorado Front Range are among the most heavily used in the country and have suffered some of the greatest levels of degradation. By engaging volunteers in direct stewardship of their local public lands, providing training and education, and participating in local outreach efforts throughout the community, the program provides a powerful venue for increasing public awareness and critical thinking in the following areas: watershed protection, wildlife habitat restoration, healthy wetlands and riparian areas, pollution prevention, sustainability, urban habitat enhancement, and recreational impacts. Various aspects of the program include ecological stewardship projects; environmental education programs including outreach presentations, field trips, and youth day-camps; a youth steering committee; formalized trainings; and creation of long-term volunteer stewardship plans. |
| 2010 | CT | 1 | Soundwaters, Inc. -- $14,980 Leigh Shemitz, 1281 Cove Road, Fairfield, CT 06902 Stamford Partnership in Fairfield County, CT The Stamford Partnership in Fairfield County includes Soundwaters, Rogers International School, and Stamford's Environmental Protection Board. These partners educate students in grade 6 on coastal ecology (the structure and function of coastal dunes), adaptations of organisms living in this zone, and restoration of critical coastal habitat. Students have multiple means of learning, including in the classroom with their teachers; with Soundwaters educators in the Soundwaters Coastal Education Center and in the Soundwaters Learning Laboratory; through field study along the coast of Long Island Sound; and in designing and implementing a horseshoe crab census and study that employs data collection for education. Students observe nesting and spawning behavior and tag horseshoe crabs in conjunction with Project Limulus, the statewide horseshoe crab project that is gathering data to measure population numbers and assess migration patterns. Project Limulus is sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and scientists at Sacred Heart University. The goals of the Stanford Partnership are to increase knowledge of coastal habitat through hands-on learning, develop local environmental stewardship, and reestablish the dune grass habitat. |
| 2010 | DE | 3 | Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation -- $26,934 Ray Bivens, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901 Achieving Environmental Stewardship through Educational Enhancement This project intends to improve student academic achievements through a two-fold method: implementation of a statewide comprehensive education curriculum resource guide for kindergarten through grade 12 science teachers; and refinement and revision of existing environmental education curricula. One objective of this project is to connect teachers statewide to the current standards-based environmental education programming available through the Delaware State Park. Another objective of the project is to publicize the environmental education curricula within the Delaware State Parks system, increasing participation in both on-site and outreach programs. With the expanded programming and the ability to publicize the scientific and cultural resources, the parks can promote environmental stewardship statewide by complementing the classroom experience with a multi-disciplinary approach to learning. The proposed project enhances the opportunities for schools to participate in existing and emerging environmental programs offered by Delaware State Parks by providing teachers with a comprehensive resource guide. There is currently no statewide resource guide for science teachers to complement the classroom experience, and studies indicate that when environmental education has an outdoor learning component, it dramatically improves overall student performance. |
| 2010 | DC | 3 | Earth Conservation Corps -- $16,000 Annette Gantt, 2000 Half Street Southwest, Washington, DC 20024 The Youth Advocate Program The Youth Advocate Program (YAP) is a dropout prevention, after-school mentoring program for in-school youth. Through hands-on and community-based environmental education and service projects, the Junior Corps Members (JCMs) are exposed to their natural environment as they learn the importance and benefits of becoming environmental stewards. The students receive environmental experience that supports the Washington, DC, public school science standards and learn how their interaction between the environment and their communities plays an important role in preserving the environment. Volunteers clean trash out of the river and along its shoreline while learning about other topics such as conservation and the ecosystems. |
| 2010 | DC | 3 | National Council for Science and the Environment -- $115,035 (HQ Grant) Susan Carlson, 1101 17th Street Northwest, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036 EnvironMentors Educator Training Project Founded in 1992, the EnvironMentors program matches high school students with faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and science and environmental professionals in one-on-one mentoring relationships. This project strengthens the capacity of high school teachers to deliver this EnvironMentors model to under-served students. Teachers are provided with the resources and skills to help the students develop the research and critical thinking skills necessary for students to pursue college degrees and careers in environmental fields. First, teachers participate in an orientation webinar, which provides a comprehensive overview of EnvironMentors, its major program components, the research project process, and the class integration and club-based delivery models. Participants in the training program then attend six webinars designed to support teachers in each distinct state of the program model. Participating teachers also meet with the director and coordinator of the host university chapter to learn about programs available to students at the university and to plan events, field trips, and workshops. Finally, teachers are equipped with an updated version of the EnvironMentors Teacher-Coordinator Manual, with instructions to incorporate the program into their high school science program and curriculum. Key partners include the Alabama State University, University of California-Davis, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. |
| 2010 | DC | 3 | North American Association for Environmental Education -- $170,759 (HQ Grant) Brian Day, 2000 P Street Northwest, Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036 Environmental Education Associations: Building Capacity at the Core The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is made up of non-formal educators and state affiliate members, who provide critical support to educators at the state level for increasing environmental literacy. This project provides additional leadership and supports the Affiliate Network's (Network) current efforts through two major initiatives. Through a partnership with the network, NAAEE develops a strategic plan to increase environmental literacy and systematically increase the capacity of the Network. In addition, the Network creates a business plan to ensure the long term sustainability of the Network and individual affiliates. In developing strategic and business plans for the Network, participants learn the skills to help their affiliates replicate those processes, thereby increasing the capacity of those associations to deliver environmental education throughout the country. To ensure the successful completion of the project, NAAEE provides the initial organizational structure and holds an Affiliate Leadership Summit to draft the initial strategic and business plan for the Network. A series of follow-up webinars allow for critical support needed to address challenges, share experiences, and promote learning, as each Affiliate organization implements the plans in their state. |
| 2010 | DC | 3 | The Ocean Foundation -- $14,500 Frances Marie Kinney, 1990 M Street Northwest, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036 Ocean Connectors: Youth for Environmental Conservation Ocean Connectors: Youth for Environmental Conservation crosses borders and cultural boundaries by linking students in the United States and Mexico to create a sense of community based in stewardship of coastal resources. The program uses two of California's migratory aquatic species, the endangered green sea turtle and the gray whale, to teach ocean conservation principles. The migratory patterns of these species are the living symbol of connection between low-income youth in San Diego and students living in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Participating youth connect with nature and learn practical methods to protect ecosystems within their own communities through pen-pal letter exchanges, class presentations, and field trips. They study the connections between terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems and experience scientific research first-hand. |
| 2010 | FL | 4 | Alachua County Environmental Protection Department -- $10,435 Stephen Hofstetter, 201 Southeast 2 Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601 Exploring Solutions to Non-Point Source Pollution The purpose of this project is to increase students' knowledge of non-point source pollution and promote the use of low-cost techniques such as installing rain barrels and creating a rain garden, which can further reduce impacts from runoff. The Alachua County Environmental Protection believes that teaching young residents the importance of reducing pollution and protecting streams, creeks, and groundwater can increase their knowledge and understanding that their actions are vital to the health of the community. This project increases environmental stewardship by engaging teachers and students to evaluate peoples' everyday activities and their effect on the surrounding ecosystem and water resources. There are four interactive teaching modules: (1) a classroom presentation on non-point source pollution, (2) a field trip to a local stormwater treatment wetland, (3) a classroom planning workshop on building a rain garden, and (4) a workday to create an outdoor exhibit. A workshop is conducted with participating teachers to introduce them to the teaching modules, materials, and activities. Teachers are provided the opportunity to provide input and to begin incorporating the subject of non-point source pollution in their lesson plans. This project can serve as a model to other communities and organizations by encouraging schools, businesses, and residents to create rain gardens or implement other Low Impact Development techniques, especially in new construction projects. |
| 2010 | FL | 4 | Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Inc. – -- $16,400 Amy Dahan, 210 Savannah Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34982 Planting the Seeds The environmental stewardship program, Planting the Seeds, is a comprehensive educational program that raises awareness about natural watershed protection, waste minimization and pollution reduction. The primary objective of this program is to help underserved communities manage their natural resources in ways that improve their health and conserve the critical ecosystem they depend upon. Through classes, workshops and on-site and off-site interactive programs, Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Inc. (Heathcote) reaches an audience of 4th - through 12th - grade students, teachers and the general public. As part of the water stewardship component of the program, students participate in water conservation classes at the Heathcote Botanical Gardens and Regional Park. In addition, teachers attend training programs on watershed protection with an emphasis on including underserved youth in the area. Heathcote also conducts activities to increase to increase general public awareness of stormwater pollution impacts. The public participates in hiking tours of the regional park with instruction on non-point source pollution and attends Community Garden Days with instruction on compositing and reducing pesticides and fertilizers. In an effort to increase litter abatement efforts, Heathcote also offers waste minimization workshops in area middle schools and installs recycling containers throughout the regional park. Through the program, participants develop the skills to improve and conserve natural resources within the community, potentially leaving a rich legacy for future generations. |
| 2010 | HI | 9 | Hawaii Department of Education -- $13,875 Brenda Lowrey, 1390 Miller Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 Ewa Makai Middle School Ahupua'a Project The first green public school constructed in Hawaii, Ewa Makai Middle School (EMMS) promotes the Hawaiian cultural concept of ahupuaja or totality with the land and with nature. Ahupuaja is a way of life based in resource sustainability and stewardship. Among the partners are the Hawaii Department of Education, Facilities Development Branch, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Resources. The EMMS Ahupuaja Project prepares teachers and students for occupying the school within the context of traditional Hawaiian culture by incorporating the building's sustainable and energy-efficient features into The Learning Tree curriculum, the catalyst for student interdisciplinary data collection and real-world investigation. EMMS teachers develop instructional units for each grade level. Three faculty workshops feature instructors, architects, and engineers from partnering agencies, non-profits, and industry. With the school building as a tool for teaching such topics as conservation, indoor air quality, and waste management, students practice ahupuaja and monitor their own energy and water use. |
| 2010 | ID | 10 | Idaho Environmental Education Association -- $33,000 Matthew Sanger, 9272 West Charlotte Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204 Support the Environmental Literacy Planning Process in Idaho The project develops an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for the State of Idaho that provides the framework for school systems to expand and improve their environmental education programs. An ELP director leads the process of ELP development and recruits an advisory board. The advisory board develops statewide networks, provides support for the ELP, and drafts the initial plan. The statewide networks and the capacity built in the process of developing the ELP lay the ground work for implementation. Completion of an ELP can qualify Idaho for further Department of Education funds authorized from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These Department of Education funds can greatly increase the capacity of the EE program in Idaho to support environmental education activities on a broader scale. |
| 2010 | ID | 10 | Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute -- $21,815 Greg Fizzell, 1040 Rodeo Drive, P.O. Box 8596, Moscow, ID 83843 Project FESCUE The goal of Project FESCUE: Fostering Environmental Sustainability through Community Understanding and Education is to create a connection to nature, increase knowledge of sustainable living practices and projects, and increase stewardship. The need for this project lays in the immediate environmental issue of dwindling groundwater resources across the Palouse region as well as the physical long-term effects of decreased outdoor experiences by the youth. This project provides educational and hands-on experiences that encourage sustainable living practices across multiple generations. Activities include green parenting presentations and family field trips, development of a classroom-based, scientific inquiry lesson for students in grade 6, and a field trip to participate in a water saving service-learning project. Other activities include summer sessions for kindergarten through grade 12 students to create a Children's Discovery Garden and two day-long sustainability workshops where community members actively learn how to create water-saving projects for their landscapes and homes. |
| 2010 | IL | 5 | Chicago Horticultural Society -- $78,060 (HQ Grant) Jennifer Gallard, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022 Science First and College First Through the Science First and College First project, the Chicago Botanical Garden (CBG) aims to increase students' interest in environmental sciences, improve their academic performance, and encourage them to consider careers in environmental science. The project targets a diverse, predominately low-income population of middle and high school students and educates them through both formal and informal settings. Science First is a four-week intensive summer science program for rising 8th- through 10th- grade students from Chicago Public Schools. Using a rotation of three different themed curriculums based in biology and scientific inquiry, instructors integrate classroom learning and indoor activities with outdoor inquiry-based learning. At the conclusion of the program, students present their findings at an open house for families, CBG staff, and the public. College First is a year-long program that begins with an eight-week paid internship for Chicago Public School rising 11th- and 12th grade students and continues with school-year college preparation meetings. During this program, students learn about various topics such as plant identification, ecosystems, and invasive species in the classroom and take part in field trips to explore higher education opportunities and careers. Both programs include mentoring programs for students as well as parent workshops, which are intended to build parental awareness of and support for careers in environmental science and stewardship. |
| 2010 | IL | 5 | Monmouth College -- $35,137 Brenda Tooley, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth, IL 61462 Green and Growing The Green and Growing project implements a campus garden at Monmouth College that is maintained by students and community members. The college is located in a rural Midwestern town where the effects of industrial agriculture are apparent throughout the community. The campus garden showcases sustainable gardening practices such as composting, mulching, local production and consumption, and nutrition to educate community members on practices that are less demanding on the environment. The vast audience includes local students in kindergarten through grade 8, parents, and teachers, clients and counselors of Warren Achievement Center and Jamieson Community Center, Monmouth College students and faculty, community members, and residents of Warren County. The program reaches these audiences through educational kiosks located throughout the garden, interactive workshops for college students, faculty, and community members, field trips to the garden, elementary curriculum, and an educational live-feed website that captures daily activities at the garden. The Monmouth College campus garden educates the community on the impacts of industrial agricultural practices on the environment and provides the tools for the implementation of sustainable alternatives. |
| 2010 | IN | 5 | Lake County Solid Waste Management District -- $32,131 Jeanette Romano, 7820 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410 Environmental Stewardship Begins at Home The Environmental Stewardship Begins at Home project reduces human exposure to toxic chemicals in communities of East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting through educational programs and household hazardous waste collections. The area's industrial past has led to environmental degradation throughout these communities. Partnerships formed with middle schools in these three communities allow the program to reach students and their families through presentations, classroom-based workshops, electronic and printed publications, a household hazardous waste collection event, and a household hazardous waste environmental fair. The project increases student and parent environmental knowledge of reducing the risk of air, land, or water pollution though educational programming and removal of potentially harmful wastes from area homes. |
| 2010 | IA | 7 | Iowa Recycling Association -- $14,104 Teresa Kurtz, 2742 Southeast Market Street, Des Moines, IA 50317 Secondary Material Recovery Facility Kit This Secondary Material Recovery Facility Kit project provides Iowa high school students the opportunity to design a Secondary Materials Recovery Facility (SMRF). Students in grades 8 through 12 present their design to peers through the Internet Protocol television (IPTV) kindergarten through grade 12 programs and to the Iowa Recycling Association (IRA) board of directors. The objective of this project is to address resource conservation and pollution prevention through recycling mechanisms. Teachers borrow the SMRF model, develop classroom lesson plans, and teach students about core science concepts while providing a solid waste and recycling component. They also develop a recycling curriculum that includes core science concepts (such as motion, force, gears, and magnetism) as well as topics such as resource conservation, recycling, and pollution prevention through recycling mechanisms. |
| 2010 | IA | 7 | University of Northern Iowa -- $34,465 Carl Walter Bollwinkel, 1005 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 Rain, Runoff, and Rivers The goal of Rain, Runoff, and Rivers is to plan and implement workshops that improve educators' teaching skills in environmental education and their knowledge about the underlying causes of the flooding problem using the theme Rain, Runoff and Rivers: Understanding Watersheds. Two workshop sessions train participants who include Iowa kindergarten through grade 12 and college educators. The objective of the workshops is to improve environmental education teaching skills using the Environmental Issues Instruction (EII) four-step teaching model: what is the issue, what knowledge is needed to understand the ecology of the theme, what are the local viewpoints of the environmental issue of watersheds and flooding, and what action should be taken. Rain, Runoff, and Rivers addresses the issue of whether action should be taken to change the runoff in the watershed. Teachers then deliver this teaching model to their students. The classroom and field application of the course involves students, parents, and communities. |
| 2010 | KS | 7 | Fort Hays State University -- $35,466 Elmer John Finck, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601 Trails to a Greener Future This project focuses on improving environmental education teaching skills for teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 through creation of an interpretative nature trail. Teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools, and Fort Hays State University (FHSU) students, engage in student service learning activities. The nature trail is the central piece to the planned 22-acre outdoor classroom project. This nature trail provides an opportunity for students, teachers, and the public to observe nature and ask questions from local environmental experts about the natural environment in an urban setting. Students learn about native ecosystems and their function in urban settings to diminish the impacts of storm water pollution and promote environmental stewardship and sustainability. |
| 2010 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $76,915 (HQ Grant) Laura Downey-Skochdopole, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 Kansas Green Schools: Greening the Curriculum With a goal of increasing the quality and level of EE implementation in schools across Kansas, this project provides kindergarten through grade 12 teachers in the Kansas Green Schools Program (KGSP) network with a 16-hour professional development experience focusing on green school activities. This experience provides participants with: 1) a foundation in the principles of EE; 2) curricula that meets EE guidelines for excellence and which can be utilized for a comprehensive green school program; and 3) extended and ongoing networking opportunities to promote sharing of ideas, resources, and materials. Teachers are provided with a curriculum that includes various green-related topics such as air quality, energy, solid waste, and water management. Additionally, teachers are placed into teaching teams to develop an implementation plan tailored their classroom and schools. This project also provides an online networking tool for teachers that allows for the ongoing exchange of questions, ideas, resources, and materials. The implementation of EE in green schools is monitored and evaluated through an online tool to gauge the impact of the program and identify any needed improvements. Finally, the professional development content and processes used during the project are submitted to a local university as a course syllabus for a one hour graduate credit focusing on strengthening the EE component in the KGSP. Key partners in the project include Project Learning Tree, Project Wet, WET in the City, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Kansas Corporation Commission. |
| 2010 | KS | 7 | Kansas Wildscape Foundation -- $19,722 Charles Nelson Black, 2500 West 6th Suite G, Lawrence, KS 66049 Building Capacity for Kansas Coalition of Children in Nature The capacity of Kansas Coalition of Children in Nature is increased to deliver environmental education to students in Kansas through this project, which focuses on improving children's health through outdoor classroom activities. The primary audiences for this project are public and private organizations in Kansas that work in environmental education, outdoor experiences, and children's health. Through outdoor classroom activities, children learn about a variety of environmental issues, including water quality, air quality, soil conservation, energy conservation, and natural resource management. The Convener's Group of the Kansas Coalition for Children conducts broad-based outreach and develops a plan to promote outdoor environmental education activities and experiences for young people. The plan documents the programmatic EE components currently in place and proposes additional programmatic, structural, and funding components necessary for successful implementation. The goal of this plan is to provide students with more opportunities to access outdoor learning experiences in both formal and non-formal settings. The project also includes development of an Environmental Literacy Plan for Kansas and supports efforts to protect the environment by increasing the capacity to deliver environmental education to students throughout Kansas. |
| 2010 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University Agricultural Center -- $38,340 Patricia Territo, 401 J. Norman Efferson Hall, Corner of Highland & Parker Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70803-0001 Growing a Garden 101 The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (AgCenter) is holding a summer workshop for participating school teachers to provide the knowledge and tools needed for them to implement a school garden. The workshops help teachers select a garden site, prepare soil, schedule planting dates, choose vegetable and plant varieties, and manage the garden. Students who work in gardens have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in environmental settings and learn about agriculture, science, and wellness. Each school is receiving a garden kit with the initial materials needed for a school garden, such as shovels, hoes, hand trowels, rakes, composting bins, hoses, stakes, seed trays, seeds (a first-year supply only), vegetable books, and fertilizer. The AgCenter is also recruiting master gardeners to assist teachers and is supplementing the training with online gardening information, quarterly school garden newsletters, phone and e-mail communication, and visits to the school gardens. |
| 2010 | ME | 1 | College of The Atlantic -- $18,503 David P. Feldman, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Elementary Teacher Training in Sustainable Energy The Elementary Teacher Training in Sustainable Energy project educates upper elementary and middle school teachers at Pemetic Elementary School in sustainable energy and energy conservation. The teachers gain knowledge through classroom and teacher workshop efforts to initiate or expand energy conservation projects and service learning opportunities for students. The teachers devise lesson plans and activities to educate their elementary and middle school students and increase energy literacy among young people. The main environmental issues that this project aims to address are the sustainable generation and use of energy. Reducing the use of fossil fuels is essential to slow climate change and reduce harmful pollution resulting from the burning of fossil fuels, including acid rain and particulate matter. Energy literacy, a basic understanding of the physics of energy generation and conservation, and possessing the skills and disposition to do simple quantitative comparisons of different options, is an essential part of responsible environmental stewardship in the age of climate change. |
| 2010 | ME | 1 | Island Institute (HQ Grant) Ruth Kermish-Allen, 386 Main Street, Rockland, ME 04841 Energy for Maine Maine's islands are among the nation's communities most deeply impacted by high energy costs and are at the forefront of a statewide debate on how to access the enormous off-shore wind energy resource available off the coast of Maine. Energy for Maine provides the opportunity for students, teachers, and families to become leaders in the critical local energy debate, by providing the training and analytical tools to understand local energy usage. The project partners with six middle and high schools in the island communities of Maine to provide direct training to students and teachers on monitoring and evaluating energy use in their community. Teachers and students participate in a three-day Energy Institute to receive technology training and designated time to create a plan for collecting energy-usage data within their homes, schools, and community. Throughout the school year, teachers and students collect and analyze energy usage data at the school. Additionally, families receive energy monitoring equipment to monitor their family's daily energy usage in real time. Students and their parents are also engaged monthly video conferences, called EarthQuests, which connect project participants with leaders in the renewable energy and energy efficiency field. The project helps participants research and evaluate community energy options and encourages their active participation as stakeholders in discussions about energy efficiency, renewable energy policy, and new developments. Project partners include Maine's island schools, local energy cooperatives, and state education leaders. |
| 2010 | MD | 3 | Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States Inc. -- $31,667 Diane Lill, 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 The GreenKids Project GreenKids is an innovative, on-site school program designed to build enduring environmental learning and stewardship experiences for students in public schools who meet the unique needs, goals, and resources of each participating school. GreenKids provides schools with a dedicated naturalist who delivers teacher training; leads hands-on environmental activities for students; and coordinates development of environmental infrastructure projects such as habitat gardens, nature trails, recycling, and energy conservation programs. The core lessons address projects that include Energy Conservation and Recycling, Watershed Conservation, Schoolyard Stewardship, and Habitat Restoration. GreenKids aims to serve as a model for the communities throughout the region by integrating mandated public school curriculum requirements with hands-on environmental activities that match the unique needs, goals, and assets of individual schools and school systems. |
| 2010 | MD | 3 | Baltimore County Public Schools -- $12,897 Patricia Ghingher, 9611 Pulaski Park Drive, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD 21220 Baltimore County Public Schools Outdoor Science Team Leader Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) Outdoor Science staff work in cooperation with classroom teachers, the Office of Science, BCPS grounds staff, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Service, and the Baltimore County Forestry Board to provide the Forest Restoration and Maintenance and Environmental Science Stream Study Projects as part of a comprehensive environmental education program. The goal of the BCPS Office of Outdoor Science is to promote environmental stewardship by providing an outdoor learning experience that addresses student awareness, knowledge, and action. Coupled with the existing Environmental Science Stream Study Projects, this project engages students in the necessary steps and activities required to reflect all of the essential elements along the Environmental Education Continuum model. Specifically, the goal of this program is to increase student environmental stewardship and civic responsibility for local environmental protection. |
| 2010 | MA | 1 | Needham Public Schools -- $44,510 Mary Rizzuto, 1330 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492 Eco-Explorers Project Needham Public School's Eco-Explorers Project is designed to provide a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary district-based approach to environmental education among a community of suburban students who are increasingly disconnected from their natural environments. The project creates the Environmental Education Leadership Team (EELT), which is made up of the local Science Center, elementary school teaching staff, community partners, and town departments. The EELT first engages in 36 hours of professional development as a learning community, and then focuses on sustainability, especially as it relates to environmental and food security. The EELT visits each of the five elementary school-based outdoor spaces and learns from the stewards of each of the Needham community's outdoor spaces involved in the project. These range from a 1/4-acre farm, to an educational nature trail with multiple ecosystems, to a fully equipped courtyard outdoor learning center. EELT uses its skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm to recruit elementary school teachers to attend Needham Science Center's workshops and ultimately to educate students through the classroom and field experiments. In addition, with an extensive group of highly committed community partners, the audience extends into the parent and citizen community. |
| 2010 | MA | 1 | The Walden Woods Project -- $12,293 Susan Frey, 44 Baker Farm Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 World Wide Waldens The Walden Woods Project's flagship program is World Wide Waldens (WWW), which responds to the growing need to educate the next generation of global environmental stewards. WWW provides a flexible curriculum of activities for high school students and a web-based platform for educators. WWW targets high school teachers in workshops in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Two webinars are also available to any interested educator in New England. WWW selects co-sponsoring organizations in these states based on their ability to reach at-risk and under-served groups. Stewardship projects on Walden Wood's website demonstrate the array of topics that students explore, ranging from a water filtration project in Lahore, Pakistan, to a bay grass restoration project in the Chesapeake Bay. WWW's primary goal is to build capacity to work in partnership with other environmental organizations to provide high-quality teacher training. |
| 2010 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University -- $34,217 Ashley Speer, 301 Administration Building, East Lansing, MI 48824 Deliberating Toward Stewardship The Deliberating Toward Stewardship project helps Michigan State University Extension educators working on field crop issues develop programming to increase the environmental stewardship of field crop farmers regarding climate change. This goal is accomplished through a three-pronged approach. First, focus groups are used to gather information from stakeholders and identify the values and issues central to field crop agriculture and climate change. Second, during a 2-day training workshop, extension educators learn about field crop agriculture's role in climate change and related policies. Third, a deliberative forum is held with extension educators where the benefits and tradeoffs of various approaches for extension climate change programming are weighed to ascertain the best approach to programming. Enacting the best approach to programming is meant to increase stewardship among field crop farmers. |
| 2010 | MN | 5 | Regents of University of Minnesota -- $44,155 Elizabeth Rumsey, 200 Oak Street, Minneapolis, MN 55455 School Forest Carbon Sequestration Pilot The School Forest Carbon Sequestration Pilot challenges students from five Minnesota high schools to use inquiry-based methods to explore and assess climate change in a local context as they investigate the carbon sequestration rate of their school's forest. The curriculum guides students through development of recommendations to maximize carbon sequestration in their school forest and extrapolation of results to the greater landscape. Students assess how their stewardship plan, if implemented across the watershed, might affect local and regional carbon budgets and human systems such as public health, the local economy, and recreation. To learn the curriculum and strategies for implementation, teachers from the selected schools attend a 2-day summer training. Local experts including climatologists, ecologists, and foresters visit each school monthly as a part of the curriculum. The best student project is presented at the State School Forest Conference to inspire others in the community. This program empowers students on their path to environmentally literate citizenship. |
| 2010 | MN | 5 | Wilderness Inquiry -- $115,500 (HQ Grant) Sarah Milligan-Toffler, 808 14th Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures Through an innovative classroom and fieldwork curriculum, Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures seeks to improve middle school student academic performance in science and language arts and help schools meet their education improvement goals. Academically underperforming middle-school students from all three major metro area summer school programs study the Mississippi River from a canoe, discuss environmental issues, and participate in experiential classes that are extensions of topics being covered in traditional classroom lessons. To help students develop concrete ways of protecting the river and adjacent wetlands, teachers and students develop and execute a service learning project where the students assess how the community interacts with the river. In preparation for the classes, teacher workshops are held to fully integrate the topics with traditional lesson plans. Educators from the Minneapolis Public Schools and the National Park Service develop a draft curriculum for 5th through 8th grade students designed to build an understanding of the Mississippi River. Key partners in the effort include the University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, and the Department of Interior's National Park Service. Key partners include the Minneapolis Public School District, the Mississippi River National Park and Recreation Area of the National Park Service, St. Paul School District, and the University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. |
| 2010 | MS | 4 | The University of Southern Mississippi -- $49,181 Shelia Brown, 118 College Drive #5157, Hattiesburg, MS 39406 Environmental Experience for Undergraduates During this project, undergraduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are exposed to a broad spectrum of scientists, researchers, and techniques from the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory - University of Southern Mississippi (GCRL-USM) and the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNEER). Undergraduate students ranging from freshmen to seniors are chosen by instructors of the respective institutions. The professionals serve as role models and provide testimonials for developing career interest in sciences. Through hand-on activities, under-served undergraduate students are linked to their local environment and coastal habitats, improving their stewardship of the local Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Specific outcomes include: (1) increased awareness and content knowledge of coastal habitats of the Gulf of Mexico, (2) improved attitudes and behaviors related to stewardship of local and coastal environments, (3) enhanced experiential environmental education opportunities targeting under-served groups to increase cultural competency by formal and non-formal educators, and (4) increased student interest in environmental science careers. |
| 2010 | MO | 7 | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri -- $15,000 Georgalu Swoboda, 800 North Providence, Suite 110, Columbia, MO 65203 Environmental Mentoring Project This project involves both a community- and school-based program. In both programs, participants focus on learning about environmental issues and how they affect the community. In the community-based program, middle school students participate in a series seasonal field trips. The goal for this program is to instill environmental stewardship through environmental education classroom activities and real-life outdoor experiences. The school-based program focuses on promoting environmental stewardship through a series of EE trunks focusing on environmental issues. Mentors use these trunks during school visits in accordance with school curriculum established by the district. Topics include recycling, solar energy, pollution, plants, and habitats. |
| 2010 | MO | 7 | Chillicothe Middle School -- $5,775 Christine Jones, 1529 Calhoun, Chillicothe, MO 64601 Energy, Ecology, and Economy During this project, eighth-grade students research and study green design to identify all the options available to the district as it designs and builds its new kindergarten through grade 12 building. Students study green design options such as energy-conserving timed lighting and heating systems, grade sidewalks at building entries, green materials, water conserving plumbing systems, and many other possibilities. Students also have an opportunity to participate in a video conference with professionals working in green careers. These conferences provide students an opportunity to learn about environmental careers, living green, and green design. In addition, students travel to Greensburg, Kansas, to learn about green buildings. They develop presentations for the facilities committee, the school board, administration, and others interested local organizations on their findings. Students work with district administrators to help make decisions based on their research. |
| 2010 | MO | 7 | Missouri River Communities Network, Inc. -- $43,780 Steve H. Johnson, 200 Old 63 South, Suite 203, Columbia, MO 65201 Columbia Outdoor Classroom Demonstration Project The overall goal of the Columbia Outdoor Classroom Environmental Education Project Demonstration Project is to integrate 18 existing outdoor classrooms into the normal day-to-day curriculum. Specific objectives of this project are to (1) increase the understanding of environmental issues to teachers, students and parents; (2) increase use of outdoor classrooms as the environment where teachers and students gain understanding about environmental processes; (3) foster cross-curriculum use of outdoor classrooms; and (4) increase stewardship activities planned and implemented by students and parent volunteers. This project addresses urban problems such as how storm water affects the city. Students learn about the water system, environmental degradation processes, and the impact of humans on water quality. With this knowledge, students can implement corrective actions and stewardship activities. In addition, teachers receive training on how to use outdoor classrooms to teach students in kindergarten through grade 12 in the day-to-day curriculum about environmental issues in the local community. Students learn about native plants, habitats, ecosystems, recycling, and energy. An existing outdoor classroom is used to teach students how they can become involved in preventing pollution through environmental stewardship. |
| 2010 | MT | 8 | Bitter Root Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Area, Inc. -- $26,088 Becki Koon, 1709 North 1st Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 Earth Stewardship Program (ESP) The goal of the Earth Stewardship Program (ESP) is to help disenfranchised middle school youth develop a deeper connection to nature by enhancing their environmental problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, thus enabling them to make informed decisions about the future of their local environment. ESP addresses seven local environmental issues relevant to the Rocky Mountain Region: watershed health, noxious weeds, forest health focusing on fuels build-up, forest insects and tree disease, air quality, recreational ethics and etiquette, and interactions between humans and wild animals. During each of the seven classroom lessons, students brainstorm ideas for stewardship projects that involve scientific monitoring related to the environmental issue they are learning about that month. Each class carries out two projects. Classes can choose to do two monitoring projects, two community stewardship projects, or one of each. Students have greater ownership over the experience by choosing the type of projects they want to undertake rather than having project topics assigned to them. |
| 2010 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska at Omaha -- $48,724 Alan Kolok, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182 Davis Prairie Data Shack Project As part of this project, students develop research projects to assess environmental impact of various land uses on water quality. Water quality experiments are run at the Davis Prairie Data Shack (DPDS), a small (200-foot) data acquisition station. This project provides high school-age students an opportunity to conduct inquiry-based experimentation and learn about environmental issues such as suburban and urban runoff, water pollution, and environmental quality of the Elkhorn River and watershed. Students also learn about genetically modified crops, nanoparticles, veterinary and human pharmaceuticals in the environment, and climate change. At the end of the project, students produce a video documenting their investigation process and results. The DPDS website provides educational materials to high school students in support of this project. |
| 2010 | NV | 9 | Clark County School District -- $25,000 Maraea Yates, 5100 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89146 Stewardship of Local Ecosystems The Clark County School District (CCSD), the fifth largest in the United States, has opened the West Career and Technical Academy (W-CTA), a 4-year high school with specialized programs in environmental science and environmental engineering, in the foothills of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. To ensure equitable services are provided to all student populations, W-CTA requires strict enrollment procedures and a student body representative of the county's population. Environmental science students in grades 9 through 10 participate in field and collaborative studies that complement in-class activities. Students study local ecosystems and the impact of urban encroachment and increased tourism on plant and animal health. Teachers develop instructional units addressing a range of environmental disciplines. By acknowledging the needs of the urban community and understanding ecology, students gain a foundation for stewardship within the context of sustainable urban development. Key partners include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Science; the Bureau of Land Management; and Red Rock Interpretive Society. |
| 2010 | NH | 1 | Northeast Resource Recovery Association -- $41,010 Michael Durfor, 2101 Dover Road, Epsom, NH 03234 Northeast School Recycling Education Capacity Building The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) is partnering with the Association of Vermont Recyclers (AVR) to provide a year-long program to educate high school teachers and their students on solid waste issues. The intent of the project is to empower teachers and students to integrate recycling into classroom curricula, extracurricular activities, and school cultures while simultaneously encouraging school administrators and waste managers to support these projects as cost saving and programs that increase the diversion rate. At the end of the program, both a youth education summit and a gathering of teachers are held, which allows teenage youth and teachers from New England to discuss and tackle solid waste problems. Many New Hampshire municipalities have successful recycling programs, but do not have the resources to address the community within the community. By adopting a school recycling program, schools can establish and reinforce environmentally sound practices throughout the students' lives, giving them the opportunity to continue this behavior as adults. |
| 2010 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $10,083 Robert J. Sikora, 32 Prince Street, Newark, NJ 07103 Living Lab Stewardship Convocation The Greater Newark Conservancy (GNC) is partnering with the Newark Public Schools (NPS) and the Rutgers Cooperative Water Resources Team to conduct a Living Lab Stewardship Convocation for 4th-grade students from five elementary schools in Newark, New Jersey. This program targets children in a predominantly African American and Hispanic community where 35 percent of the students live below the poverty level. Each school also has a parent and a teacher involved in the program. Living Laboratories, a GNC program since 1990, are urban outdoor garden classrooms that provide Newark students with regular access to the natural world. This project encourages greater engagement by students, teachers, and parents in local habitat stewardship as they learn design concepts for wildlife attraction, native plant gardens, rain conservation gardens, and urban farming. The program includes a 3-hour parent and teacher training session, and a 3-day convocation with workshops on garden and design principles. The convocation also includes design of a Living Laboratory garden for each school and presentation of designs to the entire convocation. GNC staff assists each school in executing the school garden design and integrating the NPS curriculum into a garden-based environmental education program. |
| 2010 | NJ | 2 | Monmouth County Park System -- $12,400 Joseph Stuart Reynolds, 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738-2695 A Field Day Along the Bay Monmouth County Park System is providing a teacher workshop and outdoor field trips for 5th-grade educators and students in the Bayshore region of Monmouth County, New Jersey. The teacher workshop covers the ecology and biology of Sandy Hook Bay, which lies within the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. After the workshop, the teachers' classes take part in a free outdoor day trip to the Bayshore Waterfront Park. In the first segment, students rotate through a series of hands-on activities including seining and investigating the fauna that inhabit the estuary, learning to identify shellfish, and conducting a trash audit. The second part of the day takes place on a catamaran when students collect and identify plankton and conduct water quality tests. Both sets of experiences are designed to motivate teachers and students to understand the estuary and the ways humans can change their impacts on it. |
| 2010 | NJ | 2 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey -- $24,942 Cara Muscio, 3 Rutgers Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Supporting Volunteer Water Monitoring for Bacteria The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) is a part of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, that extends educational and research programs to New Jersey's communities. In collaboration with ReClam the Bay, the New Jersey Master Naturalist Program, the Atlantic County Environmental Stewards Program, and various Watershed Associations, NJAES is managing and implementing Supporting Volunteer Water Monitoring for Bacteria, a program that trains volunteers to detect and track pathogens in the water and analyze and interpret data. By training volunteers to perform screening surveys for bacterial pathogens and optical brighteners, this program is creating empowered citizen scientists who can extend monitoring areas and alert regulatory agencies to any potentially impaired areas they discover. |
| 2010 | NM | 6 | School Zone Institute -- $44,191 Manny Juarez, 9 Tumbleweed Northwest, Albuquerque, NM 87120 E* Stewards of Albuquerque E* Stewards of Albuquerque is an Environmental Education project submitted by the School Zone Institute, a non-profit promoting sustainable community design. The School Zone Institute works with four public elementary schools from different regions in the Albuquerque metro area. This project provides a full cycle of creative teaching and learning process and includes professional development, practical class demonstrations, consultation, and final presentation and assessment. Working with environmental educators, elementary school students investigate their school neighborhoods and develop sustainable solutions that address environmental issues found in their research. Some schools have obvious environmental issues such as close proximity to industrial sites. Sustainable solutions developed by the students and environmental educators to address these issues are presented at an environmental fair at the end of the project to the community at large. The project targets students in schools with under-served populations. The importance of this project for these schools and their communities is to educate the participants of the value of environmental stewardship as well as to empower them to become non-formal educators within their families, schools, and communities. |
| 2010 | NY | 2 | Beczak Environmental Education Center -- $14,648 Clifford Schneider, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY 10701 EPA Environmental River Clubs The mission of the Beczak Environmental Education Center is to educate people about the ecology, culture, and history of the Hudson River, Saw Mill River, and the Bronx River through interactive educational experiences. One way the center is continuing its mission is by hosting EPA Environmental River Clubs, after-school environmental clubs designed to cultivate environmental stewardship among children in the Yonkers Public Schools. The Yonkers Public School system was selected as a partner because it serves a high percentage of students from low-income families who are less likely to have the opportunity to visit the Beczak facilities and participate in the activities than students from private schools and more affluent public schools. During this program, students have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities aligned with the Yonkers school district Three Rivers Curriculum. Students participate in a 90-minute weekly after-school program that gives students a sense of stewardship and civic responsibility for the rivers while supporting New York State's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education initiative. |
| 2010 | NY | 2 | Cornell University Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- $121,953 (HQ Grant) Nancy Trautman, 115 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 Collaborative Conservation Through Birds and Citizen Science The Collaborative Conservation Through Birds and Citizen Science project seeks to train fourth- through eighth- grade teachers in collaborative, inquiry-based learning about migratory bird conservation in cities across the county. Teachers are provided with the tools and resource to engage their students through various activities and new web-based collaborative learning tools. To accomplish these goals, the Cornell Lab collaborates with seven science education organizations across the country to provide teacher workshops and ongoing local support. This support ensures teachers have the appropriate training and resources needed to effectively incorporate classroom materials and collaborative technologies in their classroom. The project builds on existing BirdSleuth curriculum developed at the Cornell lab and develops a new BirdSleuth module entitled "Connecting through Migratory Birds." Using this module, classes focus on conservation of birds and habitat by conducting schoolyard inquiry investigations, participating in the Lab's eBird citizen science project, and communicating via the Internet with classes in other settings. During participation in eBird, students' data is put to use addressing real-world issues of local and global concern. The project's key partners are Yonkers Public School District, the Ward Museum, Sciencenter, North Florida National Refuge Complex, Saint Louis Zoo, Trinity River Audubon Center, and Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science (Petaluma, CA). |
| 2010 | NY | 2 | Genesee County Youth Bureau -- $9,843 Jocelyn Sikorski, 3837 West Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020 Enviro Champs Program The Genesee County Youth Bureau has partnered with Genesee County Park to conduct a week-long program that is enhancing local youth's knowledge of what it means to be environmental stewards, why it is important to become a steward, and how they personally can be stewards through both immediate actions they can take and the future career choices available to them. The students selected to take part in the program are middle school students, the Genesee County Youth Bureau, and members the County Parks identified as a group that is under-served in environmental education opportunities. Each day, participants learn about a different environmental issue such as water conservation and the impact of humans on wildlife habitats. In addition to participating in activities aimed at increasing their awareness about environmental issues, students increase their knowledge of environmental careers by attending daily presentations by environmental professionals. When they have completed this program, participants are invited to practice their newly learned stewardship skills and knowledge through community projects. |
| 2010 | NY | 2 | Groundwork Hudson -- $23,746 Rick Magder, 6 Wells Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701 Integrating, Strengthening and Evaluating Science Barge Instruction Groundwork Hudson's Science Barge is a floating educational facility on the Hudson River. Using rainwater for irrigation and powered by solar panels, wind turbines, and biodiesel, it is an environmental education resource on sustainable technology for teachers and students. This project reinforces, expands, and builds on the current 3-hour programming provided to visiting classes. The project targets two high school and two middle school classes in Yonkers schools where one-third of the students live below the poverty level. Integrating, Strengthening and Evaluating Science Barge Instruction provides three follow-up in-school sessions and gives teachers additional support materials. The classes participating in this project also identify a project to improve local sustainability in their school or neighborhood, develop a project to address that need, and carry it out. A resource center is devised providing students, teachers, and visitors with additional resource materials on sustainability. |
| 2010 | NY | 2 | Syracuse City School District -- $30,651 Michael Puntschenko, 725 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY 13210 Addressing Climate Change Students, teachers, administrators, and staff are involved in a program focusing on energy conservation and energy use management. Teachers take part in professional development sessions that enable them to incorporate hands-on, inquiry-based instruction on energy and the environment in science, mathematics, and language arts classroom instruction. The classes provide middle school students in seven Syracuse schools, a district where 75 percent of its student population lives in poverty, with the knowledge and skills to conduct energy audits in their buildings. The Addressing Climate Change project provides professional development for educators and addresses a community-based stewardship issue. The program increases student and community understanding of climate change, its connection to energy use, and ways to decrease the school's carbon footprint. Project based learning applied to solving energy conservation problems in their school buildings develops students' observational, analytical, and decision-making skills and is part of the district's efforts to raise local education goals. |
| 2010 | NC | 4 | Centralina Council of Governments -- $11,095 Annette Demeny, P.O. Box 35008, Charlotte, NC 28235 Regional Stormwater Partnership Hispanic Education Outreach The goal of the Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG) Hispanic Education Outreach program is to increase environmental awareness of Hispanic residents in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina, region regarding stormwater and clean water-related matters. The project increases and augments the work of the Centralina Regional Stormwater Partnership, which is made up of 23 local governments. The goal of this project is to effect positive behavior changes in the region's Hispanic community by placing posters in public buildings and private businesses that cater to the Hispanics community (such as Latin American restaurants, laundromats, barber and beauty shops, bakeries, and tiendas). At the end of the 6-month posting period, three focus groups are held in the region to gauge the effectiveness of the poster campaign. |
| 2010 | NC | 4 | Duke University -- $36,527 Martha Keating, 2200 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27705-4677 Integrating Environmental Health into a Nursing Curriculum and Practice This project consists of three linked activities: (1) the integration of environmental health content into the curriculum of an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Duke University; (2) the development and provision of online teacher and student resources that enable nursing faculty at any location to incorporate environmental health concepts into nursing curriculum and nursing practice; and (3) the development and accreditation of an online continuing nursing education (CNE) module focused on environmental health. These classroom and web-based resources provide an organized synthesis of current information, foundational knowledge for nursing school faculty, and subject modules on environmental health concepts that can be incorporated into existing nursing curricula and practice. The environmental health module organizes topics into useful and manageable resources. The CNE module supplies self-paced training for practicing nurses and helps fulfill annual requirements for CNE. |
| 2010 | OH | 5 | Cleveland Botanical Garden -- $44,360 Molly Molpus, 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106 Green Corps Cleveland Botanical Garden's Green Corps is a work-study program in urban agriculture that employs youth ages 14 through 18 from five of Cleveland's under-served neighborhoods. Student operation of urban farms during weather-permitting months facilitates education in agriculture, plant biology, nutrition, ecosystems, watersheds, conservation, and sustainability. To facilitate better retention of environmental knowledge by the students, the project provides an expanded after-school program curriculum. The expanded program focuses on environmental stewardship and community-based environmental education. Classroom teaching, field trips, and hands-on methods are used increase students' knowledge of pollution prevention, energy efficiency, urban conservation, sustainability, watershed protection, and biodiversity during the school year. The new year-round program includes both the student operation of urban farms and the after-school program. Program participants receive service-learning credit from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. |
| 2010 | OK | 6 | Stillwater Public Schools Child Nutrition Department -- $14,984 Krista Kaye Neal, 114 East 32nd, Stillwater, OK 74074 Producing with Produce The Producing with Produce project seeks to use vermiculture to reduce the amount of organic waste produced in Stillwater Public Schools (SPS) kitchens and to educate students in the agriculture education program. SPS generate a large amount of waste daily. This project helps the school system reduce the amount of kitchen waste that is sent to their community landfill; uses the products of the vermiculture or castings as a teaching tool in secondary agriculture education; educates middle and high school students to use sustainable and organic growing methods; encourages student interest in sustainable growing practices and environmental careers; and involves kitchen staff in the composting and stewardship process so that they can continue to compost, and to spread enthusiasm for composting throughout the community. Participating kitchen staff, teachers, and students receive composting training and materials. The composters are placed at middle and high schools. SPS kitchen staff recycle organic kitchen waste into compost using vermiculture. Vocational agriculture students monitor the composters and harvest the compost. The compost is then transported to the vocational agricultural facility for educational growing. Once the system is fully operational, composting and environmental stewardship should become a part of the culture of Stillwater schools. Partners include Coker Composting and Consulting, Anichini-Moore Ranch and Farm, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, Department of Agricultural Economics, and Stillwater Community Gardens. |
| 2010 | OR | 10 | City of Corvallis -- $14,737 Gwenn Kubeck, P.O. Box 1083, Corvallis, OR 97339 Researching and Implementing Community Stream Stewards Program The goals of the project are to research and implement the most effective program to increase Corvallis citizens' awareness and knowledge about the ways individuals can improve urban stream water quality, while also fostering the community support and skills necessary to improve local streams. The project incorporates community-based social marketing, organization, and support of pilot Stream Stewards groups, and develops a final analysis and report on the best ways to continue and maximize the project's effectiveness. The City of Corvallis plans to employ a Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) strategy that includes a literature review, focus groups, and surveys to uncover the knowledge, attitudes, and structural barriers that prevent or motivate people to improve the water quality and riparian habitat of their local urban streams. The city plans to use the feedback from this pilot project to revise the City of Corvallis Stream Steward Program. |
| 2010 | OR | 10 | Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council -- $19,254 Eve Montanaro, P.O. Box 27, Lowell, OR 97452 Watershed Rangers The project targets students in grades 3 through 6 and their teachers in six rural, low-income communities in Southwest Oregon. The goal of the project is to foster an ethic of stewardship for the protection and enhancement of natural resources and areas in the local watershed. Students and teachers learn about concepts such as sustainable forest practices, habitat, food webs, and invasive species. The participants learn in the classroom and explore the concepts in natural areas within their surrounding communities. Through classroom lessons, field trips, and a service learning project, , the project allows students to make the connection between outdoor experiences and environmental issues facing the Middle Fork Willamette watershed. The project also provides teacher training and provides teachers with the necessary tools and resources to adopt watershed education as a part of the required curriculum. |
| 2010 | OR | 10 | Native Wellness Institute -- $99,670 (HQ Grant) Jay LaPlante, 297 Southeast Palmblad Drive, Gresham, OR 97080 Native Youth Environmental Warriors Project The Native Youth Environmental Warriors project educates Native middle and high school youth in leadership development skills to prepare them to conduct community environmental education and stewardship projects in their communities. During a four-day Native Youth Leadership Academy, youth participants from 10 tribal communities throughout the Unites States learn about environmental issue(s) affecting their communities and methods to educate and engage their peers, teachers, families, and tribal council members. The academy includes lectures along with hand-on interactive and participatory skill-building activities to prepare the youth to implement their community projects. To convey important environmental health messages to their community, Native youth develop and design 5-minute environmentally focused digital stories to be presented to the community. In addition, youth groups design community-specific projects to educate their peers and other community members. Youth and their adult chaperones plan, coordinate, and implement their education activities and follow-up with newsletter articles, reports to tribal or state agencies, and/or project papers for school. They also learn how to create budgets and submit a mini-proposal to the Native Wellness Institute to assist with their community projects. Project partners include members from a minimum of 10 tribal communities throughout Indian County. |
| 2010 | OR | 10 | The Freshwater Trust -- $15,000 Traci Price, 65 SW Yamhill Street, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan Development The project advances the development of the Oregon Comprehensive Statewide Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) that serves as a cross-curricular, inclusive framework and unites a broad scope of educational theories and practices including place-based, sustainability, and project-based education. The plan includes sections on educational standards, diploma requirements, teacher professional development, assessment, and implementation. Five regional feedback forums are held throughout Oregon to obtain participation from stakeholders on drafting the Oregon ELP. The forums facilitate connections to broad-based sectors by allowing representatives to review and comment on a draft Oregon ELP. The goal of a final ELP is to ensure that Oregon students (including under-served audiences) graduate with a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. |
| 2010 | PA | 3 | Galeton School District -- $119,530 (HQ Grant) Melissa Sullivan, 25 Bridge Street, Galeton, PA 16922 Potter County Consortium Water Quality Education Initiative Through the Potter County Consortium Water Quality Education Initiative, under-served 7th- through 12th- grade students are provided with knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to protect and conserve local, rivers, streams and aquifers. During this one-year project, students and their teachers from five school districts monitor the water quality of the of stream ,creeks, local aquifers, and the three rivers in the region to determine the environmental impact resulting from natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale and other activities in the region. In addition to water monitoring activities, students participate in field trips, attend after-school workshops, and develop reports and presentations based on their findings. Students also apply their knowledge to community-based projects, raising local awareness of water quality issues in the county. Teacher and students are trained to effectively and accurately use the purchased water quality monitoring equipment. Teachers also participate in 80 hours of professional development training and focus group meetings that prepare them for the integration of the nationally recognized, scientifically based Project WET and Healthy Water, Healthy People environmental education programs into classroom instruction in math, science, and technology classes. Partners include the Austin Area, Coudersport Area, Northern Potter and Oswayo Valley School District, Alfred University, Potter County Environmental Education Council the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Manfield University, and the Potter County Natural Gas Task Force. |
| 2010 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania Resources Council Inc. -- $14,085 Sarah Alessio, 64 South 14th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Health and the Environment: The Human Connection The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) works to solve environmental problems by bringing together representatives from business, government, citizens' groups, and educational institutions who share a common concern for the environment. Through its outreach programs, PRC promotes resources conservation through recycling, waste reduction, litter prevention, watershed, and air quality awareness. PRC's Health and the Environment program focuses on educating citizens of all ages to increase the public's awareness of the toxins present in our everyday environment. Some of the components to the program include the enhancement of in-classroom presentation for high school students, facilitation of adult workshops, and attendance at community events in the southwestern Pennsylvania region. Specifically, this project addresses community stewardship by encouraging participants of all ages to accept responsibility for reducing and eliminating toxins in the environment by decreasing their consumption of products that contain these substances. |
| 2010 | PA | 3 | SE PA Area Health Education Center -- $25,000 Susan DiGiorgio-Poll, 1025 Andrew Drive, West Chester, PA 19380 Creating Environmentally Friendly Child Care Centers The mission of the Southeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center is to help communities develop needed healthcare services by (1) training students and primary care practitioners to work with low-income, under-served, and rural populations, (2) supporting health career programs in schools and (3) securing funding and other resources to improve community health, through a train the trainer format for childcare center directors. The project educates childcare center directors through a 1-day interactive presentation, encompassing various aspects of environmental health as it relates to children in the centers. This project educates childcare directors throughout Southeast Pennsylvania about various ways of creating an environmentally friendly childcare facility. The result of the training is the development of an action plan that uses a checklist and a rating scale. |
| 2010 | PR | 2 | Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust -- $36,514 Lirio Marquez-D'Acunti, Calle Flamboyan #138, Vieques, PR 00913 MANTA-SABADO MANTA (Movimiento en Apoyo a Nuestros Tesoros Ambientales / Movement in Support of Our Environmental Treasures) Sábado (Saturday) provides environmental education programming for youths ages 13 through 18 for 11 Saturdays each semester during the school year. Middle and high school students study the ecosystems that support Puerto Mosquito, the main bioluminescent bay on Vieques, and the threats to the long-term sustainability of the bay posed by human activities. Vieques has an under-served community of 9,000 with an unemployment rate in excess of 27 percent and a high school drop out rate of almost 50 percent. The program seeks to engage young people in a program that brings them into contact with their community and opens a prospect of environmental careers. The educational and leadership building program includes interactive classroom activities, lectures from local experts, field activities in the bay, and leadership skill-building to enable them to share their understandings with family and community members. Participants are also required to organize and conduct a public meeting that focuses on stewardship plans to reduce the pollution that affects Puerto Mosquito. The target audiences for the meeting are local schoolchildren, their parents, community leaders, and the public. |
| 2010 | RI | 1 | Audubon Society of Rhode Island -- $20,124 Kristen Swanberg, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI 02917 Schoolyard Science for Urban Ecosystems The Schoolyard Science for Urban Ecosystems teacher training provides workshops for under-served urban educators for grades 3, 4, and 5 in the cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Providence, East Providence, and Woonsocket. The program includes education on urban air and water pollution, recycling, and limited natural spaces. The workshops, each with its own theme, provide materials (a tool kit) and create a more environmentally literate staff and student body. They also strengthen the EE skills and environmental knowledge of the participating teachers and then are incorporated into the daily curriculum, adding more environmental inquiry and problem-solving activities, real-world learning experiences, project-based learning, interdisciplinary study, and community involvement. There is a significant need in Rhode Island to improve science education and using the schoolyard as an outdoor classroom is an ideal platform to do so. |
| 2010 | SC | 4 | Coastal Discovery Museum -- $36,652 Amy Tressler, P.O. Box 23497, Hilton Head Island, SC 29925 Environmental Learning Landscapes for Beaufort County Since it was founded in 1985, the Coastal Discovery Museum has served the youth of the South Carolina Low country through educational programming, field trip opportunities, and classroom visits. The museum is currently seeking funds to build on and enhance its educational programming by creating site-specific environmental educational opportunities that meet the needs and skills of today's students and teachers. Environmental Learning Landscapes (ELL) is the next step in the development of the museum's environmental education program. ELL is an educational advancement project aimed at improving academic achievement through cross-disciplinary, project-based environmental education. It fosters an awareness of and concern for the environment as students participate in complex investigations. The goal is to provide the under-served and vulnerable students of Beaufort County School District with lasting opportunities in environmental education through transforming school-based outdoor spaces into satellite museum environmental learning landscapes. Teachers and students develop a lasting sense of environmental stewardship as they help develop, design, construct, investigate, and nurture their unique ELL. Environmental Learning Landscapes not only successfully engages learners on a daily basis, but also serves as important learning areas for on-site museum-led field trips aimed at enhancing classroom instruction. |
| 2010 | TN | 4 | James Agee Film Project -- $28,110 Jamie Ross, 913 Althea Street, Johnson City, TN 37601 Appalachia: The History of Mountains and People The James Agee Film project was founded in 1974 in Johnson City, Tennessee, as a non-profit corporation devoted to creating and distributing film and video that contribute to a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the American South. Since its inception, the James Agee Film Project has created and distributed more than two dozen prize-winning films on a wide variety of subjects. With a focus centered on the renewable resources of the mountains, such as deep biodiversity, clean water, and open habitat, the film, Appalachia: The History of Mountains and People, and the accompanying program help students see an alternative future for the economies of mountain communities and an alternative future for themselves. The key environmental issue the project addresses is the loss of biodiversity, its causes and costs, along with the corollary issues such as habitat and water, preservation, and invasive species. These issues must be understood and addressed to preserve the rich biodiversity of the mountains. Through this film and program, students learn the numerous careers that are possible in such a biodiversity setting. |
| 2010 | TX | 6 | Council for Environmental Education -- $120,995 (HQ Grant) Josetta Hawthorn, 5555 Morningside Drive, #212, Houston, TX 77089 Building Capacity for Early Childhood Environmental Education This project provides training for pre-school educators in the use of the Project WILD's Growing Up WILD (GUW) Guide. Developed with the vision of changing the culture of early childhood education to embrace learning in the outdoors, GUW is the first nationally distributed early childhood professional development program and activity guide that integrates environmental education into the early childhood curriculum. One of the key principles of the program is that educators work in collaboration with parents and other caregivers to provide children with more time learning in the outdoors. The project works closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Head Start program and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) to train pre-school educators in the use of the GUW Guide. Train-the-trainer workshops are offered to Head Start and NACCRRA professionals to encourage internal training within these organizations. Through this training, these individuals become certified GUW facilitators and are responsible for returning to their communities to provide training to non-traditional participants, who have the ability to reach large, under-served population of children and adult leaders in child care settings. |
| 2010 | TX | 6 | Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary -- $34,379 Schelly Corry, One Nature Place, McKinney, TX 75069 Heard Wetland Aquatic EE Program The Heard Wetland Aquatic EE Program provides age- and grade-appropriate water quality and environmental education programming to teachers, scouts, and students through field trips to study local bodies of water and teacher workshops at Heard's existing 60-acre wetland. This project brings awareness to participants of how humans can negatively and positively affect water sources and the environment through everyday choices. It shows a direct link between the cause and effect of humans on water supply and aquatic environments. Students and teachers participate in hands-on, real-life water quality and biodiversity studies of local bodies of water with their own communities. During this investigation experience, students are shown how to safely and appropriately use water testing equipment and to properly document data to make connections between the data and the ecosystem. These data help provide information necessary to provide proper stewardship and community awareness of local water conditions. Additionally, students learn about aquatic bird species, fish, aquatic insects, aquatic plants, and animal migration found in the local bodies of water. As a result of this project, teachers reach students more effectively and return to teach with environmental curriculums. Students also see how they can effect social change for the benefit of humans and wildlife that depend on aquatic environments. Heard's partners include the Hillcrest Foundation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. |
| 2010 | TX | 6 | National Wildlife Federation- South Regional Office -- $40,721 Allen Cooper, 44 East Avenue, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78701 Environmental Education Capacity Building in Texas The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) addresses several environmental education initiatives, including development of an environmental literacy plan for Texas, expansion of the use of outdoor classrooms (schoolyard habitats and gardens) in schools, increased use of Texas Parks and Wildlife resources by schools, and development of a green schools program in Texas. The goal of this project is to build capacity for environmental education in Texas by fostering implementation of the Texas Strategic Plan to Connect Children with Nature, with a special emphasis on its environmental education components. To achieve this goal, NWF develops an implementation plan and creates an implementation action team to secure the first-year outcomes. First-year outcomes include development of a network of committed public schools and coordination of a professional development strategy, which includes five organizations prepared and committed to conduct professional training. NWF also distributes and promotes the Texas Strategic Plan and launches the Schoolyard Greening Strategy. Additionally, NWF organized a state-wide conference in January 2011 with 400 educators and policy makers to expand the constituency that supports environmental education and connects children with nature. The successful completion of these first-year goals is the first step to the medium- and long-term goal of sustaining Environmental Education as a fully integrated component of Texas public education. Partners include the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and 10 non-governmental organizations (NGOs). |
| 2010 | UT | 8 | Logan City School District -- $22,833 Dave Anderson, 101 West Center, Logan, UT 84321 Global Village Stream Connections The goal of Global Village Stream Connections (GVSC) is to create a mutually beneficial, or symbiotic, relationship between Cutler Marsh water quality issues and under-achieving Mount Logan middle school students. Students attend one of three 2-week field programs and visit water testing sites such as springs near the top of Mount Naomi, Curtis Creek at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, and the Logan City Water Treatment Plant. Students learn how to use test kits and enter information into the GVSC website. Fifth and sixth grade science teachers shadow students as they work to collect local water quality data. Teachers receive technology training and practice how to use the interactive website. By engaging students and teachers in data gathering, the program has established a local connection and is building a sense of place. |
| 2010 | VT | 1 | Vermont Energy Investment Corporation -- $38,580 Nick Richardson, 255 South Champlain Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Vermont Energy Education Program: Renewables Now! The Renewables Now! program empowers students and teachers to understand what renewable energy is, how to use it efficiently, and make energy-usage choices that result in a sustainable and healthy environment. It provides in-service training, in-classroom delivery, and support to science teachers in middle and high school classes. Partners in the project include Efficiency Vermont, a utility charged with reducing energy use in the state, and the Vermont Department of Education. Teachers attend summer institutes and receive graduate level in-service professional development credits. They develop individual action plans for integrating Renewable Now! concepts and science methods into their teaching plan for the upcoming year. At the same time, Vermont Energy Education Program educators are trained in the curricula to support teachers during the implementation phase. |
| 2010 | VA | 3 | Roanoke City Public Schools -- $23,539 Tom Fitzpatrick, 40 Douglass Avenue Northwest, Roanoke, VA 24012 Water in the Valley The Roanoke River Valley is a natural watershed and as such offers opportunities for first-hand understanding of the need for water quality. This project increases academic performance on standardized tests through inquiry and problem-based real-world environmental science experiences. During this project, the lead science teachers work with their middle-school faculty and students in using probeware as a data collection tool. Teachers take teams of students to a watershed area to conduct real-world, scientific tests of water quality using an inquiry and problem-solving approach. This project increases the motivation and understanding of the students regarding environmental stewardship and their role as consumers, residents, citizens, stakeholders, and future employees, and voters. |
| 2010 | WA | 10 | EarthCorps -- $12,000 Sharon London, 6310 Northeast 74th Street, Suite 201E, Seattle, WA 98115 Earth Education Corps The Earth Education Corps project develops and implements a community-based environmental stewardship curriculum for young adults, ages 18 through 26, enrolled in the organization's conservation corps each year. The Earth Education Corps plan to work primarily with grades 5 through12, leveraging and expanding on relationships with public and private schools in Seattle and nearby school districts. The goals of the project are to: (1) equip pre-career young adults with the knowledge and skills necessary to complete substantive habitat restoration projects; (2) ensure that those young adults have mastered the knowledge to a degree that they can articulate it to volunteers; (3) coach the young adults in how to effectively manage youth volunteers, serving as project leaders and role models; and (4) flesh out and document EarthCorps' regionally acclaimed corps member education curriculum using an inquiry-based science approach so that it can be replicated or adopted by other conservation corps. |
| 2010 | WA | 10 | Environmental Education Association of Washington -- $121,971 (HQ Grant) Abby Ruskey, 509 12th Avenue Southeast, P.O. Box 6277, Olympia, WA 98507 Education for Sustainable Communities The Education for Sustainable Communities project addresses the environmental education (EE) capacity building challenges within the state of Washington. The summit provides training to state, regional and sector leaders on collaboration, measuring progress, and technical support of the E3 Washington (Education, Environment, Economy) environmental education programming. These training efforts seek to accelerate the delivery of an integrated and comprehensive education program through implementation of state, regional and sector E3 plans. E3 leaders and the general public are also reached through a dynamic, interactive website and a series of online and on-site organizational meetings. The E3 website records, quantifies and showcases actions towards the achievement of a comprehensive EE program. The Environmental Education Association of Washington works with E3 leaders to provide E3 products for application in other states as well. The overall goal of the project is to construct a replicable model for exponentially increasing the capacity to deliver, measure, track, and sustain a statewide comprehensive Environmental and Sustainability Education program. Key partners include the Department of Natural Resources and Public parks, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction. |
| 2010 | WA | 10 | Nature Vision -- $12,000 Clay Heilman, 10400 192nd Avenue Northeast, Redmond, WA 98053 Blue Teams: Youth Watershed Stewardship Projects The project, Blue Teams: Youth Watershed Stewardship Projects, includes groups of students in kindergarten through grade 12 from low-income schools throughout King County, Washington. The students and non-formal educators are broken up into 16 groups (Blue Teams) to focus on community watershed stewardship projects. Students develop an understanding for their local ecosystem through the personalized education plan, created by one of the Nature Vision naturalists, which includes classroom activities and hands-on field activities. Since these projects are within their local community, students develop a sense of ownership for their projects. The Blue Team program educates local youth about water resources and related ecosystems, fosters sustainable stewardship values and practices in the community through hands-on youth projects, and empowers youth to take positive steps to improve their local environment. |
| 2010 | WA | 10 | West Valley School District #208 -- $21,500 Dr. Peter Finch, 8902 Zier Road, Yakima, WA 98908 College in High School Environmental Science Course The project creates a College in High School credit course in Environmental Science at the West Valley High School in cooperation with Central Washington University. The high school has the benefit of a university professor assisting with course development. During this course, students focus on restoring and maintaining fish habitat within the Yakima River watershed. Students conduct research in the field, such as water quality monitoring. At the end of the course, students present what they have learned to younger students and community members. Students pay tuition and receive the college credit immediately. The course credits are transferrable to any accredited institution. The goal of this project is to provide high school students with the opportunity, knowledge, and skills to get into college, pursue environmental science education, and become environmental stewards in their schools and community. |
| 2010 | WV | 3 | The Friends of Deckers Creek -- $24,000 Kevin Stitzinger, 100 Campus Drive AH 204, Elkins, WV 26241 Watershed Groups Engaging Youth in Environmental Service-Learning The mission of the Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) is to increase youth participation in helping clean up the Deckers Creek watershed for conservation, preservation, and recreation through youth-led projects and research. Through their peer network, dozens of youth as well as community adults become involved in the activities presented by the youth stewardship group. Students engage in stewardship activities that include monitoring streams, identifying and marking stormwater drains, monitoring energy use, assessing impacts on water quality, influencing schools to become more environmentally friendly, advocating for public green-space areas, speaking at town council meeting and school board meetings, and hosting hands-on environmental education activities at community events. Specifically, this project addresses environmental stewardship in a local context and uses community-based stewardship activities as the primary teaching tool. |
| 2010 | WY | 8 | Wyoming Association for Environmental Education (WAEE) -- $47,079 Sue McGuire, P.O. Box 11246, Jackson, WY 83002 Developing an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for Wyoming The Wyoming Association for Environmental Education (WAEE) is composed of kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, college faculty members, non-formal educators, government resource management staff, and members of the public interested in promoting environmental education. The primary goal of the project is to complete an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for Wyoming. This plan addresses three areas for strengthening environmental education in public schools: (1) identifying the content knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary for understanding and making decisions that relate to the environment and then connecting these areas to the current state education standards, (2) addressing the means by which the knowledge and skills can be developed in students, including outdoor education, place-based education, and service learning, and (3) creating opportunities for teachers to increase their own knowledge and skills to meet the standards set forth in Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning. Two complementary goals are to update the Wild, Wonderful Wyoming curriculum and make it available online and to obtain new information as part of updating the Report on the Status of Environmental Education in Wyoming (2005). |
| 2011 | TN | 4 | Trevecca Nazarene University -- $38,468 Mr. Jason Adkins, 333 Murfreesboro Road, Nashville, TN 37210-2834 Grassroots Environmental Justice Education The purpose of the Grassroots Environmental Justice Education project is to address 4 issues in this low-income, at risk neighborhood designated a “food desert” and the residents here suffer from a percentage of diet related illness disproportionate to the wider nearest city of Nashville. The four main issues that will be addressed are: Tree Corps, Brown’s Creek Restoration, Growing Clean Air, and Food Corps. The university will create a local ecosystem education program by teaching about and providing local, organic food, and seeks to stimulate scientific inquiry and problem solving around the issues of the local pollution in order to identify paths to stewardship. This will be accomplished by; planting of edible fruit trees and bushes and students will be educated about the care and importance of fruit trees for outdoor air quality, food provision in their food desert, the greater climate, green jobs, and mitigating heat islands. Students will be assisted in using water sampling to assess pollution and engage in a restoration plan. Air quality monitors will be purchased to allow students to test indoor air quality and the Food Corps will expand the gardening at local schools and provide more hands-on gardening opportunities for the children. |
| 2011 | AL | 4 | Alabama's Mountains, Rivers and Valleys RCDC -- $74,250 Mr. Jay Grantland, 5514 U.S. Highway 31 South, Hartselle, AL 35640 WaterWorks: Teaching Environmental Responsibility This project will educate students on how to reduce non point source pollution, reduce energy consumption, and understand environmental responsibility. Students will be taught the value of water-treating wetlands, onsite sewage wetlands, green roofs, worm-composting, rain barrels, in-place storm water basins under the pavers, solar power, passive solar hot water heaters and natural mosquito control using native species minnows. The instruction and activities will be on-site and hands-on, which will teach environmental responsibility by exploring natural and constructed wetlands as related to water quality, flood prevention, water storage in droughts, groundwater recharging, wildlife habitat, riparian zone protection and anesthetic values. |
| 2011 | AK | 10 | Nushagak-Mulchatna Wood-Tikchik Land Trust -- $19,094 Nellie Williams, P. O. Box 1388, Dillingham, AK 99576 The Bristol Bay River Academy The Bristol Bay River Academy is a week-long non-formal environmental education program that merges salmon and river education with recreation and conservation principles to educate, engage and inspire Bristol Bay young adults (ages 14-22) to become local leaders in salmon stewardship. Through hands-on experiences, discussion, and lessons from local experts, the project prepares the next generation of rural Alaska community leaders with the knowledge, values and skills necessary to uniquely engage in salmon conservation issues in their communities and have significant influence on local conservation decisions that will be made in the next decade. The project also prepares these young adults for job opportunities based on healthy salmon populations to reinforce the sustainable salmon economy of Bristol Bay and capitalize on engaging visitors in local conservation issues. The project seeks to strengthen the involvement of young people in community-supported and long-term protection of Bristol Bay's wild salmon resources. The project directly addresses "career development" and "community project" priorities by focusing on local community environmental issues while giving students the opportunity to explore sustainable salmon-based jobs in their local communities. The students are either low income "at risk" youth and/or from Alaska Native Villages. |
| 2011 | AZ | 9 | Watershed Management Group, -- $86,920 Lisa Shipek, PO Box 44205, Tucson, AZ 85733 Closing the Nutrient Loop-Community Desert Soils Education Program The Watershed Management Group partners with the Community Food Bank and Friends of the Santa Cruz River to educate urban gardeners and neighborhood organizers about the importance of enhancing soil quality to support food production and develop urban forests, and of sustainably managing waste and reducing pollutants. Its two-year project, Closing the Nutrient Loop: Community Desert Soils Education and Action, promotes critical thinking skills and stewardship practices regarding soil management and composting in Tucson, Arizona. Education components address the environmental links between soil nutrients, food production, waste reduction, and water conservation. A series of free soil workshops includes presentations, hands-on activities, webinars, and videos, offered in Spanish and English to a community with a significant percentage of low-income and Hispanic members. Among program features supporting community education are two projects: the Compost Toilet Action Research and Mulch Your Waste into Resources; and Creating a Desert Soil Multi-Media Handbook. |
| 2011 | CA | 9 | California ReLeaf – -- $150,000 Joe Liszewski, 2112 Tenth Street, Sacramento, CA 95818 California ReLeaf Sub-Grant Project The California ReLeaf Sub-Grant Project seeks to create effective opportunities for EE through hands-on stewardship projects by financially supporting 20 community projects focused on tree planting and tree care. California ReLeaf is building upon its grant administration experience and infrastructure to create a new EE sub-grants program targeted to the locally based organizations of the California ReLeaf Network. Sub-grants are awarded through a competitive process with appropriate review. Sub-grant recipients provide EE programs to a diverse array of audiences, according to the needs and opportunities within that local community. The education programs use neighborhood tree planting or tree care community projects as the primary teaching tool for educating local participants about environmental stewardship. All sub-grant recipients also implement EE curricula tailored to a specific audience. Depending on the most appropriate method for that audience, this may come in the form of webinars, workshops, presentations, classroom activities or other methods. By providing much needed financial support to local organizations, this project educates new segments of California's population with a deeper understanding and appreciation of how urban forestry serves as a critical component to combating climate change, improving communities, protecting water supplies and improving air quality. |
| 2011 | CA | 9 | The Marine Mammal Center -- $34,693 Ann Bauer, 2000 Bunker Rd, Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito, CA 94965 Marine Science Discovery Program The Marine Mammal Center's Marine Science Discovery Program introduces low-income high school students to a range of career opportunities in the fields of marine and environmental science. The program offers the diverse target population hands-on experience in marine science laboratory and field techniques. Based on the Center's marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, release, and research work, this eight-session program is offered twice, providing meaningful opportunities for students to connect with the living environment. Classroom sessions include the Center's scientific research, a two-part hands-on lab featuring marine mammal feeding ecology and animal anatomy, careers in science, and final student-project presentations. Fieldtrips include the Center's rescue hospital and monitoring stations in the Marin Headlands, and Marine Science Discovery Cruise and Aquarium of the Bay. Participants learn how daily behaviors and choices impact the coastal habitats and marine animals, fostering stewardship. In addition to offering insight into potentially rewarding careers, the program fosters an appreciation for volunteerism and community involvement. It also develops web based teacher-education materials and pilots social media as means for staying connected and keeping informed. |
| 2011 | CA | 9 | The Watershed Project -- $20,645 Harold Hedelman, 1327 South 46th St, Building 155, Richmond, CA 94804 Wild! Oysters: Habitat Restoration in San Francisco Bay The Watershed Project is installing four pilot native oyster reefs in high-priority public open space to connect visitors to nature and involve them in science and stewardship. It’s Wild! Oysters project is part of an initiative to restore over 8,000 acres of native oyster and eelgrass habitats. Outreach particularly targets underserved urban high school students who generally have little opportunity to bond with nature. During fieldtrips, students work directly with Marine biology graduate students to construct reef modules, deploy them in the San Francisco Bay, and monitor their progress. Curriculum based activities during seven in-class visits by stakeholders in the Bay include creating posters that promote marine literacy, participating in a game that reflects the interconnection between oyster reef balls and their habitat, and holding a mock town-hall meeting to discuss the merits of oyster-bed restoration. This subtidal restoration and environmental education program incorporates diverse disciplines to teach about the impact of human behavior on marine habitats and the benefits of healthy watersheds. |
| 2011 | CO | 8 | City and County of Denver -- $44,694 Becky Goyton, 201 W. Colfax, Denver, CO 80202 Environmental Education Regional Grants The City and County of Denver will educate Denver Public School (DPS) students and staff on how to critically think about waste, increase their awareness of waste issues through hands-on activities, and change their behaviors to help increase waste diversion at school and at home. Our objectives are to engage DPS students and staff in performing analysis of their schools waste streams and current recycling efforts; prepare them to use data collected to evaluate the feasibility of various strategies for diverting more school waste; assist them in developing new waste diversion educational campaigns and programs that they have determined will benefit their schools the most; and educate parents about how they can contribute to the schools efforts and incorporate waste diversion behaviors at home. |
| 2011 | CT | 1 | Education Connection -- $28,977 Ms Abby Peklo, 355 Goshen Road, PO Box 909, Litchfield, CT 06759 Collaboration with Middle School Teachers and Environmental Educators. The key partners of Education Connection on this grant are Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP), Kellogg Environmental Center (Kellogg), and the Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Educators Association (COEEA). Middle school teachers from diverse middle schools in western Connecticut receive 20 hours of professional development workshops on integrating the environment into their classroom curricula. Students with these teachers receive a full day educational visit to partnered nature centers, an outdoor experiential class for students on school grounds facilitated by the environmental center partner, one community education day at each nature center highlighting students' work, and informal instruction for teachers as needed throughout the project period. Teachers and students are educated in climate change and how air quality, water quality, and chemical risks are integral to the effects of climate change. |
| 2011 | FL | 4 | Lake County Board of County Commissioners -- $30,868 Mrs. Cathie Catasus, 315 West Main Street, Tavares, FL 32778 North Lake Co. Community Environmental Stewardship Program This environmental stewardship project will increase community stewardship in protecting water quality and the environment and provide teacher in-service training to further educate them on various environmental issues through hands-on workshops. This will be conducted through activities which include water quality analysis, shoreline restoration, illicit discharge detection information, community clean-ups, and pharmaceutical and household hazardous waste round-up events. This project will address students K-12 through classroom activities, science nights, career days, installation of a schoolyard habitat and field trips. Students will be exposed to various environmental careers, water quality sampling sites and will learn how to achieve improved water quality through the use of proper shoreline vegetation, and best management practices for good environmental stewardship. |
| 2011 | GA | 4 | Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc. -- $16,508 Ms. Rebecca Klein, 916 Joseph Lowery Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30318 Rain Harvesting Program This project “The Rain Harvest Program” will expand the existing program to reach over 1,500 citizens and students in learning to preserve water resources during droughts and fast growing populations. This will be accomplished by hosting at least 40 rain barrel workshops with civic and low-income groups, businesses, and schools. Participants will learn how to retrofit and install rain barrels constructed from recycled Coke syrup drums. The goal is to install 1,500 rain barrels over the next year, saving roughly 1,080,000 gallons of water per year. This will be taught in conjunction with educating the importance of capturing rain for use in gardens and outdoor landscaping. |
| 2011 | HI | 9 | Malama Kai Foundation -- $74,600 Carolyn Stewart, PO Box 6882, Kamuela, HI 96743 North Kohala Ocean Warriors Founded in 1991 with a mission of protecting marine and coastal resources, the Malama Kai Foundation partners with Kohala Middle School, the Trust for Public Land, and other community access and conservation organizations. The Ocean Warriors program engages middle school students by bridging environmental science and Hawaiian native culture and by offering place based learning at Kauhola Point. High-School ocean warriors act as mentors for the middle school grades, reinforcing the model of lifelong environmental stewardship. During the two-year program, students, teachers, and volunteers regularly participate in community projects and activities after school and on weekends. Lessons and activities include environmental monitoring methods and native environmental culture. Students participate in service learning projects and make presentations at community meetings. Beach clean-up days promote greater awareness of marine habitat and water processes and issues. Stewardship training workshops for community volunteers include habitat restoration methods, as well as features of the local habitat and the need for long-term conservation and protection. Kauhola Point is a former rubbish dump and the adjacent bay is the historical site of industrial point-source pollution. |
| 2011 | ID | 10 | University of Idaho -- $77,000 Ashley McFarland, P.O. Box 443020, Merrill Hall 114, Moscow, ID 83843 IDAH2O Master Water Stewards The Master Water Stewards program is a citizen science program that trains youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to be volunteer stewards and collect water monitoring data and reinforce the concept of public ownership and stewardship of water resources. The program trains and certifies volunteers to monitor streams throughout Idaho. Stewards report assessment results back to a centralized data management system. These data are used to inform citizens about watershed conditions and to increase citizen knowledge on water quality issues. The program uses classroom instruction and intense field work to teach participants how to conduct habitat, chemical, physical and biological assessment, and watershed mapping techniques. The participants are provided with testing equipment and tools, standardized assessment methodologies, and an online database to warehouse the collected water quality data. The three main outcomes for the program are (1) increased citizen knowledge on water quality issues; (2) promotion of volunteer monitoring on Idaho streams; and (3) enhanced watershed stewardship. The following diverse groups support the program: Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Coeur d'Alene Tribe, city of Coeur d'Alene, University of Idaho Extension, University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene Center, and local soil and water conservation districts. |
| 2011 | IL | 5 | Illinois Department of Natural Resources -- $20,946 Valerie Keener, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702 Student/Youth Wildlife Habitat The Illinois Department of Natural Resources addresses a lack of environmental literacy education for Illinois youth, especially in underserved communities. It has created the Illinois Student and Youth Wildlife Habitat Action Grant project. The project provides pre K-12 students and youth group participants in inner-city and early childhood communities the opportunity to develop or enhance wildlife habitats on school grounds or other public properties. Through a competitive grant process, 20 grants ($1,000 maximum each) are awarded to applicants that can demonstrate how the wildlife habitat will be used to support Illinois environmental learning standards that focus on EPA priorities such as Cleaning Our Communities and Environmental Justice. Students involve themselves in the design, implementation and maintenance of the project for a minimum of 5 years. Examples of student projects include butterfly gardens, prairie plots, rain gardens, and outdoor classrooms. |
| 2011 | IA | 7 | IPBB - Iowa Public Broadcasting Board -- $25,308 Mr. Terry Lynn Rinehart, P.O. Box 6450, 6450 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 Online Global Climate Change Teacher Professional Development Iowa Public Broadcasting will use this grant to provide professional development to 100 middle school science teachers in rural areas. This project will focus on climate change while assisting teachers with instructional skills to engage students in problem-solving learning in the classroom. Five online courses will be offered over a two-year period and will address issues of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. |
| 2011 | KS | 7 | Friends of the Kaw, Inc. -- $29,900 Laura Calwell, P.O. Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044-3502 Development of Secondary Curriculum for Use of Technology This project will involve a working group composed of science and math teachers from area high schools, educators from Friends of the Kaw and others. It will create activities for schools in urban and industrial settings as well as provide opportunities for career development. These activities will also provide relevant environmental science and environmental justice education for inner-city students. Friends of the Kaw will use this grant to advance the use of technology in environmental education. Friends of the KAW (FOK) will work in partnership with Wyandotte High School, Schlagle High School and Kansas Association of Environmental Education (KACEE). The audience will be secondary school teachers and students in Kansas City, Kansas public schools. The project will create activities for schools in urban/industrial settings that are consistent with the new Kansas Environmental Literacy Plan and that provide relevant environmental science/environmental justice education for inner city African American, Hmong and Hispanic students to advance the use of technology in EE. High school students in the Kansas City, Kansas public School District are provided MacBook computers. Google has announced that the district will have access to ultra fast internet. This project will focus on advancing the use of technology in environmental education and to reach out to minority low income communities that are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation. |
| 2011 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $54,642 Laura Downey, 2610 Claflin, Manhattan, KS 66502 Capacity Building This project will involve the Region 7 State Environmental Education Associations Program Management Team and previously identified key stakeholders from the 4 states to engage diverse stakeholders in a cooperative process. This team will establish a state and/or local based mechanism for monitoring and evaluating environmental literacy. This project will build the infrastructure and advance the goal of environmental literacy as a component to all K-12 students' education. This project will build capacity for delivery of quality, non-biased and science-based environmental education in the region through the development and implementation of monitoring and assessment strategies for K-12 environmental literacy. Goals for the project: 1) build and strengthen relationship with formal education community; 2) assemble a state-based stakeholder team; 3) region and states collaboratively explore environmental literacy monitoring and assessment opportunities; 4) stakeholder teams develop a state-wide plan for monitoring and assessment of environmental literacy among K-12 students; 5) pilot test environmental literacy monitoring and assessment strategies; and 6) adopt and implement environmental literacy monitoring and assessment strategies. |
| 2011 | KS | 7 | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education -- $149,974 Laura Downey, 2610 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 Advancing Environmental Education in Region 7 Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) works with EE leaders from Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska state EE associations to identify priorities for implementing a sub-grant program. The sub-grants are awarded to 20 applicants across Region 7 who will define the environmental and educational needs for their community, offering more open-ended opportunities to address local situations while meeting the program’s identified goals to advance environmental literacy. State EE association leaders meet to establish funding priorities based on state environmental literacy and strategic plans and issue a call for proposals that meet identified regional priorities. Projects will address a variety of environmental and educational issues including green schools, water quality and energy conservation. By allowing potential sub-grant applicants the flexibility to support the strategic initiatives identified at the state level through one or more of the educational priorities established through EPA, KACEE creates a process that simultaneously addresses EPA priorities and state priorities while promoting creative projects, programs and solutions with sub-grant applicants. Through this open-ended process, a wider variety of projects may be proposed allowing for a more comprehensive applicant pool. Throughout the grant period, sub-grant recipients report progress not only to EPA but to all stakeholders. The Region 7 leadership team is already in discussions with other North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) affiliates to expand the reach of quality EE and environmental literacy nationwide. This sub-grant project provides the opportunity to advance environmental literacy and stewardship across the nation by building capacity for the delivery of quality EE and sharing the successes with others. |
| 2011 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Association for Environmental Education -- $210,000 Ashley Hoffman, P.O. Box 17494, Louisville, KY 40217 Kentucky Association for Environmental Education Sub-Grant Program Under the leadership of the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education, EE leaders in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina convene a Region Leadership Team to identify priorities, procedures and requirements for implementation of a sub-grants program for EE in the region and award up to 19 sub-grants. The overall goal of the sub-grants is to increase state capacity for the delivery of EE and advance environmental literacy among diverse audiences within the five states. The program is structured to facilitate a systematic approach for ensuring that individual state and regional priorities for advancing environmental literacy are met and evaluated. The unique collaboration among the state EE associations helps to build capacity while expanding the purposeful engagement and involvement of local, state and regional partners. At the end of the program, KAEE completes an evaluation of the processes and outcomes and outputs of the sub-grants which are shared in a regional wrap-up webinar and with the EPA. |
| 2011 | LA | 6 | Operation Reach, Inc. -- $50,000 Arthur Johnson, 2115 Carrondelet Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel Project The Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel Project (GYBP) is an Environmental Education project submitted by Operation REACH, Inc. Operation REACH, Inc. is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing cradle-to-careers programs which introduces students to opportunities in the “Green Collar” workforce. The goal of this GYBP is to train 70 out-of-school youth between the ages of 16 and 24 from low income communities across the New Orleans area by encouraging interest in environmental careers focusing on the collection and recycling of used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel. This project serves as a means of educating and developing leadership, environmental stewardship, and social entrepreneurship of young people by introducing them to the science of biodiesel fuel and providing them an opportunity to join the “Green Collar” workforce. This project promotes the resiliency and economic independence of New Orleans and its most vulnerable youth by creating grassroots participation in the recycling of local waste streams and blighted lots into environmentally-friendly alternative fuels that reduce emissions and global warming. GYBP combines classroom curricula with hands-on applications to teach youth and educators in the chemistry, mechanics, and environmental impact of biodiesel fuel. Participants learn the inner-workings of a diesel engine, the environmental, chemical, and mechanical processes of converting used cooking oil and other raw feedstock into biodiesel fuel, and the larger environmental implications of alternative fuels and energies, particularly as it relates to global warming and wetlands loss that is threatening the Gulf Coast region’s way of life. GYBPs goal is to provide entry into the “Green Collar” workforce by developing community leaders, enhancing work readiness skills, and improving academic success. Participants have the opportunity to network with professionals in the fields of youth development, workforce development, renewable energy, and the green economy, while developing the following skills and attitudes that lead to increased employability and self-confidence: (1) Increased understanding of environmental stewardship and sustainability, (2) Increased sense of self-efficacy, (3) Increased proclivity toward entrepreneurship, (4) Leadership skills, (5) Increased knowledge of chemistry, mechanics, engineering, and business through hands-on applications, and (6) Basic job and social skills, including interviewing, public speaking and oral presentations, working with a team, ability to work with diverse constituents, writing and reporting, and problem solving. Graduates of the training program will have opportunities to work in Operation REACH’s Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel Project enterprise as members of the growing “Green Collar” workforce. Key partners include Delgado Community College Technical Division, Open Society Institute, City of New Orleans, Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans, Junior League of New Orleans, Green Coast Enterprises, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, LSU Agricultural Center’s W. A. Callegari Environmental Center, Tulane University’s Office of Environmental Affairs, and Veterans for Green Jobs. GYBP has also partnered with Michael’s Development Company (construction and development), DSAD, Inc. (heavy construction, salvage and disposal), Green Coast Enterprise (construction and development), Zeon Global (biodiesel), Golden Leaf, Goshen Energy Initiatives (biodiesel), and the Alliance for Affordable Energy (energy and other green jobs) to provide career placement for program participants. Additional partners include restaurants, chefs and industrial kitchens, including the American Culinary Association Greater New Orleans Chapter, McDonald’s, and Sodexho across the region who will provide up to 10,000 gallons of used cooking oil per month to support the project. In addition, GYBP has partnered with DSAD, Inc. (demolition and debris removal company), Goshen Energy Initiatives (fuel distributor to trucking companies across the South), and Zeon Global Energy (biodiesel pumping stations that currently run across East Texas) to purchase biodiesel fuel. |
| 2011 | ME | 1 | Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) -- $83,628 Dr Jane Disney, PhD, Old Bar Harbor Road, PO Box 35, Salisbury Cove, ME 04672 Stewardship of Eelgrass Beds by Inland Schools. The Stewardship of Eelgrass Beds by Inland Schools project is one of the primary MDIBL programs operated within its Community Environmental Health Laboratory (CEHL). This two-year project educates two inland Maine high schools (Bangor and Waterville Senior High School) about marine vegetative environments through stewardship activities including eelgrass restoration and long term monitoring of restored eelgrass habitats. The project expands its Ecologist-in -Residence program in these two Maine high schools by engaging inland teachers and students as stewards of local eelgrass habitats through exploration, research, and restoration. It also creates a teacher internship program for inland teachers to work more closely with MDIBL researchers, and offers a short course for teachers (Marine Habitats and Climate Change), and hosts a marine science event for students to present their knowledge and share ideas. |
| 2011 | MD | 3 | Alice Ferguson Foundation, Inc. -- $80,677 Elizabeth Campbell, 2001 Bryan Point Rd, Accokeek, MD 20607 Alice Ferguson Foundation The Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) Schoolyards as Classrooms Project (SCP) will address Educational Advancement by implementing a model that will train teachers across grade levels and subject matters and by providing professional development for teachers and resources for teachers. This project will provide field studies and reflective activities that will help students observe the natural world and become empowered to take action. SCP will provide outreach at schools and site specific training to empower teachers to use their own schoolyards as outdoor classrooms. The SCP was created as a way to expand outdoor experiences to schools, teachers and students by adapting existing curricula to incorporate environmental and outdoor lesson plans to correspond with their grade-specific curricular and site needs. |
| 2011 | MD | 3 | Chesapeake Bay Trust -- $149,904 Kacey Wetzel, 60 West Street, Suite 405, Annapolis, MD 21401 Chesapeake Bay Trust Grant Program The Chesapeake Bay Trust Grant Program is a two-year project that is designed to build capacity of the environmental education (EE) community in EPA’s Region 3. Sub-grants awarded under the program address all of the educational priorities of the EPA request for proposal (RFP) with an emphasis on capacity building and enhancing educational advancement to improve student academic achievement through EE, community projects, and EE teaching skills. Applicants for the sub-grants are also encouraged to address the human health and career development priorities of the EPA RFP. The sub-grants are building capacity of non-profit and governmental organizations in the region by creating and supporting high-quality programs based on the best available educational science. |
| 2011 | MD | 3 | City Blossoms, Inc. -- $37,500 Rebecca Lemos, 3616 Malden Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211 City Blossoms, Inc. The Community Green Spaces program will teach environmental stewardship starting with the youngest participants; this program will also teach adults from the neighborhood how to become stewards of their Community Green Spaces. City Blossoms Green Space program will also provide increased opportunities for youth in the area to receive hands on environmental education workshops after school and during the weekends in their own neighborhoods. City Blossoms Community Green Space (CGS) program will on a continuous basis provide youth with instructions in the garden about pollination, soil erosion, insects, water run-off, cultivation along with structured lessons in specific environmental knowledge. Participants will also learn about nutrition, healthy living and community stewardship. |
| 2011 | MA | 1 | New England Environmental Education Alliance, Inc. -- $149,774 Drew Dumsch, P.O. Box 142, Lincoln, MA 01773 Advancing EE in Region 1 Through A Comprehensive Sub-Grants Program The New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA), through partnership with each of the six environmental education state associations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, convene the Region 1 Leadership Team to identify priorities, procedures, and requirements for implementation of a small grants program in Region 1. To accomplish this goal, NEEEA issues a call for proposals from sub-grantees that meet educational and environmental priorities of the EPA and Region 1 states, recruits grant reviewers, and reviews applications for sub-grants from local, regional and state applicants. NEEEA awards a minimum of 19 small grants (three per state and one regional) for projects, programs and activities that meet established priorities and requirements of the EPA sub-grant program. In addition, NEEEA collects quarterly reports from sub-grantees and provides support and technical assistance when appropriate. Finally, NEEEA completes an evaluation of the process, outcomes and outputs of sub-grantees to be shared in a regional wrap-up webinar and with the EPA, while simultaneously increasing state capacity for the delivery of environmental education and advancement of environmental literacy among each state's citizens. In the end, NEEEA and its established state associations target diverse audiences including minority, low income and tribal communities. |
| 2011 | MA | 1 | The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, Inc. -- $67,629 Robert Hancock, 114 Front Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 The Bay in My Backyard. The Coalition for Buzzards Bay partners with YMCA Southcoast (New Bedford and Mattapoisett) and Wareham Public Schools to host The Bay in My Backyard project, which educates underserved students, grades 2-8, in 600 hours of after -school and summer programs on water quality issues. This is a two-year project which is part of the Coalition's multifaceted approach to improving water quality across the Buzzards Bay ecosystem, including a volunteer water quality monitoring effort that supports citizen advocacy and an extensive land conservation and restoration program. The first year focuses on youth-led learning and exploration, and the second year focuses on local stewardship projects which align with the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks in improving water quality across the Buzzards Bay ecosystem. |
| 2011 | MI | 5 | Wayne State University -- $81,392 Lyke Thompson, 5057 Woodward Ave, Suite 13201, Detroit, MI 48202 Stewardship and the Family Home Environment (SAFE) Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies (Center) partners with CLEARCorps Detroit and the Detroit/Wayne County Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (HHD) to implement the SAFE (Stewardship And the Family home Environment) project. The program provides training for Detroit parents and caregivers to reduce children's exposure to asthma triggers and lead hazards in the home environment. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the City of Detroit reports a significantly higher rate of child hospitalizations for asthma and lead poisoning cases than elsewhere in the state of Michigan. The determination is that with improved knowledge, behavior changes and referrals to agencies, families can reduce environmental hazards associated with asthma triggers and lead poisoning. The targeted demographic is the city's largely African-American community. Parents, grandparents, or caregivers of children under the age of six in the City of Detroit are the primary recipients of information and training. Directed by the Center, the program goal includes recruiting 750 participants for two community awareness day activities that provide information on lead and asthma risks and their severe consequences for children and home environments. Workshops are available to 200 residents, covering asthma and lead testing, hazards, and action steps to reduce exposure. Training and testing kits are provided by area partners. At least 10 asthma or lead presentations are introduced at block club meetings in the target areas. Attendees are provided with resources for SAFE activities, including upcoming workshops, social media network, and upcoming healthy homes workgroups. Technology such as social media formats and email newsletters inform the public on current SAFE topics and research findings. The SAFE project goal is to educate, train, and directly communicate with residents, providing a unique opportunity to produce behavioral change. Participants acquire techniques to identify and reduce two leading home and health hazards -lead and asthma. |
| 2011 | MN | 5 | Independent School District #625, -- $35,324 Rebekah Doyle, 360 Colborne Street, St. Paul, MN 55102 Integrating Environmental Education into Instruction The Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) District in Minnesota integrates an environmental learning program called Belwin Outdoor Science (BOS) to target fifteen K-12 schools, specifically 3rd and 5th grades. SPPS student demographics show that 76% of the student population are of color, 36% are English Language Learners (ELL), and 71% are enrolled in the reduced/free lunch program. Between 2009 and 2010, SPPS district scores for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) exam were at a 27% proficiency level. SPPS's project leverages BOS as a training platform for teachers to utilize an integrated method of outdoor classroom management and environmental education content that is present in the Minnesota state science standards. The broad program goal includes developing an extensive outdoor education learning format for instructors/teachers and students. Trained teachers use BOS as part of an annual science focused field trip with their respective classes. Field trip plans can include students’ observations of school yard or green space vegetation and wildlife. Through BOS, the goal is to increase scientific understanding and skills in urban students' by utilizing the outdoors as a science laboratory, triggering an increase in students' MCA science test scores. |
| 2011 | MS | 4 | Delta State University -- $59,000 Dr. Nina Baghai-Riding, 1003 W. Sunflower Road, Cleveland, MS 38733-0001 Delta Environmental Education Project (DEEP) The Delta Environmental Education Project (DEEP) will consist of a two-week summer institute designed for teachers in grades 5 through 8. The summer institute will take place on the campus of Delta State University and will consist of a combination of lectures, laboratory experiences and field trips. Teachers will be provided with environmental science education resources that they can utilized in their classrooms. DEEP will help fulfill the need of science literacy in environmental and natural sciences by utilizing faculty of the Division of Biological and Physical Sciences to expose 5th grade and middle school teachers to address issues pertaining to water conservation and awareness. Approximately 2,000 students will be reached by the teachers. Students largely consist of lo-income, minority populations; therefore the project will reach diverse communities of minority students. |
| 2011 | MO | 7 | Blue River Watershed Association -- $36,552 Leslie Alford, P.O. Box 7276, Kansas City, MO 64113-0276 The Journey of Stormwater: From KC to the Sea This project will engage the Kansas City metropolitan community in activities to protect and restore the Blue River Watershed. It will involve a diverse target audience by focusing on public, private, charter and parochial schools located in the urban core, suburban neighborhoods and rural regions surrounding Kansas City. The grant will be used to educate teachers about stormwater issues. Teachers will then use the information given to involve students in water quality research projects that utilize problem solving and critical thinking skills. Educational Priority; Educational Advancement, Community Projects, Environmental Priority: Protecting America's Waters, Audience: The Blue River Watershed Association (BRWA) will partner with Kansas City, Missouri Water Services Department to implement the five lesson curriculum, “The Journey", written specifically to address storm water runoff and water quality issues in the Kansas City area, through in-service professional development for teachers. This project will educate and engage the Kansas City metropolitan community in protecting and restoring the Blue River Watershed through education and outreach. The project will educate the community about the impacts of storm water runoff on water quality and provide opportunities for the community to reduce those negative impacts. This project will involve a diverse target audience: Schools located in the area include urban core, suburban neighborhoods, and rural regions surrounding Kansas City (includes public, private, charter and parochial schools). Teachers will implement the five-lesson curriculum. |
| 2011 | MO | 7 | Missouri Environmental Education Association -- $30,938 Jan Weaver, 208 Tucker Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7400 Building Missouri EE Capacity The Missouri Environmental Education Association will use this grant to conduct research of current environmental education curriculum and establish a comprehensive knowledge base of environmental issues. The grant will be used to increase understanding and use of nationally aligned environmental education standards by agencies, organizations, classroom teachers and schools. Educational Priority: EE Capacity Building, Environmental Priority: Taking Action on Climate Change. Audience: Agencies (6-12); non-profit organizations (50-80); businesses (20-30); institutions (50-60); that help provide environmental education and resources, classroom teachers in a geographically and socioeconomically representative 10% of school districts (50 out of 500). The project will involve classroom teachers in a geographically and socioeconomically representative 10% of school districts (50 out of 500). To build stronger linkages among state agencies and organizations that provide environmental education. To improve their connections with classroom teachers; and to increase understanding and use of nationally aligned EE standards by agencies, organizations, classroom teachers and schools. |
| 2011 | MT | 8 | Ecology Project International -- $32,200 Kelsey Stamm, 315 South 4th Street East, Missoula, MT 59801 Empowering Environmental Stewards Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Program fulfills three goals: 1. To aid scientists by contributing to conservation projects addressing climate change to improve habitat, protect endangered species, and inform land management 2. To engage youth in hands-on science, from which they acquire a strong foundation in biology, ecology, geography, and the scientific method; and 3. to empower and inspire youth to become active environmental stewards. Our work partnering teens with field-based researchers demonstrates how experiential learning can change attitudes and empower youth to tackle conservation issues. Our participants’ experience in nature inspires them to incorporate environmental stewardship into their lives over the long-term, and is critical to the success of conservation efforts. |
| 2011 | NE | 7 | Board of Regents, Univ of Nebraska, University of Nebraska -Lincoln -- $41,752 Tapan Pathak, 312 North 14th Street, Alexander Building West, Lincoln, NE 68588-0430 Climate Masters of Nebraska: Stewardship and Climate Change This project will implement a 10-week training course for 50 volunteers. Upon completion of the course and 30 hours of community service, volunteers will become certified Climate Masters. These Climate Masters will commit to take actions against climate change. Those involved with this venture will assist the community in becoming more knowledgeable and in making informed decisions to address climate change issues, which is expected to result in a more sustainable environment. Educational Priority: Community Projects, Environmental Priority: Taking Action on Climate Change. Audience: 50 volunteers during a 2-year period from communities cross southeast Nebraska, each of whom will make a commitment to take actions regarding climate change and motivate others. To assist the community in becoming knowledgeable and making informed decisions regarding climate change issues, which is expected to result in a more sustainable environment. This project will involve the public making decisions on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to alleviate the impact on the environment. |
| 2011 | NJ | 2 | Township of Woodbridge, N. J. -- $27,800 Caroline Ehrlich, One Main Street, Woodbridge, NJ 07095 Woodbridge Township Wetlands Restoration Education Project This project focuses on educating Woodbridge Township high school students and residents about the importance of stewardship and provides skills needed to restore degraded resources and improve the quality of the environment. Field seminars focus on a contaminated sites including the "El Paso" site, wetlands and Brownfield sites along the Raritan River. Field-based, hands-on learning experiences about wetland restoration is reinforced and expanded by additional educational sessions conducted by the Edison Wetlands Association. Students will use the knowledge and skills learned to produce programs and materials to educate elementary students, their families and teachers. |
| 2011 | NM | 6 | Asombro Institute for Science Education -- $25,000 Dr. Stephanie Bestelmeyer, POB 891, Las Cruces, NM 88004-0891 Stepping Out for Science Inquiry The Asombro Institute for Science Education is a non-profit organization with the goal of improving scientific literacy and environmental understanding of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The goal of the Stepping Out for Science Inquiry project is to enhance EE Teaching Skills by increasing middle school teachers’ abilities to use the schoolyard to teach about local environmental issues, ultimately increasing their student’s understanding of and interest in environmental science. Asombro staff will provide two workshops and a year of classroom modeling of schoolyard studies to nine 7th grade science teachers at three Las Cruces, NM schools and six NMSU pre-service teachers. Approximately 1,200 students will work with their teachers and Asombro staff on a year-long, inquiry-based study of the ecosystem outside their classroom. During monthly programs by Asombro staff, students will collect and analyze data from their schoolyards that focus on the region’s two most pressing environmental issues air quality reduction through wind erosion and climate change impacts. Students will then take their new knowledge and critical thinking skills to design and implement their own stewardship action plan to help improve the environment. The project will contribute to career development by helping students remove common stereotypes about scientists and thereby empowering the students to consider environmental careers. The uniqueness of this project is that it addresses providing environmental science inquiry by bringing the scientist to the schoolyard versus attempting to compete for shrinking education funds to bring the students out to the Chihuahuan Desert Park. Key partners include scientists at the USDA’s Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University. Environmental Education priorities addressed are EE Teaching Skills and Career Development. Administrator’s Environmental Priorities addressed are Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality. Asombro’s target audience includes teachers, pre-service teachers, and 1,200 middle school students in Las Cruces, NM which is an economically disadvantaged community according to national averages. Asombro’s target audience is located schools in the Las Cruces Public School District where 53% of the students are economically disadvantaged and 71% are Hispanic. |
| 2011 | NM | 6 | EE Association of New Mexico -- $150,000 Barbara Garrity, P.O. Box 36958, Albuquerque, NM 87176 Advancing EE in Region 6 through a Sub-Grants Program The EE Association of New Mexico (EEANM) is partnering with Texas Association for EE, Oklahoma Association for EE, Louisiana EE Association, Arkansas EE Association and the Albert I Pierce Foundation to build a broad collaboration that provides funding through a competitive sub-grants program for EE projects. Rather than limiting projects to specific priorities, and potentially eliminating projects with unique qualities, applicants are encouraged to respond to local needs with their best plans that fall within the established EPA priorities. With this broad collaboration, the state EE associations are building organizational capacity while also engaging and involving local, state and regional environmental education partners. EEANM is issuing a minimum of 19 sub-grants to EE organizations within Region 6. |
| 2011 | NY | 2 | Rochester Institute of Technology -- $40,000 Ms. Katherine Clark, One Lomb memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 Rochester Institute of Technology The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology will conduct a series of programs for pregnant or parenting middle and high school students and their parents and pregnant women and their partners. The goal of four workshops is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to reduce the risk of exposure from toxic chemicals found in household and children’s products; reduce exposure of parents, children, and unborn babies to environmental health hazards; and enable parents to make informed decisions about household products. Four workshops will address toxics found in childrens' products, toys, the home, and nurseries. |
| 2011 | NY | 2 | Syracuse University Main Campus – -- $131,050 Mark Lichtenstein, 113 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244 Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Materials Management Education Sub-Grants The Center for Sustainable Community Solutions of Syracuse University is awarding sub-grants to fund community projects. The sub-grants, conducted in partnership with local school districts, fund projects to implement pollution prevention initiatives in kindergarten through grade 12 schools in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rice and connect "lessons learned" to more positively impact communities. The projects either implement green infrastructure technologies or create sustainable materials management programs, which addresses both stormwater pollution and sustainable materials management issues in the local communities. The projects connect students and educators with these two critical topics and teach them the skills and information necessary to become effective environmental stewards. In addition, the sub-grant projects bring schools and neighborhoods together, in partnerships, to address pressing environmental issues at a local level. |
| 2011 | NY | 2 | Yorkshire Pioneer Central School District, Inc. -- $30,573 Marylou Genaway, County Line Road, Box P. O. 579, Yorkshire, NY 14173-0579 Pioneer Project to Safeguard Waterways and Restore Wildlife Habitat Yorkshire Pioneer School District, in rural western New York, is undertaking a program to prevent non-point source water pollution. High school students, community members and local farmers will take part in habitat restoration projects such as installing vegetated filter strips on a land parcel the school district owns. The strips will also restore wildlife habitats that were lost when small farms were consolidated into large ones. Field trips, classroom instruction, off site environmental and leadership training, active engagement in water quality improvement projects, and other community based experiences are designed to both improve environmental quality and foster a commitment to environmental stewardship amongt student and community participants. |
| 2011 | OH | 5 | Environmental Health Watch -- $81,432 Stuart Greenberg, 2500 Lorain Ave, Suite 201, Cleveland, OH 44113 Green Houses & Greenhouses Environmental Health Watch partnered with the Buckeye Area Development Corporation and Rid-All Green Partnership to educate 200 residents on decision-making regarding community agriculture, healthy/green housing issues, and partaking in community development. The community is comprised of an older, African-American population ridden with high unemployment rates, housing health hazards and the challenge of being a food desert. The partnership implements a showcase of best practices in green building, transit-oriented design, urban agriculture and societal inter-dependence to broaden community awareness. The public is educated about potential environmental hazards, such as radon and lead, in their homes and communities. Through energy efficiency programs for their homes, and planting community gardens, residents and tenants are provided with personal action opportunities. Working relationships between residents and community development authorities focus on urban infrastructure sustainability such as public transit, green space, and accessibility. Developers and contractors integrate sustainability principles to promote environmental education for urban redevelopment and community organizing to the public. The partnership's objective for the Buckeye neighborhood offers an alternative model that strives to replace consumption and waste with preservation and regeneration to residents and the area. |
| 2011 | OK | 6 | Ozark Tracker Society -- $77,021 Dr. Sarah Hammond, 16764 CR 465, Colcord, OK 74338 Ozark Nature Mentoring Initiative The Ozark Nature Mentoring Initiative’s provides a three tier approach to Environmental Education, with the first tier providing Nature Mentoring workshops for 200 local, state, and tribal educators. The second tier consists of conducting a “virtual mentoring community”, providing additional training to educators while fostering a long-term relationship with individuals and communities. The third tier gives 80 trained educators the opportunity to work alongside the Ozark Tracker Society mentors so that they will feel capable of taking this training back to their own communities. Partners include Jon Young and the 8SG, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Corps of Engineers, Arkansas State Parks, and the Greenway of the Cherokee Ozarks which consists of the Cherokee and Creek Nation, The Nature Conservancy, Land Legacy, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Conservation each of which are providing a venue for Nature Mentoring workshops as well as recruiting educators from tribal, local, and state organizations to be trained as mentors. Target audiences in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri consist of historically underrepresented areas in Environmental Education many lying below the poverty level where economic concerns often outweigh environmental concerns as a priority. At the end of the project data will be analyzed to be reported at State Environmental Education Meetings and back to EPA. The goal of this three tiered approach is to create a sustainable mentoring community, to have project participants create nature mentoring communities in their own areas, fostering environmental stewardship at the individual and organizational level. Environmental Education Priorities addressed are EE Teaching Skills and Community Projects and the Administrators Environmental Priorities addressed are Cleaning Up Our Communities and Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice. |
| 2011 | OK | 6 | Up With Trees -- $23,666 Anna America, 1102 South Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119 Youth Citizen Forester Program Up With Trees, a 501(c)3 non-profit, requested funding to implement the Youth Citizen Forestry program. This project addresses the Educational Priority of Career Development and the Environmental Priority of Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice. The Youth Citizen Forestry Program will enroll high school age youth from underrepresented schools and Phoenix Rising in a six-week internship program during the summer of 2012. Participants will learn environmental stewardship including how to plant, preserve, and promote trees planted throughout public areas in Tulsa. In addition to exploring the importance of and care of the urban forest, students will explore the forestry industry in Oklahoma, careers in forestry or horticulture, sustainable living practices, alternative energy and bio-fuels, and the importance of soil and water quality. Goals of the Youth Citizen Forester Program are to build a corps of young people who will accept personal responsibility for actions to improve the environment including protecting the environment in the future. Presentations will be made to the interns on forestry and environmental sciences as areas of higher education options and corresponding careers. Key partners include Phoenix Rising, an alternative Tulsa Public School, Tulsa Community College Horticulture Department, City of Tulsa Department of Public Works, Oklahoma State University Extension Center, Metropolitan Environmental Trust, Tulsa conservation District Program, American Electric Power/Public Service Oklahoma, Oklahoma Forestry Department, and Indian Nations Council of Governments Energy Program. Environmental Education Priorities are Career Development and Community Stewardship. The Administrator’s Environmental Priorities addressed are Cleaning Up Our Communities and Climate Change. |
| 2011 | OR | 10 | Long Tom Watershed Council -- $47,000 Jason Schmidt, 751 S. Danebo Avenue, Eugene, OR 97402 Amazon Creek Toxics Education and Action This project uses pesticide monitoring data from Amazon Creek and collaborates with a number of diverse committed stakeholders to educate five targeted audiences in the urban and rural areas of the watershed to improve pesticide and storm-water literacy. This project supports the efforts of the ongoing Amazon Creek Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (PSP), the first PSP in an urban and rural setting. Project goals include: assemble balanced, scientifically accurate, current and comprehensive materials; recruit people from five key urban and agricultural audiences; provide outreach to diverse audiences including a Spanish translator for Hispanic populations; engage audiences in indentifying and implementing solutions; build relationships between experts & practitioners; develop individual Best Management Practices (BMPs) education for key sites and audiences; share results; and use ongoing water monitoring to measure success and provide feedback to support water quality actions. The project uses presentations, trainings, field visits, site visits, and written web-based materials to reach the five target audiences, incorporating behavior change principles and techniques. Partners in the project are Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, City of Eugene, Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District, Sure Crop Farm Service, and Oregon State University Extension. |
| 2011 | OR | 10 | Western Oregon University – -- $149,501 Bonnie Morihara, 345 North Monmouth Avenue, Monmouth, OR 97361 Project SITE (Students Involved With Their Environment) Project SITE (Students Involved With Their Environment) supports a sub-grant program and environmental stewardship through inquiry-based service learning projects for middle- and high school-aged students. The sub-grants are awarded to low-performing middle and high schools in low socio-economic and rural areas. With a focus on taking action on climate change or protecting America's waters, the projects selected range from -- $2,000 to -- $5,000 and fund approximately 20 to 30 projects across EPA Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington). The projects fund well-designed service learning projects that seek to increase student engagement and commitment, provide ways for students to practically apply learning, and explore possible careers in the environmental field. Incorporating a service-learning focus in which students are able to take action through community projects fosters the environmental stewardship critical for real change to occur. As a final recognition and celebration of the students' accomplishments, students and their teachers participate in a web-based conference to showcase their projects and share lessons learned and the impact on their communities. Western Oregon University has established a website with information, resources and links for sub-grant recipients and is also providing web-based communication tools. |
| 2011 | PA | 3 | Allegheny College -- $80,668 James Palmer, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 Allegheny College The Creek Connection project will engage K-12 classes in chemical and biological monitoring of local streams by providing equipment, training and human resource assistance for two years. This project will involve 20 middle and secondary schools from five counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. A specific focus will be potential water chemistry changes resulting from dramatically expanded natural gas exploration and extraction in the region. The Creek Connections project will provide authentic watershed field and laboratory research experiences to K-12 students and teachers. The proposed activities will build science based critical thinking skills among the youngest citizens within the EPA Environmental Issue Priority of Protecting America’s Waters. Because this program will engage public and private schools, gifted and life-skills programs, environmental professionals and the general public, it will strengthen environmental literacy among diverse populations and inspire informed stream monitoring; restoration and public decision-making regarding water quality and potential impacts of ever-changing land use practices, including natural gas extraction technologies. |
| 2011 | PR | 2 | SUAGM, Inc. dba Universidad del turabo -- $70,000 Dr. Eddie Laboy, P. O. Box 3030, University Station, Gurabo, PR 00778-3030 Teachers & Community Harboring Environmental Vigilance of the Island Stewardship (TEACH ENVOIS) Junior high science teachers will participate in a program to increase their understanding of the surrounding ecosystems. Participants will use digital imaging to develop webpages and engage students in the process. The best webpages will be selected at a culminating symposium. Goals include increasing the educators’ understanding of local ecosystems, helping teachers develop, evaluate and disseminate interactive materials that strengthen the environmental science curriculum and enabling participants to develop webpages to support increased stewardship of the environment of southeast Puerto Rico. |
| 2011 | RI | 1 | Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island -- $38,860 Amelia Rose, 1192 Westminister Street, Providence, RI 02909 ECO Youth: Multimedia Community Educators. ECO Youth Multimedia Community Educators project partners with Brown University's Superfund Research Program, Children's Environmental Health Initiative, The Center for Environmental Studies, Rhode Island Department of Health, Clean Water Action, Providence After School Alliance, and Youth Ventures. The project offers a year-round after-school program to mostly underserved high school students on air quality, toxics, and household chemicals to reduce exposure of VOCs, particular emissions and other asthma triggers. It creates a youth-run group that builds the capacity of local communities to address environmental justice concerns on issues of toxic substances and air quality through youth-run public presentations. Through this education, youth and community members reduce their exposure to possible asthma triggers in both indoor and outdoor environments. |
| 2011 | SD | 8 | South Dakota Discovery Center & Aquarium -- $36,021 Anne Lewis, 805 W Sioux Ave., Pierre, SD 57501 South Dakota Environmental Literacy Plan South Dakota does not have a comprehensive environmental education (EE) strategy to build environmental literacy of its students and youth. Having an environmentally literate public is critical for the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the state. The long term goal of the project is to develop environmental stewardship in South Dakota by increasing the environmental literacy of its students. The objectives are: 1) build the capacity of state agencies, organizations, and individuals to deliver environmental education in a coordinated and strategic manner by developing a statewide environmental literacy plan. This project qualifies as environmental education because it will provide a means to create awareness, knowledge base and the skills necessary for SD youth to think critically about the natural and built environments. This will allow them to problem solve, make informed decisions, and take action in regards to local, regional and state environmental issues in the context of personal, family and cultural values, leading to environmental stewardship. |
| 2011 | SD | 8 | South Dakota School of Mines & Technology -- $49,067 Jennifer Benning, 501 E. St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701 Education for the Protection of Water Resources on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), in partnership with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Environmental Protection Program (OST EPP) and the Oglala Lakota College (OLC) will undertake a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Education project with a long term goal for the protection of water resources through stewardship on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (PRIR) in South Dakota. This proposal will address a continuing need at PRIR for the implementation of watershed management practices to restore and maintain watersheds. The environmental education program will address the improvement, protection, and sustainability of surface and ground water quality and seeks to enable the people of the PRIR to evaluate needs and take decisive action under their own direction for the betterment of the environment and their society. Specifically, issues such as the impairment of water quality due to coliform bacteria, sediment, and nutrients will be assessed. Ultimately, effective watershed management requires knowledge of how land use practices can impact water quality. This can be accomplished through capacity building within the OST EPP, encouragement of K-12 and Tribal institution students to pursue environmental careers, and implementation of demonstration projects and outreach for the broader PRIR community. |
| 2011 | TX | 6 | Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network -- $43,407 Emily Ford, 4700 Avenue U., Bldg 306, Galveston, TX 77551 The Dolphin Exploration and Vessel Adventure Program The goal of the Dolphin Exploration and Vessel Adventure Program, implemented by the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, is to provide students with meaningful, marine mammal related environmental education experiences that promote marine environmental protection. The project is needed to increase marine mammal and marine environmental protection efforts in response to growing human traffic in the Gulf of Mexico and to encourage increased high school and college graduation rates. Goals of the project include increased awareness of marine mammals and issues in the local marine environment, education of current marine mammal and marine environmental protection initiatives and elevated interest in environmental career and protection interest and action. Target audience is 1,000 middle and high school freshmen that are in low income and minority areas in the Greater Houston area schools and their science teachers. The students will participate in classroom studies and environmental testing of gulf waters to determine their impact on Marine Mammals. The students will also conduct scientific beach studies to determine the impact of human interaction on Marine Mammals. Partners include Baywatch Dolphin Tours and the Texas A&M at Galveston, School of Marine Biology. Environmental Education priorities addressed are Career Development and Community Stewardship. The Administrator’s Environmental Priorities addressed are Protecting Americas Waters and Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice. |
| 2011 | UT | 8 | Four Corners School of Outdoor Education -- $36,427 Janet Ross, 49W 600S, PO BOX 1029, San Juan, UT 84535 Water and Water Conservation: A Place-Based Exploration on the Colorado Plateau Water and Water Conservation: A Place-Based Exploration on the Colorado Plateau will improve teachers environmental education teaching skills, and knowledge about water issues and content, (EPA educational priority 5) and address Protecting Americas Waters (EPA environmental priority 5), using scientific inquiry, hands-on, place-based education techniques, and the development of water resource problem-solving skills. The objective is for teachers to become more able to teach this topic from a non-biased, informative, and well-rounded platform. This project is needed in the Four Corners region of the U.S. as water resources are scarce and highly valued, yet there is little education provided to teachers and students about water resources and conservation. The water resources of the area are taken for granted, with very little understanding of human use and competition for use along the Colorado River, that crosses multiple states, and human and non-human dependence on rivers, as well as, streams, lakes, and other water resources unique to the Southwest such as potholes, springs, and washes. |
| 2011 | UT | 8 | The Utah Society for Environmental Education – -- $150,000 Andree Walker, 466 East 500 South Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Advancing EE through a Comprehensive Sub-Grants Program The Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE) and selected partner associations promote and support high-quality environmental education on a state-wide basis, garnering additional expertise and support through collaboration among EE organizations nationwide. While state education departments and universities recognize individual organizations as leaders in EE, their ability to work with these and other partners would be tremendously enhanced through the proposed sub-grants program. By providing sub-grants, USEE is continuing to promote excellence in EE, providing networking opportunities for its members, and streamlining and targeting EE efforts according to established state needs while having the additional ability to fund initiatives consonant with environmental literacy plans. The establishment of a leadership team comprised of directors from each of the six state EE associations ensures the implementation of a sub-grants program that meets the priorities of EPA while simultaneously allowing for a purposeful and systematic support of state and regional priorities for advancing environmental literacy initiatives and building the capacity of each state affiliate organization. |
| 2011 | VI | 2 | Beyond Visions, Inc. -- $50,000 Yvonne D. Petersen, 4A Orange Grove, P. O. Box 6324, Christiansed, VI 00823-6324 Beyond Visions Foundation - Project titled Nature Explorer's Club Environmental Alliance Beyond Visions will implement the Nature Explorers' Club Environmental Alliance by conducting a subgrant program to develop an alliance of sustainable partnerships that increase the public's understanding of public stewardship of the marine environment and promote habitat conservation for sea turtles. Beyond Visions will conduct educational outreach consisting of speakers and video presentations for the partners who will then carry out community projects. The alliance partners will also develop public service announcements about water pollution prevention and marine ecosystem conservation and participate in an environmental stewardship conference to showcase their work. Beyond Visions, Inc. will implement the Nature Explorers' Club Environmental Alliance by conducting a subgrant program developing an alliance of sustainable partnerships increasing the public's understanding of marine environment stewardship and promoting habitat conservation. Beyond Visions, Inc. will conduct educational outreach consisting of speakers and video presentations for the partners who will conduct community projects. The alliance partners will also develop public service announcements about water pollution prevention and marine ecosystem conservation and participate in an environmental stewardship conference to showcase their work. The clubs will carry out beach clean ups and programs to increase use of reusable shopping bags to reduce the problem of plastic bags in the marine ecosystem. Beyond Visions, Inc. will support outreach to the public by providing training and web access to partners who will develop Public Service Announcements so that the public at large can learn about marine environment issues. The grantee will host an Environmental Stewardship Conference to showcase the PSAs, select the top PSA for wide distribution and publicize and encourage participation in club/local stewardship projects by posting them on their website’s "shout out" page. |
| 2011 | VA | 3 | Newton Marasco Foundation -- $20,240 Jenny Schmidt, 1760Old Meadow Rd, Ste 400, McLean, VA 22102 The Trail to Water Quality: A Youth-Led and Community-Based Water Quality Action Plan The Newton Marasco Foundation (NMF) project, Trail in Water Quality will teach students the science of water quality through hands on testing and evaluation; this in turn will help them create their own watershed management plan. The project will use a three-prong approach: Science, Schools and Community to effect a changed behavior in Loudoun County, VA. The Trail in Water Quality project will teach students who will in turn teach their community about water quality through acts of stewardship, including hands-on water testing. Students will confront challenges such as nutrient loading, storm water run-off, invasive species and drinking water contaminants. Each issue affecting the quality of our water will be addressed through a local approach with a broader regional impact. |
| 2011 | WA | 10 | Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction -- $76,000 Gilda Wheeler, Old Capitol Building, P.O. Box 47200 ,600 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA 98504-7200 Washington State Environmental and Sustainable Literacy Plan This project implements three key strategies of the Washington State Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Plan and provides a continuum of pre-K-12 environmental and sustainability education. The project's focus is on Educational Advancement, environmental education teaching skills, and career development with focusing on the environmental priority of Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships. The key strategies are: (1) embed and align environmental and sustainability education concepts and elements of the Washington Native American Reading Curriculum into existing elementary grade high-use science instruction materials and provide professional development on the use of these lessons to reach elementary schools and students across the state with at least 50% in tribal schools and/or in non-tribal schools with high percentages of Native American students; (2) develop and pilot model lessons that embed and align environmental and sustainability education into high-use early learning curriculum and programs targeting early learning teachers; and (3) create a teacher online network supporting the Career and Technical Education Green Sustainable Design and Technology Course for middle and high school teachers through curriculum sharing, professional development, mentorships, and community partnerships. Implementing these strategies results in an increase in students' awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provides them with the skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions. |
| 2011 | WI | 5 | Board of Regents University of Wisconsin System-UN of WI Madison -- $150,000 Cheryl Bauer Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715 RESTORE Water Stewardship The Restoration Education, Science Training and Outreach for Regional Educators (RESTORE) Water Stewardship program provides sub-grants to strengthen existing and form new partnerships in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Sub-grants support professional development on two levels: existing lead teams train 70 school teams in 14 basins in 2012 and at least 6 new RESTORE lead teams receive training as instructors in 2012 to 2013 to train 30 additional school teams in 2014. Teachers and community partners involve students in project-based learning including designing and building rain gardens, restoring riparian corridors, and collecting, communicating and using data. Learning sequences are keyed to state standards in science, math, social studies and language arts core subjects. Trainers, students and teachers employ tools and strategies such as participatory photo mapping, global positioning system (GPS), digital photography, Google Earth and citizen science monitoring, dynamic data tools and shared databases. In addition, university students engage with kindergarten through grade 12 students in restoration-based service learning on schoolyards in the community and in riparian, wetland and shoreland areas. Indigenous Arts and Sciences perspectives are also integrated. |
| 2012 | AK | 10 | Alaska Forum, Inc. – -- $150,000 Kurt Eilo, P.O. Box 212409, Anchorage, AK 99521 Community Environmental Education With Youth Involvement Under this program, Alaska Forum, Inc. is implementing the Community Environmental Education with Youth Involvement project. Sub-grant proposals from organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington are solicited from small communities that seek to foster youth involvement in their environmental stewardship efforts. Proposals are selected where high school-aged youth are matched with a local environmental professional or teacher who mentors the youth as they address and solve a specific problem in the community. Youth selected to attend the Alaska Forum on the Environment report back to their school and community on what they learn and then back into their home community on how the project is progressing using Facebook, Internet-mounted video and text messaging. By utilizing the Internet, the information can be disseminated region-wide and beyond. Participants with the most successful outcomes are invited to present on their stewardship project and environmental education efforts at the next Alaska Forum on the Environment event. The teenagers learn environmental education skills as they work to address a stewardship problem, which may also encourage an interest in the environmental career field. |
| 2012 | AZ | 9 | Prescott College, Inc., -- $149,644 Melanie Wetzel, 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301 Protecting Arizona's Waters Sub-Grant Program This project awards 19 sub-grants to secondary schools, school-based environmental clubs and non-profit environmental organizations with youth activities to implement education projects in both inquiry-focused and standards-based learning with a focus on protecting Arizona’s water resources. Through this program, sub-grant recipients engage project participants in environmental problem-solving with a focus on topics such as water quality, surface water protection, ecosystem function of wetlands and riparian habitat, and the economic impact of water shortages. The project meets the EPA priority for Capacity Building through the implementation of a process that provides sub-grant recipients with financial support and the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed environmental decisions. The project provides academic leadership, scientific framework and project management guidance for educational projects that inspire students toward careers in environmental science. Prescott College provides a technical development workshop to assist the targeted groups in preparing their proposal applications, project designs, budget management plans, scope of activities, public communication outcomes, assessment methods and long-term project sustainability strategies. Each sub-award project is required to document its project implementation and outcomes using digital video documentary and audio recording of its participants in action during project activities. An Outcomes Conference, scheduled toward the end of the grant period, provides participants an opportunity to share the outcomes of their instructional projects. |
| 2012 | AR | 6 | University of Arkansas for Medical Science -- $215,295 Alicia Ferguson, 4301 West Marham St., Slot 820, Little Rock, AR 72205 Partnering with AR STEM Centers for EE This project addresses the key topics of pest management practices and chemical use reduction to promote a healthier home and a reduction in adverse health outcomes. A new model focuses on creating shared meaning through the use of liberating structures (i.e., formats for engagement) that will improve the odds of success of environmental outcomes. The project is designed to impact and be used as a model for other environmental education (EE) opportunities, utilizing STEM centers nationwide. This project includes teacher training; curriculum for the classroom; student training; and parent workshops. In addition, a newly developed interactive website reaches additional parents, community members, and STEM centers across the nation. The project audience includes 160 science middle school teachers, 400 students and 350 parents. All materials in the project are translated into Spanish. |
| 2012 | CA | 9 | Rising Sun Energy Center -- $216,000 Rebecca Milliken, 2033 Center St., Berkeley, CA 94704 CA Youth Energy Services The California (CA) Youth Energy Services project is a youth employment and training model that provides 134 young adults (ages 15 to 22) with both job training and direct work experience, while fostering environmental stewardship. As Energy Specialists, youth have one week of intensive training followed by 6 to 12 weeks of field work. |
| 2012 | CO | 8 | Earth Force -- $150,000 Lisa Bardwell, 2555 34th Street, Denver, CO 80211 Earth Force: Building Environmental Education Communities Earth Force, a non-profit organization, uses the grant to award 19 sub-grants up to -- $5,000 each to organizations that apply with a joint application and agree to work together as a team. Each team applicant identifies partner organizations within their community to meet the specific goals identified in their application. These awards are used for the development and implementation of projects, programs and solutions to meet a variety of educational and environmental priorities. Four of the 19 awards are awarded to organizations working directly on the development of environmental literacy plans. |
| 2012 | CO | 8 | National Jewish Health -- $150,000 Lisa Cicutto, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206 Building Communities of Learning for Environmental Stewardship: Air Quality and Health The overall goal of the project is to build capacity for sustainable, youth-driven, environmental stewardship activities focused on air quality and human health throughout Colorado. The environmental education sub-awards program allows a network within EPA’s Region 8 to build capacity in environmental education skills related to air quality and human health and teaching using an inquiry-based framework while simultaneously allowing schools, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations to tailor implementation and environmental stewardship activities to meet the needs of their community. All sub-grant projects must address the link between air quality and health. A requirement of the sub-grants is that educators (working with children and youth) participate in professional development events focused on building skills for teaching and learning using an inquiry-based, critical-thinking approach. In addition, all educators are required to attend an event offered by National Jewish Health focused on the link between air quality and health. The environmental education activities proposed in the sub-grants can be tailored to meet the needs of their community and target audiences but must use one or more of the following modalities: environmental education, environmental information, environmental outreach, and environmental stewardship. |
| 2012 | FL | 4 | Dream in Green, Inc. -- $216,000 Maggie Fernandez, 425 N.E. 22nd St., Suite 401, Room 5, Miami, FL 33137 Water/Energy Learning and Behavior (WE/LAB) Project The Water/Energy Learning and Behavior (WE-LAB) program serves as a model for delivering urgent, highly relevant environmental education about the Water/Energy Nexus to a wide-range of communities seeking to motivate community-wide water/energy-saving behaviors and foster long-term environmental stewardship. WE-LAB uses simple, engaging hands-on learning activities that cross cultural, language, age, socioeconomic and learning-style differences to unite community residents in taking effective and responsible environmental actions that they can enjoy doing as part of a group. |
| 2012 | FL | 4 | Florida Department of Environmental Protection -- $150,000 Gregory Ira, 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Mail Stop 30, Tallahassee, FL 32399 Advancing Environmental Education in the Southeast Advancing Environmental Education in the Southeast involves the use of two categories of sub-grants to generate targeted results in a key state and broader impacts within the region. One category of five sub-grants strengthens state-level capacity among the EE leadership structure in Florida by addressing strategic priorities such as the completion of the state's Environmental Literacy Plan, reaching underserved and underrepresented populations, building continuity and coordination in EE programs on publicly managed lands, capturing the opportunities for EE in Green School and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives and establishing shared measures for environmental stewardship. A second category of about 15 sub-grants promotes continuity in EE programs by engaging youth in outdoor watershed-based projects on public conservation lands in the region. These projects are based on common principles in program delivery and evaluation and use the local watershed as the organizing theme for protecting the region’s waters and human health. The goals of the project are to enhance the capacity of Florida’s EE leaders to rebuild the necessary structures and programs to effectively support EE and generate continuity in EE programs by establishing a core set of measurable and commensurable indicators or performance measures for environmental stewardship. |
| 2012 | IN | 5 | Marian University -- $216,000 Kristie Johnson, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN 46222 Green and Sustainable Science Summer Program Marian College conducts two identical, intensive seven-week summer programs targeting a socioeconomically diverse group of both undergraduate students and high school teachers, including groups historically underrepresented in the sciences. The program contains a curricular component, a research or project component within the field of environmental sustainability, and a community outreach symposium where participants give poster and oral presentations about their projects. Each summer, 10 undergraduate students and 10 high school teachers receive five college credits. The program can be tailored to the resources of other colleges and universities. Materials from the symposium will be shared and the lead faculty member plans to be a mentor for other colleges or universities that start their own program. |
| 2012 | LA | 6 | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries -- $150,000 Venise Ortego, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 17101 Sustainably Yours: Region 6 Sub-Grants Program The focus of this program is to provide funding to implement Sustainably Yours, a multifaceted program designed to directly target four primary groups: classroom teachers, kindergarten through grade 12 students, members of the general public and outreach professionals. This grant provides funding for two complementary programs that (1) highlight sound scientific principles, (2) increase public awareness, (3) encourage informed environmental decision-making, and (4) have a strong environmental education focus that addresses at least one of the EPA’s EE priorities and one EPA environmental priority. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) provides two new sub-grant funding opportunities and one workshop series through this grant. School Sustainability Grants are offered to encourage sustainability initiatives on kindergarten through grade 12 school campuses and actively engage students in the process. In addition, Sustainability Initiative Project funding is awarded to non-profits, agencies and other qualified groups for environmental projects impacting educators and other sectors of the public. Lastly, the funds are used to offer a marine debris workshop series to educators and school students. All recipients of funds are required to participate in public outreach through the sharing of information via web-based portals, conferences, photographic journals, stewardship initiatives or similar activities. |
| 2012 | ME | 1 | President and Trustees of Bates College -- $150,000 Liz McCabe Park, 220 College Street, Lewiston, ME 04240 Bates College Region 1 Sub-Grants Project Through the Maine Campus Project formed in 1994, the Bates College Region 1 Sub-Grants Project involves 19 colleges in three northern New England states, including Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The project prepares college students in rural communities for a lifetime of environmental stewardship while changing systems and processes on college campuses to better support environmental education through embedding community climate change and water quality projects in courses. In addition, the project prepares faculty and students in any field to teach and learn communication, problem-solving, decision-making, teamwork and action skills, which leads to environmental stewardship. This approach increases student awareness and knowledge about environmental issues related to climate change and protection of America's waters and is based on objective and scientifically sound information. |
| 2012 | MA | 1 | New England Aquarium -- $216,000 Sarah Bursky, Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 neaq.org Summer on the Marsh: Citizen Science Goes to Camp Summer on the Marsh establishes a regional network of eight summer camp programs, in the five coastal New England states, grounded in field experiences for environmental education. The program includes citizen science monitoring by campers, ages 9-12, support and training for informal science center staff and partner scientists, and dissemination to peers at regional and national forums. The vision of Summer on the Marsh is to facilitate real-world conservation opportunities throughout New England that will establish a stewardship ethic in young people. The primary goal of this project is to enhance the capacity of marine science centers to meaningfully engage youth in field based citizen science protection for coastal waters. Participants learn how salt marshes connect to their own homes, how marsh health affects human health, and how monitoring can help measure how healthy a salt marsh is. Educating and engaging young people about the health of ecosystems where they live allows them to become better stewards. |
| 2012 | MO | 7 | Children’s Mercy Hospital -- $201,477 Dr. Jennifer Lowry, 2401 Gillham Rd., Kansas City, MO 64108 Cmh.edu Environmental Education for a Healthy Initiative Environmental education is provided to pediatric health care students from the University of Missouri Kansas City and the Kansas University School of Nursing, Research Medical, Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Kansas University Medical Center. Sample topics include environmental exposures in homes, asthma, lead poisoning, and dermal reactions from pesticides. Students also learn how to conduct environmental histories. |
| 2012 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $157,690 Barb Bunge, PO Box 172470, Bozeman, MT 59717 Classroom to Careers: Investing in the Headwaters' Future The Classroom to Careers program offers substantial environmental education application training for teachers and career building experiences for youth. This highly personalized, far-reaching, environmental education and stewardship program expands and advances Montana’s statewide water education training for K-12 teachers and non-formal educators. In addition, hands-on, real world experiences are provided for middle school through undergraduate students. This project, by design, requires participants to think critically about their watershed and take action towards becoming leading environmental stewards in their communities. Students and educators engage in timely and locally relevant water investigations that lead to a heightened understanding of local watershed issues. High school and college students are provided opportunities to connect to employers and higher education institutions. The program aims to provide instruction and coaching to novice teachers to align needed community water projects with Common Core Standards for deeper application to the school curriculum. The focus on Common Core integration, the real-world applications to environmental restoration and protection issues, and the development of a delivery model to mostly rural populations serve as environmental education models that can translate to other EPA Region 8 states, especially where natural resource extraction and development have affected watersheds. |
| 2012 | NJ | 2 | NJ Academy for Aquatic Sciences -- $199,821 Barbra Kelly, 1 Riverside Dr., Camden, NJ 08103 Njaas.org Camden Urban Waters Community Awareness Partnership Camden Urban Waters Community Awareness Partnership is a community-based waterway project and career development program that creates a corps of environmental stewards who are able to conduct water monitoring in sites in and around the city of Camden. |
| 2012 | NY | 2 | Teachers College, Columbia University – -- $149,930 Natasha Guadalupe, 525 West 120th Street, P.O. Box 151, New York, NY 10027 Designing Community Projects: Region 2 Sub-Grant Initiative The Center for Technology and Social Change at Teachers College, Columbia University, in partnership with the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia’s Earth Institute, is conducting s a sub-grant program to advance hands-on environmental education in kindergarten through grade 12 classrooms. Sub-grants are awarded to educators’ schools in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to implement community-based projects. Teachers College awards a minimum of 19 grants for projects in which students are engaged in hands-on community-based learning. The program includes a Leadership Summit to support the sub-grantee, monthly webinars to effectively support the environmental education projects, and a blog to document progress and facilitate communication among stakeholders. Participating schools commit to a sustainability plan. At the end of the program, a culminating conference for awardees, state leaders and others in EE is held to share project news and to provide a forum for discussing implications for EE at the policy level. |
| 2012 | PA | 3 | Harrisburg University of Science and Technology -- $150,000 Danielle Tarka, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101 STEM Mastery Through Great Lakes Stewardship Harrisburg University of Science and Technology provides sub-grants to at least 20 four-year and two-year undergraduate institutions that are associated with Great Lakes education. Curricula and related activities engage students in direct action and community-based research targeted at restoring and sustaining a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem while promoting personal and public stewardship behaviors. Faculty and students in science, technology and mathematics disciplines at these institutions partner with local community-based and government organizations to increase public awareness and knowledge about Great Lakes environmental issues. The foundation of these partnerships is a network of undergraduate stewardship liaisons, who assure effective communication among partners and efficient coordination of the project's environmental service-learning activities. They also contribute to a Great Lakes-wide virtual community that disseminates best practices and builds a multistate network of undergraduate environmental education practitioners and future Great Lakes stewards. Project goals include supporting the Great Lakes ecosystem stewardship efforts of resource-strapped community based non-profit and governmental organizations through on the ground stewardship activities that have been integrated with undergraduate coursework at local higher education institutions and form the basis for long-term campus/community partnerships that sustain these communities. |
| 2012 | PA | 3 | National Nursing Centers Consortium – -- $150,000 Tine Hansen-Turton, 260 South Broad Street, 18th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 National Nursing Centers Consortium Sub-Grant Program The National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) is implementing a two-year sub-grant project that increases the knowledge and awareness of key environmental issues and promotes environmental stewardship by providing funding for environmental education activities. The sub-grants, focused on engaging kindergarten through grade 12 students, teachers and community members from diverse backgrounds and communities, involves the target audience in community projects that are intended to eliminate health disparities and meet the health and wellness needs of underserved communities. By addressing the region's most pressing environmental issues, NNCC hopes to capitalize on heightened public interest in particular issues like natural gas extraction to ensure that the environmental education activities funded through this project have a lasting impact. |
| 2012 | PA | 3 | Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts -- $205,305 Stephen Bishop, 225 Market St., Second Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101 Expedition Chesapeake The primary goal of the Expedition Chesapeake project is to broadly disseminate and implement a new series of educational experiences in structured learning modules that engage middle school and high school students in the exploration and analysis of the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, its ecosystem, and its inhabitants. The project-based nature of student learning experiences within each module promotes an understanding of the local and regional watershed issues and their interrelationships. |
| 2012 | WA | 10 | E3Washington -- $216,000 Abby Ruskey, PO Box 6277, Olympia, WA 98507 The Educator-to-Educator Initiative for Student Learning The project goal is to implement state environmental literacy plans in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington). The four regional environmental education associations are to work together to convene the Regional Leadership Team as a Community of Practice; co-create a regional model for implementation of literacy plans; implement, evaluate and disseminate the model for classroom-to-community-and-back environmental and sustainability education at the state and local levels; implement, communicate, learn from, and adaptively manage across the system; and package and disseminate the model throughout, and beyond, the region. The model is to directly impact students and their teachers, school administrators and community members from six regionally and culturally diverse school district-community teams involved. Additionally, diverse business, tribal, governmental and nonprofit environmental education leaders and stakeholders are directly involved, supported and impacted. These leaders are supported in their increased efforts to build environmental education capacity at the state and regional levels. |
| 2012 | WY | 8 | Yellowstone Teton Clean Energy Coalition -- $55,468 Phil Cameron, PO Box 11756, Jackson, WY 83002 WY Alternative Fuels The WY Alternative Fuels program is designed to serve as a model for creating behavior change by developing a curriculum and workshop series that provide students and the public the information necessary to think critically and make informed decisions about which alternative fuel or strategy has the best application in a variety of situations. The information provided in the program covers topics such as alternative transportation fuel and vehicle technologies. The topic of alternative fuels and transportation and the issue of air quality are relevant throughout the country. In addition, the curriculum is based on new national science education standards to ensure it is applicable in all states and communities. This project advances and strengthens the area of environmental education by developing a curriculum for alternative fuels and vehicle technologies targeting K-12 students and community members, which currently does not exist. The program has two goals: (1) create an alternative transportation fuel and vehicle technologies curriculum for school and community programs, and (2) facilitate a statewide workshop series educating teachers (formal and informal), non-profit leaders and community leaders about air pollution reduction through alternative transportation fuels, vehicle technologies and strategies, and train these participants to lead programs in their respective schools and communities. |
| 2013 | AL | 4 | Alabama Clean Water Partnership -- $171,436 Allison Randle, 95 Jimshill Rd., Wetumpka, AL 36093 Cleanwaterpartnership.org Eco-Action: Waters to the Sea The Eco-Action: Waters to the Sea project uses innovative multimedia learning and data-gathering technologies in computer kiosks deployed at popular nature centers, museums, and informal science centers, plus related web-delivered multimedia content developed for teachers and students, to realize the goal of increasing non-point source pollution-reduction behaviors in citizens throughout Alabama’s Mobile Bay watershed. |
| 2013 | AZ | 9 | Mesa Community College, -- $81,600 Peter Conden, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ 85202 Center for Urban Agriculture This assistance agreement provides federal funding to support the grantee's cutting-edge environmental education program that works with Kindergarten through 8th (K-8) grade schools to teach STEM skills through urban agriculture and aquaponics in their greenhouse classroom and gardens. The grantee offers an Associate in Applied Science and Certificate of Completion in Sustainable Urban Agriculture, as well as train-the-trainer workshops. Volunteers help five to seven schools receive sub-grants to develop aquaponics systems that serve as a learning experience for 1,000-1,500 K-8th grade students. |
| 2013 | CO | 8 | Groundwork Denver, Inc. -- $150,000 (HQ Grant) Wendy Hawthorne, 3050 Champa St., Denver, CO 80205 Take Charge Energy Ambassador National Model for Climate Change Education The Take Charge program aims to serve as a national model of community projects that educate high school and college students, as well as other youth and adult members of the community, to become Energy Ambassadors. These educated and trained Energy Ambassadors then help members of a variety of communities (in settings that include urban areas, college campuses, rural town centers, underserved and diverse populations) make informed decisions that lead to increased energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. |
| 2013 | CO | 8 | Yampatika Outdoor Awareness Association -- $80,273 Sonja Macys, 925 Weiss Dr., Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 Replicating Successful K-5 ELP in NW CO The focus of this project is to replicate Yampatika's already successful Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) model in Northwest Colorado, and provide funding, training and technical assistance to Northwest Colorado (NW CO) kindergarten through 5th grade (K-5) environmental education (EE) providers and school districts wishing to adapt it to their own needs. Yampatika's ELP is a standards-based EE program that reaches Kindergarten through 5th grade students in the classroom and the field with three place-based experiences. Its curriculum was deigned to support teachers in meeting academic standards. Third party evaluations show that students who participate in the ELP have improved academic achievement and increased propensity to participate in activities that promote environmental stewardship. With support from the EPA, Yampatika will deliver the program to 73 elementary school classrooms in the school year. |
| 2013 | HI | 9 | Children’s Defense Fund -- $199,978 Liliana Grace, 25 E St., NW, Washington, DC 20001 Mountain to Sea (Mauka a Makai) This grant agreement provides federal funding to The Children's Defense Fund to implement the Mountain to Sea (Mauka a Makai) environmental education project that increases student, educator and community understanding of environmental issues impacting Hawaii. This project expands student, educator, family, and community knowledge of critical Hawaiian high elevation mountain, native forest, coastal, coral reef, and deep water marine ecosystems; explores the impact climate change may have on vulnerable ecosystems; studies diverse water quality, habitat and wildlife topics; and highlights the local, regional and national importance of these natural resources. |
| 2013 | IL | 5 | Chicago Horticultural Society -- $137,948 Jennifer Schwartz, 1000 Lake-Cook Rd., Glencoe, IL 60022 Connecting Climate to Communities Initiative (C3I) The goal of the Connecting Climate to Communities Initiative (C3I) is to increase knowledge, leadership and engagement in climate action among diverse communities by building on local assets to connect community life to climate change and climate action. C3I’s target audience includes community organizations broadly defined (schools, social service providers, small businesses, senior centers, congregations, youth groups, etc.) and their members in diverse communities across EPA Region 5, including individuals in both formal and informal settings. |
| 2013 | LA | 6 | Lafayette Parish School Board -- $125,000 Burnell LeJeune, PO Drawer 2158, Lafayette, LA 70508 H2Know The H2Know project expands student, educator and community understanding of environmental issues, such as wetland and coastal ecosystems, diverse water quality, habitat and wildlife topics, impacting southern Louisiana. Teachers and students complete 6 field study excursions in a Bayou side Classroom to study wetland, coastal and marine ecosystems. Partnerships with The Smithsonian Associates provide 3 two-day professional development workshops for Lafayette K-12 environmental educators to enhance their ability to convert all curriculum to nature and environmental learning. University of LA-Lafayette presents 8 career development seminars to students/families to increase knowledge of postsecondary education and career opportunities in diverse environmental fields. This is important as the majority of the students are first time high school graduates and postsecondary entrants in their families. LPSS links participants to community projects which emphasize environmental restoration and community engagement in order to reinforce a deeper understanding of local natural environments and national environmental issues while strengthening K-12 academic programs for underserved, academically underperforming youth. H2Know improves community awareness of environmental issues while strengthening a community-wide imperative to protect vulnerable, valuable, and irreplaceable natural resources. Project evaluation includes improved performance on state administered academic assessments; increased environmental content in classroom instruction across all grade levels K-12; and improved community commitment to environmental protection and stewardship. |
| 2013 | ME | 1 | Island Institute -- $100,000 Ruth Kermish-Allen, 386 Main Street, Rockland, ME 04841 Energy for US This project establishes and supports community energy teams, providing them with high quality, user-friendly energy action guides, energy investigation tools, and mini-grants to empower them to promote and measure energy-saving behavior changes and investments, and quantify savings in dollars, kilowatt hours and pounds saved on greenhouse gas emissions. The goals of the project are to empower multi-generational community energy teams to change behaviors by increasing community awareness, stewardship and action in energy efficiency and renewable energy, to define strategies for communities to achieve measurable reductions of energy consumption, money and greenhouse gas emissions and for community energy groups to measure and document these reductions, and to develop and test a replicable model for a “K through Gray” place-based informal after-school environmental education program resulting in increased energy literacy and stewardship behaviors. |
| 2013 | MD | 3 | Living Classrooms Foundation -- $75,000 Christine Truett, 802 S. Caroline St., Baltimore, MD 21231 Livingclassrooms.org Living Classrooms Foundation The goals of the program include: providing meaningful watershed educational experiences for approximately 600 Baltimore City students throughout the academic school year; enhancing students’ academic achievement through administration of periodic, standards-based assessments that will identify areas of need and shape classroom instruction; creating public awareness in the schools’ communities about storm water runoff pollution issues and solutions; and attaining a positive change in attitudes towards their environment for both students and adults in the community. |
| 2013 | MI | 5 | Great Lakes Fishery Trust -- $150,000 Julie Bennett, 230 N. Washington St., Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48933 Place-based Models for Stewardship Education in K-12 The Great Lakes Fishery Trust, on behalf of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI), conducts a model program for creating behavioral change that benefits the environment by demonstrating, documenting, and disseminating a variety of methods for establishing and sustaining quality place-based environmental education in diverse kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) settings. The purpose of the GLSI is to create the next generation of Great Lakes stewards. This project targets 9 to 12 teams of educators in diverse communities, distributed across elementary, middle, and high schools. They anticipate reaching approximately 30 teacher and 750 student participants. |
| 2013 | MT | 8 | University of Montana -- $168,969 Beth Covitt, 32 Campus Dr., 4104, Missoula, MT 59812 Montana Groundwater Academy The Montana Groundwater Academy (MGA) is a 2-year program that engages high school students in place-based, data-driven science investigations. Students develop knowledge of western Montana hydrologic systems, the ability to undertake water research investigations, and the capacity to participate in informed decision-making about water issues. 1,000 students participate in a 3-day learning unit that includes a half-day field trip to a groundwater education field site where students collect firsthand data to use in water science investigations. The field site comprises a network of monitoring wells and surface water features accessible to learners for data collection (e.g., water elevation, etc.). The project also makes use of archived data (e.g., from USGS) to support water investigations. |
| 2013 | NE | 7 | Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance -- $200,000 Kara Eastman, 5006 Underwood, Omaha, NE 68132 Omahahealthykids.org Grassroots Latino Environmental Education (GLEE) The Grassroots Latino Environmental Education (GLEE) program focuses on indoor environmental education (i.e., on topics such as indoor air, toxins, chemical safety, and healthy housing) within the Latino community by training local residents as promotoras. Promotoras are lay Latino community members who receive specialized training to provide basic health education in the community. Subject matter such as the topic of environmental health is more readily accepted and accessible when provided through promotoras, whose trust and local connection within the community is often immediate. |
| 2013 | NY | 2 | Onondaga Environmental Institute -- $134,392 Edward Michalenko, 102 West Division St., Third Floor, Syracuse, NY 13204 Oei2.og Watershed Community Mapping and Environmental Planning Education This project has the goal of reviving Onondaga Lake and Watershed through a community-based, experiential environmental education model for raising awareness, enhancing critical thinking, and promoting expanded and improved stewardship. |
| 2013 | NY | 2 | Syracuse University -- $200,000 Mary Ellen Gilbert, 113 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244 Syr.edu Generating a Replicable Environment Education Network in Puerto Rico Generating a Replicable Environmental Education Network in Puerto Rico (GREEN-PR) will work toward three main goals: (1) launching an Environmental Education (EE) Stewardship Program in PR schools, (2) establishing four model EE Network Hubs, and (3) facilitating an EE Stewardship Mini-Grant Program. |
| 2013 | OR | 10 | Corvallis Environmental Center -- $200,000 Carly Lettero, 214 SW Monroe Ave., Corvallis, OR 97339 Classrooms Take Charge This project serves as an innovative model for creating behavioral change that benefits the environment. By modifying an existing online tool that was developed as part of an EPA Climate Showcase Communities award, educational components for high school students are now included. The educational components build on the curriculum, Carbon TIM (Transfers in Matter and Energy). The focus is working with Oregon Green Schools and the Seattle School District. Students are able to see real-time data about how their individual actions reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and how their school-wide participation in the program collectively reduces CO2 emissions. Teacher workshops are conducted, and the students learn through in-class, on-line, and service learning. Sub-awards are given to high school districts for teachers to attend workshops and to receive support to implement the curriculum and service learning projects, with four sub-awards given to high schools with diverse populations. The program can be replicated by using materials available online. |
| 2013 | PA | 3 | National Nursing Centers Consortium -- $175,000 Tine Hansen-Turton, 1500 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 Asthma, Climate Change and Health Environmental Education Model GrantProject The National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) project is a replicable model that will encourage behavioral change and strengthen the field of Environmental Education. NNCC expands its existing Healthy Homes curriculum to include information on how climate change will affect those with asthma. A primary audience reached in this project is health and social service providers serving low-income, minority, and vulnerable populations, as well as nursing students. The goals of the project are to: 1) increase knowledge and awareness of the issues inherent in 3 out of the 5 EPA environmental priorities; 2) build the skills formal and informal educators such as health and social service providers need to offer environmental education to others; and 3) encourage active environmental stewardship across the Region. |
| 2013 | RI | 1 | Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island -- $150,000 Julian Rodriquez-Drix, 1192 Westminster St., Providence, RI 02909 Community Environmental College The Community Environmental College (CEC) is a summer program engaging primarily youth of color, ages 13-19, from low-income communities in Rhode Island’s core urban areas. The main goals of the project are to enable urban youth to build the knowledge, skills and personal commitment necessary for effectively improving environmental conditions in the areas disproportionately affected by environmental concerns; prepare students to grow their leadership capacity through hands-on experiences with environmental education and program coordination, creating a new generation of environmental leaders while increasing the capacity of the communities to understand, mitigate, and adapt to climate change; and develop interest in pursuing careers in the environmental sector. One of CEC’s central themes, around which the curriculum is built, is growing students’ and their communities’ understanding in addressing climate change. Also emphasized are the effects of toxics on the human health and ways to make personal, healthier choices to improve quality of life and reduce environmental health disparities. |
| 2013 | SC | 4 | South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium -- $78,564 Richard Devoe, 287 Meeting St., Charleston, SC 29401 Scseagrant.org Sowing the Seeds of Estuary Health This project seeks to leverage the success of the From Seas to Shoreline (S2S) program for expansion throughout EPA’s Region 4 and the concurrent development of tidal creek-salt marsh educational materials that will be used in conjunction with the program. The vision of the program is to increase the stewardship of tidal creek-salt marsh habitats, thereby protecting coastal waters and reducing human health risk. The primary goal of the program is to develop a tidal creek-salt marsh environmental education model that includes three levels of engagement - environmental information, outreach, and stewardship - to increase understanding and care of these ecosystems. |
| 2013 | TX | 6 | Today Foundation -- $125,000 Gary Endsley, 8150 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1900, Dallas, TX 75206 Paddlefish Reintroduction Education Initiative The Paddlefish Reintroduction project networks scientists with teachers and students to address local environmental issues. The project serves as a model for creating behavioral change that benefits the environment by providing Kindergarten through postsecondary students, their teachers, volunteers, and youth and adult event attendees with content knowledge, scientific process skills, and real-world practice to make informed environmental decisions. Pre-Kindergarten through postsecondary students in ten school districts track the progress of the reintroduction of the American Paddlefish while performing community projects to improve the habitat for other aquatic species and terrestrial plants and animals. Students also monitor surface water quality and determine the effectiveness of the aquatic and land-based habitat restoration. The Paddlefish project provides a template for community projects that emanate from prior, existing, and new scientific investigations of environmental issues. |
| 2013 | WA | 10 | Educational Service District #101 -- $75,000 Erik Wolfrum, 4202 S. Regal, Spokane, WA 99223 Climate Connections Northwest This project provides environmental education (EE) professional development workshops to teachers across six school districts in rural eastern Washington and involves 4th through 8th grade students in hands-on community environmental projects. The five, day-long teacher professional development workshops include instruction on EE fundamentals, teaching skills, methods and strategies, and on climate change indicators, causes and impacts. The student audience is reached through classroom instruction, classroom presentations by environmental professionals, field trips to relevant environmental sites, and hands-on environmental stewardship projects based on student interests, cultural considerations, and local environmental issues or concerns. At the end of this project, a regional workshop is open to additional teachers within the educational district (seven counties). This regional workshop is focused on fundamental characteristics, implementation, integration and goals of EE. Sub-awards are given to the participating school districts to help with their classroom projects and field trips. |
| 2014 | TN | 4 | Urban Green Lab Mobile Sustainability Laboratory -- $91,000 Erin Luce, 1502 Long Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206-2134 Mobile Sustainability Laboratory UGL will launch a mobile laboratory to serve grades five through twelve of the Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) system. The mobile lab will reach culturally diverse and underserved populations and enhance schools’ science and technology curricula. The project is designed to teach students how living a more sustainable lifestyle can improve the local and global environment, one’s health, and one’s financial savvy. The lab will be outfitted with interactive exhibits and green technologies to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making skills among students. The lab will allow students to gain environmental awareness, translate that to action and, ultimately, become environmental stewards. |
| 2014 | AL | 4 | Auburn University-AL Cooperative Extension System -- $91,000 Mona Dominguez, 310 Samford Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5131 Increasing Environmental Literacy and Watershed Stewardship through Youth-focused Citizen Science Project The goal of this 2-year project is to build capacity within the Alabama Cooperative Extension System 4-H Alabama Water Watch Program to provide educators including teachers, volunteers, and 4-H agents with the training, materials, and support needed to increase environmental literacy for youth (ages 9 – 18) in Alabama which will enable them to actively take part in watershed stewardship in their local communities and ultimately make informed and responsible decisions about the environment. |
| 2014 | CA | 9 | Los Angeles Unified School District -- $50,000 Yi Hwa Kim, 333 South Beaudry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90017-1466 “One Water LA” Curriculum Implementation Los Angeles Unified School District will develop and implement curriculum focused on water sustainability in a changing climate. Five middle schools and five high schools in Southern California – a total of 20 classrooms will learn to reduce water use at schools and home and learn about water conservation, recycled water, and storm water run-off management. The project includes training for teachers and staff. LAUSD has partnered with the Los Angeles Sanitation District, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Metropolitan Water District on the project under the One Water LA educational initiative. |
| 2014 | CO | 8 | Cloud City Conservation Center -- $91,000.00 Lynne Westerfield, 119 W 9th Street, Leadville, CO 80461 Lake County Compost Initiative This project empowers Lake County youth to be the environmental leaders of their community and expands Lake County's capacity for environmental stewardship. The Lake County Compost Initiative increases the environmental understanding and environmental stewardship behavior for 1,100 Lake County K-12 students through daily composting and experiential education opportunities. The project also develops student leadership in community environmental projects which increase compost by 75,000 pounds, decrease community greenhouse gas emissions by 172,777 pounds, and ultimately reach 10,670 community members, students and visitors. Ultimately the project increases capacity in each Lake County School to reduce waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establish a model program for the community as a whole. |
| 2014 | DC | 3 | Better World Fund -- $85,312 Chris Whatley, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite #300, Washington, DC 20006 http://www.unfoundation.org/Exit The Road to Paris Leads through the Classroom United Nations Association (UNA) and its partners provide 25,000 students with the unique educational experience of a classroom-based simulation of the UN Climate Summit. Through Model United Nations (MUN), students are placed into the role of an ambassador negotiating solutions to the world’s greatest problems. By participating in simulations of climate negotiations, students do more than receive content. Students are able to actively interact with the subject in a way that no lecture, article, or video could ever produce. Close to 100,000 American middle and high school students participate in a life changing international experience through MUN without ever leaving the United States. |
| 2014 | DC | 3 | The Mountain Institute, Inc. -- $91,000 Vicki Fenwick-Judy, 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite #101, Washington, DC 20008 http://www.mountain.orgExit Appalachian Watershed and Stream Monitors The Appalachian Watershed and Stream Monitors (AWSM) program provides participating teachers with the opportunity, over two years, to gain the knowledge and skills required to perform successful local stream monitoring; incorporate AWSM into their curriculum; and recognize the benefit of AWSM in student’s engagement and academic performance. Overall, AWSM introduces teachers to the environmental education pedagogy through a citizen-science curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving, provides teachers with the knowledge and skills to implement the curriculum, and assists teachers in implementing the curriculum. |
| 2014 | GA | 4 | Captain Planet Foundation -- $91,000 Karan Wood, 133 Luckie Street, Atlanta, GA, 30303 Grant in a Box Thirty teachers from two or more states in EPA Region 4, working in small cohorts of 2-4 per district, will field-test in the “Environmental Stewardship Grant in a Box” model by attending a three day professional development workshop in Atlanta, followed by monthly meetings in their cohorts to participate in HOWs: Hands on Webinars with activities related to online content. In a scaffolded approach that challenges teachers to progressively build capacity for facilitating environmental stewardship, they will begin engaging students in inquiry investigations and stewardship projects for which supplies and directions are included in one of four “Grants in a Box,” each of which is designed around an EPA environmental priority area. After successfully completing and reviewing these projects with their classes, teachers will work with students to design an innovative environmental stewardship project that addresses an authentic local need, for which a -- $1000 EPA sub-grant will be awarded. |
| 2014 | HI | 9 | Malama Learning Center -- $91,000 Pauline Sato, P.O. Box 75467, Kapolei, HI 96707-5467 Nanakuli Wetland Restoration and Community Partnership The Nanakuli project works to improve environmental literacy in the Hawaian community by restoring the Nanakuli Wetlands –commonly known in the community as “stink-pond”. The Malama Learning Center and its partners will reach at least 700 teachers, students, and community members around a shared ethic of caring for the aina (land) through engaging, hands-on education activities that contributes to a healthier environment and people. Activities include water quality monitoring, wildlife and plant assessments, and removal of invasive plants. Local schools will be used as nurseries and will grow the native Hawaiian plants used to restore the Nanakuli Wetlands. Lesson plans will also be developed to educate the students about the importance of wetlands. |
| 2014 | HI | 9 | Pacific American Foundation -- $80,000 Derek Esibill, 45-285 Kaneohe Bay Drive, #102, c/o Bay View Golf Park, Kaneohe, Honolulu, HI 96744-2366 Wisdom of the Watershed (WOW): Environmental Education Program for 6-12 grade students of Windward Oahu, HI The WOW project will help Hawaiian sixth through twelfth grade students explore and compare three different watersheds in Hawaii with different land management practices. Students will take field trips, partnered with research scientists and will measure water quality in the three watersheds using scientific instrumentation. The microbial and sediment environments will also be sampled. Students will analyze the collected data and use this to develop and engage in service learning projects to improve environmental quality throughout the watersheds. |
| 2014 | ID | 10 | Regents of the University of Idaho -- $91,000 Dr. Brant Miller, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3020, Moscow, ID 83844 2015 The Confluence Project The goals of the Confluence Project include improving environmental science education in urban, rural, and tribal areas of Idaho and building community capacity to protect and restore local water resources. The project serves a total of 200 students, 10th-12th grade, across six high schools in diverse communities. High school science classes participate in three field experiences over the course of the year, each supported by pre and post lessons. Additionally, the project holds a summer workshop for teachers in field experiences. The field experiences will focus on water quality, water quantity (snow science) and a service learning, restoration, or agriculture field experience as the final component. Students devise their own investigations and propose solutions to problems encountered based on the data that they collect, and present their findings at the Youth Water Summit through individual and small group projects. |
| 2014 | IN | 5 | The Lutheran University Association Inc., Valparaiso University -- $90,980 Julie Peller, 1700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383 Building Bridges for Environmental Stewardship: Schools, Universities and Community Collectively Embracing the Health of a Local Watershed The 4 goals of the project to be led by Valparaiso University for the community of Portage, Indiana are: (1) cultivate local awareness of the watershed; (2) initiate greater environmental stewardship; (3) create a sustainable watershed monitoring program in the schools (curriculum development) and community and (4) realize a cleaner watershed and city through actions and informed decision-making. These goals will be met by engaging students and teachers (grades 6-8), community participants, nonprofit organizations and local university students and faculty in a program that will emphasize the importance of protecting local fresh waterways and their connection to the water quality of Lake Michigan. The target audience for the proposed project will focus on two Portage middle schools located in the Lake Michigan watershed. Over 220 students, 8 middle school teachers, many interested community members, and over 100 undergraduate students from Valparaiso University and Indiana University Northwest will monitor and study the watershed’s waterways in Portage. College students will serve as educators and mentors. Curriculum will be developed, which can be utilized by other middle schools. Not only will this lead to productive environmental science discussions between these students, these interactions will form relationships with higher education, not fully present in the Portage community. |
| 2014 | IN | 5 | Trustees of Indiana University -- $90,982 Brian Plankis, 980 Indiana Avenue, Lockfield 2232, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Building a Sustainable Urban Environmental Education Collaborative in Indianapolis for High Needs K-8 Learners This project has three goals: (1) establish collaborative partnerships among non-profit organization partners who are interested in leading an environmental educational structured youth-based program in inner city schools in Indianapolis; (2) provide sustainable agriculture literacy to urban K-8 schools with high needs learners who are seeking to improve the environmental and ecological awareness of their students and (3) use experiential learning to successfully formulate community based projects that will improve the quality of the environment while providing participants opportunities to practice skills needed for environmental sustainability and environmental careers. The project will take place in Indianapolis and its surrounding central Indiana communities. All of the participating schools are urban schools with predominately high need minority or low-income students. Two teachers from each of the four schools (a total of eight) will be trained on EE Project Based Learning and will participate in their schools’ Environmental Education clubs for two years. Approximately 20-30 students from grades 4-8 will participate in the Environmental Education club at each of the schools resulting in 80-120 students per year (160-240 total) reached over a two-year period. |
| 2014 | IA | 7 | University of Iowa -- $68,952 (funded at -- $90,952 when including FY 15 funds) 2 Gilmore Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242-1320 The CLEAR4 Project: Clean Air in the River Valley Project This project by the University of Iowa develops a coordinated set of EE activities around the theme of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) pollution and air quality on the upper Mississippi River Valley. The communities of the affected area are learning about air quality, how to use new technology to measure air quality, and will be implementing a comprehensive “EPA PM Advance” (PMA) Advance Forward plan to improve air quality, maintain compliance with the Clean Air Act, and minimize episodes of impaired air quality. |
| 2014 | LA | 6 | Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA and St. Bernard Parish -- $91,000.00 Brad Klamer, 2900 Peoples Ave., Room 215, New Orleans, LA 70122 Ripple Effect Ripple Effect builds water literacy across the Gulf Coast region and demonstrates a new model for design-based environmental education on water resources and management. This project works with 15 teachers to give 1,500 students the knowledge and intellectual tools with which to protect themselves, their communities, and the environment in an era of climate change and sea level rise. In partnership with Tulane University’s Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, Ripple Effect gathers and analyzes data about teacher facilitation of design processes in primary school settings, student acquisition of water content and design skills, and recommendations for best practices moving forward. Strengthening and growing connections between neighboring delta cities and communities, starting with New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, this project ultimately aims to achieve 100% water literacy across New Orleans and southeast Louisiana in 15 years, so each citizen is conversant in the region’s geology, geography, hydrology, history, and public policy as they pertain to water. |
| 2014 | ME | 1 | Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Jane Disney, P.O. Box 35, Salisbury, ME 04672 Building School and Community Collaborations to Eliminate Arsenic from Drinking Water in Maine and New Hampshire: A Model for the U.S. Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory's model environmental education program facilitates schools and community organizations working together to address the public health risks of exposure to toxic contaminants in drinking water, with a particular focus on arsenic. Between 80 and 280 students in 4 communities in Maine will be involved in the project, and 60 to 300 students in 10 communities in New Hampshire will be involved in community events, website activities, collaborative projects, and the piloting of the model, replicable program. |
| 2014 | MA | 1 | "e" Inc. -- $88,000 Dr. Ricky Stern, 114 16th Street, Rm 1030, Charlestown, MA 02129-4404 Afterschool Planet Protector Teams “e” Inc partners with community centers and local schools in the Boston area to provide weekly in-residence after school science-and-action programs that educate urban youth about an environmental science topic of their choice -Climate Change & Impact on Our Community, New England Habitat Investigation, or Ocean and Watershed Explorers. The 33 week program includes 540 urban students, K-5th grade, divided into teams that take part in hands-on science activities and action engagement lessons aligned with State and Next Generation Science Standards. The students develop a final team stewardship project, along with a short educational video about their project. |
| 2014 | MA | 1 | New England Environmental Education Alliance Inc. (NEEEA) -- $81,000 Adrian Ayson, 5D Walnut Street, Deven, MA 01434-5000 Environmental Education with Collective Impact New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) Inc. creates 8 highly coordinated summits designed for environmental and educational professionals and organizations to advance the reach and effectiveness of climate change education in New England. Through NEEEA’s and each state environmental education associations’ network and partnerships, upwards of 1,000 professionals come together to attend these combined summits. With 2 regional conferences in each New England state, each summit focuses on a different climate change education topic. Additionally six projects are created to identify, promote and facilitate the replication of the top climate change education programs and resources in each state. |
| 2014 | MO | 7 | Kirskville R-III Schools -- $40,000 Karen Keck, 1901 East Hamilton Street, Kirksville, MO 63501 Environmental Education and Local Food System Project This project incorporates lessons about the full food-cycle into already-existing programs for Ray Miller Elementary School students grades 3 and 4, Early Childhood Learning Center students ages 2-4 and low-income residents of Kirksville. The program promotes waste reduction by increasing financial and volunteer support for composting operations at the Kirksville School District and Truman State University, and at the Housing Authority. Additionally, the program aims to reduce nutrition deficiency and increase access to healthy, locally grown food in Kirksville, Missouri by working to expand community garden outreach. |
| 2014 | MO | 7 | River Relief, Inc. -- $91,000 Jeff Barrow, 812 East Broadway, Suite 200, Columbia, MO 65201 Building Capacity for Missouri River Environmental Education Through this project by River Relief Inc., communities along the lower Missouri become more actively involved in stewardship of the Missouri River. River Relief Inc., assesses the community’s current stewardship activities, and solicits ideas and finding opportunities for increasing involvement. The project provides skills, training and resources that communities can use to increase and sustain river stewardship. |
| 2014 | MO | 7 | Stonelion Puppet Theatre -- $91,000 Heather Lowenstein, 2025 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64141 Stonelion Puppet Theatre As a two-phased project, Stoneline Puppet Theatre develops young educators to teach environmental sustainability practices through art and to deliver that curriculum to preschool and elementary aged students within Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska). |
| 2014 | NE | 7 | CNL World -- $91,000.00 Dr. Catherine Lockwood, 343 Morehead St., Chadron, NE 69337 Watershed to Wetland The Watershed-to-Wetland Institute is an intense ecology classroom and field-based experience for an underserved area of the Flathead Reservation of northwest Montana. Two five-day Watershed-to-Wetland Institutes are offered in the summer of 2016 and 2017. The Institute includes 2 V2 days field experience and 2 V2 days of in-class training on skills and techniques, applications, topic-specific mini lectures by regional and national experts on wetlands, water quality, watersheds, restoration issues, species of concern, mid explanation of how to integrate materials, field experiences, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the teachers' curricula and application for students within an environmental science field of study. A Watershed-to-Wetland website houses Institute content (including pre- and post-information), collected field data, and a monitoring database for continued support of field Observations and data recording of water quality and species of concern. |
| 2014 | NV | 9 | Great Basin Institute -- $63,957 Gwen Bourne,16750 Mt. Rose Hwy, Reno, NV 89511 http://www.thegreatbasininstitute.org/Exit Climate Change Environmental Education for Academically Low-Achieving High School Students During this one-year project, middle and high school students from Nevada will study climate change, ecosystems and earth systems through classroom environmental modules. This includes participation in field study trips to local natural ecosystems. Students develop reports and presentations based on their findings. Teachers participate in 16 hours of professional development training for delivery of this environmental, STEM based curriculum. |
| 2014 | NM | 6 | Bosque School (BEMP) -- $83,332.00 Audrey Kruse, 4000 Learning Rd., Albuquerque, NM 87120 Digging Deeper with BEMP Watershed Education The Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) develops and delivers a model “whole watershed” curriculum that follows a drop of water as it falls in the New Mexico Mountains, travels through upland forests, sweeps over agricultural areas, runs through urban landscapes, then travels down through 300 miles of the Rio Grande. Targeting middle and high school students, BEMP employs both traditional in-class sessions as well as citizen science monitoring at selected research sites so that students can test how the riparian zone or “bosque” responds to ecological drivers such as drought, flood, fire, human alteration, and climate change. Students in five project areas along the river utilize new technology to perform ecological monitoring through a partnership with Intel Corporation, while at the same time work alongside environmental professional scientists and engineers who analyze environmental impacts and develop solutions based on the data. |
| 2014 | NY | 2 | Queens College -- $91,000 Mr. Peter Schmidt, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11367-1597 Metropolitan Monarch Alliance (MMA) Project The Queens College Metropolitan Monarch Alliance project establishes and conducts a community-based program to study and protect Monarch butterflies in New York City. Queens College presents Monarch-butterfly workshops to 150 elementary school teachers and 100 community members and establishes Monarch butterfly “way stations” at five EE centers in Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx. Queens College also helps teachers from 25 schools to establish Monarch butterfly way stations that will involve students in learning about and caring for Monarchs. |
| 2014 | NY | 2 | Warwick Valley School District -- $91,000 Mr. James Yap, 225 West Street Extension, Warwick, NY 10990-0595 The Envirocation Project: Environmental Education in the Warwick Valley Central School District and Community Warwick Valley Central School District partners with the non-profit organization Sustainable Warwick to reach at least 900 students with “The Envirocation Project: Environmental Education in the Warwick Valley Central School District and Community.” This two-year project develops and implements new curricular units, offers new classes for students, and implements two major initiatives: a comprehensive recycling program and a composting program in every district school building by August 2017. |
| 2014 | OR | 10 | Children’s Forest of Central Oregon -- $90,992 Katie Chipko, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR 97701 Deschutes Watershed Student Stewardship Projects This project develops and implements a comprehensive watershed education program focused on restoring sections of three different streams in Central Oregon. The project provided classroom activities and hands-on, place based field trips, engages all participants in stewardship projects that improve habitat along the streams; hosts two watershed summits where the students present their projects; and develops three student-created outreach films focused on their local watershed and how community members can become stewards of that watershed. The project aims to provide engaging watershed education and stewardship activities; restore healthy habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms for three streams in the Deschutes Watershed; and develop a model in which multiple organizations and agencies work together to align student stewardship activities with education standards. |
| 2014 | PA | 3 | Allegheny College -- $89,693 Kerstin Martin, 520 N. Main St., Meadeville, PA 16335 Environmental Education in Agriculture’s Role in Human and Environmental Health for Public Middle School Students Allegheny College provides educators with training to create and implement middle school-level science and Family Consumer Science (FCS) class modules that meet PA state standards and are focused on the environmental and human impacts of food and agriculture. This project installs teaching tools to offer place-based, experiential learning opportunities that promote a culture of environmental stewardship in growing food at the connected campuses. Educators create and deliver a pilot program of modules for 7th grade science and FCS classes focused on connecting the environmental and human health impacts of food and agriculture. |
| 2014 | PR | 2 | Universidad Metropolitana, -- $91,000 Dr. Carlos M. Padin, Chancellor PO Box 21150, San Juan, PR 00928-1150 Place-based environmental education for earth science teachers in Puerto Rico Universidad Metropolitana implements an island-wide, place-based environmental education project in Puerto Rico using the best practices developed by its graduate School of Environmental Affairs. The project prepares science teachers to teach junior high school students about climate change and other environmental issues such as coastal issues and air quality and includes a series of four professional development workshops for the teachers on topics such as Climate Change and Coastal Areas, Air Quality, curriculum integration strategies, research skills, critical thinking skills, and GIS and technology-related skills for environmental education. Additionally, Universidad Metropolitana models education programs at ten public schools. |
| 2014 | TX | 6 | EcoRise Youth Innovations -- $190,000 (HQ Grant) Gina LaMotte,4900 Gonzales St, #129, Austin, TX 78702 Sustainable Intelligence Pilot The Sustainable Intelligence Pilot program inspires a new generation of leaders to design a sustainable future by providing classrooms with a K-12 Sustainability Platform, a suite of original online standards-aligned K-12 curricula (some with English to Spanish translation and cultural adaptation), teacher collaboration tools and professional development resources that serve as a central hub for environmental education (EE) providers around the world to market and distribute their products, programs and initiatives. The pilot project connects teachers in 45 schools across 4 cities in the U.S. (Boston, Washington DC, and Austin, Texas) and Mexico and cultivates critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills among 11,500 students and 145 teachers. |
| 2014 | TX | 6 | Northside Independent School District -- $91,000.00 Nancy Kreth, 5900 Evers Road, San Antonio, TX 78238 ACORN (Alamo-Area Children Organizing to Replant Natives) Project ACORN improves environmental literacy for participating PreK-8th grade students through hands-on, inquiry-based science activities and increases community involvement in environmental service activities by addressing plant biodiversity in the San Antonio River watershed. Through ACORN, 16 teachers complete training with topics including GLOBE protocols, data-collection technology, and native plants species. Additionally, students complete 216 GLOBE database uploads, 300 students visit natural areas in the San Antonio watershed for environmental education activities; and 720 parent and community volunteers engage in 48 community planting events including native trees, vines, shrubs, annuals, and ground cover. Project ACORN not only addresses awareness and knowledge of the environment but brings students to analyze environmental data (Critical Thinking/Problem Solving), decide which native plants to cultivate (Decision Making), and implement community planting events (Action), resulting in students developing a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. |
| 2014 | UT | 8 | Utah State University -- $91,000.00 Kellie Hedin, 1415 Old Main Hill Room 64, Logan, UT 84322 Educational Tools The Remote Sensing/GIS Laboratory and the Bioregional Planning Program at Utah State University partner to develop an educational tool for environmental planning for a Utah community in need of planning assistance. The educational tool for environmental planning consists of a planning support program and an instructional tutorial. The planning support program and instructional tutorial are presented to high school students as an educational module within a classroom setting and to citizens and stakeholders as a community workshop. This project serves as a pilot study for other Utah communities in need of planning assistance. |
| 2014 | VT | 1 | Vermont Energy Education Programs, Inc. (VEEP) -- $91,000 Cara Robechek, 43 Liberty Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 VT Climate Change Education & Action Project The VT Climate Change Education & Action Project educates K-12 students and teachers throughout Vermont on climate change and climate science by providing in-class workshops, climate education resources, and project based learning and service learning opportunities. The workshops, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, target 75 middle and high school classes while the Service Learning Program provides 75 teens with the opportunity to teach K-3 students about energy as a precursor to climate education. Additionally, “A Whole School Energy Challenge” brings students together in teams with adult members of their school communities to make school buildings more efficient. As a whole the program works to enhance the critical thinking and problem solving skills of at least 400 students. |
| 2014 | WA | 10 | Pacific Education Institute -- $91,000 Dr. Margaret Tudor, 724 Columbia Street NW, Suite 255, Olympia, WA 98501 Students Engaged in Conserving the Columbia River Watershed This project expands Columbia River Watershed focused K-12 STEM EE by training regional based watershed facilitators to support local teachers and training their students to conduct impactful field experiences to sustain the health of the Columbia River Watershed. The project trains Watershed Facilitators (informal educators) to support teachers of grades 3-12. An overall Coordinator recruits and selects Watershed Facilitators focused on/certified in PEI Field STEM focused on Columbia River. Pacific Education Institute provides a 5-day training in Feb 2016 to certify 10 Watershed Facilitators to then be able to provide a workshop for teachers in their area. A total of 10 Watershed Facilitators each provide a 6-hour Field STEM workshop to at least 12 teachers. Afterwards, teachers give at least 1 field experience to students during the 2016-17 school year. |
| 2014 | WI | 5 | St. Croix Valley Foundation of the St. Croix Watershed -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Jane Hetland Stevenson, 516 Second Street, Suite 214, Hudson, WI 54016 St. Croix Watershed Certificate Pilot Project The St. Croix Master Watershed Stewards Pilot Project is a two year project that combines environmental education, leadership development, and civic organizing in a comprehensive watershed steward curriculum with a capstone service-learning project. The long-term goal is to dramatically increase environmental stewardship ethic and activities in the St. Croix watershed in Minnesota and Wisconsin by recruiting and certifying not less than 36 Mater Watershed Stewards and having them enlist small work teams of 3 to 10 additional volunteers to implement watershed protection projects that include education of the community served by the watershed. |
| 2014 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin, Madison Arboretum -- $91,000 Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715 Colaboracion Ambiental – Latino Earth Partnership (LEP) The two primary goals of this project are: (1) to strengthen the capacity of formal and informal educators to partner with Latino communities in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Cleveland and (2) to integrate culturally authentic resources and citizen science process skills to be used as models for environmental stewardship in 18 diverse schools and communities. Reaching 70 teachers from 18 schools; 2,700 students from K-12; and 20 community-based partners, LEP curriculum involves youth in the decision-making process of siting, designing, and planting a rain garden at their school and provides an example of how students can play an important role in reducing stormwater runoff in schools and communities. Through planting a rain garden and connecting with citizen science water quality monitoring of waterways affected by stormwater pollution, students bring these ideas back to their families and communities and encourage others to implement similar projects. |
| 2015 | AK | 10 | Alaska Songbird Institute -- $90,631 Tricia Blake, P.O. Box 80235, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Alaska Swallow Monitoring Network – Fairbanks and Native Villages, Alaska The Alaska Swallow Monitoring Network recruits and trains approximately 290 Alaskans, including students, teachers and other volunteers, over two field seasons to collect, analyze and present ecological data on climate change impacts to nesting tree swallows. The primary tasks during the first field season (2016) are to recruit and train six interns, 20 students ages 10 to 17, and 70 additional community volunteers (teachers, senior citizens and Alaska Native Elders) to monitor four existing swallow nests and establish and monitor six additional swallow nesting sites. Participants also enter data into a project website and present their findings to their communities using a variety of outreach methods and presentations at professional conferences. The primary task during the second field season (2017) is to recruit and train three additional interns, 40 students, and 151 volunteers to continue and strengthen the project across the 10 nesting sites within the eight targeted rural and urban Alaskan communities. The participant training utilizes a multi-tiered mentoring structure whereby project partners mentor interns, interns mentor students and volunteers, and students and volunteers educate their communities. |
| 2015 | CA | 9 | Merito Foundation -- $91,000 Rocio Lozano-Knowlton, 1501 Cardigan Ave., Ventura, CA 93004 Energy Efficiency to Mitigate Climate Change & Ocean Acidification The Merito Foundation project provides high-quality energy, climate and ocean literacy programming for students in grades 8 to 12. Students design, demonstrate and present energy efficiency practices or initiate ocean acidification awareness campaigns at their schools and beyond. The project produces an Energy Efficiency, Climate Change, Ocean Acidification Activity Guide – a collection of energy, climate and ocean literacy lesson plans and supporting on-line resources. The project and the activity guide are designed to increase knowledge and capacity of five educator participants, guide 400 students in development of energy efficiency proposals for their schools, and increase awareness among minority youth about careers in environmental sciences. |
| 2015 | CA | 9 | Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation -- $91,000 Megan Snedden, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940-1023 Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats (WATCH) The Monterey Bay Aquarium Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats program (WATCH) is a year-long environmental education experience that reaches at least 160 teens over the 2-year grant period. Each year, 70 teens from three high schools participate in an intensive 2-week summer experience and subsequent year-long academic course. Through the program, teens build their knowledge about environmental issues in their community, carrying out research on these issues, and implementing conservation projects. After the program is complete, at least 20 alumni continue to be active in their schools, working together to involve their peers, teachers, and families in conservation activities. In collaboration with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Monterey Bay Aquarium builds deeper connections within the community and extending resources to underserved populations. |
| 2015 | CA | 9 | The Energy Coalition -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Melanie Peck, 47 Discovery Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92618 PEAK Plus The Energy Coalition’s (TEC) PEAK Plus program recruits, trains and continuously supports elementary educators to successfully implement innovative, hands-on environmental education and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and career development lessons. Through existing relationships with school districts and County Offices of Education, TEC reaches 50 under-represented (urban, low income, rural and minority) school in grades 4 through 5 in California and Nevada. Standards-aligned, high-quality curriculum engages students and provides them with the knowledge and skills to engage in behaviors (and engage others in their home communities to take actions) that address climate change and improve air quality. Students view a career awareness video or a virtual visit from an E-STEM (Environmental Education, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professional and participate in activities that create a real-life connection to environmental careers and their impact on the environment. Students learn what educational background is required in these jobs and how to ask the right questions about these careers or fields of work. PEAK Plus partners with a growing network of E-STEM and green professionals who are a resource of encouragement and knowledge for these students. |
| 2015 | CA | 9 | Tuolumne River Preservation Trust -- $91,000 Meg Gonzalez, 829 Thirteenth St., Modesto, CA 95354-0901 Water Ways: an Environmental Education Pathway Towards Water Literacy in Stanislaus County The Tuolumne River Preservation Trust project improves water literacy among 2,150 Stanislaus County youth by creating a water education pathway. The educational program reaches kindergarten through grade 12 students and 100 of their teachers through a cohort progression model that infuses environmental science and locally relevant environmental issues related to water at every grade level. Students in the program are also exposed to a range of potential careers in water-related fields. |
| 2015 | CO | 8 | EForce - Earth Force Inc -- $91,000 Dr. Lisa Bardwell, 2555 W. 34th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211-3335 GreenSchoolsConnect (GSC) GreenSchoolsConnect (GSC) is a groundbreaking program that engages sustainability professionals to train and support school districts as they implement sustainable policies and practices. Through GSC, Earth Force convenes an uncommon, yet willing, set of stakeholders who are committed to supporting youth and building a culture of sustainability within school districts. GSC achieves this goal by (1) linking school district teams with sustainability leaders and practitioners from corporate, higher education, nonprofit, and government organizations that all commit to a year-long partnership to identify and implement specific sustainable practices within schools and school districts, and (2) providing professional development to educators to engage young people in an inquiry-based process whereby they identify and implement sustainable practices in their schools. |
| 2015 | CT | 1 | New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. -- $76,668 Joel Tolman, 358 Springside Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515-1024 TEACH CITY Five urban high schools are engaged as part of the New Haven Ecology Project to develop a new generation of environmental stewards equipped to make a difference in communities across the country. This project strengthens the capacity of these schools to teach and empower high school students to work with community organizations and residents to turn the urban environment into a classroom for city students. The schools and their students address issues related to urban waters, air quality, toxins and other environmental issues of concern to local communities. Each high school makes a commitment to identify a potential capacity-building project with the most pressing environmental challenges and develops a school-specific strategy to fulfill the literacy and stewardship goals of the community project identified. The high schools host visits with each other to share best practices, learn about community issues in the other high schools, and share how those issues were addressed. |
| 2015 | FL | 4 | Florida Gulf Coast University -- $90,800 Mr. Lou Kirk, 10501 FGCU Blvd South, Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565 Creating Learning Experiences and Addressing Needs of Watersheds and Aquifers Through Entrepreneurial Research (CLEAN WATER) The CLEAN WATER program improves environmental literacy among 7th grade classrooms in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties in south Florida. The program integrates classroom and virtual learning experiences, hands-on models, physical and virtual field trips, and culminates in an entrepreneurial research and design project to enhance student understanding of watersheds, aquifers, and wetlands. It further challenges students to create potential solutions to improve water quality in south Florida. |
| 2015 | ID | 10 | Friends of the Teton River, Inc. -- $91,000 Amy Verbeten, P.O. Box 768, Driggs, ID 83422 Teton County WaterWise Initiative - Driggs, Idaho The Teton County WaterWise Initiative educates students and adults in Teton County, Idaho, on the importance of maintaining clean drinking water as part of a WaterWise Community Education program. At least eight adult educational events and workshops over the 2-year project focus on what the 3,500 households in Teton County can do to protect drinking water—such as testing for nitrates in drinking-water wells, preventing backflow from residential irrigations systems, and properly using and maintaining individual residential septic systems. In addition, biology students in grade 10 at Teton High School learn about water quality and how to take field water quality measurements, including how to test specifically for nitrates. Students organize and advertise one nitrate testing event per year at the high school, where they provide free testing kits and instruct adult community members on how to do their own testing. This project also entails development of a Common Core State Standards Curriculum for a Water Awareness Program for all students in grade 6 in the Teton County School District, implemented through a series of classroom lessons and field trips and culminating in an annual Water Awareness Festival. The project reaches 440 students in grades 6 through 10 over the 2 years. Also under this project, Friends of the Teton River work with Teton County representatives and the Teton County Drinking Water Protection Committee to develop and implement a best management practices and incentives program to reduce the risk of drinking water contamination, distribute drinking water education materials throughout the county, and ensure that a diverse segment of Teton Valley’s population is engaged in the Initiative. |
| 2015 | IL | 5 | Board of Education City of Chicago 299: Service Learning Initiative Environment Program -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Samantha Ozik, 501 West 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60626-3507 Calumet Is My Back Yard (CIMBY) Calumet is My Back Yard (CIMBY) trains and engages more than 700 predominantly minority, low-income students and their science teachers from 13 Chicago Public High Schools and three Northwest Indiana High Schools in the Calumet Region of Chicago’s far Southeast side and Indiana’s Northwest side. Teachers are trained each September in the CIMBY curriculum and students learn science using the interactive, place-based curriculum, which meets Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core Standards and 21st Century Learning Outcomes. The CIMBY Program emphasizes building knowledge, skills and sense of connection to nature during a total of more than 2,000 on-the-ground restoration and stewardship volunteer hours on more than 40 field trips in local natural areas. There is a disproportionate impact of air and water pollution on low-income, minority populations living in the Calumet region. The intent of CIMBY is to generate curiosity, empathy and a sense of accomplishment among this population through the powerful experience of service to improve the community. |
| 2015 | KS | 7 | Wichita State University and the Environmental Finance Center -- $91,000 Angela Buzard, 1845 Fairmount, Campus Box 7, Wichita, KS 67260-0007 Careers in Water Stewardship The Careers in Water Stewardship project fosters interest in careers related to water and wastewater utilities among high-school students across the State of Kansas and ultimately grows the labor force for both sectors. The program is delivered to 200 students in eight high schools across the state. Sub-grants are awarded to municipal water or wastewater treatment utilities to fund student summer internships. School career counselors and teachers are involved in helping promote occupations in the field, while professionals and associated organizations provide expertise and assistance in marketing these professions to high-schools throughout the state. |
| 2015 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Association for Environmental Education -- $91,000 Ms. Ashley Hoffman, 1448 Cypress Street, Paris, KY 40361-1259 Addressing Climate Literacy through Concerted Community-based Initiatives The Addressing Climate Literacy through Concerted Community-based Initiatives project creates a Center for Environmental Education (CEE) to address the gap between scientific and popular understanding of climate change. CEE supports community climate stewardship projects, provides professional development in climate change education to formal and non-formal educators in the area, and expands the reach of the climate literacy program. |
| 2015 | LA | 6 | University of New Orleans -- $90,800 Rebecca Drake, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 Headwater to the Delta Connection in Louisiana More than 25 teachers will receive the training needed to deliver content-rich lessons to more than 1,000 students in the New Orleans area through the Headwater to the Delta Connection in Louisiana project. The process involves critical thinking, problem solving and stewardship. Through the grant, funding and professional resources are provided to teachers to attend a summer workshop and implement watershed- and delta-related stewardship activities for their students in their local environments. Additionally, the project supports and expands the network of educators trained via the Headwaters to the Delta Connection as well as development of local Delta Rivers Institute workshops that will take place in St. Bernard and Orleans Parish. Participants are provided the pedagogical tools, content knowledge, confidence and professional support system to deliver environmental education experiences in their schools. Participants also explore specific science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) strategies that enrich and deepen science investigation relevant to local river, watershed and delta environments. |
| 2015 | ME | 1 | Bates College -- $90,000 Sally Slovenski, 220 College Street, Lewiston, ME 04240-000 Community Colleges for Environmental Stewardship The Community Colleges for Environmental Stewardship project prepares a diverse pool of low-income students for a lifetime of environmental stewardship. The program creates and sustains changes in delivery of local community college courses to include ongoing environmental education in all fields of study. It furthers this goal by having students complete locally focused environmental stewardship projects in New England communities to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and protect water. Under the grant, community colleges in northern New England provide training and support to at least 20 faculty from diverse disciplines to embed environmental community projects into their courses. Participants include more than 360 low-income and non-traditional community college students. Each state involved in the project hosts field seminars to share best practices, expand networking of community colleges, and support community environmental stewardship projects. |
| 2015 | MD | 3 | Izaak Walton League of America -- $91,000 Leah Miller, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 Creek Freaks Camps and Afterschool Program The Creek Freaks program addresses each of the components of the environmental education continuum. For example, lessons are designed to create awareness of and communicate knowledge to children. The children participate in hands-on activities that require them to evaluate and create innovative solutions to environmental issues using critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. Activities are focused on engaging the participants in outdoor, place-based and experiential learning activities that teach the children about stream ecology and conservation, which in turn, increases public stewardship of America’s waters. The students also learn about careers in environmental fields. The project increases the capacity of camps and after-school programs to provide quality environmental education programming. |
| 2015 | MA | 1 | Greenagers, Inc. -- $36,700 Will Conklin, 33 Rossetter St, Great Barrington, MA 01230-0000 Crafting the Landscape In collaboration with two local middle schools and a cooperative grocery store, Greenagers, Inc., implements an environmental education project in an after-school and summer program. Approximately 100 underserved youth develop a working relationship with their forests, watersheds, and “foodsheds” by creating virtual communities and environmental goals in the video game, Minecraft. These virtual goals are translated into real, actionable service projects in their community. Middle school students participate in 2-hour after-school sessions twice a week and also attend a 5-week summer program, where they learn to identify a community need and then create a service project to address the issues. The service projects focus on climate change, taking action on toxics, and protecting water. Each student receives nearly 200 hours of program time and contributes about 40 hours of direct environmental community service to the community. |
| 2015 | MA | 1 | Massachusetts Audubon Society -- $69,632 Kris Scopinich, 208 South Great Rd, Lincoln, MA 01733-4800 Building Climate Action Communities Massachusetts Audubon Society develops a regional model to enhance the climate literacy of staff, which in turn increases staff capacity to integrate education on climate change and its effects on local ecosystems into their programs. The project partners — Massachusetts Audubon Society, Connecticut Audubon Society and Audubon Society of Rhode Island — infuse climate change into existing community-based environmental education programming at each organization. The three partners also work with community-based organizations to develop, test and disseminate a model that integrates the study of New England ecosystems and the effects of climate change on local plants, wildlife and people into a pedagogically based curriculum. Trained staff and community organizations then implement more than 40 climate literacy program pilots into existing informal environmental education programs across the region, which reach nearly 1,000 people. The community organizations implement about 30 community-based programs and events, expecting to reach nearly 600 people on climate change issues. |
| 2015 | MI | 5 | Michigan State University -- $91,000 Kay Gross, Hannah Administration Bldg, 426 Auditorium Road, Room 2, East Lansing, MI 48824 Teaching Science Outdoors: A Pathway to Enhancing K-5 Teacher and Student Environmental Education Teaching Science Outdoors develops a program in EE for elementary (urban and rural) school teachers from southwest Michigan that increases their ability to integrate EE into their classroom teaching and showcase how the outdoors—whether in their schoolyard, neighborhood, or community—can be used as part of the classroom. The project aims to increase the ability of teachers to use the outdoor environment to teach about the water cycle and about protecting water resources. The project develops curriculum and learning experiences that improve knowledge of aquatic habitats through place-based, hands-on experiences in the outdoors. These programs align classroom teaching with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and effectively integrate technology into teaching and learning about the water cycle and environment. Ultimately, Teaching Science Outdoors aims to translate classroom experiences into action to protect local water resources. |
| 2015 | MN | 5 | Minnesota Humanities Center, -- $91,000 David O'Fallon, 987 Ivy Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106 Smithsonian Water Project: Minnesota Humanities Center Six rural Minnesota communities are selected to host a Smithsonian Water Exhibition as part of the Minnesota Humanities Center, which equips Minnesotans with the knowledge, attitudes, motivation, and skills to become more actively involved in their environmental stewardship. Participating communities host the exhibition at a county museum (or library or community center), with related programming at churches, libraries, parks, schools, and senior centers and other civic spaces. Through a year-long engagement before the exhibition arrives, these communities convene leaders across sectors and participate in workshops and trainings that deepen their knowledge, understanding, and commitment to water issues. They will be supported to create companion exhibitions; develop high-profile programs, events and stewardship projects; and conduct local story-collecting initiatives. When the 6-week exhibition begins, the broader community will be reached through the exhibition itself and the rich educational programs created for and by the community. When the exhibition leaves, more community members are participating in local water organizations, citizen science programs, voluntary water quality programs, and water stewardship projects at home. Overall, the project trains 36 community leaders, involves 250 volunteer community members, and reaches 18,000 members of the public, including 2,000 students. |
| 2015 | MO | 7 | St. Louis University -- $91,000 Dr. Jack Fishman, 3642 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108 St. Louis Ozone Gardens Project The St. Louis Ozone Gardens Project expands an existing, successful environmental education program that educates students about the impact of global air pollutions (surface ozone) on vegetation, crops, and human health. As part of this project, students collect data on ozone impacts to ozone-sensitive plants growing within the garden. Students also learn how to collect data using an ozone monitor and a weather station. Participants are empowered to engage in stewardship activities that reduce the emissions leading to photochemical smog and surface ozone. In total, 132 teachers and 1,320 students, primarily elementary and middle school, are served in the St. Louis area. |
| 2015 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $91,000 Barbara Bunge, 309 Montana Hall, PO Box 172470, Bozeman, MT 59717 Empowering Community Stewardship in the Headwaters The Empowering Community Stewardship in the Headwaters project expands and advances a statewide water quality education program that encourages adult and youth civic community organizations to adopt a local river or stream reach. This project combines water quality monitoring, river cleanups, and enhancement projects by community organizations. The organizations engage in water quality investigations that lead to better understanding of local watershed issues and that identify local actions to improve water quality. Five Adopt-a-Reach pilot water stewards groups receive training and support through water monitoring training, on-site visits, water quality collection days, and river-reach cleanups. Each organization must adopt at least 1 river-mile for the duration of the grant. Within each reach, the community organizations identify locations to conduct water monitoring, riparian visual assessments, and river cleanup events based on safe and legal access and areas of concern by. |
| 2015 | MT | 8 | Montana State University -- $91,000 Barbara Bunge, 309 Montana Hall, PO Box 172470, Bozeman, MT 59717 Pursuit of Educational Advancement toward Careers in Environmental Fields (PACE) for Montana Tribal College Students Pursuit of Educational Advancement toward Careers in Environmental Fields (PACE) for Montana Tribal College Students is located in seven Tribal communities. Montana Tribal College student participants (PACE Participants) increase their awareness and knowledge of specific local environmental issues identified as a concern by their community and where the community desires a solution. Inspiring and encouraging interest in environmental stewardship and environmental careers, the program increases the environmental literacy, knowledge of sources of information, and evaluation skills of the PACE Participants in relation to the environmental issue identified. Additionally, the program increases awareness of institutions of higher learning in Montana and the degrees they offer in environmental fields and mentorship and support programs; scholarships and grants; internships and fellowships; and other opportunities. |
| 2015 | MT | 8 | The Watershed Education Network -- $91,000 Deb Fassnacht, 315 So, 4th East Suite 203 , Missoula, MT 59801 Western Montana Place-Based Watershed Education Program Western Montana Place-Based Watershed Education Program educates tribal and non-tribal student groups and community members on the environmental issues in their local watersheds and the possible solutions to those issues, as well as potential stewardship opportunities in those watersheds. The project provides environmental education on issues relevant to the Clark Fork and Flathead watersheds to grades 5 through 12. The program protects the local watersheds through educating and empowering watershed-literate citizens. Additionally, it builds a connection between what is learned in the classroom and the real-world applications through investigative, immersion learning at the river's edge. |
| 2015 | NJ | 2 | Greater Newark Conservancy -- $91,000 Ingrid Johnson, 32 Prince Street, Newark, NJ 07103 Education Programming for Newark Public Schools Under this grant, the Greater Newark Conservancy expands its existing environmental education program to reach 1,750 students in kindergarten through grade six students throughout Newark Public Schools in New Jersey. Using outdoor, placed-based, hands-on learning as a primary learning tool, the students are learning how to become environmental stewards. Students visit the conservancy’s 1.3-acre Outdoor Learning Center to learn about native plants, as well as its 2.5-acre Hawthorne Avenue urban farm. |
| 2015 | NM | 6 | Asombro Institute for Science Education -- $90,000 Stephanie Bestelmeyer, PO Box 891, Las Cruces, NM 88004-0891 New Mexico Climate Champion The goal of the New Mexico Climate Champions project is to train 500 students to become climate "champions" by gaining knowledge and critical thinking skills related to the regional effects of climate change on water and agriculture and mitigating those effects through stewardship action plans implemented in their schools and communities. The program creates locally relevant climate change education modules for educators; increases students' and educators' knowledge about climate change effects on water and agriculture; enhances students' motivation and skills in creating voluntary action plans to improve the environment; increases students' consideration of environmental careers for themselves; and provides opportunities for the public to learn about regional climate change effects along with actions they can take to mitigate and adapt to those effects. |
| 2015 | NY | 2 | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County -- $40,000 Stephanie Graf, 203 North Hamilton Street, Watertown, NY 13601-2948 Onsite Organics Diversion for Youth Camps Cornell Cooperative Extension’s project establishes sustainable composting and recycling programs at three rural youth camps that serve low-income populations in northern New York. The program’s camp counselors are trained to educate campers on how to reduce waste, compost and recycle, and why it is so important to do so. Each camp develops an environmental stewardship plan and establishes recycling infrastructure and on-site composting systems. Under this project, approximately 3,800 campers participate, most from low-income families, guided by 60 camp counselors. |
| 2015 | NY | 2 | Syracuse University -- $91,000 Amy Graves, Office of Sponsored Programs, 113 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244-1200 Using the Thanksgiving Address to Advance Environmental Literacy and Environmental Stewardship Through this project, Syracuse University focuses on teaching students about the Onondaga Lake watershed in a way that includes Haudenosaunee history and cultural attitudes toward nature as a complement to scientific environmental knowledge about the physical world and as an activating force toward cultivating gratitude, responsibility and stewardship. Educational materials and tools are developed that allow students of various ages to compare traditional and scientific teachings about species and landscapes native to the Onondaga Lake watershed. The students are also provided opportunities to gather their own information about these topics. Faculty at Syracuse University test the developed materials at a summer workshop attended by 20 teachers. |
| 2015 | OH | 5 | Columbus State Community College -- $91,000 Jeffrey Bates, 550 East Spring Street, Columbus, OH 43215 Green Infrastructure Educational Program Columbus State Community College and its sub-grantee partners implement a green infrastructure educational program to educate 60 low-income, inner city residents on green infrastructure concepts. The project, which is aligned with the City of Columbus initiative to improve sustainable, environmentally friendly storm water retention, empowers disadvantaged populations with skills to earn a livable wage as landscaping and grounds keeping workers. The 6-week course provides local residents with the entry-level skills to implement environmentally friendly alternatives to the current Wet Weather Management Plan required under an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency consent order that consists of wastewater treatment plant upgrades, storage tanks, tunnels, and piping augmentation. The environmentally friendly alternatives involve installing rain gardens, porous pavements, gutter and downspout improvements on private property, and other more sustainable measures. The project goal is to offer a Green Infrastructure Educational Program that enables the City of Columbus to implement an environmentally friendly program titled “Blueprint Columbus. Clean Streams. Strong Neighborhoods” to maximize rainwater retention and minimize runoff into the wastewater sewer system. Participants also gain hands-on training and experience that can be applied toward an associate degree at Columbus State Community College. Entering and rising in the career pathway is a means for breaking the cycle of poverty while infusing environmental literacy through education. |
| 2015 | OK | 6 | Oklahoma State University -- $91,000 Justin Moss, 203 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74074 Incorporating Water and Environmental Education into Oklahoma City Charter School Curricula Oklahoma State University plans to improve environmental education for the Santa Fe South Charter School—located in a disadvantaged minority urban area—by including urban agriculture in the curriculum for more than 1,500 students. The project will increase environmental and conservation awareness for school-age children and parents through school-farm and community activities. Local environmental efforts are combined with concerns for disadvantaged families by using the Santa Fe South Charter School as an environmental and experiential learning location. Environmental education will be introduced as a year-round theme for a variety of subjects (for example, in math, English, social studies, science and art) in the school—helping teachers introduce environmental concepts into their lesson plans. Students will also grow native plants in the school garden to reflect the ethnic makeup of the students who attend Santa Fe South Charter School. The garden enables the students to understand the importance of water-efficient crops and the use of those crops in landscaping, erosion control and native habitats. |
| 2015 | PA | 3 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania -- $90,166 Paul William Scanlon, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057-1326 Healthy Planet, Healthy People Summer Camp and Community Project Incubator Slippery Rock University (SRU) hosts a week-long “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” environmentally themed summer camp on a college campus. The camp is designed to not only provide high school students with fun and educational outdoor experiences, but also to act as a community project incubator by preparing the students to develop and lead environmental education and stewardship projects when they return to their local communities. Through this project, the students are gaining a better understanding of and enjoying the benefits of our natural environment. The project is intended to increase student awareness of local environmental problems, and it will also increase their awareness of the environmental organizations working within their local communities to solve environmental problems. Through a combination of formal leadership training and informal mentoring, the students become more knowledgeable about the scientific principles of ecological sustainability and enhancing their critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making skills. |
| 2015 | VA | 3 | Friends of the Rappahannock -- $90,799 Bryan Hofmann, 3219 Fall Hill Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401-9998 Rappahannock Regional River Student Stream Team The Student Stream Team (SST) project increases the environmental literacy of students and teachers who participate in the program and prepares them to make informed decisions and choices that benefit the local environment, specifically local water resources. The student and teacher participants gain knowledge about water quality issues through a series of science lessons and local field investigations that help them understand and personally witness the impact humans have on their local environment. The SST project empowers students not only by giving them the knowledge and ability to make personal choices and behavior changes that benefit the local environment, but also by giving them the opportunity to participate in a restoration activity that shows the immediate results of stewardship efforts. |
| 2015 | VA | 3 | Marine Science Consortium, Inc. -- $90,999 Elise Kathryn Trelegan, 34001 Mill Dam Road, Wallops Island, VA 23337-0000 Educating for Sustainable and Resilient Communities The site of Accomack County’s first living shoreline project, the Chincoteague Bay Field Station’s Greenbackville campus, becomes an outdoor classroom and public model under the Educating for Sustainable and Resilient Communities project for enhancing coastal resiliency on the Eastern Shore. Through development, demonstration, and implementation of best practices, the project educates and empowers students, teachers, families and university faculty about coastal ecosystems and climate change. Participants engage in hands-on and inquiry-based field experiences that leads to a collective community environmental stewardship behavior and positive attitude about shoreline protection. |
| 2015 | VA | 3 | National Recreation and Park Association -- $53,815 (HQ Grant) Jessic Culverhouse, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd, Ashburn, VA 20148-4501 Creating Opportunities for Meaningful Environmental Education in Park and Recreation Out-of-School Time Programs The Wildlife Explorers out-of-school-time program hosted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) provides hands-on environmental education activities and meaningful learning experiences in nature to underserved children who would not otherwise have such opportunities. Local parks are the stewards of urban greenspaces, forests and natural areas, and providers of out-of-school-time programs for millions of youth every year. They offer unique, place-based opportunities to investigate and connect with nature. In this experiential learning program, young people work with leaders to carry out stewardship activities that benefit both the individual and the community. The objectives of the program, which take place in five local community parks across the country, include: (1) environmental and conservation education that improves the knowledge and attitudes of the youth participants with respect to conservation and the environment, as measured by pre- and post-assessments, and (2) conservation activities that enhance and improve the local environment through action projects, as measured and reported by youth participants and leaders. |
| 2015 | WA | 10 | University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology and Indigenous Wellness Research Institute -- $91,000 Samuel Wasser, 4333 Brooklyn Ave NE, Box 359472, Seattle, WA 98195 Culture-Based Environmental Education for Tomorrow’s Tribal Leaders – Washington State The project, Culture-Based Environmental Education for Tomorrow’s Tribal Leaders, enhances Tribal middle school education by providing interactive classroom presentations on marine health that highlight whale research methods. These methods involve an exciting mix of non-invasive wildlife monitoring methods and the University of Washington Center’s specially trained detection dogs, which are used to sample large areas for scat of targeted wildlife species. Inquiry-based classroom lessons are combined with hands-on, cooperative-based activities that address cultural content and national learning standards. Leadership workshops are focused on connecting students to conservation and health concepts through outdoor learning and cultural-based actions. |
| 2015 | WI | 5 | The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System -- $192,184 (HQ Grant) Lyn Bauer-Armstrong, 21 N. Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715-1218 Colaboracion Ambiental- Latino Earth Partnership The Latino Earth Partnership (LEP), or Colaboración Ambiental, seeks to strengthen the capacity of formal and non-formal educators to partner with Latino communities to engage more than 4,200 young people in environmental stewardship, spanning culture and place at five sites in Wisconsin, Florida and Puerto Rico. Partners develop relationships and recruit participants from Latino communities that reflect current, significant demographic patterns. LEP involves students in kindergarten through grade 12 and university teachers and students, non-formal educators, citizens, elders and other community members in efforts to expand the time people spend outdoors, active learning in real-world contexts, and cultural inclusivity. The LEP program has three phases: capacity building that leads up to train-the-trainer institutes, implementation through teacher professional development institutes and youth stewardship projects, and dissemination through continued and new youth stewardship and community partnerships. LEP believes firmly in what Aldo Leopold noted in the 1949 A Sand County Almanac, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” |
| 2016 | AZ | 9 | Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University, -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Dr. Dan Collins, PO Box 876011, Tempe, AZ 85287 Sustainable Communities and Place-Based Education (SCAPE) Sustainable Communities and Place-Based Education (SCAPE) is a high school and community-based science education project that combines on-line learning and field observations with “living classrooms” across the Colorado River Basin. Building on successful curriculum design workshops with teachers and scientists, the project provides opportunities for science teachers in at least 10 regional high schools to learn the science of water quality and environmental education best practices. Once trained, the teachers introduce approximately 600 11th- and 12th-grade students to the hydrology of the Colorado River system, methods for measuring in-stream flow, and techniques for measuring water quality. Teachers are provided training in EE instruction as related to real-world problems with water quality and supply, as well as the tools and methods to move from knowledge to action. Students’ decision-making skills will be improved through participation in the project, and the community’s sense of stewardship of the river system will be enhanced. Community members who are reached by the project represent a cross-section of demographics along the basin area in regards to race, economic level, geographic location, and type of setting (rural, urban, and suburban). |
| 2016 | CA | 9 | Education Outside, -- $91,000 Hannah Shulman, 135 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102 Water Literacy to Action The Water Literacy to Action project helps San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) elementary students and community residents understand the science behind their local watershed and the issues that affect this complex system. Forty-four AmeriCorps members are provided with 40 hours of water-related training and curricula that prepare them to lead lessons at local middle and elementary schools in the San Francisco area. After training is complete, AmeriCorps members engage schools in stewardship activities, teach garden-based water education and model water conservation practices and to students in “green” schoolyards designed to increase understanding of their watershed, the importance of water conservation, and climate change impacts. More than 4,100 students, teachers, parents, and community members are engaged in stewardship activities led by AmeriCorps members. Ultimately, more than 12,000 students and 650 teachers at 44 elementary and Kindergarten through grade 8 schools will participate. |
| 2016 | CA | 9 | Plumas Audubon Society, -- $91,000 Teresa Arrate, 429 Main Street, Quincy, CA 95971 Plumas Environmental Education Program Under this grant, field trips, classroom and outdoor lessons and activities, and service-learning projects are delivered to 750 youth from low- and medium-income rural areas in Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra Counties in California. The Audubon Society hosts 32 bird walks to 10 sites in Plumas County to educate students about various bird species, how climate changes are influencing birds and other wildlife, and steps they and their families can take to address the causes and impacts of climate change. Students also carry out service-learning projects that transform lawns into bird-friendly, climate wise habitats, and are improving bird habitats at Audubon’s Learning Landscape properties. Learning Landscape properties — parcels of land located within a 10-minute walk of local schools, such as meadows, forests, and riparian habitats — provide an ideal location for place-based education. Youth participating in the projects gain a sense of stewardship that inspires them to care for their land and their communities. |
| 2016 | CA | 9 | San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, -- $90,000 Tara Fuad, 777 S. Highway 10, Suite 112, Solana Beach, CA 92075 Our Living Watershed The Our Living Watershed project provides environmental education to children in grades 3 through 5 through field trips, family weekend stewardship events, professional development for teachers, and trainings for docents and teacher guides. The project is expected to reach 1,500 students, 50 or more teachers, and 300 family members of students. San Diego Gas and Electric, the State of California Coastal Conservancy, and the California Coastal Commission are conducting this project for four elementary schools in underserved neighborhoods to address environmental challenges affecting the Escondido Creek watershed, such as improper waste and oil disposal, stormwater runoff, trash, litter and sewage entering the waterways, and climate change impacts. The goals of the project are to instill a life-long conservation ethic among grade-school youth, to connect them with nature, to develop the EE teaching skills of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy’s volunteer docents and partnering teachers, and to protect the Escondido Creek watershed. |
| 2016 | CO | 8 | Eco-Cycle, Inc., -- $91,000 Randy Moorman, 6400 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO 80303 Building the First Green Star Community in Lyons, CO Under this grant, Lyons, Colorado, will be converted into the first Zero Waste town in the United States by educating each resident about waste issues and Zero Waste practices. A town of 2,300 residents, Lyons is a gateway community to the Rocky Mountain National Park, visited by thousands of people each year. Residents and others in the surrounding communities participate in training and education on the solid waste stream, its impact on the environment, human and climate health, and on habits that prevent or reduce these impacts. Participants engage in inquiry-based learning at Learning Workshops focused on recycling, composting, green cleaning and purchasing, and local effects of solid waste reduction. Through formal and informal interactions, face-to-face and peer-to-peer interactions, hands-on activities, and discussion-based learning, residents are taking ownership of their solid waste management and will develop a community-wide action plan. These actions encourage environmental stewardship as a cultural norm in the community. |
| 2016 | CO | 8 | The Greenway Foundation, -- $90,000 Rachel Steel, 1855 S Pearl Street, Suite 40, Denver, CO 80210 South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) The South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) project is creating an environmentally literate generation of Denver youth that is prepared to address present and future ecological challenges. More than 10,000 youth aged 3 to 18 years engage in excursions as a part of the Greenway River Rangers and the Greenway Leadership Corps to increase their understanding of connections between Denver’s waterways and environmental and human health. The Greenway River Rangers program prepares the older youth, Rangers, to educate younger students about watersheds, aquatic ecosystems, and water treatment while focusing on the quality of Denver’s water. The Rangers also develop skills for taking action to protect Denver’s river and creeks and how to effectively educate others about issues that affect these resources. Members of the Greenway Leadership Corps take direct action to protect Denver’s waterways through monthly stewardship projects such as removing trash and debris, basic water quality testing, and other practices aimed at improving water quality and the health of wetland habitats. |
| 2016 | CO | 8 | Trees, Water & People, -- $48,000 Richard Fox, 633 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Addressing Climate Change through Solar Education for Native American Youth Under this collaborative project between Trees, Water & People and We Care Solar, students at two Native American high schools participate in hands-on instruction to learn about solar energy, mitigating climate change, and career opportunities in the field of solar technology. Students and teachers are introduced to an environmental education curriculum involving solar energy concepts that incorporate key STEM skills and environmental education. The We Share Solar Education Program curriculum is made up of four major components: innovative solar energy technology; integrated mathematics for application of energy systems; engineering; and global energy use. Designed to further incorporate interdisciplinary mathematics, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication to promote STEM literacy and 21st century skills, the program strengthens students’ readiness and interest in STEM majors and careers that are environmentally beneficial. |
| 2016 | FL | 4 | Dream in Green, Inc., -- $91,000 Karla Utting, 425 N.E. 22nd Street, Suite 401, Room 5, Miami, FL 33137 The Dream in Green Academy The Dream in Green (DIG) Academy is a platform that houses DIG’s innovative environmental education programs for Kindergarten through 12th grade and community residents. The Dream in Green Academy is made up of three programs that engage and inspire students, teachers, parents, and residents to mitigate the impacts of climate change through actions in their schools, homes, and communities. The Green Schools Challenge/Water and Energy Learning and Behavior (GSC/WE-LAB) Schools program promotes sustainable behaviors and practices in local schools among students and faculty in Kindergarten through 12th grade through a science-based curriculum and team building. Students are introduced to STEM-based subjects, gain leadership skills, and conduct personal research, all focused on climate change impacts at their school. The Academy also works with the community to discuss environmental challenges affecting the Miami-Dade area. |
| 2016 | FL | 4 | Key Biscayne Community Foundation, Inc., -- $91,000 Melissa McCaughan White, 88 W. McIntyre Street, Suite 200, Key Biscayne, FL 33149-1846 Developing and Implementing an Environmental Education Program to Maintain the Coastal Waters of Key Biscayne This grant educates local residents about near-shore waters using a curriculum that takes residents from awareness to knowledge and, ultimately, to stewardship of near-shore waters. Targeted for seniors and youth in grades 5 through 12, this program focuses on teaching about water quality issues such as debris, turbidity, nutrients, and sea level change and the resulting effects on the shoreline surrounding the Key. Environmental education takes place through classroom instruction and field work for the youth audiences, while the senior citizens participate in outdoor activities at local parks and beaches. The residents collect samples, which enables them to recognize when stressors are harming the shoreline. |
| 2016 | IA | 7 | Eastern Iowa Community College District, -- $85,592 Heather Ballou, 201 North Harrison Street, Suite 101, Davenport, IA 52801 YES! Youth and Environmental Sustainability Under the YES! Youth and Environmental Sustainability project, middle and high school educators will participate in science workshops to enhance their skills at teaching students how to make informed environmental decisions and to take responsibility for their actions. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), which operates the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC), is designing science teacher workshops and education modules focused on climate change, air quality, water quality, and environmental decision making in the classroom. Each 5-day workshop is facilitated by the community college and teachers who pilot test the learning modules in their classrooms. Approximately 40 teachers will participate in the workshops, ultimately reaching 800 middle and high school students. |
| 2016 | KY | 4 | Kentucky Environmental Education Council, -- $91,000 Elizabeth Schmitz, 500 Metro Street, Capital Plaza Tower, Room 1901, Frankfort, KY 40601-1987 Environmental Literacy, Green Schools, and Responsible Community Action in Kentucky The Environmental Literacy, Green Schools, and Responsible Community Action program in Frankfort, Kentucky, provides professional development for up to 75 teachers to improve their EE teaching skills and knowledge of environmental issues and content, particularly water quality and conservation. Participating teachers in Kindergarten through grade 12 are trained in the Project WET and Kentucky Department of Water Watch Program curricula, focusing on possible conservation and water quality monitoring activities that they can implement in the classroom as well as grassroots efforts to protect human health and the environment. All teacher workshops are aligned with national environmental education guidelines and standards, and workshop activities demonstrate alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards. The workshops, held in various watershed basins in Kentucky, will increase the environmental literacy of 75 teachers and, in turn, their 7,500 students. |
| 2016 | LA | 6 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans, -- $91,000 433 Bolivar Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 Empowering Communities to Make Informed Decisions and Reduce Childhood Exposure to Toxic Chemicals in Indoor Environments Twenty-one graduate students implement student-led science projects at four schools to educate and empower the community to make informed decisions about cost-effective methods to prevent exposure to lead and other contaminants in drinking water. In collaboration with the Louisiana State University (LSU) Science Youth Initiative and the LSU Science Summer Project Team, and four schools in the New Orleans area, students test the effectiveness of current public health guidelines for reducing exposure to lead in drinking water, identify possible health impacts, and work to evaluate cost-effective solutions. The research findings are translated into sustainable community improvements and used to develop outreach strategies and materials to educate and motivate peers, families, and communities to raise awareness of common environmental hazards and the effects of their exposure. Project partners will work together to recruit schools and oversee developing, testing, and implementing educational projects. |
| 2016 | MD | 3 | Living Classrooms Foundation, -- $60,000 Christine Truett, 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21231 Masonville Cove Environmental Education Programming Under this grant, the Living Classrooms Foundation works with 650 students in grades 3 through 5 in two summer programs that introduce students to concepts such as storm water runoff, the effects of land use on local environmental issues, and the causes and sources of pollution and how to prevent it. These programs also provide awareness of land use and local environmental issues. The School Leadership in Urban Runoff Reduction Project (SLURRP) and the Baltimore Environmental Education Math and Reading Trailblazers (BEE SMART) programs are providing sustainable and replicable projects for urban schools that are creating behavioral change in both environmental literacy and stewardship. Students participating in the programs engage in hands-on projects to solve environmental issues directly affecting their community and learn how to prevent storm water runoff and improve water quality. BEESMART, a 5-week, full day summer program for 3rd through 5th graders, immerses students in E-STEM projects related to real-world local environmental problems while also retaining reading and math levels throughout the summer. |
| 2016 | MA | 1 | Manomet, Inc., Plymouth -- $91,000 Beth Brazil, 125 Manomet Point Road, Plymouth, MA 02360 U360-EE Sustainability through Engagement with Small Business Sector Working in collaboration with five universities in New Hampshire and Maine, this project enhances the knowledge of college students in the environmental and business departments about issues related to climate change, energy, water, and toxins. Students learn how to apply problem solving and analytical skills to environmental challenges and how sustainability strategies can be applied to unique business models. The project involves up to 80 students working with 12 to 15 small business owners to help them apply practical tools and sustainability practices, which benefit local communities by reducing the environmental footprint, limiting the use of toxic chemicals, increasing climate resiliency, and developing greater local stewardship. |
| 2016 | MA | 1 | Mystic River Watershed Association -- $80,116 Beth MacBlane, 20 Academy Street, Suite 306, Arlington, MA 02476 Mystic River Herring Run Project The Mystic River Herring Run Project is engaging 1,500 students and 200 adults across five school districts to improve educational literacy on riverine ecology and the migration of herring. The project also works to increase knowledge of environmental stewardship of water resources and educate communities about storm water pollution and its effects on the Mystic River watershed. This program creates, maintains, and shares a web portal that provides educational media used to count herring during migration, helps assess water quality indicators, and documents information about the watershed. The Mystic River Watershed Association is promoting river ecology by providing hands-on experiences to students and adults that include hosting workshops in schools, field trips to view fish ladders, and events along the river. |
| 2016 | MI | 5 | Regents of the University of Michigan, -- $91,000 Patricia Koman, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 See for Yourself: What’s in Your Water? The See for Yourself: What’s in Your Water project works to increase environmental awareness among students and community members in Flint, Michigan, and encourage actions and behaviors that will enhance local water quality and serve as an example for other communities. The University of Michigan (UM), in collaboration with its community-based partners, will increase the environmental literacy of more than 500 adult learners and students in Kindergarten through grade 12 participating in the Lead Awareness Week. Along with five sub-grantees, UM also sponsors in-person experiential trainings for Flint area residents and provides on-line, web-based training for national partnerships. Both training programs focus on water quality, drinking water delivery systems, sampling, chemical and biological contaminants, and actions to protect the environment. Flint residents are able to use this citizen science project to learn more about the processes for improving and maintaining water quality in their community. |
| 2016 | MN | 5 | The Children and Nature Network, -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Sarah Milligan Toffler, 808 14th Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 The Family Time in Environment = Responsible Stewardship (TIERS) Program In collaboration with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the Children and Nature Network’s Family Nature Club (FNC) provides environmental education training and tools to more than 800 parents and children. The Family TIERS Program encourages families to identify local environmental issues and engage in responsible stewardship by working with 10 community-based teams. The teams, made up of volunteer parents and staff from zoos and aquariums from across the country, are trained to recruit and maintain membership in FNC and encourage outdoor recreation and nature exploration for families new to the environmental education field. This program aims to increase environmental literacy in the areas of basic hydrology, watersheds and water quality, aquatic ecosystems, riparian wildlife habitats, and climate change through action plans designed to engage adults and children of all ages. |
| 2016 | NE | 7 | Board of Regents, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, -- $91,000 Jenny Keshwani, 3835 Holdridge Street, Lincoln, NE 68583 Introducing Environmental Sustainability Principles for Food Production into High School Science The Introducing Environmental Sustainability Principles for Food Production into High School Science program implements, pilot tests, evaluates, and disseminates a curriculum that introduces high school students to assess the sustainability of local farms using the Fieldprint® calculator developed by Field to Market. The tool is used to measure field characteristics such as land use efficiency, greenhouse gas contribution, and water quality impact to understand the importance of food and agriculture systems needed to sustain the growing world population. The curriculum provides a framework for bringing together 87 teachers, 240 students, and 120 farmers to understand the complex adaptive processes involved in the food system and encourages students to make decisions that support environmental sustainability. |
| 2016 | NE | 7 | National Audubon Society, Inc. d/b/a Rowe Sanctuary, Gibbon, NE 68840 -- $90,843 Bill Taddicken, 44450 Elm Island Road, Gibbon, NE 68840 Wetlands for Schools and Communities In partnership with Kearney Public Schools, the Wetland for Schools and Communities project creates an outdoor wetland that, along with adjacent grasslands, provides a habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and grassland birds and helps improve water quality and increase groundwater recharge while filtering runoff. An outdoor classroom and an environmental education curriculum, developed with grant funds, provide students at Kearney High School with hands-on experiences that build a culture of environmental stewardship in the community. More than 1,000 students will be engaged in the project, and an additional 60 students help design, plan, and execute the seedling plantings. Along with the Visitors Bureau and the Kearney Whitewater Association, Rowe Sanctuary invites families to become involved in outdoor activities such as planting and seeding to help maintain a long-term wetland maintenance plan. |
| 2016 | NM | 6 | Talking Talons Youth Leadership, -- $91,000 12165 Hwy 14 North, Suite B-8 Cedar Crest, NM 87008 Spring to River – Hidden in Plain Sight The Spring to River – Hidden in Plain Sight program conducts youth environmental education and stewardship projects, educator training, and community meetings dedicated to improving and protecting the health of the local Tijeras Creek Watershed in New Mexico. The curriculum focuses on advancing local and state educational goals in the New Mexico Environmental Literacy Plan by educating both students and the community. Service learning and stewardship sessions are offered at Carlito Springs, Tijeras Creek, and the Valle de Oro Urban Wildlife Refuge watershed sites, including invasive species identification and removal; water quality testing; trash pickup and assessment; pollution source identification; native species identification and planting; erosion control projects, building gabions, berms and sponges; and water and vegetation monitoring. Students are exposed to opportunities in STEM careers, learn how to be involved in watershed stewardship, and learn various methods for developing programs that may be used to protect the watershed. |
| 2016 | NY | 2 | Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, -- $91,000 Christopher Murawski, 721 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203-1321 The Water Academy: A Place-Based, Community-Focused Environmental Leadership Program Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper staff will manage and implement the Water Academy Program to create a place-based, community-focused leadership program. Working in collaboration with the State University of New York (SUNY) Erie Community College, the Buffalo State College Great Lakes Center, WNED public radio and NY Sea Grant, five teachers and 25 adult students attend courses in an outdoor classroom, aquatic research center, and a Great Lakes Center research vessel that focuses on the protection and restoration of fresh water resources. The program offers college credit for an experiential field course for educational professionals and local citizens that focuses on environmental problem solving, hazardous waste site cleanup and restoration, water quality monitoring, invasive species management, community building tools, train-the-trainer techniques, kayaking and other essential outdoor skills for environmental stewards, and community freshwater protection projects. Instructional plans and lesson modules are designed to be easily adapted and replicated. |
| 2016 | NY | 2 | Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (The Wild Center) -- $91,000 Kara Page, 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake, NY 12986-9712 Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience: The Adirondack Youth Climate Program Under this grant, the Adirondack Youth Climate Program is hosting presentations and workshops led by climate experts for 400 to 500 high school students, 45 teachers, and 50 high school age climate leaders on reducing emissions and climate impacts. Participants will create a Climate Action Plan, a framework for reducing emission and climate impacts in the community. Students will participate in place-based Youth Climate Summits and lead climate projects through a Youth Climate Leadership Practicum. In addition, teachers enhance their comprehension of climate science and cultivate stewardship through a Teacher Climate Institute. Activities to enhance the Wild Center’s Adirondack Youth Climate Program website include housing project resources and producing a video about project impacts. Focused on the greater Adirondack region of northern New York – including some of the poorest and more rural counties in the state — the project increases climate change awareness and introduces community-based climate projects. |
| 2016 | OH | 5 | Rural Action, -- $91,000 Joe Brehm, 9030 Hocking Hills Drive, The Plains, Ohio 45780 Appalachian Green Teachers Project (AGPT) – Rural Action and Camp Oty’Okwa The Appalachian Green Teachers Project (AGPT) improves student environmental literacy, increases community stewardship activities, and builds the capacity of schools, teachers, and environmental educators to use EE to improve student learning and achievement. Environmental leadership training provides high school students opportunities to engage in climate and energy projects. Under the project, teachers, students, and members of the community use outdoor spaces as teaching tools, participate in workshops focused on regional environmental issues, and conduct citizen science projects to collect biodiversity data and study the impact of climate change on local flora and fauna. As a model program, AGPT focuses heavily on curricula that directly relate to the Appalachian Ohio region, involving data about waterways in the lower Ohio River basin, biodiversity, and local flora and fauna. Rural Action uses this program to encourage behavioral changes intended to minimize the impacts of climate change and educate the community about energy projects. |
| 2016 | OR | 10 | Corvallis Environmental Center, -- $91,000 Carly Lettero, 214 SW Monroe Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97339 Classrooms Take Charge – Corvallis, OR The Classrooms Take Charge project modifies an existing on-line education tool that introduces middle school students to the Carbon TIME (Transformations in Matter and Energy) curriculum. The Corvallis Environmental Center hosts a multi-day workshop to provide 15 formal and non-formal educators with strategies to teach “tracing matter and energy through human energy systems” through classroom, on-line, and service learning. Some 1,500 middle school students are involved in the program through in-class, on-line, and service learning with student-led projects. This project educates students about sustainability and behavioral changes that can affect climate change impacts and water and energy conservation practices, increases access to educational materials on climate change, and builds a local network of teachers who focus on sustainability. Participating students are encouraged to adopt energy-saving behaviors and create measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and in water use. |
| 2016 | PA | 3 | Middletown Township, -- $15,000 Debbie Lamanna, 3 Municipal Way, Langhorne, PA 19047 Educating in Action to Save Idlewood The Educating in Action to Save Idlewood project improves environmental education through comprehensive, experiential curricula that combine textbook knowledge and interactive learning to create environmental stewards. Some 2,555 high school students at Neshaminy High School and their educators participate in lessons hosted in the school’s back yard to learn how to care for the area in an environmentally friendly way. Students and community members can monitor their influence on their natural habitat throughout the school year and during Idlewood Action Days. |
| 2016 | PA | 3 | National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC), -- $91,000 Nancy De Leon Link, 1500 Market Street, LM-Mailroom, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Asthma, Climate Change and You: Southern PA Environmental Education Local Grant Project The Asthma, Climate Change and You: Southern PA Environmental Education Local Grant Project provides training for 20 educators and school-based health centers about the effects of climate change on asthma and air quality. Ten or more workshops will be held for 250 students in grades 3 through 9, including one-on-one follow-up education for at least 100 asthmatic children, to emphasize how climate change and exposure to toxins and chemicals such as pesticides can affect their asthma. Ultimately, more than 500 students will be reached under this grant. |
| 2016 | PA | 3 | Stroud Water Research Center, -- $192,200 (HQ Grant) Dr. David Arscott, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311 Greening STEM Technologies: A Model for Advancing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Environmental Sensing Networks The Stroud Water Research Center is developing a sustainable and replicable model program for community stakeholders, including adult learners, teachers, and students, with do-it-yourself (DIY) technology, techniques, training, and curricula focused on water quality monitoring. These tools will enable users to collect advanced water quality information on threatened and impaired waterways throughout the U.S., while also teaching critical thinking skills and data interpretation. In addition, workshop participants will be introduced to diverse sensor technologies used for monitoring climate change, air quality, and soil health and function. In all, eight to 10 citizen science workshops will be held with at least 40 attendees each, and five schools will receive 4th to 12th grade curricula on water quality monitoring that will also be posted on line. Workshops and school locations will span across five EPA Regions, reaching at least 500 individual participants in five different states and the District of Columbia, to test the replicability of the project in a variety of geographic locations and with a diversity of communities. |
| 2016 | PR | 2 | University of Puerto Rico – Estación Experimental Agrícola, -- $91,000 Dr. David Sotomayor-Ramirez, Jardin Botonico Sur, 1193 Calle Guayacan, San Juan, PR 00926-1118 Exploring Solutions to Point and Non-Point Sources of Contamination in the Lajas Valley Watershed The College of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico – Agricola offers a program that engages students in exploring solutions to point and non-point source contamination in the Lajas Valley watershed. Secondary school students from the local 4-H club program learn how to collect water quality samples from the watershed, which are then sent to the University of Puerto Rico for analysis. The students work to identify the sources and causes of the contamination and discuss possible prevention methods and governmental or educational campaign involvement in future mitigation. |
| 2016 | RI | 1 | Groundwork Providence, Pawtucket, -- $91,000 Amelia Rose, 1005 Main Street, #1223, Pawtucket, RI 02860 Building Capacity for Urban Environmental Education & Stewardship in Providence Under this grant, Groundwork Providence (GWP) is offering environmental educational programming to 300 students and 50 adults who live in neighborhoods with environmental justice concerns. The three GWP sites are redeveloped brownfields and former vacant, abandoned, and underutilized properties that have been transformed into community assets and all are within walking distance to schools and community centers. Using place-based, experiential learning, GWP is providing guidelines for safe and environmentally friendly practices in waste management and water quality, trees and climate change, urban agriculture, and non-chemical pest control. Members of the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association (RIEEA) are providing educational programming that is aligned with national standards to promote best practices among informal and formal educators. |
| 2016 | TX | 6 | IDEA Public Schools, -- $91,000 2115 W. Pike Blvd, Weslaco, TX 78596 Project H2Oh! Project H2Oh! introduces more than 16,000 students in grades 2 through 12 living along the Texas-Mexico border to environmental education and helps them develop an understanding of the importance of water and the water cycle. Students are encouraged to think about how their community uses water for economic and recreational purposes; develop improvement ideas for the local Camp Rio grounds, lakes, and marshes; and articulate how they and their families can be better stewards of water as a precious natural resource. Lessons include guided hikes to observe the water cycle in a natural landscape; hands-on work with native seeds, plants, and soil; and discussions focused on the benefits of water quality stewardship. This grant fully implements environmental education into the core curriculum of English, math, science, and social studies to increase environmental literacy. Students in the Rio Grande Valley are encouraged to pursue environmental studies and post-secondary careers and internships in STEM-related degrees. |
| 2016 | VA | 3 | National Wildlife Federation, -- $91,000 Rebecca Neumann, 11110 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190 School Grounds for Learning The goal of the School Grounds for Learning project is to transform 10 National Wildlife Eco-schools and Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education schools over the next 2 years into hubs of environmental learning and action. Twenty teachers, 1,200 middle and high school students, and community members from underserved neighborhoods are introduced to the impacts of human activity on water quality and learn about indicators of the health of the Chesapeake Bay through collecting water quality data and creating schoolyard habitats. The students test water samples, measure oysters, and engage in discussions focused on solutions and deliberation to understand the ties between their community and water quality of Gwynns Falls in Baltimore, Maryland. |
| 2016 | VA | 3 | Prince William County Public Schools, -- $31,934 Julie Renberg, 14715 Bristow Road, Manassas, VA 20112 Ready for Action: Broadening the Scope of Middle and High School MWEEs This project provides meaningful hands-on education experiences on the watershed for high school students in Prince William County Public Schools. Under this grant, 15 high school teachers are trained in the Schoolyard Habitat Program and, in turn, create and use schoolyard habitats to increase literacy and student-led action projects for 1,500 high school students. An additional 15 teachers will be trained in the Sewer Science Program, which will educate 1,500 students about the impacts of water quality on drinking water sources and increase student-led action projects. |
| 2016 | WA | 10 | Green River College, -- $85,773 Dr. Monica Paulsen Priebe, 12401 SE 320th Street, Auburn, WA 98092 Green River College Environmental Education (EE) Project – Auburn, Washington The Green River College EE Project provides environmental education to more than 2,000 residents in the Soos Creek Watershed in King County, Washington. The environmental education program, in collaboration with Green River College’s Natural Resource program, the Green River Coalition, the Institute for Community Leadership, the City of Kent, and EarthCorps, includes activities such as training seven Green River College students and three Coalition interns on development and presentation of environmental education materials; supporting dissemination and public review of the Water Quality Improvement Report, including information on Washington Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) results, the health of the watershed, and mitigation possibilities; and assessing, preparing, and implementing local restoration plans. Participants also present and distribute project data and recommendations at regional and national environmental education networking events. |
| 2016 | WA | 10 | Oxbow Center for Sustainable Agriculture, -- $90,474 Jessica Price, 10819 Carnation-Duvall Road NE, Carnation, WA 98014 Partnering for the Future: Enhancing Community Capacity for Environmental Education – Carnation, Washington The Oxbow Center partners with a nearby elementary school to provide 300 low-income minority kindergarteners, 1,100 other students, and more than 200 teachers, staff, and volunteers with an environmental education program. Students gain access to an outdoor, hands-on learning experience that helps them make connections among agriculture, conservation, and nature. The Center offers a 30-acre production farm, a native plant nursery used for habitat restoration, and a farm-based environmental education program. The project takes place at the Oxbow facilities through in-class sessions at the school and outdoor sessions at the school’s green spaces. The Center works with the University of Idaho’s McCall Outdoor School to develop curriculum that teaches critical thinking through hands-on investigation. |
| 2016 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin – Extension, -- $80,000 R. Justin Hougham, N194 County Road N, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965 The Digital Observation Technology Skills (DOTS): Students Collecting Data in their Environment The University of Wisconsin is using the Digital Observation Technology Skills (DOTS): Students Collecting Data in their Environment project to increase environmental literacy and stewardship in under-represented urban and rural communities through innovative mobile technology tools. The state’s capacity for formal and non-formal environmental education will be expanded through educators’ use of technology. Students and teachers will have access to soil and water quality monitoring resources and opportunities to participate in hands-on activities that build environmental awareness and enhance critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making regarding the use of technology in monitoring natural resources in the state. Learning takes place near freshwater bodies such as two of the Great Lakes, two major Midwestern rivers, and locations where recreational and commercial tourism and agricultural practices are affecting water quality. |
| 2017 | AL | 4 | Birmingham Zoo, Inc. -- $91,000 Karen Norman Carroll, 2630 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, AL 35223-1106 Water Investigations Project The Birmingham Zoo, Inc. provides environmental education programming to the Birmingham community via its ZooSchool program, as well as other educational initiatives led by its Education Department staff. ZooSchool is a hands-on, E-STEM (environment, science, technology, engineering and math) initiative offered at no cost to participating public school students and their teachers. The program is conducted over 20 weeks and implemented as a weekly immersive experience that takes place at the Zoo. It is specifically targeted to 7th grade students who attend Birmingham public schools. Each week, a new cohort of 40 students and 2 teachers arrive at the Zoo to participate in 5 days of educational programming that addresses a variety of environmental issues, such as water conservation, recycling, agriculture, and species endangerment. Program activities reinforce learning opportunities for students and families, professional training for teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade, and interactions with program partners. |
| 2017 | AL | 4 | Mobile Baykeeper Inc. -- $91,000 Casi Callaway, 450-C Government Street, Mobile, AL 36602 SWAMP - Strategic Watershed Awareness and Monitoring Program The Strategic Watershed Awareness and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) is an education and monitoring program designed to broaden an understanding of watersheds and water quality, and the impact of people living and working in the community. Under the program, Mobile Baykeeper personnel educate high school students and community members about watersheds and enlist volunteers within these groups to receive training to monitor specific, local waterways. Baykeeper trains participants to monitor water quality, assess shoreline/stream bank conditions, and track changes over time. Through participation in SWAMP, community members and students investigate a water quality or pollution problem and develop a solution to make a difference in their quality of life, economy, and natural resources. |
| 2017 | CA | 9 | Groundwork San Diego – Chollas Creek -- $91,000 Leslie Reynolds, 5106 Federal Blvd. #203, San Diego, CA 92105 EarthLab Academy: Protecting Water Resources and Enhancing Environmental Literacy The EarthLab Academy project provides environmental education through the development and delivery of a high-impact, interdisciplinary curriculum focused on water use and water conservation for middle school students. Field trips, teacher-professional development classes, and community workshops are also conducted to increase environmental literacy among students and residents of the Encanto area of Southeast San Diego. In partnership with three San Diego Unified School District middle schools and the University of California San Diego, 60 students participate in the 2-week EarthLab Summer Science Academy at Groundwork's 4-acre EarthLab to learn about water quality, use, and conservation. Teachers adapt the summer curriculum to support in-class instruction during the fall term. Four hundred students participate in the Academy's Fall Extension at partner schools. In addition, students make presentations to community members and Groundwork's Board of Directors. |
| 2017 | CA | 9 | Sierra Streams Institute -- $91,000 Sol Henson, 431 Uren St., Suite C, Nevada City, CA 95959 Center for Environmental and Citizen Science The Sierra Streams Institute (SSI), in partnership with the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools and Sierra Friends Center, is establishing the Center for Environmental and Citizen Science at the Woolman Property near Nevada City, CA, to serve as a county-wide and regional environmental education resource for students and teachers. The Sierra Streams Institute is adapting existing environmental education curriculum to reflect local environmental and historical concerns including long-term impacts of mining and extractive industries, the ecological importance and restoration needs of the local watershed, and the history of survival and adaptation of Native American tribes in the area. The curriculum is implemented at the center and in classes before and after student field trips to the center and focuses on restoring and protecting local watersheds, pond studies, restoration and invasive species removal, and phenology. SSI aims to reach more than 1,000 students and 40 teachers under this project. |
| 2017 | CA | 9 | The Energy Coalition -- $91,000 Melanie Peck, 47 Discovery, Irvine, CA 92618 Out-of-School Time Energy Program (OSTEP) The Energy Coalition's Out-of-School Time Energy Program introduces elementary and high school students in Contra Costa County, California, to green careers through project-based learning, mentoring with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals in both the public and private sectors, and online lessons. A minimum of 75 educators from 15 schools at West Contra Costa Unified School District and Pittsburg Unified School District are participating, and in turn will reach 3,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The train-the-trainer model uses ambassadors to disseminate toolkits and lesson plans in four main topic areas: (1) electricity and gas, (2) waste reduction and litter, (3) air quality and transportation, and (4) water conservation. |
| 2017 | CO | 8 | National Space Science & Technology Institute -- $91,000 Robert Sallee, 565 Space Center Dr., #330, Colorado Springs, CO 80915 Implementation of the GLOBE Program This project introduces 2,162 middle school students to vital environmental issues related to Colorado water supplies using a mobile science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) lab. The National Space Science & Technology Institute is implementing the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program at five Colorado middle schools with large ethnic student populations that are typically underrepresented in STEM degree programs and career fields to engage students in place-based, data-driven science investigations. Under the project, students and teachers increase their understanding about and appreciation of the importance of hydrological systems in their community, how these systems are affected by human influences, and how these hydrological systems fit into the global picture. Environmental stewardship is promoted, and students and teachers increase their capacity for informed decision-making about water issues on both a local and global scale. |
| 2017 | CO | 8 | Walking Mountains Science Center -- $91,000 Gina Garrett, 316 Walking Mountains Lane, PO Box 9469, Avon, CO 81620 Communities Educating for Environmental Responsibility Through the Communities Educating for Environmental Responsibility (CEER) project, Walking Mountains Science Center (WMSC) is expanding the utilization of resources to provide professional development opportunities to local school administrators and teachers and to offer access to quality outdoor learning experiences that focus on standards-based environmental education. WMSC has successfully implemented highly engaging curriculum in partnership with their local public and private schools and this effort is growing environmental stewardship of its mountain region. Under the project, CEER is implementing comprehensive environmental education curriculum that can be used by teachers in their classrooms, professional development for school teachers so they can successfully and confidently implement environmental education, and consistent exposure for students to participate in field science experiences to create relevant connections between classroom curriculum and environmental issues. This project is a multi-tiered approach to increase environmental literacy and creates a model that can be replicated in numerous public-school districts nationwide. WMSC has a long-standing reputation for effective place-based environmental education and this project is benefitting the national effort to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues. |
| 2017 | CO | 8 | Wildlands Restoration Volunteers -- $91,000 Sarah Egolf, 3012 Sterling Circle, Suite 201, Boulder, CO 80301-2332 Empowering Youth to Empower Themselves through Ecological Stewardship Wildlands Restoration Volunteers provides service learning opportunities to diverse youth throughout the Front Range to engage them in leadership development, critical thinking, and community-based action projects. Under the Ecological Stewardship project, not only are youth participating in environmental stewardship projects across the Front Range, but are also designing their own leadership certificate – incentive structures, desired skills, as well as leadership and mentorship opportunities – to create programming that is meaningful and relevant to their lives. Recruitment for this program takes place in high school classrooms, clubs, and out-of-school engagements and is accomplished by the Youth and Inclusiveness Program. |
| 2017 | CT | 1 | National Audubon Society -- $91,000 Michelle Frankel, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT 06831-2614 Creating School Habitats in Connecticut The goal of Audubon’s Schoolyard Habitat Program is to establish a vibrant and sustainable network of schoolyard habitats in urban communities within Connecticut’s Long Island Sound Study Area. The habitats serve to engage school communities in place-based, community-focused environmental education and stewardship. Under this project, Audubon works with 16 public schools in Connecticut’s New Haven and Fairfield counties in their ongoing effort to develop bird-friendly habitat in schoolyards, integrate place-based environmental education into the school curriculum, and engage the school and local community in conservation action to benefit people, wildlife, and watershed health. The goals of the project are to enhance schoolyard habitats that serve as outdoor classrooms; implement professional development for teachers and experiential, place-based environmental education activities for students; provide high school students with career development and employment opportunities; and build capacity in New Haven and Fairfield counties to expand the schoolyard habitat network by developing leadership, sharing best practices, and supporting a Schoolyard Habitat Community of Practice. |
| 2017 | GA | 4 | Captain Planet Foundation -- $91,000 Karan Wood, 133 Luckie Street, Atlanta, GA 30303 From Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to Stewardship in the Schoolyard: Advancing K-12 Science through Environmental Education The Captain Planet Foundation strives to strengthen the field of environmental education by transforming how science is taught in schools and empowering the next generation of environmental stewards. The foundation’s strategy is to develop and provide a replicable model that encompasses exemplary curriculum materials and providing professional development for educators, supplies and material kits, and mentoring to assist with implementation. The ‘STEM to Stewardship’ model nurtures the affinity students have for nature through place-based learning activities, which allows students to conduct authentic scientific work that deepens their understanding of core ideas. It cultivates their ability to reason using evidence and raises awareness that human health and well-being are linked to the conservation of natural resources. |
| 2017 | HI | 9 | The Kohala Center -- $91,000 Dr. Huihui Kanaheel-Mossam Farm to Forest: Leveraging the Hawai’i Island School Garden Network in Support of Native Forest Restoration The Farm to Forest project is designed to promote environmental stewardship and develop informed and responsible community members on the island of Hawai'i with an educational model that can be replicated state-wide. Over a 2-year period, participants of four middle schools garden programs, 16 teachers, and 400 students are participating in field trips, hands-on science labs, and environmental monitoring to educate students about their local ecosystems and the benefits of healthy native forests. |
| 2017 | ID | 10 | Wilderness Science Education -- $91,000 Leslie Freeman, PO Box 3174, McCall, ID 83638 CREST – Central Idaho Rural Environmental Stewardship Team Under the Central Idaho Rural Environmental Stewardship Team (CREST) project, a sustainable watershed program is implemented in Central Idaho to educate and train 550 students and educators and engage the community using place-based restoration projects in schools, as well as range and forest locations on private and public land. The project is conducted in public schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade located in six rural, mountain communities with historical natural resource-based economies. Each student group works on a place-based watershed education project; for example, collection and analysis of water quality and wildlife habitat data, monitoring stream habitats, and the use of nose pumps to prevent cattle from grazing in riparian zones. The students create a YouTube channel for sharing digital storytelling videos and share videos/photos on their website. The students also share the results of their projects with other rural schools and through presentations at several conferences. |
| 2017 | IL | 5 | Chicago Horticultural Society -- $91,000 Jennifer Schwartz-Ballard, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022 Science First and College First: Connecting Chicago’s Youth to Local Environmental Priorities The goal of the Science First and College First: Connecting Chicago’s Youth to Local Environmental Priorities Project is to promote environmental stewardship among Chicago Public School students and local residents, including those living in low-income communities who are disproportionately impacted by environmental issues. The project engages approximately 80 primarily low-income, minority students from Chicago Public Schools in an in-depth, place-based environmental education curriculum. Through partnerships with five Chicago organizations, students are involved in decision-making, action, and stewardship activities that are directed by environmental science and community professionals. In addition, up to 1,000 visitors, residents, and constituents are informed about sources of environmental issues that impact their daily lives and develop and implement five to seven strategies for community-lead change. |
| 2017 | IA | 7 | Resource and Development for Northeast Iowa Inc. -- $87,770 Lora Friest, P O Box 916, Postville, IA 52162-0916 NE Iowa Stormwater Education Program Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development is a seven-county nonprofit organization that works with communities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, County Conservation Boards and schools to develop, implement, and educate the public about urban and rural conservation projects and plans. Under this project, youth and community members are engaged in experiential learning projects that empower them to implement public and private stormwater runoff programs and practices for improved water quality and increased watershed resiliency at home, school, work, and in communities. The project includes demonstrations of stormwater management techniques and preparation of an educational site plan with bilingual educational kiosks and a brochure to help youth and adults understand the techniques. At least 10 field trips per project year involving approximately 25 students per field trip are held and guided stormwater management programs for representatives from 35 communities are conducted. |
| 2017 | KS | 7 | Climate and Energy Project, Inc. -- $91,000 Dorothy Barnett, 123 W. 8th Street, Suite 100, Lawrence, KS 66044-2687 Expanding Environmental Leadership and Education in Kansas The Climate and Energy Project works to find practical solutions for a clean energy future and to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in America's Heartland through the ambitious deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy. This project aims to develop and support a network of environmental leaders in Kansas to build capacity for adult-focused environmental education in the state and create a shared set of materials on critical topics. Up to 40 adults complete the Kansas Leadership Program: "You. Lead. Now." and train 75 leaders through a workshop conducted by the Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmental Educators. Sub-grants will support attendance at the workshops and materials development. The leadership opportunity is advertised through existing partnerships in low-income communities in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as broadly across the state in both urban and rural communities. Working groups collaboratively develop materials that integrate environmental education into priority areas focusing on climate issues that impact water, energy, land, and food systems in Kansas. |
| 2017 | LA | 6 | Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education, Inc. -- $91,000 Francoise McHugh, 2001 Leon C. Simon Dr., New Orleans, LA 70122 Student Coastal Scientists The Student Coastal Scientist project integrates inquiry and problem-based learning in environmental science education as a strategy for encouraging critical and creative thinking about complex coastal science issues. The project expands a model that is already being implemented at two high schools that is preparing students to solve complex problems by posing and testing questions through observation, data collection, and creative thinking. Under the project, at least 200 junior high school students and 200 high school students are engaged in problem-based inquiry research in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, with a focus on the importance of the coastal wetlands that surround the city of New Orleans. Mentorship is provided for more than 50 student research projects on topics relevant to coastal sciences, while exposing high school students to a range of technologies, such as geospatial analysis, hydrodynamic modeling, and sediment analysis. Students are prepared for future careers in coastal science and engineering by exposing them to current scientific methods used to understand coastal systems. |
| 2017 | LA | 6 | Sci-Port Discovery Center -- $91,000 Ann Fumarolo, 820 Clyde Fant Parkway, Shreveport, LA 71101-3667 Watershed to the Red Environmental Education Project The Sci-Port Discovery Center’s Watershed to the Red project educates rural and urban students about the importance of good environmental practices, water safety, and stewardship, and aims to reconnect students to the outdoor environment. Students in the Caddo and Bossier parishes are educated about the importance of storm drain protection and management of trash that enters storm drains. Twelve teachers are implementing this environmental education program in their classrooms over a 2-year period by participating in educator training, field trips to Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center, and classroom activities that connect watershed education to outdoor stewardship opportunities. Approximately 420 students in 3rd through 6th grade are involved in each year of the project. Other activities being conducted under the project include the development of an educator’s guide, water activity play days and hands-on classroom activities, citizen science activities and community action projects, and field trips to Sci-Port for hands-on watershed programming. |
| 2017 | MA | 1 | Health Resources in Action, Inc. -- $91,000 Lisa Aslan, 2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02116-6203 Leaders through Education, Action and Hope Project (LEAH) The Leaders through Education, Action and Hope (LEAH) Project is a youth and career development program that provides 30 low-income, minority high school students from Boston Public Schools with paid internships to teach an evidence-based science curriculum to elementary school children in afterschool programs. Specifically, through the LEAH Project, high school students are trained to teach 375 students in 4th through 6th grade an evidence-based Urban Ecology Curriculum (UEC), which has been adapted specifically for this age group. The LEAH Project pilots the UEC, which uses interactive lessons to engage students in learning, problem solving, and decision-making related to climate change. Partner sub-grants support events in which students serve as stewards to address climate change issues in their neighborhoods. |
| 2017 | MA | 1 | New England Aquarium -- $90,864 John Anderson, Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110-3399 Promoting Education through Action for Conservation of Habitats (PEACH) Under the Promoting Education through Action for Conservation of Habitats (PEACH) project, 500 Boston area youth and adult volunteers are educated about habitat restoration opportunities. The New England Aquarium partners with five to seven local environmental organizations to build capacity through trainings for their staff members who in turn offer volunteers orientation programs to manage habitat restoration and citizen science projects. This project is focused on habitat areas that are part of local watersheds that can help protect water resources and reduce harmful inputs to area streams and rivers that flow into Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay. Many of the partner organizations have initiated habitat restoration projects and this funding allows for the expansion of and more in-depth education about watersheds and water quality. |
| 2017 | MI | 5 | Michigan Technological University -- $91,000 Jennifer Bukovich, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 Creating Great Lakes Stewards to Promote Clean Water & Healthy Urban Watersheds in Detroit The Creating Great Lakes Stewards to Promote Clean Water & Healthy Urban Watersheds in Detroit project builds the capacity of students and teachers to be stewards of urban water resources in Detroit. Under the project, 32 teachers attend five professional development workshops to enhance their environmental education teaching skills, community partnership-building skills, and knowledge of local water resources. Approximately 960 students participate in investigations of Detroit’s water resource and natural resource career paths, both in the classroom and via participation in two water investigation field trips. They participate in a water stewardship project, create journals, and design and plan display boards about environmental topics. |
| 2017 | NE | 7 | The Groundwater Foundation Project -- $91,000 Aaron Martin, 3201 Pioneers Blvd., Suite 105, Lincoln, NE 68502-5963 Recharging Groundwater Education The Groundwater Foundation trains educators to use proven educational project-based activities that require students to solve problems and think critically about local environmental threats to their water supply. This project increases student awareness and encourages action to protect groundwater resources in communities in Nebraska and generates awareness of career opportunities in science, engineering, and water. The Groundwater Foundation mentors up to 10 secondary students through real-world internships and enhances educator knowledge and resources by conducting five to seven training sessions in Nebraska for up to 75 educators and distributing toolkits. Three grade-level (upper-elementary, middle school and high school) training sessions are also being developed under the project. |
| 2017 | TX | 6 | Student Conservation Association, Inc. -- $76,744 Joellyn Stack, 689 River Rd., PO Box 550, NH 03603 Student Conservation Association-Houston Community Program with Carnegie Vanguard High School This project enhances environmental education through hands-on, field-based experiences that align with state education standards and are integrated with classroom instruction. This is accomplished through delivery of a water education seminar to 600 Carnegie Vanguard High School students, citizen-science student train-the-trainer instruction and certification, and professional development workshops for teachers and school volunteers. The interactive water education seminar includes educational demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on activities and community projects (such as students implementing the curriculum and demonstrations at other nearby schools) related to locally-relevant water conservation and protection topics. Students are provided with Citizen Science train-the-trainer instruction and certification. Teacher training is conducted to prepare them for the seminar, and educational modules are available for teachers to present before and after the seminar. |
| 2017 | NJ | 2 | The College of New Jersey -- $91,000 Lauren Madden, 2000 Pennington Rd., Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 Eco-Teachers: Protecting Water and Connecting Minds through Environmental Education The goal of the Eco-Teachers Project is to train teachers in environmental education content and pedagogy in a place-based education setting. The project implements professional development seminars in 10 school-based teams of teachers from elementary schools located within 20 miles of The College of New Jersey. Each participating teacher has a class size of 20 students, leading to a direct impact upon approximately 1,000 students. Participants apply the knowledge and skills they gain during the seminars by developing school-specific environmental sustainability education projects in their home schools. |
| 2017 | NY | 2 | Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Inc. -- $91,000 Christina Taylor, 80 Van Cortlandt Park South Suite E1, Bronx, NY 10463 Wetland Stewardship for a Healthier Bronx Watershed The goal of the Wetland Stewardship Project is to educate school groups, high school interns, and community members about the 56-acre Van Cortlandt Wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems and to work with them to identify sources of water quality impairments, complete wetland restoration projects, and collect data that can be used for the creation of a wetland green infrastructure plan to restore the Van Cortlandt Wetlands. The wetlands consist of more than half of the 98-acres of freshwater wetlands remaining in the Bronx. The project focuses outreach efforts (lesson plans, internships and workshops) on students in 4th through 12th grade in Bronx public schools, while also allowing community members and others to participate. Wetland tours are also provided for the public. The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park anticipates reaching 400 individuals through this program. |
| 2017 | OR | 10 | McKenzie Watershed Alliance -- $63,840 Amanda Gilbert, PO Box 70166. Springfield, OR 97475 Watershed Action Teams for Education, Restoration and Stewardship Program The Watershed Action Teams for Education, Restoration and Stewardship Program enhances student understanding of their local natural ecosystems, awareness of actions to protect local watersheds, and willingness to participate in efforts to enhance and conserve local watersheds through field-based scientific inquiry. The program provides a scalable model for enhanced environmental education that directly involves secondary students in watershed stewardship projects within Lane County. The projects benefit local fish and wildlife habitat and water quality and are conducted through voluntary and collaborative activities. Approximately 130 students from six rural and urban schools are involved with watershed monitoring projects in collaboration with state and federal agencies, watershed councils, private landowners, and public utilities. |
| 2017 | OR | 10 | Western Oregon University -- $91,000 Adele Schepige, 345 Monmouth Avenue North, Monmouth, OR 97361 Fish Eggs to Fry Implementation (FEFI) Project The Fish Eggs to Fry Implementation (FEFI) project involves creating a salmonid life-cycle curriculum and developing and piloting a professional learning workshop for elementary school educators. The curriculum focuses on meaningful environmental educational experiences with an emphasis on student inquiry that supports the connections between the salmonid life cycle, healthy fish, and healthy watersheds. The FEFI Project, with support from other project partners, involves the development and implementation of one-day, locally delivered, professional development workshops for up to 50 3rd grade teachers across six to eight partner schools where teachers learn how to use the revised curriculum in the classroom and the natural environment. At the end of the project, teachers are invited to a half-day follow-up symposium to evaluate and improve the curriculum. The FEFI Project content, lesson plans, and other resources are shared on existing websites. |
| 2017 | PA | 3 | Alvernia University -- $91,000 Dr. Alicia Sprow, 400 St. Bernardine Street, Reading, PA 19607 Reading Environmental Education Project for Students and Teachers The goal of this project is to strengthen environmental literacy and stewardship in Reading, Pennsylvania, by providing learning opportunities focusing on the EPA environmental priority of protecting water, a precious limited resource. Under the project, 40 teachers incorporate and implement the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program’s hydrosphere curriculum. Approximately 650 students study a variety of topics, such as water temperature, water pH, transparency, freshwater macroinvertebrates, and electrical conductivity. Using the GLOBE curriculum, students learn about the importance of protecting our environment, while simultaneously tracking important environmental data in the community. |
| 2017 | PA | 3 | Group Against Smog & Pollution, Inc. -- $91,000 Rachel Filippini, 1133 South Braddock Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15218 Air Quality for the Active: Educating Youth and Athletes about Air Pollution in Southwestern PA The goal of this project is to educate local middle school students about regional air quality issues, including air pollutants of concern and their sources (industrial, mobile, wood smoke, etc.). The project involves the development and implementation of a 1-week air quality-focused summer camp program. Partners include at least five organizations, which already offer summer camps for regional youth, and Venture Outdoors, an organization dedicated to informing the community about the benefits of outdoor recreation throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. |
| 2017 | PA | 3 | Pennsylvania State University -- $91,000 Lynn Mitchell, 110 Technology Center Building, University Park, PA 16802 An Initiative to Teach about Methane and Legacy Oil & Gas Infrastructure (MELI) in PA The goal of this project is to increase environmental stewardship in Pennsylvania by examining the environmental effects of oil and gas wells over time. The project involves measuring methane in the state’s streams in combination with teaching communities how to assess the presence of legacy wells and their environmental effects on water quality. Under the Methane and Legacy Oil and Gas Infrastructure (MELI) project, residents learn about this historical issue that impacts their communities and their water. Participants are encouraged to think critically about the long-term environmental and health impacts of legacy oil and gas infrastructure. |
| 2017 | PR | 2 | University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo -- $80,607 Dr. Jose Candelaria, University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, Carr. 653 Km. 0.8 Sector Las Dunas, Arecibo, PR 00612 Arecibo Community Environmental Education Center The goal of the Arecibo Community Environmental Education Center Project is to provide the Arecibo community tools to develop a citizen science program. The project offers a series of conferences and problem-based learning workshops for community members that include field-based and laboratory-based scientific methods. This experience enables citizens to be better informed, identify environmental problems, and be part of the solutions. The participants for the workshops are 20 pre-service teachers; 20 future Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals; 40 teachers; 120 students in kindergarten through 12th grade; and 20 senior citizens; and many hundreds more under sub-grant awardees projects. Participants represent mostly low-income, Hispanic communities in the Arecibo region. |
| 2017 | RI | 1 | Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council -- $91,000 Alicia Lehrer, 45 Eagle Street, Suite 202, Providence, RI 02909-1802 Using Parks & Partners for Broad Reaching Environmental Education The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC), in partnership with the Partnership for Providence Parks and the Roger Williams Park & Zoo Teacher Institute, connects the urban community and underserved populations with natural surroundings located within walking distance of their schools. Using WRWC’s water education curricula, the Teacher Institute trains students in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Providence public school system in field biology, wildlife conservation, watershed restoration, and outdoor education. Summer camps for 8 to 14-year old participants are also conducted in local parks. In addition, 15 to 30 high school students, through an Environmental Leaders program, engage in an environmental educational curriculum program and conduct projects on a relevant topic. The participants then teach younger students about their chosen topic. Finally, WRWC educates more than 1,000 adults who join the WRWC for stewardship activities annually. |
| 2017 | TX | 6 | Baylor University -- $91,000 Misty Schrank, PO Box 97360, Waco, TX 76798-7360 Immersed in the Wetlands – Environmental Academy for Educators The purpose of the Immersed in the Wetlands project is to design and implement a professional development model for building educators’ knowledge, skill, and ability to engage, instruct, and enhance the environmental literacy of the local community and students in 4th through 12th grade specific to wetland systems, water conservation, non-point source pollution, and the urban water cycle. The project aims to increase educators’ understanding of wetland systems and the urban water cycle and to enhance their perception of wetland systems, urban water resources, and environmental education. Educators increase their teaching skills and ability to engage students related to environmental education, wetland systems, water conservation, and non-point source pollution. The project advances educator, student, and public awareness and knowledge about wetland processes, the benefits of wetlands, and increases their willingness to make informed decisions and take responsible actions to improve the quality/function of the wetlands and other local water resources. |
| 2017 | TX | 6 | The Artist Boat, Inc. -- $90,980 Amanda Rinehart, 2627 Ave. O, Galveston, TX 77550-7839 We Back the Bay! This project improves water quality in Galveston Bay by reducing non-point source pollution. Under the program, middle school teachers are recruited from school districts within the six counties that surround Galveston Bay. Two teachers and 125 students participate in professional development, Eco-Art workshops, Eco-Art Kayak Adventures, design and installation of a WaterSmart landscape at each of five sites selected for the program over a period of 2 years. Participants in the project build awareness of the causes and consequences of poor water quality in Galveston Bay, develop critical thinking skills necessary to mitigate pollution of the Bay, and help increase water conservation and reduce storm run-off from school campuses. |
| 2017 | MI | 5 | Trout Unlimited, Inc. -- $91,000 Nichol DeMol, 1727 North Kent, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22209-2110 STREAM Girls: A Watershed-Based Education and Service Learning Program for Girls in West Michigan The goal of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, plus Recreation and Arts (STREAM) Girls: A Watershed-Based Education and Service Learning Program for Girls in West Michigan is to raise community awareness of watershed health in Michigan’s Lower Grand River watershed. The project aims to develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills through a sequence of STREAM analyses and to create an action-oriented network of young river stewards in Michigan’s Lower Grand River watershed. It is expected that STREAM Girls will be expanded to a variety of communities across the country by educating and training Trout Unlimited’s national grassroots network and other organizations located in the Lower Grand River watershed community. |
| 2017 | WA | 10 | Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group -- $91,000 Mendy Harlow, PO Box 2169, Belfair, WA 98528 Hood Canal Environmental Exploration and Education Project The Hood Canal Environmental Exploration and Education project enhances and improves environmental education in the Hood Canal Watershed by providing participants with knowledge and skills to make informed environmental decisions and take responsible actions to protect the environment. Hands-on, experiential learning opportunities are developed and delivered in the classroom to increase environmental stewardship in the Hood Canal Watershed related to clean water issues and climate change. The project targets 600 low-income and tribal students to engage them in watershed restoration work, and includes summer camps, after-school programming, and a Green Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) summit for 200 students. Students participate in the following programs: Salmon in the Classroom, Fun with Food, and Enviro and Green Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math (STREAM) program camps. |
| 2017 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Wildlife Federation -- $91,000 George Meyer, 213 North Main Street, Poynette, WI 53955-0460 F.I.E.L.D. Corps: Supporting Hands On, Feet Wet Education The goal of the F.I.E.L.D. (Fostering Inquiry and Empowering Learners through Discovery) Corps: Supporting Hands On, Feet Wet Education Project is to help students develop a land ethic by engaging them in meaningful academic learning through implementation of community-based environmental stewardship projects that are an integrated part of the regular school curricula to advance educational reform. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is working with 15 schools in Wisconsin to engage at least 500 students and increase their understanding and appreciation of the natural world’s connection to their lives through purposeful, community-based stewardship projects. This includes building the capacity of classroom teachers to deliver project-based environmental education in an outdoor setting and by developing long-term partnerships with local field experts; conservation organizations; and county, state, and federal government agencies. Student projects are focused on water issues and local watersheds. |
| 2018 | AK | 10 | University of Alaska -- $85,252 Milt Sawyer, P.O. Box 757880, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7880 Fairbanks Indoor Gardening in Alaskan Classrooms University of Alaska, Fairbanks received $85,252 to address environmental literacy deficits in Alaska students’ understanding of where their food comes from (due to 95% of their food being imported), and how growing and eating local fresh food contributes to effective environmental stewardship. The project will include conducting indoor hydroponic gardening and school waste management projects in classrooms involving teachers, students and their families, and adapting online 4-H curriculum to reach homeschoolers and independent learners. This project will reach 1,500 students and 45 teachers. |
| 2018 | CA | 9 | Education Outside -- $100,000 Marnie Regen , 135 Van Ness Ave, Room 408, San Francisco, CA, 94102 From the Ground Up Education Outside received $100,000 to teach underserved K-5 students where food comes from, how it reaches the table, and the importance of protecting the environment, through lessons, field trips, and by growing, harvesting, and cooking fresh produce. This project will reach approximately 10,000 students across 62 Bay Area schools. |
| 2018 | CA | 9 | Sequoia Riverlands Trust -- $85,239 Diane Hayes, 427 S Garden Street, Visalia, CA, 93277-2809 Sequoia Riverlands Trust Environmental Education Program Sequoia Riverlands Trust received $85,239 to engage landowners, farmers, conservationists, business partners and government agencies to provide opportunities for local youth to connect with their natural environment through classroom and outdoor education. The project will reach up to 600 students; 60 interns; 100 farmers/ranchers, teachers/educators, parents, and other community stakeholders; and 300 volunteers/community members. |
| 2018 | CO, WY | 8 | National Audubon Society (Audubon California) -- $85,252 Jacelyn Downey, Richardson Bay Audobon Center & Sanctuary 376 Green Wood Beach Rd., Tiburon, CA, 94920 Focus on Community Action: How communities can make a difference for birds and other wildlife locally with a global impact. The National Audubon Society received $85,252 to empower and inform a capable and responsible cadre of youth and adults. Project activities will engage 4,000 community members in formal and non-formal citizen science programs and facilitate the instillation of bird-friendly gardens that promote environmental and conservation stewardship for the health and survival of birds and other wildlife. Additionally, this project will train educators to host Habitat Hero workshops & presentations, Wildscape Ambassador trainings, tabling outreach strategies, and engage youth in citizen science activities. |
| 2018 | CO, WY, MT | 8 | Arizona Board of Regents-Arizona State University -- $100,000 Daniel Collins, PO Box 876011, Tempe, AZ, 85287-6011 SCAPE2: Sustainable Communities and Place-based education The Arizona Board of Regents-Arizona State University received $100,000 for master teachers, curriculum designers, and media/computer experts to craft a prototype curriculum focused on water quality in the arid Mountain West. Classroom teachers will be introduced to the curriculum through workshops and online materials, and students will use it to identify water quality issues, conduct fieldwork, and become stewards to measure and protect water quality and supply. |
| 2018 | CT | 1 | EdAdvance -- $100,000 Abby Peklo, 155 Goshen Road, Litchfield, CT, 06759 Green LEAF Project - Leading, Educating, Achieving, and Fostering Healthy Green Schools for All EdAdvance received $100,000 to develop healthy and conservation-minded urban, suburban, and rural K-12 schools by providing agricultural field trips; forming school green teams; initiating organic school gardens; implementing food waste management; and creating professional development programs to help teachers integrate agricultural and environmental education curricula in their classrooms. |
| 2018 | GA | 4 | University of North Georgia -- $100,000 Lourdes Bastas, 82 College Circle, Dahlonega, GA, 30597-0001 Educating Georgia Citizens on Native Forest Ecosystems and Sustainable Practices The University of North Georgia received $100,000 to teach citizens in local communities how to assess water quality; to recognize and manage native and invasive vegetation in local ecosystems; and to implement best practices for stream restoration and landscape management for healthy waterways and forests. |
| 2018 | HI | 9 | Purple Mai’a Foundation -- $100,000 Donavan Kealoha, 98-820 Moanalua Road, Aiea, HI, 96701-5200 Indigenous Innovation in Education Purple Mai’a Foundation received $100,000 to educate teachers and students in urban and rural areas through project-based learning, such as building Do-It-Yourself water quality monitors for aquatic health assessment of culturally significant ancient Hawaiian fish ponds. Students will practice hands-on STEM and computer programming skills, gain knowledge of traditional native Hawaiian cultural practices, and learn how to solve local environmental challenges in their communities. |
| 2018 | HI | 9 | Malama Learning Center -- $80,000 Pauline Sato, P. O. Box 1662, Honolulu, HI, 96806-1662 Bridging Island Communities Toward Conservation Stewardship The Malama Learning Center received $80,000 to engage students, teachers, agricultural and conservation professionals, and the community in hands-on learning experiences designed to instill interest in environmental STEM careers and conservation of local natural resources. Project activities include: class field trips, research projects, community service-learning days, green institute seminars, presentations at major conferences, and televised programs. |
| 2018 | IA | 7 | The University of Northern Iowa -- $100,000 Doreen Hayek, 1005 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, IA, 50613 Iowa Water and Air Quality Project The University of Northern Iowa received $100,000 for the IOWA-Q (Iowa Water and Air Quality) project. This project will engage middle and high school teachers and students in air and water quality monitoring and remediation, helping make connections between the classroom, their communities, the environment, and possible careers in environmental science. |
| 2018 | IA | 7 | Upper Iowa University -- $95,586 Barbara Ehlers, 605 Washington Street, Fayette, IA, 52142 Water Connects us All: Growing Networks for Clean and Safe Water in the Heartland Upper Iowa University received $95,586 to provide workshops for educators to learn about soil and water quality issues; to hear diverse perspectives of subject matter experts, including farmers, scientists, teacher educators, recreation leaders and agricultural companies, about how these issues affect different sectors of the economy and citizenry; to develop environmental education skills and be provided with grade appropriate materials related to the issue; and to discuss potential solutions that maintain quality agricultural yield while creating minimal environmental harm. |
| 2018 | IA, MO, KS, NE | 7 | Wichita State University -- $85,252 Michele Pugh, 1845 Fairmount, Campus Box 7, Wichita, KS, 67260-0007 Work in Water Expansion to EPA Region 7 Wichita State University received $85,252 to expand a previously funded Work in Water project through a train-the-trainer methodology that will deliver interactive, real-world environmental education experiences to high school students, including the funding of student internships to work on water quality issues in their home states. |
| 2018 | IL | 5 | Friends of the Chicago River -- $59,400 Matt Sudman, 411 S Wells, Suite 800 | Chicago, IL 60607 Chicago River Schools Network Friends of the Chicago River received $59,400 to develop formal and informal educators’ environmental literacy and increase their ability to communicate environmental issues associated with the river system through teacher workshops, data sharing, habitat restoration, and conservation projects. |
| 2018 | LA, TX | 6 | EcoRise Youth Innovations -- $65,252 Abby Randall, 4900 Gonzales Street, Austin, TX, 78702-5028 EcoRise Texas and Louisiana Program Expansion EcoRise Youth Innovations received $65,252 to provide professional development opportunities for teachers in Louisiana and Texas interested in local environmental stewardship and how to effectively teach their students about local environmental issues. |
| 2018 | MD | 3 | Engaged Community Offshoots (ECO) Inc. -- $97,844 Margaret Hubbard, 6010 Taylor Road, Riverdale, MD, 20737 Growing Young Stewards Through Urban Farming Engaged Community Offshoots (ECO), Inc. received $97,844 to educate low income, minority youth about ECO's sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation practices and then prompt them to think about ways they can implement these practices in a home or school setting. The project challenges its audience to question their role in the local food system and soil regeneration, and take additional steps beyond the classroom and field trip experiences, to become involved in local action and environmental decision-making. |
| 2018 | MN | 5 | The Recycling Partnership Inc. -- $85,252 Elizabeth Schussler, 125 Rowell Ct., Falls Church, VA, 22046-3126 Empowering Minnesota Residents to Recycle More and Better The Recycling Partnership received $85,252 to increase public awareness and action on recycling by harmonizing education messaging and developing an actionable communication and education plan for state recycling coordinators. Outreach projects will include webinars, workshops, and curriculum videos for teachers and other instructors. |
| 2018 | MO | 7 | Kansas City Community Gardens Inc. -- $90,000 Rob Reiman, 6917 Kensington, Kansas City, MO, 64132-1633 Sustainable Orchard Education Kansas City Community Gardens, Inc., received $90,000 to foster community food security by teaching communities to grow and care for their own community orchards. These orchards serve as an ideal setting to offer children and adults a hands-on education in sustainability and to empower educators to develop related standards-based curriculum for their classrooms. |
| 2018 | MT | 8 | National Wildlife Federation -- $60,000 Naomi Alhadeff, 11100 Wildlife Center DR, Reston, VA, 20190 Expanding the Eco-Schools USA program in Montana The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) received $60,000 to conduct six professional development workshops; provide materials, activities, and curricula to engage the whole school community; and support 15 seed grant action projects aimed at arming students with knowledge regarding their local water source, aquatic habitats, and school water usage to calculate their water footprint. |
| 2018 | NC | 4 | Appalachian State University -- $62,001 Heather Hampton, 287 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608 Water on the Move Appalachian State University received $62,001 to implement the Water on the Move outreach program. This outreach project will develop an environmental education program focused on regional and global water issues, human impacts on the hydrosphere, and individual and collective stewardship solutions. Through the use of a converted RV (the "Geobago"), which will serve as a mobile earth and environmental science lab, this program will educate school children, teachers and undergraduate students in western North Carolina. |
| 2018 | NJ | 2 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Paterson -- $50,000 Melissa Vinch, 58 Bevier Rd, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 Grow Healthy: Reducing Food Waste Through the Food Cycle Rutgers University received $50,000 to implement its Paterson Grow Healthy Project. Through this project, the university will work with various community health services, 4-H, and government sustainability, agricultural and natural resource departments to educate students and teachers on planting and maintaining school gardens. Participating students, teachers, and school cafeteria workers will increase their awareness of food waste reduction and composting methods while learning how food grows. |
| 2018 | NY | 2 | New York University Bees Alive -- $85,252 Mary McShane, 15 Washington Place, 1-H, New York, NY, 10003 An Interdisciplinary Environmental Science Initiative for K-12 Teachers New York University received $85,252 to implement the Bee's Alive Project. This project will see the university work with a local botanical garden and several non-profits to establish native plant gardens, provide professional development opportunities for public school teachers; conduct field trips for local classes; and provide educational programming on pollinators and biodiversity for visiting classes and the community. |
| 2018 | OR | 10 | Children’s Forest of Central Oregon -- $95,760 Katie Chipko, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR, 97701-9794 Upper Deschutes Spotted Frog Stewardship Program Children’s Forest of Central Oregon received $95,760 to develop and implement a comprehensive watershed education and stewardship program focusing on spotted frog conservation and river restoration. Children’s Forest of Central Oregon and their project partners will provide classroom activities and field trips to 800 3rd-12th grade low-income rural and underserved students. Further, 30 youth will be engaged in the River Heroes afterschool clubs and 60 individuals will be involved in the Family Stewardship programs, which provide hands-on learning opportunities. This project will also host two watershed summits for 300 students who will present their projects to other students and community members. |
| 2018 | PR | 2 | Alelí Environmental, Inc. -- $100,000 Glenis M. Padilla Plaza, PO Box 3442, Lajas, PR, 00667 Strengthening and Expanding an Agricultural Education Program at LMASS Alelí Environmental, Inc. received $100,000 to work with communities affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This initiative aims to prevent future water quality and human health issues, while encouraging food security by installing an Aquaponic System of freshwater fish and vegetables. Students, teachers, and their communities will learn how to use and maintain the Aquaponic System along with further environmentally-friendly ways to increase food security. |
| 2018 | RI | 1 | Groundwork Rhode Island -- $100,000 Amelia Rose, 1005 Main Street #1223, Pawtucket, RI, 02860-7804 Waste Reduction, Diversion, and Recycling in Providence Groundwork Rhode Island received $100,000 to educate both children and adults on waste reduction by providing instruction on and promoting recycling, food scrap collection, composting, and the reduction of single-use plastic waste. This project will expand to 75 neighborhoods and target over 1,300 elementary school students and 10 high school youth leaders. |
| 2018 | TN | 4 | The Trust for Public Land -- $100,000 Andrew McConnico, 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA, 94104-4148 The Alton Riverwalk Connector Environmental Education and Experiences Project The Trust for Public Land received $100,000 to plan and implement educational activities related to water quality issues and land revitalization. The program will provide local farm tours for students, teachers, and community residents, and provide teachers with formal classroom lessons about the positive and negative impacts of humans on the river and adjacent land. |
| 2018 | TX | 6 | National Wildlife Federation -- $75,000 Marya Fowler , 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA, 20190-5361 Resilience Ambassadors Program in Houston ISD The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) received $75,000 to educate students affected by extreme storm events like Hurricane Harvey, teaching participants to investigate and think critically about storm resilience problems facing their city, to determine the impact of those issues on water quality, and to create practical, nature-based solutions that can help mitigate flooding. |
| 2018 | TX | 6 | National Center for Appropriate Technology -- $100,000 Luke Freeman, P.O. Box 3838, Butte, MT, 59702 Environmental Education on the Farm: Sustainable Agriculture Training and Education The National Center for Appropriate Technology received $100,000 to provide experiential education for beginning and prospective farmers on sustainable agriculture production and farm management, as well as innovative hands-on workshops for all age levels in the community on environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture. |
| 2018 | TX | 6 | Insights El Paso Science Center Inc -- $100,000 Meghan Curry, 4120 Rio Bravo St Ste 117, El Paso, TX, 79902-1012 Student-led Environmental Stewardship Initiative for the Border Region Insights El Paso Science Center, Inc received $100,000 to develop a fully student-led conservation stewardship program aimed at solving important environmental problems effecting local communities. |
| 2018 | UT | 8 | Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District -- $100,000 Bart Forsyth, 8215 South 1300 West, PO Box 70, West Jordan, UT, 84088-0070 Localscapes: Learning to Landscape for Utah's Climate The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District received $100,000 to reduce per capita water use by increasing public education on the need for outdoor water conservation, by providing resources for homeowners to create water-efficient landscapes, and by overcoming negative perceptions currently surrounding water-efficient landscaping. |
| 2018 | VA | 3 | Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay -- $100,000 Amy Hagerdon, 501 Sixth Street, Annapolis, MD, 21403 RiverWise Schools: Learn, Act, Make a Difference Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay received $100,000 to educate students, teachers, and the public about the importance of maintaining healthy riparian buffers; preventing storm water run-off; reducing impervious services; installing rain gardens; planting trees; and taking other actions that will protect and conserve local rivers and streams in the watershed. |
| 2018 | VI | 2 | University of the Virgin Islands -- $100,000 Kristin Grimes, 2 John Brewers Bay, Saint Thomas, VI, 00802-6004 Supporting Emerging Aquatic Scientists (SEAS) Your Tomorrow The University of the Virgin Islands received $100,000 to support its Supporting Emerging Aquatic Scientists (SEAS) Your Tomorrow Program. This program promotes marine and environmental science careers to middle and high school students, provides coastal science and conservation internships for undergraduate college students, and links the University’s Masters in Marine and Environmental Science Program with Penn State’s Biology Ph.D. program. |
| 2018 | VT | 1 | The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College -- $100,000 John Tyack, 340 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT, 05405-0160 From Virtual to Reality: Innovative Environmental Education for Future Farmers The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College received $100,000 to build environmental literacy by creating a research-based curriculum on reducing nutrient run-off on agricultural land among future farmers and providing it to high schools, as well as career and technical centers. This curriculum will be widely accessible and initially target six public high schools, 17 career and technical centers, 30 agricultural educators, and 350 high school students. |
| 2018 | WA | 10 | Swinomish Indian Tribal Community -- $60,000 Todd Mitchell, 11404 Moorage Way, La Conner, WA, 98257-9450 Swinomish Environmental Education Program for Tribal and Community Youth Swinomish Indian Tribal Community received $60,000 to develop and implement an environmental education program to teach the community about the environmental and cultural importance of water quality in tribal areas, including a day camp focused on water conservation education, collection of water quality data using traditional canoes, and environmental stewardship projects to improve water quality. This project will reach around 25 tribal 4th-12th grade students, their families and peers, 50 other non-tribal students, and around 900 Swinomish and regional community members. |
| 2018 | WA | 10 | Eastern Washington University -- $100,000 Ruth Galm, 526 5th Street, Cheney, WA, 99004-2431 Engaging the Community in the Palouse Prairie Region Restoration Eastern Washington University received $100,000 to develop a team of over 300 community collaborators invested in local prairie restoration; to solve problems related to a restoration through planting and cultivating 2,000 native plants; to educate the participants, children and adults of all ages and nationalities, on restoring native prairie ecosystems that were formerly used for agriculture; to have the participants share what they have learned with the community; and to promote environmental literacy through a new environmental science course on restoration ecology developed for middle schools. |
| 2018 | WI | 5 | Neighborhood House of Milwaukee Inc. -- $100,000 Siena Morrissey, 2819 W. Richardson, Milwaukee, WI, 53208 Lead and Learn Conservation Corps Neighborhood House of Milwaukee received $100,000 to promote environmental science, conservation, and careers in natural resources to low-income and minority urban youth, through project-based learning; urban and rural stewardship activities in agriculture and forestry; hands-on workshops on issues like pollinator habitats and invasive species; and paid internships. |
| 2018 | WI | 5 | University of Wisconsin System DBA UW -- $100,000 Justin Houghman, 432 N. Lake Street, Room 104, Madison, WI, 53706-1415 Extension Science Strikes Back: Empowering Students and Educators to Impact Urban Watersheds The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System received $100,000 to connect educators and students in the Milwaukee metropolitan area with the training and tools necessary to engage in hands-on environmental education and water quality monitoring. Project activities will include science fairs, summits, and training workshops. These activities will empower students and teachers in Milwaukee to critically analyze environmental issues, solve problems in their communities, and make important decisions about water quality. |
| 2018 | WV | 3 | West Virginia University Research Corp. -- $100,000 John Childress, 886 Chestnut Ridge Road-PO Box 6845, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6845 Inspiring Environmental Stewardship through Citizen Science West Virginia University Research Corp. received $100,000 to promote water quality monitoring as a tool to educate community residents of all ages on local environmental issues, inspire lifelong stewardship behavior, and take immediate action to clean up local rivers and streams. |
| 2019 | CT | 1 | New Haven Ecology Project - $100,000 Joel Tolman, 358 Springside Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06515 Schoolyards Resource Center The New Haven Ecology Project and their project partners’ will lead a new model of robust professional development for 50 Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) educators from 10 urban public schools in the Northeast. These opportunities will allow participating educators to develop well-planned Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core aligned units that focus on environmental issues affecting their students’ lives as well as design community projects that focus on local environmental issues such as access to green spaces and healthy food, reducing air pollution, and improving water quality. Once the training is complete, these educators will return to their schools to deliver their newly developed units to approximately 500 K-12 students. Participating teachers will also implement community projects at their schools so the students may become stewards of their environment and the innovative environmental leaders local communities need. By leveraging urban public education districts to use their resources for environmental projects tailored to their locations, the Schoolyards Resource Center project hopes to inspire and create a new generation of urban environmental stewards. |
| 2019 | RI | 1 | Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council - $100,000 Alicia Lehrer, 45 Eagle Street Suite 202, Providence, Rhode Island 02909 Bringing New Voice to the Water Table Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, is greatly impacted by flooding events. Using a high impact community education and engagement model and customized watershed-based curricula, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) and its project partners will deliver environmental education programs to 75 Olneyville middle and high school students and 30 resident leaders in a in a variety of schools and community settings. By the end of the project period, participating students and resident leaders will gain the critical knowledge and skills needed to take appropriate actions on their local waterways and habitats of the Woonasquatucket River, to ensure clean and safe water, engage others, and participate in future planning efforts related to stormwater, flood mitigation and resiliency planning. The Bringing New Voice to the Water Table project will not only build on the city’s ongoing efforts to address stormwater and related water pollution and flooding in Providence, but will add critical new preparation and pathways for those most impacted but least heard. |
| 2019 | CT | 1 | Soundwaters, Inc. - $100,000 Leigh Shemitz, 1281 Cove Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 Bio-extraction Seaweed Farm The pressures of daily use by millions of people in Long Island Sound (LIS) and its watershed greatly impacts its’ water quality. The environmental benefits of algae, such as seaweed, and their ability to clean up polluting chemicals discharged by farms, factories and wastewater treatment plants are being shared widely. Through skill-building, critical thinking, reflection and hands-on experiences, SoundWaters’ Bio-extraction Seaweed Farm project will support the education of approximately 900 high school students, 6 science teachers, 4 informal educators, and 8,000 community members. Project participants will learn how their community can become more informed about local water issues and how seaweed can contribute to potential solutions. The project’s seaweed farm will provide these students and teachers with activities, materials, and connections with environmental experts to help them become informed, educated citizens who have the ability to reason and to weigh Stamford’s environmental and conservation issues in a thoughtful, collaborative and fact-based manner. |
| 2019 | NY | 2 | EcoRise Youth Innovation Jenji Henson, 1021 Springdale Road Building 1, Suite J, Austin, Texas 78721 EcoRise New York City Program Expansion EcoRise’s New York City Program Expansion project seeks to bridge the gap between theory and action, make learning personal and relevant, and increase the resilience of local communities throughout New York City’s five boroughs. This project will bring EcoRise’s Sustainable Intelligence (S.I.) curriculum, professional development, and environmental education (EE) resources to support 160 New York City teachers. The S.I. curriculum is comprised of 140 Kindergarten through 12th grade lessons across seven themes (Water, Waste, Energy, Food, Air, Transportation, and Public Spaces) in English and Spanish. In total, this project will help educate 9,000 students on topics such as water conservation, energy, air, transportation, urban food gardens, pesticide management, public spaces and farmers’ markets. By promoting whole-systems thinking, this project model will encourage students to analyze their consumer and lifestyle choices. The students will use the tools provided to identify problems, brainstorm possible solutions, and take action in their communities to create meaningful change. |
| 2019 | NY | 2 | Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Chris Murawski, 721 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14203 Native Niagara Water Academy Program The Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper ‘s Native Niagara Water Academy Program aims to reconnect residents in Western New York, including community members, educators and students, to their natural environment by inviting them to participate in culturally sensitive, place-based learning activities and to empower them with tools, techniques and solutions to educate others and protect fresh water and promote sustainable agriculture in their communities. Through farm tours, classroom lessons, service projects, and sharing of experiences the Water Academy will educate and train 50 adult community members, including 12 educators from local public and private schools, about local initiatives using native plants and sustainable agriculture to restore ecosystems and protect fresh water in the Niagara River Watershed. Once all coursework is complete, the 50 Water Academy graduates will be equipped with the skills required to confidently lead and inspire an additional 2,000 students. The children and community members will be educated in the environmental benefits of sustainable agriculture techniques, and build communities committed to protecting watershed health. |
| 2019 | NJ | 2 | Academy for Urban Leadership Charter School Luis Vargas, 612 Amboy Avenue, Perth Amboy, New Jersey 08861 PAPER – Perth Amboy Partnership for Environmental Restoration and Stewardship The waters surrounding Perth Amboy, New Jersey were once part of the most productive shellfishery in the nation. However, due to elevated levels of water pollution, shellfishing is now banned in these waters. Utilizing a bottom-up community approach, the Perth Amboy Partnership for Environmental Restoration Stewardship Project (PAPERS) aims to restore and revitalize the local aquatic ecosystem. The Academy for Urban Leadership Charter School and its project partners will create a comprehensive experimental marine and estuarine education program for 600 7th – 12th grade students. This project aims to increase students’ interest and understanding of careers in the environment through field activities, laboratory experiences, webinars with scientists, and activities involving water quality, focusing on flood and hurricane preparedness and managing the health of aquatic ecosystems. |
| 2019 | MD | 3 | The Living Classrooms Foundation - $60,000 Christine Truett, 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21231 Masonville Cove Environmental Education Programming Vast amounts of impervious surfaces, large populations, commercial and industrial land use, and limited green space all contribute to environmental challenges in Baltimore, Maryland. The Living Classrooms Foundation’s Masonville Cove Environmental Education Programming aims to increase environmental knowledge of storm water runoff (causes, sources, and how to prevent it), provide an awareness of land use and local environmental issues, inspire behavioral change, reduce litter, and promote/increase environmental stewardship in South Baltimore. Programming will target 120 students in grades 9 through 12, two teachers, and approximately 1,000 community members, all of whom live within close proximity to the Patapsco River watershed, which connects Baltimore to the Chesapeake Bay. Education and environmental goals will be met through academic lessons focused on preventing local and regional runoff pollution and community stewardship events such as community clean-ups, shoreline plantings, and biological surveys. |
| 2019 | VA | 3 | Friends of the Rappahannock - $100,000 Daria Christian, 3219 Fall Hill Ave, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 A River Runs Through Us: Knowledge to Local Action (ARRTU) For centuries, human activities have shaped the health of the Rappahannock River, a main tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, leading to a myriad of ecological impacts, including extensive dead zones and impaired sections of water too polluted for harvesting fish. Restoring the health of the river will require citizens to take personal responsibility for preventing pollution. The Friends of the Rappahannock’s A River Runs Through Us: Knowledge to Local Action (ARRTU) project aims to create an informed citizenry that makes environmentally conscious decisions surrounding the health of the Rappahannock River Watershed. This project will educate/train 40 teachers and 3,000 students in six school districts located within the tidal region of the Rappahannock River watershed. Teachers will participate in professional development activities designed to strengthen their understanding of their local watersheds and how to better protect it. Educators will also design an environmental education curriculum aimed at encouraging student action and increasing informed decision-making. Students will experience environmental education both in and outside of the classroom. |
| 2019 | VA | 3 | Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - $100,000 Susan Higgins, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond, Virginia 23228 Cultivating Community Water Stewards Stormwater management is a safety issue, an aesthetic priority and an environmental responsibility. The Cultivating Community Water Stewards project is an environmental education initiative designed to protect and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by managing storm water runoff along the Sydnor Lake shoreline at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. By removing invasive plants, correcting problematic grading and soil compaction and installing a rain garden in a conservation landscape populated primarily with native plants, this project plans to transform the lake edge into a functioning illustration of best management practices. The Sydnor Lake restoration will be used as a teaching tool, integrated into five of the Garden’s legacy environmental education programs for adults, teens, educators, children and community volunteers. The conservation landscape that replaces Lake Sydnor’s degraded shoreline will model methods for stormwater mitigation for similar installations in Richmond’s urban and suburban neighborhoods. In total, this project aims to reach 50 adults, 800 elementary school students, 275 teens, 315 educators and 28 Ginter Urban Gardeners. |
| 2019 | MD | 3 | Parks & People Foundation - $60,000 Susan Elias, 2100 Liberty Heights Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21217 Baltimore Schoolyard Greening Project Baltimore Maryland’s industrial and population decline have devastated the city’s urban lands and waters due to pollution and vacancy. These environmental impacts have created a critical need for education, stewardship and restoration in the city. The Parks & People Foundation’s Baltimore Schoolyard Greening Project aims to empower young people to take ownership of the revitalization of their community. Project curriculum will be delivered through a combination of project-based learning and field exploration. This project will enroll 65 Baltimore City high school students in paid environmental internship opportunities and complete schoolyard greening projects at four Baltimore City elementary or middle schools. This program will help teach approximately 100 elementary and middle school-aged students about environmental and conservation stewardship through the planning, construction, use and maintenance of a school yard green space. This project will result in 16,000 to 32,000 square feet of improved green space to be used for hands-on environmental education that is tied to school curriculum. |
| 2019 | AL | 4 | Troy University - $100,000 Brian Helms, 210K MSCX, Troy, Alabama 36082 Deep South Student Leadership and Environmental Action Program (LEAP) This project will take place in Alabama’s Black Belt region, which comprises roughly 17 underserved counties with high poverty, little economic opportunities, and high unemployment. Thus, there is a critical need for advances in education, awareness of local environmental issues, and much needed job skills among the youth in this area. Troy University’s Deep South Student Leadership and Environmental Action Program (LEAP) will allow students to exercise their creativity by guiding place-based environmental problem-solving design, solution implementation, and interpretation through an informal environmental mentoring initiative. During this mentorship initiative, mentors, liaisons, and 18 11th-12th grade Fellows will identify local, manageable environmental issues and associated means to address them (i.e., a “solution”). The project Fellows will in turn lead and inspire other students and community members at their respective schools by implementing their own environmental projects. The projects implemented by the Fellows will directly reach an additional of 3,000 high school students and community members. |
| 2019 | FL | 4 | The Education Fund - $100,000 Mimi Pink, 6713 Main St. STE 240, Miami-Dade, Florida 33014 Environmental education in urban food forests: measuring students’ knowledge and attitudes about the natural sciences in a participatory setting The Education Fund’s Environmental Education in Urban Food Forests project will engage students and teachers at five new Food Forests, five emerging Food Forests, and 15 established Food Forests, all located at elementary schools within Miami-Dade County. Each Food Forest will provide students with an outdoor setting where they can witness the connectivity and relationships between plants and animals, and the abiotic components of the environment (e.g., soil, water, etc.). Participating students will also benefit from learning about the socio-economic values that multi-storied gardens provide such as pest control, nutrition, and watershed management. This project aims to train at least 100 elementary school teachers from 25 different public schools in Miami-Date County and up to 17,441 elementary school students. This initiative will allow The Education Fund to continue to provide biweekly harvests for families to take home from the ten emerging and new Food Forests and provide weekly harvests from the 15 existing Food Forests. The sustainability of this project is increased by simultaneously influencing children’s health while inspiring their academic gains in environmental sciences. |
| 2019 | NC | 4 | North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation Inc. - $100,000 Michelle Lovejoy, 5171 Glenwood Ave., Ste 330 Raleigh, North Carolina 27612 Promoting Soil Health – On-Farm Demonstrations & Education Immersions Healthy and productive soils are needed to effectively feed the world's growing population. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation believes each citizen has an active role to play in the conservation movement and educating the younger generation. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation’s Promoting Soil Health – On-Farm Demonstrations & Education Immersions project aims to improve people’s understanding of natural resource management and its impact on ecosystem services as well as encourage long-term behavioral changes that positively impact water quality and soil health. To accomplish these goals, this project will facilitate the installation of five community gardens on school campuses and outdoor learning centers, deploy a mobile soils classroom, and support five current on-farm cover crop demonstrations and associated field days. Through hands-on learning opportunities, this program aims to reach 6,000 people annually. By focusing on the science and leveraging multiple communication venues, the program will secure long-term success in the arena of expanding scientific literacy and fostering greater participation in overall conservation stewardship. |
| 2019 | IL | 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville - $100,000 Kevin Tucker, 6 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, Illinois 62026 From the Ground Up Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) believes that in order to achieve widespread environmental change, it is critical to first educate the public and provide solutions to existing problems. With well documented nonpoint pollution issues impacting Illinois’ waterways, SIUE’s From the Ground Up project aims to increases public awareness and action on three critical clean water issues: 1) Regulated Pollutants; 2) Emerging Pollutants and 3) Biological Contamination. This project will take place in Southern Illinois but given SIUE’s role as a regional public institution and the strong community partnerships it maintains, this project will reach a statewide audience. In total, the From the Ground Up project intends to target 500 state residents and environmental influencers directly and 11,000 indirectly along with 175 students and teachers directly and an additional 2,000 indirectly. Participants will be provided with tools and solutions to address the state’s clean water issues with informed decision-making through: reducing emerging and regulated pollutants in the water supply; increasing awareness of risks and solutions; developing environmental teacher and communicator interest in environmental careers; and utilizing community partnerships to increase public understanding of clean water issues. |
| 2019 | WI | 5 | West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission - $96,000 Chris Straight, 800 Wisconsin Street Unit 9, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703 Putting the "Clear Water" Back in the Eau Claire River With heavy-rain events occuring more often, erosion and sedimentation are destroying aquatic habitats in many of the Eau Claire River Watershed’s streams and lakes. The West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s Putting the “Clean Water” Back into the Eau Claire River project plans to build community capacity for the adoption of farming principles and practices that increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve surface and groundwater quality, and enhance ecosystem services within the Eau Claire River Watershed by working with 160 local farmers and farmland owners. The watershed encompasses 882 square miles in west-central Wisconsin, and many of its surface waters are impaired due to agricultural runoff. To implement the farming principles and practices mentioned above, this project will combine farmer-driven workshops, direct assistance, Future Farmers of America activities, and other stewardship projects that bring people together to support the local agricultural community. Many of the same best practices that improve soil health will not only increase yield and profit for participating farmers but will benefit the watershed’s surface and ground waters. |
| 2019 | MI | 5 | Kent County Conservation District - $53,645 Jessie Schulte, 3260 Eagle Park Drive NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525 Connecting Urban and Rural Agricultural Stewardship The Kent County Conservation District Connecting Urban and Rural Agricultural Stewardship project will partner with schools and local farms to educate landowners and students on the various ways in which agriculture practices affect the health of Michigan’s Grand River. Through field trips, scientific research, and development of stewardship projects, this project will educate approximately 417 students on urban and rural water quality, current efforts to protect that water quality, and evaluate the effectiveness of various methods of investigation and action. Through field demonstrations and workshops, a cost-benefit guide and one-on-one meetings this project will reach over 300 farmers and landowners. Partner organizations and five influential agricultural producers will assist in development of a media campaign intended to localize the connection among farmers, forests, buffers, fisherman and our future water quality to all residents in the watersheds. This conservation stewardship project aims to bring home the connection between what is done on farmland and the future of our water quality. |
| 2019 | WI | 5 | Wisconsin Wildlife Federation - $82,723 Sandy Benton, 213 North Main Street, Poynette, Wisconsin 53955 Connect, Explore, and Engage: Bridging the EE Opportunity Gap Using Public Lands Wisconsin mandates that all students in public schools, Kindergarten through 12th grade, receive environmental education (EE) instruction. However, at the moment, there are still many public schools that don’t offer EE professional development opportunities for their teachers. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation ‘s Connect, Explore, and Engage: Bridging the Opportunity Gap Using Public Lands project aims to increase the capacity for rural teachers to integrate EE into regular school curricula by developing community partnerships using public land. Through a phased plan of support, starting with a three-day intensive workshop, supported through coaching on-site and by video, approximately 50 teachers in five rural Wisconsin school districts and community organizations will develop long-term relationships that increases the environmental literacy of 1,250 students. Targeted students will be empowered to make a positive difference as they learn how to access public lands and the related resources, both human and material, and how to engage in decision-making and collaboration with members of the community to improve both the local environment and their health. |
| 2019 | OK | 6 | Grand River Dam Authority - $100,000 Jeri Fleming, 420 HWY 28, P.O. Box 70, Langley, Oklahoma 74350 Guard the Grand The Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (Grand Lake) is an economic engine for Northeastern Oklahoma, an important recreation area, and a source of drinking water. However, the Grand Lake and the rivers and streams that flow into Grand Lake have impairments related to turbidity/sediment, excess nutrients, low dissolved oxygen, and fecal bacterial contamination. These impaired and threatened waters reduce tourism and negatively affect the local economy. The Grand River Dam Authority’s Guard the Grand (GtG) program aims to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship in Oklahomans residing in watersheds that flow into Grand Lake. The project’s formal and informal, multi-audience environmental education approach consists of classroom modules, professional development opportunities, community workshops, and a recognition program that encourages business and the public to become Guardians of the Grand. In total this project will target 1,600 fourth-grade students, 50 fourth-grade teachers, 675 residents and homeowners, and 100 business owners and employees of specific businesses with a high impact on the watershed. |
| 2019 | NM | 6 | Asombro Institute for Science Education - $100,000 Stephanie Haan-Amato, 401 E. College, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005 The Water Conservation Data Jam Southern New Mexico is located in the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America and one of the most biologically diverse deserts on the planet, has seen unprecedented population growth over the past 25 years. This population growth has led to serious concerns about the region’s future water supply. The Asombro Institute for Science Education’s Water Conservation Data Jam project aims to increase environmental literacy and ability to turn knowledge into action that benefits the environment for 700 6th to 12th grade students and 20 educators in Southern New Mexico. This project will incorporate Asombro’s successful “Data Jam” teaching model, which guides students to make sense of regionally-relevant datasets and communicate trends in the data to non-scientists through creative projects such as poems, physical models, and games. This project will give students datasets related to decreasing water supply and increasing water consumption as well as innovative water conservation strategies. Students will use the creativity and new knowledge they put into their Data Jam projects to become environmental stewards and encourage the general public to join them in taking voluntary actions to benefit the environment. |
| 2019 | NM | 6 | First Nations Development Institute - $100,000 A-dae Romero-Briones, 2432 Main St. Fl 2, Longmont, Colorado 80501 Continuing the Tradition of Indigenous Farming Ecological stewardship and environmental education, along with farming and ranching, are long-time traditions in many Native communities. First Nations Development Institute’s Continuing the Tradition of Indigenous Farming project aims to build capacity of farm-to-school programs in schools that serve primarily Native American students in New Mexico by providing quality experiential and/or classroom-based environmental and agricultural education that engages the community. This project will help launch or expand five farm-to-school programs, host a one-and-a-half-day workshop for approximately 25 farm-to-school program managers, and update and disseminate 50 farm-to-school guides. Collectively, this program will reach approximately 500 Native children. |
| 2019 | IA | 7 | Metro Waste Authority - $100,000 Jenny Koska, 300 East Locust Street, Suite 100, Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Community-Based Environmental Education: Forming Connections between Schools, Cities, and Agencies to Tackle Water Quality in Iowa The Metro Waste Authority and its project partners will implement the Community-Based Environmental Education: Forming Connections between Schools, Cities, and Agencies to Tackle Water Quality in Iowa in the western metro area of Des Moines. This project aims to help develop skills in teachers, offer new experiences for students, increase the investment in local watersheds, improve the health of river ecosystems, and build a foundation of water quality data for cities and schools to reference. The target audience of 32 educators and approximately 960 Polk County students, will be reached through professional development workshops and effective environmental education classroom experiences created by teachers that have attended professional development workshops. Participating teachers will also complete environmental enrichment projects with their students, teaching stewardship through hands-on experience. |
| 2019 | NE | 7 | University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Board of Regents - $100,000 Robert Wright, 151 Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School, 2200 Vine Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583 Developing Conservation Skills in Students Through Beneficial Insect Protection The University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) aims to educate Nebraskans about the importance of beneficial insects and the ecosystem services these insects provide through the delivery of their Developing Conservation Skills in Students Through Beneficial Insect Protection project. This project will deliver targeted experiential learning opportunities using school pollinator habitats and vegetable gardens to provide education on environmental and conservation issues in agroecosystems to 1,400 elementary school students and 35 teachers in six Nebraska communities. UNL and its project partners plan to reach their audience by developing, delivering, and disseminating curricula designed to improve knowledge in school-aged students, their parents and communities about the ecosystem services insects provide in agroecosystems and provide training and skills to school-aged students to evaluate insect communities in school gardens so that students may make informed decisions about how to manage pest insects and weeds while preserving beneficial insects. Beyond the environmental benefits that will come from this work, UNL and it project partners are building strong linkages between extension, research, teaching, and local communities. |
| 2019 | MO | 7 | Blue River Watershed Association - $100,000 Lynn Youngblood PO Box 7276 Kansas City, Missouri 64113 K.I.D.S. in Streams: Kids Investigate Discover, Study in Streams The Blue River Watershed Association (BRWA) and its project partners will deliver the K.I.D.S. in Streams (Kids Investigate, Discover, and Study in Streams) project to 500 middle school students, 35 high school students, and 30 university students. This project aims to educate participants about the harmful effects of stormwater runoff, overuse of fertilizers, road salts, and other factors that lead to poor water quality and how to mitigate these negative environmental impacts. Through BRWA’s environmental education curriculum, high school students will achieve dual credits toward college education degrees, “Teacher Cadets” and university students will be trained in TRUE (Teaching Rivers to Urban Environments) Blue – a four-day, four-lesson water quality-monitoring curriculum. |
| 2019 | CO | 8 | Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, Inc. - $90,000 Katie Navin, 1536 Wynkoop St, Suite 314, Denver, Colorado 80202 Building Pathways to Environmental and Natural Resource Careers in Colorado Colorado’s economy and identity are largely dependent on its environment and the proper management of its natural resources. The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) has determined that to conserve public lands and ensure environmental health in the state of Colorado, a new, diverse generation of environmental and natural resource professionals are needed. The Building Pathways to Environmental and Natural Resource Careers in Colorado project will see CAEE and it project partners develop an environmental career resource that can be integrated into existing or new environmental education programming to provide youth with not only awareness of career fields, but tangible next steps to support their interest. CAEE will pilot the resource with high school audiences in Denver, Estes Park, Jamestown, and Steamboat Springs. A Career Influencer Training Network will be developed to train environmental education providers, high school teachers, career counselors, and natural resource employers who hire youth to use the education resource with their audiences. In total, this resource has the potential to reach a statewide audience of approximately 800,000. |
| 2019 | CO | 8 | Colorado Mountain College - $ 97,217 Joseph Chusid, 802 Grand Street, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601 Field-based science: Colorado students investigating water quality in their community Given Lake County, Colorado’s long history of mining and increasing usage of public lands by recreationalists, there is a unique opportunity to increase environmental literacy surrounding water quality and aquatic health for county residents. Colorado Mountain College’s Field-based Science: Colorado Students Investigating Water Quality in their Community project aims to cultivate conservation stewardship in Lake County through education in the form of water quality data collection, data analysis, and career development mentorship. The primary implementation methods of this project will include field trips, student laboratory work, and interactive data analysis workshops. This project will target approximately 400 high school students, 75 college students, their families, and backcountry recreationalists. Upon collecting and analyzing water samples, participating students will and share their findings with others in the community by way of conferences, trailhead brochures, and interactive maps. Additionally, as students undertake community projects, they will gain valuable exposure to environmental career pathways working with field professionals and project partners. |
| 2019 | CO | 8 | Colorado State University - $80,000 Lisa Anaya Esquibel, 601 S. Howes Street, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 Wild Pics Colorado State University (CSU) and their project partners will co-construct Wild Pics, a professional development program focused on managing wildlife in human-modified systems for suburban and rural middle school science teachers. Participating educators will increase their understanding of topics such as camera trap usage, data interpretation and analyzation, the identification of other locally relevant social ecological data, and writing-to-learn tools to facilitate student problem-solving. These professional development opportunities will provide educators with practical instructional strategies to help their students become environmentally literate and engaged citizens. Together, students and teachers will collect and authenticate data using cameras set up near and around their school grounds. They will also engage in wildlife ecology lessons related to the identification of potential problems with wildlife living in human-modified habitats, the collection of data, and the constructing solutions to mitigate the effects of human activities on wildlife populations. Through place-based education, Wild Pics aims to increase the ability of 2,320 middle school students to make evidence-based decisions about local wildlife conservation through analysis of authentic wildlife photographic data. |
| 2019 | MT | 8 | National Center for Appropriate Technology - $98,000 Al Kurki, 3040 Continental Drive, Butte, Montanna 59702 Growing for Environmental Stewardship The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) believes that in today’s world of processed and pre-packaged high-calorie foods, students no longer have the information necessary to make food choices that are healthy for them and for the environment. For this reason, NCAT will be implementing the Growing for Environmental Stewardship project.This project aims to educate students and adults about agriculture production and its impact on the environment which will help increase the number of Montana residents who are able to make informed decisions about the foods they purchase and consume. This project will target approximately 960 Kindergarten through 8th grade students, 12 elementary school teachers, six food service directors, parents, and at least six farmers in the communities of Anaconda, Butte, Columbia Falls, Hardin, Livingston, and Polson/Ronan. Project participants will learn about environmental and health benefits of eating local foods that have been raised using good environmental stewardship practices through a combination of workshops, in-person meetings, school gardens, classroom education, and tours of local farms that use good stewardship practices. |
| 2019 | CA | 9 | Regents of the University of California - $100,000 Heidi von Geldern, 410 Mark Hall One Shields Avenue, Berkeley, California 94720 Oak Woodland Fire Education and Stewardship in Northern California The Regents of the University of California’s Oak Woodland Fire Education and Stewardship in Northern California project will serve a region that was highly impacted by destructive and deadly wildfires in 2017. This project will also fill a critical local environmental education and fire preparation gap. Adults and youth will gain awareness of local ecosystems, how to reduce catastrophic fires through better land use planning, management, and other preparations to benefit local communities and natural lands. In order to achieve these goals, this project will create an Oak Woodland FireWorks Curriculum to be utilized in school programs and teacher trainings, create and implement a fire science California Naturalist Advanced training, and initiate community programs in partnership with local Fire Safe Councils. Direct education programming will reach approximately 500 school-aged students from rural and low-income communities. The Oak Woodland FireWorks curriculum training will reach 80 teachers from low income and/or rural communities. The California Naturalist Advanced training will reach 20 community members and will be shared with an additional 1,800 California Naturalist alumni. Community programs will reach at least 300 low income, rural community members. |
| 2019 | CA | 9 | Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans (MERITO) Foundation - $100,000 Rocio Lozano-Knowlton, 1501 Cardigan Ave, Ventura, California 93004 Blue-Green Schools Project The MERITO Foundation's Blue-Green Schools Project aims to advance environmental education and stewardship in Ventura County and Santa Barbara County, two California counties that have been affected by drought, wildfires, and mudslides to the detriment of the region’s communities and aquatic resources. Through this project, the MERITO Foundation will develop and implement a curriculum on water resources, water quality, and conservation and provide professional development for teachers. This project will also facilitate student field experiences and support student-led project proposals to conserve water at school campuses, protect local watersheds, and protect aquatic ecosystems. The MERITO Foundation’s Blue-Green Schools Project will train 12 educators and reach approximately 780 to 1000 students. The majority of the targeted student population attend Title I schools, where many of the students come from economically underprivileged backgrounds and are currently underrepresented in STEM careers. By empowering students to act on local water and waste issues, this project encourages behaviors by local youth to serve affected communities, contribute to protection of local watershed resources, and mitigate drought, fire, and erosion impacts. |
| 2019 | AZ | 9 | Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona - $100,000 Travis Lane, 2214 N Central Ave, Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Tribal Voices for Environmental Stewardship The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona’s Tribal Voices for Environmental Stewardship project aims to empowers tribal youth to understand their environments, learn from their elders, explore environmental careers, and design action plans to address environmental issues in their communities. The project will begin with training teachers, elders, and environmental professionals on project-based learning and an indigenous environmental education framework. This framework will focus on traditional ecological knowledge and the facilitation of intergenerational learning to confront environmental issues such as pesticide use, solid waste, and air/water pollution. The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona will partner with five of their 21 Member Tribes to reach 1,515 tribal children and adults with the potential to indirectly impact an additional 30,000 tribal people. By engaging tribal members of all ages in this project, community members will work collaboratively to understand the environmental conditions in their communities and to incorporate traditional ways to improve them. |
| 2019 | CA | 9 | Mid Klamath Watershed Council - $60,000 Carol Earnest, 35 Davis Road, Happy Camp, California 96039 The Klamath Youth Stewardship Project The Mid Klamath Watershed Klamath Youth Stewardship Project takes place in the middle Klamath region of rural northern California. The program includes watershed, fire and fuels, fisheries and plants education intertwined with traditional ecological knowledge. Local teens will participate in paid summer internships, introducing them to natural resources careers. The project will include field trips to monitor salmon populations, restoration of riparian habitat, removal of invasive species and Sudden Oak Death blitzes (a citizen science program). Conservation efforts will provide quality habitat for salmon and acorns, which are central to native culture and the local economy. Five community gardens will be built in this USDA-designated food desert, which is an area where residents often travel two hours round trip to purchase groceries. Overall, 200 K-8 students and 100 adults will be reached by the project, the majority of which are low-income. Approximately 60% of youth in local schools are Native American, and approximately 70% of youth living in this region qualify for free/reduced lunch rates. |
| 2019 | WA | 10 | Oxbow Center for Sustainable Agriculture - $46,355 Katie Pomeroy, 10819 Carnation-Duvall Road NE, Carnation, Washington 98014 Expanding the Classroom: Fostering Leadership for Sustained Outdoor Environmental Education Oxbow Farm will expand an existing program for kindergartners that will reach more students and help establish ongoing outdoor environmental education at Frank Wagner Elementary School in Carnation, Washington. Reaching students in this school is especially important because most of them are from low-income, ethnic minority communities with dual-language classrooms (Spanish and English). Oxbow Farm’s "Garden Buddies" project fosters environmental learning with 200 4th graders mentoring 200 kindergarteners. Oxbow Farm will also host professional development workshops for 24 teachers and community events in the school's outdoor classrooms. The school is in a farming area that is undergoing rapid development. Oxbow’s "Garden Buddies" program on the farm and school will explore sustainable land use, water quality, and habitat preservation, all important to the area. Students will capture their experiences through science journals, photographs, and interviews. To build students’ research skills, their journal entries will be guided by questions and photographs will be annotated with scientific observations. Serving as role models, 4th-graders will take on the responsibility of mentoring kindergarteners, increasing motivation and achievement for both the younger and older students. Oxbow’s project will be shared with other schools to help expand their outdoor environmental education. |
| 2019 | WA | 10 | Tilth Alliance - $84,700 Melissa Spear, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue N. Suite 100, Seattle, Washington 98103 Environmental Education at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands The Tilth Alliance aims to partner with communities to build an ecologically sound, economically viable and socially equitable food system. Through their Environmental Education at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands project, they will increase transparency, public participation, and collaboration with Rainier Beach residents around issues of food access as they relate to environmental health. This project will target 200 families with young children, 200 teachers and community leaders, 500 school-aged children, 15 underserved youth and 750 community members in Southeast Seattle, a socially and economically diverse part of the city. Tilth Alliance will lead food system-related field trips and service-learning programs focused on sustainable agricultural practices for Kindergarten through 12th grade students at their community farm, youth employment services, teacher garden workshops, camps and events for families to learn about food systems, sustainable farming, soil and water quality, and community resiliency. Tilth Alliance will help community members in neighborhood projects, service-learning opportunities, volunteer capacity and skill-building focused on restoring and conserving high quality water resources in an urban environment, including bio-swales, rain gardens, and natural yard care at the farm and at home. |
| 2019 | ID | 10 | Friends of the Teton River - $82,900 Zena Wolcott-MacCausland, 36 East Little Avenue P.O. Box 768, Driggs, Idaho 83422 Teton County Farms and Fish Initiative Friends of the Teton River will work with at least 3,700 farmers and agricultural producers, local leaders and residents in Teton County, Idaho, to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities. These learning opportunities include free classes, workshops, field visits, on-farm testing procedures, and knowledge-sharing about cover crops, conservation tillage, grazing management, and innovative water management techniques. The Teton County Farms and Fish Initiative aims to use agricultural education to build a community with the knowledge, skills and motivation to work collaboratively to conserve high quality water resources in the Teton River Watershed, reduce nutrient runoff, and protect healthy aquatic ecosystems. Friends of the Teton River will work to increase public awareness and knowledge about agricultural, environmental and conservation issues in the watershed and help participants build skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions to protect water resources, farmland and farming heritage. Friends of the Teton River and their project partners will work with diverse stakeholders to promote innovative ways to local address agricultural issues. |
| 2019 | WA | 10 | Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association - $77,700 Annitra Peck, 3057 E Bakerview Road, Bellingham, Washington 98226 The Students for Salmon Program: Inquiry-Based Science and Student Driven Restoration Program Salmon are vital to the Pacific Northwest economy, culture and ecosystem, serving as the focal point for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association’s Students for Salmon Program. The project’s cost-free, open-enrollment model aims to reach a broad and diverse audience in Whatcom County, Washington, targeting over 1,600 4th grade students and 80 teachers in public, private, tribal, and alternative underserved and non-traditional schools. This multi-stage watershed education program, includes indoor and outdoor classroom learning. Participating students will learn about healthy salmon habitat and how to understand and balance aspects of habitat degradation and water quality issues for local fisheries. By linking critical thinking and problem-solving skills through student-driven research, students will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions through restoration projects and stewardship pledges to protect the environment. |
| 2019 | WA | 10 | IslandWood - $84,700 Stacey Nordgren, 4450 Blakely Avenue NE, Bainbridge Island, Washington, 98110 IslandWood's Urban Watershed Education Project IslandWood’s Urban Watershed Education Project aims to increase environmental awareness, skills and stewardship behavior of elementary and middle school students in Washington’s Puget Sound region. This project will target over 4,500 3rd through 8th grade students from diverse urban, suburban, and rural communities in King and Snohomish County. At least 100 teachers will participate in eight professional development workshops on watershed conservation using Next Generation Science Standards. The teachers will collaborate with community partners to develop environmental action projects. All environmental action projects will be designed and implemented by students and their teachers as they explore solutions to resolve local environmental problems. Examples of these projects may include local stream clean-up events, creating social marketing campaigns and interpretive signs, and habitat restoration projects. Because this project emphasizes the importance of local watersheds, students will gain a better understanding of their impact on their surroundings, as well as how to take environmental action to improve their own neighborhood watershed. |
|
2020 |
RI |
1 |
University of Rhode Island - $100,000 Through the Food System Steward Program, the University of Rhode Island (URI) will create and implement a 6-week train-the-trainer program aimed at reducing food waste and increasing access to locally-grown food throughout the state. About 120 participants will complete coursework to become Food Systems Stewards and take part in 40-hours of internship programs, with community stewardship projects that will benefit an additional 2,500 youth and adults. The hands-on sessions in farms and in kitchens will help the Food System Stewards build skills in youth education, composting, sustainable food production, and food preservation. Project efforts will lead to the recovery of approximately 60,000 pounds of food waste and will direct roughly 40,000 pounds of locally grown produce to underserved populations throughout Rhode Island. The program’s course work and community stewardship projects will train participants to reduce food waste, provide healthy food to underserved populations, adopt conservation behaviors and foster community conservation around finding solutions for food waste. |
|
2020 |
VT, NH |
1 |
Vermont Energy Education Program - $100,000 The Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) and the New Hampshire Energy Education Project (NHEEP) will train and support at least 50 teachers from at least 40 schools in Vermont and New Hamshire through their School-Based Community Action for Vermont & New Hampshire project. The opportunity to earn graduate credit from Castleton University will incentivize teacher participation as will access to VEEP/NHEEP curriculum resources, equipment kits, and individualized support. Educator training will focus on adding student-centered community-based environmental stewardship projects to their teaching toolkit. Participating teachers will also learn how to develop strategies that build students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making. Once trained, teachers will deliver environmentally focused curriculum to approximately 1,000 students. In turn, students will implement community stewardship projects that support career development in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and environmental fields focusing on air quality improvement, land revitalization and contamination prevention. Further, VEEP and NHEEP will train an additional 200 middle and high school students to design and implement environmental action projects in their own communities. |
|
2020 |
CT |
1 |
New Haven Ecology Project - $100,000 The New Haven Ecology Project seeks to expand its Green Jobs Corp (GJC) career development program based in New Haven, Connecticut. Through the expansion of Green Job Corps, the New Haven Ecology Project will connect 60 city high-school students with paid stewardship placements in environmental organizations. These placements will create opportunities for students to explore and build skills for future careers that benefit the environment, primarily in agricultural education and community projects. All participating students will complete a core curriculum that includes studying food and agriculture, air quality, human health impacts of fossil fuels, environmental justice, lead in soils, consequences of extreme weather events, and environmental health. Many of the stewardship projects that arise from this project will include engaging elementary school students and community members in hands-on environmental education, extending the reach of environmental education to an additional 1,100 students/community members. Example topics of these stewardship projects may include growing food, developing green infrastructure responses to stormwater management, and planting school gardens. |
|
2020 |
PR |
2 |
Migrant Clinicians Network, Inc. - $100,000 Puerto Rico and its environment are uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) and its longtime partners have expressed the need to develop comprehensive emergency preparedness education to ensure that communities are working collaboratively to reduce the negative health outcomes related to environmental contaminants, hazards, and sanitation following a disaster. Through this environmental education (EE) project, MCN will establish a program that fosters student and community engagement in disaster preparedness, as it relates to environmental protection and human health. To accomplish their educational and environmental goals, MCN and their community partners will adapt and develop an EE curriculum, facilitate a workshop for teachers and community leaders, and support teachers as they integrate EE content into their school curriculum. Project activities will reach at least eight teachers, 160 students, six community leaders, and five community health center outreach professionals. Final products from this project will include school, community, and student-family preparedness plans for the rural and underserved communities of Castañer, Adjuntas, Maricao and Yahuecas, that were devastated by Hurricane Maria. |
|
2020 |
NY |
2 |
Sciencenter Discovery Museum - $80,000 Nonpoint source pollution causes the water quality in the southern end of Cayuga Lake, which is where the lake converges with Cayuga Creek, to consistently rank lower than the rest of the lake. Through the Future Science Leaders (FSL): Youth Taking Action for Water Quality in the Finger Lakes project, the Sciencenter Discovery Museum and its project partners will work to increase environmental literacy of approximately 80 students and 1,000 community members in Tompkins County, New York. The Sciencenter will educate students using a combination of classroom and field activities focusing on water quality issues affecting the Cascadilla Creek and Cayuga River. This project seeks to empower students to use science when making decisions and taking actions to protect and improve their local watersheds, while inspiring others to become environmental stewards. |
|
2020 |
NJ |
2 |
Academy for Urban Leadership Charter School - $100,000 During heavy storms, runoff from streets and impervious surfaces overwhelm the capacity of Perth Amboy’s sewage treatment plant which results in the discharge of untreated wastewater into the nearby Raritan Bay. The Academy for Urban Leadership Charter School along with Ramapo College and other partner organizations will deliver a combination of classroom and hands-on activities to 600 economically disadvantaged students from diverse backgrounds, seven science teachers, and local community members. All Project REPAIR activities will encourage participants to learn how to address water quality problems associated with combined stormwater and wastewater systems and their effects on coastal waters, human health and the local community. These activities will equip students with critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills. Ultimately, this project aims to promote environmental and conservation stewardship, increase student knowledge of environmental issues, encourage students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and environmental education and become responsible and actively engaged citizens of the City of Perth Amboy. |
|
2020 |
MD |
3 |
Maryland Coastal Bays Foundation Inc. - $70,000 As the second largest industry in Worcester County, Maryland, agriculture is a major economic driver of the county’s economy. Despite agriculture being such a way of life in the Worcester County, there is a disconnect between the farms and those that work them, and the rest of the community and school system. The Living Local project will be the first formal program in Worcester County providing agriculture place-based education to residents, that includes specific academic programs for educators and students. The Living Local project will provide environmental education through the development and implementation of an interdisciplinary learning module. These projects will include hands-on student learning, and community workshops that address environmental and human impacts affecting agriculture and the benefits best farm practices have on water resources of Maryland’s Coastal Bays. Through hands-on activities on local farms and in county schools, this project will reach 300 students, 30 educators, and 600,000 community members residing primarily in rural areas. |
|
2020 |
VA |
3 |
James River Association - $98,000 The Connecting High School Environmental Science Students to the James River project plans to engage Richmond Public School (RPS) students throughout the environmental education continuum to address Richmond’s largest contributors to degraded local water quality: stormwater runoff and the combined sewer system (CSS). The James River Association (JRA) and its project partners will help the City of Richmond achieve “cleaner water faster” by providing outreach and education so that science students and teachers, at seven of the eight RPS high schools, can better understand the issues contributing to the CSS system. In total, this project will reach 400 students and 14 teachers through a combination of in-class and outdoor education opportunities, which will include a series of teacher professional development days and student classroom and field experience instruction. The science curricula provided during this project will connect participants to their local environments, provide local examples of environmental challenges and stewardship, and educate teachers and students about urban environmental management issues in a rapidly urbanizing world. |
|
2020 |
PA |
3 |
Heritage Conservancy - $100,000 The Educating the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards on Watershed Protection in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Through Hands-On Environmental Education, Exploration and Actions project will focus on the connection between land and water, and the impact individual and collective behaviors have on water quality. The Heritage Conservancy and its partners will work to educate and empower elementary and secondary students to take environmental action through a combination of classroom programs and cross-watershed collaboration paired with outdoor field trips. Integrated lessons will include topics related to single-use plastics, recycling, and overall watershed protection through decreased trash pollution. Heritage Conservancy will target an audience of approximately 1,200 students, with the potential to reach an additional 1,000 family members in the community. This project will also seek to foster the next generation of environmental stewards from diverse and underserved communities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania by offering career development opportunities in the environmental field for secondary and post-secondary students. These opportunities will provide individuals of all ages with life-long learning and interest in environmental and conservation stewardship. |
|
2020 |
GA, FL, TN |
4 |
EcoRise Youth Innovations - $100,000 In light of the critical environmental issues in the Southeastern United States, innovative approaches to environmental education (EE) are needed. The Sustainable Intelligence (S.I) project will provide EcoRise with the tools to bridge the gap between theory and action, make learning personal and relevant, increase the resiliency of local communities, and address issues of environmental justice. The S.I.project will expand EcoRise’s award winning EE curriculum and teacher-training program to rural and urban schools in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. This project will also develop students’ environmental literacy, foster creative problem-solving skills, and promote systems thinking—especially in schools within neighborhoods that experience disproportionally high environmental risks. With the help of local partners, EcoRise will connect with 160 teachers in underserved schools and communities, reaching approximately 8,960 students, of which 75% attend economically disadvantaged schools. After learning a wide range of sustainability and resiliency topics, students will design personally meaningful projects such as home air quality audits, school water conservation programs, and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling. Through S.I., students will become sustainability innovators and leaders, and teachers will become advocates of sustainable living, environmental literacy, and natural resource conservation. |
|
2020 |
FL |
4 |
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services - $100,000 Americans spend over $200 billion a year on food that is never consumed. While, in Florida, one in seven residents experience food insecurity. The Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) hopes the Understanding and Implementing Food Waste Management in Florida Schools project will result in the source reduction of food waste, less organic material entering the waste stream, and the development of conservation stewardship. FDACS will look to accomplish their educational and environmental goals by providing technical assistance and encouraging students and school authorities throughout the state to implement food waste management tools to create sustainable food recovery programs. Examples of tools will include, food sharing tables, food donations, participation in gleaning (i.e. the collection of surplus produce from fields) events and conducting student food waste audits. This project will target approximately 6,300 K-12 students, teachers, school administrators, and school nutrition professionals. |
|
2020 |
AL, GA, MS, KY, NC, SC, TN |
4 |
Kentucky Association of Environmental Education - $100,000 Given our planet’s finite amount of space and natural resources, communities must work together to creatively and efficiently institute solutions for handling the amount of waste generated. To combat waste problems, The Kentucky Association of Environmental Education (KAEE), in collaboration with its program partners, will establish the Don’t Waste It! project. This project aims to help current and future educators across the southeastern United States understand local systems for municipal solid waste, landfills, material recovery facilities, recycling, and composting. Once a solid foundation is built through a combination of in-person and online training, this project will provide educators with resources and lessons to share their knowledge with students throughout Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. All lessons and resources are intended to inspire local communities to engage in composting, recycling, waste reduction, and other activities that revitalize land and reduce contamination. This project aims to support 35 new Don’t Waste It! trainers, 280 educators in local educator workshops, and 100 educators in online training. |
|
2020 |
GA |
4 |
Emory University - $99,804 Emory University’s Implementing Active-Learning Modules for Enhancing Environmental Education on Air Quality and Soil Contamination project aims to increase the environmental literacy of middle and high school students, and community members, in Atlanta, Georgia. Emory University and its project partners will create unique active-learning modules and phone applications in order to teach approximately 550 students in urban West Atlanta neighborhoods, with large minority populations, about various environmental problems, the negative effects of exposure to environmental contamination and pollution, and their relationship with the human environment. Student participants will collect air quality data via low-cost monitoring stations and soil samples at school campuses, residents’ backyards, and community gardens to test heavy metal concentration levels. All the data will be analyzed by the students and the public and published online and through a phone application that will be built in collaboration with the Girls Who Code Emory University club. Providing this data to communities while also raising general awareness on the topic will give participants the opportunity to use the data in a meaningful way. |
|
2020 |
MI |
5 |
Central Michigan University - $100,000 H2O Q: Science Based Environmental Education engages teachers, community organizations, and corporate and public partners in experiential field science to help students measure water quality parameters and scientifically analyze and critically apply this data to a local issue affecting the Great Lakes. One teacher leader and one community/environmental leader from five subaward partners throughout Michigan will come to the Central Michigan University (CMU) Biological Station and engage in hands-on learning using the H2O Q kit. Leaders, along with CMU experts will train an additional 40 to 60 middle school teachers with a reach of over 4,000 students in research around water quality issues within their communities. By using the kit to measure the chemistries of water quality, students will gain scientific literacy in issues affecting the Great Lakes region. The overall goal of this project is to educate middle school science teachers and equip them with the critical skills and resources to become effective environmental stewards. |
|
2020 |
MI |
5 |
Trout Unlimited - $100,000 Connecting communities to their local water resources is important to the Great Lakes Region to help protect the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. The goal of expanding Trout Unlimited’ s (TU) STREAM Girls Program is to educate more than 275 girls, 35 partners and volunteers, and 1,000 community members across Michigan in water quality issues. Project participants will learn to investigate streams, document their findings, and become environmental stewards by designing and implementing projects to protect water quality. TU will work with partner organizations to deliver STREAM Girls at outdoor locations in the Lower Grand River, Detroit River, and Rouge River Watersheds. By reaching audiences from three of Michigan’s top five most diverse counties, this project will provide outdoor and informal education opportunities to girls who have not typically participated in these types of activities, giving them a new perspective on science. |
|
2020 |
WI |
5 |
Neighborhood House of Milwaukee - $100,000 The goal of the Renew-Recycle- Reclaim (3R) project is to increase access to environmental science education and meaningful conservation activities for more than 1,000 low-income, urban youth of color, ages six to 19 who live in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After receiving training on invasive species identification, integrated pest management, wetland and forest monitoring and surveying, and lesson plan writing, paid interns will implement environmental education activities at local schools and lead field trips to nature centers and local and state parks. Program’s interns will lead students in interactive educational sessions using established curricula paired with corresponding stewardship activities, such as building pollinator gardens, wetland species monitoring and bio-blitzes. This combination of lessons and activities will give students multiple opportunities to put what they have learned into practice. The 3R program will strive to create diversity for the natural resources field, starting with elementary school students and impacting youth into postsecondary school. |
|
2020 |
WI |
5 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison - $100,000 The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and its project partners will work with leaders and residents in the Lake Wingra Watershed to minimize the harmful effects of stormwater that flows from urban land into lakes and rivers. The Water Action to Encourage Responsibility project will engage 15-20 leaders – “social trailblazers” – comprised of individuals and policymakers. Outreach will be conducted using custom toolkits, online training, a website and community events. This project will provide a model for community engagement in pressing environmental issues and document how neighborhood-focused efforts can make a difference. By empowering leaders within targeted neighborhoods, this project aims to prepare local communities to address challenges related to the harmful effects of stormwater runoff. The lessons learned and the materials developed during the project cycle will be transferable to watersheds throughout the country. In total, this project aims to reach more than 6,500 local residents. |
|
2020 |
IL |
5 |
Environmental Education Association of Illinois - $40,215 Earth Force Illinois is a two-year train-the-trainer effort where the Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI) will develop the capacity to train and support urban and rural educators throughout Illinois in the use of the Earth Force Process. Participants will learn, model, and practice Earth Force’s six-step process with an emphasis on building youth-adult partnerships, encouraging critical thinking, accessing community resources, approaching stakeholders, and planning and celebrating action. After attending a train-the-trainer workshop, participants will host their own educator workshops, further amplifying the reach of this project. Trained educators will facilitate student-led investigations of environmental issues and the development of action plans to address those issues, with an estimated 250 students. This project will provide 85 K-12 educators with training in what is now known to be some of the most critical steps in the environmental education process when trying to develop an environmentally responsible public. |
|
2020 |
TX |
6 |
National Wildlife Federation - $100,000 Hurricane Harvey deposited an unprecedented amount of rainfall on the city of Houston. However, much less rainfall (amounts of as little as 2”- 4”) can overwhelm the city’s drainage systems and cause disruptive flooding. The Student Resilience Ambassador programwill engage four underserved schools in Houston and surrounding communities in climate resiliency efforts and environmental stewardship activities pertaining to flooding and improving water quality. In total, this program aims to empower students at four schools, 212 teachers and 100 community members with the knowledge and skills to be a part of the solution as they learn to make their communities more resilient to the real and increasing threats of flooding. Each participating school will be equipped with training and the funds needed to plan and implement a nature-based solution to flooding and Student Resilient Ambassador Teamsformed at each campus will help lead community engagement and action. Toward the end of the project period, the National Wildlife Federation will convene a Resilience in Schools Symposium that will train additional teachers, build awareness among city and school district officials of the resilience work taking place in underserved communities and provide a venue for students to showcase their community work. |
|
2020 |
LA |
6 |
University of Louisiana at Monroe - $99,000 This project’s stakeholders will include a collaborative team of faculty from University of Louisiana Monroe and teacher-student groups from five different schools in the Ouachita School District, all of which serve students from low-socioeconomic households. This collaborative effort’s environmental goals will focus on preventing agricultural and surface runoff water from polluting wetlands while creating environmental stewards and generating career interests in different environmental fields. Teacher proficiency and environmental stewardship among students will be achieved through a place-based approach that develops cross-disciplinary interventions by utilizing environmental literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The project will also establish a runoff demonstration and monitoring site at the University of Louisiana Monroe that will function as a working model for local area schools and communities. In total, this project will reach approximately 10 educators, 1,250 students, along with additional parents and community members. |
|
2020 |
LA |
6 |
Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science - $91,408 The Mississippi River drains an area of about 40% of the continental United States, bringing its water—and pollution—through the city of New Orleans en route to the Gulf of Mexico. The citizens of New Orleans are actively seeking ways to understand and reduce the amount of plastic traveling downstream. The Messages from the Mississippi project will leverage student (2,636) and educator (2,636) activities to engage the general public (35,000) on the issue of marine microplastic pollution. Working in local public schools that serve majority minority and low-income students, Public Lab and its partners will create and pilot a curriculum to educate students on microplastics through a series of outdoor learning activities and hands-on projects. During the program, students will create artwork using plastics collected from the Mississippi River that will be displayed alongside student-designed educational materials to ignite community interest and encourage viewers to manage the health of the river. The people of New Orleans, along with researchers and policymakers throughout the United States are working to better understand and find ways to reduce the plastic pollution flowing down the Mississippi and into the Gulf of Mexico each day. This project will connect students and their communities to those efforts. |
|
2020 |
MO |
7 |
Missouri Botanical Garden Board of Trustees - $72,928 The Missouri Botanical Garden will aim to expand their Gateway to Careers Outdoor Youth Corps program for diverse youth. This project will provide 148 youth in St. Louis City and St. Louis County with sustainability career exploration opportunities, training, and environmental action projects. Examples of project activities that are designed to help participants better understand local environmental issues and connect students to possible career pathways include: storm drain marking, river cleanup events, community beautification projects; and, field trips to recycling centers, compost facilities, landfills, and local universities/colleges. These meaningful, hands-on, real-world projects will introduce new possibilities and foster interest to further explore environmental and sustainability careers for all participating youth. |
|
2020 |
IA |
7 |
Upper Iowa University - $100,000 Upper Iowa University’s (UIU) Nourishing Our Waters and Soil through Sustainable Agriculture project will create access to professional development opportunities and engage citizens in improving Iowa’s environmental quality, especially in relation to the impact of farming on water and soil quality and chemical usage issues. The environmental goals of the project will be archived by improving the skillsets of educators and implementing sustainable agriculture locally. This project will provide 96 Pre-K - 12th grade teachers with an opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture, the implementation of practices at a local level, and strategies to incorporate this knowledge into their own classrooms. In total, all trained teachers will deliver their lessons to approximately 4,800 students. This grant will also allow UIU to create an online environmental education library and resource center to broadly disseminate materials and provide lifelong learners with resources. |
|
2020 |
KS |
7 |
Kansas State University - $100,000 Food waste prevention and food recovery efforts can make a substantial difference in the lives of residents and students throughout Kansas. The Kansas State University Pollution Prevention Institute’s (PPI) project, Educating Students and Communities about Food Waste, Food Waste Prevention and Strategies to Reduce Organic Waste in our Landfills in Kansas aims to assist in the improvement of air quality and the reduction of food waste disposal in landfills in southeast Kansas. PPI will achieve their environmental and educational goals by providing increased educational opportunities to learn about food recovery, food donation, food waste reduction, community composting, community gardens and community food resiliency. PPI will also provide educational outreach, live workshops, webinars, and onsite technical solutions for food waste and recovery opportunities with students, the general public, and community educators. In total, the project will target 237,153 people in 16 Kansas counties. |
|
2020 |
UT, CO, WY |
8 |
Utah Society for Environmental Education - $100,000 The Strengthening Community Engagement for Environmental Education project will see the Utah Society for Environmental Education partner with the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education and the Wyoming Alliance for Environmental Education to increase the effectiveness and reach of community engagement and participation in the study of local environmental issues while providing opportunities to revitalize land and prevent contamination in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Teams of formal and informal environmental educators in these three states will be invited to apply for the program. Accepted applicants will establish eight to ten Community Leadership Teams, all of which will consist of two to three members per team. This project will provide critical training to team members on best practices in community engagement and participation while providing ongoing coaching and support for participants as they implement Environmental Education (EE) projects related to land revitalization and contamination prevention in their communities. It is anticipated that these environmental educators will engage an estimated 300 participants in community-based EE projects while significantly increasing the relevance and effectiveness of environmental education across the region. |
|
2020 |
MT |
8 |
Clark Fork Watershed Education Program, Montana Technological University- $100,000 The Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP) along with campus and community partners, will engage 30 teachers and 12 high school students, as well as the general public, in community environmental education (EE) projects related to the local environment and local environmental issues. This project will foster action from teachers and students beyond classroom instruction. The outdoor laboratory of Butte, Montana’s superfund site will be used to illustrate methods for teachers and students on water quality monitoring, stormwater management, soil remediation, and climate resiliency. The project will also mentor teachers on community project development, focusing on addressing issues of safe and clean water and land revitalization. Additional education activities will include the use of a summer academy, an online course, authentic research opportunities, grant writing, and ongoing mentoring to facilitate content knowledge and application of EE concepts that ultimately lead to action and stewardship. |
|
2020 |
CO |
8 |
Rio Grande Watershed Conservation & Education Initiative - $60,000 The San Luis Valley is a community completely reliant on its local natural resources. Of the utmost importance is its dependency on water – for agriculture, municipal, and recreational uses. The Rio Grande Watershed Conservation & Education Initiative’s Natural Resources in the Real World project aims to maintain, diversify, and expand environmental education (EE) programs available to underserved youth within the San Luis Valley. These EE programs will focus on agricultural education, watershed health, and conservation stewardship and will reach 3,500 Kindergarten through 12th grade students, in all six counties of the San Luis Valley, with a secondary audience of teachers and community members of all ages. By collaborating with multiple partner organizations, this project will offer youth summer camps, river restoration, natural resource workshops, and field experiences opportunities that will educate and inspire local youth to get involved with natural resource stewardship. |
|
2020 |
CA |
9 |
The Foundation for Santa Barbara City College - $99,945 Santa Barbara faces a crisis of biodiversity loss driven largely by habitat loss, invasive species, and the effects of climate change. The Foundation for Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and Explore Ecology, its collaborating partner, aim to address the city’s loss of biodiversity issue by developing a network of educational permaculture garden sites across Santa Barbara. These sites will form an archipelago of gardens stretching across a region of Santa Barbara, connected physically by habitat corridors and the underlying watershed. The gardens will offer opportunities for Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students, Community College students, teachers, and the public to engage in topics focusing on ecological health and the water conservation benefits of native habitat, food‐producing gardens. In total, this project anticipates reaching over 34,000 participants through courses at SBCC and in K-12 schools, community workshops, partner activities, and public events, with the potential for thousands more through online resources and those fed by the foods produced at the gardens – in total, over one‐third of the Santa Barbara area. |
|
2020 |
CA |
9 |
Sequoia Riverlands Trust - $100,000 Tulare County, California is one of the top agricultural producing counties in the United States, but over the last decade the county has suffered greatly from severe droughts and poor air quality. The Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s EARTH Academy program aims to address these environmental issues by increasing public awareness and knowledge about ways to improve soil, which leads to better water retention, less dust, and better growth cycles for crops and other plants. In total, this project anticipates reaching 300 to 600 students (Kindergarten through 8th grade) from 30 schools in Tulare County, 30 to 40 interns (grades 9 through 12), 50 to 100 farmers/ranchers, teachers, parents, and community stakeholders. This project’s programming will take place primarily at seven ecologically unique nature preserves. At these sites, project participants will learn about the wonders of the outdoor world along with skills that can lead to careers in the environmental field and higher education opportunities through project-based and hands-on learning activities, workshops, service-learning opportunities, presentations, and community events. Throughout the cycle of this project, EARTH Academy students will have opportunities to learn, discover problems, create solutions, and teach others about their findings. |
|
2020 |
AZ |
9 |
Arizona Association of Conservation Districts - $100,000 The Arizona Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) will work with Arizona’s Natural Resource Conservation District Education Centers, and additional project partners to establish the Cultivating our Future Agricultural Leaders and Model Stewards of the Land project. This project aims to cultivate future agricultural leaders and stewards of the land by presenting multiple sides of environmental issues, strengthening the skills of environmental educators, empowering young leaders to be informed decision-makers, facilitating collaboration, and stimulating community-oriented action to create lasting positive change. In total, this project will target a diverse statewide audience of 4,000 people, which include Kindergarten through Postsecondary students, and adults. The core program will include workshops, trainings, professional development opportunities, certifications programs, field trips, guest speakers, interactive classroom and community programs, conferences, an online forum and resource hub, and participation in leadership summits. By engaging our future leaders and decision-makers, our educators, and communities in environmental and conservation stewardship, this project hopes to give them the ability to be knowledgeable about all aspects of Arizona’s current agricultural and conservation issues. |
|
2020 |
CA |
9 |
Ventana Wilderness Alliance - $50,000 Ventana Wilderness Alliance’s Youth in Wilderness Program (YiW) will collaborate with local community partners to provide immersive environmental education opportunities to middle school, high school, and university students. These overnight and single-day Wilderness Immersion Outings will take place in the Ventana and Silver Peak Wildernesses in Central California. All outings, predominantly overnight backpacking trips, are preempted by preparatory workshops at partner sites or in nearby regional green spaces. In 2020, YiW will serve approximately 450 students on 20 to 26 Outings. Service will be prioritized for participants from historically underrepresented communities of color from the surrounding region. The program goals are to increase public literacy of public lands advocacy and local watershed health through collaborative wilderness immersion outings with local communities. Participants will learn about best outdoor recreation practices and watershed stewardship through a variety of hands-on natural history and skill-based lessons while in the field. |
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2020 |
WA |
10 |
Western Washington University - $97,648 Western Washington University’s Youth Learning, Leadership and Stewardship for Environmental Justice; Community-Engaged Air Quality Biomonitoring Using Moss in South Seattle project is a continuation of a previous pilot project in Seattle’s Lower Duwamish and South Beacon Hill neighborhoods, some of the city’s most racially and ethnically diverse areas. This initiative will foster collaboration among community leaders, university and government researchers, and high school teachers and students on South Seattle’s air pollution sources and solutions. Through a 10-week project, 48 high school students will engage in all parts of the scientific process, including the development of hypotheses, the collection of moss samples from trees in south Seattle, the interpretation of data and sharing of results with stakeholders. Not only will this project create accessible learning opportunities for high school students to explore the spatial variability of air pollutants, it will allow them to prioritize areas for future community monitoring and investments. |
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2020 |
WA |
10 |
Palouse Conservation District - $100,000 Water on the Palouse Region of southeastern Washington is a precious resource. Residents rely entirely on groundwater sources for domestic use as surface waters have become contaminated with nonpoint source pollutants from agricultural and urban runoff. This project aims to provide educational opportunities that foster science literacy about water resources and develop water quality and quantity consciousness for 1200 Kindergarten through 12 (K-12) grade students, 40 teachers, and community members in the Palouse Conservation District (CD). To cultivate stewardship action, a citizen science watershed monitoring program will be developed to assess the health of the watershed. Additional activities will include community-wide stream clean-ups, water conservation measures, and volunteer stream planting events with education components. School districts and municipalities will be the targeted audience for subawards, ensuring longevity of educational objectives and instilling long-term water resource literacy. Encouraging ecological identification through place and action will assist the community in achieving sustainable cultural and ecological integrity. |
|
2020 |
AK |
10 |
Kenai Watershed Forum - $95,052 This grant will allow the Kenai Watershed Forum to enhance the delivery of their nationally recognized Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) program while building more meaningful and sustainable partnerships in Kenai Peninsula Borough Schools. This program will support the continuation of high-level conservation education and the dissemination of water quality curricula to Kindergarten through 12th (K-12) grade students while delivering learner-centered curriculum through positive outdoor experiences. Lessons will focus on the salmonid life cycle, plant identification, investigation of local invertebrate species, and water quality evaluation. In total, the AAS program aims to reach approximately 1,200 K-12 grade students and 60 teachers via classroom visits, field trips to local streams, and an environmentally themed summer camp. Participating students will adopt nearby stream sites to monitor and protect, leading to significant environmental investigations, curiosity, and active environmental stewardship. |
|
2020 |
ID, OR, WA |
10 |
Lake Roosevelt Forum - $100,000 The River Mile (TRM) is a network of 50 educators, 1,200 students, and scientists all exploring the essential question, “How do relationships among components of an ecosystem affect watershed health?” Most participating students are from low-income schools and underserved/underrepresented populations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. TRM’s participant-driven approach to exploring watershed health will see educators and students share best practices, resources, and real-world scientific data that they collect outdoors. A major feature of TRM is teacher training, which partners help provide, supported by curriculum, in-person workshops, online training, kits with hands-on resources, and posters. Through participation in TRM’s Crayfish Study and associated field work, students will collect and analyze data on the state of native and invasive crayfish and water quality in their local watershed and examine conservation options to enhance water quality to benefit local wildlife and people. Other classroom and field activities will help students develop a deeper understanding of freshwater ecosystems and ways to protect and restore them. |