B.ookf3'
^eo st-^v
PRO^S
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Introduction
What is Environmental Education?
Environmental education has helped people around the world understand that
to ensure a good quality of life for ourselves and our children; we must act as
responsible stewards of our air, water, and land. Environmental education has
encouraged communities to harness the creativity, imagination, and tenacity of
their neighbors and put that energy to work in the service of public health and
our environment.
Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's
knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges,
develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and
fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions
and take responsible action (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).
Environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course
of action. Rather, environmental education teaches individuals how to weigh
various sides of an issue through critical thinking, enhancing their own
problem-solving and decision-making skills.
The components of environmental education are:
1. Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental
challenges.
2. Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental
challenges.
3. Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or
maintain environmental quality.
4. Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges.
5. Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental
challenges (UNESCO, 1978).
Although our nation has made tremendous progress in protecting our
environment, much more remains to be done. According to Roper Starch
Worldwide and the National Environmental Education and Training
Foundation, two out of three adult Americans fail a simple multiple choice
quiz testing knowledge about basic environmental principles like the main
causes of water pollution and the difference between ozone depletion and
global warming. If we are to meet the challenges of the next 30 years, we
must deepen environmental awareness in our communities by engaging more
people in protecting the health of the world we live in,
Environmental education improves our everyday lives by:
Protecting Human Health
Advancing Quality Education
Encouraging Careers in the Environmental Field
Promoting Sustainable Development
Encouraging Stewardship of Natural Resources
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|p£|"O(|||Ctj0p EPA's Role in Environmental Education
The National Environmental Education Act of 1990 charged EPA with the
responsibility for coordinating federal environmental education initiatives and
for providing leadership to the public and private sectors. The Act also
mandated the creation of an Office of Environmental Education within EPA
and the operation of a number of environmental education programs and
projects. The vision of the Office of Environmental Education is to increase
the public's knowledge of environmental issues and sense of responsibility to
ensure environmental stewardship. The Office of Environmental Education
strives to ensure that environmental education is a recognized and
appropriately utilized tool for protecting human health and the environment
and improving student academic achievement. The office has the following
goals:
1. Supporting Teachers, Students, and K-16 Education: Link to the goals
and objectives of education reform to increase the quality and quantity
of environmental education in the formal education system.
2. Supporting States: Support state-level capacity building programs and
activities that ensure long-term effectiveness and sustainability of
environmental education programs.
3. Supporting Research: Catalyze research that assesses the effectiveness of
environmental education in environmental protection and student
achievement.
4. Supporting Improvement: Improve communication and the quality,
access, and coordination of environmental education information,
resources, and programs within and external to EPA.
In order to fulfill its goals, The National Environmental Education Act
established several primary programs and partnerships, including the
Environmental Education Grants Program. EPA awards environmental
education grants to promote excellence and innovation in environmental
education at the grassroots level. Each year eligible organizations across the
nation receive approximately three million dollars to support local initiatives.
Any local or tribal education agency, state education or environmental agency,
college or university, not-for-profit organization, or non-commercial
education broadcasting entity may submit a proposal.
The Grant Selection Process
EPA provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, or
disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques and
address one or more of EPA's environmental education priorities. More
information on the grant program can be found on EPA's environmental
education Web site at http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html.
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Introduction
Nationally, approximately 250 environmental education grants are awarded
each year, with much of the funding directed into small grants of $10,000
each. Each EPA regional office awards around $190,000 per year. The
environmental education grants provided by EPA ensure that a large number
of organizations receive seed money to implement projects that close gaps in
environmental education.
Region 10 includes the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. All
proposals submitted to EPA Region 10 undergo an initial and final review
process. After an internal review, the top applications are sent out for external
review by experts in the field. The final regional selection process takes place
at the EPA Region 10 office in Seattle, Washington. EPA makes its final
grant selection after proposals have been evaluated and scored by reviewers
and takes the following criteria into consideration: the effectiveness of
collaborative activities and partnerships, the environmental and educational
importance of the activity or product, the effectiveness of the delivery
mechanism (i.e. workshop, conference, etc.), the cost effectiveness of the
proposal, and the geographic distribution of projects.
About this Booklet
This booklet summarizes success stories that have resulted from Region 10
EPA Environmental Education grants implemented in the fiscal years 1999 to
2004. Also included in the booklet are larger grant awards that EPA
Headquarters awarded to organizations in Region 10. All completed projects
have been included. The goals of this booklet are to link similar projects and
programs, reduce duplication, improve the quality of future projects, and
provide lessons learned from completed projects.
Thank you to Joanne Brendle, of the regional Grants Unit, Ellie Crandall and
Beth Sweeney of the Community Involvement and Public Information Unit,
and EPA Region 10 Graphic Office for their work on designing the format and
compiling, preparing, and editing the information for this grant booklet.
The booklet is organized by state, and within each section the completed
grants for fiscal years 1999 through 2004 are listed in alphabetical order by
the title of the project. Where information was available, each project write-
up includes the following sections:
Grant Number Focus Products/Results
Sponsor Target Audience Challenges
Project Coordinator Purpose Successes/Strengths
EPA Funding Goals Number of People Affected
Match Funding Methods Tips From the Grantee
3
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Introduction
The following indexes are also provided:
Alphabetical listing of project title by state
Listing by project target audience
Listing by project focus
These grant projects have reached over 43,000 students, 7,000 teachers, 1,600
parents, and 7,500 community members. EPA's funding has been
supplemented with an estimate of more than one million dollars in match
funding.
We found some recurring themes in these grants' successes and challenges:
Successes:
Schools, environmental education organizations, and experts have
developed excellent partnerships.
Projects invoked teachers' and students' enthusiasm.
Combining environmental education, particularly field trips, with current
lesson planning enhanced student learning in several subjects.
Existing curriculum could be used for projects with only some adaptation
required.
Some projects have become models for other schools or organizations.
Coordinators met with the teachers individually or organized teacher
workshops to meet their schedules. Some workshops were scheduled
after school, on a Saturday, on an in-service day, or during the summer.
Challenges:
Teachers were too busy to devote much class time or free time to extra
training and developing new projects.
Many of the projects involved field trips, which were often cancelled
because of high transportation costs.
Lack of communication with the participants led to a lack of enthusiasm.
If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Sally Hanft
(hanft.sally@epa.gov), the Environmental Education Grants Coordinator for
Region 10, at (206) 553-1207 or call the toll free Region 10 hotline at 1-800-
424-4372.
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Grants Index
A |£)c|{| A Capacity Building Grant to Develop Environmental Education Leadership
and Capacity in Alaska - 2004 21
Academy of Elders/Science Camp/Academy of Elders Camp Environmental
Education Documentary (2 Grants) - 2002 and 2003 22
Adapting Anchorage Middle School Curricula with Alaska Stream Team
Methods - 2002 24
Calypso's Youth Farm and Ecology Program - Expansion into Low
Income Schools - 2000 and 2002 26
Caretakers of the Beach - 2000 28
Employing Alaskan Teens in Gardening - 2004 30
Environmental Activities, Kits and Teacher Training - 1999 32
Frosty Feathers of the Far North - 2003 34
Groundwater Detectives - 2000 35
Kachemak Bay Coastweeks - 2001 37
Kasaan School Composting Project with Red Worms - 2001 38
Living Planet Club - 2002 39
Northern Forests Project - 1999 41
Power Up! Alternative Energy Works - Even in the Frozen North - 2002 ... 42
SAGA's Serve Alaska Youth Corps - 2002 44
Stream Ecology for Educators - 2000 45
Training Teachers to "Tap into Spring" - 2002 47
Using Local Nature for Environmental Educators - 2000 48
Youth Area Watch Teacher Training Workshop - 2003 49
IflSlllfl ^ Model School Network for Achieving New Standards and Coaches for Kids
Slid 11V Using Their Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (2
grants) - 2002 and 2003 53
Clearwater GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the
Environment) Initiative - 2000 55
Correlation of Project Learning Tree, WET and WILD to Idaho Education
Standards - 2001 56
Idaho Wetlands Environmental Education for the Seventh Grade - 2002 58
Meeting Idaho Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Directives Using
Environmental Education Literature - 2001 59
Nez Perce Tribal Foundation Two-World Environmental Education Education
Project - 1999 60
Residential Environmental Science Education Center and
Teaching - 2003 61
Teton River Watershed Education Program - 2004 63
Web-Based Geographic Information Systems to Enhance Community
Watershed Education - 2003 65
5
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Grants Index
Oregon
Washington
Bear Creek Watershed Community Service Project - 1999 69
Building Capacity Through Leadership and Strategic Planning - 2003 70
Building Environmental Education Capacity in Oregon - 2001 71
Community Action and Problem Solving - 2001 73
Crooked River Watershed Council Monitoring Education and Involvement
Project - 2000 74
Crossing Boundaries Watershed Education Project - 2002 75
Fifth Grade Water Quality Monitoring and Results Presentation - 2003 77
Increasing the Ability of High School Science Teachers to Collect High
Quality Biomonitoring Data with Their Students - 2004 79
Keepers of the Creek - 2003 80
Lane County Culvert Survey and Environmental Education
Project - 2000 82
Lower Columbia Region Elementary School Teachers Workshops - 2003... 83
Macroinvertebrate Sampling with Local Middle Schools - 2001 85
May Street Elementary Wild Bird Habitat and Outdoor Classroom - 2002... 86
McCoy Meadows Ranch Spring 2000 Field Trips - 1999 88
Oregon NatureMapping - 2001 90
Polk County Environmental Experience - 2004 91
Project Wetland Education Support and Training (WEST) - 2004 92
Riparian Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Community Education
Program - 2003 94
Science Inquiry Through Environmental Health Science Education - 2000 .97
Sustainable Business Practice Project - 1999 98
The River Starts Here - 2001 99
Thurston High School Water Quality Monitoring Program - 2001 101
Tualatin Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Education and Outreach -
2002 102
Turnaround School Whitaker Pond Wetlands Project - 1999 104
Water Quality Monitoring and Stream Enhancement Partnership with a
Middle School - 1999 105
Weaving a WEB (Whole Systems in Balance) - 2000 106
Wolftree's Outdoor Ecology Program - 2001 107
Youth Tree Inventory Project - 2000 109
Best Management Practices in the Dayton Area: A Scientific Investigation
Project - 2004 113
Carpenter Creek Integrated Watershed Curriculum - 2002 114
Coordination and Development of Five Schoolyard Habitat Sites in Western
Washington - 2004 116
Creating a Sense of Place - 2001 117
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Grants Index
Wa^hin&tnn Dungeness Bay W.A.T.C.H.
(Watershed Activity to Change Habits) - 2001 118
Dungeness River Studies: Student Hands-On Science Education and
Career Development - 2004 120
Environmental Education at Bryant Elementary, IslandWood Residency,
and Water Quality Survey - 2004 122
Finn Hill Watershed Education Project - 2000 123
Fish Tales - 2004 125
Gateway Communities Initiative - 2003 127
Girls on the Sound Program - 2003 128
High School Advanced Field Science Program Scholarships - 2004 129
Hispanic Orchardist Integrated Pest Management
Education Program - 2004 131
Integrating Telecommunication and Computer Technologies into
Environmental Education - 1999 132
Kids in the Creek - 2002 133
King County's Wheels to Water Program - 2003 135
Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program at Mercer Slough
Environment Education Center - 2002 136
Mason County Environmental Education Initiative - 2000 138
Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe Study - 2000 139
Onshore-Offshore Marine Ecology Teachers' Training Program - 2004 .... 140
Percival Creek: Habitat Education, Restoration, and Stewardship - 2000 ..142
Pioneer School District Environmental Education Program - 2001 144
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Environmental Day - 1999 145
"River of Words": Catalyst for Watershed Education and Action - 2003 .. 146
Salmon in the Classroom Program - 2004 148
Schoolyard Habitat Network - 2002 149
Shopping Smarter for Our Home - An Environmental Workshop - 1999... 151
STUFF: The Secret Life of Everyday Things - 2002 152
Tapteal Greenway Watershed Education - 2001 154
Teacher Training Using Biological Assessment - 1999 156
Transportation Workshops in Olympia Schools - 2001 157
Turning Middle School Students into "Real" Marine Scientists: An Integrated,
Hands-on Approach to Science Education - 2000 159
Wake Robin Virtual Visitation Project - 2003 160
Washington State University Spokane CityLab After-School Environmental
Science Camps - 1999 162
Washington's Wacky Wildlife Web Quest - 2000 164
Wenatchee School District First Grade Science Field Experience - 2004 ... 165
WILD WISE - 2003 167
Youth Agricultural Conservation Training Project - 2001 168
7
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8
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Title Index by
Tocus
Agriculture
Drinking Water
Ground Water
Best Management Practices in the Dayton Area: A Scientific Investigation
Project -(WA) 2004 113
Calypso's Youth Farm and Ecology Program/Calypso's Youth Farm and
Ecology Program Expansion into Low Income Schools (2 grants) - (AK)
2000 and 2002 26
Employing Alaskan Teens in Gardening - (AK) 2004 30
Youth Agricultural Conservation Training Project - (WA) 2001 168
Groundwater Detectives - (AK) 2000 35
Ecosystem/
Wildlife Habitat
Adapting Anchorage Middle School Curricula with Alaska Stream Team
Methods - (AK) 2002 24
Bear Creek Watershed Community Service Project - (OR) 1999 69
Caretakers of the Beach - (AK) 2000 28
Coordination and Development of Five Schoolyard Habitat Sites in Western
Washington - (WA) 2004 116
Creating a Sense of Place - (WA) 2001 117
Crooked River Watershed Council Monitoring Education and Involvement
Project - (OR) 2000 74
Dungeness Bay W.A.T.C.H. (Watershed Activity to Change Habits) - (WA)
2001 118
Finn Hill Watershed Education Project - (WA) 2000 123
Fish Tales-(WA) 2004 125
Frosty Feathers of the Far North - (AK) 2003 34
Increasing the Ability of High School Science Teachers to Collect High
Quality Biomonitoring Data with Their Students - (OR) 2004 79
Kachemak Bay Coastweeks - (AK) 2001 37
Living Planet Club - (AK) 2002 39
Macroinvertebrate Sampling with Local Middle Schools - (OR) 2001 85
May Street Elementary Wild Bird Habitat and Outdoor Classroom - (OR)
2002 86
McCoy Meadows Ranch Spring 2000 Field Trips - (OR) 1999 88
Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe Study - (WA) 2000 139
Northern Forests Project - (AK) 1999 41
Oregon NatureMapping - (OR) 2001 90
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Title Index by
Focus
Ecosystem/
Wildlife nabitat
General
Environmental
Education
Percival Creek: Habitat Education, Restoration, and Stewardship -
(WA) 2000 142
Pioneer School District Environmental Education Program - (WA) 2001 .. 144
Polk County Environmental Experience - (OR) 2004 91
Riparian Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Community Education
Program - (OR) 2003 94
Schoolyard Habitat Network - (WA) 2002 149
Stream Ecology for Educators - (AK) 2000 45
Tapteal Greenway Watershed Education - (WA) 2001 154
Teacher Training Using Biological Assessment - (WA) 1999 156
Teton River Watershed Education Program - (ID) 2004 63
Training Teachers to "Tap into Spring" - (AK) 2002 47
Using Local Nature for Environmental Educators - (AK) 2000 48
Washington's Wacky Wildlife Web Quest - (WA) 2000 164
Wenatchee School District First Grade Science Field Experience -
(WA) 2004 165
WILD WISE - (WA) 2003 167
Wolftree's Outdoor Ecology Program - (OR) 2001 107
A Capacity Building Grant to Develop Environmental Education Leadership
and Capacity in Alaska - 2004 21
A Model School Network for Achieving New Standards and Coaches for Kids
Using Their Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (2
grants) - (ID) 2002 and 2003 53
Academy of Elders/Science Camp/Academy of Elders Camp Environmental
Education Documentary (2 grants) - (AK) 2002 and 2003 22
Building Capacity Through Leadership and Strategic Planning -
(OR) 2003 70
Building Environmental Education Capacity in Oregon - (OR) 2001 71
Clearwater GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the
Environment) Initiative - (ID) 2000 55
Community Action and Problem Solving - (OR) 2001 73
Correlation of Project Learning Tree, WET and WILD to Idaho Education
Standards - (ID) 2001 56
Gateway Communities Initiative - (WA) 2003 127
High School Advanced Field Science Program Scholarships -
(WA) 2004 129
Integrating Telecommunication and Computer Technologies into
Environmental Education - (WA) 1999 132
Mason County Environmental Education Initiative - (WA) 2000 138
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Title Index by
Tocus
General
Environmental
Education
Waste
Management
Water Quality
Meeting Idaho Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Directives Using
Environmental Education Literature - (ID) 2001 59
Nez Perce Tribal Foundation Two-World Environmental Education Project -
(ID) 1999 60
Residential Environmental Science Education Center and Teaching -
(ID) 2003 61
Shopping Smarter for Our Home - An Environmental Workshop -
(WA) 1999 151
Turning Middle School Students into "Real" Marine Scientists: An Integrated,
Hands-on Approach to Science Education - (WA) 2000 159
Wake Robin Virtual Visitation Project - (WA) 2003 160
Washington State University Spokane CityLab After-School Environmental
Science Camps - (WA) 1999 162
Weaving a WEB (Whole Systems in Balance - (OR) 2000 106
Youth Tree Inventory Project - (OR) 2000 109
Kasaan School Composting Project with Red Worms - (AK) 2001 38
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Environmental Day 1999 - (WA) 1999 145
STUFF: The Secret Life of Everyday Things - (WA) 2002 152
Carpenter Creek Integrated Watershed Curriculum - (WA) 2002 114
Crossing Boundaries Watershed Education Project - (OR) 2002 75
Dungeness River Studies: Student Hands-On Science Education and Career
Development - (WA) 2004 120
Environmental Activities, Kits and Teacher Training - (AK) 1999 32
Environmental Education at Bryant Elementary, IslandWood Residency, and
Water Quality Survey - (WA) 2004 122
Fifth Grade Water Quality Monitoring and Results Presentation -
(OR) 2003 77
Girls in the Sound Program - (WA) 2003 128
Keepers of the Creek - (OR) 2003 (also Ecosystem/Habitat) 80
Kids in the Creek - (WA) 2002 133
King County's Wheels to Water Program - (WA) 2003 135
Lane County Culvert Survey and Environmental Education Project -
(OR) 2000 82
Lower Columbia Region Elementary School Teachers Workshops -
(OR) 2003 83
U
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Title Index by
Tocus
Water Quality
Wetlands
Other
Onshore-Offshore Marine Ecology Teachers' Training Program -
(WA) 2004 140
"River of Words": Catalyst for Watershed Education and Action -
(WA) 2003 146
Salmon in the Classroom Program - (WA) 2004 148
The River Starts Here - (OR) 2001 99
Thurston High School Water Quality Monitoring Program - (OR) 2001 .... 101
Tualatin Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Education and Outreach -
(OR) 2002 102
Youth Area Watch Teacher Training Workshop - (AK) 2003 49
Water Quality Monitoring and Stream Enhancement Partnership with a
Middle School - (OR) 1999 105
Web-Based Geographic Information Systems to Enhance Community
Watershed Education - (ID) 2003 65
Idaho Wetlands Environmental Education for the Seventh Grade -
(ID) 2002 58
Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program at Mercer Slough
Environmental Education Center -
(WA) 2002 (also ecosystem/habitat) 136
Project Wetland Education Support and Training (WEST) -
(OR) (2004) 92
Turnaround School Whitaker Pond Wetlands Project - (OR) 1999 104
Hispanic Orchardist Integrated Pest Management Education Program -
(WA) 2004 131
Power Up! Alternative Energy Works - Even in the Frozen North -
(AK) 2002 42
SAGA's Serve Alaska Youth Corps - Environmental Careers -
(AK) 2002 44
Science Involving Through Environmental Health Science Education -
(OR) 2000 97
Sustainable Business Practice Project - (OR) 1999 98
Transportation Workshops in Olympia Schools ~ (WA) 2001 157
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Title Index by
Audience
Students Elementary School Students
Dungeness River Studies: Student Hands-on Science Education and Career
Development - (WA) 2004 120
Fifth Grade Water Quality Monitoring and Results Presentation -
(OR) 2003 77
Girls on the Sound Program - (WA) 2003 128
May Street Elementary Wild Bird Habitat and Outdoor Classroom -
(OR) 2002 86
McCoy Meadows Ranch Spring 2000 Field Trips - (OR) 1999 88
Junior nigh/Middle School Students
Dungeness Bay W.A.T.CH. (Watershed Activities to Change Habits - (WA)
2001 (and families) 118
Northern Forests Project - (AK) 1999 41
Turning Middle School Students into "Real" Marine Scientists: An Integrated,
Hands-on Approach to Science Education - (WA) 2000 159
nigh School Students
Best Management Practices in the Dayton Area: A Scientific Investigation
Project-(WA) 2004 113
Groundwater Detectives - (AK) 2000 35
High School Advanced Field Science Program Scholarships -
(WA) 2004 129
STUFF: The Secret Life of Everyday Things - (WA) 2002 152
Thurston High School Water Quality Monitoring Program - (OR) 2001 .... 101
Elementary and Middle or High School Students
Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program at Mercer Slough
Environmental Education Center - (WA) 2002 ! 36
Polk County Environmental Experience - (OR) 2004 91
Wolftree's Outdoor Ecology Program - (OR) 2001 107
Junior High/Middle and lligh School Students
Youth Tree Inventory - (OR) 2000 109
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Title Index by
Audience
StlldCKltS Kindergarten to 12th Grade Students
Environmental Activities, Kits and Teacher Training - (AK) 1999 32
Finn Hill Watershed Education Project - (WA) 2000 123
Kasaan School Composting Project with Red Worms - (AK) 2001 38
Pioneer School District Environmental Education Program -
(WA) 2001 144
Salmon in the Classroom Program - (WA) 2004 148
Washington's Wacky Wildlife Web Quest - (WA) 2000 164
Teachers Elementary School Teachers
Lower Columbia Region Elementary School Teachers' Workshop - (OR)
2003 (and pre-service teachers) 83
Science Inquiry Through Environmental Health Science Education -
(OR) 2000 97
High School Teachers
Increasing the Ability of High School Science Teachers to Collect High
Quality Biomonitoring Data with Their Students - (OR) 2004 79
Elementary and Middle or lligh School Teachers
Weaving a WEB (Whole Systems in Balance) - (OR) 2000 106
Junior High/Middle and nigh School Teachers
Creating a Sense of Place - (WA) 2001 117
Youth Area Watch Teacher Training Workshop - (AK) 2003 49
Kindergarten to 12th Grade Teachers
Clearwater GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the
Environment) Initiative - (ID) 2000 55
Correlation of Project Learning Tree, WET and WILD to Idaho Education
Standards - (ID) 2001 56
Mason County Environmental Education Initiative -
(WA) 2000 (and administrators) 138
Meeting Idaho Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Directives Using
Environmental Education Literature - (ID) 2001 59
Onshore-Offshore Marine Ecology Teachers' Training Program -
(WA) 2004 140
Stream Ecology for Educators - (AK) 2000 45
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Title Index by
Audience
Teachers Teachers and Non-rormal Educators
A Capacity Building Grant to Develop Environmental Education Leadership
and Capacity in Alaska - (AK) 2004 21
Building Capacity Through Leadership and Strategic Planning -
(OR) 2003 70
Building Environmental Education Capacity in Oregon - (OR) 2001 71
Project Wetland Education Support and Training (WEST) - (OR) 2004 92
Students and Elementary School Students and Teachers
Calypso's Youth Farm and Ecology Program/Calypso's Youth Farm and
¦ eachers Ecology Program Expansion into Low Income Schools (2 grants) -
(AK) 2000 and 2002 26
Wenatchee School District First Grade Science Field Experience -
(WA) 2004 165
Junior High/Middle School Students and Teachers
Fish Tales - (WA) 2004 125
Gateway Communities Initiative ~ (WA) 2003 127
Idaho Wetlands Environmental Education for the Seventh Grade -
(ID) 2002 58
Oregon NatureMapping - (OR) 2001 90
Power Up! Alternative Energy Works - Even in the Frozen North -
(AK) 2002 42
Using Local Nature for Environmental Educators - (AK) 2000 48
Washington State University Spokane CityLab After-School Environmental
Science Camps - (WA) 1999 162
lligh School Students and Teachers
Employing Alaska Teens in Gardening - (AK) 2004 30
Elementary and Middle or nigh School Students and
Teachers
Adapting Anchorage Middle School Curricula with Alaska Stream Team
Methods-(AK) 2002 24
Community Action and Problem Solving - (OR) 2001 73
Coordination and Development of Five Schoolyard Habitat Sites in Western
Washington - (WA) 2004 116
Crossing Boundaries Watershed Education Project - (OR) 2002 75
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Title Index by
Audience
Teachers
Students and
Community
Frosty Feathers of the Far North - (AK) 2003 34
Kids in the Creek - (WA) 2002 133
Integrating Telecommunication and Computer Technologies into
Environmental Education - (WA) 1999 132
Residential Environmental Science Education Center and Teaching -
(ID) 2003 (university students) 61
Training Teachers to "Tap into Spring" - (AK) 2002 47
WILD WISE - (WA) 2003 167
Kindergarten to 12th Grade Students and Teachers
A Model School Network for Achieving New Standards and Coaches for Kids
Using Their Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning
(2 grants) - (ID) 2002 and 2003 53
Caretakers of the Beach - (AK) 2000 28
King County's Wheels to Water Program -
(WA) 2003 (and administrators) 135
Nez Perce Tribal Foundation Two-World Environmental Education Project -
(ID) 1999 60
"River of Words": Catalyst for Watershed Education and Action -
(WA) 2003 146
Schoolyard Habitat Network - (WA) 2002 149
Teacher Training Using Biological Assessment - (WA) 1999 156
Wake Robin Virtual Visitation Project - (WA) 2003 160
Students and Community
Shopping Smarter for Our Home - An Environmental Workshop -
(WA) 1999 151
Tribal Students and/or Community
Academy of Elders/Science Camp/Academy of Elders Camp Environmental
Education Documentary (2 grants) - (AK) 2002 and 2003 22
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Environmental Day 1999 - (WA) 1999 145
University Students and Community
Sustainable Business Practice Project - (OR) 1999 98
16
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Title Index by
Audience
Students,
Teachers and
Community
Elementary School Students, Teachers, and
Community
Environmental Education at Bryant Elementary, IslandWood Residency, and
Water Quality Survey - (WA) 2004 122
Tualatin Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Education and Outreach -
(OR) 2002 102
Junior tligh/Middle School Students, Teachers, and
Community
Water Quality Monitoring and Stream Enhancement Partnership with a
Middle School - (OR) 1999 105
Junior High/Middle and High School Students,
Teachers, and Community
Carpenter Creek Integrated Watershed Curriculum - (WA) 2002 114
Living Planet Club - (AK) 2002 39
Kindergarten to 12th Grade Students, Teachers, and
Community
Bear Creek Watershed Community Service Project - (OR) 1999 69
Kachemak Bay Coastweeks - (AK) 2001 37
Keepers of the Creek - (OR) 2003 80
Macroinvertebrate Sampling with Local Middle Schools - (OR) 2001 85
Percival Creek: Habitat Education, Restoration, and Stewardship -
(WA) 2000 142
Teton River Watershed Education Program - (ID) 2004 63
Transportation Workshops in Olympia Schools - (WA) 2001 157
Web-Based Geographic Information Systems to Enhance Community
Watershed Education - (ID) 2003 65
University Students, Teachers, and Community
Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe Study - (WA) 2000 139
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Title Index by
Audience
Crooked River Watershed Council Monitoring Education and Involvement
Project - (OR) 2000 (educators, community and landowners) 74
Hispanic Orchardist Integrated Pest Management Education Program -
(WA) 2004 (Hispanic orchard owners) 131
Lane County Culvert Survey and Environmental Education Project -
(OR) 2000 (at-risk youth and citizens) 82
Riparian Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Community Education
Program - (OR) 2003 (landowners) 94
SAGA's Serve Alaska Youth Corps - (AK) 2002 (at risk youth) 44
Tapteal Greenway Watershed Education - (WA) 2001 (pre-kind-12lh grade
students, teachers, parents, and adult child care workers) 154
The River Starts Here - (OR) 2001 (Spanish-speaking families) 99
Turnaround School Whitaker Pond Wetlands Project - (OR) 1999 (culturally
diverse 6-12th grade students) 104
Youth Agricultural Conservation Training Project - (WA) 2001 (future
Farmers of America and 4-H youth) 168
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Alaska
1999*2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
A Capacity Building
Grant to Develop
Environmental
Education Leadership
and Capacity in Alaska
Grant Number:
NE-97073701
Sponsor:
Alaska Natural Resource and
Outdoor Education Association
Project Coordinator:
Courtney Sullivan
Alaska Natural Resource and
Outdoor Education Association
(ANROE)
200 W. 34th Street, Suite 1007
Anchorage, AK 99503
(907) 292-1772
EPA Funding:
$10,530
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$3,675
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Formal and Informal Environmental
Educators in Alaska
Purpose:
To increase the effectiveness of
environmental education efforts
across the state through collaborative
partnerships
Goals:
Partner with other state
education providers to offer
professional development
trainings for educators and
practitioners of environmental
education at regional
conferences
Increase membership in and
awareness of Alaska's
environmental education
association to enhance
opportunities for networking,
training, and leadership
development
Update and expand their Guide
to Alaska Natural Resource
Education Materials and make it
into a web-based, searchable
database to provide more access
for Alaska environmental
educators
Establish a statewide interagency
environmental education
advisory committee to provide
leadership and direction for
environmental education
practitioners in Alaska
Methods:
Increase partnerships
Develop and participate in the
regional conferences
Conduct workshops and
trainings at the regional
conferences
Increase opportunities for
networking, training, and
leadership through increased
membership
Expand and reformat the
resource guide to create a
searchable database
Establish the interagency
environmental education
advisory committee
21
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1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Alaska
A Capacity Building
Grant to Develop
Environmental
Education Leadership
and Capacity in Alaska
Products/Results:
Developed and implemented an
environmental conference,
which was held in March 2006
Provided educators with skills,
knowledge, and tools to instill in
their students and audiences
awareness, appreciation,
knowledge, skills, and desire to
address and resolve
environmental issues in their
communities
Welcomed 82 conference
participants who represented a
wide variety of participants from
across Alaska
Expanded networking and
membership service by
increasing attendance at
environmental education
conferences and training
Updated the Guide to Alaska
Natural Resource Education
Materials
Created and updated the
ANROE membership program
Updated website to make it more
user-friendly
Challenges:
Had fewer participants than
planned take part in the
conference because of
conflicting activities in the
region
Successes/Strengths:
Participants of the conference were:
Impressed with the quality of the
sessions and variety of topics at
the conference
Appreciated the small class size
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 82 educators attended the
conference
Indirectly - many educators have
access to the website
Academy of Eiders/
Science Camp/Academy
of Elders Camp
Environmental
Education Documentary
(2 grants)
Grant Number:
NE-97030401
NE-97064901
Sponsor:
Dig Afognak Academy/Native
Village of Afognak
Project Coordinator:
Alisha Drabek/John Larson
Native Village of Afognak
204 E. Rezanof Drive, Suite 100
Kodiak, AK 99615
(907) 486-6357
EPA Funding:
$24,425
FY 2002
$20,000
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$34,504
FY 2002
$39,249
FY 2003
Focus:
General Environmental Education
22
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Alaska
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Academy of Elders/
Science Camp/Academy
of Elders Camp
Environmental
Education Documentary
(2 grants)
Target Audience:
Alaskan Native Students, Educators,
Community Members, and Elders
Purpose:
To blend traditional and scientific
knowledge into public science
education
Goals:
Strengthen critical thinking and
confidence in math, science and
technology fields
Train teachers in methods for
implementing environmental
education
Study and communicate
environmental threats to the
community and its resources
Demonstrate how the
environment is a launching
ground for academic learning
and teaching
Learn first-hand from Alutiiq
Elders
Explore projects relevant to rural
survival/lifestyles and Native
ingenuity
Include an environmental
documentary component in the
second grant
Methods:
Hold two one-week field camp
work sessions
Participate in Kodiak Island
Borough School District Rural
Science Fair
Publicize data reports on a Web
page to promote public
awareness
Prepare a documentary made to
educate those unable to attend
camp (second grant)
Products/Results:
Exposed teachers to new
instruction methods as they
observed Elders teach youth
Were able to have the students
receive science, math, and
technology instruction in a way
that grounded the lessons in the
realities of their unique
environment
Participated in the Kodiak Island
Borough School District Rural
Science Fair
Collected environmental data
that is shared with a national
monitoring program
Received support from the
Kodiak Island Borough School
District for the teaching method
integration
Made documentary to educate a
larger audience about rural
environmental concerns and how
Alutiiq Elders address those
concerns (second grant)
Challenges:
Unable to document the
effectiveness of the Native Ways
of Knowing pedagogy
Did not consistently disseminate
and collect attitudinal surveys
Successes/Strengths:
Advanced the culturally-oriented
Native Ways of Knowing and
Teaching approach to integrate
Alutiiq knowledge into the
western-oriented educational
system
23
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Academy of Elders/
Science Camp/Academy
of Ciders Camp
Environmental
Education Documentary
(2 grants)
Strengthened students' critical
thinking by collecting
environmental data to apply
lessons in math, science and
technology
Earned the right for two
Academy of Elders/Science
Camp students to participate in
the American Indian Science and
Engineering Science Fair
Was able to have the Project
Coordinator support teaching
method integration during the
academic year
Posted report on the Alaska
Rural Systemic Initiative Web
site about the camp and efforts to
implement Native Ways of
Knowing and Teaching Methods
in the school district
Created presentation entitled
"Education Indigenous to Place"
at the 32nd Annual Conference of
the North American Association
for Environmental Education
Filmed the documentary,
"Discovering Science Through
Our Culture," showing how
environmental issues are
approached when traditional and
western scientific knowledge are
blended (second grant)
Welcomed 50 community
members to the screening of the
documentary
Provided the documentary to
teachers and the community
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 64 students, teachers, and
Elders
Indirectly - 2,000 Kodiak students
for the first grant
Directly - 40 students, teachers,
Elders, and community members for
the second grant
Adapting Anchorage
Middle School Curricula
with Alaska Stream
Team Methods
Grant Number:
NE-83057601
Sponsor:
University of Alaska Anchorage
Environmental Natural Resources
Institute
Project Coordinator:
Daniel Bogan
University of Alaska Anchorage
Environmental Natural Resources
Institute
707 A Street
P.O. Box 92596
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 257-2731
EPA Funding:
$35,973
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$12,168
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Elementary and Middle School
Students and Teachers
-------
Alaska 1999-2004
13l%d Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Adapting Anchorage
Middle School Curricula
with Alaska Stream
Team Methods
Purpose:
To increase awareness of the
connections between human
activities and watershed health
Goals:
Provide broad-based hands-on
environmental education
opportunities to teachers and
students in the Anchorage school
system
Incorporate science-based
environmental monitoring tools
into existing middle school
curricula for math and science
Teach 6th-8th grade educators and
students how systems are
interconnected, how human
activities affect watersheds, and
how behavior changes can
positively affect water quality
Hold a two-day teachers'
workshop featuring lessons on
watershed and general
ecosystem concepts and aquatic
ecology principles
Use a newly developed Internet
database that encourages
continued participation by
providing a place to store, share,
and view data collected by
classrooms across the state
Increase teacher awareness and
use of these easy and effective
scientific methods for
environmental education
Involve classrooms in relevant
local issues
Improve Anchorage School
District's science content
understanding using practical
science applications
Methods:
Hold a two-day workshop
covering both the relevant
science concepts and the
database used to view, store, and
share the data collected
Use hands-on applications of the
concepts to ensure the teachers
understand the approach to fully
involve the students
Establish a teacher advisory
committee and listserv to
provide feedback, facilitate
communication, and support
long-term coordination efforts
Products/Results:
Made additions and revisions to
the curriculum
Held the three teacher
workshops
Provided teachers with a copy of
the StreamKeeper's Field Guide,
curriculum materials, and
training on how to use the
curriculum for assessing water
quality with students
Trained in using D-frame nets
and other collection materials,
field guides, and water quality
test kits consistent with the
Educational Level Methods for
Biological Assessment
developed by the Environment
and Natural Resources Institute
Introduced supplemental
materials developed for
classroom use and strategies for
incorporating biological
assessment techniques into their
existing science curriculum
25
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Alaska
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Adapting Anchorage
Middle School Curricula
with Alaska Stream
Team Methods
Scheduled follow-up sessions
where teachers were able to
show how they used the
materials, strategies that worked
well with their students, and
problems they encountered
Held taxonomy review during
open lab nights for teachers to
brush up on their invertebrate
taxonomy and gain confidence in
their skills before conducting
sampling events with their
students
Challenges:
Change in project manager at the
beginning of the grant
Struggled with getting teachers
to sign up for the training
Cancelled two workshops
scheduled for June 2004 and
2005 due to under-enrollment-
learned that it is better to
schedule workshops in
September
Successes/Strengths:
Held additional Alaska Stream
Team workshops throughout
south coastal Alaska employing
many of the curricular materials
developed as part of the grant
Will hold another workshop in
September 2005 after the grant
has ended; 13 educators have
signed for this training
Forming a formal advisory
committee of teachers,
government agencies, and local
non-profit organizations to assist
in reviewing and directing
educational water quality
monitoring initiatives
Will serve as a support group for
teachers that need help in
resolving problems as they plan
and implement their water
quality monitoring units
Will identify teachers and
students who will present
findings from their water quality
monitoring efforts at the Alaska
Forum on the Environment in
February 2006 and possibly the
North American Benthological
Society Meeting in June 2006
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 43 educators
Calypso's Youth Farm
and Ecology Program/
Calypso's Youth Farm
and Ecology Program -
Expansion into Low
Income Schools
(2 grants)
Grant Number:
NE-98080001
NE-97028101
Sponsor:
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Project Coordinator:
Susan Willsrud
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
P.O. Box 106
Ester, AK 99725
(907) 451-0691
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Calypso's Youth farm
and Ecology Program/
Calypso's Youth Earm
and Ecology Program -
Expansion into Low
Income Schools
(2 grants)
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
$5,000
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$5,774
FY 2000
$5,272
FY 2002
Focus:
Agriculture
Target Audience:
Elementary School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To implement the youth farm and
ecology program/To expand youth
farm and ecology program to reach
low-income classrooms
Goals:
Provide experiential education in
agriculture, ecology, and
nutrition to school-age children
Involve youth and teachers in
hands-on educational activities
both in the classroom and on-site
at Calypso
Teach students and teachers the
basic skills necessary for home
and/or community gardening
Methods:
Work with six classrooms the
first year and eight classrooms
the second year
Involve students in nine hands-
on, in-class units and two all-day
field trips to Calypso
Have staff work closely with
program teachers to augment
existing curricula and involve
students in the interactive
program
Cover the following ecological
topics in class: water dynamics,
life in the soil, parallels between
forest and garden ecosystems,
diversity of seeds
Products/Results:
Provided experiential education
in ecology and agriculture to
over 150 students the first year
and 200 students the second year
in the Fairbanks North Star
Borough School District
Complemented school district's
science curricula
Introduced students to ecological
and agricultural issues not part
of their regular curricula
Had six (first grant) and eight
(second grant) classrooms
participate in the program
Reached several classes serving
predominantly low-income
students
Challenges:
First Grant
Revised program for grades 1-6
instead of K-12 - able to use
more cohesive curricula
materials
Modified order and topics of
units slightly
Held group feedback session at
27
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Alaska
1999-2004
environmental Education Grant Summaries
Calypso's Youth Farm
and Ecology Program/
Calypso's Youth Farm
and Ecology Program -
Expansion into Low
Income Schools
(2 grants)
the end of the program rather
than individual feedback
meetings with each teacher
Had lack of sufficient follow-up
time for each monthly lesson
Second Grant
Provided students with the
knowledge and skills necessary
for home or community
gardening but did not help them
practice the skills and interests
generated; will revise the
program to correct this
Had trouble finding financial
support to continue the program,
so it is being revised to create
organic gardens at the schools
Successes/Strengths:
Is the first program of its kind in
Alaska
Incorporated hands-on science
activities with sustainable
agriculture concepts, which
gives students a meaningful and
practical science application
Link to local food production
and home gardening techniques
gave students the tools to take
action in their own lives
Received positive evaluations;
students and teachers really
enjoyed the program
Number of People Affected:
6 teachers, 150 students, and 30
parent and teacher assistants - first
grant
8 teachers, 200 students and 50
parent and teacher assistants -
second grant
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Let kids get dirty - provide as
much hands-on material as
possible.
Integrate art and creative writing
into science programs -
encourage creative journal
writing.
Incorporate images into
presentations - the agriculture
slideshow was a hit.
Encourage individual research
projects.
Allow time for student
presentations.
Get them outside and exploring.
Work with students in small
groups whenever possible.
Have fun.
DON'T:
Do all the talking,
Get frustrated.
Caretakers of the Beach
28
Grant Number:
NE-98076301
Sponsor:
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies,
Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Marilyn Sigman
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies,
Inc.
P.O. Box 2225
Homer, AK 99603
(907) 235-6667
-------
A IqcI/q 1990-2004
/%! d a ltd Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Caretakers of the Beach
EPA Funding:
$4,450
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$3,600
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers and School Groups Who
Participate in Field Trips on
Kachemak Bay Beaches and the
Community of Seldovia
Purpose:
To address the growing problems of
environmental damage from
trampling and improper handling and
illegal collections of marine
invertebrates
Goals:
Address an emerging
environmental issue through
education by linking three
distinct audiences with diverse
values and involvement with the
issues: teachers and other
interested adults, middle and
high school students, and the
community
Methods:
Train and distribute existing
curriculum materials about beach
"etiquette" to teachers and group
leaders planning field trips to
Kachemak Bay
Develop and implement a model
beach stewardship program
involving adult volunteers and
middle and high school students
in Seldovia, Alaska
Products/Results:
Trained 45 teachers
Distributed curriculum to 100
teachers and other types of
materials to increase their
knowledge of the problem and
provide guidance about "best
practices"
Trained 10 adult volunteers to
assist middle and high school
students and their teachers in a
series of classroom and field
activities
Created teacher in-service
training materials and packets
and intertidal monitoring data
forms
Challenges:
Received limited on-site
naturalist support to visiting
school groups so this resource
was provided by the Community
Coordinator
Had fewer school groups than
planned visit Seldovia
Time spent working with
Seldovia students was not
enough to overcome significant
cultural and social barriers to
interacting with visitors
Unable to complete the school
display due to time and logistics;
funding was instead used to
purchase field guides for
students, teachers, and
volunteers
29
-------
Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Caretakers of the Beach
Successes/Strengths:
Addressed an emerging
environmental issue through
education by targeting three
distinct audiences: teachers and
other interested adults who used
the beach areas and had
moderate-to-high issue
awareness and ecological
knowledge were linked with
middle and high school students
whose primary use was rarely
educational and whose
ecological knowledge and issue
awareness was generally low
Linked community with visiting
groups whose primary use was
educational and whose issue
awareness and ecological
knowledge were mixed
Addressed "low-impact"
practices for beach field trips in
the context of a community
where intertidal species are
important and often provide
traditional Native food resources
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 152
Indirectly - 4,375
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Plan logistics carefully.
Recognize that teachers in small
schools have many demands on
their time.
Tap into adults who have
experience in the environment.
In Alaskan communities, this can
include fishermen, eco-tour
operators, natural resource
agency employees, Native elders
and artists.
Use personal contact as much as
possible, rather than mass
mailings or email.
Stay focused on building
relationships.
Undertake a long-term
commitment and plan a long-
term effort.
DON'T:
Impose expectations on social
interactions that may be difficult
to undertake.
Dominate meetings and provide
rigid structured training
programs,
Focus solely on results and
schedules.
Employing Alaskan
Teens In Gardening
Grant Number:
NE-97077101
Sponsor:
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Project Coordinator:
Susan Willsrud, Farm Director
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
P.O. Box 106
Ester, AK 99725
(907) 451-0691
30
-------
Alaska
Employing Alaskan
Teens in Gardening
1090 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$27,205
Focus:
Agriculture
Target Audience:
High School Students and Teachers
Purpose:
To provide hands-on education in
environmental careers (sustainable
agriculture) in an on-the-job
education format for at-risk students
Goals:
Educate a culturally diverse
population of students in
sustainable agriculture
Offer low-income teens
environmental career options
Develop a network of gardens in
Fairbanks schools where teens
are paid to grow food and
operate community shared
agriculture programs
Teach a wide audience of
Alaskan students
Methods:
Provide hands-on education in
environmental careers
Provide garden-based lessons in
and out of the classroom
Employ students during the
summer months to maintain
organic school gardens while
producing food for the local
community
Provide job skills training, an
opportunity for hands-on
learning, and more options for
locally grown food in Fairbanks
Create a second garden at
University Park Elementary (U
Park)
Products/Results:
Provided on the job training for
two at-risk students
Supervised by a college student
intern, the at-risk students
provided 10 weeks of harvest
shares for 18 families
Broke ground at the pilot
elementary school garden at
University Park Elementary
Preparing the first draft of the
Living Classroom Manual with
the guidance of a ten member
Teacher Advisory Group
Developing a long-term
sustainability plan with the
guidance of an Education
Advisory Committee
Challenges:
Handled some student
employment issues using the
"Straight Talk" model designed
by the Food Project
Had problems with moose
getting through the rustic fence
system; were able to string
several lines of electricity around
the fence that kept the moose out
Successes/Strengths:
Combined school gardens with
31
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Employing Alaskan
Teens in Gardening
sustainable local food
production, hands-on
environmental education, and
employment for at-risk teens
Presented information about the
project at the 9th Annual
Community Food Security
Coalition Conference and the
statewide Alaska Natural
Resource and Outdoor Education
Conference
Will also give presentations in
California and at a Fairbanks-
region Organic Farming
Conference
Number of People
Affected:
Directly - 4 student employees; 80
people whose families received the
food; 25 parent, teacher, and
community volunteers assisting
with the garden construction at U-
Park Elementary School; 30
students involved in a U-Park
garden design project; 25 students
involved in a "stepping stones"
garden fundraising effort; 1 youth
garden supervisor; 35 visitors at the
program Open House
Indirectly - 3,000 Calypso
members through newsletter; 320
vegetable shareholders; 35,000
people who read the Fairbanks
News Miner articles; 500 who
learned about the project through
Calypso Farm Tours
Environmental
Activities, Kits, and
Teacher Training
Grant Number:
NE-98048901
Sponsor:
University of Alaska SE-Sitka
Project Coordinator:
Dr. John Carnegie
University of Alaska SE-Sitka
1332 Seward Avenue
Sitka, AK 99835
(907) 747-7755
EPA Funding:
$25,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$8,649
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Students in Five Rural Alaskan
School Districts
Purpose:
To help students appreciate the value
of well operated and maintained
water and wastewater facilities, as
well as a greater awareness of how
personal hygiene, drinking water,
and human-waste handling practices
affect human health
32
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Environmental
Activities, Kits, and
Teacher Training
Goals:
Create 10 instructional kits based
on the Rural Alaska Sanitation
Education program (RASE)
developed by the University
Provide kits with activity-based
units on stream and lake water
quality, water pollution, solid
waste disposal, water and
wastewater treatment techniques,
waterborne disease transmission,
and the relationships between
these topics
Train village teachers in the
proper and effective use of the
curricular materials in the kit
Was difficult to get feedback
from participating teachers
Successes/Strengths:
Gained student appreciation for
the value of well operated and
maintained water and wastewater
facilities
Increased students' awareness of
how personal hygiene, drinking
water, and human waste
handling practices affect human
health
Number of People Affected:
50 teachers participated and an
average of 10 students were exposed
to the kits at each school
Tips From the Grantee:
District in-service sessions
should not be used for this type
of training. The districts cannot
give up enough time to
adequately introduce the
materials. Recommendations
include holding special summer
institutes or individual
instruction.
For experienced teachers, used
to the village environment, the
training sessions are probably
not critical.
Methods:
Develop and distribute activity
kits and training sessions for
school teachers in rural areas
Provide kits with activity-based
units (topics listed under Goals)
Products/Results:
Developed, equipped, and
distributed 10 kits
Conducted four in-service
training sessions
Used kits in 17 schools
Challenges:
Conducted only four in-service
training sessions because four,
rather than the planned five,
school districts were already
involved with the program
Had only one to three hours
allocated for the training during
the in-service days, and the
trainers felt rushed and
disjointed
33
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Alaska
1999 2004
environmental Education Grant Summaries
frosty feathers of the
Far North
Grant Number:
NE-97061501
Sponsor:
Alaska Bird Observatory
Project Coordinator:
Andrea Swingley
Alaska Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 80505
Fairbanks, AK 99708
(907) 451-7159
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$13,433
Focus:
Ecosystems/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers and 4lh-8th Grade Students
Purpose:
To promote environmental
awareness in northern ecosystems
through classroom-based
investigations
Goals:
Enhance teachers' skills in
teaching environmental
education and scientific inquiry
in their classrooms
Educate students about
environmental careers, ecology
of a common Alaska-resident
bird specified in Alaska,
potential environmental threats
to birds
Conduct scientific inquiries
Develop Web site to provide
resources and facilitate
communication among
participants
Methods:
Conduct teacher training
workshops
Visit classrooms
Develop activities and
investigations for classes to use
Assist with student research
projects
Create project Web site
Products/Results:
Participated in an initial
presentation for 11 pilot classes
to introduce them to black-
capped chickadee ecology,
adaptations, and behavior
Established a bird feeding station
consisting of a least two different
feeder types, offering seed and
suet to attract the birds by each
of the classes
Had seven of the classes
participate in a second classroom
visit focused on designing
research projects and data
collection and in a third visit
learned how to analyze data and
draw conclusions
Prepared and displayed posters
at the school
Developed classroom materials
for the teachers to use
Created a project Web
siteC www .alaskabird.org/
34
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Alaska
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
frosty feathers of the
Tar North
ABOFrostvFeathers) which
includes a comprehensive
teacher's guide, information on
the project, chickadee ecology,
and the epidemic of bill
deformities in Alaskan
chickadees
Had six teachers participate in
two training sessions, and had
three participate in an additional
session, which focused on
addressing teachers' questions
and concerns about data
collection, analysis, and
presentation of student projects
Challenges:
Encountered difficulties trapping
and banding birds
Unexpected reassignment of
participating teachers to different
grade levels and classrooms
Unpredictable bird activity
Successes/Strengths:
Maintained a successful bird
feeding station, and 64% of the
classes completed the project
Reported by the teachers: an
increase in their students'
awareness of or attention to their
environment
Engaged Alaskan students and
educators in outdoor
environmental research in the
winter when temperatures are
consistently below freezing and
daylight is severely limited
Addressed ubiquitous Alaskan
bird species, local climatic
conditions, and a statewide
environmental issue
Correlated with the Alaska
Content Standards
Used as an Internet-based
learning opportunity; it provides
an important resource for
Alaska's home-schooled
students and for educators and
students in rural villages
Number of People Affected:
6 teachers, about 323 students, and 3
community volunteers
Groundwater Detectives
Grant Number:
NE-98080501
Sponsor:
Matanuska Susitna Borough School
DistrictAVasilla High School
Project Coordinator:
Cheryl McDowell
Wasilla High School
25 W. Evergreen Avenue
Palmer, AK 99654
(907) 376-5341
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$2,750
Focus:
Drinking Water/Ground water
35
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Alaska
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Groundwater Detectives
Target Audience:
High School Students in the
Matanuska Susitna Borough
Purpose:
To raise awareness of ground-water
issues in the school and community
Goals:
Encourage high school students
to think critically about current
ground-water conditions
Help students find solutions to
future problems
Make decisions about what can
be done now to protect
groundwater
Methods:
Develop and teach high school
students a unit on groundwater
and drinking water
Bring in guest speakers from
various agencies, organizations
and businesses
Create individual computer-
based presentations by students
Complete student outreach
projects to educate the
community
Compile all resources into
notebooks as a resource for other
teachers
Products/Results:
Allowed students to test and
research their own well water
and share the information in the
community
Used technology in students'
projects, which allowed them to
become more comfortable with
additional software and
hardware
Challenges:
Had to be delayed about two
months to allow the project to be
completed in one semester
Could not have all of the guest
speakers and field trips because
of scheduling conflicts or lack of
time
Successes/Strengths:
Had a successful project because
many experts were able to
contribute
Enabled the students to have a
real life application for the
chemistry and math they learned,
and were able to integrate new
science knowledge
Purchased equipment that would
allow the project to be repeated
in future years
Number of People Affected:
Directly - about 20 students and 20
adults who presented or assisted with
the project
Indirectly - 2,000 community
members through student
presentations, newspaper articles,
and Web sites
36
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Alaska
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Kachemak Bay
Coastweeks 2001
Grant Number:
NE-97006001
Sponsor:
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies,
Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Marilyn Sigman
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies,
Inc.
P.O. Box 2225
Homer, AK 99603
(907) 235-6667
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$3,000
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers, Tribal Environmental
Specialists, and Students
Purpose:
To develop and coordinate an
integrated Coastweeks program of
coastal environmental education for
Kachemak Bay communities
Goals:
Focus on monitoring
environmental changes in
beaches and intertidal
communities on a baywide basis
Increase understanding about the
impacts of marine litter and
intertidal habitat degradation
from trampling, vehicle traffic,
and other uses
Serve as a model for other
Alaskan coastal communities,
particularly in the North Pacific
where the interaction of climate
change and human impacts has
serious implications for natural
resource-dependent communities
Methods:
Extend two outreach programs,
Kachemak Bay Coastwalk and
Caretakers of the Beach, to all
Kachemak Bay schools and
communities in an integrated
manner with the Alaska Coastal
Climate Change Program
Train educators, co-teach an
integrated classroom, and field
teach a unit in the local
environment
Hold a conference with
interactive workshops uniting
students and educators with
environmental scientists and
managers
Products/Results:
Held Kachemak Bay Science
Conference in April 2003, which
focused on patterns and
significance of environmental
change in Kachemak Bay and
the North Pacific Ocean
Integrated Kachemak Bay
Coastwalk and Caretakers of the
Beach programs with student
and citizen monitoring of local
beaches and intertidal
37
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Orant Summaries
Kachemak Bay
Coastweeks 2001
communities into a broader
understanding of large-scale
natural ecosystem patterns and
human impacts on ecosystems
Challenges:
The science conference and
other kick-off activities (planned
for September 2001) were
postponed
Successes/Strengths:
Involved approximately 200
people in the Kachemak Bay
Coastwalk 2001, the highest
number since 1991
Collected monitoring data in 28
of 32 beach zones, the highest
number covered in the 17 years
that the event has been held
Conducted Coastwalks by
schools and youth groups in
Homer and three Native villages
(all three Native Villages had not
participated before)
Revised Coastwalk monitoring
form and developed an expanded
educational packet for
participants
Integrated environmental
education with efforts to apply
and integrate the results of both
scientific research and
Traditional Ecological
Knowledge to understand the
significance of environmental
change on a variety of spatial
and temporal scales
Expanded a long-term "hands-
on" beach environmental
monitoring program
geographically and developed it
into a broader series of
educational events and
opportunities to learn about
marine and estuarine ecosystem
function and issues related to
human impacts and choices
Formed additional partnerships
and raised additional funding
because the grant was extended
Number of People Affected:
1,052 people - volunteers,
presenters, teachers, students,
scientists and natural resource
managers, citizens
Kasaan School
Composting Project with
Red Worms
Grant Number:
NE-97009201
Sponsor:
Southeast Island School District
Project Coordinator:
Barry Stewart
Southeast Island School District
P.O. Box 19569
Thorne Bay, AK 99919
(907) 542-2217
EPA Funding:
$4,600
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$3,375
38
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Alaska
1099-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Kasaan School
Composting Project with
Red Worms
Focus:
Waste Management
Target Audience:
School-Age Children, Kindergarten
Through 1 llh Grade
Purpose:
To educate Kasaan School children
on solid waste issues following the
closure of the Kasaan Sanitary
Landfill
Goals:
Teach all children to start
recycling
Teach children the principles of
composting
Methods:
Collect kitchen vegetable waste
from homes to feed the worms
Learn to create a composting
environment
Products/Results:
Demonstrated projects at the
2001 Earth Day Fair in Craig,
Alaska
Built and decorated flower pots
that the students filled with
compost and used to beautify the
community
Created quarterly newsletters to
distribute to the community
Challenges:
Moved the composting bin to a
warmer place at one point when
the temperature was too low
Successes/Strengths:
Will continue to make red worm
compost even after the grant
ends
Plan to share student project
experience with other students
on Prince of Wales Island
Number of People Affected:
50 people of the Organized Village
of Kasaan, including 13 students
Living Planet Club
Grant Number:
NE-97031601
Sponsor:
World Wildlife Fund Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Margaret Williams
World Wildlife Fund Inc.
1250 24th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 778-9573
EPA Funding:
$11,224
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$3,741
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
39
-------
~ IoClLtO 1999- 2004
/%| d O l\Cl Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Living Planet Club
40
Target Audience:
Junior High and High School
Students, Educators, and Elders
Purpose:
To build a network of educators and
students engaged in learning about,
addressing, and managing
conservation issues related to the
Bering Sea
Goals:
Teach students scientific
methods and how to apply them,
document traditional knowledge,
and improve writing and
observation skills
Foster student interest in
environmental skills
Have educators work side-by-
side with scientists to broaden
their own knowledge of
scientific methods and to
improve their skills
Methods:
Teach students and educators to
use data collection methods,
journaling techniques, mapping
skills, and core ecological
concepts
Conduct a rapid bioassessment
and apply the skills students
learned
Use data to prepare an exhibit
for students to share their
findings with their community
Use data to serve as baseline
information for monitoring long-
term change in the area
Products/Results:
Conducted a young scientists
program in three Bering Sea
coastal communities
Built partnerships with local
schools and a local teacher
Engaged groups of students in
each community with one
educator and one scientist in
learning new skills and methods
and improving existing skills and
abilities
Involved a local elder in one
community, which added
traditional knowledge about the
environment
Provided technical assistance
and necessary supplies and
equipment for three educators in
the remote coastal communities
Challenges:
Underwent scheduling and
personnel changes
Changed a summer field trip to a
fall camp; allowed teachers to
integrate some of the camp's
lessons and activities with their
school curriculum
Successes/Strengths:
Created solutions for scheduled
delays and personnel changes
Tied the field studies to the
natural environment the youth
interacted with on a daily basis
Incorporated the project into the
school curriculum in Unalakleet
and Elim
Joined forces with a U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
biologist in Mekoryuk because
-------
Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Living Planet Club
of a challenge grant received
from the USFWS
Involved elders in the project
Created solid partnerships with
teachers very committed to
integrating Living Planet Club
activities into their programs
Number of People Affected:
60 students, parents, and teachers
Northern forests
Project
Grant Number:
NE-98045901
Sponsor:
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Project Coordinator:
Terry Dickey
University of Alaska
Box 757880
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7880
(907) 474-6950
EPA Funding:
$20,717
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$20,742
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Middle School Students in Fairbanks
and Interior Rural Villages
Purpose:
To supplement the Alaska middle
school science curriculum with
boreal forest field studies
Goals:
Help middle school students
expand their knowledge of the
forest and better appreciate its
contributions to their lives
Methods:
Teach in the classroom and lead
hands-on tours of the museum's
exhibits and collections
Conduct case-study activities in
the arboretum by Alaska Native
elders
Conduct in-service teacher
workshop to facilitate the
integration of Northern Forests
curriculum into the classroom
curricula
Products/Results:
The students:
Analyzed their data to
understand the relationship
between the plants, animals and
environmental conditions at their
study site in the boreal forest
Made presentations of their
study site to further their
understanding of the boreal
forest ecosystem
Gained a new understanding of
the ecosystem, through the
teachers' development of the
curriculum
41
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Alaska
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Northern forests
Project
Challenges:
Found out that the museum
collection was an inappropriate
setting for a middle school class-
as an alternative, the students
developed their own plant
collections for each study site
and used the museum to study
materials that had already been
analyzed
Experienced problems with
equipment management,
including breakage and logistics
Learned that certain
investigation kits were too
complex
Difficult for the students to
understand some of the field
directions
Faced challenges with the field
study logistics because the six
study sites were spread over a
2.5 square mile area
Managing the middle school
"teams" was difficult due to the
sheer number of students
Had light to moderate rain and
temperatures near freezing
during both field days; Alaskan
climate creates a very short
season for field studies
Successes/Strengths:
Helped build a relationship with
local, university, and school
entities
Built cooperation between
teachers and volunteers
Created a method to integrate
hands-on experiences in
environmental education for
middles school students
Presented ecosystem analysis for
middle school students as a
method to help those students
become more familiar with their
local environment
Number of People Affected:
260 students and 10 volunteers
Power Up! Alternative
Energy Works - Even in
the frozen North
Grant Number:
NE-97028501
Sponsor:
Fairbanks North Star Borough
School District
Project Coordinator:
Doug Crevensten
Fairbanks North Star Borough
School District
520 5th Avenue
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 452-2000 ext. 464
EPA Funding:
$24,986
FY 2002
42
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Alaska
1909-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Power lip! Alternative
Energy Works - Even in
the Frozen North
Match Funding:
$20,656
Focus:
Alternative Energy
Target Audience:
Middle School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To teach students about alternative
energy and its use in Alaska
Goals:
Develop three alternative energy
study sites in the Tanana Valley
watershed where automated and
manual data are gathered
Show teachers and students how
to access this information and
use it as a basis for learning
about wind and solar energy
design, application, and
environmental issues
Adapt alternative energy class
lesson plans and conduct training
workshops for other middle
school teachers
Methods:
Show teachers how to use
existing, exemplary alternative
energy materials in their
classrooms through workshops,
model teaching by project
teachers and visits to project
classrooms
Create a partnership with
renewable energy businesses and
use their expertise to teach the
students
Apply students' knowledge of
alternative energy to a local
environmental situation by a
combination of environmental
education lessons using the solar
and wind remote-sensor
information, guest speakers, and
field trips
Products/Results:
Developed three alternative
energy study sites in the Tanana
Valley watershed where
automated and manual data are
gathered
Set up remote-sensing wind and
solar power stations
Created a Web page that features
collected data -imp://
www.rusg.com/educational/
epa_fnsb02a/stations/
stations.html
Created new renewable energy
lesson plans for middle school
students and adapted existing
alternative energy educational
resources for middle school to
include remote-sensing data
Developed renewable energy
kits
Trained teachers in the use of all
the resources
Communicated with parents
about the project
Challenges:
Access to the data by the
students was delayed due to
interfacing issues between the
computer and one sensor
instrument, which had to be
replaced
43
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Alaska
1009-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Power Up! Alternative
Energy Works - Even in
the frozen North
Successes/Strengths:
Conducted renewable energy
experiments and analyzed "real-
time" data
Increased student interest
because the data were tied to the
local environment
Had renewable energy experts,
practicing technicians, and
scientists give the project
presentations
Discussed the practical, real-
world applications of the
technology and demonstrated to
students the usefulness of math
Number of People Affected:
Business and industry technicians
and scientists: 8
Elementary school teachers: 1
Elementary school children: 23
Middle school teachers: 10
Middle school students: 260
General Public: not known, but Web
site is publicly available
SAQA's Serve Alaska
Youth Corps
Grant Number:
NE-97028601
Sponsor:
SE Alaska Guidance Association
(SAGA)
Project Coordinator:
Kristy Falcon
SE Alaska Guidance Association
P.O. Box 33037
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 789-6172
EPA Funding:
$4,900
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$7,800
Focus:
Environmental Careers
Target Audience:
At-Risk Alaskan Youth Over 16
Years Old
Purpose:
To improve the environmental career
placement component of the Youth
Corps Comprehensive Training
Program
Goals:
Improve overall understanding
of environmental career
opportunities and the training
needed to successfully compete
for these positions
Focus on environmental careers
available to Alaskan youth
Encourage Youth Corps
graduates to pursue
environmental careers
Methods:
Complete Individual
Development Plans for the
44
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A lacLa 1999-2004
/%ld9IV
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Alaska
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Stream Ecology for
Educators
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$4,300
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
K-12 Educators
Purpose:
To conduct a professional
development course to provide
K-12 educators with the
background, expertise, and
materials needed to incorporate
stream ecology into their
classroom curriculum
Goals:
Provide direct environmental
education support to 20 K-12
teachers and two faculty
members at the University of
Alaska's Kenai Peninsula
College
Methods:
Work with the local community
college to develop a course
called "Stream Ecology for
Educators"
Design course to help the
teachers understand and apply
Stream Ecology principles in
their classrooms
Covers hydrology, basic stream
ecology, energy sources, riparian
vegetation, and water chemistry
with an emphasis on how to
teach this material to students
Products/Results:
Offered teachers the opportunity
to fulfil] their continuing
education requirements while
demonstrating how to
incorporate environmental
education into their classrooms
Led to the development of a
model program
Provided the opportunity for
these professional educators to
incorporate state-of-the-art water
quality monitoring equipment in
their classrooms
Purchased the Hydrolab
Multiprobe to use in future
courses
Challenges:
Underestimated the time
necessary to work with the K-12
teachers outside the college
course
Successes/Strengths:
Can offer the course on a yearly
basis now that the curriculum is
developed and equipment
purchased
Had unforeseen staff expenses
covered by area businesses and
industry
46
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Alaska
1909- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Stream Ecology for
Educators
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 20 K-12 teachers and 2
faculty members from Kenai
Peninsula College
Indirectly - their students, as the
equipment will be used for
environmental education in the future
Tips From the Grantee:
Identify a desire and/or need
among local K-12 teachers.
Teachers need to be involved in
the development of the program.
Training Teachers to
"Tap into Spring'
Grant Number:
NE-97029001
Sponsor:
Alaskan Boreal Forest Council, Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Janice Dawe
Alaskan Boreal Forest Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 84530
Fairbanks, AK 99708
(907) 457-8453
EPA Funding:
$4,986
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$21,500
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
4lh-8th Grade Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To train teachers to implement the
"Tap into Spring" curriculum
Goals:
Encourage quality science
education in the local schools
Enhance awareness of the value
of the boreal forest to Interior
Alaska residents
Train teachers to lead inquiry -
based learning, tap birch trees to
make birch syrup, and write
lessons that contribute to the
"Tap into Spring" "seed"
curriculum
Encourage a strong sense of
connection with, and
stewardship of, the boreal forest
Empower teachers and students
to ask questions in a
scientifically valid fashion
Methods:
Offer two half-day "Tap into
Spring" workshops to 4lh-8lh
grade teachers
- Workshop I - train teachers to
implement the curriculum
- Workshop II - allow the
teachers to share their
experiences with the
curriculum and gain skills
needed to write inquiry-based
lessons for the "seed"
curriculum
47
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Alaska
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Training Teachers to
"Tap into Spring"
Products/Results:
Partnered with Fairbanks North
Star Borough School District and
Uni versity of Alaska Fairbanks
School of Education to create
training course
Trained 10 4lh-8th grade teachers
Field-tested and edited the
curriculum
Rewrote lesson plans to meet
new state standards and
developed new lesson plans to
explore students' specific
questions and input
Developed 10 teacher toolkits
Challenges:
Gave $50 stipends to the
teachers before their lesson plans
had been evaluated and
approved; two teachers did not
produce lesson plans to state
standards
Successes/Strengths:
Had great attendance at the
training; teachers invested time
and energy in the program's
success even before introducing
it into their classrooms
Modeled team teaching and best
practices in education, science,
and service education
Had to write a new lesson plan
in order for the teachers to pass
the training course
Had lesson plans evaluated by an
educational consultant
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 400 face-to-face
Indirectly - 50 by word of mouth
Using Local Nature for
Environmental
Educators
Grant Number:
NE-98080801
Sponsor:
Alaska Discovery Foundation, Inc./
Discovery Southeast
Project Coordinator:
Jono Mc Kinney
Alaska Discovery Foundation
P.O. Box 21867
Juneau, AK 99802
(907) 463-1500
EPA Funding:
$4,975
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$14,096
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Middle School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To help middle school teachers use
the local nature near their schools for
environmental education
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Alaska
1090 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Using Local Nature for
Environmental
Educators
Goals:
Increase middle school teachers'
knowledge of local
environments
Provide teachers with skills,
materials, methods, and the
confidence to involve students in
outdoor, nature-based,
environmental education
Methods:
Conduct a series of workshops
Prepare for one-on-one
consultations
Products/Results:
Held four 3 Vi hour workshops
after school
Held consultations with teachers
Conducted the Natural History
of Southeast Alaska Summer
Workshop
Challenges:
Access to teachers' time was
limited so the workshops were
switched to after school hours
instead of on the weekend
Not able to secure time during
the designated Juneau School
District in-service days for the
follow-up seminars
Needed time to mull over the
new information and teaching
methods before the teachers
were able to incorporate the
material into their curriculum
Limited time for the
consultations offered to the
teachers
Successes/Strengths:
Provided a foundation for new
partnerships and activities that
use local nature for
environmental education
Teachers:
- felt the program was quite
successful
- were excited and interested in
the materials
Number of People Affected:
Directly -13 middle school teachers
took part in the program
Indirectly - all their current students
and future students will be affected
Youth Area Watch
Teacher Training
Workshop
Grant Number:
NE-97058201
Sponsor:
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
Project Coordinator:
Marilyn Sigman
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
P.O. Box 2225
Homer, AK 99603
(907) 235-6667
49
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Alaska
1099-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Youth Area Watch
Teacher Training
Workshop
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$7,850
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Youth Area Watch Teachers/Site
Advisors for Students ages 12-18 in
11 South Central Alaska
Communities
Purpose:
To develop and coordinate an
environmental monitoring
training workshop for teachers
involved in the Youth Area
Watch (YAW) Program (an
environmental science and
education program)
Goals:
Foster teacher-scientist
partnerships
Provide training in
implementation of standards-
based environmental education
teaching activities related to
student participation in "real
science" ecosystem- scale
environmental monitoring and
research projects
Methods:
Provide teacher training
workshop, including hands-on
experience and presentations by
scientists
Provide hands-on experience
with online shoreline mapping
and GIS tools and intertidal
monitoring data collection
protocols to detect changes in
the physical and biological
aspects of beaches, as well as
changes resulting from human
activities
Demonstrate the use of the
shoreline mapping and habitat
inventory in oil spill response,
monitoring killer-whale
populations, and the effects of
subsistence harvest on chiton
populations and intertidal
community dynamics
Products/Results:
Increased the teachers'
understanding of standards and
standards-based education
Helped teachers understand the
environmental issues and the
role of research and monitoring
at the ecosystem scale
Improved skills in environmental
education activities and teaching
practices aligned with state and
national science standards
Prepared students for working
with partner environmental
scientists
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Alaska
1099- 2004
environmental Education Grant Summaries
Youth Area Watch
Teacher Training
Workshop
Challenges:
Did not get to have all of the
target YAW teachers to attend
the workshop, so additional
environmental educators were
recruited from Alaskan coastal
communities and tribal natural
resource professionals who work
directly with Native community
schools
Successes/Strengths:
Submitted lesson plans to
receive one college credit for
professional development
Featured presentations given by
scientists currently conducting
research and monitoring
activities
Combined presentations by
scientists with hands-on and
field experiences
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 14 face-to-face
interactions
Indirectly - 100 by direct mail or
email and 500 from email listservs
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Choose projects with sufficient
information or support to sustain
teacher and student involvement
and interest.
Choose projects with a computer
component to access maps and
data for sampling sites or online
data entry.
Begin with teacher
environmental education training
as a logical first step to provide
the academic structure and
support for student involvement.
Include in the training solid
science content, the purpose of
the environmental monitoring,
environmental issues relevant to
where data will be collected,
hands-on experience with the
data collection protocols, and
information on where to send the
data and how it will be used.
Employ hands-on field
experience as an effective
teaching strategy.
Delineate how the monitoring
activities, classroom preparation,
and follow-up activities are
aligned with state and national
education standards.
Seek scientists who have interest
and skills in working with
teachers and/or students of the
target age group.
DON'T:
Assume that computer
technology is available to
teachers and students.
Rely solely on science outreach
staff - personal contact with the
scientist is important.
Select scientists who lack the
communication skills to translate
technical information to non-
scientists or to convey their own
interest and enthusiasm in their
work.
51
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
A Model School Network
for Achieving New
Standards and Coaches
for Kids Using their
Environment as an
Integrating Context for
Learning (2 grants)
Grant Number:
NE-97028301
NE-97059001
Sponsor:
Idaho Environmental Education
Association
Project Coordinator:
Donny Roush
Idaho Environmental Education
Association
2211 S. 2nd Avenue
Pocatello, ID 83201
(208) 232-5674
EPA Funding:
$24,186
FY 2002
$4,950
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$36,303
FY 2002
$31,590
FY 2003
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Teachers, Administrators, and
Students
Purpose:
To establish and operate
statewide K-12th grade schools
network for achieving new
standards for kids using their
Environment as an Integrating
Context for Learning
To expand project by providing
coaches for the eight school-
based teams
Goals:
First grant: introduce highly
successful method of meeting
and exceeding environmental
education standards to the state
of Idaho
Set in place a model school
network administered by the
state's environmental education
association
Provide professional
development activities for
teachers and administrators
Second grant: provide stipends
for coaches from each school's
community who are non-formal
educators but have technical
knowledge as well as planning
and facilitation skills
Methods:
First grant: provide face-to-face,
hands-on professional
development for teachers and
administrators: three-day in-state
workshops, three-day national
conferences, and quarterly visits
Teach with teams
Target marketing
communications
Create Internet discussion
groups
E-mail administrative
communications
Second grant: provide coaches
for community liaison, technical
assistance, planning and
53
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Idaho
1990-2004
environmental Education Grant Summaries
A Model School Network
for Achieving New
Standards and Coaches
for Kids Using their
Environment as an
Integrating Context for
Learning (2 grants)
facilitation skills, and curriculum
resources for the rest of the
teams
Products/Results:
First grant: marketed the
Environment as an Integrating
Context (EIC) school reform
model to the state's 814 schools
Recruited teams of educators at
eight selected schools
Formed teams consisting of at
least three teachers, an
administrator, and a community
member
Conducted needs assessment/
orientation at each school
Held the Idaho EIC Institute
from June 9-12, 2003
Mapped each team's curriculum
at the Institute and designed a
standards-based investigation
Prepared curriculum to be used
during the 2003-2004 school
year
Second grant: involved coaches
with the eight schools
Gave stipends to coaches to
acquire additional educational
resources, and awarded travel
funds to two coaches to attend
professional development
training
Challenges:
Recruiting took longer than
expected
Due to lack of state funding,
funding has to be a continuing
function
Postponed EIC Institute
originally planned for 2002 until
2003 so educators could have
time to study the curriculum and
come better prepared to the
conference
Replaced original coach at some
schools
Successes/Strengths:
Had the State Department of
Education, the State Education
and Environment Roundtable,
and the Idaho Environmental
Education Association work
together to bring EIC to Idaho
Addressed education reform by
demonstrating a research-based
method of meeting and
exceeding standards
Relied on community-based
investigations and the
incorporation of a community
member into each teaching team
Became the only state to have
the EIC Model run by a non-
governmental organization
Selected eight schools to
represent the diversity in the
state's education system
Number of People Affected:
44 teachers, administrators, and
coaches, and 2,086 students
54
/
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Idaho
1990-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Clearwater GLOBE
(Global Learning and
Observation to Benefit
the Environment)
Initiative
Grant Number:
NE-98077801
Sponsor:
Communities Creating
Connections, Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Gregory Fizzell
Communities Creating
Connections, Inc.
P.O. Box 400
Kooskia, ID 83539
(208) 935-2171
EPA Funding:
$13,963
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$7,513
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Teachers from the Clearwater
Valley Schools and the Elk City
School
Purpose:
To advance community school
reform in Kooskia and Elk City
using an existing environmental
education program known as
GLOBE (Global Learning and
Observations to Benefit the
Environment)
Goals
Increase teacher capacity to
deliver a place-based,
experimental, environmental
education curriculum that
utilizes technology and an
inquiry-based approach to
learning
Increase student and community
awareness and knowledge of
local natural processes and
systems, their connections to
global systems, and the issues
surrounding those interactions
Develop student skills necessary
to collect, compile, and analyze
local atmospheric, hydrologic,
soils, and land cover data using
appropriate scientific
instruments and techniques
Methods:
Train teachers in GLOBE
protocols and associated learning
activities at three workshops
Distribute GLOBE curriculum
materials
Products/Results:
Have five schools in the Joint
School District now participating
in the GLOBE program on a
regular basis
Have collected, district wide by
the students and teachers, 3,896
GLOBE data measurements
using atmosphere and hydrology
protocols
55
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Clearwater GLOBE
(Global Learning and
Observation to Benefit
the Environment)
Initiative
Challenges:
Required more support and
follow-up for the teachers than
first expected
Trained several high school
science teachers in the GLOBE
curriculum, but none
implemented the program
consistently in their classrooms
S uccesses/Stren gths:
Reached a much larger audience
than expected-it extended
beyond Kooskia and Elk City to
the entire Joint School District
241 at no extra cost
Impressed that teachers and
students from all over rural
Idaho County are now studying
their local ecosystems with
rigorous scientific protocols
Developed partnerships with the
University of Idaho arid others to
establish a year-round residential
GLOBE Science School
Number of People Affected:
Directly - served 40 teachers and
508 students in the Kooskia and Elk
City Schools
Indirectly - through the media
coverage of the project, even more
people were reached
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Involve school administrators,
teachers, and staff at every phase
of the project.
Make as many networking
contacts as possible through
local universities, state and
federal agencies, and other non-
profits.
Follow up with your clients
often.
Dream big but take small steps.
DON'T:
Make any assumptions when
developing the plan and
proposal. Passing over the
smallest detail has the potential
to cause major headaches during
implementation.
Get discouraged. Setbacks are
an expected part of the program
implementation process.
Lose sight of the Big Picture.
Correlation of Projects
Learning Tree, WET, and
WILD to Idaho Education
Standards
Grant Number:
NE-970061GI
Sponsor:
Idaho Forest Products Commission
Project Coordinator:
Michelle Youngquist, Education
Coordinator
Idaho Forest Products Commission
Project Learning Tree
350 N 9Ih St., #304
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 334-4061
56
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1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Correlation of Projects
learning Tree, WET, and
WILD to Idaho Education
Standards
EPA Funding:
$12,649
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$10,937
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Teachers
Purpose:
To correlate Project Learning
Tree, WET, and WILD to
Idaho's new state education
standards using environmental
education curriculums
To present the information to
educators throughout the state
Goals:
Serve as a model for other
environmental education
providers throughout the state
who will be encouraged to add
their programs' correlatives to
compile a comprehensive
integrated correlations document
Methods:
Provide a copy of the integrated
correlations to every public,
private, and tribal school in
Idaho
Request a copy from the
programs' state offices if an
educator has already been
trained
Provide access to the
correlations for new educators
after they take the basic Project
workshops
Make the correlations available
for download on the state
program's Web site
Products/Results:
Correlated all instructional
activities of Project Learning
Tree, Project WET, and Project
WILD to Idaho's education
achievement standards
Compiled the information into a
searchable database that is
available online to all schools
and educators throughout the
state and across the nation
Shared process with other
environmental educators through
the Idaho Environmental
Education Summit
Challenges:
Having teachers attend the
correlations review session was
difficult, due to lack of funding
for substitutes and
reimbursement for travel
expenses
Envisioned the final product to
be a hard copy or a CD-Rom, but
wanted it to be accessible to
educators and easy to update
Lacked knowledge in
establishing a searchable on-line
database and lacked funds to pay
market price for these services
Underestimated the amount of
time the project would require
from the three state coordinators
ofPLT, WET, and WILD
57
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Correlation of Projects
Learning Tree, WET, and
WILD to Idaho Education
Standards
Successes/Strengths:
Worked together to provide a
comprehensive resource for
Idaho educators
Developed a very productive
relationship with the Bureau of
Technology Services at the
Idaho Department of Education
Became one of only three states
providing a searchable on-line
database of correlations between
the three projects and state
standards
Continue to work with the
Department of Education on the
resulting environmental
education correlations website
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 200 people, but it should
expand into the thousands as teachers
use Project Learning Tree, WILD, or
WET activities to meet Idaho
Achievement Standards
Idaho Wetlands
Environmental
Education for the
Seventh Grade
Grant Number:
NE-97027601
Sponsor:
Idaho Botanical Gardens, Inc.
Project Coordinator:
Elizabeth Dickey
Idaho Botanical Gardens
2355 N. Penitentiary Road
Boise, ID 83712
(208) 343-8649
EPA Funding:
$1,920
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$883
Focus:
Wetlands
Target Audience:
Seventh Grade Life Science Teachers
and Students
Purpose:
To develop a Wetland Environmental
Education Program for 7th grade
students in the greater Boise area
Goals:
Help students fulfill Idaho's
newly revised science
achievement standards
Help students learn about water
quality improvement,
environmental stewardship, and
the benefits of a constructed
wetland in an urban setting
Methods:
Provide a college credit in-
service class for teachers
Create a classroom kit
Include a field trip
Products/Results:
Adapted the "Idaho Wetlands
Education Program" from
Washington State's "Discover
-------
Idaho
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Idaho Wetlands
Environmental
Education for the
Seventh Grade
Wetlands Curriculum" to fit the
Boise River ecosystem and
included a classroom kit that is
used before field trips
Pilot tested a portion of this
curriculum
Sent out publicity about the
curriculum and the kit
Purchased materials for two
classroom kits
Successes/Strengths:
Used the program before field
trips
Challenges:
Did not need teacher in-service
classes - each school had
developed its own
Number of People Affected:
2 teachers and more than 200
students
Meeting Idaho
Comprehensive Literacy
and Reading Directives
Using Environmental
Education Literature
Grant Number:
NE-97006201
Sponsor:
Boise State University Department of
Biology
Project Coordinator:
Richard J. McCloskey, Ph.D.
Boise State University Department of
Biology
Boise, ID 83725
(208) 426-3490
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$3,162
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Teachers
Purpose:
To demonstrate how science can be
integrated into the expanded reading
curriculum being developed by Idaho
schools as part of the state's
education reform movement
Goals:
Develop an environmental
literature-based Comprehensive
Literacy Course to train teachers
Demonstrate an alternative
approach to teaching
environmental education in light
of more contemporary
definitions of both reading and
science
Provide a safe environmental for
teachers to practice their newly
acquired skills
Methods:
Involve participants in two 15-
hour workshops in
environmental education
literature and activities
59
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Idaho
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Meeting Idaho
Comprehensive Literacy
and Reading Directives
Using Environmental
Education Literature
Participate in Personal Trait and
Multiple Intelligence Tests to
determine how to meet needs of
students with different traits and
intelligences and how to evaluate
and assess the science literacy of
their students
Products/Results:
Developed the Comprehensive
Literacy Course outline
Held two workshops
Made plans to submit
presentation abstracts about
integrating EE/Science into Your
Literacy Curriculum Workshop
to professional meetings in 2003,
including the North American
Association for Environmental
Education, Idaho Science
Teachers Association, and Idaho
Academy of Sciences
Challenges:
Had a variety of strengths and
backgrounds of the workshop
participants, for example, some
knew phonics and some did not
Successes/Strengths:
Filled the workshops within four
days of sending out notices to
the teachers in the area
Put 82 additional teachers on a
waiting list for future workshops
The teachers involved in the
workshops:
- Listed the content presented in
the Questioning Strategies,
Journaling and Trade Book
Resource sessions as being the
most useful in their classrooms
- Rated the workshops an
average of 8.4 on a scale of 10
Number of People Affected:
61 teachers from 14 school districts
and two private schools
Nez Perce Tribal
Eoundation Two-World
Environmental
Education Project
Grant Number:
NE-82679601
Sponsor:
Nez Perce Tribal Foundation
Project Coordinator:
Solo Greene
Nez Perce Environmental
Restoration and Waste Management
P.O. Box 365
Lapwai, ID 83540-0365
(208) 843-7375
EPA Funding:
$144,520
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$117,400
Focus:
General Environmental Education
60
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Idaho
1999-2O04
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Nez Perce Tribal
Foundation Two-World
Environmental
Education Project
Target Audience:
Students and Future Educators
Purpose:
To develop and improve critical-
thinking, problem-solving, and
effective decision-making skills of
students and future educators by
providing learning experiences that
have a practical application in the
real world and cultural components
of environmental issues in the
community
Goals:
Gain a better understanding and
respect for natural resources and
the Nez Perce People
Develop and deliver
environmental education
curriculum (K-12) reflecting the
two-world view to reservation
schools
Ensure sustainability for a
minimum of five years
Methods :
Create a 10-day summer training
course
Hold a college semester course
Distribute the Ne/. Perce Tribe
Two-World View Curriculum
Products/Results:
Developed, distributed, and
implemented the curriculum into
the local school districts and
educational system
Challenges:
Took longer than planned
because of turnover and changes
in job duties
Number of People Affected:
3,725 students and 824 American
Indian students
8 students in the college course
7 enrolled in the Summer Teacher's
Workshop
Residential
Environmental Science
Education Center and
Teaching
Grant Number:
NE-83 [41501
Sponsor:
University of Idaho
Project Coordinator:
Steve Hollenhorst
University of Idaho
P.O. Box 443020
Moscow, ID 8344-3020
(208) 885-7911
EPA Funding:
$74,188
FY 2003
Match Funding:
S 199,561
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
5th-8th Grade Educators and Students
and University Students
6i
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Residential
Environmental Science
Education Center and
Teaching
Purpose:
To create a residential environmental
science school for Idaho school
children that serves as a model
program in math, science, and
technology education
Goals:
Increase the capability of the
University and its project
partners to design and deliver
coordinated and comprehensive
environmental education
programs to Idaho school
systems
Increase the capacity of Idaho
schools to meet science, math,
and technology standards
Increase student awareness and
knowledge of environmental
issues and skill in using
scientific inquiry to understand
and address these issues
Methods:
Hold a two-week training for the
graduate students in GLOBE
program protocols (Global
Learning and Observations to
Benefit the Environment), first
aid, outdoor leadership, and team
building
Serve subsequently as
environmental education field
instructors in a 10-week teaching
residency at the proposed
residential environmental
education field campus
Participate in a five-day
ecosystem monitoring study
using GLOBE scientific
protocols for students in grades
5-8
Spend six hours per day in the
field collecting data and two
hours in a lab setting analyzing,
comparing, and synthesizing
data across several different
ecosystem types
Achieve active teacher
participation in all aspects of the
field and laboratory studies
Products/Results:
Finalized residential program
curriculum
Held the two-week training for
eight graduate students field
instructors in 2003 and 13
graduate students attended in
2004
Recruited graduate students from
throughout the United States
Held the residential
environmental education
program at the McCall Outdoor
Science School for a ten week
period with 426 students from
grades 5-8, 93 adult chaperones,
and 24 Idaho teachers in 2003;
and 413 students in grades 5-8,
88 adult chaperones, and 22
Idaho teachers in 2004
Successes/Strengths:
Submitted article for the Winter
2004 issue of "Here We Have
Idaho" alumni magazine
Developed exciting partnerships
with the Idaho Forest Products
Commission, the Idaho
Rangetand Resource
Commission, and the Nez Perce
National Historical Park
62
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Gave a presentation at the 2003
Idaho Environmental Education
Association Conference
Gave presentations at the annual
Idaho Science Teacher's
Association Conference in
October 2004 focusing on
outcome research being
conducted since the program
inception in 2001
Increased the students' science
knowledge by 70 percent
Number of People Affected:
21 graduate students, 839 5lh-8,h
grade students, 181 adult chaperones,
and 46 Idaho teachers
Teton River Watershed
Education Program
Grant Number:
NE-97077301
Sponsor:
Friends of the Teton River
Project Coordinator:
Lyn Benjamin
Friends of the Teton River (FTR)
P.O. Box 768
Driggs, ID 768
(208) 354-3871
EPA Funding:
$6,200
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$26,450
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers, Students, and the General
Public
Purpose:
To establish and implement the
Teton River Watershed curriculum to
increase elementary, middle, and
high school students' awareness
about the Teton Watershed and
enhance their critical thinking about
environmental issues
Goals:
Establish and implement a model
curriculum that will be included
in classroom teaching, field trips,
and local watershed hikes
Teach local educators about
watershed curriculum options
and data collection to enhance
teaching skills
Educate high school students to
advance environmental career
development
Methods:
Use existing resources including
EPA education materials, Project
WET, and Big Wood and Silver
Creek Watershed curriculum
Expand working relationships
with teachers and classrooms in
the Teton Valley School District
63
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Teton River Watershed
Education Program
Establish a summer internship
program and select students to
work with FTR on field projects
throughout the summer
Lead educational river and
hiking trips for the local Teton
Valley community to help the
public understand watershed
issues and become involved in
watershed protection
Products/Results:
Created an "all inclusive"
curriculum that includes
background information, lesson
plans, transparencies, state
standards matching, student
worksheets and workbooks, and
field trip activities
Allowed teachers to access the
necessary materials in an
organized and accessible PDF
format
Increased participation to six
faculty and approximately 70
students
Supported a high school
internship program by hiring two
local high school students to
work on field trips throughout
the summer
Led three watershed education
river and hiking trips for the
local community
Challenges:
Difficult to organize field trips
for early September because of a
staffing change
Successes/Strengths:
Promoted "placed-based"
learning about the local
watershed
Provided all necessary
equipment and interpretative
resources used for field and in-
class work
Collaborated with other non-
profits, organizations, state and
federal agencies
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 500 students and 12
teachers; 20 peers and 100 kids from
non-profits, other organizations and
federal agencies; 150 members of the
general public through public
forums; and 60 individuals during
interpretative hikes and floats
Indirectly - 50 teachers and 600
people receive quarterly newsletter
"Water Lines"
Tips From the Grantee for
Creating a Local Watershed
Curriculum
DO:
Network with local teachers to
discuss needs, goals, and
expectations.
Cultivate teacher relationships
through multiple meetings.
Meet with school district
curriculum directors.
Review existing state standards
and rubrics.
Review existing curriculum.
Network with educational non-
profits and organizations.
Test out lesson plans and field
trips with actual classes.
64
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Attend conferences and
workshops (e.g. Project WET,
Project Wild).
Check your facts and resources.
DON'T:
Forget to keep track of all
resources used.
Assume a lesson will work
without testing it first.
Web-Based Geographic
Information Systems to
Enhance Community
Watershed Education
Grant Number:
NE-97058901
Sponsor:
Palouse-Clearwater Environmental
Institute
Project Coordinator:
Greg Fizzell
Palouse-Clearwater Environmental
Institute (PCEI)
University of Idaho McCall Outdoor
Science School
P.O. Box 8596
112 West 4th Street, Suite #1
Moscow, ID 83843
(208) 882-1444
EPA Funding:
$17,255
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$21,560
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Teachers, Citizens, and 5lh-12,h Grade
Students
Purpose:
To design and implement a web-
based Geographic Information
System (GIS) interface
Goals:
Increase teacher, student, and
citizen awareness and
knowledge of issues important to
their watershed
Highlight the use of GIS as a
classroom tool that exhibits best
educational practices while
concurrently increasing
watershed understanding
Increase skill in using a web-
based information system to
answer questions and make
decisions relevant to the local
watershed
Increase the use of the PCEI
website as an educational tool
Methods:
Provide users with easy point-
and-click access to Paradise
Creek Watershed information
that highlights EPA 319
restoration sites, water quality
data, weather data, soils,
geology, land use, etc.
Design and publish a K-I2
training guide specific to the
system for teachers and students
65
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Idaho
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Web-Based Geographic
Information Systems to
Enhance Community
Watershed Education
Host the GIS interface on the
PCEI website (www.pcei.org/gis)
Exhibit the new system to the
adult community at a half-day
teacher and a half-day citizen
workshop
Introduce students to GIS
technology and its utility for
visually understanding the world
through student outreach
programs
Products/Results:
Developed a training manual and
lesson plans
Designed a web-based and in-
house GIS system
Trained teachers in the use of the
GIS system
Conducted education programs
for K-12 students
Challenges:
Did not hold a citizen workshop
in web-based system for the
Palouse community, since
technological design of the
system took longer than
anticipated
Successes/Strengths:
Utilized cutting-edge technology
to teach watershed science to 6lh-
12"' grade students
Used the hands-on nature of
computer technology to captivate
the students as they explored
their home watershed with
interactive color maps and
analysis tools
Can be used for years to teach
watershed science to students,
teachers, and citizens
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 187 students and 13
teachers
Indirectly - 900 people through
PCEIs newsletter and a large
number through the website
Tips from the Grantee:
DO:
Involve school administrators,
teachers, and staff in every phase
of the project planning and
proposal development process
Network with local universities,
colleges, state and federal
agencies, and other nonprofits.
Follow up with your "clients"
often, keeping the lines of
communication clear and open.
Dream big but take small steps.
DON'T:
Make any assumptions when
developing the project plan and
proposal. Passing over the
smallest detail has the potential
to cause major headaches during
implementation.
Get discouraged easily.
Setbacks should be an expected
part of the program
implementation process.
Expect everything written in the
proposal to happen as exactly as
written. There is often more
than one way to achieve the
same goals and objectives.
Lose sight of the BIG PICTURE.
66
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67
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Oregon
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Bear Creek Watershed
Community Service
Project
Grant Number:
NE-98046401
Sponsor:
Rogue Valley Council of
Governments
Project Coordinator:
David Jacob
Rogue Valley Council of
Governments
155 South Second Street
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 664-6676 ext. 212
EPA Funding:
$14,600
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$13,562
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
2nd-12lh Grade Students, Teachers,
and Interested Community Members
Purpose:
To provide students, educators, and
partnering natural resource agencies
with opportunities to work together
to develop and implement watershed
enhancement and education projects
Goals:
Build local capacity to develop
and deliver high quality
education programs
Educate teachers, students, and
parents about the human health
threats from environmental
pollution
Improve teachers skills in
environmental education
Methods:
Conduct two Watershed
Community Service Project
Forums
Sponsor two educator training
sessions
Coordinates a student watershed
congress to bring together high
school students from throughout
the Rogue River Basin for
student-directed discussion of
water quality issues
Products/Results:
Used the two forums to bring
together educators, agency
personnel, and interested parties
to discuss the Bear Creek
riparian corridor, which is a
major environmental resource
for the Bear Creek Watershed
Conducted two educator training
sessions
Coordinated student watershed
congress
Challenges:
Had scheduling problems arise
because educators and students
had little time for activities
outside of the classroom
Had students who were
interested and enthusiastic, but
were involved in other
extracurricular activities
69
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Oregon
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Bear Creek Watershed
Community Service
Project
Inconsistent attendance made
planning projects difficult
Encountered problems finding
times when educators were
available for workshops
Tying outdoor education to the
requirements took additional
teacher time, which is already
very limited
Successes/Strengths:
Brought together a wide variety
of partners and interests to
increase opportunities for local
students
Number of People Affected:
Directly - nearly 1,000 students and
educators
Indirectly - several thousand citizens
became aware of the student efforts
through project activities and media
coverage
Building Capacity
Through Leadership and
Strategic Planning
Grant Number:
NE-97059801
Sponsor:
Environmental Education
Association of Oregon
Project Coordinator:
Linda L. Rhoads
Environmental Education
Association of Oregon (EEAO)
P.O. Box 15192
Portland, OR 97293-5192
(503) 234-3326
EPA Funding:
$21,857
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$27,003
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Teachers and Non-Formal Educators,
Natural Resource Agencies,
Nonprofits, and Industry
Representatives (all potential
volunteers) throughout Oregon
Purpose:
To continue capacity-building
initiatives and address current and
future needs for sustainable success
as EEAO makes the transition from
an all-voiunteer organization to a
full-service nonprofit with paid staff
Goals:
Facilitate three sequential
strategic planning sessions
Provide leadership development
training for board members
Develop an EEAO volunteer
opportunity booklet
Provide ongoing organizational
development initiatives carried
out and led by the executive
director
70
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HfAffAll 1999-2004
VI CgVl I environmental Education Grant Summaries
Building Capacity
Through Leadership and
Strategic Planning
Methods:
Facilitate an all-day strategic
planning session for the EEAO
board
Facilitate two strategic planning
sessions for EEAO members
Conduct a seminar designed to
address the leadership
development needs of the EEAO
board
Integrate the above with the
EEAO website, list server, and
systematic outreach activities to
distribute information about
EEAO volunteer opportunities
Products/Results:
Worked with a consultant to
develop activities to involve all
members and establish a vision,
direction, goals, and actions at
the three sequential strategic
planning sessions
Held leadership development
training for board members
Developed an EEAO volunteer
opportunities booklet
Carried out on going
organizational development
initiatives led by the executive
director
Challenges:
Underestimated project printing
costs; EEAO would raise
additional funds
Successes/Strengths:
Integrated innovative approach
to leadership development
activities and strategic planning
processes
Applied leadership skills,
behaviors, and decision-making
processes to tasks and group
interactions
Invited facilitator/consultant to
participate in board meetings to
coach and reinforce effective
leadership activities, which
helped maintain process
momentum
Created a structure for EEAO to
assess needs, set priorities,
implement a strategic plan,
facilitate networking, and
sponsor leadership seminars
Number of People Affected:
About 130 people participated in
face-to-face activities
Some 300-500 were kept up-to-date
via e-mail
The strategic plan drafts were
circulated among many list servers to
solicit feedback
Building Environmental Grant Number: Sponsor:
Education Capacity in NE-97007301 Environmental Education
Oregon
Association of Oregon (EEAO)
71
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Oregon
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Building Environmental
Education Capacity in
Oregon
Project Coordinator:
Blaine Jane Cole
Environmental Education
Association of Oregon
P.O. Box 15192
Portland, OR 97293-5192
(503) 725-8294
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$43,568
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Environmental Educators
Purpose:
To provide leadership for
educators committed to
environmental education
To provide support and
resources for environmental
education programs
To bolster and improve the
organizational structure to be
easily accessible for all
educators around the state
To create a self-sustaining,
continued base of funding that
supports all aspects of EEAO
operations
Goals:
Heighten awareness and
opportunities for citizens to be
engaged in environmental
education
Increase membership in EEAO
Create a sustainable, value-
added environmental education
organization in Oregon
Methods:
Develop an EEAO Web site
Facilitate four "Dig and Delve"
workshops
Host an annual statewide
conference
Facilitate the process of hiring
and establishing an Executive
Director position
Products/Results:
Hired web designers to create a
professional Web site
Had former EEAO President,
Lynn Wilson-Dean, facilitate
four successful teacher-focused
workshops
Held a statewide conference
Hired an Executive Director for
the EEAO
Challenges:
Was more work than the board
anticipated to finish the Web site
by July
Had a low turnout at the annual
statewide conference and did not
generate a big revenue; however,
it was productive and fun
Did not reach membership goal
of 300
72
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Oregon
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Building Environmental
Education Capacity in
Oregon
Successes/Strengths:
Hiring an Executive Director for
the organization was demanding,
but very successful
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 80 people through the
workshop; 40 through the conference
Indirectly - 500
Community Action and
Problem Solving
Grant Number:
NE-97008101
Sponsor:
Cascade Earth Force, Portland State
University
Project Coordinator:
Julie Magers
Cascade Earth Force
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
(503) 725-8288
EPA Funding:
$19,999
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$15,635
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
5,h-9'h Grade Students and Teachers
Purpose:
To identify local environmental
issues and work to create sustainable
solutions
Goals:
Provide a balanced, structured,
age-appropriate framework for
young people to create
meaningful projects that benefit
their environment and their
communities through changes in
local policies or community
practices
Methods:
Participate in a series of skill-
building professional
development workshops
Identify environmental issues
Research projects
Create action plans
Products/Results:
Helped teachers and students
explore their communities
Identified environmental issues
Researched the issues from
multiple viewpoints
Created action projects to create
sustainable improvements
Incorporated community experts
into the process
Challenges:
Had varied outcomes
Discouraged when students
classes could not find an
environmental problem to solve
73
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Community Action and
Problem Solving
Resigning of the Cascade Earth
Force director in the spring,
meant many tasks and
responsibilities had to be shifted,
and project, funding, and media
opportunities were missed
Successes/Strengths:
Offered an innovative set of
tools, training, and support to the
participating teachers and their
classes
Benefited from having to have a
resource partner to help work
with the class and make referrals
for community assistance
Involved community to help the
students and teachers in a
mutually beneficial manner
Brought together teachers with
varying backgrounds and years
of experience and schools with a
wide array of different learning
environments
Number of People Affected:
39 educators, 500 students, 15
community partner organizations
Crooked River
Watershed Council
Monitoring Education
and Involvement Project
Grant Number:
NE-98077701
Sponsor:
Crook County Soil and Water
Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Tina Whitman
Crook County Soil and Water
Conservation District
498 SE Lynn Boulevard
Prineville, OR 97754
(541)447-3548
EPA Funding:
$1,784
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$5,650
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Educators, Interested Community
Members, and Landowners
Purpose:
To improve community knowledge
of the condition of resources and
involvement in watershed
stewardship
Goals:
Coordinate training and field
opportunities in watershed
monitoring for area educators,
students, and landowners
Methods:
Conduct two workshops in photo
and water quality monitoring
methods and data interpretation
74
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Crooked River
Watershed Council
Monitoring Education
and Involvement Project
Products/Results:
Had 27 landowners and six
agency representatives
participate in the monitoring
workshops and receive resource
notebooks
Supported monitoring training
for local teachers by sponsoring
a high school teacher's
participation in a week-long
workshop
Coordinated the delivery of a
teacher training with a
monitoring emphasis in
Prineville
Challenges:
Had a change in the project
timeline
Took longer than originally
planned for the landowner's
workshop and implementation of
some monitoring components
Had limited available time of the
council's staff to dedicate to this
project
Successes/Strengths:
Had high interest by landowners
and educators in the monitoring
workshops
Helped build support among
agency staff interested in
connecting with landowners or
educators to achieve monitoring
goals
Strengthened community
involvement by training
landowners to conduct their own
monitoring activities and design
their own objectives
Focused monitoring training
specifically to the needs of the
watershed
Provided training opportunities,
equipment, and technical support
to schools and private
landowners
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 27 landowners in the
workshop received training and
resource notebooks;
145 other landowners, educators and
students participated in monitoring
and/or training
Indirectly - 500 fliers were mailed
out to landowners, organizations, and
agencies
Crossing Boundaries
Watershed Education
Project
Grant Number:
NE-97030501
Sponsor:
Lower Columbia River Estuary
Partnership
Project Coordinator:
Tammy Sanders
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
811 SW Naito Pkwy, Suite 120
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 226-1565
75
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Crossing Boundaries
Watershed Education
Project
EPA Funding:
$9,148
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$5,500
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Upper Klementary and Lower Middle
School Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To support a network of teachers
participating in hands-on active,
outdoor education along the lower
Columbia River
Goals:
Increase capacity to develop and
deliver coordinated
environmental education across
multiple states
Integrate hands-on, outdoor
educational activities into
teachers' curriculum
Establish adjacent field sites
wherever possible to sustain the
educational program over the
long term
Educate teachers about
environmental issues through
summer workshops
Educate students on the many
habitats and components that
make up a watershed, and how
these components are essential to
the function and health of the
lower river and estuary
Help teachers and students lo
understand the whole system
Methods:
Conduct teacher workshop in
August to teach about the
ecology of a watershed,
restoration, stream ecology, and
vegetation
Conduct one-day school visits
Identify materials and activities
to help teachers teach
environmental concepts
Identify potential field trip sites
Help plan field trips and provide
equipment for learning
Products/Results:
Held teacher workshop, and also
worked with teachers who were
unable to attend the workshop
Identified materials and activities
to help teachers teach
environmental concepts,
identified potential field trip
sites, helped to plan field trips,
and provided equipment for
learning
Held informal meetings with the
teachers
Showcased projects at local
science fairs and an informal
student exchange of information
between classes at one school
instead of organizing a large
summit to highlight student work
Challenges:
Coordinating projects with local
watershed councils did not work
out well because teachers were
focused on setting up curriculum
76
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AkACFAII 1999-2004
vl CgUII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Crossing Boundaries
Watershed Education
Project
and seemed overwhelmed by
taking on additional projects
Scheduling large teacher
meetings did not work out well
because of geographical distance
and lack of time; it worked better
to meet with teachers
individually or communicate by
email
Was difficult to do the program
presentations at large
conferences due to timing of the
conferences
Did not create a teacher
information packet; instead met
with teachers individually
Successes/Strengths:
Had a great teacher response
Worked with teachers to develop
programs that tied into learning
and concepts they were already
working on with their students
Found that using a park near the
school worked well instead of a
field trip to a stream
Utilized a fieldwork approach so
that it promoted teamwork,
interdisciplinary thinking, and
developed new areas of interest
for students
Number of People Affected:
Approximately 1,205 students, 39
teachers, and 40 parent volunteers
Tips From the Grantee:
The diverse project content and
basic principles could be shared
with other organizations or
schools.
DO:
Be flexible in the program
approach - realize each teacher
and school has its own unique
set of circumstances that will
affect project implementation.
Work with the teacher to
develop a program that is
interesting and help meet
curriculum goals.
Try to utilize local outdoor space
for fieldwork.
Try to involve parent volunteers
to give teachers extra support.
Match activities up with state
benchmarks so that teachers can
see how programming will help
them meet those state standards.
DON'T:
Develop a program that is a "one
size fits air approach.
Underestimate the importance of
local parks and natural areas for
teaching, no matter what their
size.
Fifth Grade Water
Quality Monitoring and
Results Presentation
Grant Number:
NE-97058701
Sponsor:
Parkdale Elementary School
Project Coordinator:
Kim Bauer
Parkdale Elementary School
P.O. Box 69
Parkdale, OR 97041
(541) 352-6255
77
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Tilth Grade Water
Quality Monitoring and
Results Presentation
EPA Funding:
$3,800
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$2,439
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Fifth Grade Students
Purpose:
To teach students to conduct
comprehensive water quality
monitoring on a stream near the
school, analyze the data, and present
the results as part of a larger river
basin study being done by the State
of Oregon
Goals:
Expose students to the aquatic-
environment in their community
and the role monitoring has in
determining water quality and
stream health
Generate student interest in
water quality and the
environment as a career
opportunity
Methods:
Teach students to do "hands-on"
water quality monitoring and
analyze the data
Teach students to prepare
presentations for the community
and their peers
Products/Results:
Conducted comprehensive water
quality monitoring in fall and
spring
Charted and analyzed the data
Held a Water Assembly for all
school grades
Conducted a student field trip to
the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Hosted an evening for the
parents and community to view
the students' work
Summarized the project with a
PowerPoint presentation and
demonstrated the use of water
monitoring equipment
Challenges:
Dictated adjustments in
monitoring because of the lack
of field experience
Eliminated one monitoring item
(caged fish exposure and
analysis), after consultation with
the state Department of
Environmental Quality
Successes/Strengths:
Hired a professional presenter
for little cost so that students
were able to monitor more water
bodies
Received specific water quality
instruction and completed hands-
on activities at the Oregon Coast
Aquarium
Shared PowerPoint presentation
with other educators so they can
understand the project from the
students' perspective and see
what students can achieve from
implementing a similar project
7X
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
fifth Grade Water
Quality Monitoring and
Results Presentation
Number of People Affected:
35 fifth graders along with teachers,
parents, and community members
Increasing the Ability of
High School Science
Teachers to Collect
nigh Quality
Biomonitoring Data With
Their Students
Grant Number:
NE-97081301
Sponsor:
Portland State University
Project Coordinator:
Patrick Edwards
Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207
(503) 725-8303
EPA Funding:
$6,284
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$3,834
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
High School Science Teachers
Purpose:
To conduct and evaluate an aquatic
insect identification program for high
school science teachers
Goals:
Advance the ability of the
teachers to identify aquatic
insects collected through
biomonitoring studies with their
students
Determine the accuracy of
aquatic insect data collected in
an educational setting
Methods:
Hold a five-day aquatic insect
identification workshop in the
summer
Continue throughout the
academic year with data
collection support and
verification by a Portland State
University faculty member
Products/Results:
Held the summer workshop and
eight teachers participated
Increased teachers' insect
identification skills at the
workshop
Gave participants opportunities
to practice and refine data
collection procedures
Provided data collection
equipment and identification
books specifically designed for
the education setting
79
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Increasing the Ability of
nigh School Science
Teachers to Collect
High Quality
Biomonitoring Data With
Their Students
Collaborated through the school
year with an experienced aquatic
insect researcher and educator
Provided opportunities to verify
and ensure data
Successes/Strengths:
Focused specifically on accurate
biomonitoring techniques that
are both sensitive to wildlife and
appropriate for the educational
setting
Collaborated on designing
sampling and identification
techniques that reflect the reality
of the educational setting
Had ongoing dialogue and
feedback about the proposed
protocols
Improved their ability to identify
insects, which is a difficult
aspect of biomonitoring
Laid the foundation for
collaboration between teachers
and researchers
Number of People Affected:
8 teachers participated
100 flyers were distributed
Keepers of the Creek
Grant Number:
NE-97059501
Sponsor:
Corvallis School District
Project Coordinator:
Kristin Erickson
Corvallis School District
1555 SW 35lh Street
Corvallis, OR 97330
(541) 757-5951
EPA Funding:
$13,784
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$5,520
Focus:
Water Quality/Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Students, Teachers, and Community
Purpose:
To restore a section of Dixon Creek
with student and community
education components
Goals:
Teach students and adult
volunteers the necessary steps
and methods involved in
restoring a stream
Encourage community members
to participate, learn, and apply
new skills to other areas along
Dixon and other creeks
so
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flfAflfnil 1999-2004
vrl V*5"l Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Keepers of the Creek Methods:
Complete stream restoration
work eonducted by teachers,
elementary and high school
students, volunteers, and
community partners
Teach high school students to
monitor water quality and
mentor elementary students
doing the research
Teach elementary students to
work with volunteers to
inventory, plan, and complete
work on the site
Hold community forums to
inform landowners about project
progress, volunteer
opportunities, and practical
applications for their own
portions of the creek
Create multi-media presentation
to share the learning with other
educators, students, and
organizations
Products/Results:
Developed, implemented, and
maintained a stream restoration
project with the school and
community members
Completed one or more units
related to the Keepers of the
Creek project per classroom
Purchased materials, curriculum,
and supplies to support the
curriculum
Created a Wildlife Stewards
library and supply area to make
materials easily accessible to
teachers
Had the fifth grade students
create a PowerPoint slideshow
Improved high school students
mentoring skills by testing water
with a third grade class
Assisted elementary students in
learning more about topics
related to the creek
Challenges:
Used small local businesses
because of difficulty in locating
a minority-owned business to
purchase necessary materials,
supplies, and equipment
Learned how to keep up with a
fast-moving project
Faced difficulties with getting
additional creek side property
owners involved
Tried to ensure future
maintenance of the site
Successes/Strengths:
Helped leverage money from
other sources to start restoration
process
Increased community interest
and involvement
Had enthusiasm of students
working on the project
Made the learning more
interesting and meaningful for
the students by having mentors
Included actual fieldwork in the
project to teach about riparian
areas and stream restoration
Had parent coordinator and
many groups involved in the
project
Maintained oversight of the site
during the summer through
volunteers
81
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Oregon
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Keepers of the Creek
Scheduled work parties
throughout the following years
to continue maintenance
Number of People Affected:
More than 1,000 including students,
teachers, and community members
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
* Spread this type ol' project over
three years - first year for
research, second year lor
planning and beginning
restoration work, and the third
year dedicated to the rest of the
restoration work with a plan in
place for continued maintenance
and modifications as needed.
Lane County Culvert
Survey and
Environmental
Education Project
Grant Number:
NE-98095501
Sponsor:
Northwest Youth Corp
Project Coordinator:
Natalie Whitson
Northwest Youth Corp
2621 Augusta Street
Eugene, OR 97403
(541) 349-5055
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$33,122
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Northwest Youth Corp Staff, Lane
County Middle and High School
Students, and Lane County Citizen
and Agency Shareholders
Purpose:
To design a class for at-risk youth
from the Northwest Youth Corp's
Out Door School and Youth Works
Goals:
Gain academic credit
Learn more about the connection
between the physical
environment, biology, and
watersheds
Prepare the youth to be stewards
of the environment
Collect needed information for
the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife
Methods:
Complete fish pussability and
culvert studies in Lane County.
Oregon
Train in proper protocols to
carry out surveys and interpret
data
Design outreach materials to he
placed in the lobby of the
Oregon State Capitol Building
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Oregon
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Lane County Culvert
Survey and
Environmental
Education Project
Products/Results:
Learned more about the
environment
Gained the skills needed to
increase public awareness of
environmental issues by
providing the public (including
local government) with the
knowledge to make informed
decisions and take responsible
action
Successes/Strengths:
Collected data and interpreted it
as part of the youths' education,
job training, and community
service and career development
activities
Enhanced low-income and at-
risk youth work skills through
the completion of intensive field
studies
Developed skills in citizenship
and stewardship of the
environment through public
service
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 88 students
Indirectly - staff members from the
City and Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife who received
information on the condition of the
culverts, and the Northwest Youth
Corp staff
Lower Columbia Region
Elementary School
Teachers' Workshops
Grant Number:
NE-97059901
Sponsor:
Lower Columbia River Estuary
Project Coordinator:
Susan Elshire
Lower Columbia River Estuary
811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 120
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 226-1565
EPA Funding:
$9,537
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$10,672
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Pre-Service Teachers and Elementary
School Teachers
Purpose:
To hold a series of elementary school
teacher workshops throughout the
Lower Columbia River Region
Goals:
Increase teacher confidence and
ability to engage students in
environmental activities both in
the classroom and in the field
Demonstrate how environmental
education can help teachers
reach state benchmarks
83
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1999*2004
Ul C5UII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Lower Columbia Region
Elementary School
Teachers' Workshops
Teach educators how to utilize
their local resources and
integrate these resources into
their curriculum
Provide teachers with knowledge
and skills to conduct field
studies on school grounds and in
nearby streams and wetlands
Teach how to develop
interdisciplinary units
Help teachers create new
curricula following the loss of
Outdoor School programs in
Oregon
Methods:
Hold eight workshops
Focus on local habitats and
plants, animals, and geology that
make up the ecosystems
Engage teachers in hand-on
activities they can complete with
their students
Present concepts using the
science inquiry approach
Products/Results:
Held six elementary school
teacher workshops
Created a notebook containing
curriculum for the workshop
participants
Challenges:
Recruited fewer teachers so held
two fewer workshops than
planned
Combined two workshops and
held them on a Saturday instead
of the whole weekend
Held summer workshop for two
days instead of three
Successes/Strengths:
Teachers
Focused on things to think about
when working with students
outside
Left the training feeling more
comfortable when taking their
students out to do field work
Created ideas for exploration-
based lessons with relatively
little set up and few pieces of
equipment
Had materials to take back to the
their classrooms and were
empowered to use these
activities with their students
Focused on using local natural
resources, which cut down on
transportation costs
Can disseminate notebook to
other environmental educators
Number of People Affected:
53 teachers and non-formal
educators
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Be flexible in the content of the
workshop to meet as many
teachers' needs as possible.
Choose a field site and activities
that can be replicated.
Encourage teachers that even
simple activities are very
effective when taught outside.
Encourage teachers that
workshop activities will help
them meet state standards and
highlight what those standards
are.
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Lower Columbia Region
Elementary School
Teachers' Workshops
Hold workshops at the end of the
school year.
DON'T:
Spend more time completing
activities rather than lecturing to
participants.
Avoid activities that are difficult
to replicate or involve materials
that are time-consuming to
create.
Avoid having workshops on the
weekend during the school year.
Macroinvertebrate
Sampling with Local
Middle Schools
Grant Number:
NE-97017301
Sponsor:
MidCoast Watersheds Council
Project Coordinator:
Amy Bohnenstiehl
MidCoast Watersheds Council
157 NW 15lh Street Unit 1
Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-5438
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$7,000
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers, Students, and Adult
Volunteers in the Newport Area
Purpose:
To increase awareness of stream
health in the local community
and the importance of a healthy
habitat for the threatened and
endangered native salmon
populations
Goals:
Educate fifth and eighth grade
teachers and their classes about
watershed processes, the
importance of water quality, and
macroinvertebrate populations
Give students from varying
economic/demographic
backgrounds the opportunity to
use scientific data collection
techniques to identify watershed
and water quality conditions
Methods:
Introduce students to the process
of collecting baseline stream
insect data and assigning a
stream health index
Create long-term monitoring
plans for local streams
Products/Results:
Conducted two classroom
presentations per class prior to
field trips
85
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1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Oregon
Macroinvertebrate
Sampling with Local
Middle Schools
May Street Elementary
Wild Bird Habitat and
Outdoor Classroom
Conducted field trips at stream
sites within the school's
watershed both in the fall and the
spring
Gave two class presentations to
the Watershed Council
Challenges:
Was difficult to plan all-day
projects and field trips because
of class schedules
Could not have after-school and
evening meetings with teachers
because of contract negotiations
that the teachers were involved
in during the fall months
Had difficulty scheduling events
because teachers' spare time was
filled with committee meetings
Grant Number:
NE-97028701
Sponsor:
Hood River County School District
Project Coordinator:
Shelley Hight
Hood River County School District
May Street Elementary School
P.O. Box 920
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 386-1015
Successes/Strengths:
Covered one specific group of
indicator species to assess the
health of the streams instead of
trying to cover everything about
watersheds
Gained student interest and
excitement in the local-scale
project
Found fifth grade to be an ideal
grade level for the project
because teachers' schedule were
open for in-class presentations
and all-day field trips
Number of People Affected:
225 students, 8 teachers, 48 parents/
adult volunteers
More than 40 other adults were
audience members at council
meetings to see the student-led
presentations
Article in the Newport News Times
that is distributed to more than six
small cities within the county
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$5,660
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
4th and 5th Grade Students
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
May Street Elementary
Wild Bird Habitat and
Outdoor Classroom
Purpose:
To create a wild bird habitat and
outdoor classroom at May Street
Elementary School
Goals:
Improve understanding of
watershed health with a focus on
native bird species
Improve the opportunity for
science inquiry
Improve connections that
students make in their local
watersheds and contribute to
restoration of urban habitat for
native bird species
Become a model for other
schools in the district
Methods:
Create a schoolyard habitat
model through hands-on
implementation, classroom
lessons, and field studies with
biologists and environmental
specialists
Use various media teams to track
the development of the habitat
by the student technology team
Reach a broader audience at
school events with the use of
technology projects
Products/Results:
Had fifth grade students
participate in a fall After-School
Science Series
Held spring After-School
Science mini-series that included
students from kindergarten
through fourth grade
Studied and planted native trees,
shrubs, and plants
Created bioswales to capture and
control the flow of the building's
rainwater runoff to lessen the
amount of sediment and
chemicals flowing into the
Columbia River
Built and hung birdhouses and
bird feeders
Tracked the development of the
habitat through still and video
images captured by the student
technology team
Created a PowerPoint
presentation of those images
Worked with an artist-in-
residence to create an animated
file about the creation of the bird
habitat
Challenges:
Had difficulty scheduling
activities during school time for
some teachers
Created scheduling problem
because Cornell University Lab
of Ornithology Classroom
Feeder Watch curriculum was
not utilized since school started
late
Successes/Strengths:
Has become a model for other
schools in the district
Created strong partnerships with
public and private entities
Saw great collaboration between
experts and programs
87
-------
Oregon
1999-2004
environmental Education Grant Summaries
May Street Elementary
Wild Bird llabitat and
Outdoor Classroom
Created bioswales: * landscaped
depressions throughout the
habitat captured and controlled
the tlow of the building's
rainwater runoff and storm water
Implemented project mainly
during after-school hours
Will use PowerPoint
presentation and animated file to
encourage other schools to create
bird habitats
Number of People Affected:
420 elementary students, 25 high
school students, 50 volunteers, 15
staff members, and 5 professionals
from various fields of study
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Purchase and follow the National
Wildlife Federation Schoolyard
Habitats Site Planning Guide to
create a bird habitat.
Form partnerships with
professionals from the public
and private sector to insure a
high standard for every aspect of
the project.
DON'T:
Try to reinvent the wheel - the
project has likely been done, and
there are people who can provide
invaluable knowledge.
McCoy Meadows Ranch
Spring 2000 Held Trips
Grant Number:
NE-98046501
Sponsor:
Think Link Discovery Museum
Project Coordinator:
Lani Schroeder
Think Line Discovery Museum
906 Washington Street
LaGrande, OR 97850
(541)963-5452
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$3,500
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
4th-6th Grade Students from Three
School Districts in Union County,
Oregon
Purpose:
To provide an opportunity to
learn about resource
management on privately held
property
Goals:
Educate students, teachers, and
parents about the community
issue of land-use management
and its effects on water quality,
wildlife habitat and sustainability
Enhance students' studies of
ecosystems and resource
management
88
-------
ArAflfAll 1999-2004
VI C^UI ¦ Environmental Education Grant Summaries
McCoy Meadows Ranch
Spring 2000 field Trips
Methods:
Conduct five one-day field trips,
each with a one-hour classroom
preparatory session
Hold field trips on private
properties
Involve property owners and
several federal, state, and tribal
agencies
Products/Results
Gave approximately 240
students hands-on outdoor
environmental education
centered on resource
management in an upland habitat
Promoted outdoor education
through an article in the local
newspaper and by word of
mouth
Challenges
Needed more students to be
involved in the pre-field trip
activities so they would have
been better prepared for the field
trips
Needed better management of
the students
Were overly burdened with
bulky lunch boxes and
cumbersome bags, tiring the
students out during the half-mile
walks
Successes/Strengths:
Increased students'
understanding of resource
management of forests, grazing
areas, and historical sites after
participating
Number of People Affected:
Approximately 240 students, 10
teachers, 5 student teachers, and 17
parents
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Pre-field trip classroom visits are
a great way to get to know your
audience before the big day.
Prepare a notebook for students
to use during the field trip.
Have a dry run with the staff
and, if possible, with the
teachers.
Use an air horn to alert to field
station changes. The sound of
bells or whistles does not carry
far enough.
Have the students wear name
tags. This gives you an
additional element of control
over potentially rambunctious
youngsters.
Have the students bring some
form of clipboard with their
pencil attached with a long piece
of string.
Lunch early rather than late.
Alternate each day of field trips
with a day of rest. It is quite
exhausting to do this type of
thing day after day.
DON'T:
Assume kids know what to
bring. Even with a check-list,
they tend to over pack. Show
them by example.
Assume teachers and parents
will provide the necessary
discipline for their students. Be
prepared to take on the unruly
yourself.
89
-------
Oregon
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
McCoy Meadows Ranch
Spring 2000 Field Trips
Give the students too much
lunch time.
1 Be discouraged if one day goes
badly. Each classroom has its
own culture and some are less
gracious than others.
Oregon NatureMapping
90
Grant Number:
NE-97006901
Sponsor:
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve
Project Coordinator:
Patrick Willis
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve
2600 SW Hillsboro Highway
Hillsboro, OR 97123
(503) 681 -6206
EPA Funding:
$18,500
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$40,196
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers and Middle School
Students
Purpose:
To design an educational program to
engage citizen scientists in
monitoring terrestrial wildlife and
share their observations with others
through a web-based database that
can be used to track biodiversity in
Oregon
Goals:
Teachers learn how to:
Read and interpret topographic
maps and use GPS technology
for establishing latitude and
longitude
Identify birds by ear, since most
animal observations are audio
aural
Read and interpret wildlife
tracks and sign
Use the NatureMapping
datasheets and protocols for
collecting data
Use NatureMapping to help
student meet Science
Benchmarks
Set up NatureMapping "hubs"
Methods:
Provide teacher workshops and
programs for specific classrooms
Products/Results:
Conducted three trainings
Developed a field guide
Added new accompanying
activities
Developed instructional
materials
Challenges:
Had workshops that were not as
well attended as expected
Cancelled several scheduled
NatureMapping workshops
-------
Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Oregon NatureMapping
Had to hire another company,
since the one contracted to create
the Web site defaulted
Successes/Strengths:
Provided teachers, students, and
others interested with online
support through the development
of the Web site
Number of People Affected:
About 130 adults (107 of them
teachers), 120 middle school
students, 40 college students, and
120 through the cyber tracking
project
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Plan for long-term mentoring for
teachers and their students in the
training of skills and technology
needed for competence in data
collection.
Offer to serve directly in the
classroom.
Use college students'
requirement for community
service learning as an
opportunity to expand program
staff.
Find community partners.
Polk County
Environmental
Experience
Grant Number:
NE-97077001
Sponsor:
Polk Soil and Water Conservation
District
Project Coordinator:
Heather Alvarez
Polk Soil and Water Conservation
District
580 Main Street, Suite A
Dallas, OR 97338
(503) 623-9680, ext. 101
EPA Funding:
$4,110
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$10,905
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
1 st-8th Grade Students in Polk County
Purpose:
To offer a one-day outdoor
classroom experience to students in
Polk County
Goals:
Give students an opportunity to
learn about the environment
through an educational
experience that would not
otherwise be available
Methods:
Provide a combination of
classroom work and one-day
field trips
91
-------
Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Polk County
Environmental
Experience
Provide teachers with curriculum
in natural resource areas of study
Teach students the basics of
water quality, aquatic insects,
watershed health, and soils
through hands-on experience
Gather data about the site
condition and develop reports on
condition of the area
Will be used by the District to
include with their data collection
Products/Results:
Taught five, one-day, outdoor
classes to students from K-8"1
grade in Polk County
Hosted two Outdoor School
camps for 6th graders from three
different schools
Successes/Strengths:
Have the ability now to continue
this project into future years
Able to let the students "get their
hands wet" with different
activities at the different stations
- some students had never had
the chance to experience the
outdoors
Created an Outdoor School
because of the success of the
one-day classes
Number of People Affected:
523 students, 35 professional
presenters, 15 teachers, 27 parent
volunteers, and 6 Polk Soil and
Water Conservation District staff and
7 Board Directors
Project Wetland
Education Support and
Training (WEST)
Grant Number:
NE-97078101
Sponsor:
Willamette Resources and
Educational Network
Project Coordinator:
Holly McRae
Willamette Resources and
Educational Network (WREN)
751 South Danebo
Eugene, OR 97402
(541)683-6494
EPA Funding:
$24,922
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$8,915
Focus:
Wetlands
Target Audience:
3rd-8'h Grade Formal and Informal
Educators
Purpose:
To incorporate wetlands curricula
into existing in-class curricula and
opportunities for hands-on
application of classroom lessons
-------
flVPCfAVI 1999-2004
VI v/^vl I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Project Wetland
Education Support and
Training (WEST)
Goals:
Improve educators'
environmental teaching skills
through a series of workshops,
tools, printed and online
materials, and support services
Integrate Oregon state standards
and benchmarks with the
curricula
Provide a collaborative model
for other environmental
education programs
Methods:
Receive training via workshops,
WREN-developed training tools,
printed and online materials,
class visits, field trips, and post-
trip follow up
Products/Results:
Conducted two teacher trainings
partnering with Eugene Water
and Electric Board; 57 teachers
attended
Held a weeklong Summer
Educator Workshop for 10
educators
Focused the education programs
in both formal and classroom
settings using the West Eugene
Wetlands as a living laboratory
and classroom - 89 field trips
and classroom presentations
Held three volunteer
orientations; 15 people attended
the sessions
Performed an educator needs
assessment
Developed the on-line version of
the "Educator's Guide to the
West Eugene Wetlands"
Challenges:
Had fewer teachers attend the
summer workshop than
anticipated, but the smaller
number worked out well
Experienced a delay in some
anticipated funding
Becoming apparent that some
teachers prefer to have WREN
staff and volunteers lead all field
trips
Could not afford buses for some
classrooms to visit the wetlands
Finding volunteers that are
available during the needed
times - will work with
University of Oregon to create
internships for students
Successes/Strengths:
Built on a number of best
practices and added new ones -
curricula can easily be modified
to address different habitat areas
and different target audiences, is
interdisciplinary, links each
lesson with specific state
education benchmarks for that
discipline
Having explicit links between
lessons and benchmarks helps
educators to integrate activities
into their existing curricula, to
assess their students learning
needs, and to justify the benefits
of hands-on activities and field
trips to school administrators
93
-------
Oregon
1B99-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Project Wetland
Education Support and
Training (WEST)
Number of People Affected:
2,237 students, 249 teachers/
chaperones, 67 teachers, 19
volunteers
11,824 website visits
Tips From the Grantee:
Engage the best presenters and
make their roles clear.
Teachers appreciate experts,
especial!}' if they have a passion
for their work.
Expectations should be clearly
stated and received with some
flexibility. Teachers can be
creative, if given the chance.
You can never have "to many
handouts." Teachers like
resources.
Many teachers reported that the
wetland program fit into some
activity they were already
running.
Send follow-up emails to
teachers asking them, a coupie of
weeks later, about any lasting
impacts on their students or any
subsequent changes they made it\
their teaching.
Use the project to foster an
Online Teaching Community
where teachers share materials,
collaborate, and set up cross-
classroom projects.
Hold special activities for
principals and other school
district administrators.
Flyers sent out to teachers at the
beginning of each school year
were successful. Also sent out
packets containing information
on field trip programs, outreach
programs, and registration forms
to each teacher.
Creating an outreach program to
supplement the field trip
program worked out well to
increase the number of students
and teachers reached.
Outreach programs are more
popular with teachers because
they take less time and are less
expensive than a field trip.
Riparian Restoration
and fish Passage
Improvement
Community Education
Program
Grant Number:
NE-97061801
Sponsor:
Umpqua Basin Watershed Council
Project Coordinator:
Nancy Geyer
Umpqua Basin Watershed Council
1758 NE Airport Road
Roseburg, OR 97470
(541) 673-5756
EPA Funding:
$20,850
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$9,400
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
94
-------
Oregon
Riparian Restoration
and rish Passage
Improvement
Community Education
Program
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Target Audience:
Landowners with Streamside
Property in the South-Central,
Central, North-Central, and Coastal
Areas of the Umpqua Basin
Purpose:
To improve stream habitat conditions
- specifically riparian and fish
passage - for the threatened Coho
salmon and other fish and aquatic life
Goals:
Improve stream conditions and
increase Coho salmon runs
Educate landowners about the
problems associated with poor
riparian conditions and stream
barriers
Recruit landowner participation
in on-the-ground restoration
activities
Methods:
Mail educational action sheets to
5,000 landowners in target areas
Conduct five field trips to project
sites with target landowners and
community groups
Develop and demonstrate an
interactive display at six fairs/
events in the Umpqua Basin
Write at least 20 educational
articles for newspapers and
community newsletters
Products/Results:
Participated in seven shows and
fairs with displays
Conducted six field tours
Gave presentations to 29 school
and community groups
Produced a newsletter, with
updates on the fish passage
program and the riparian
restoration and outreach that was
sent to 4,700 Douglas County
residents
Produced articles in five
different newsletters and 10
newspaper articles
Had 10 schools and five
community groups visit the park
to assist in restoration activities
or to see both the practices and
problems facing the park
Challenges:
Did not do as many
presentations as planned but did
more newsletter articles, field
tours, and displays at fairs than
anticipated
Required special planning for
substitute teachers and
transportation, because of
teacher schedules and lack of
funds
Successes/Strengths:
Used an existing park that was a
great natural resource learning
center
Received additional funding for
culvert replacements, restoration
of acres of oak woodland and
riparian restoration, stream bank
stabilization, and continuation of
the natural resource education at
the park
95
-------
Oregon
1990-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Riparian Restoration
and Fish Passage
improvement
Community Education
Program
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 1,700 people saw the
displays, community and education
presentations, and field tours
Indirectly - 40,000 with action
sheets, newsletters, and newspaper
articles
Tips From the Grantee:
Prepare multiple presentations
options - on-site streams,
demonstration stream, in-class
lecture and materials,
PowerPoint presentations.
Have materials for teachers so
they can pre-teach your topic.
Oregon State University
Extension has many publications
and videos applicable.
Check with the counties'
Education Service District for a
list of available videos and
publications.
Have some literature on fish
passage and riparian restoration
material for online or email
distribution to instructors.
For in-class presentations, have
varied materials - such as a short
video, a handout or article, a
PowerPoint presentation. In
general, try to transition every 10
to 15 minutes. Having a model
of a culvert, a salmon kiosk, or a
display board with foam core
photos will spark interest and set
the stage for a successful guest
speaker.
Try to have your own laptop
computer and viewer if possible.
Try to be flexible, especially if
you are planning an outdoor
field trip. If your audience is
cold and wet, they will not be
receptive to your message
regardless of your hours of
preparation.
Try to arrange community
presentations for a regularly
scheduled noon or evening
monthly meeting. Attendance
will be better if the group can
announce your presentation in a
newsletter one or two weeks
before your visit.
Be persistent with classroom
contacts. Contact the teacher
during his/her preparation period
or try e mailing them so they can
respond at their convenience.
Confirm your visits with the
teacher/community group the
day before or the morning of
your scheduled presentation.
Don't worry if a particular
school or teacher is not
interested in your project. A
number of education programs
are receptive to having a guest
speaker or arranging a field trip.
Private landowners may be
encouraged to participate with
on-the-ground projects by first
contacting them at county fairs
or livestock conventions with
display booths and information,
and then with a follow-up site
visit to explain programs.
96
-------
Oregon
1990 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Science Inquiry Through
Environmental Health
Science Education
Grant Number:
NE-98080301
Sponsor:
Oregon State University
Project Coordinator:
Kendra Mingo
Environmental Health Sciences
Center
Oregon State University
101 ALS Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-7302
(541) 737-4374
EPA Funding:
$4,951
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$3,869
Focus:
Environmental Science
Target Audience:
Elementary Classroom Teachers in
the Lincoln County School District
with Focus on Fifth Grade
Purpose:
To train elementary classroom
teachers in a environmental health
science curriculum and teach them
how to use the curriculum to meet
the Oregon State Scientific Inquiry
Benchmark for Fifth grade students
Goals:
Improve teachers' environmental
education teaching skills through
a successful curriculum
Incorporate environmental health
science education into their
curriculum to meet the state's
science inquiry standards
Methods:
Use an existing curriculum,
ToxRap (Toxicology, Risk
Assessment and Pollution) to
teach the process of scientific
inquiry using an environmental
health science risk assessment
framework
Provide three follow-up trainings
Products/Results:
Trained 17 elementary school
teachers to incorporate
environmental health science
education and risk assessment
into their classroom curriculum
and meet Oregon's science
inquiry standards
Provided follow-up training to
address teachers' questions and
concerns using the curriculum in
the classroom
Trained the teachers to use the
Oregon Science Inquiry Scoring
Guide to grade student work
samples
Shared the hands-on student
activities in the ToxRap
curriculum with 450 fourth and
fifth grade students
Were able to apply the Oregon
State Scientific Inquiry Scoring
Guide to student work samples
generated from the ToxRap
curriculum
97
-------
1999 -20O4
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Oregon
Science Inquiry Through
Environmental Health
Science Education
Challenges:
Resulted in changes in the
dissemination of the curriculum
because of changes in personnel
Had teachers experience
problems using the
carboxyhemoglobin lesson with
fourth grade students
Successes/Strengths:
Developed partnerships between
EPA and other scientific and
educational organizations
Used a set of innovative, K-9
curriculum that utilize concepts
from toxicology and
environmental health risk
assessment to teach applied
science
Learned how to apply the risk
assessment/risk management
process of EPA to environmental
health issues and their own lives
Raised teacher awareness to
issues surrounding children's
environmental health
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 17 Lincoln county
teachers and their 405 students, and
several environmental scientists
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Have carbon monoxide detectors
and classroom materials
available for teachers
participating in workshops so
that teachers can return to their
classrooms and begin
implementing the curriculum
with little preparation.
Provide indoor air quality kits
from EPA to allow for real life
application of the skills modeled
in the curriculum.
Encourage scientists to interact
with teachers in workshops and
to visit classrooms.
Sustainable Business
Practice Project
Grant Number:
NE-98049001
Sponsor:
Portland State University
Project Coordinator:
Alex Welsch
Portland State University (PSU)
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
(503) 363-0275
EPA Funding:
$8,978
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$11,443
Focus:
Sustainable Business
Target Audience:
University Students and Community
Business Practitioners
98
-------
Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Sustainable Business
Practice Project
Purpose:
To conduct a 10-week three credit
course on product cycles, design
assessment, production processes,
sustainable human resource and
investment practices, environmental
accounting and corporate social
responsibility
Goals:
Conduct a class at Portland State
University and the community
around cooperative education
and sustainability projects
Products/Results:
Enrolled 17 students in the class
from a variety of backgrounds
Provided a forum for community
groups and students to advocate
the sustainable development
programs at PSU
Challenges:
Did not hold planned forum
because the information did not
get out to the community
Did not receive commitment
from partners
Successes/Strengths:
Participated extensively in the
creation of the newly formed
Sustainable Practices Advisory
Committee (SPAC)
Advised university staff and the
university vice president on both
eco-efficiency and curriculum
development projects
Hosted an eight-week
Sustainability and
Environmental Governance
Seminar Series that was open to
the public
Led directly to dialogue on
sustainable food systems at PSU
Formed a student group called
"Food for Thought" which is
advocating for the application of
sustainable principles to PSU's
food systems
Number of People Affected:
17 students enrolled in the class
Methods:
Conduct a class
Engage faculty and staff in
dialogue about sustainable
development and best business
practices
The River Starts Here
Grant Number:
NE-97007501
Sponsor:
Clean Water Services (Unified
Sewerage Agency of Washington
County)
Project Coordinator:
Sheri Wantland
Clean Water Services (Unified
Sewerage Agency)
155 N First Avenue, Suite 270
Hillsboro, OR 97124
(503) 846-3619
99
-------
Oregon
1999-20O4
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
The River Starts llere
100
EPA Funding:
$4,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$2,600
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Spanish-Speaking Families in
Hillsboro and Cornelius Area
Purpose:
To provide bilingual environmental
education in the Tualatin River
watershed-adapt popular and
successful watershed education
programs and make them available to
Spanish-speaking families
Goals:
Increase capacity of many
agencies and schools in the area
to deliver coordinated
environmental education
Provide instructional materials
for Spanish-speaking
communities
Methods:
Translate existing English-
language educational materials
into Spanish and distribute them
along with existing Spanish
versions of environmental
education materials
Summarize translated Spanish
materials for simplification,
rather than verbatim translation
Develop and distribute
promotional materials
Products/Results:
Adapted popular and successful
watershed education programs
for Spanish-speaking families
Participated in the Water Festival
- a half-day, hands-on event for
children and adults to learn
about their place in the
watershed, water conservation,
and pollution prevention
Targeted Latino community
through family workshops,
media presentations, festivals
and other nontraditional outreach
efforts
Held Naturescaping
presentations in Spanish at three
local libraries-25 people
attended
Focused two radio shows on
watershed education
Conducted the Spanish version
of storm-drain stenciling with
two elementary schools - 100
volunteers
Challenges:
Replaced some proposed
activities (tours of several sites
and a canoe trip) with
participation in a water festival,
storm-drain stenciling, and
naturescaping
Successes/Strengths:
Increased the number of
individuals who are informed
about environmental issues so
that they can take responsible
action to protect themselves and
the environment
-------
Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
The River Starts Here
Increased the capacity of the
agencies and schools in the area
to deliver coordinated, bilingual
environmental education by
providing instructional material
that can be used in other
Spanish-speaking communities
Translated the PowerPoint
presentation on naturescaping
into Spanish and translated and
printed the "Protecting Your
Watershed" brochure for
distribution
Number of People Affected:
30 Hispanic families, 100 volunteers,
25 people who attended the
Naturescaping event at the library
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Increase naturescaping and water
quality practices among Spanish-
speaking citizens.
Keep the media supplied with
news stories using both fact
sheets and success stories.
Provide the Hispanic community
with easy-to-access and updated
information, important contacts
and news about promising
initiatives, in both English and
Spanish.
Thurston High School
Water Quality
Monitoring Program
Grant Number:
NE-97067010
Sponsor:
Thurston High School Science
Department
Project Coordinator:
Robert Green
Thurston High School Science
Department
333 North 58lh Street
Springfield, OR 97478
(541) 744-5000
EPA Funding:
$10,000
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$18,382
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
High School Students
Purpose:
To develop a new water science
curriculum to ensure that the students
have an understanding of the issues
and tools to make informed decisions
to protect the community's water
resources
Goals:
Develop a comprehensive water
science program that integrates
classroom instruction and water
testing labs in the biology and
chemistry courses with a variety
of community-based research
projects
101
-------
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Thurston High School
Water Quality
Monitoring Program
Develop four in-depth field
experiences for the students
Methods:
Conduct in-service training in
the utilization of water quality
testing equipment
Reach students through water-
related curricula materials that
the school developed including
community-based water-related
topics, lab activities, specialized
training on advance water testing
equipment, and field experiences
Present results of the students'
water quality and
macroinvertebrate studies of
Cedar River to McKenzie
Watershed Council, Eugene
Water and Electric Board, and
the City of Springfield officials
Products/Results:
Reached students through water-
related curricula materials that
were developed including
community-based water-related
topics, lab activities, specialized
training on advanced water
testing equipment and field
experiences
Successes/Strengths:
Gave presentations at the
National Science Teachers
Association Regional
Conference and the Groundwater
Guardians National Conference
Received compliments on the
workshops
Created a community-based
water testing lab
Number of People Affected:
More than 600 students in Thurston
and Springfield High School and
community members who used the
student-operated community water-
testing lab
Tualatin Watershed Non-
Point Source Pollution
Education and Outreach
Grant Number:
NE-97030301
Sponsor:
Washington County Soil and Water
Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Pam Herinckx
Washington County Soil and Water
Conservation District
1080 SW Baseline, Bldg B, Ste B-2
Hillsboro, OR 97123-3823
(503) 648-3174 ext. 102
EPA Funding:
$4,950
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$10,040
102
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Oregon
1990 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Tualatin Watershed Non-
Point Source Pollution
Education and Outreach
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
General Public, Teachers, and
Kindergarten through Sixth Grade
Students
Purpose:
To provide education about
watershed issues and the interrelated
nature of industrial, agricultural,
urban, forestry, and residential
contributions
Goals:
Educate students and community
groups about non-point source
pollution
Help participants understand
which watershed they live in and
why watersheds are important
Help participants understand
critical water quality issues in
the Tualatin and ways of keeping
the school, home, and
community clean
Methods:
Provide 70 presentations of an
interactive watershed display to
elementary school classrooms,
libraries, landowners, and
community groups
Provide teacher watershed
workshops
Pilot a parent volunteer program
in the Hillsboro area
Products/Results:
Conducted 35 classroom and
eight community event
presentations
Learned what a watershed is,
how they could affect it, and
how they could protect it
Recruited and trained two
volunteers as well as staff from
Jackson Bottom Wetlands
Preserve, Raindrops to Refuge,
Tualatin Riverkeepers, and
Tualatin Wildlife Refuge to help
with presentations
Gave information and handouts
to teachers to send home with
the students, since the school
year ended early
Challenges:
Cancelled six presentations
because the school year ended
earlier than planned due to lack
of funding for schools
Difficult to recruit parent
volunteers as parents were
focused on trying to find funding
for schools
Successes/Strengths:
Demonstrated visually how
agriculture, industry, forestry,
and urban practices affect water
quality with the use of the
watershed display
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 3,390
Indirectly - 3,000
103
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Oregon
1999 -2O04
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Turnaround School
Whitaker Pond Wetlands
Project
Grant Number:
NE-98048101
Sponsor:
Multnomah School District
Project Coordinator:
Rhonda Kjargaard
Turnaround School
5135 NE Columbia Boulevard
Portland, OR 97218
(503) 248-3577
EPA Funding:
$19,639
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$16,120
Focus:
Wetlands
Target Audience:
Culturally Diverse 6,h-12th Graders
Who Have Been Expelled or Are
Close to Being
Expelled for Weapons, Violence, and
Substance Abuse Issues
Purpose:
To connect the at-risk students to
their community and environment as
they participate in cleanup,
restoration, and maintenance of the
Whitaker Ponds Wetlands Area
located behind their school
Goals:
Have students develop a
personal stake in their
environment
Help students to have a positive
experience in their community
Offer opportunities for the
students to demonstrate what
they have learned
Methods:
Provide training to teachers and
staff with the Conservation/
Environmental Project
Provide students with an
orientation to the ponds area by
the staff
Study ecological and habitat
principles
Remove debris from the area
Prepare and plant trees
Monitor the area
Products/Results:
Removed invasive Himalayan
Blackberries
Planted 300 trees
Removed several tons of solid
waste from the aquatic and
riparian habitat and monitored
oxygen, temperature, and PH
levels in the ponds
Protected cottonwoods from an
overabundant beaver population
Studied the environment
Challenges:
Moved the outdoor activity to
Thursdays because when held on
Fridays, students sometimes lost
focus by Monday morning when
they returned to the classroom
Delayed hiring the Conservation/
Environmental Project
Developer
104
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Turnaround School
Whitaker Pond Wetlands
Project
Successes/Strengths:
Students developed skills to:
Make decisions
Identify important community
issues
Identify solutions to problems
Participate collaboratively in the
team process
Practice the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship
In addition, they
Developed an environmental
consciousness
Had a positive impact on a
heavily polluted area
Acquired teamwork skills
Gave back to the community in a
meaningful way
Number of People Affected:
500 students and 77 adult volunteers
Water Quality
Monitoring and Stream
Enhancement
Partnership with a
Middle School
Grant Number:
NE-98016001
Sponsor:
Oregon Watersheds
Project Coordinator:
A1 White, President
Oregon Watersheds
P.O. Box 97305
Salem, OR 97305
(503) 363-0275
EPA Funding:
$1,828
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$6,455
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Leslie Middle School Teachers,
Students, and Community
Purpose:
To provide training for an education
enhancement watershed project with
urban middle school teachers and
students
Goals:
Provide learning experiences
that have practical application in
the real world
Use technology in promoting
learning
Encourage critical thinking,
problem solving, decision
making and team skills in project
based learning
Advance education reform goals
Methods:
Provide equipment, training and
field support
Conduct teacher training
Provide monitoring procedure
guidelines
Use student portfolios for
evaluation
Share student projects with
community
105
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Oregon
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Water Quality
Monitoring and Stream
Enhancement
Partnership with a
Middle School
P rod u cts/Res u Its:
Provided teachers with
equipment, supplies, and training
Taught students how to do nine
water quality monitoring
parameters
Did water quality monitoring "in
their own back yard"
Shared projects with the
community
Sent student data to STORET,
the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality volunteer
database
Successes/Strengths:
Strong interest by the
community in this project
Number of People Affected:
Leslie Middle School teachers,
students, and community members
Weaving a WEB (Whole
Systems in Balance)
Grant Number:
NE-98080401
Sponsor:
Eastern Oregon University
Project Coordinator:
Donna Rainboth
Eastern Oregon University
School of Education and Business
One University Blvd.
LaGrande, OR 97850
(541) 962-3720
EPA Funding:
$20,061
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$18,864
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Elementary and High School
Teachers
Purpose:
To correlate the WEB Curriculum to
Oregon and National Science
Standards and provide teacher
training
Goals:
Revise portions of the curriculum
to reflect current natural resource
issues and to encompass
additional environmental
concepts
Prepare a correlation guide that
aligns WEB to Oregon and
National Standards
Methods:
¦ Send correlation guide and revised
lessons to schools using WEB
curriculum
Hold two three-day teacher
workshops in the use of the
WEB curriculum
Products/Results:
Revised and updated lessons for
the WEB fourth grade book
106
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Weaving a WEB (Whole
Systems in Balance)
Field tested lessons with teachers
and students
Revised or replaced and tested
many fifth and sixth grade
lessons
Correlated all lessons to the
Oregon State Science Standards
Prepared a matrix correlating the
lessons to the standards
Held four teacher workshops for
64 participants
Presented the WEB curriculum
at the Oregon Science Teachers
Association Annual Conference
in October 2001
Challenges:
Received outside funding
because of lack of funding to
support workshop participants
Had early difficulties with
technology
Purchased additional software
because of compatibility issues
between the WEB coordinator
and the publisher's computers
Had to have the teachers try out
the lessons while at the training
to ensure feedback was received
Successes/Strengths:
Introduced educators to how
environmental education can be
used to meet the standards
Was well received by workshop
participants
Provided training by natural
resource professionals to the
high school students, and then
the students taught the field and
classroom lessons to younger
students
Participated in the WEB
program when in elementary
school, so program was familiar
to some of the high school
students
Had high school and elementary
teachers work together on a
project
Number of People Affected:
64 participants attended the training;
5 resource specialists participated by
teaching field lessons
Potential - 5,000 students reached
Wolftree's Outdoor
Ecology Program
Grant Number:
NE-97006601
Sponsor:
Wolftree Inc,
Project Coordinator:
Jay Hopp
Wolftree Inc.
516 SE Morrison Street, Suite 710
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 239-1820
107
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Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Wolftree's Outdoor EPA Funding:
Ecology Program py^lx)!
Match Funding:
$7,500
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
5lh-12,h Grade Students in Deschutes
and Jefferson Counties
Purpose:
To study the diverse ecosystem of
Central Oregon by providing a
watershed ecology program
Goals:
Enhance awareness and
appreciation of Pacific
Northwest forest and aquatic
ecosystems
Cultivate skills in science, math,
and problem-solving
Develop and maintain ecosystem
monitoring programs
Engage students in hands-on
field studies with professional
scientists
Methods:
Train volunteer scientist mentors
and new teachers
Work with teachers on
classroom preparation using the
Ecology Field Guide and video
Conduct field study days at an
outdoor classroom
Prepare follow-up activities
108
Products/Results:
Distributed 24 copies of the
enhanced Ecology Field Guide
to teachers
Provided training and in-class
programming for all
participating teachers
Conducted science inquiry-based
Watershed Ecology Field studies
for 402 students
Pilot tested a Winter Ecology
Curriculum with the Deschutes
National Forest
Challenges:
Need more applications using
math and added to the program
in the fall
Successes/Strengths:
Increased emphasis on inquiry-
driven, student-led investigations
Merged the aquatic and
terrestrial field projects into a
single Watershed Ecology
Program
Introduced ecosystems that are
undergoing restoration activities
to students, teachers, and
mentors
Combined enhancements to the
curriculum and new ecological
modules led to better volunteer
management
Added new safety protocols to
the field operations
Received high evaluations by the
teachers, students, and mentors
Asked by the Jefferson County
School District to help write a
new science curriculum
-------
Oregon
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Orant Summaries
Wolftree's Outdoor
Ecology Program
Number of People Affected:
402 students and 12 teachers from
underserved communities, and 34
new mentors representing 18 public
and private organizations
2,294 students and adults were
impacted through the Winter
Watershed Ecology Project
Youth Tree Inventory
Grant Number:
NE-98078001
Sponsor:
Oregon Graduate Institute of Science
and Technology/Saturday Academy
Department
Project Coordinator:
Kim Wilson
Saturday Academy
20000 NW Walker Road
Beaverton, OR 97006
(503)748-1341
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$16,129
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Middle and High School Students
Purpose:
To introduce students to the basics of
arboriculture, data collection
techniques, and public policy as it
relates to trees in urban areas
Goals:
Benefit students educationally
Benefit the community by
creating an awareness of urban
resources and encouraging
stewardship of those resources
Methods:
Have students work in the field
for three months
Collect data on tree locations,
size, health, and species
Products/Results:
Introduced students to
community issues
Worked with two teams of 57
students total at Portsmouth
Middle School and Gregory
Heights Middle School
Involved six adult volunteers
from the Neighborhood Tree
Liaison program and the local
PTA throughout the project
Worked in the field for three
months collecting data on tree
locations, size, health, and
species
Surveyed 96 block faces during
the season adding data collected
in both neighborhoods in past
seasons
Educated the neighborhood
communities one-on-one and
through student presentations
and displays
109
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1999" 2004
Ul C^UI I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Youth Tree Inventory
Surveyed the residents for their
values of the neighborhood
forest and encouraged them to
get involved in local Friends of
Trees plantings
Challenges:
Collecting data of increased
intensity strained staff time and
did not allow for as much
instruction time - a change was
made so as many trees as
possible could be inventoried
before the leaves dropped
Successes/Strengths:
Offered a non-traditional format
that engaged students of many
different learning styles
Saw first-hand education outside
of the classroom
Had guest professional as
instructors and community
members as project partners
Worked with small groups for
hands-on application of learning
Worked on a real-world problem
with an unknown answer
Provided access for all teachers
to the techniques and community
resources developed by the
project in order to continue
indefinitely without outside
support
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 57 students and 6
community volunteers
Indirectly - both schools participated
in community plantings, educating
up to 30 people each; youth
conferences and community
members contacted
110
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Ill
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Washington
Best Management
Practices in the Dayton
Area: A Scientific
Investigation Protect
1099-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Grant Number:
NE-97078301
Sponsor:
Dayton School District No. 2
Project Coordinator:
Doug Yenney
Dayton School District No. 2
609 S. Second Street
Dayton, WA 99328
(509) 382-2543
EPA Funding:
$3,200
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$1,900
Focus:
Agriculture
Target Audience:
High School Students
Purpose:
To study the result of local farming
conservation efforts
Goals:
Improve Dayton's aggregate
science score on Washington
State's Assessment of Student
Learning Exam
Address the question, "How are
local agricultural producers
protecting soil, land, and water
resources, and how can their
effectiveness be measured?"
Methods:
Invite local agricultural
producers to visit the science
classes to give students
background information about
"Best Management Practices"
(BMPs)
Design a test of the effectiveness
of BMPs in protecting soil, land,
and water resources
Visit local cooperative farms
over a period of one school year
to measure important soil and
water quality parameters affected
by BMPs
Take water quality samples
along the Touchet River
Analyze the results and
determine the effectiveness of
BMPs in protecting soil, land,
and water resources
Summarize the experiment in
written reports
Present the findings to local
growers through classroom
presentations
Products/Results:
Conducted an investigation of
BMPs used by local agricultural
producers that result in the
protection of soil, air, and water
resources
Visited nine local farms in the
area to see conventional farming
practices and BMPs
Conducted soil tests measuring
"biological activity" of soil and
other parameters of soil quality
113
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Best Management
Practices in the Dayton
Area: A Scientific
Investigation Project
Conducted a water quality
monitoring program of the
Touchet River focusing on water
quality parameters influenced by
farming practices
Conducted an experiment to test
the decomposition of wheat
stubble
Gave oral presentations on
project findings
Challenges:
Did not observe river conditions
during December through March
because of extreme drought
conditions
Successes/Strengths:
Published grant activities in a
state Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction newsletter,
"Serviceline"
Represented Dayton High
School at state level conferences
Provided relevant and
meaningful instruction that
addressed all three Essential
Academic Learning Requirement
areas
Had a request from one farmer to
have the students study his farm
for wheat stubble decomposition
- used a "no burn, no-till"
management strategy
Number of People Affected:
120 students
Grant Number:
NE-97030701
Carpenter Creek
Integrated Watershed
Curriculum
Sponsor:
Stillwaters Environmental Education
Center
Project Coordinator:
Joleen Palmer
Stillwaters Environmental Education
Center
26059 Barber Cut Off Road
Kingston, WA 98346
(360) 297-2876
Match Funding:
$10,600
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
6th-12lh Grade Students and Home
Schoolers, Teachers, and Community
Volunteers
Purpose:
To develop Carpenter Creek
integrated watershed curriculum and
a supplemental activities guide for
the existing junior high science
curriculum
EPA Funding:
$15,852
FY 2002
114
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WQ&hinflrtnvi 1999-2004
~ T CI 01111 l^iUI I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Carpenter Creek
Integrated Watershed
Curriculum
Goals:
Improve environmental
education teaching skills of local
teachers
Encourage students to consider
environmental careers
Foster collaboration between the
community and the schools and
involve students in the work of
the community
Create educated citizens who
will understand and preserve our
natural systems
Methods:
Provide field-and classroom-
based, project-oriented, localized
curriculum for this watershed
Provide teacher training
Recruit and train volunteers to
assist teachers in the field and
the classroom
Expose students to careers in
natural systems by having
environmental professionals
work with them
Products/Results:
Developed localized and
integrated watershed curriculum
to augment the existing junior
high science curriculum
Trained teachers, and recruited
and trained volunteers as
assistants in the field and
classroom
Invited environmental
professionals to meet with
students to discuss careers in the
natural resource technology
profession
Held weekly field study sessions
for students to learn about their
watershed
Created activity kits for
classroom and field use
Challenges:
Scheduling environmental
professionals to meet with the
students needed to be more
closely coordinated with their
ground field work
Did not have some professionals
available when students were
going to be in the field at
Stillwaters
Had timing issues between this
program and the March Science
Fair projects at Kingston Junior
High - timing was too tight for
students to create a project with
meaningful data for display
Could not do displays for
Stillwaters Annual Earth Day
event and watershed education
nights due to the time constraints
associated with students doing
field studies
Coordinating the program's
weekly schedule with the
volunteer teachers and driver
was difficult; became flexible
and had a back-up driver
Acquiring additional funding in
order to accommodate the high
interest level of the schools and
community groups
Successes/Strengths:
Generated stronger interest in
other environmental study units
being taught in the classroom
115
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Carpenter Creek
Integrated Watershed
Curriculum
Became mentors for their
classmates when they went on a
water quality testing field trip
Recognized that the students'
field experience was important
since they examined insects,
plants, soils, and ecosystems
indigenous to the watershed
Received additional funding to
expand the watershed curriculum
to include estuary studies
Number of People Affected:
Directly 20 students, 4 teachers, 2
staff members, 4 teaching assistants,
4 environmental professionals, 20
educators at workshop
Indirectly - 23,350 potential readers
of Stillwaters' Newsletters, Kingston
Community News, North Kitsap
Herald
Coordination and
Development of rive
Schoolyard Habitat
Sites in Western
Washington
Grant Number:
NE-97077601
Sponsor:
National Wildlife Federation
Project Coordinator:
Gretchen Muller
National Wildlife Federation
418 1<1 Avenue West
Seattle, WA98119
(206) 285-8707 ext. 107
EPA Funding:
$23,485
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$8,602
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
K-8th Grade Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To assist elementary schools in the
communities of Alki, Camano Island,
and Bellevue in the development of
National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
certified outdoor learning classrooms
called Schoolyard Habitats
Goals:
Provide students with a richer
learning environment in which
they can receive hands-on
lessons, while connecting with
nature in a way not usually
possible within the walls of
traditional classrooms
Methods:
Offer educator workshops to
help teachers learn how to best
design, plant, and utilize their
new outdoor classrooms
Assist with habitat teams at each
targeted school and habitat team
meetings
Develop the schoolyard habitat
sites
116
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Coordination and
Development of rive
Schoolyard Habitat
Sites in Western
Washington
Products/Results:
Supported the efforts of two
schools in the Puget Sound
region that were interested in
developing their own school
yard habitat
Offered educator workshops
Held up to four meetings at each
of the four participating schools
to coordinate the habitat teams
working to design and
implement the garden plantings
Assisted with the preparation of
the sites for planting, which
included invasive species
removal and soil remediation
Applied and became official
National Wildlife Federation
Schoolyard Habitats
Have been in constant contact
with the school administrators
and educators to answer any
questions
Challenges:
Change in administrative
leadership at one school
Scheduling of workshops
Successes/Strengths:
Provided students with cross-
curricular, hands-on learning
opportunities that cannot be
duplicated in the traditional
classroom setting
Will continue to provide students
with fun and inspiring ways to
connect with nature for years to
come
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 96 educators, 32
community volunteers, 2,400
students
Indirectly - 5,000 people through
community newspapers and parent
newsletters
Does not include students who will
benefit from the outdoor classrooms
in the future
Creating a Sense of
Place
Grant Number:
NE-97007401
Sponsor:
West Sound Academy
Project Coordinator:
James A. Kolb
West Sound Academy
P.O. Box 807
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 297-2839
EPA Funding:
$9,840
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$4,824
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
West Sound Academy 6,h-12lh Grade
Teachers
117
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Washington
1009 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Creating a Sense of
Place
Purpose:
To create a model school watershed
monitoring and community outreach
program
Goals:
To plant the seeds for life-long
personal stewardship of the
environment in the students of West
Sound Academy and dramatically
expand community access to
information critical for informed
decision making
Methods:
Train teachers to use existing,
quality materials to develop an
integrated environmental science
course for grades 6-12
Products/Results:
Trained teachers to implement
the curriculum
Established a successful, on
going watershed assessment
program with the students
Collected, interpreted, and
presented watershed data
Implemented an expanding
community education and
outreach program with the
students and staff
Challenges:
Had a very large scope
Developing and implementing a
course of study was a lot of work
and stressful for the teachers
Successes/Strengths:
Increased teacher skills,
knowledge, and confidence
Created an effective network of
environmental professionals
from agencies and educational
institutions acting in support of
environment education activities
at West Sound Academy
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 22 teachers and 4
administrative staff, 284 students and
their families, and 600 community
members
Indirectly - 772 people were
contacted by mail and 1,1 (X) people
through the Kitsap Regional Library
LinkNet system and email
Dungeness Bay
W.A.T.CI1. (Watershed
Activities to Change
llabits)
Grant Number:
NE-97006301
Sponsor:
River Center Foundation (formally
called Rainshadow Natural Science
Foundation) and the Dungeness
River Audubon Center
Project Coordinator:
Annette Hanson
River Center Foundation
P.O. Box 3007
Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 681-8060
118
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Dungeness Bay
W.A.T.C.I1. (Watershed
Activities to Change
llabits)
EPA Funding:
$4,991
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$6,150
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
7,h Grade Students at Sequim Middle
School and Their Families
Purpose:
To help students understand the
watersheds near their homes and the
environmental health of Dungeness
Bay
Goals:
Provide a variety of assignments
and field experiences to help
students understand the
environmental health issue of
bacterial contamination in the
Dungeness watershed and
Dungeness Bay
Teach students about the
watershed near their homes
Help students understand how
humans affect watersheds
Methods:
Conduct an all-day field trip to
five locations within local
watersheds
Complete "field trip journals"
written by each student
Require two weeks of class time
Involve the families in
watershed-friendly behavior by
having students take home a
questionnaire
Products/Results:
Graphed and explained real data
collected by professionals in the
Sequim-Dungeness area
Heard from local experts and
saw how they view the problems
Involved the families and
inspired discussion by the take-
home questionnaire
Presented 17 students' project
activities and experiences at the
Dungeness River Audubon
Center
Challenges:
Had problems with some of the
scenario questions, which may
have been too difficult for some
students to answer
Successes/Strengths:
Gave the students a unique
perspective on a local problem
Helped with the project by
having local professionals
present complex ideas in a
meaningful way for seventh
graders
Had good participation in the
public workshop presented by
the students
Number of People Affected:
333 including students, teachers,
watershed experts, and final
presentation audience members
119
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Dungeness River
Studies: Student liands-
On Science Education
and Career
Development
Grant Number:
NE-97078601
Sponsor:
River Center Foundation
Project Coordinator:
Lyn Muench, President
River Center Foundation
P.O. Box 3007
Sequim, WA 98382
EPA Funding:
$4,900
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$5,380
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Elementary Students
Purpose:
To provide hands-on field
experiences in science for elementary
school children on the north Olympic
Peninsula
Goals:
Instill an interest in science as a
career
Educate children and the public
about protection of at-risk
watershed resources
Methods:
Sponsor field trips during the
school year for local 4th-5ih grade
classes and home school groups
Monitor specific physical and
chemical characteristics of the
Dungeness River
Stress the importance of
consistent monitoring and
accurate, reliable data collection
Compile all classes' data to show
comparisons throughout the year
and distribute these data to
classes and the general public
Disseminate the data through
displays at the River Center, a
student public presentation,
newsletter, and Web site
Products/Results:
Provided water monitoring field
trips for 28 different classes from
11 schools
Provided a pre-field trip
classroom visit and a two-hour
field trip at the Dungeness River
in Railroad Bridge Park
Funded buses and material used
during the field trips
Challenges:
Did not spread the field trips out
through the school year as
planned; most trips occurred
during the fall and spring, partly
due to weather but also because
teachers had other activities
planned during the winter
Experienced rain and occasional
flooding
Successes/Strengths:
Became part of a scientific study
of the river, which rarely occurs
in elementary classes
120
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Washington
1999 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Dungeness River
Studies: Student flands-
On Science Education
and Career
Development
Provided u total hands-on
experience for the children in
which they did the work and
became intimately involved with
collecting data
Knew that their data contributed
to a year-long study of the river,
so the students took special care
and accuracy with the collection
Compiled and graphed the data
for the entire year and sent it to
the classroom teachers for their
classes - students saw results of
their work as part of the larger
whole
Had very successful classroom
visits and field trips
Received feedback that these
were the best field trips some
teachers had ever experienced
Number of People Affected:
Directly-601 students, 151 teachers
and parents
Indirectly - 259 who received the
Foundation's newsletter
Tips From the Grantee:
For River Monitoring Projects:
DO:
Pre-field trip classroom visits to
prepare the students.
Have a work sheet that helps
introduce macroinvertebrates to
the students.
Let students know that
macroinvertebrates will not bite
or sting, so you can encourage
students to touch the organisms.
Provide simple analogies to
explain complex things.
Have jobs and a job title for all
students.
Make students feel like they are
being scientists, telling them that
their data will be used by others.
Remind students about careers
available like river rangers and
fisheries biologists.
Have extra materials available in
case something breaks.
Divide the classes into small
groups for most activities.
Give a quick, concise review
session of the items covered
during the pre-field trip
classroom visit when students
arrive for the field trip.
Be flexible - if a different
learning opportunity arises, like
finding a dead salmon, take time
to talk about it with the students.
Use simple acronyms.
Be prepared for difficulties, such
as weather and flooding; have
alternative plan if necessary.
During the pre-classroom visit,
remind students to dress for the
field trips in layers.
Discuss bus costs with the
school districts at the beginning
of the project.
Be very familiar with the river
where you are going to sample.
121
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Environmental
Education at Bryant
Elementary, IslandWood
Residency, and Water
Quality Survey
Grant Number:
NE-97077701
Sponsor:
Bryant Elementary School Parent-
Teacher Association
Project Coordinator:
Julia Jones
Bryant Elementary School Parent-
Teacher Association
3311 NE 60,h Street
Seattle, WA9815
(206) 525-6977
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$14,000
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Fifth Grade Students, Teachers,
Parents, and Members of the Larger
Northeast Seattle Community
Purpose:
To provide all fifth grade students at
Bryant Elementary School with a
hands-on environmental education
experience that integrates with and
supports the inquiry-based science
curriculum taught in the classroom
122
Goals:
Gain a deeper understanding of
the importance of the health of
the city water systems
Learn what makes a stream
healthy and what environmental
pollutants can endanger the
health of a watershed system
Link classroom curriculum to a
hands-on environmental learning
experience that supports
Washington State's essential
academic learning requirements
Gain confidence through
acquiring presentation skills
Methods:
Provide a four-day residential
camp experience at IslandWood
followed by a year-long
community service project in
which students monitor the water
quality of Ravenna Creek
Post results of the water quality
survey on the school Web site
Participate in a water quality
summit at IslandWood
Present their findings at a forum
at Bryant School, as well as to
the City of Seattle
Products/Results:
Had all Bryant fifth grade
students participate in a hands-
on environmental education
experience
Held the four-day residential
stay at IslandWood
environmental education
learning center
Completed the year-long project
monitoring the water quality and
stream health of the Ravenna
Creek
-------
Wsi&Hitlflff All 1999-2004
ClaMlfll^lvll Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Environmental
Education at Bryant
Elementary, IslandWood
Residency, and Water
Quality Survey
Prepared and delivered a
presentation at an IslandWood
environmental summit with
participants from schools around
western Washington
Shared results with the extended
Bryant community
Submitted copy of students'
video and PowerPoint slideshow
to the City of Seattle
Posted slideshow on Bryant's
Web site
Submitted stream health data to
the World Water Monitoring
Day database
Successes/Strengths:
Educated students, teacher,
parents, and community
members about community
environmental issues,
specifically the water quality of a
local stream
Had the fifth grade students
introduce kindergarten students
on site to scientific data
collecting methods used in the
field
Prepared fourth grade students
and parents for environmental
opportunities they will be
experiencing the next year
Provided a successful, enriching
environmental education
experience at IslandWood that
was reflected in the students'
enthusiasm, knowledge, and skill
they applied to their service
projects and in their sharing of
information to the community
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 80 students, 12 adults, and
100 students, educators, and other
environmentalists at the
environmental education summit
Indirectly - information shared
through presentations and posting on
the school's Web site
Tips From the Grantee:
Ensure that teachers understand
what product is being promised
with the grant.
Set up regular liaisons with the
teachers and grant coordinator.
Stay on top of product collection
during the grant period.
Offer support and resources to
the teachers to help them
accomplish the tasks,
Keep in mind that writing and
obtaining the grant is only a
fraction of the effort expended.
Einn llill Watershed
Education Project
Grant Number:
NE-98079601
Sponsor:
Lake Washington School District/
Environmental and Adventure
School
Project Coordinator:
Eileen McMackin
Environmental and Adventure
School
P.O. Box 97039
Redmond, WA 98073
(425) 825-1411
123
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Washington
Pinn Mill Watershed
Education Project
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
EPA Funding:
$3,880
FY 2000
Match Funding:
S3,849
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Students in Lake Washington and
Northshore Schools in the Finn Hill
Community
Purpose:
To provide community-based
environmental education to
elementary and middle school
students and to contribute relevant
data to the King County Amphibian
Monitoring Program
Goals:
Enhance local capacity to
develop and deliver
environmental education
programs while meeting state
and district learning goals
Methods:
Have middle school students
learn the subject matter, create
lesson plans, and then teach
elementary school students
Products/Results:
The middle school students:
Provided training for elementary
students and teachers
Collected valuable information
for the King County Amphibian
Monitoring Program
Gained leadership skills and
knowledge of the environment
Provided beneficial mentoring to
the younger students
Challenges:
Limited time was available to
learn the material, develop and
conduct lessons for the
elementary students, and prepare
a final presentation
Did not attain complete
participation because of
conflicting schedules for two of
the fourth grade classes
Successes/Strengths:
Provided experiences that
allowed middle school students
to learn through teaching
Served more students than
originally planned
Taught confidence and
leadership skills through the
creation and implementation of
the teaching activities
Provided hands-on, fun learning
experiences for elementary
students in the classroom as well
as in garden, forest, and wetland
settings
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 10 teachers, 45 middle
school students, and 245 elementary
students
Indirectly - parents, other students,
and community members
-------
Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
f inn Hill Watershed
Education Project
Tips From the Grantee:
Keep the middle school students
together in the same room.
Allow at least an hour to an hour
and a half for instruction, hands-
on activity, questions and
review.
Revisit the concept of a
watershed to ensure a clear
understanding and avoid
confusion related to reservoirs
and water supply systems for
homes.
Provide an opportunity for
teachers to share information,
ideas, and methods related to
their individual curriculum.
Take time to talk about the
issues of habitat loss.
Students must dress
appropriately. Make sure they
wear boots or shoes that can get
muddy and wet, and waterproof,
warm clothing.
Fish Tales
Grant Number:
NE-97078201
Sponsor:
East Valley School District #361
Project Coordinator:
Georgianne Delgadillo
East Valley School District #361
12325 East Grace Avenue
Spokane, WA 99216
(509) 924-1830
EPA Funding:
$4,453
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$3,917
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Middle School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To increase the importance of the
health of the Spokane River and its
role in the local ecosystem by
studying a key inhabitant of the river,
the rainbow trout
Goals:
Learn about the life cycle of the
rainbow trout
Evaluate the Spokane River's
capability to sustain the trout
population
Use hands-on, inquiry based, and
constructivist learning
approaches as students evaluate
the habitat of the rainbow trout
Methods:
Conduct teacher training in the
use of the sampling equipment
and the curriculum
Provide classroom activities
Visit a fish hatchery to see and
handle rainbow trout
125
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Washington Environmental Education Grant Summaries
fish Tales
Offer extensive field activities to
study the Spokane River habitat
Present findings using a variety
of methods
Products/Results:
Taught students about the use of
water quality testing and other
observations in order to
understand an ecosystem and
how human health can affect the
trout's habitat
Changed the curriculum to
match the Washington State
Essential Academic Learning
Requirements
Have radically changed the
eighth grade science curriculum
Challenges:
Became apparent that there was
a lack of background knowledge
by the teachers on water quality
testing, why the different tests
are important in understanding
the health of an ecosystem, and
how to conduct a field study
Had to research new testing kits
to see which kind would work
best for the students
Needed to integrate the field
study into the existing
curriculum
Delayed field study dates
because of high river water and
bad weather
Successes/Strengths:
Built a water quality unit that is
fully integrated into the eighth
grade curriculum and meets the
Washington State Essential
Academic Learning
Requirements
Acted as a catalyst for many
district changes
Presented information on the
project at the Washington
Science Teacher Association
Convention
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 185 students, 5 teachers, 1
school administrator
Indirectly - 160 students, 4 teachers,
2 school administrators,
1 community member
Tips From the Grantee
Regarding Water Quality
Monitoring:
Practice using the graphing
calculator and sensor probes
extensively with the students,
When working in a fast flowing
river, find an adult to get into the
water to use the kick net, water
clarity test, etc.
Have a summary form
completed for the culmination of
all the data; use this form in the
field if at all possible.
126
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Washington
Gateway Communities
Initiative
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Grant Number:
NE-97059401
Sponsor:
Olympic Park Institute
Project Coordinator:
Scott Schaffer
Olympic Park Institute
111 Barnes Point Road
Port Angeles, WA 98363
(360) 928-3720, ext. 19
EPA Funding:
$12,903
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$8,280
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Middle School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To develop a community outreach
program based on the Olympic Park
Institute's field science curriculum
Goals:
Introduce rural and tribal
students to the national park in
their backyard
Teach science that students can
apply to their own communities
Expand the reach of school-
based programs
Give young people a broad and
informed base of options for
resolving environmental issues
in their communities
Promote environmentally
responsible behavior among
program participants
Methods:
Conduct school visits and
outdoor inquiry-based learning
experiences for students
Create a different curriculum for
each school because each
situation is unique
Products/Results:
Provided environmental science
education for students outside
the mainstream science
education
Conducted 25 days of outreach
in low-income and/or culturally
diverse communities including
Neah Bay on the Makah
Reservation, Forks, and Port
Angeles
Challenges:
Encountered behavioral issues
with some of the students
Experienced difficulties
convincing some teachers that a
field science program would be a
positive experience
127
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Washington
1999 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Gateway Communities
Initiative
Successes/Strengths:
Made participating in field
science activities fun
Received teacher requests to
continue the program next year
Built a sense of community in
the students' classroom through
the group challenges
Prepared students for the science
Washington Assessment of
Student Learning (WASL) test
Number of People Affected:
200 students and teachers
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Stay flexible with program
expectations - changes can
occur.
Meet with teachers before the
program begins to discuss the
program goals.
Develop clear schedules for
educators to follow on new and
different programs.
Arrive at new sites early so staff
can make plans for where
activities will take place.
DON'T:
Expect to use the same schedule/
layout year after year.
Plan to do more than you can
realistically accomplish.
Try to get everything ready by
yourself.
Girls on the Sound
Program
Grant Number:
NE-97061601
Sponsor:
Salish Sea Expeditions
Project Coordinator:
Ellie Linen Low
Salish Sea Expeditions
647 Horizon View Place, NW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 780-7848
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2003
Match Funding;
$5,000
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Sixth Grade Girls from Cedar Way
Elementary School in South
Snohomish County
Purpose:
To provide an intensive marine
science education experience for
sixth grade girls
-------
W$ichincrtAii 1999-2004
Tr ClolIII I^IUII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Girls on the Sound
Program
Goals:
Provide hands-on, inquiry-based
marine science instruction that
complements classroom learning
Provide students with a unique
opportunity to directly
experience and explore the Puget
Sound watershed and the
scientific process
Foster an understanding of and
appreciation for the vital
ecological role that Puget Sound
plays in our region and the
nature of human interaction with
this environment
Increase self-confidence and
encourage leadership
development
Impart analytical and problem-
solving skills to participants
Methods:
Involve students in all aspects of
designing and conducting their
three-day marine research
experience on Puget Sound
Use inquiry-based method of
teaching
Focus on personal development
of girls
Include guest lectures, field trips,
and research projects on
environmental science topics in
the program
Products/Results:
Conducted the three-day
expedition on Puget Sound
Completed in-depth marine
research projects centering
around water depth and its
effects on temperature, plankton
abundance, and salinity
Successes/Strengths:
Functioned as a team on the
vessel
Focused on personal
development with the marine
science educators and nautical
staff
Number of People Affected:
15 sixth grade girls, 1 teacher, and 1
chaperone
High School Advanced
rield Science Program
Scholarships
Grant Number:
NE-97077201
Sponsor:
Olympic Park Institute
Project Coordinator:
Scott Schaffer
Olympic Park Institute
111 Barres Point Road
Port Angeles, WA 98363
(360) 928-3720
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$4,800
Focus:
General Environmental Education
129
-------
Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
High School Advanced
rield Science Program
Scholarships
Target Audience:
] 0lh-12"' Grade Students
Purpose:
To give high school students
research-focused experiences in a
real outdoor setting
Goals:
Design project for students who
are seriously considering careers
in environmental issues and
environmental science
Gain hands-on experience with
research methods in field science
Methods:
Offer an eight-day program for
students who are academically
disposed toward science
Provide access to professional
field researchers from Olympic
National Park and the University
of Washington through lectures
and demonstrations in the field
Complete a simple scientific
investigation
Write a research paper that will
be reviewed and critiqued by
Olympia Park Institute
educational staff
Products/Results:
Met National Park Service and
University of Washington
researchers and spent time in the
field with them
Exposed the students to
scientific methods and tools
Carried out inquiry-based
projects on the Olympia Park
Institute campus and in the
Olympic National Park
Rated by the students and
teachers as excellent
Challenges:
Had fewer students participate
than had been anticipated; so one
high school teacher did not
accompany the group
Successes/Strengths:
Was the first program of its kind
run by the Olympic Park
Institute
Is the only program in the
Pacific Northwest based on a
summer model with students and
researchers
Were able to provide this
opportunity because of the
relationship with the Olympic
National Park and the University
of Washington's Olympic
Natural Resources Center
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 10 students that
participated in the program
Indirectly - families, teachers,
classmates, and communities
130
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Hispanic Orchardist
Integrated Pest
Management Education
Program
Grant Number:
NE-97077801
Sponsor:
Center for Agricultural Partnerships
Project Coordinator:
Heather Cavanaugh
Center for Agricultural Partnerships
1 West Pack Sq, Suite 401
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 285-9340
EPA Funding:
$23,500
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$7,900
Focus:
Pesticides
Target Audience:
Hispanic Orchard Owners in
Washington State
Purpose:
To adopt practices that reduce the
use of pesticides, to manage farms
more effectively, and to better
protect families and the environment
Goals:
Learn how to implement
Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) in orchards
Methods:
Conduct hands-on field training
and group learning sessions in
Spanish
Provide orchard sessions to
become familiar with
identification and scouting
Cover the use of mating
disruption technology and other
newly available low-risk
insecticides and fungicides
Products/Results:
Conducted a series of classes in
Spanish both in classrooms and
in the orchards
Used the manual, "Orchard
Monitoring Manual for Pests,
Natural Enemies and Diseases of
Apple, Pear, and Cherry" in the
classroom
Distributed the manual at grower
meetings and through
Cooperative Extension offices
Provided the manual on the Web
site
Successes/Strengths:
Is the only IPM education
program conducted in Spanish
for Hispanic orchardists
Combined in-field classes with
individual assistance
Facilitated the entry of
orchardists into Spanish-
language pesticide license
training courses with two local
instructors
Had guest speakers and
consultants donate their time to
provide instruction to growers
Was a success in that the
growers kept coming to the
meetings despite busy schedules
131
-------
Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Crant Summaries
Hispanic Orchardist
Integrated Pest
Management Education
Program
Saw most growers change their
practices; used lower-risk
pesticides
Revealed through focus groups
that growers are changing
practices due to increased
knowledge about the pest and
beneficial organisms in their
orchards
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 40 Hispanic growers
Copies of the monitoring manual
distributed widely
Indirectly - growers, service
providers, and policy makers
Integrating
Telecommunication and
Computer Technologies
into Environmental
Education
Grant Number:
NE-98046001
Sponsor:
St. Martin's College
Project Coordinator:
Huabin Chen
St. Martin's College
5300 Pacific Avenue Southeast
Lacey, WA 98503
(360) 438-4344
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$3,000
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To apply technology to
environmental education
Goals
Develop a core of teacher
leaders to support a rural school
district's use of
telecommunications and other
technologies for environmental
education at the kindergarten
through eighth grade level
Educate teachers on the
importance of
telecommunications and
computer technologies in
fostering global awareness of
and international collaboration
on environmental issues
Educate teachers on the impact
of air and water pollution on
human health
Train teachers to use information
sources available on the Internet
Train teachers to use computer-
based tools (e.g. probeware) in
environmental education
Methods:
Conduct a one-day workshop for
teachers
Include the following topics in
the training: environmental
education issues (focused on
-------
WQ&hinflftnn 1999-2004
VT flal III l{£l»VPII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
local water quality), Internet
(focused on local environmental
education sites), basic
environmental science concepts,
hands-on experience in setting
up and conducting mini-science
experiments using probeware,
developing lesson plans for
classrooms, and project
evaluation
Products/Results:
Held the one day workshop for
the teachers and discussed the
subjects listed above under
"Methods"
Created an environmental
education Web portal as a
disseminating tool after
discussing the environmental
issues and sharing environmental
education Web pages
Had participating teachers set up
and conduct mini-science
experiments
Distributed about $600 worth of
scientific probeware to three
school districts
Challenges:
Encountered difficulty getting
participation from some of the
local school districts
Successes/Strengths:
Experienced enthusiastic
participation in the workshop
activities
Received positive project
evaluations
Number of People Affected:
7 teachers representing 4 school
districts
Kids in the Creek
Grant Number:
NE-97028201
Sponsor:
Quillayute Valley School District
Project Coordinator:
Sheryl Schaaf
Quillayute Valley School District
P.O. Box 60
411 S. Spartan Avenue
Forks, WA 98331
(360) 374-6262, ext. 177
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$10,508
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
3rd Grade Students, 7th-8th Grade
Students, and Teachers
133
-------
l^Cfechinif^'An 1999-2004
IT dolllll££tXrll Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Kids in the Creek Purpose:
To monitor the health of a local
creek and raise salmon in the
classroom
Goals:
Understand basic scientific
concepts and principles
Apply skills and processes of
science and technology
Communicate scientific-
procedures, investigations, and
explanations orally, in writing,
with computer-based
technology, and mathematically
Methods:
Teach students and teachers how
to conduct water quality testing
and analyze their results in order
to better understand the
parameters affecting their
environment
Assist teachers in using the
inquiry method
Teach students to interpret
changes in the field to
understand the factors at work in
the ecosystem under
investigation
Educate students and teachers on
the use of technology as a tool to
understand basic scientific
concepts
Deliver teacher presentations at
conferences
Products/Results:
Recorded water quality testing
over time for Mill Creek
Analyzed data to determine
stream health
Developed action plan to help
remedy problems or keep stream
health at its optimum level
Increased knowledge of hand-
held computers and video-
conferencing technology to
record, analyze, and share
information
Received appreciation from
students, especially girls, of how
science can be a positive part of
their life
Raised salmon successfully in
the classroom to be placed and
monitored in Mill Creek over
time
Increased teachers' knowledge
of Inquiry Based Science in the
classroom
Successes/Strengths:
Acted as a catalyst that led to
additional funding for further
studies and to continue the
project
Received a "School Mate
Award," given to school projects
that make a visible difference in
a community and show students
the importance of being involved
in community issues
Developed a book by the
students on their project - a
compilation of science, writing,
math, and learning
Number of People Affected:
33 3rd grade students, 100 7th-8th
grade students, and 8 teachers
-------
Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
King County's Wheels to
Water Program
Grant Number:
NE-99022701
Sponsor:
King County Water and Land
Resources Division
Project Coordinator:
Lexi Taylor
King County Water and Land
Resources Division
201 South Jackson Street, Suite 703
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 296-6519
EPA Funding:
$18,134
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$30,000
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Kindergarten Through Twelfth
Grade Students, Teachers, and
Administrators
Purpose:
To expand King County's Wheels to
Water Program
Goals:
Promote water quality education
by providing free transportation
for schools to on-site
environmental education
programs
Provide promotional materials
Increase awareness of water
quality and related
environmental topics
Increase skills and capacity to
analyze environmental issues
Increase understanding of the
connections between natural
systems and between the natural
world and society
Provide these opportunities to
King County students
underserved by environmental
programs
Methods:
Increase the number of bus trips
available
Target and conduct outreach to
schools with the highest
proportion of low-income and
culturally diverse students
Increase the number of sites that
the program serves
Increase participation of students
from rural areas
Advertise and promote in
conjunction with King County's
environmental education
programs
Expand outreach efforts through
personal contacts, phone calls,
and presentations to teachers and
administrators in targeted
schools
Products/Results:
Provided 23 bus trips; included
34 classes
Reached 11 school districts out
of 19
Reached low-income and rural
students
135
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
King County's Wheels to
Water Program
Challenges:
Had fewer schools than expected
respond to phone calls about
program presentations for staff
Found some schools to be
unwilling to take time for
program presentations
Successes/Strengths:
Increased percentage of rural and
low-income schools using
Wheels to Water program to 44
percent
Had 82 percent of teachers who
filled out program evaluations
say that they could not have
taken their students on a field
trip without the Wheels to Water
bus
Received an overwhelming
number of requests for the
program
Minimized administrative costs
and added the funds to cover
more bus trips
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 936 students (13 percent
rural and 87 percent low income)
Lake Washington
Watershed Internship
Program at Mercer
Slough Environmental
Education Center
Grant Number:
NE-97028901
Sponsor:
Pacific Science Center
Project Coordinator:
Paula Williams
Pacific Science Center
Mercer Slough Environmental
Education Program
200 Second Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 443-3636
EPA Funding:
$21,423
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$44,135
Focus:
Wetlands and Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Elementary and High School
Students
Purpose:
To expand Lake Washington
watershed internship program to
Mercer Slough Environmental
Education Center
Goals:
Increase awareness of
environmental science careers
for females, low income and
culturally diverse populations
Change the knowledge,
perceptions, and attitudes of the
participants by providing
opportunities to explore a
136
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Wsi&hindtAn 1999-2004
TTdollll IglUI I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Lake Washington
Watershed Internship
Program at Mercer
Slough Environmental
Education Center
wetlands environment first hand
in a fun and motivating setting
Provide opportunities for
participants to develop critical
thinking, problem solving, and
decision-making skills to weigh
various sides of an
environmental issue in order to
make informed and responsible
decisions
Educate the community about
local watershed issues through
community projects and
celebrations
Methods:
Mentor high school students
through internships
Have high school students work
with elementary school classes
Conduct a water quality
monitoring program
Participate in ecosystem
restoration projects
Hold a community watershed
celebration
Products/Results:
Hired 17 interns from six South
Seattle and Bellevue high
schools; 16 stayed with the
program for 12 months
Trained interns to conduct water
quality tests and accurately
report and interpret data
Reached 243 elementary
students though the six-month
watershed awareness program
Completed four community
events, with a restoration
component and/or community
education about watersheds and
water quality issues
Challenges:
Had trouble recruiting high
school students; will begin
recruitment earlier
Experienced transportation and
scheduling barriers; did not
complete all restoration projects
Successes/Strengths:
Increased interest in
environmental science careers by
providing hands-on learning
opportunities for student
participants through a project-
based watershed monitoring
program
Provided opportunities for high
students to develop job skills, to
investigate environmental
science as a career option and to
encourage them to pursue their
interest in environmental science
in college and vocational
programs or a career in the field
Enhanced the high school
interns' science-process skills of
observing, predicting,
experimenting, collecting and
interpreting data, and applying
knowledge
Increased interest in
environmental science careers
among the elementary school
students who interacted with the
high school students
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 259 students
Indirectly - 450 people
137
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Mason County
Environmental
Education Initiative
Grant Number:
NE-9 8095 801
Sponsor:
Mason Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Jeanene Campbell
Mason Conservation District
1050 SE Highway 3, Suite G
Shelton, WA 98584
(360) 427-9346
EPA Funding:
$15,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$5,000
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
School Teachers and District
Administrators
Purpose:
To educate teachers and district
administrators about the benefits of
using inter-disciplinary nvironmental
education activities in the classroom
Goals:
Integrate environmental
education into existing
curriculum to meet the new
essential academic learning
requirements
Methods:
Provide training to teachers in
the Shelton School District
Train teachers on how to use
various EE activity guides
Encourage teachers to assimilate
these lessons into their regular
curriculum
Products/Results:
Developed a curriculum
Conducted training
Completed an evaluation of the
training program and curriculum
integration
Challenges:
Had a slow start to the project
because of personnel changes in
the Shelton School District
Difficult for some teachers to
adjust their lesson plans since
they were only two years into
their new curriculum; elementary
teachers in particular were
overwhelmed and some saw this
as just "one more thing to do"
Successes/Strengths:
Worked well with the Mason
County Environmental
Education Team
Made progress quickly because
many teachers and
administrators were on board
Developed an invaluable
partnership with the Washington
Forest Protection Association
and Simpson Timber Company
because they provided the
expertise to train and educate the
teachers about environmental
education and the use of the
educational materials
-------
Washington
1999 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Mason County
Environmental
Education Initiative
Number of People Affected:
26 teachers, 600 students, and 1
district administrator
Information from this program will
continue to be used by teachers that
were involved, and they will pass
their knowledge and resources on to
other teachers in the future
Mid-Columbia Basin
Shrub-Steppe Study
Grant Number:
NE-97004301
Sponsor:
Washington Native Plant Society
Project Coordinator:
Mike Marsh
Washington Native Plant Society
7400 Sand Point Way, NE
Seattle, WA98115
(206) 281-8976
EPA Funding:
$3,815
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$2,145
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Columbia Basin College and
Washington State University
Students, Local Instructors, and
Concerned Citizens
Purpose:
To teach how to monitor and assess
the impact of human activity and
development on the health of the
Mid-Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe
Ecosystem
Goals:
Expand teaching component of
an existing research project that
monitors change in the shrub-
steppe ecosystem at various
locations
Develop a working knowledge
of the tools of environmental
science and botanical study
Assess the impact human
activity, including grazing,
setting fires, recreational
activity, conversion to
agriculture, and fragmentation
by the above activities or by
development, has on the health
of the shrub-steppe ecosystem in
the Mid-Columbia Basin
Methods:
Conduct a nine-week
educational program
Teach the basic tools of
environmental science and
research through
classroom lectures given by the
project leader and guest speakers
and through practice in the field
Apply knowledge learned to a
specific research project in the
field that monitors the 30 pairs
of transects located in Benton
and Y akima counties
Purchase supplies needed to
facilitate the hands-on teaching
component of this course
139
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Washington
1999 -2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Mid-Columbia Basin
Shrub-Steppe Study
Products/Results:
Conducted three evenings of
training for 22 participants
Trained in plant identification,
vegetation measurement
methods, and map reading and
orientation in the field
Distributed training guides, plant
keying aids, and other
information
Carried out study for eight
weekends on both Saturday and
Sunday
Made observations at seven field
sites each weekend by teams of
four observers
Measured each site a second
time, four weeks after its first
measurement
Made two independent measures
of cover (three of the sites were
only measured once because of a
misunderstanding or because of
time constraints
Successes/Strengths:
Recruiting by The Nature
Conservancy helped involve a
large number of people
Completed data from the
observations was of assistance to
the Nature Conservancy and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
their investigation of the effects
of the July 2000 fire at the
Hanford Site on the spread of
exotic weeds
Number of People Affected:
31 people involved in the program
Onshore-Offshore
Marine Ecology
Teachers' Training
Program
Grant Number:
NE-97078801
Sponsor:
Port Townsend Marine Science
Society
Project Coordinator:
Anne Murphy, Executive Director
Port Townsend Marine Science
Society
532 Battery Way
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 385-5582
EPA Funding:
$13,735
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$10,700
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
K-12"' Grade Teachers
Purpose:
To provide a week-long residential
workshop as a professional
development program for teachers
-------
Wsi&iiincri'An 1999-2004
" ClolllllglUII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Onshore-Offshore
Marine Ecology
Teachers' Training
Program
Goals:
Offer teachers hands-on, inquiry-
based science education skills
transferable to their classrooms
Linked to practical in-school
lessons appropriate for K-12
students drawn from outstanding
national curricula and consistent
with National Science Education
standards
Allow teachers to acquire new
skills, resources, and enthusiasm
for teaching science
Methods:
Work alongside research
scientists both on shore, and at
sea
Formulate research questions
Design and conduct their own
mini-research projects
Provide teachers the opportunity
to work alongside University of
Washington scientists
conducting research
Evaluate the results of their data
gathering under the direction of
scientists and educators who
provide teachers with examples
of curricula suitable for
classroom use
Products/Results:
Planned, organized, and held the
workshop for 20 Pacific
Northwest teachers in June 2005
Held classes onshore at the Port
Townsend Marine Science
Center site and facilities and
offshore aboard a sailing
schooner
Worked alongside university
scientists conducting research
abroad a research vessel owned
by the University of Washington
Friday Harbor Laboratories
Received positive evaluations
from the teachers, who enjoyed
the range of hands-on and
inquiry based activities, the
applicability to their teaching,
and the connections drawn to
broader and regional and
environmental topics
Challenges:
Had a scheduling
miscommunication; four
teachers were not able to change
their schedules
Used a compressed workshop
schedule in order to balance
contract-hour requirements for
offering a five credit college
class with the need to keep the
program short enough to be
affordable to teacher participants
Meeting the widely-ranging
needs of participating teachers,
which included kindergarten
through high school, pre-service
teachers, non-science teachers,
and teachers working in non-
school settings
Successes/Strengths:
Offered teachers experiences in
helping deploy scientific
instruments on a research vessel,
sail-training on a 101-ft
schooner, sampling fish and
invertebrates in an eelgrass bed,
and articulating marine mammal
skeletons and labs with live
141
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ll/ochillfff All 1999-2004
If ddlllllgwll Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Onshore-Offshore
Marine Ecology
Teachers' Training
Program
marine invertebrates
Partnering with the Friday
Harbor Laboratories brought
scientists, graduate students, and
teachers together on board the
research vessel and enabled them
to use scientific instruments and
engage researchers in discussion
of how oceanographic studies
intersect with conservation
efforts in Puget Sound
Gave teachers practice applying
these ideas while carrying out a
survey of intertidal biodiversity
of Fort Warden State Park and
designing a hypothetical
deepwater study using high-tech
oceanographic equipment
Number of People Affected:
20 participants
Percival Creek: llabitat
Education, Restoration,
and Stewardship
Grant Number:
NE-98079901
Sponsor:
City of Tumwater
Project Coordinator:
Kathleen Callison
City of Tumwater
555 Israel Road SW
Tumwater, WA 98501
(360) 754-4140
EPA Funding:
$19,020
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$30,281
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Students and Teachers in the
Tumwater School District within the
Percival Creek Watershed and Other
Local Watersheds, Homeowners in
the Percival Creek Basin and other
Thurston County Residents, and City
of Tumwater Staff Involved in the
Maintenance of Sensitive Watershed
Habitats on City-Owned Properties
Purpose:
To involve teachers, students,
homeowners, and city personnel in
restoration and long-term
stewardship of the local watershed
and salmon habitat
Goals:
Provide education on the value
of salmon, salmon habitat and
stream ecology
Offer training on how to use
biological assessment as an
education and action tool for
determining the health of salmon
habitat in South Puget Sound
142
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Washington
Percival Creek: Habitat
Education, Restoration,
and Stewardship
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Teach habitat restoration skills to
teachers, students, and
homeowners
Provide teachers, students, and
homeowners with an opportunity
to apply the knowledge and
skills they have learned to a
habitat restoration project
Train city personnel in long-term
maintenance of habitat
restoration sites
Methods:
Conduct workshops, field
experiences, and hands-on
activities throughout a one-year
period
Develop informational brochures
Products/Results:
Planted native plants, shrubs,
and trees along Percival Creek to
provide shade and cooler creek
temperatures during the summer
months
Conducted teacher training
workshops
Held student training and field
studies
Developed and delivered two
homeowner workshops
Coordinated four habitat
restoration events
Developed, printed, and
distributed materials for the
habitat restoration projects
Conducted additional
community education and
outreach
Challenges:
Had to reschedule two of the
teacher workshops due to teacher
vacations, mandatory school and
district meetings, and full
workloads at the beginning of
the school year
Successes/Strengths:
Received major community
support for the restoration
project at the Percival Creek site,
with the planting of more than
2,200 native trees and shrubs
Have better-educated citizens
and city staff who are more
conscious of their own impacts
on the environment
Number of People Affected:
Over 65 teachers, 120 students, and
150 residents participated in the
many events
Tips From the Grantee:
Give project background and
information ahead of time to
save time in the field.
Discuss tool safety.
Have teachers divide their
classes into small groups before
the project.
Secure the necessary permission/
permits before beginning work.
Plants should be set at their
"spot" ready for the students and
volunteers to plant.
Order a "port-a-potty" in
advance and have it in place
when students and volunteers
arrive.
143
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Percivai Creek: Habitat
Education, Restoration,
and Stewardship
Get photo documentation before,
during, and after the project.
Keep student groups small, no
more than five or six per group
leader.
Have the crew leaders
demonstrate the correct planting
technique.
Schedule regular follow-up
maintenance.
After the students finish, have
the crew check for trash or
leftover supplies.
Pioneer School District
Environmental
Education Program
Grant Number:
NE-97003601
Sponsor:
Mason County Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Jeanene Campbell
Mason County Conservation District
1051 SE Highway 3, Suite G
Shelton, WA 98584-9195
(360) 427-9436
EPA Funding:
$15,746
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$7,094
Focus:
Ecosy stem/H abitat
Target Audience:
Students in the Pioneer School
District
Purpose:
To connect environmental education
activities with the current curriculum
Goals:
Create an environment-based
program to reach every student
in the school district
Methods:
Integrate environmental
education into existing curricula
Conduct field trips
Purchase field equipment
Establish an outdoor learning
site
Products/Results:
Used the school's campus as an
outdoor classroom
Used neighboring landowners'
properties to observe native
salmon and take water quality
tests
Had students explore their
community's environment
through field trips and
restoration projects
Challenges:
Had a slow start due to a change
in personnel
Experienced low teacher
participation, but the ones that
did take part were very
enthusiastic
144
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Pioneer School District
Environmental
Education Program
Successes/Strengths:
Excited teachers about the
concept of using the
environment as an integrating
context
Provided hands-on, practical
education that went above and
beyond the elements required for
the students by the state and the
school district
Developed the environmental
study sites
Equipped teachers with the
knowledge, skills, and resources
necessary to provide an
integrated environment-based
program for their students
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 9 teachers, 200 students, 3
school district administrators, and
approximately 30 community
members
Indirectly - 30 additional teachers in
the district, 600 more students, and
1,500 to 2,000 parents and
community members
Port Gamble S'Klallam
Tribe Environmental
Day 1999
Grant Number:
NE-98046301
Sponsor:
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
Project Coordinator:
Sharon Purser
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
Headstart Program
31912 Little Boston Road NE
Kingston, WA 98346
(360) 297-6237
EPA Funding:
$3,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$2,290
Focus:
Waste Management
Target Audience:
Tribal Family Members, Non-Indian
Residents of the Reservation and
Surrounding Communities, and
Local School Teachers
Purpose:
To host a forum for tribal members
and residents from the surrounding
community and provide an
opportunity to gather together to
learn more about environmental
concerns facing the reservation,
northern Kitsap Peninsula, and the
county
Goals:
Address health issues connected
to solid waste management
affecting children and families
Include the benefits of recycling
and composting in relation to the
environmental health of the
community
145
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Port Gamble S'Klallam
Tribe Environmental
Day 1999
Methods:
Offer education a one-day
educational event to educate
community adults and children
of all ages on methods of
reducing, reusing, and recycling
refuse
Offer education through a
variety of mediums, including
information booths, guest
speakers, small group
discussions, and experiential
demonstrations
Help people learn how to
compost, and facilitate the
beginning of a composting
program
Discuss the importance of
reducing trash and increasing
trash management to keep
community areas, including the
beach, clean and healthy
Products/Results:
Incorporated solid waste
information into the Tribe's
Environmental Day
¦ Distributed information at the
event
Had demonstrations, guest
speakers, small group
discussions, and community
mobilization
Sponsored annual Environmental
Day awards - presented to a
youth and an adult who worked
over the previous year to help
the local environment
Successes/Strengths:
Felt like the community was
committed to making lifestyle
changes in order to reduce the
need for garbage collection and
to start recycling and composting
Number of People Affected:
Over 100 people from the reservation
and the surrounding community
"River of Words":
Catalyst for Watershed
Grant Number:
NE-97064601
Education and Action Sponsor:
Education Service District #113
Project Coordinator:
Kathy Jacobson
Education Service District #113
601 McPhee Road SW
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 586-3538
EPA Funding:
$20,672
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$22,900
Focus:
Water Quality
14ft
-------
Wsi&hinoftAn 1999-2004
C1C9IIII I^IUI I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
"River of Words":
Catalyst for Watershed
Education and Action
Target Audience:
4"M2'h Grade Teachers and Students
from Chehalis and Shelton
Watersheds
Purpose:
To connect students with their place
in the watershed through a year-long
project involving teachers and
students in the River of Words" Art
and Literacy Program
Goals:
Educate teachers about the
Chehalis watershed and how to
use watershed studies to better
connect with essential learning
requirements
Help teachers become familiar
with the Chehalis Surge Plain,
Panhandle Lake, and
Millersylvania State Park and
learn how to use these
environments as inspiration for
art and poetry and involvement
in the "River of Words" program
Educate teachers to use art,
science, and poetry to promote
environmental literacy and
environmental action
Link Washington's learning
goals and standards to
environmental issues that are
part of the watershed
Encourage students to participate
in an action project at the
Chehalis Surge Plain
Show teachers how their
students can connect with their
communities through their
poetry, art, and action projects
Methods:
Have teachers participate in a
two-day "River of Words
Teachers' Institute" with a one-
day follow-up training
Instruct students in the
classroom
Incorporate water quality
monitoring, art, and writing
activities in students' field
studies
Help students engage in action
projects
Hold a Student Congress at the
end of the project for students to
lead workshops in "River of
Words" and display their work
Products/Results:
Participated in a three-day
"River of Words" teacher
training
Trained students, parents, and
other volunteers in water quality
monitoring and other field skills
Monitored water quality at over
20 sites
Studied chemistry, biology, and
natural history
Wrote in field books and
journals, learned sketching,
water color, and photography
Composed essays, stories, and
poetry
Participated in the basin-wide
Student Congress
147
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
"River of Words":
Catalyst for Watershed
Education and Action
Successes/Strengths:
Engaged students in civic
activities and action projects
Helped the students, teachers,
administrators, and community
members obtain a greater
appreciation of the Chehalis
watershed
Number of People Affected:
30 teachers and area resource
professionals and 150 students
Salmon
in the Classroom
Program
Grant Number:
NE-97079301
Sponsor:
Franklin Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Heather Wendt
Franklin Conservation District
1620 Road 44 N
Pasco, WA 99301
(509) 545-8546, x 3
EPA Funding:
$22,645
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$16,351
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
4>h_12th Grade Students
Purpose:
To educate students and the public
about local water quality issues and
their effects on salmon
Goals:
Provide Salmon in the
Classroom to local schools not
currently participating in the
program
Methods:
Provide hands-on learning
opportunity for students
Receive eggs from a local
hatchery to rear in aquariums
that will be set up in each
classroom
Visit participating classes to
present the Enviroscape
watershed model and to assist
schools with water quality
testing
Attend the release of the salmon
fry into the Yakima and
Columbia Rivers
Products/Results:
Ordered and set up tanks and
equipment for Salmon in the
Classroom
Compiled educational
information for teachers
Obtained salmon eggs from a
local hatchery
148
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Washington
19992004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Salmon
in the Classroom
Program
Organized field trips to the
hatcheries
Presented the Enviroscape to
participating schools
Provided salmon feeding
calculations
Arranged for each county to
have a salmon release day where
all participating classes released
their salmon
Solicited teachers to participate
in the program again
Successes/Strengths:
Went from five schools
participating to nine schools in
the Franklin Conservation
District area and from 18 schools
to 26 schools in the Benton
Conservation District
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 330 students and also
partner agencies and conservation
groups that participated in the
salmon release days
Indirectly - newspaper articles and
interagency publications
Tips From the Grantee:
A detailed tip sheet and timeline,
several pages in length, were
provided in the grant, and are
available upon request from EPA or
the grantee.
Schoolyard Habitat
Network
Grant Number:
NE-97028401
Sponsor:
City of Edmonds
Project Coordinator:
Sally Lider
City of Edmonds
Parks, Recreation and Cultural
Services
700 Main Street
Edmonds, WA 98020
(425) 771-0227
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$4,450
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers and Students from
Edmonds School District
Purpose:
To provide educational
opportunities to study nature on
the school grounds
To improve environmental
education skills for teachers
149
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Schoolyard Habitat
Network
Goals:
Promote and facilitate the
creation of schoolyard habitats in
Edmonds and the surrounding
community
Engage students in meaningful
scientific activities to increase
their understanding of flora and
fauna in the region
Provide teachers and students the
opportunity to connect with
nature while achieving academic-
goals
Methods:
Increase teacher awareness about
national schoolyard habitat
programs
Help individual schools assess
their schoolyards for habitat
enhancement potential
Offer at least one educator
workshop on schoolyard habitats
Facilitate networking among
local schools engaged in
schoolyard habitat projects
Assess schoolyards to find out
what plants and animals are
living there, compared with the
natural community before the
area was developed
school to help them map their
sites and inventory the wildlife
Facilitated networking among
the three schools
Held the "Summit Meeting" in
May 2003 to have the three
schools showcase their
accomplishments, compare
habitat assessments, and review
habitat improvement plans
Encouraged the teachers to join
the National Wildlife Federation
list server
Completed for each school, a
National Wildlife Federation
schoolyard habitat certification
application
Challenges:
Changed the grant workplan to
gain the support of the Edmonds
School District Science
Coordinator; schools were
required to submit applications
to be included in the program
Did not need to use the formed
Selections Committee since only
three schools applied
Did not want to have activities in
their schoolyard habitats over the
summer; planted in the fall so
weeding and watering were not
needed in the summer
Challenging to monitor each
school's progress and keep
everybody on schedule; using
email helped
Mapping the projects was
challenging and time consuming;
Native Plant Stewards volunteers
(new partnership) assisted with
the work
Products/Results:
Provided teachers with National
Wildlife Federation Schoolyard
Habitat information
Provided workshop for teachers,
parents, and students from the
three participating projects
Had the Native Plant Stewards
and schoolyard habitat wildlife
consultant spend time at each
150
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Schoolyard Habitat
Network
Successes/Strengths:
Formed school habitat teams and
submitted applications to be
included in the program
Wanted to integrate more hands-
on environmental education into
the teachers' curriculum, and
were ready to work as a team
with students and parents to
design a schoolyard habitat
Number of People Affected:
325 school administrators, teachers,
maintenance staff, parents and
students, school district staff and
community members
Shopping Smarter for
Our Home - An
Environmental
Workshop
Grant Number:
NE-98048801
Sponsor:
City of Richland
Project Coordinator:
Gail Baasch
City of Richland
P.O. Box 190
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 942-7730
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$11,000
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Youth and Adults in Richland and
Kennewick, Washington
Purpose:
To increase consumer awareness of
packaging alternatives, durable
products, bulk purchases, buying
recycled goods, and reusing grocery
bags
Goals:
Reduce, reuse, recycle, save
money, avoid packaging, and
reduce chemical use in the home
Methods:
Hold two workshops with
discussions, demonstrations, and
a video tour of a local grocery
store
Develop a logo, visual
presentation, handouts, and
surveys
Hold civic/community
presentations
Present youth/student programs
in a classroom setting
151
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Washington Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Shopping Smarter for
Our Home - An
Environmental
Workshop
Products/Results:
Had youth and adults attend
programs or workshops for eight
months
Ineluded in the workshops local
environmental facts, actual
garbage that had been buried in a
landfill for 20 years, a
"Hazardous Wastes in the
Home" segment that included
chemical awareness and toxicity,
a ground-water demonstration, a
free recipe book for making non-
toxic cleaning products, and free
canvas shopping bags for
attendees
Created a video for cable
television and a public service
announcement
Held three civic/community
presentations
Presented 10 youth/student
programs in the classroom
Challenges:
Had contradictory survey
responses by the middle school
participants; some students
thought it was not "cool" to take
a canvas shopping bag, but came
back later when their friends
were not around
Successes/Strengths:
Established a waiting list
because of the high demand for
the program
Received positive comments
from the survey; all ages enjoyed
the video
Continued program even after
the give-aways ran out because
the basic elements remained the
same
Lent to other groups the video,
overhead transparencies, and
handouts so that they will be
able to teach the program
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 945 people
Indirectly - through repeated cable
airing and word of mouth, the
program reached about 5,000
Tips From the Grantee:
Since time is valuable to people,
it is crucial to find a creative
method to convince them to
attend your program.
The reusable shopping bag was a
good reward for attending.
STLirf: The Secret Life
of Everyday Things
Grant Number:
NE-97028801
Sponsor:
911 Media Arts Center
Project Coordinator:
Mai lory Graham
911 Media Arts Center
117 Yale Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
(206)682-6552 x 18
152
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Washington
1999-2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
STUIT: The Secret Life
of Everyday Things
EPA Funding:
$22,500
FY 2002
Match Funding:
$9,500
Focus:
Waste Management
Target Audience:
High School Students
Purpose:
To explore what goes into making
and transporting of the ordinary
things we use in our daily lives
Goals:
Educate high school youth about
conservation issues in an
engaging, hands-on manner
Explore their own consumption
habits and share what they have
learned
Increase the capacity of
organizations involved to
develop a strategic model for
producing and delivering
environmental education video
projects on a county level
Reach low-income and culturally
diverse students
Methods:
Mentor students to create a ten-
minute video that takes a behind-
the-scenes look at the
production, distribution, and
consumption of everyday
household objects with
assistance from professional
media producers
Broadcast and screen the student
environmental video
Products/Results:
Created a comprehensive
curriculum on media literacy and
conservation issues
Used a thorough competitive
application process; 15 students
were selected to take part in the
intensive video training program
Created three short videos about
consumerism: "Sole of Sale,"
"Food for Thought," and "Think
Twice"
Challenges:
Extended the grant by a month
due to the ambitious nature of
the selected video projects
Had three students drop the class
due to other time commitments/
personal issues
Successes/Strengths:
Had 90 students complete
classes in media literacy,
conservation and waste
reduction, photography and dark
room film developing, and
printing
Had 15 students complete
classes in storyboarding, audio
and lighting design, video
editing, and camera operation
Reached great collaboration
between students and
professional filmmakers, sound
engineers, lighting designers,
and editors
153
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Washington Environmental Education Grant Summaries
STlirr The Secret Life
of Everyday Things
Worked with highly motivated
students on the project who
committed some of their own
time to complete it
Developed study guide to go
along with the video
Will have impact on middle and
high school students who see the
videos through school programs
and through the King County
Solid Waste Division's touring
workshop "Natural Connections
- The Material World"
Distributed nationally through
"The Video Project" distribution
organization
Number of People Affected:
15 high school students and others
who see the video
90 took classes in conservation,
waste reduction, and related subjects
Tips From the Grantee:
Build partnerships.
Find "relevancy." especially in
teaching environmental
education to a savvy and jaded
teenage population.
Tapteal Greenway
Watershed Education
Grant Number:
NE-97006501
Sponsor:
Tapteal Greenway
Project Coordinator:
Ginger Wireman, Education Director
Tapteal Greenway
P.O. Box 3007
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 946-9692
EPA Funding:
$4,995
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$4,886
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Pre-Kindergarten - Twelfth Grade
Students, Plus Child Care Workers,
Teachers, and Parents
Purpose:
To address water and habitat
education needs in Benton and
Franklin Counties in southeastern
Washington State
Goals:
Conduct field and classroom
outreach relating to watersheds
and native habitat in the Yakima
River environs within Benton
County
154
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Wn&hinflrtAn 1999-2004
~~ CI9IIIII Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Tapteal Greenway
Watershed Education
Methods:
Create interactive, formal and
informal classroom and field
experiences to teach about the
water cycle, watersheds, water
pollution and habitat
Hold hands-on workshops at day
care centers and preschools
Set up Hikes for Tykes to help
young children develop an
appreciation of nature
Products/Results:
Held successful field and
classroom outreach
Set up a water quality
monitoring program run by the
adult volunteers
Conducted secondary and
tertiary outreach through
teachers, parent chaperones, and
the media
Successes/Strengths:
Was the first community
program to support local
teachers wanting to integrate
watershed education into their
curriculum
Was the first to engage adults in
local stewardship activities or
teaching
Number of People Affected:
About 1,775 pre-kindergarten
through twelfth grade students and
195 day care workers, teachers, and
parents
Tips From the Grantee:
Contact preschools and home
day care providers. Children
benefit highly from the outreach
and caregivers are always
looking for ideas to teach and
entertain their kids.
Put registration requirements on
the back side of the publicity
flyer. Getting the names and
ages of kids ahead of time allows
you to make name tags.
Go to the day care if they cannot
come to you.
Work with libraries - children's
librarians and story times can be
a great place to spread the word
or conduct programs.
Offer to visit classrooms or
campuses so field trip dollars
will not have to be spent.
Do not forget to include
information about safety; for
instance, children should wear
close-toed shoes and hats and
bring water.
Do not forget the adult audience,
especially parents of young
children.
Ask people to volunteer.
Challenges:
Did not reach as broad an
audience as originally hoped
155
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Teacher Training Using
Biological Assessment
Grant Number:
NE-98046201
Sponsor:
Thurston Conservation District
Project Coordinator:
Kathy Jacobson
Thurston Conservation District
2400 Bristol Court Southwest, Suite
100
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 754-4253
EPA Funding:
$25,000
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$14,800
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To provide both training and support
to teachers and students to learn
about biological assessment methods
Goals
Provide education on the value
of salmon, salmon habitat, and
stream ecology
Provide training on how to use
biological assessment as an
education and action tool
Teach skills and provide
coordination with community
members to research and
develop relevant community
projects
Have students apply their
knowledge of the needs of
salmon to habitat restoration
projects
Methods:
Provide trainings for teachers
Conduct student leadership
training
Conduct actual biological
assessment monitoring
Complete action projects to
benefit salmon and streams
Products/Results
Developed and distributed
curriculum and monitoring/
teaching kits
Trained teachers
Designed and demonstrated field
practices and techniques
Completed student action
projects
Successes/Strengths:
Made science "real" for students
because it went beyond abstract
concepts and allowed students to
learn by doing and experiencing
Allowed teachers to use the
themes to teach other subjects,
such as art, geography, history,
math, and language arts
156
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Washington
1999 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Teacher Training Using
Biological Assessment
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 1,200 people, including
students, teachers, parents,
volunteers, and community members
Indirectly - more than 5,000 people
may have heard about the program
through the media
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Define the technical terms you
use.
See who is interested: find
teachers and/or community
members who are interested in
monitoring.
Train monitors on proper
techniques to obtain quality data.
Research your resources to find
out which experts, speakers, and
lab services are available.
Make your data useful by asking
other monitoring groups which
sites they need monitored.
Monitor streams and rivers that
have historically had problems
or are close to a stream
restoration effort.
Set realistic goals and
expectations and make sure
participants are aware of the time
commitments required.
DON'T:
Duplicate efforts: check with
other groups to see if and where
they are monitoring.
Hide your data. Make sure it
gets out to interested parties.
Forget the education component.
Make sure everyone knows why
the monitoring is important.
Transportation
Workshops in Olympia
Schools
Grant Number:
NE-97008401
Sponsor:
Earth Island Institute, Climate
Solutions
Project Coordinator:
Chris Hawkins, Smart Moves/
Transportation Programs Coordinator
Climate Solutions
610 4th Avenue East
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 352-1763
EPA Funding:
$12,518
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$6,250
Focus:
Transportation
Target Audience:
Parents, Teachers, Students, and
School Administrators in the
Olympia School District
Purpose:
To organize workshops to discuss
and develop school-based solutions
for transportation as an
environmental, economic, and health
concern
157
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Transportation
Workshops in Olympia
Schools
Goals:
Educate parents, students,
administrators, and teachers
about school-based solutions for
transportation
Encourage students to organize
their own projects building on
information provided
Encourage parents to support
alternative modes of
transportation and work to bring
facilities such bike lanes,
sidewalks, and bike lockers to
their children's schools
Provide teacher workshops to
focus on the broader set of issues
surrounding transportation and
engage teachers to guide the
development of classroom-ready
materials that they can test and
use in their own classrooms
Provide teachers with materials
that are needed to effectively
teach the concepts in their
classrooms
Post program's elements on the
Internet to be used as a model
for other communities wishing to
explore similar programs
Methods:
Conduct community workshops
for all grade levels
Create community based projects
Hold teacher workshops at all
grade levels
Create an advisory committee to
develop a marketing strategy for
the workshops and revise and
distribute educational materials
on school transportation issues,
global warming, and how
communities can make a
difference
Products/Results:
Had successful involvement of
more than a dozen people to the
advisory team, including parents,
teachers, students and members
of the community
Held workshops at four different
elementary schools, two middle
schools and three high schools
Completed community-based
projects, including the Capital
High School student bike locker
project and a Walk to School
Day event
Challenges:
Lack of response and interest on
the part of elementary school
parents and principals
Lack of interest for planned
workshops for teachers, so
teachers were invited to become
involved in the community
workshops
Successes/Strengths:
Received positive comments on
the materials presented
Implemented transportation
activities in 12 classrooms
Number of people affected:
Approximately 1,300 students, 63
teachers, 130 community members
158
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Washington
1099 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Transportation
Workshops in Olympia
Schools
Tips From the Grantee:
Approach schools early, often
and persistently.
Reach a variety of school
audiences: administrators,
teachers, parents, and students.
Utilize Web resources.
Collaborate to bring in other
resources, such as the city.
Turning Middle School
Students into "Real"
Marine Scientists: An
Integrated, Hands-on
Approach to Science
Education
Grant Number:
NE-98077901
Sponsor:
Salish Sea Expeditions
Project Coordinator:
Ellie Linen Low
Salish Sea Expeditions
647 Horizon View Place, NW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 780-7848
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$2,588
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Middle School Students
Purpose:
To determine the compatibility of
Salish Sea Expeditions (SSE)
programs and the Truth about
Science (TAS) curriculum by
integrating the two complementary
environmental education programs
Goals:
To unite and strengthen the two
"inquiry based" learning
programs, providing an intensive
and cohesive education
experience both in the classroom
and in the field
To reinforce critical thinking and
problem-solving skills and fulfill
both Washington State's
Essential Academic Learning
Requirements and the National
Science Education Standards
Methods:
Introduce SSE to teachers using
TAS through training sessions
via a slide presentation
Offer additional training if
interested in collaborating
Have students in Seattle middle
schools who are completing TAS
curriculum to participate in a
SSE program
Products/Results:
Trained middle school teachers
participating in the Seattle
School District TAS curriculum
in how to conduct their classes'
long-term research projects using
the SSE boat, science equipment,
and instructors
159
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Washington
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Turning Middle School
Students into "Real"
Marine Scientists: An
Integrated, Hands-on
Approach to Science
Education
Achieved a good understanding
of scientific methods
Demonstrated two parallel
methods of inquiry-based
learning for the teachers: one
that was largely classroom based
and one that was mostly field
based
Did student presentations at their
schools
Sent out information about the
project in a newsletter
Challenges:
Did not hold a program in the
fall and one in the spring; both
were held in the spring because
of the timing of the funding
notification and inability to find
teachers
Successes/Strengths:
Found that the two programs are
compatible
Achieved a solid understanding
of the scientific method and
experience by the students
designing their own research
projects through the TAS
program
Had the skills enforced and
expanded upon when the
students did the SSE programs
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 60
Indirectly - parents, colleagues of
teachers and peers of students, 1500
people on the Salish Newsletter's
mailing list, and 60 teachers who
receive information from Truth about
Science
Wake Robin Virtual
Visitation Project
Grant Number:
NE-97058801
Sponsor:
Longview School District
Project Coordinator:
Ann Cavanaugh
Executive Director, Student Learning
Support Department
Longview School District
2715 Lilac Street
Longview, WA 98632
(360) 575-7007
EPA Funding:
$9,935
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$5,000
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Students and Teachers
Purpose:
To purchase equipment and train
teachers to connect classroom
learning to the local environment
160
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Waehinotnn 1099-2004
TY aalllllglUII Environmental Education Orant Summaries
Wake Robin Virtual
Visitation Project
Goals:
Provide access to the Wake
Robin Outdoor Learning Center
for every classroom in the
district through the purchase and
installation of scientific
monitoring devices
Train teachers in using inquiry to
connect classroom lessons to real
data
Develop critical thinking and
problem solving as students
study stream conditions, plant
and animal life, and the impact
of human development on the
site over time
Connect students to the natural
world regardless of weather
conditions or field trip funding
Products/Results:
Used technology that allowed
any classroom access to the site
from anywhere at anytime
Installed a weather station
Purchased and installed a camera
Posted data to the Web site
Collected, monitored, and
analyzed the data after school to
make sure systems were
workable
Visited the site and used
equipment as part of the
experience
Completed preparations for
offering a two-period advanced
Environmental Science class
Planned an Inquiry Institute for
administrators and teachers
Used site during the summer
Challenges:
Had difficulties in getting the
right technology
Had formal teacher training
occur at a slower pace because
of other priorities
Successes/Strengths:
Allows any classroom individual
to virtually access an 82-acre
watershed area in Southwest
Washington at any time
Generated data and information
became essential components of
meaningful learning through
inquiry and investigation
Included students in every aspect
of the project
Number of People Affected:
More than 1,000, including students,
teachers, principals, parents, and
school board members
Tips From the Grantee:
DO:
Careful research for any
technology that is planned to be
used.
Methods:
Train project staff to emphasize
inquiry, analysis, and problem
solving strategies
Help project staff use the
strategies in their classrooms
Conduct a workshop for all
district science and math
teachers
Encourage project staff to share
experiences and lesson plans
from the pilot phase
161
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Wake Robin Virtual
Visitation Project
Choose the right people -
empower teacher leaders to
implement the project.
Use partnerships.
Keep the school board informed,
engaged and wanting more.
Be sensitive to system stresses -
use existing requirements to
promote training and use.
Link to research and essential
academic requirements - answer
the "why.'"
Be true to the integrity of the
project - do it right, do it well,
and do it to institutionalize and
sustain.
Use students to develop and
improve the project, pilot, and
material.
Have a central office champion
to navigate and support through
district systems and to identify
linkages and additional
resources.
DON'T:
Push through activities just to
meet deadlines.
Washington State
University Spokane
CityLab After-School
Environmental Science
Camps
Grant Number:
NE-98046101
Sponsor:
Washington State University
Project Coordinator:
Dr. Sylvia Adams Oliver
Washington State University
601 W. First Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 358-7635
EPA Funding:
$6,238
FY 1999
Match Funding:
$5,262
Focus:
General Environmental Education
Target Audience:
Middle School Students and
Teachers
Purpose:
To provide students and teachers at
Shaw and Glover Middle Schools in
Spokane with the technology and
resources required for hands-on
experience in science
Goals:
Increase student access to
science and math academic-
enrichment activities leading to a
better understanding of
environmental health issues
within their communities
Provide inquiry-based
environmental instructional
materials to be disseminated for
use in other after school science
camps and regular classrooms
162
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Wnchinofnn 19992004
~~ Clollll I^IUI I Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Washington State
University Spokane
CityLab After-School
Environmental Science
Camps
Train teachers in inquiry and
problem-solving instructional
strategies to facilitate
incorporation of the
environmental instructional
materials into science class
curriculum
Methods:
Coordinate a one-day intensive
training workshop for teachers to
receive instruction
Hold six-week after school
science camps
Disseminate findings by students
to community members through
posters, letters, and local media
coverage
Products/Results:
Created a totally interactive
curriculum where students and
teachers used inquiry methods to
learn about environmental issues
Had students participating in the
science camps keep data
notebooks, produce posters, and
give presentations to family and
friends
Used real scientific equipment to
learn about water and soil
quality and the effects of lead on
people and the environment
Learned instructional strategies
for teaching environmental
studies in their classrooms
Challenges:
Recruiting students for the
environmental camps and for
most of the after school science
camps was difficult
Had only eight students start out
the first camp and ended up with
four
Discovered that there was a mix-
up in communications about the
program purposes; students had
been referred for academic
remediation and they lacked
some of the skills needed to fully
participate in the camp
Successes/Strengths:
Held family night at the end of
the camps
Were a big success and allowed
students to demonstrate different
labs they worked on and present
posters prepared for presentation
to the public
Had students indicate they
enjoyed the camps
Held successful teacher-training
workshop
Received comments from
teachers that they especially
appreciated working on an
environmental theme, and the
materials and laboratory methods
could be used in their classrooms
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 12 students and 40
teachers
Indirectly - the teachers will impact
thousands of students in the future
163
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Washington
1099 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Washington's Wacky
Wildlife Web Quest
Grant Number:
NE-82853401
Sponsor:
State of Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife
Project Coordinator:
Michelle Tirhi
State of Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North
Olympia, WA 98501-1091
(360) 902-2200
EPA Funding:
$29,500
FY 2000
Match Funding:
$13,040
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
Students
Purpose:
To educate students about
Washington's diverse wildlife and
potential impacts of humans on
wildlife habitat (the environment)
Goals:
Foster students who are more
informed and have critical
thinking skills necessary to make
better environmental decisions as
adults
Produce individuals who are
more knowledgeable of the
wildlife and wild lands in
Washington and understand
human interactions with the
environment
Methods:
Develop an interactive, animated
educational game to be accessed
through the Internet
Products/Results:
Created a total of 470 Web pages
for the game
Received input from volunteers,
Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife employees, and the
project lead
Made the game fully functional
on the Web at http://
wdfw.wa.gov/quiz (instructions -
http ://\\ '(Ifw.wa.go v/q u i z/
help.html)
Prepared a flyer to promote the
Web game
Distributed promotional items
such as sports bottles, buttons,
key chains and mouse pads
Challenges:
Encountered some graphical or
functional errors that had to be
corrected
Was delayed in posting the Web
game to the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Web server
164
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Washington's Wacky
Wildlife Web Quest
Number of People Affected:
Indirectly - undetermined number of
students and teachers accessing the
game on the Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife web server
Wenatchee School
District rirst Grade
Science Field
Experience
Grant Number:
NE-97978701
Sponsor:
Wenatchee School District
Project Coordinator:
Dr. Jeanine Butler
Wenatchee School District
235 Sunset Avenue
Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 663-8161
EPA Funding:
$10,146
FY 2004
Match Funding:
$34,566
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
First Grade Teachers and Students in
the Wenatchee School District
Purpose:
To develop and produce curriculum
for integrated classroom lessons and
field activities, to provide teacher
training to use the curriculum, and to
purchase supplies needed
Goals:
Use existing environmental
education curriculum to develop
a region-specific science field
experience for all district first
grade students
Address the need to conserve
and protect remaining shrub-
steppe habitat in eastern
Washington
Provide in-service training to
first grade teachers to increase
both their knowledge of botany
and curriculum instruction skills,
through the use of examples
from local shrub-steppe native
plant communities
Provide instruction to first grade
students using district botany
curriculum, supported with a
field experience
Methods:
Create the district-wide first
grade science field experience as
a permanent curriculum
component
Produce and/or purchase
audiovisual materials
Conduct all-day training for the
teachers
Provide a two-month botany unit
of classroom pre-work and field
experience at a shrub-steppe
preserve
165
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Wenatchee School
District First Grade
Science Field
Experience
Products/Results:
Researched and developed
classroom lessons and
supplemental audiovisuals for
classroom, library, and music
teachers
Held all-day training lor the
teachers that included adult-level
learning about shrub-steppe
botany and an introduction to the
new lessons and materials
Learned, before going on the
student field experience, about
common native plants in the
shrub-steppe eco-region through
a series of classroom lessons
linked to the "New Plants"
botany used district-wide in first
grade
Researched and developed field
lessons, coordinated with
partners, arranged transportation,
scheduled, and implemented the
three-day experience
Led students from nine schools
on a 4 Vi hour Shrub Steppe Hill
Hike
Challenges:
Will create a 'rainouf plan
Successes/Strengths:
Embraced a vision to connect
classroom science curriculum to
the local landscape of the
watershed and cultural
community
Built an interdisciplinary,
science field experience
curriculum, using visual art,
music, reading, and writing to
teach science concepts
166
Taught complementary lessons
as part of the pre-work with the
library and music specialists
Received excellent evaluations
from the teachers
Wrote an article that was
published in the winter/spring
"Clearing" online journal,
sharing the K-5"' grade case
history and concept of Science
Field Experiences - http://
www.clearingmagazine.org/
home.html
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 625 L' grade students
from seven public schools and two
private schools
26 classroom teachers
7 library specialists
7 music specialists
2 Science Resource Center staff
1 Project Director, Assistant
Superintendent
9 principals
16 office staff
24 nurses, truck drivers, substitute
teachers, and bus drivers
12 community or private school
volunteers
60 classroom volunteers
10 high school student helper
volunteers
34 Wenatchee Valley College
students and teachers
3 partner organization staff
Indirectly - 20,000 subscribers of the
Wenatchee World newspaper
20 Wenatchee School District
administration and school board
members
15 neighborhood families who live
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Washington
1999 -20O4
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
Wenatchee School
District First Grade
Science Field
Experience
near the field experience site
150 attendees of the Chelan-Douglas
Land Trust Spring Social -
presentation given
400 members of the Chelan-Douglas
Land Trust who received the April
newsletter
WILD WISE
Grant Number:
NE-97061701
Sponsor:
Woodland Park Zoo
Project Coordinator:
David Hill
Woodland Park Zoo
601 North 59"' Street
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 233-2671
EPA Funding:
$10,000
FY 2003
Match Funding:
$3,334
Focus:
Ecosystem/Habitat
Target Audience:
4"'-7lh Grade Teachers and Students
Purpose:
To support WILD WISE Program for
middle school students
Goals:
Teach and inspire middle school
students and others about
Washington's native wildlife and
habitats
Provide middle school students
with the skills needed to
transform their observation into
data
Expand students' exposure to,
and interest in, potential wildlife
career choices
Facilitate involvement of
students and teachers in field
studies
Methods:
Provide teachers with a
comprehensive WILD WISE
curriculum packet on
Washington's wildlife heritage
Present programs to students and
adults across Washington State
Distribute programs at venues
such as festivals, community
centers, and nursing homes
Provide maps and descriptions
for local natural areas
customized for each school
visited
Conduct teacher trainings at
workshops and conferences
167
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Washington
1999 - 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
WILD WISE Products/Results:
Gave 250 presentations in 21
Washington State counties by
WILD WISE educators
Reached 93 schools and 24
community groups
Presented at three teacher
workshops and one conference
Led 18 field experiences in a
variety of natural areas
Challenges:
Presented fewer teacher
workshop than planned
Reaching Tribes was more
difficult than planned; lime was
needed to build relationships
Successes/Strengths:
Reached children who cannot
come to the zoo; reached schools
in all 39 Washington State
counties every two years
Reached underserved students
by offering discounted fees for
the program
Had a zoo outreach program that
does not use live animals
Focusing on native species and
inspiring action is a unique
approach for a zoo outreach
program
Reached one Native American
tribal school, one "All-Tribes"
group, and coordinated with one
Tribe that has no tribal school
Reached children through day
camps and other groups that
serve youth
Believed WILD WISE
presentation fosters a connection
between students and the natural
world around them
Agreed that the presentation
enhances students'
understanding of Washington
wildlife, habitats, field
observation skills, and
conservation practices
Agreed that WILD WISE lessons
in the free teacher curriculum
packet helped them integrate the
teaching of several subjects such
as writing, art, science, and
geography
Number of People Affected:
Indirectly - 11,148 students,
teachers, and community members
Youth Agricultural
Conservation Training
Project
Grant Number:
NE-97006401
Sponsor:
Sound Farmers Education
Foundation
Project Coordinator:
Joy Garitone
Sound Farmers Education
Foundation
Kitsap Conservation District
817 Sidney Avenue
Port Orchard, WA 98366
(360) 337-7171, ext. 1
168
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Washington
Youth Agricultural
Conservation Training
Project
1999- 2004
Environmental Education Grant Summaries
EPA Funding:
$15,800
FY 2001
Match Funding:
$12,240
Focus:
Agriculture
Target Audience:
Future Farmers of America and 4-H
Youth
Purpose:
To increase public awareness and
knowledge of pollution from small
scale agriculture
Goals:
Educate youth working on
livestock projects about non-
point pollution coming from
agriculture
Learn about Best Management
Practices and natural resource
protection for use on youth's
own family farms
Methods:
Hold classes
Conduct demonstrations
Take youth on field trips
Hold regional training days
Products/Results:
Developed a Resource
Conservation Plan for the South
Kitsap High School FAA school
farm
Conducted a tour of farms and
creeks
Held a Mega Monday 4-H event
to train youth
Developed a mailing list of
participants and interested
individuals
Held training seminar for youth
and parents participating in 4-H
projects
Challenges:
Had disappointing turnout in
trying to develop a youth
advisory committee due to lack
of time and interest
Successes/Strengths:
Having students trained brought
information home to family
farms
Received feedback that the
"Mega Monday" 4-H event and
the "Ag in the Classroom"
events were well received
Have seen the benefit from the
ag-science training days which
has resulted in students having
first hand experience in
correcting known water quality
issues on the FFA school farm
Have begun work on a plan to
fund a school farm Best
Management Practices program
Number of People Affected:
Directly - 646
Indirectly - 6,750
169
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