Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded to Organizations in Arkansas
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
University of Arkansas for Medical Science $215,295
Alicia Ferguson, 4301 West Marham St., Slot 820, Little Rock, AR 72205
Partnering with AR STEM Centers for EE
This project addresses the key topics of pest management practices and chemical use reduction to promote a healthier home and a reduction in adverse health outcomes. A new model focuses on creating shared meaning through the use of liberating structures (i.e., formats for engagement) that will improve the odds of success of environmental outcomes. The project is designed to impact and be used as a model for other environmental education (EE) opportunities, utilizing STEM centers nationwide. This project includes teacher training; curriculum for the classroom; student training; and parent workshops. In addition, a newly developed interactive website reaches additional parents, community members, and STEM centers across the nation. The project audience includes 160 science middle school teachers, 400 students and 350 parents. All materials in the project are translated into Spanish.
County of Washington $17,385
Robyn Reed, 280 N. College, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Unraveling the Trash Cycle
This program educates kindergarten through grade 12 teachers at rural Washington County schools on solid waste issues in the community so that they can ultimately deliver this knowledge to their students. School faculty gain knowledge about the benefits of recycling and composting, the hazards of illegal dumping and burning, the requirements for properly maintaining and operating a local landfill, how to recycle in their school and community, and how to incorporate this knowledge into classroom lessons. Teachers obtain this knowledge through a field trip to several facilities such as a recycling facility, a transfer site, a composting site, a household hazardous waste and electronics collection facility, and the local landfill. This project creates a foundation for environmental education and teaching skills and fulfills 9 hours of Arkansas's annual required 60 hour professional development. Unraveling the Trash Cycle is strengthened by partnerships with the City of Fayetteville Solid Waste Division, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Waste Management Eco-Vista Landfill, and the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District.
Sebastian County Conservation District $49,436
Melissa Johnson, 3913 Brooken Hill Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72908
Planting Seeds for the Future
Under this grant, teachers and Conservation Employees are provided Conservation Education Program (CEP) training, which helps to ensure that children form responsible environmental habits at an early age. The CEP is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Education for professional development hours in science, Arkansas history, technology, and parental involvement. The correlation of the CEP to professional development hours and Arkansas educational standards provides educators with the skills and tools to integrate environmental education into their daily lesson plans. The CEP is provided in workshops to educators in kindergarten through grade 8 with follow-up classroom support as the educators implement the training program, reaching students in the first year of the program. The Sebastian County Conservation District (SCCD) has partnered with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, and Arkansas River Valley Economic Development Council to implement the CEP.
Benton County Regional Solid Waste Management District $12,837
Serina Wilkins, 5702 Brookside Road, Bentonville, AR 72712
Mobile Environmental Learning Center
The Mobile Environmental Learning Center is an interactive trailer where students in grades kindergarten through 6 learn about the importance of recycling and environmental stewardship. Teachers from local Benton County elementary schools are instructed on how to use the center and guide their students through it so they can learn about protecting the environment. Students learn the importance of conservation and recycling. The learning center includes several interactive displays that educate the children on the importance of the environment.
University of Arkansas $20,763
Lynne Hehr, 12 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701
WATERS: Wonder About Teaching Environmentally Relevant Science
Under this grant, Arkansas environmental science educators participate in a summer environmental education institute through the University of Arkansas Center for Math and Science Education. The workshops take place on campus and at the stream site located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. During the week-long institute, teachers spend the first part of the week learning to incorporate the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of stream quality into hands-on and minds-on activities suitable for the classroom. The remainder of the week involves an inquiry-based field trip where streamside sampling, on-site analysis, and discussions about outdoor classroom management are experienced.
University of Arkansas Board of Trustees (AR UABT) $27,550
Lynne Hehr, 120 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201
Waste Not, Want Not
This program targets Arkansas environmental science educators, particularly those working with middle and high school science teachers, and trains them in an integrated approach to environmental science teaching. This approach, designed for middle and secondary grade level students, consists of hands-on activities and decision-making scenarios that allow teachers, students, and the public to work through problems that clearly relate to solid and electronic waste (E-waste) issues in Arkansas. The project takes place on the University of Arkansas campus and specifically addresses state-wide E-waste issues through regional problems and concerns as examples. The Waste Not, Want Not institute combines 1 day of regional and state-wide concerns in both lecture presentation and hands-on session format; 2 days of field trips to area waste management sites, recycling centers, and geologic areas pertinent to waste disposal issues in the area; and 1 day of potential answers and solutions to state-wide concerns.
Central Arkansas Planning and Development District $5,000
Carol Bevis, 115 Jefferson Street, Lonoke, AR 72086
Greta Green Environmental Education Program
As part of this program, the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District is providing interactive presentations and workshops for over 52,000 students, teachers, and community groups to educate them about recycling, composting, proper disposal of household chemicals, and the adverse effects of littering. The presentations are designed to provide both children and adults with information on community environmental issues, health issues, and teacher training and can easily be used as models. The central focus of the workshops is "Greta Green," a character representing recycling who is used to explain the importance of developing good environmental habits. Teachers take the lessons learned from the presentations and incorporate them into regular classroom curricula. Posters, textbooks, and related materials are given to the teachers for use in their classrooms. In addition, the District helps the teachers' schools to implement school-based recycling programs.
Central Arkansas Planning and Development District $7,544
Leigh Ann Covington, 115 Jefferson Street, P. O. Box 300, Lonoke, AR 72086
Environmental Education Program for Floodplain Management
Under this program, the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District is conducting environmental education workshops for local floodplain managers. Areas covered by the workshop include floodplain-related education, proper floodplain management, and possible mitigation projects for housing located within floodplains. In addition, floodplain education projects are being scheduled for public schools in six counties, and floodplain management presentations are being delivered to civic clubs in the six-county area. Low-income, minority communities are a major focus of the program, as these communities are at the greatest risk of living in housing in flood-prone areas. School-age children are provided with interactive computer programs that use flooding scenario models.
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service $20,000
Burnett Kessner, 2301 S. University Avenue, Pulaski, AR 72203
Nature Mapping Project for Home-Schooled Youth
In this project, home-schooled young people participate in an intensive, 12-week winter session to learn about Nature Mapping, a data collection and monitoring program that they can use to keep track of natural events by mapping what they observe. The goals of the project are to meet the science education and life skill development needs of home-schooled youth. The session incorporates experiential, science-based activities that correspond with the state science curriculum framework, which consists of physical systems, life science systems, earth and space systems, and 4-H life skill-based experiential activities.
University of Arkansas $20,109
Lynne Hehr, 120 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Waste Not, Want Not - Environmental Issues of Waste Disposal
This pilot project engages 25 regional science teachers in Arkansas in an initial 5-day workshop that focuses on issues associated with toxic and nontoxic waste disposal and provides 15 hours of follow-up mentoring. The instruction and information received during this project allow the teachers to have a potential environmental education impact on 3,000 to 3,750 students each year. The workshop includes lectures; hands-on sessions; visits to the University of Arkansas campus; and field trips to Waste Management Tontitown Landfill, a sinking creek in the Savoy Watershed, a recycling facility, and a wastewater treatment plant.
Community Development Partnership $4,900
Judith Selle, 417 Fall Drive, Eureka Springs, AR 72632
Watershed Education Project
The Community Development Partnership is conducting a community-wide education project about the Lake Leatherwood watershed. This project informs Western Carroll County residents about the impact of pollution on the watershed, how topography affects water pollution, and what strategies are being implemented to clean up the watershed and the 66 springs in the Eureka Springs area. The project is delivered through the production and airing of public service announcements and a community-wide education program that invites local and state experts to present workshops to the public. Workshops are taped and aired on the local cable station and shown to other interested communities. Project partners include the Eureka Springs Parks Commission, the Eureka Springs Public Works Department, the National Water Center, and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
Conway Public Schools $4,650
Debbie Plopper, 2220 Prince Street, Conway, AR 72032
Portable Interchangeable Environmental Education Units
This project helps area students and community members learn to be more conscientious of their choices when purchasing items and disposing of waste. This project raises awareness of the positive impacts of these choices, such as extending the life of the landfill and increasing recycling participation in the community and schools. The project consists of four portable interchangeable environmental education units that are designed for hands-on-learning and display at information booths, health fairs, leadership organizations and scout groups. Partners include the City of Conway and The Faulkner County Natural Resource Conservation District, with input from education specialists at the University of Central Arkansas.
Sebastian County Conservation District $18,400
Melissa Johnson, 3913 Brooken Hill Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72908
Conservation on the Move
This project is changing the way students and teachers think about the environment by implementing a conservation education program. This program consists of hands-on methods for teaching scientific technology, critical-thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. As teachers and students are educated about conservation of natural resources, they create a life-long awareness and knowledge to be passed on to the next generation. The program is presented through a 2-day workshop that includes instructional materials and guidance for each module. Sebastian County Conservation District’s specialists visit educators monthly and as needed to provide assistance. Teachers who attend the workshop integrate the program into their classrooms. Partners include University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, and Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
Hot Springs School System $4,980
Richmond Edwards, 140 North Border Terrace, Hot Springs, AR 71901
Hot Springs Environmental Project
Students and educators participate in outdoor field experiences and activities to learn scientific methods of investigation of the various ecological habitats and environmental conditions of the Ouachita Mountains and its streams, vegetation, and air quality. Through analysis of potable water, soil, and vegetation, students make real-life observations upon which they can base predictions about future environmental conditions. The students in turn educate others in their community about the life-long habits of human populations and the effects of such behaviors on the environment.
Newton County Resource Council $4,000
Babs DeChant, P. O. Box 513, Jasper, AR 72641
Ozark Discoveries for Educators
Newton County is conducting two environmental education workshops for 50 educators at the sixth- through eighth-grade levels in 21 school districts. Partnering agencies select a variety of activities that focus on the natural surroundings of the Ozark Plateau and correlate with the Arkansas Department of Education’s Learning Standards and the Guidelines for Excellence curriculum guides as developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The activities come from Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Underground. Each workshop provides educators with tutorial assistance in choosing activities and demonstrating how they apply to classroom curriculum.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff $5,000
John Meister, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, AR 71611
Soils - The First Line of Environmental Protection
Citizens living in a predominately rural and economically depressed area of delta Arkansas are involved in an instructional module on soil types and the importance of soil types in preventing environmental contamination. The module includes several models that provide hands-on activities that are age- and culturally appropriate, along with thought-provoking questions. The models demonstrate how water moves through watersheds and the soil before it reaches groundwater. The effects on water quality of various soil types and decisions about land use are depicted visually.
White River Planning & Development District $4,950
Van Thomas, 1652 White Drive, Batesville, AR 72503
Solid Waste and Recycling
White River Planning & Development District informs and educates primary and secondary school administrators, teachers, and students about the health aspects of improper waste disposal. The district also implements school-based recycling programs in a rural, 10-county area of north-central Arkansas that encompasses 47 school districts. Under the project, workshops for teachers, needs assessments for individual schools, presentations, and technical assistance are provided to ensure that participants develop an understanding of the effects of personal habits on solid waste disposal.
Arkansas 4-H Foundation $18,325
Lucy Moreland, #1 Four-H Way, Little Rock, AR 72223
4-H Responsible Environmental Stewardship Quest
At-risk teens attend three camps, each of three days' duration, to receive instruction in environmental concepts. The objective of the camps is to provide 9- to 16-year-olds with experiences in water, wildlife, forestry, and environmental ethics. After they attend the camps, the teens are monitored through a partnership with the local police department ranger program for followup evaluation. The camps provide the teens a sense of ownership of and pride in their environment.
Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc. $5,000
Leigh Ann Covington, P. O. Box 300, 115 Jefferson Street, Lonoke, AR 72086
Hazards of Pollution Model
The Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District is expanding its existing environmental education programs to include visual elements to accompany their popular Hazards of Pollution program. The focus of the program is on students in kindergarten through grade seven. Students interact with such personalities as Trash Ella to learn the consequences of their solid waste habits and ways to make improvements.
Calico Rock Public Schools $12,000
Claudia Trahan, P. O. Box 220, Calico Rock, AR 72519
Outdoors at Calico Rock
The project creates a systematic, ongoing environmental program that exposes the audience to various environmental topics and hands-on activities through a work station for instruction, hands-on learning exercises, a pond and wetland area, a vegetable garden, a weather station, a nature trail, a traveling library, and an on-line communication system that connects students and teachers with partners and other schools that are involved in similar projects. Each grade level conducts a portion of the overall project, and upperclassmen serve as mentors to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The project encourages students to consider careers as meteorologists, landscape artists, agricultural economists, agronomists, foresters, fish and game experts, or specialists in environmental technology.
Lakeside School District $21,500
Sharon Tackett, 2871 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901
Habitat-Based Learning Project
The project establishes environmental research opportunities to provide at-risk students with learning activities that incorporate career-related skills into their curriculum to encourage the students to choose environmental careers. Teachers and partners in the project are trained in workshops held during the summer. The target audience is 625 students in the 10th through 12th grades who are enrolled in various science and mathematics classes. The objective of the project is to illustrate the relevance of the scientific and mathematical concepts students are learning in school to the environment and the working world.
Arkansas Human Development Corporation $9,580
Clevon Young, 300 South Spring Street, Suite 800, Little Rock, AR 72201
Farm Worker Environmental Education Program
Exposure of farm workers to pesticides is a serious problem among the rural populations of Arkansas. The project educates service providers, farmers and growers, and migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families through mini-fairs, public forums, and personal visits to provide hands-on demonstrations of the ways in which migrant workers and their families can become exposed.
Arkansas State University $4,560
Brent Wurfel, 213 E. 6th Street, Mountain Home, AR 72653
Demonstrating Small-Scale Chemistry
Workshops and conferences for high school and college chemistry instructors in Arkansas demonstrate the use of small-scale chemistry. Small-scale chemistry is a proven technique that reduces the costs of chemistry instruction by using small amounts of chemicals. Use of the technique reduces the cost of chemicals, reduces the amount of waste generated, and makes laboratories safer. Small-scale chemistry provides a new way to teach creative problem solving, the processes of invention and discovery, analytical thinking, and the elements of descriptive chemistry.
Cabot Public Schools $5,000
Bill Holden, 404 North Second, Cabot, AR 72023
Cabot Schools Environmental Education Teacher Workshops
In partnership with the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District, the Cabot Public Schools provide refresher workshops for teachers and students. The workshops reacquaint them with and update their information about issues related to air and water pollution, household hazardous waste, pollution prevention, composting, and recycle-reuse-reduce programs.
Central Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District $5,000
Leigh Ann Covington, P. O. Box 300, Lonoke, AR 72086
HOP (Hazards of Pollution) Portable Model
Teacher workshops and interactive classroom projects demonstrate the hazards of improper disposal of wastes and open burning, as well as the benefits of composting, recycling, and other environmental issues through a working 3-D Hazards of Pollution model. The model is intended for use in grades 3 through 7.
Four-County (NW) Regional Solid Waste Management District $4,991
Doli Brown, 2 N. College Avenue, Suite 302, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Open Burning Tool Kit
Open trash burning is a major environmental problem in the four-county area served by this project. This project is intended to reach students, businesses, and residents of both rural and urban areas. It uses workshops conducted in both English and Spanish for educators; seminars for residents; videotapes aired on cable television; and the Open Burning Tool Kit, which is distributed to classrooms. The lessons address the need to break the cycle of burning trash and seek to build understanding of the relationship between human actions and adverse effects on human health and the environment. Because a variety of delivery methods are used, the program is expected to reach its various audiences effectively.
Jessieville School District #1 $900
Cheryl Kastner, 7900 N. Highway 7, Jessieville, AR 71949
Jessieville Recycles
This project makes students, parents, and teachers aware of issues related to ecology and the environment and potential health hazards caused by the dumping of trash. That goal is accomplished by promoting awareness of recycling through the establishment of designated collection sites and the conduct of workshops sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association.
Mississippi County Economic Opportunity Commission, Inc. $5,000
Sam Scruggs, P.O. Drawer 1289, Blytheville, AR 72316-1289
Ecosystem Discovery Exhibit
The hands-on, self explanatory Ecosystem Discovery Exhibit demonstrates the interdependence of the various natural elements (water, air, sunlight, earth, plants, and animals) that make up the ecosystem. The exhibit stresses whole-system designs, with demonstrations of practical uses of solar orientation, gravity, biological resources, and energy produced on site; the relationships of animals to gardens; and containment and use of waste produced in the system.
Sevier County 4-H Council $5,000
Ralph Tyler, 115 N. 3rd Street #212, Dequeen, AR 71832
Upstream Educational Activity for Youth
The Upstream Educational Activity for Youth is an intensive educational program aimed at involving students in environmental issues. Youth learn about water quality and assist in the development of programs related to the topic. They develop videos and slide shows on farming, land management, timber operations, and mining. In addition, they show how downstream water quality is affected. Further, the young people collect water and soil samples for analysis.
White River Planning and Development District $22,900
Van Thomas, P. O. Box 2396, Batesville, AR 72503
Teacher Environmental Education Workshops
The purpose of the project undertaken by the White River Planning and Development District, Inc. (WRPDD) is to enhance public awareness of and involvement in environmental issues in each city and community in the area's 10 counties, which are overwhelmingly rural and poor. The project bases its community outreach efforts on the education of school-age children. To address the need for the establishment of consistent programs in the district's public schools, the project provides a series of environmental education workshops for teachers and informal educators. During the one-day workshops, educators learn how to incorporate concepts related to recycling, composting, and environmental education into their curricula. Each lesson proposed during the workshops can be incorporated into teaching on other subjects, such as mathematics, science, and English, and is accompanied by complete instructions and examples that conform to usual classroom procedures. Staff of the Arkansas Department of Pollution control and Ecology and of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service join WRPDD in the project by serving as instructors for the workshops.
Wilbur D. Mills Education Service Corporation $3,800
Shirley Hooks, 210 N. Main Street, Drawer #1016, White County, Beebe, AR 72012
Central Arkansas Student-Teacher Environmental Awareness Congress
The goal of this concentrated project is to increase the understanding of issues related to water quality and related topics among sixth-grade teachers and students. It educates them about the threats that water pollution poses to human health. Teachers, students, and members of community organizations become actively involved through environmental workshops and research conducted by the students. Participants also conduct water-testing activities. Another goal of the project is to organize a Student-Teacher Environmental Awareness Congress to train teachers and students.
Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc. $5,000
Darlene Barker, P. O. Box 391, Little Rock, AR 72203
4-H Project S.T.O.P.
Through this project, Environmental Stewardship Youth Manuals and a teachers guide are being developed and training provided. The Stop Trashing Our Planet (STOP) and Respect the Land, Air and Water (LAW) program targets youth (ages 5 through 19), 100 extension professionals, and 125 volunteers.
Cossatot Technical College $5,000
Laura Brand, P. O. Box 960, DeQueen, AR 71832
Water Quality Analysis Lab
A classroom water quality analysis laboratory will be developed and equipped for basic water quality analysis through this project. In addition, a course on water quality testing will be created to give environmental technology students extensive hands-on experience. The lab also will be used by chemistry and science classes to introduce those students to the basic concepts of water quality testing.
Arkansas Department of Health $16,000
Harold R. Seifert, 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 37, Little Rock, AR 72205-386712
Environmental Youth Education Volunteer Training Program
The purpose of the project is to develop a youth environmental education training program and train water industry volunteers to enter classrooms in their communities and teach environmental concepts about drinking water treatment and conservation. The target audience is public school children in every county of the state of Arkansas. Volunteers will be trained in regional workshops. Instructional materials will be developed and provided to each volunteer.
Fayetteville Youth Center $2,027
Dale E. Clark, 915 California Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Nature Discovery Camp: A Summer Environmental Education Program for Youth 6 to 15
The purpose of this project is to provide an environmental education program for the youth of Fayetteville that will enable them to become more knowledgeable and appreciative of the surrounding environment, including the forests, streams, lakes and habitat of northwest Arkansas. The target audience includes all youth from the ages of six to fifteen. Environmental education will be conducted through a youth summer camp. Existing curriculum materials will be adapted to address the following specific environmental issues: habitat destruction, overdevelopment, and endangered species.
Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology $18,000
Gregg Patterson, 8001 National Dr., Little Rock, AR 72209
Arkansas Water Education Team
The purpose of this project is to purchase equipment to support the "Arkansas Water Education Team" program in which students will monitor a water resource near their community and study the results to better understand the impact of surrounding land use practices on water quality.
Arkansas Recycling Coalition $4,000
Maureen Rose, P. O. Box 190825, Little Rock, AR 72219
Workshops on Solid Waste Management
This grant funds workshops for elementary and junior high school teachers from central and southeastern Arkansas. The focus of these workshops will be on solid waste management, recycling, and source reduction.
Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc. $5,000
Suzanne Smith Hirrel, P. O. Box 351, Little Rock, AR 72211
4-H Environmental Stewardship "Green Team"
In this project, 150 youth and adults will be trained as 4-H Environmental Stewardship "Green Team" members. Participants will develop outreach plans for their local communities and conduct environmental education activities with the ultimate goal of reaching 10,000 people.
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture $5,000
Luke Elliott, 1 Meadowcreek Lane, P. O. Box 100, Fox, AR 72051
Workshops for Teachers
This grant funds workshops that will be held for 100 junior high school teachers and curriculum provided to 366 schools. Topics will include organic gardening, efficient lighting, solar ovens and alternative energy. Activities will help students understand how they can make decisions which affect change.
Henderson State University $5,000
Arkadelphia, AR 71999
Putting Waste in Its Place in Arkansas
"Putting Waste in Its Place in Arkansas" is a project that teaches educators about solid-waste management during the statewide Math and Science Leadership Conference and the Arkansas Science Teachers Association conference.