EPA's Environmental Education Grants Boost Community Science and Stewardship in Alaska and Washington
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the selection of four Northwest organizations to receive over $388,000 for environmental education programs in Alaska and Washington. Nationwide, 33 organizations will receive over $3 million in funding for projects under the Environmental Education Grants Program.
“Our communities are facing unprecedented environmental challenges that demand bold and innovative solutions along with a commitment to creating a future with clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet for all,” said Casey Sixkiller, Regional Administrator of EPA’s Region 10 office in Seattle. “When we engage and equip students, teachers and local partners with the knowledge and tools to raise awareness and advance environmental education, we can meet those challenges head on.”
This year’s environmental education programs and projects in the Pacific Northwest are:
Environmental Education and Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Alaska Indigenous Communities – Kenai Watershed Forum
- Fostering interconnectivity between formal environmental education curriculum and traditional knowledge of Alaskan indigenous communities by working with underserved communities to infuse traditional application into a culturally sustaining and place-based curriculum.
Salmon Heroes to Schoolyard Heroes – Environmental Science Center
- Using salmon as a local phenomenon to educate approximately 2,400 eighth-grade students from Title I schools on critical watershed issues through lessons designed to increase student understanding of habitat and water quality needs, think critically and brainstorm local stormwater pollution solutions, and take action to physically improve their schoolyard habitats.
Training Environmental Educators and Volunteers – Washington State University
- Building an environmental education pathway from volunteer naturalists to community youth through a two-year online water centered Naturalist Certificate Program with participants and project partners sharing field-based teaching to 2,000 underserved youth including low income, rural, and tribal communities in Washington State.
Students for Salmon Program – Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association
- Engaging fourth graders in a local watershed science field program in rural and tribal communities to understand and protect salmon stream habitat, recognizing the role of partnerships in healthy watersheds while building strong stewardship ethics, and partnering with college students to operate freshwater salmon rearing tanks in classrooms to raise and release baby salmon into tribal waterways.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.5 million in EE grant funding each year, for a total of over $91.3 million supporting more than 3,922 projects. The program traditionally provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, or share environmental education practices or methods. For more information, visit EPA’s Environmental Education webpage.
To learn more about current and past award winners, or to apply for future EE grant competitions, visit the Environmental Education Grants webpage. This page is updated as future competitions are announced and additional grants are awarded.