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2008 Environmental Education Grants:
The Environmental Education Committee of the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals is pleased to announce that 10 Environmental Education Grants were awarded at the annual meeting on Dec. 3, 2008. The Environmental Education Grant recipients and a brief description of the funded projects are listed below.

Ann Arbor Open School’s project is entitled “A World in Our Backyard.” This project will teach 54 third and fourth graders about wetlands, drinking water, and the importance of water. It is hoped that students will have a greater sense of the importance of water and the need to protect water resources. The students will spend two days at Camp Cedar Lake focusing on environmental education and activities focused on wetlands. The MAEP grant will support students in need, a wetlands expert, and materials for wetland activities.

Bach Elementary School’s project is “Making GREEN a Part of Every Child’s Education: Promoting Local and Global Environmental Stewardship.” Bach School is a “Michigan Green School,” and has demonstrated efforts to incorporate teaching about our “Carbon Footprint.” The MAEP funded project includes a two pronged project that will expand the school’s effort at teaching “green” values and practices to the students and the community. The local component includes an exploration of food sources, school-wide composting, rain water collection, and presentations. The global component involves building global connections in New Zealand and continuing connections with the ANDRILL team in Antarctica.

Clinton River Watershed Council’s project is the Adopt a Stream Program. The MAEP grant will increase the Adopt a Stream Sites to 35 by adding two new sites. There will be increased citizen involvement by recruiting, training, and mentoring community volunteers to monitor these sites.

Friends of the Rouge are going to use the MAEP grant to develop a “Native Habitat Seminar and Garden Tour” in the Rouge Watershed. Friends of the Rouge will coordinate two public education events focused on teaching watershed residents low cost stewardship practices using native plants to improve wildlife habitat and improve water quality in the Rouge River.

The Greening of Detroit project is “Teach Green – Teacher Training Program.” This program provides Detroit Public School teachers, administrators, and non-traditional educators with resources, guidance, training, and materials to foster increase students’ environmental awareness and encourage environmentally responsible practices. The MAEP grant will help support the Teach Green Workshops.

The Huron River Watershed Council MAEP grant will be used for the 2009 Millers Creek Film Festival, a film contest about the human connection to creeks and lakes for residents in the Huron River Watershed. MAEP funds will support the education and outreach to potential film-makers, solicit film-making, classroom presentations, prizes and facility rental. The qualifying films will be shown at a Film Festival on March 13, 2009.

Macomb MSU Extension’s project is Water Education through the Great Lakes Education and Water Conservation Programs. The water quality program provides participants with education about local water resources and the impact humans have on water quality. Participants will have hands on activities to learn about water resources.

The Michigan Loon Preservation Association will use the MAEP grant to purchase a high quality visual display , updated brochures, and travel expenses to take the display to conferences, workshops, and other environmental events. The Michigan Loon Preservation Association’s mission is to “conserve and enhance the Common Loon population through research, habitat protection and restoration, species protection, and public awareness and involvement.” The visual display will be featured at numerous K-12 schools, community organizations, festivals and other supporters of bird conservation.

The River Raisin Institute’s mission is to “promote transformational learning and sustainable community for the 21st century and beyond.” The project supported by the MAEP grant is “Greening Future Workers for Southeastern Michigan.” This project consists of developing green employment curriculum using resources from area high school teachers and local businesses, developing two Green Job Fairs, and providing scholarships for eligible students to attend the Green Advantage Certification Training.

The Roeper School’s project is the Roeper Rouge River Protection Project. The project will provide hands-on demonstration of rainwater retention and distribution, reduction in the use of treated public water and the use of raingardens and native plants to protect the river and filter pollutants. Students from all grade levels will be involved in the design, installation, monitoring, and maintenance of these systems.