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Maine group selected for $12,330 EPA Environmental Education Grant

Release Date: 08/26/2008
Contact Information: Kristen Conroy, (617) 918-1069

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 26, 2008) – An environmental organization in Augusta, Maine was recently awarded a $12,330 environmental education grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed, which received $12,339, will use the money for a program to educate students in 4th to 6th grade in the Cobbossee Watershed in Central Maine on watershed issues. The focus of the program will be runoff, or non-point source pollution, caused mainly be eroding soils, and the threat of invasive aquatic plants to the ecological and economic stability of the watershed.

These grants were among nine environmental education grants totaling $189,000 chosen this year by EPA’s New England office from among 65 applicants. These grants fund projects that focus on improving teaching skills for educators, typically through workshops; educating teachers, students or the public about the environment and potential health problems stemming from environmental pollution; helping states or communities to develop and deliver environmental education programs; or promoting environmental careers among students.

“Education plays a central role in protecting our environment,” said Robert Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England Office. “Students who learn more about their environment know better what is needed to address the challenges of creating a clean and healthy environment.”

More Information is available fromEPA Environmental Education resources in New England (http://epa.gov/region1/education/index.html)