Office of Communications,
Education, and Media Relations
0704A)
EPA-171-R-00-002
October 2000
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2000 Environmental Education
Grant Profiles
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Environmental Education
Office of Communications, Education, and Media Relations
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (1704A)
Washington, DC 20460
http://www.epa.gov/enviroed
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Table of Contents
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SUMMARY STATEMENT .
USING THE GRANT PROFILES
GRANTS AWARDED BY EPA HEADQUARTERS .
GRANTS AWARDED BY EPA REGIONAL OFFICES.
EPA REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COORDINATORS
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SUMMARY STATEMENT
ANNUAL AWARD UNDER SECTION 6 OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ACT (PUBLIC LAW 101 -619)
This report summarizes 165 environmental education grants awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) during fiscal year (FY) 2000. The Environmental Education Grants Program was created
under Section 6 of the National Environmental Education Act, and the first grants were awarded in 1992.
EPA's Office of Environmental Education (OEE) manages the program. Grants of Federal funds over
$25,000 are awarded annually by EPA Headquarters and smaller grants by the 10 EPA regional offices, as
described below.
The grants are awarded to stimulate environmental education by supporting projects that address EPA
educational priorities such as: education reform and capacity building, human health, teacher training,
career development, and community environmental issues, including those related to environmental justice.
The goal of the program is to support projects that enhance the public's awareness and knowledge of
environmental issues and the skills they need to make informed and responsible decisions that affect
environmental quality. Any college or university, tribal or local education agency, state education or
environmental agency, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, or noncommercial educational broadcasting entity
is eligible for grants under the program.
In FY 2000, Congress appropriated almost $2.4 million for the grants program. Federal funds may not
exceed 75 percent of the total funding for a project. Dollar amounts reported in this document are the
EPA funds awarded to the project only. Each project listed also has secured matching funds from sources
other than federal programs. Such matching funds, often exceeding 25 percent of total funds for a project,
are not reported in this document.
Headquarters awarded 15 large grants, for a total of $1,158,020. Grants awarded averaged $77,201; the
smallest grant awarded was $29,500; four grants exceeded $100,000; and the largest awarded was less
than $150,000. In total, EPA's 10 regional offices awarded $1,187,000 for an average of 15 grants each.
The competition for grants is intense, especially as the amount of funding requested increases. For example,
in FY 2000, Headquarters funded less than 7 percent of the 226 grant applications received. Because
Congress mandates that 25 percent of the grant funds be awarded to small grants of $5,000 or less, EPA is
much more likely to award funding for small grants.
EPA's annual Environmental Education Grants Solicitation Notice describes the solicitation, evaluation,
and award process through which EPA arrives at final decisions about grant winners. The solicitation
notice is published and available for review in the Federal Register, which can be obtained at most libraries,
and can be viewed on the Internet at . The most recent solicitation notice also can
be obtained by contacting EPA Headquarters or an EPA regional office. A list of EPA contacts is provided
on pages 50 and 51 of this document.
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USING THE GRANT PROFILES
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The main section of this document provides profiles of environmental education grants awarded
annually. Profiles are listed in alphabetical order by the state or United States (U.S.) territory in
which the project was conducted. Each profile identifies the organization that received the award,
the amount of the award, and a point of contact for the project and presents a summary of the
project. Illustrated below is a sample profile:
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Name of organization
that received the grant
-t> RASJIDAH FRANKLIN, 2065 KITTREDGE STREET, SUITE M, BERKELEY, CA 94704
CALIFORNIA
EAST BAY ASIAN YOUTH CENTER - $5,000
Amount of EPA award
Name of the project
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.
Summary of the project
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GRANTS AWARDED BY EPA HEADQUARTERS
California
SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT - $149,202
KENNETH GONZALEZ, BALBOA HIGH SCHOOL, 1000 CAYUGA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112
WALCAcross 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.
Florida
FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - $49,427
TOM MARCINKOWSKI, 150 W. UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, MELBOURNE, FL 32901-6975
Evaluation ofMultigrade 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.
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Georgia
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES - $40,000
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.
Iowa
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - $83,635
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.
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Maine
KIDS CONSORTIUM, INC. - $109,204
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.
Maryland
COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION/PROJECT WILD - $49,900
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.
Michigan
MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY - $37,311
ANITA QUINN, 1400 TOWNSEND DRIVE, HOUGHTON,
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
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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.
Mew York
NORTH COUNTRY WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIP - $99,700
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.
WEST HARLEM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION - $61,628
PEGGY SHEPARD, 271 WEST 125m 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.
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Texas
CITY OF AUSTIN, WATER RESOURCES DIVISION - $53,150
R. H. RICHARDSON, 625 E. 10 STREET, AUSTIN, TX 78701
Hornsby BendEcologicalMentorship 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.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON - $80,850
IRINA CECH, PO. 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.
Utah
FOUR CORNERS SCHOOL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION - $74, 953
JANET Ross, PO. 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
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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.
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH-$113,991
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.
Vermont
VERMONT CENTER FOR THE BOOK - $105,569
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.
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Washington
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE - $29,500
MICHELLE TIRHI, 25644 44m 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.
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Grants Awarded by EPA Regional Offices
ALABAMA
ALABAMA MAYORS CORPORATION FOR ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT - $13,896
SHANORA JACKSON SMITH, PMB #202, 2663 VALLEYDALE ROAD, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35244
Envim-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.
ALASKA
ALASKA DISCOVERY FOUNDATION, INC./DISCOVERY SOUTHEAST - $4,975
JONO MCKINNEY, RO. 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.
CALYPSO FARM AND ECOLOGY CENTER - $5,000
SUSAN WILLSRUD, RO. 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.
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AK-AZ
CENTER FOR ALASKAN COASTAL STUDIES, INC. - $4,450
MARILYN SIGMAN, PC. 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.
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.
MATANUSKA SUSITNA BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT/WASILLA HIGH SCHOOL - $5,000
CHERYL MCDOWELL, 125 WEST EVERGREEN AVENUE, PALMER, AK 99654
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.
ARIZONA
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.
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COLORADO RIVER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT - $5,000
NANCY SILK, RO. 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 students final
report presents a discussion of the environmental careers the student encountered during the project.
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.
NAVAJO RESOURCE CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, INC. - $4,995
WALLACE TSOSIE, PO. 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.
SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT (SCENE) - $14,885
KATHRYN KYLE, RO. 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.
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ARKANSAS
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.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, INC. - $5,000
LEIGH ANN COVINGTON, P 0. Box 300,115 JEFFERSON STREET, LONOKE, AR 72086
Hazards of Pollution Model
The Cental 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.
CALIFORNIA
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.
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.
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FRIENDS OF THE URBAN FOREST - $5,000
MILTON MARKS, PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO, PO. 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.
LAND PARTNERS THROUGH STEWARDSHIP - $4,992
CRAIG ANDERSON, PO. 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.
REGIONAL COUNCIL OF RURAL COUNTIES - $4,309
STAGEY MINOR, 102012m 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 die creek.
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.
COLORADO
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
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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.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR KIDS - $8,000
STACIE GILMORE, 14460 EAST 50m 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.
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.
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.
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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.
SAN JUAN RESOURCE CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT - $5,000
GARY JENNINGS, RO. 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.
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.
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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.
CONNECTICUT
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.
DELAWARE
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.
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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.
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 die 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.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE TIDES CENTER/CAYA - $5,000
MICHAEL ATKINS, 2008 10m 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.
FLORIDA
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
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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.
THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY - $4,991
FRANK MANDLEY, 600 SOUTHEAST THIRD AVENUE, 4iH 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.
GEORGIA
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 Elastics
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.
PIEDMONT PARK CONSERVANCY - $4,500
KAREN SCHAEFER, PC. 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.
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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA - $5,000
JANET VALENTE, 612 GRADUATE STUDIES BUILDING, ATHENS, GEORGIA 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.
HAWAII
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 teachers resource packet includes pertinent pre- and post-visit classroom activities, along
with a resource bibliography.
IDAHO
COMMUNITIES CREATING CONNECTIONS, INC. - $13,963
GREGORY FIZZELL, PO. 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.
ILLINOIS
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.
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INDIANA
INDIANA DUNES ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER - $10,793
MATTHEW MILLER, PO. 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.
IOWA
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.
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.
KANSAS
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.
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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.
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.
KENTUCKY
JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - $4,956
LARRY HAMFELDT, PO. 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.
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.
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MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY - $4,815
JOSEPH BAUST, MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY, PO. 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.
LOUISIANA
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.
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.
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.
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FRENCH BAY CONSERVANCY - $12,000
BARBARA WELCH, RO. Box 606, ELLSWORTH, ME 04505
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.
MARYLAND
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.
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.
MASSACHUSETTS
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 lOth-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.
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LOWER CAPE COMMUNICATIONS - $5,000
BOB SEAY, 14 CENTER STREET, PROVINCETOWN, MA 02757
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.
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 states 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.
PATRIOT GIRL SCOUTS - $8,623
BRENDA RICH, 95 BERKLEY STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116
E3-EnvimnmentalEducation 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.
SPRINGFIELD LIBRARY AND MUSEUMS - $4,850
DAVE STIER, 220 STATE STREET, SPRINGFIELD, MA 01103
River Education A wareness 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 rivers 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.
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.
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ARAB COMMUNITY CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SERVICES (ACCESS) - $5,000
KATHRYN SAVOIE, 2651 SAULINO COURT, DEARBORN, Ml 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.
CITY OF WESTLAND, FIRE DEPARTMENT - $5,000
MARK NEAL, 37201 MARQUETTE, WESTLAND, Ml 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.
THE CREATION STATION - $9,933
LORI THOMAS, RO. Box 26113, LANSING, Ml 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.
GRAND TRAVERSE BAND OF OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA INDIANS - $6,480
PATTI O'DONNELL, 2605 NORTH WEST BAYSHORE DRIVE, SUTTONS BAY,
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.
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LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY, CHEMISTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT - $5,000
BARB KELLER, SAULT STE. MARIE, Ml 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.
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MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY - $4,800
JOAN CHADDE, 1400 TOWNSEND DRIVE, HOUGHTON,
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.
SOUTHWEST DETROIT ENVIRONMENTAL VISION - $11,800
KATHY MILBERG, 1450 MCKINSTRY STREET, PO. Box 09400, DETROIT, Ml 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.
MINNESOTA
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.
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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION SERVICE, DAKOTA COUNTY - $5,000
CHARLOTTE SHOVER, 4100 220m 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.
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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.
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.
MISSOURI
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.
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BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER KANSAS CITY - $25,000
MARY BROWN, 6301 ROCKHILL ROAD, KANSAS CITY, MO 64131
Thorn berry 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.
COOPERATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS - $24,712
GLENDAABNEY, 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 projects delivery methods also will be provided.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN - $5,000
CELESTE PRUSSIA, PO. 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.
SCENIC RIVERS STREAM TEAM ASSOCIATION - $4,593
CAROL CHILDRESS, PO. 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.
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
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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.
MONTANA
BlTTERROOT ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS RESOURCES Co-OP, INC. - $5,000
JAMIE OGDEN, RO. 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.
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.
MONTANA AUDUBON, INC. - $14,425
ROBERT PETTY RO. 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.
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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.
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.
NEBRASKA
INNER CITY COALITION ON THE ENVIRONMENT - $4,935
BARBI HAYES, PC. 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.
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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.
NEBRASKA GROUNDWATER FOUNDATION - $7,250
SUSAN SEACREST, RO. 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 teachers 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.
MEUADA
CARSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT - $5,000
JULIE KOOP, RO. Box 603, CARSON CITY, NV 89702
Biology at the River
The project enables three lOth-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.
MEW HAMPSHIRE
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.
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MEW JERSEY
GREATER NEWARK CONSERVANCY - $16,467
LESLEY PARNESS, 303-9 WASHINGTON STREET, STH 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.
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.
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).
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.
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COLLEGE OF SANTA FE - $9,997
PAMELA HERMAN, 1600 ST. MICHAELS DRIVE, SANTA FE,
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.
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.
MEW YORK
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 Centers 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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
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 Federations "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.
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.
NORTH CAROLINA
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.
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WILSON COUNTY SCHOOLS - $18,875
RACHEL COZART, PO. 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.
NORTH DAKOTA
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.
OHIO
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.
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MAHONING VALLEY/NORTHEAST OHIO CAMP FIRE COUNCIL - $6,230
BARBARA SMITH, RO. 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.
UNIVERSITY OF FINDLAY, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - $5,000
GWYNME 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.
OKLAHOMA
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.
NORMAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - $5,000
RICHARD DENNIS, 600 48m STREET SE, NORMAN, OK 73026
WOODSAnnex
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.
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OREGON
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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
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.
PENNSYLVANIA
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.
PENNSYLVANIA ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL - $10,634
ANN SMITH, 117 SOUTH 17m 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.
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.
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SAINT FRANCIS COLLEGE - $9,745
KEVIN O'FLAHERTY, PO. 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.
SHADE HIGH SCHOOL-$4,990
DAMION CIOTTI, 203 MCGREGOR, PO. 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.
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.
PUERTO RICO
INTER-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO Rico, INC. - $24,992
AMAURY Boscio, P 0. 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,
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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.
RHODE ISLAND
KEEP PROVIDENCE BEAUTIFUL - $5,000
SALLY TURNER, 385 WESTMINSTER STREET, PROVIDENCE, Rl 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.
WOONSOCKET EDUCATION DEPARTMENT - $12,450
MIKE FERRY, WOONSOCKET HIGH SCHOOL, 108 HIGH STREET, WOONSOCKET, Rl 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.
SOUTH CAROLINA
COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY - $4,832
SHARON GILMAN, PO. Box 2619454, CONWAY, SC 29258
Community River Project: Volunteer Monitoring Program for Worry 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 die public that is held at the Playcard Environmental Education Center.
YOUTH SERVICE CHARLESTON, INC. - $10,820
BEN LONG, PO. 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.
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TENNESSEE
CUMBERLAND RIVER COMPACT, INC. - $5,000
MARGO FARNSWORTH, PO. 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.
YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHATTANOOGA - $6,335
PATRICK MILES, 301 W. 6m 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.
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.
TN
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AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING - $5,273
Lois MYERS, 216 EAST 4m 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.
KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL - $5,187
CECILE CARSON, P 0. 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.
MILLER SPRINGS ALLIANCE - $5,000
MARY ANN SMITH, P 0. 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.
SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT - $4,821
BONNIE FARMER, 500 SOUTH LBJ, P 0. 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.
SEGUIN OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTER - $4,694
BARBARA KEMPER-NOLAN, P 0. 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.
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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS (UVI) - $5,000
MAYRA SUAREZ-VELEZ, #2 JOHN BREWERS' BAY, ST. THOMAS, USVI 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 die 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.
UTAH
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.
VERMONT
ASSOCIATION OF VERMONT RECYCLERS - $4,960
CONNIE LEACH BISSON, PC. 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 associations creative form of teaching into their work plans.
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LAKE CHAMPLAIN SCIENCE CENTER - $23,500
BETSY ROSENBUUTH, 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 Centers web site. More than
20 middle and high school teachers participate, serving more than 400 students each year.
UiRGINIA
OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION - $5,000
TERRI MATHEWS, PO. 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).
PORTSMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS - $4,980
CATHERINE ROBERTS, PO. 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.
RADFORD UNIVERSITY - $4,999
FRED SINGER, PO. 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 uses 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.
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WASHINGTON
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.
COLUMBIA BASIN COLLEGE MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE DIVISION - $4,990
JENNIFER VONREIS, 2600 N 20m 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.
LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND ADVENTURE SCHOOL - $3,880
EILEEN MCMACKIN, PO. 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.
LAND/CULTURE PROJECT (GROUNDWORKS INSTITUTE) - $4,838
TODD CULLISON, P 0. 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
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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.
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.
SALISH SEA EXPEDITIONS - $5,000
ELUE LINEN Low, PO. 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.
WEST UlRGiNIA
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.
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W1MMY
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.
WISCONSIN
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY, NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES/HUMANISTIC STUDIES - $5,000
ANDREW FIALA, 2420 NICOLET DRIVE, GREEN BAY, Wl 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.
WYOMING
CAMPBELL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT - $3,022
ROLLO WILLIAMS, PO. Box 3033,1000 WEST STH, 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.
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Region 1 CT, ME, MA, NH, Rl, VT
Kristen Conroy
U.S. EPA, Region 1
One Congress Street, Suite 1100 (RAA)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone: 617-918-1069
Fax: 617-918-1029
E-mail: conroy.kristen@epa.gov
Region 2 WJ, NY, Puerto Rico,
Virgin Islands
Terry Ippolito
U.S. EPA, Region 2
290 Broadway, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212-637-3671
Fax: 212-637-4445
E-mail: ippolito.teresa@epa.gov
Region 3 DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, UUV
Nan Ides
U.S. EPA, Region 3
1650 Arch (3C GOO)
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
Phone: 215-814-5546
Fax: 215-814-5104
E-mail: ides.nan@epa.gov
Region 4 AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC,
SC,TN
Ben Blair
U.S. EPA, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-562-8321
Fax: 404-562-8335
E-mail: blair.benjamin@epa.gov
Region 5 IL, IN, Ml, MM, OH, Wl
Suzanne Saric
U.S. EPA, Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard (PI-19J)
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312-353-3209
Fax: 312-353-1155
E-mail: saric.suzanne@epa.gov
Region 6 AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
Jo Taylor
U.S. EPA, Region 6
1445 Ross Avenue (6XA)
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214-665-2204
Fax: 214-665-2118
E-mail: taylor.jo@epa.gov
Region 7 IA, KS, MO, NE
Denise Morrison
U.S. EPA, Region 7
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: 913-551-7402
Fax: 913-551-7066
E-mail: morrison.denise@epa.gov
Region 8 CO, MT, NO, SI3, UT, UUY
Cece Forget
U.S. EPA, Region 8
One Denver Place (80C)
999 18th Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202-2466
Phone: 303-312-6605
Fax: 303-312-6961
E-mail: forget.cece@epa.gov
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Region 9 AZ, CA, HI, NV, American
Samoa, Guam, i\l. Marianas, Palau
StaceyBenfer
U.S. EPA, Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street (E2)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-744-1161
Fax: 415-744-1072
E-mail: benfer.stacey@epa.gov
Region 10 AK, ID, OR, UVA
Sally Han ft
U.S. EPA, Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue (EXA-142)
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206-553-1207
Fax: 206-553-0149
E-mail: hanft.sally@epa.gov
Headquarters
U.S. EPA
Office of Environmental Education
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (1704A)
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 202-260-8619
Fax: 202-564-2754
E-mail: enviroed.group@epa.gov
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