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Texas Groups Win EPA Grants for Environmental Education Projects

Release Date: 6/30/1999
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      Six Texas groups will receive Environmental Education Grants totaling nearly $54,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This year's winners include several programs to train teachers and others who volunteer to teach in community settings.

      "The creativity, enthusiasm and commitment of volunteers will help ensure that our environment is protected for future generations. It is especially important to give our classroom teachers the tools they need to educate today's youth about environmental issues. These projects are powerful examples of what can be accomplished when concerned individuals work together to improve their neighborhoods and communities," Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.

      The South Texas Youth Ranch in Pharr will receive $4,978 for its Nature Trail and Native Plant Identification Project. The ranch is a residential facility for at-risk adolescents. The quarter-mile nature trail will provide hands-on instruction to the residents in native plant identification and maintenance while instilling appreciation for our environment. When the trail is developed, students will give instructional tours to visitors.

      The Council for Environmental Education in Houston will receive $21,400 for Project WILD which provides Spanish language versions of educational materials and activities. Environmental education workshops target teachers as well as other educators and community volunteers who work in Hispanic communities. Additionally, facilitators are identified and trained so the program can be replicated throughout the Texas-Mexico border area, multiplying its impact.

      Stephen F. Austin State University will use its $4996 grant to present week-long inservice training in investigating and analyzing environmental issues to middle school teachers. Within a year of completing the workshop, teachers or their students will develop and present a public program based on the workshop. These presentations will allow communities across the state to benefit from the workshop.

      The Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth will receive $7,600 for its project to train teachers in using habitats to teach about our environment. In partnership with the Texas Society for Ecological Restoration, the institute conducts three-part workshops on designing, constructing and maintaining schoolyard habitats.

      The National Wildlife Federation in Austin will receive $9,724 for its Tracks to Wetlands teacher training project. This is one of a variety of training opportunities in environmental subjects the federation offers to teachers. This project shows teachers how to use wetlands as a living laboratory for instruction. Many of the materials used are available in Spanish.

      The Leaf Alliance in Pineland will use its $4,998 grant to construct three Discovering Watersheds Trunk Kits. The unique activity-based kit is designed to teach students how their personal decisions affect their health and the health of their neighborhoods by focusing on protecting watersheds. Through the hands-on activities in the kits children explore the importance of watersheds, environmental threats and potential solutions. Middle school teachers will be able to check out the kits to use for both indoor and outdoor lessons.

      This year Region 6 received nearly 75 entries from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Fifteen groups were selected to receive nearly $150,000 in Environmental Education grants.

      Since 1992, EPA has received between $2 and $3 million in grant funding per year and  has awarded about 1,700 grants nationwide. More information about Environmental Education Grants and information on applying for grants to be awarded in 2000 is available on EPA's web site at https://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html or by calling the Region 6 coordinator at (214) 665-2204 or at 1-800-887-6063.