Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded to Organizations in Oregon
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
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2014 Grants
Children’s Forest of Central Oregon $90,992
Katie Chipko, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR 97701
http://www.childrensforestco.org/Exit
Deschutes Watershed Student Stewardship Projects
This project develops and implements a comprehensive watershed education program focused on restoring sections of three different streams in Central Oregon. The project provided classroom activities and hands-on, place based field trips, engages all participants in stewardship projects that improve habitat along the streams; hosts two watershed summits where the students present their projects; and develops three student-created outreach films focused on their local watershed and how community members can become stewards of that watershed. The project aims to provide engaging watershed education and stewardship activities; restore healthy habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms for three streams in the Deschutes Watershed; and develop a model in which multiple organizations and agencies work together to align student stewardship activities with education standards.
2013 Grants
Corvallis Environmental Center $200,000
Carly Lettero, 214 SW Monroe Ave., Corvallis, OR 97339
Corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org
Classrooms Take Charge
This project serves as an innovative model for creating behavioral change that benefits the environment. By modifying an existing online tool that was developed as part of an EPA Climate Showcase Communities award, educational components for high school students are now included. The educational components build on the curriculum, Carbon TIM (Transfers in Matter and Energy). The focus is working with Oregon Green Schools and the Seattle School District. Students are able to see real-time data about how their individual actions reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and how their school-wide participation in the program collectively reduces CO2 emissions. Teacher workshops are conducted, and the students learn through in-class, on-line, and service learning. Sub-awards are given to high school districts for teachers to attend workshops and to receive support to implement the curriculum and service learning projects, with four sub-awards given to high schools with diverse populations. The program can be replicated by using materials available online.
2011 Grants
Long Tom Watershed Council $47,000
Jason Schmidt, 751 S. Danebo Avenue, Eugene, OR 97402
Amazon Creek Toxics Education and Action
This project uses pesticide monitoring data from Amazon Creek and collaborates with a number of diverse committed stakeholders to educate five targeted audiences in the urban and rural areas of the watershed to improve pesticide and storm-water literacy. This project supports the efforts of the ongoing Amazon Creek Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (PSP), the first PSP in an urban and rural setting. Project goals include: assemble balanced, scientifically accurate, current and comprehensive materials; recruit people from five key urban and agricultural audiences; provide outreach to diverse audiences including a Spanish translator for Hispanic populations; engage audiences in indentifying and implementing solutions; build relationships between experts & practitioners; develop individual Best Management Practices (BMPs) education for key sites and audiences; share results; and use ongoing water monitoring to measure success and provide feedback to support water quality actions. The project uses presentations, trainings, field visits, site visits, and written web-based materials to reach the five target audiences, incorporating behavior change principles and techniques. Partners in the project are Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, City of Eugene, Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District, Sure Crop Farm Service, and Oregon State University Extension.
Western Oregon University – $149,501
Bonnie Morihara, 345 North Monmouth Avenue, Monmouth, OR 97361
Project SITE (Students Involved With Their Environment)
Project SITE (Students Involved With Their Environment) supports a sub-grant program and environmental stewardship through inquiry-based service learning projects for middle- and high school-aged students. The sub-grants are awarded to low-performing middle and high schools in low socio-economic and rural areas. With a focus on taking action on climate change or protecting America's waters, the projects selected range from $2,000 to $5,000 and fund approximately 20 to 30 projects across EPA Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington). The projects fund well-designed service learning projects that seek to increase student engagement and commitment, provide ways for students to practically apply learning, and explore possible careers in the environmental field. Incorporating a service-learning focus in which students are able to take action through community projects fosters the environmental stewardship critical for real change to occur. As a final recognition and celebration of the students' accomplishments, students and their teachers participate in a web-based conference to showcase their projects and share lessons learned and the impact on their communities. Western Oregon University has established a website with information, resources and links for sub-grant recipients and is also providing web-based communication tools.
2010 Grants
City of Corvallis $14,737
Gwenn Kubeck, P.O. Box 1083, Corvallis, OR 97339
Researching and Implementing Community Stream Stewards Program
The goals of the project are to research and implement the most effective program to increase Corvallis citizens' awareness and knowledge about the ways individuals can improve urban stream water quality, while also fostering the community support and skills necessary to improve local streams. The project incorporates community-based social marketing, organization, and support of pilot Stream Stewards groups, and develops a final analysis and report on the best ways to continue and maximize the project's effectiveness. The City of Corvallis plans to employ a Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) strategy that includes a literature review, focus groups, and surveys to uncover the knowledge, attitudes, and structural barriers that prevent or motivate people to improve the water quality and riparian habitat of their local urban streams. The city plans to use the feedback from this pilot project to revise the City of Corvallis Stream Steward Program.
Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council $19,254
Eve Montanaro, P.O. Box 27, Lowell, OR 97452
Watershed Rangers
The project targets students in grades 3 through 6 and their teachers in six rural, low-income communities in Southwest Oregon. The goal of the project is to foster an ethic of stewardship for the protection and enhancement of natural resources and areas in the local watershed. Students and teachers learn about concepts such as sustainable forest practices, habitat, food webs, and invasive species. The participants learn in the classroom and explore the concepts in natural areas within their surrounding communities. Through classroom lessons, field trips, and a service learning project, , the project allows students to make the connection between outdoor experiences and environmental issues facing the Middle Fork Willamette watershed. The project also provides teacher training and provides teachers with the necessary tools and resources to adopt watershed education as a part of the required curriculum.
Native Wellness Institute $99,670
Jay LaPlante, 297 Southeast Palmblad Drive, Gresham, OR 97080
Native Youth Environmental Warriors Project
The Native Youth Environmental Warriors project educates Native middle and high school youth in leadership development skills to prepare them to conduct community environmental education and stewardship projects in their communities. During a four-day Native Youth Leadership Academy, youth participants from 10 tribal communities throughout the Unites States learn about environmental issue(s) affecting their communities and methods to educate and engage their peers, teachers, families, and tribal council members. The academy includes lectures along with hand-on interactive and participatory skill-building activities to prepare the youth to implement their community projects. To convey important environmental health messages to their community, Native youth develop and design 5-minute environmentally focused digital stories to be presented to the community. In addition, youth groups design community-specific projects to educate their peers and other community members. Youth and their adult chaperones plan, coordinate, and implement their education activities and follow-up with newsletter articles, reports to tribal or state agencies, and/or project papers for school. They also learn how to create budgets and submit a mini-proposal to the Native Wellness Institute to assist with their community projects. Project partners include members from a minimum of 10 tribal communities throughout Indian County.
The Freshwater Trust $15,000
Traci Price, 65 SW Yamhill Street, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204
Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan Development
The project advances the development of the Oregon Comprehensive Statewide Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) that serves as a cross-curricular, inclusive framework and unites a broad scope of educational theories and practices including place-based, sustainability, and project-based education. The plan includes sections on educational standards, diploma requirements, teacher professional development, assessment, and implementation. Five regional feedback forums are held throughout Oregon to obtain participation from stakeholders on drafting the Oregon ELP. The forums facilitate connections to broad-based sectors by allowing representatives to review and comment on a draft Oregon ELP. The goal of a final ELP is to ensure that Oregon students (including under-served audiences) graduate with a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues.
2009 Grants
IAE- Institute for Applied Ecology $15,000
Jennie Cramer, P.O. Box 2855, Corvallis, OR 97333
RARE: Connecting Students and Nature
The Restoration and Reintroduction Education (RARE) Partnership is an environmental stewardship program that pairs local schools with neighboring restoration sites where students interact and connect with nature through stewardship. For this project, local elementary, middle, and high schools focus on restoring habitat for the Fender's blue butterfly, an endangered animal of the Willamette Valley prairies. The project team works closely with students and teachers, instructing the students in Willamette Valley ecology, botany, and horticulture. They provide students with the necessary skills and tools to understand and reintroduce endangered species and restore habitat in the Willamette Valley prairies. The students are actively involved in the restoration and inquiry process, collecting seeds of the targeted species from nearby healthy populations and growing them experimentally in school greenhouses. In the spring, the students plant the fruits of their labor and monitor the success of their restoration efforts. As a result, students build their sense of place and stewardship and cultivate valuable restoration skills as they work to save an imperiled species.
International Sustainable Development Foundation $26,000
Lori Stole, One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 210, Portland, OR 97204
Build Capacity for Sustainability
The goal of this project is to increase the capacity of Oregon's Educational Service Districts to support education in kindergarten through grade 12 for sustainability, with a special focus on how sustainability education can support career and technical education and support state economic needs. Teams from Oregon's Educational Service Districts (ESDs) are participating in one of four education sustainability workshops. Each ESD forms a team with members (teachers, district staff, college staff, sustainability consultants, and community leaders) and apply to participate. The products of the workshops include (1) a list of opportunities for ESDs to provide sustainability education services to the district, (2) ESD sustainability education action plans, and (3) information on how to implement the action plans. The results are presented to all ESDs at an annual conference. ESDs compile the results, and the products are shared across the state with the hope that they are incorporated into the education curriculum.
2008 Grants
Environmental Education Association of Oregon $40,813
Linda Rhoads, 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Suite 307, Portland, OR 97204
Watershed-focused Leadership Development
This project brings together formal and non-formal educators and community representatives from across Oregon to create educational solutions for watershed stewardship, ecosystem protection, and sustainability. The Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) leads, manages, and facilitates an 11-month planning process culminating in a 3-day leadership clinic for participants to design and create action plans for watershed-focused educational and community engagement projects. At the conclusion of the clinic, the teams, which are composed of educators, watershed council representatives, and other community leaders, have developed action plans for projects to implement in their home watersheds. EEAO uses a national workshop model developed by the National Environmental Education Advancement Project funded by EPA for the leadership clinic and offers continuing education credits for the teachers.
Lane Community College $14,673
Jennifer Hayward, 4000 East 30th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97405
Lane Community College's Sustainability Infusion Project
Lane Community College’s Sustainability Infusion Project (SIP) equips college faculty members with the skills and tools necessary to infuse concepts of sustainability into existing teaching curricula. The college is hosting two “train-the-trainer” workshops to train faculty members. The trained faculty members in turn train additional faculty members, each providing the teachers a strategy for infusing sustainability into all aspects of student learning across campus departments. SIP replicates the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability across the Curriculum Leadership workshops.
Resource Innovation Group $24,281
Robert Doppelt, P.O. Box 51182, Eugene, OR 97405
Climate Brigade Program
This project (1) completes a model for outreach to households around climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;(2) runs two pilots on outreach to businesses in Eugene on the same topic; and (3) plans to disseminate the model regionally and nationally. The program trains Climate Masters during a 10-week train-the-trainer program modeled after the Master Recycler program and mobilizes a brigade of citizens to fight climate change. Once trained, the brigade conducts outreach around reduction of GHG emissions in homes and businesses through individual and business climate consultations (which include personalized audits and site-specific recommendations) and attends conferences to speak about the program and distribute literature.
2007 Grants
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve $14,996
Jan Curry, 2600 SW Hillsboro Highway, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Algae-Barley Science Inquiry Project
The Algae-Barley Science Inquiry Project provides a real-world project model of science inquiry and environmental stewardship for educators and middle and high school and college students that can be transferred to the community. The first component of the project involves the students in interaction with scientists working on a wetlands-based research effort. This project studies the effects of barley straw treatment on suppression of algae and models science inquiry processes and stewardship for clean water. In the fall, a teacher workshop is held to learn, plan, and share ideas and materials. Field trips to the wetlands are held in the fall and in the spring to learn about science processes, water quality parameters, and algal data collection. The second major component of the project, during the winter, involves students in science inquiry projects or stewardship projects in the communities. In the late spring, the students present their findings at a public “Science at the Wetlands” celebration.
Tillamook School District #9 $16,904
Clair Thomas, 6825 Officer's Row, Tillamook, OR 97141
Develop Wetland Monitoring Curriculum to Promote Environmental Stewardship and Vocational Training
This grant establishes a wetland study area where students monitor conditions, design and carry out restoration projects, analyze trends in wetlands due to human and natural causes, and will provide an outdoor laboratory to design and carry out original research. Students from advanced science classes act as peer teachers for the younger grades on field trips. Science professionals from the community work with the students to help them understand the link between the natural resources and their community. Field trips, field trip presentations, guest speakers, student peer leaders, and varied classroom activities and labs are all used in this project. As the program develops and high school students are trained, the program will expand to all grade levels with grade appropriate level material.
2006 Grants
Institute for Applied Ecology $11,000
Jennie Cramer, 563 SW Jefferson Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97333
Native Comeback Initiative
Local schools are paired with local native prairies, where students plan and participate in restoration and re-introduction of endangered plant species and habitat for the endangered butterfly, the Fender’s blue. The middle and high school students are taught about the ecology, botany, and horticulture of the Willamette Valley, giving them the skills and tools needed to understand, restore, and re-introduce endangered species to Willamette Valley prairies. Students collect, plant, and monitor native seeds and work in the classroom, greenhouse, and field. The Institute for Applied Ecology works closely with teachers and land managers to ensure the efficient coordination and scientific integrity of the restoration. The project involves local school children as stewards in habitat restoration using inquiry-based science and addresses one of the most highly endangered ecosystems in the United States.
Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center $13,840
Brian Windrope, 917 SW Oak Street, Suite 412, Portland, OR 97205
Opal Creek Native Youth Careers Project
The Opal Creek Native Youth Careers Project conducts a week-long intensive training for Native American high-school age youth in forest and watershed management skills. The project partners with natural resource professionals, regional Native leaders, and Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center staff to lead hands-on field exercises in forest ecology, aquatic ecology, and biomonitoring using the Opal Creek ecosystem as a classroom. Tribal organizations in the Pacific Northwest are increasingly asked to manage extensive forest and riparian areas. This project introduces Native youth to a range of skills that will qualify them to work in natural resource management and contribute to improved stewardship of Tribal forests and watersheds.
Oregon State University $11,000
Melissa Feldberg, P.O. Box 1086, Corvallis, OR 97339
Climate Change Workshops for Teachers: Moving from Information to Action
Oregon State University holds two on-site climate change workshops for middle and high school science teachers. The project develops a cadre of teachers in Oregon who are equipped with the latest research-based information and teaching materials on climate change to be shared with their students and other teachers in their area. The project is designed to focus on “information to action” — to encourage teachers and students to develop specific projects and changes in personal lifestyles to reduce their contribution to climate change. The project is further designed to emphasize the importance of informing students and the public on current environmental research and stimulate critical thinking and problem solving skills; and improve teaching skills in environmental problem solving using the topic of climate change.
Wolftree, Inc. $10,000
Jay Hopp, 516 SE Morrison Street, Suite 710, Portland, OR 97214
Madras High School Research and Stewardship Project
Wolftree, Inc., engages highly motivated Madras High School students from a high-risk rural community to undertake research and stewardship projects in the community. The program provides 10 field days and 10 classroom sessions (90 minutes each) for high school students. The focus is on ecological monitoring and restoration with mentor scientists, “real life” questions, state-of-the-art equipment training, and inquiry. The Haystack Reservoir in the Crooked River National Grasslands, just outside Madras, is used as the outdoor classroom. The students focus on three major management and restoration issues: (1) Western juniper expansion, (2) non-native weed invasion, and (3) wildlife habitat restoration. Science professionals, including Wolftree, Inc., staff and mentors from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Crooked River National Grasslands, Deschutes and Ochoco National Forest, Portland General Electric, and Raven Research guide the students in small research teams. This project serves a community that has limited access to quality programs in science.
2005 Grants
Beaverton School District $43,325
Steve Day, 16550 SW Merlo Road, Beaverton, OR 97006
Marmot Dam Removal Environmental Education Project
Students and teachers representing kindergarten through grade 12 from across the Beaverton School District are involved in a comprehensive watershed monitoring program in the surrounding area to evaluate the effects when the Marmot Dam is removed in 2007. The district is sponsoring a student study of the changes in the ecosystem pre- and post-dam removal. This project takes advantage of a dramatic, one-time event in the Beaverton community to inspire environmental study and stewardship. The 3-year project also includes building a database of watershed ecology parameters before, during, and after dam removal that will be accessible to the public. The teachers and students have access to sophisticated equipment and training to implement advanced field ecology protocols at the middle and high school levels, conduct basic watershed ecology monitoring at the elementary level, and facilitate individual student inquiry projects for students in grades 4 through 12.
Cascadia Region Green Building Council $20,000
Glen Gilbert, 721 NE Ninth Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97209
High Performance Green Building: Weighing the Options
The Cascadia Region Green Building Council is coordinating a series of 12 workshops, “High Performance Green Building: Weighing the Options,” to teach professionals in commercial and residential building design and construction how to evaluate the costs and benefits of high performance buildings. This grant extends the Portland program to Seattle; the City of Seattle is a partner in the project. Participants learn how to evaluate and make informed decisions about adopting green building practices and learn how to measure potential premiums in construction cost against savings generated over a building’s life cycle. As a result of the workshops, the participants are better able to evaluate choices in materials, equipment, and building techniques to build in a manner that is both environmentally sustainable and economically profitable. The series of workshops also offers public tours of existing commercial and residential green buildings.
Environmental Education Association of Oregon $30,000
Linda Rhoads, 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Suite 307, Portland, OR 97204
Environmental Education Certification Program
A state-approved certification program for teachers, college and university faculty, and nonformal educators developed by the Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) formalizes the environmental education profession. EEAO considers certification programs other states have adopted. The project improves the quality of environmental education by defining the critical skills and knowledge in natural resources and teaching methodologies necessary to deliver effective environmental education, clarifies key competencies, programs a mechanism for evaluating performance, and establishes a process for improvement. EEAO researches existing curricula and aligns them with certification program requirements, carries out administrative requirements for a state-approved program, and establishes EEAO as the accrediting body for the state-approved EE certification program. EEAO holds forums around the state to continue developing stakeholder commitment and support. Key partners of this project, identified as a need by the State Department of Education, include the Oregon Department of Education, Clackamas Community College, Portland State University, Pacific University, Oregon State University, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, Metro Regional Services, Oregon Zoo, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, and Weyerhaeuser.
Friends of Zenger Farm $9,800
Wisteria Loeffler, 11741 SE Foster Road, Portland, OR 97266
Grow Wise Youth Education Program
This program takes kindergarten through grade 12 students in disadvantaged South Portland neighborhoods to a working urban farm and wetland for hands-on experience in wetland delineation, water quality testing, insect monitoring, garden planning and maintenance, science inquiry projects, seed exploration, and composting. The students learn about the ecological impacts of agriculture, the importance of species diversity and watershed health, and how choices in food and energy affect the environment. The farm staff participate in pre- and post-program visits to the classroom to prepare for or follow-up on farm programming. Staff from the Oregon State University Extension Service and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services provide teaching assistance to the students about wetland ecology and insect lifecycle and monitoring.
Portland State University $9,550
Dr. Julie Smith, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207
Walking Softly
A 4-day summer teacher workshop in the Portland area is offered under this project. The workshop introduces kindergarten through grade 12 teachers in the metropolitan Portland area who use a field-based curriculum to incorporate low-impact protocols, thereby reducing potential damage to fragile urban ecosystems from high-density usage. Before the workshop, Portland State University staff design an in-class activity to increase student awareness of their impact on the environment during field trips. The workshop introduces teachers to the in-class activity and shows them how to model low-impact use through field trips to four different ecosystems. Teachers on the field trips learn about an ecosystem and site-specific techniques to reduce impacts. The teachers see accessible natural spaces available for field trips near their schools, share field-based curricula, and provide follow-up assessment of the impact of the workshop. The project encourages teachers to discuss ways to raise student capacity to be successful in environmentally sensitive ways. Partner organizations with this project include the City of Portland Environmental Services, the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Oregon Trout, Portland Parks and Recreation, Friends of Tryon Creek State Park, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, and the Student Watershed Research Project.
2004 Grants
Polk Soil and Water Conservation District $4,110
Jackie Hastings, 580 Main Street, Suite A, Dallas, OR 97338
Polk County Environmental Experience
In this program, students in grades 1 through 8 participate in a 1-day outdoor classroom experience at the Delbert Hunter Arboretum, which is adjacent to Rickreall Creek. Teachers are provided with curriculum materials for natural resource study areas. After some classroom work, students move through stations where they test water quality, collect aquatic insects, model soil characteristics, and assess riparian health. The students gather data on site conditions and develop reports on their findings. The data collected is used by the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District to assess the health of the creek.
Portland State University $6,284
Patrick Edwards, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751
Increase Ability to Collect High Quality Monitoring Data
The primary objectives of this project are to increase teachers’ aquatic insect identification skills, allow them to practice and refine their data collection procedures, provide them with data collection equipment and insect identification books, and give them opportunities to verify data. The project is implemented through a 5-day workshop in which at least 15 teachers from four to six high schools participate.
Portland State University $86,400
Portland State University, Cramer Hall, Portland, OR 97201
The FEED Project: Food-based Environmental Education Design
Grant funds are used to provide seed money to three competitively selected elementary schools that establish Environmental Education Councils (EECs) which bring together school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community members to generate schoolwide environmental programs. The EEC in each school creates a food- and project-based EE curriculum specifically tailored to the needs of the school. Students, many of whom represent low-income and minority communities, learn how growing food, preparing and eating meals, composting and recycling, and buying food from local sources are intertwined with environmental issues. Participating teachers attend 15 workshops on agriculture, food, and nutrition and learn how to incorporate garden- and food-based learning into their lesson plans. The project reaches approximately 150 children in grades 4 and 5, their parents, and 20 elementary school teachers. The project, while focused on improving student achievement in mathematics and science, also encourages environmentally responsible decision-making by students, parents, and teachers. The project partners are the Portland International Initiative for Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning; Oregon Tilth; 47th Avenue Farm; and Friends of Zenger Farm.
Willamette Resources and Educational Network $24,922
Holly McRae, 751 South Danebo, Eugene, OR 97402
Project Wetland Education Support and Training
Project Wetland Education Support and Training (WEST) targets formal and nonformal educators of students in grades 3 through 8. WEST provides the educators with assistance and guidance for incorporating wetland curricula and hands-on activities into their instructional efforts. As part of the WEST program, teachers participate in two, 5-hour teacher training workshops that focus on the ecology of the West Eugene Wetlands. A week-long summer institute is held for 30 teachers, and the Willamette Resources and Educational Network's wetland education guide is provided online. The teachers are provided with support while they implement watershed-related activities in their classrooms and design lesson plans. The project includes a staff-supported wetland field trip and classroom presentations for 60 educators and about 1,800 students.
2003 Grants
Corvallis School District $13,784
Kristin Erickson, 1555 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97330
Keepers of the Creek
Jefferson Elementary School is working with community members and organizations to develop, implement, and maintain a stream restoration project for the section of Dixon Creek that runs by the school. Providing a real-life laboratory for learning about the environment, the project teaches students and adult volunteers about the necessary steps and methods for restoring a stream to a more natural state. High school students monitor water quality and mentor elementary school students doing research. Elementary school students work with volunteers to plan and complete work on the creek site. Through community forums, Keepers of the Creek informs community members about the project and encourages them to participate and to apply some of the skills learned to additional areas along Dixon Creek and other local creeks. The project reaches more than 1,000 students and adults and is creating a model for other schools and community groups that are taking responsibility for the health of local streams.
Environmental Education Association of Oregon $21,857
Linda Rhoads, P.O. Box 15192, Portland, OR 97293
Building Capacity Through Leadership and Strategic Planning
This project builds environmental education capacity by enhancing the leadership skills of the Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) board members, implementing a strategic planning process for the organization, and developing a booklet of EEAO volunteer opportunities. The project integrates an all-day, facilitated strategic planning session for the EEAO board members; two facilitated strategic planning sessions for all EEAO members; a seminar designed and conducted to address the leadership development needs of the EEAO board members; and use of the EEAO web site and “list serve” as well as systematic outreach activities to distribute EEAO volunteer information. In addition to the EEAO board members, the parties served by this project include 150 to 200 formal and nonformal educators as well as representatives of natural resource agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industries throughout Oregon.
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership $9,537
Tammy Sanders, 811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97204
Lower Columbia Region Elementary School Teacher Workshops
The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (LCREP) is hosting eight elementary school teacher workshops in spring, summer, fall, and winter throughout the lower Columbia River region to prepare teachers to engage their students in environmental activities in the classroom and in the field. This project targets pre-service and current teachers in the LCREP study area, which includes Oregon and Washington and extends from the Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the Columbia River. Two sets of teacher workshops for 20 teachers each (one set addressing kindergarten through grade 3 and one set addressing grades 4 through 6) focus on local habitats, the plants and animals in these ecosystems, and habitat geology. The project is designed to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to conduct field studies on school grounds and at nearby streams and wetlands. Teachers also learn to integrate the historical context of environmental issues into their curricula and to use maps to support learning. All participating teachers receive a notebook containing a number of activities, web site and curriculum resources, and a matrix that correlates the activities with Oregon and Washington state standards. Each participating teacher is assigned a partnering organization that assists the teacher with activities and field work following the workshop.
Parkdale Elementary School $3,800
Kim Bauer, 4880 Van Nuys Drive, P.O. Box 69, Parkdale, OR 97041
Fifth-Grade Water Quality Monitoring and Result Presentations
As part of a larger river basin study being conducted by the State of Oregon, two fifth-grade classes at Parkdale Elementary School are conducting comprehensive water quality monitoring for a stream near the school, analyzing the data, and presenting the results. Students generate charts and graphs and use computer applications for their presentations. A translator helps Spanish speakers in the community to understand the presentations. Approximately 40 students present the results of their work to other students at the school, at a community open house, at a press conference for local media, and to the Board of Directors for the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District. The project exposes all Parkdale Elementary School students to the aquatic environment in Hood River County's upper valley and to the role that monitoring plays in assessing water quality and stream health.
Umpqua Basin Watershed Council $20,850
Nancy Geyer, 1758 NE Airport Road, Roseburg, OR 97470
Riparian Restoration and Fish Passage Improvement Community Education Program
The purpose of this program is to improve stream habitat conditions for the threatened coho salmon and other fish and aquatic species by encouraging landowner participation in on-the-ground projects. The program specifically targets landowners in areas where improvement of riparian conditions and removal of culverts and dams that block fish access to streams would have the greatest impact. The program uses five delivery methods: (1) mailing educational materials and “action sheets” to landowners in the target areas, (2) conducting five field trips to sites with target landowners and groups, (3) developing an interactive display and presenting it at six fairs or other events in the Umpqua Basin, (4) delivering at least 35 community presentations for target groups, and (5) writing educational articles for newspapers and community newsletters. The overarching program goal is to educate target landowners about the need, alternatives, and resources for restoring riparian areas and improving fish passages.
2002 Grants
Hood River County School District $5,000
Shelley Hight, P. O. Box 920, Hood River, OR 97031
May Street Elementary School - Wild Bird Habitat and Outdoor Classroom
Students and teachers create a wild bird habitat and outdoor classroom at the May Street Elementary School. The wild bird habitat and the outdoor classroom are utilized in the study of life science to improve the understanding of watershed health with a focus on native bird species. The service-learning project encourages critical-thinking and science inquiry, as well as improves the connections that students make in their local watersheds, while contributing to the restoration of urban habitat for native bird species. Biologists and environmental specialists partner with the district to build the bird habitat. The program includes outreach to other schools in the district and families of the students.
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership $9,148
Tammy Sanders, 811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97204
Crossing Boundaries Watershed Education Project
This program supports a network of teachers participating in hands-on, active, outdoor education along the Lower Columbia River. The program also helps to establish community/school partnerships to increase awareness of protecting watershed resources. Currently, a group of teachers are at various stages in the development of environmental education programs that focus on the Columbia River and its habitats as a component of the standard curriculum. The teachers have taken advantage of local resources, including forest sites adjacent to school property and local wetlands to utilize as study sites. The outcome of the program is a coordinated network of schools with organizational support and interaction that has an environmental education program as part of the standard curriculum.
Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District $4,950
Pam Herincks, 1080 SW Baseline, Building B, Suite B-2, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Tualatin Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Education and Outreach
The project is designed to educate the public and students about community issues relating to water quality in the Tualatin Watershed. The interactive Enviro-Scape non-point source and wetlands models are demonstrated at 70 presentations, over a 12-month period, to elementary schools, libraries, landowners and community groups. A watershed workshop is held for teachers, and a parent-volunteer program is piloted in the Hillsboro area to sustain the project.
2001 Grants
Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO) $20,000
Elaine Jane Cole, P. O. Box 15192, Portland, OR 97293-5192
Building Environmental Education Capacity in Oregon
The goals of the project are to provide leadership for educators who are committed to environmental education; to provide support and resources for educational programs; to develop and maintain a strong organizational structure that is easily accessible to educators throughout the state; and to create a self-sustaining, continuing base of funding. The prime objective of the project is to create an indispensable line of resources and services through development of an EEAO web site, facilitation of four Dig and Delve workshops (statewide workshops provided to educational service districts to teach how to work with local partners that fulfill service learning requirements to design and implement a habitat enhancement project), and conduct of annual statewide conferences. A newly hired executive director provides daily organizational oversight.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve $18,500
Patrick Willis, 2600 SW Hillsboro Highway, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Oregon NatureMapping
The project is an educational program designed to engage citizen scientists in monitoring terrestrial wildlife and sharing their observations with others through a web-based database that can be used to track biodiversity in Oregon. Teachers in the Portland and Hillsboro school districts attend a two-day workshop to learn the process of NatureMapping, identify ways to use NatureMapping in their curricula that meet state benchmarks, and build capacity for developing sustained NatureMapping programs for classrooms. Program staff of Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve facilitate monthly meetings of teacher peer groups, during which the teachers discuss their curricula and student assessment plans, share resources, and evaluate their teaching practices. A web site provides on-line support and resources for teachers and their students and provide members of the general public with the resources they need to perform NatureMapping on their own.
MidCoast Watersheds Council $5,000
Amy Bohnenstiehl, 157 NW 15th Street, Unit 1, Newport, OR 97365
Macroinvertebrate Sampling with Newport Middle School
The project, which uses an existing watershed and stream-monitoring curriculum, educates 6 teachers, 180 students, and 30 adult volunteers about the health of streams in their area and the importance of healthy habitat to populations of the threatened and endangered native salmon. Two classroom presentations precede the field trips and small-group field sessions. The classes collect baseline data on macroinvertebrates from streams in the municipal watershed. Participants identify pollution-tolerant and -intolerant species and inventory those species to develop scores that indicate the health of individual streams. After they perform graphing and analysis in the classroom, students present their results to the school, the watershed council, and the city council.
Portland State University, Center for Science Education $19,999
Julie Magers, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751
Community Action & Problem Solving (CAPS)
Under the project, 10 youth age 15 and their adult leaders identify local environmental issues and work to create sustainable solutions to those problems. The CAPS program provides a balanced, structured, age-appropriate framework young people can use to develop meaningful projects that benefit the environment and their communities by fostering changes in local policies or community practices. Educators and youth leaders participate in a series of skill-building professional development workshops. The educators also are provided assistance in building partnerships among environmental experts, their schools, and their students to work to develop sustainable solutions to local environmental problems.
Thurston High School, Science Department $10,000
Robert Green, 333 North 58th Street, Springfield, OR 97478
Thurston High School Water Quality Monitoring Program
The school develops a comprehensive water science program that integrates classroom instruction and water-testing laboratories in biology and chemistry courses with a variety of research projects carried out in the community. The projects range from monitoring of streams adversely affected by urban development to the establishment of a community water-testing laboratory to be operated by students. The students present the results of their studies of water quality and macroinvertebrate populations in Cedar Creek to the local watershed council, the water and electric board, and city officials.
Unified Sewerage Agency $4,000
Sheri Wantland, 155 North First Avenue, Suite 270, Hillsboro, OR 97124
Bilingual Environmental Education in the Tualatin River Watershed
The project adapts popular and successful watershed education programs and makes them available to Spanish-speaking families in the fast-growing area of Cornelius and Hillsboro and unincorporated areas of Washington County. The project reaches the Latino community through family workshops, tours, festivals, and other nontraditional outreach efforts. The project increases the capacity of many agencies and schools in the area to deliver coordinated environmental education and provides materials that can be used in other Spanish-speaking communities. The Spanish-speaking community becomes more knowledgeable about local environmental issues.
Wolftree Incorporated $22,400
Jay Hopp, 3257 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Multnomah, OR 97214
Wolftree's Outdoor Ecology Program
The project focuses on a study of the diverse ecosystem of central Oregon. It provides an entire watershed ecology program that is a combination of aquatic and terrestrial field-based programs, Highland Ecology and Cascade Streamwatch. Under the project, 300 students in grades 5 through 12 in Deschutes and Jefferson counties engage in classroom preparation, one or more field study programs at an outdoor classroom, and follow-up activities. Teachers attend a workshop to prepare for the project. Wolftree recruits professional scientists and professionals in the field of natural resources to work with the students in the field.
2000 Grants
Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District $3,700
Tina Whitman, 498 Southeast Lynn Boulevard, Prineville, OR 97754
Crooked River Watershed Council Monitoring Education and Involvement Project
Through the monitoring project, the Crooked River Watershed Council provides local teachers, students, and landowners instruction and field-based experience in watershed science and policy. The project improves community knowledge of the condition of resources and involvement in watershed stewardship. Two workshops are conducted in photo and water quality monitoring methods and data interpretation. One workshop is for area educators, and the other is for interested members of the community and landowners. Partners in the project with the Crooked River Watershed Council are the Crook County High School, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council Work Education Program, and Oregon State University Extension.
Eastern Oregon University School of Education and Business $20,061
Donna Rainboth, One University Blvd., La Grande, OR 97850
Weaving a WEB
Eastern Oregon University, in collaboration with four partners, Union School District, Umatilla School District, the Science and Mathematics Consortium for Northwest Schools, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, revises the current Whole Ecosystem in Balance (WEB) curriculum and correlates the curriculum to state and national standards. The project focuses on revising WEB lessons to include current natural resource issues, more environmental concepts, and less basic information and correlating all WEB lessons with the Oregon and national science education standards. Two training opportunities help 40 additional teachers in eastern Washington and Oregon implement the WEB curriculum.
Northwest Youth Corp $5,000
Natalie Whitson, 2621 Augusta Street, Eugene, Lane County, OR 97403
Lane County Culvert Survey and Environmental Education Project
Through this project, the Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) designs a new class for environmental educators in NYC's Outdoor School (ODS) and YouthWorks. The class prepares at-risk youth in NYC's programs to be stewards of the environment in the community by training them to collect needed information. Under the direction of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, approximately 80 middle school students and 100 high school students in NYC's program examine diversity of species and monitor water quality when necessary. The data collected are interpreted by students in the ODS as part of their education, job training, community service, and career development activities. In the process, students also enhance their work skills through the completion of intensive field assessments; develop skills in citizenship and stewardship of the environment through community service; and gain the skills needed to mitigate environmental hazards, determine environmental policies, and achieve environmental justice.
Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology/Saturday Academy Department $5,000
Kim Wilson, 20000 Northwest Walker Road, Beaverton, OR 97006
Instruction and Coordination of Two Youth Tree Inventory Project Teams
The Youth Tree Inventory (YTI) Project introduces middle and high school students to the basics of arboriculture, data collection techniques, and public policy as is related to trees in the urban right-of-way (street trees). The students involved are from low-income and culturally diverse communities in North Portland. The project benefits students educationally and benefits the community by creating awareness of urban resources and encouraging stewardship of those resources. Professionals from the City of Portland Urban Forestry Department and Portland State University, arborists, and community volunteers work with student inventory teams during YTI instructional and data collection activities. Hands-on practice is emphasized during training and reinforced throughout the collection period.
Oregon State University Environmental Health Sciences Center $4,951
Holly Sherburne, 1011 ALS Building, Corvallis, OR 97331
Science Inquiry Through Environmental Health Science Education
Through a partnership with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in New Jersey, the Center trains elementary classroom teachers in the Lincoln County School District, with a focus on fifth-grade. An interactive workshop and three subsequent trainings are conducted to train elementary classroom teachers in an existing curriculum, ToxRAP (Toxicology, Risk Assessment and Pollution), to improve their environmental education teaching skills and knowledge about environmental health issues. The teachers also are trained in how to use the Oregon Scientific Inquiry Scoring Guide to score student work samples prepared by students participating in ToxRAP curricular activities.
1999 Grants
Multnomah School District Turnaround School $19,639
Rhonda Kjargaard, 5135 N.E. Columbia Boulevard, Portland, OR 97218
Whitaker Ponds Wetlands Area Project and Restoration and Renewal of Natural Habitats
This project connects expelled and at-risk students to their community and environment as they participate in cleanup, restoration, and maintenance of the Whitaker Ponds Wetlands Area, which is located behind their school. The students plant trees, monitor wildlife, implement salmon recovery, remove blackberry bushes, plant native willows, build nature paths, implement water quality testing, and create a larger pond. The students develop a personal stake in their environment, have a positive experience in their community, and have opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned.
Oregon Watersheds $1,828
Al White, P. O. Box 18321, Salem, OR 97305
Water Quality Monitoring and Stream Enhancement Partnership
With the grant, Oregon Watersheds is expanding its water quality monitoring program to another middle school. Under the project, teachers are given new educational tools, equipment, and training, as well as field support, to help them, their students, and members of the community understand the relationship between water quality and human health. Data generated by students are provided to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for use throughout the state to support decision making about issues related to water quality. Students use the data to learn more about the ecosystem, water quality, and the effects of water quality on human health. They then share the information with the community through public events and displays.
Portland State University $8,978
Alex Welsch, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751
Sustainable Business Practice Project
Portland State University is conducting a 10-week, three-credit course on product cycles, design assessment, production processes, sustainable human resource and investment practices, environmental accounting, and corporate social responsibility. The 20 to 30 students and business practitioners in the community who are taking the course also are involved in cooperative service learning projects in the community and a one-day workshop. The workshop includes a public forum on sustainable production goals and methods.
Rogue Valley Council of Governments $14,600
David Jacob, P. O. Box 3275, 155 South Second Street, Central Point, OR 97502
Bear Creek Watershed Community Service Project
The goal of this project is to provide approximately 1,000 students, 40 educators, and staff of the natural resources agencies that are partners in the project opportunities to work together to develop and implement enhancement and education projects related to the watershed. During the project, the Rogue Valley Council of Governments conducts two forums on watershed community service projects, sponsors two training sessions for educators, and develops study kits and programs designed to assist in the development and implementation of community service projects. The council also sponsors a student symposium during which students make presentations about their community service projects. In addition, the council coordinates a watershed congress that brings together high school students from throughout the Rogue River basin to discuss issues related to water quality.
Think Link Discovery Museum $5,000
Lani Schroeder, 906 Washington Street, LaGrande, OR 97850
Activity-Based Exploration of Natural Resources Management Through an Outdoor School
Teachers and parents accompany 250 fourth- and fifth-grade students on field trips to a privately-owned, 2,500-acre property near LaGrande. The landowners, in cooperation with several federal, state, and tribal agencies, are involved in numerous stewardship activities, including projects related to forest health, restoration of wetlands, and enhancement of wildlife and salmon habitats. They have formed a partnership to provide hands-on, outdoor classroom experiences to enhance the students' studies of ecosystems and resource management.
1998 Grants
Earth Conservation Corps $4,995
Scott Welch, 729 NE Oregon, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232
Plant A Tree, Save A Fish
Plant A Tree, Save A Fish is a project intended to restore fish habitat through the planting of indigenous trees along the Yakima River and its tributaries over an eight-month period. The project heightens awareness of the characteristics of a healthy community and ecosystem protection among Native American high school students, at-risk youth from various tribes, and teachers. The project can become a model for a long-term, coordinated effort among tribal, private, state, and federal entities to develop and sustain a community-based habitat recovery effort that is centered on individual schools. (Project located in Washington state)
H20 (Headwaters to Ocean) $5,000
Angela Borden Jackson, 3941 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97214
Boat-Based Environmental Education Project
Boat-Based Education on the Columbia/Willamette Rivers is an innovative program that fosters a broad-based community stewardship through hands-on experiences involving boats. Teachers and students in grades 4 through 12, along with decision makers, business representatives, and the general public, participate. Funding allows H20 to expand the scope of river explorations. Participants learn about problems affecting the river ecosystem by studying plankton and pollution and conducting water testing. Field work and observations address the following topics as they affect rivers: fish and wildlife habitat, human health, drinking water, groundwater, sewage disposal, and community problem solving.
Northeast Community Development Corp. $10,500
Cheryl Roberts, 4114 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217
Humboldt School Learning Garden
Phase II of the Humboldt School Learning Garden project creates a wetland simulation at the garden. Humboldt is located in one of Portland's most ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and students of the Humboldt School, along with the Humboldt community (almost 70 percent African American and almost 45 percent under the poverty level), are involved in the project. The students implement the project through classroom research and environmental study, field trips to natural resource areas, hands-on planting, landscaping of the garden, and activities that involve the whole family. Several local community organizations and businesses are partners in the project. The project advances Oregon's education reform goals, demonstrates community-based environmental education, promotes environmental stewardship among young people, introduces an urban population to experiential learning, and provides a green space that the entire community can enjoy.
Oregon 4-H Foundation $5,000
Mary Ann Sward, 105 Ballard Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-3608
Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes
This project supports volunteer 4-H leaders and school teachers in their efforts to educate young people by implementing a national Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes curriculum on children's health. 4-H volunteers and teachers are instructed in how to present the new, activity-based curriculum for students in grades 7 through 12 in both formal and informal settings.
Oregon State University $9,132
Susan Borden, 18 Gladys Valley Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331
Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program
OSU's Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program (SMILE Program) is offering two projects - Water Quality Challenge Weekend and Summer Science Camp on Watershed Ecology with an emphasis on salmon. The program involves 150 high school students and 15 high school teachers who receive training from Oregon State University (OSU) faculty and practicing professionals in water quality issues, sources of pollution, and the scientific fields and careers related to such issues. The high school students learn about the issues in after-school science clubs during the school year, then travel to OSU for the Challenge Weekend, during which they solve a simulation exercise. The two-week Summer Science Camp involves 32 middle school students who are introduced to the field of environmental science, with special emphasis on watershed health and salmon habitat and hands-on activities. All students involved are minority (40 percent Hispanic and more than 30 percent Native American) or members of low-income families.
Oregon Trout, Inc. $5,000
Rebecca Martin, 117 SW Front Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
Salmon Watch Environmental Education Program
The successful Salmon Watch program of Oregon Trout, Inc. is a community-based environmental education program that educates middle and high school students, as well as other members of local communities, about the historical, cultural, and economic value of salmon to the Pacific Northwest. The grant enables Salmon Watch to compile an abridged version of the existing Salmon Watch curriculum for use outside the school setting. In addition, educational materials are to be revised to incorporate into them an interdisciplinary and multicultural focus.
Oregon Watersheds $1,385
Al White, P. O. Box 18361, Salem, OR 97305
Water Quality Monitoring Partnership Project
The Water Quality Monitoring Partnership Project in the Santiam River watershed expands Oregon Watersheds' current community-based water quality project with high school students to a middle school in the area. Teachers are given new educational tools, equipment, training, and field support to help them and their students, as well as the rural farming community, to understand the significance of the relationship between water quality and human health. Data collected by the students are submitted to the volunteer database maintained by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for use in decision making related to water quality throughout the state. Students use their data to learn more about the ecosystem and water quality and its effect on human health and then share the information with the community through public events or public displays.
Think Link Discovery Museum $5,000
Donna Wyeth, 906 Washington Street, La Grande, OR 97850
Hands-On Outdoor Classroom
The goal of the Hands-On Outdoor Classroom Opportunities for Local School Children project is to expose children to a natural environment in which they do not live. Teachers and parents accompany the 250 fourth through sixth grade students on field trips to a site at which they focus their studies on ecosystems and resource management. Landowners; tribal members; and staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Oregon Fish and Wildlife have formed a partnership to help the students participate in the project.
1997 Grants
Linn Soil and Water Conservation District $4,996
Susan Gries, South Santiam Watershed Council, 33630 McFarland Road, Tangent, OR 97389
Water Quality Monitoring Program
The purpose of this project is to implement a water quality monitoring program in cooperation with three teachers from Lebanon, Sweet Home, and Scio High Schools, while providing community-based education to young people and other members of the community. Under the project, participants gather data on water quality and riparian and aquatic habitats to fill gaps in data available on the area watershed. They learn about biological, physical, and chemical water quality monitoring techniques and about issues that affect the watershed and strengthen their critical-thinking and analytical skills.
McKenzie School District #68 $14,000
Jim Fanning, 51187 Blue River Drive, Finn Rock, OR 97413
McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Environmental Education Program Development Project
The McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Environmental Education Program Development Project engages teachers and the project's community partners in adapting existing curricula to local needs and circumstances, and integrating such curricula into the framework of the McKenzie Sustainable Watersheds Program as practical educational exercises. The project, which reaches more than 400 students and their families, emphasizes local capacity to deliver quality environmental education through a participatory process that includes a series of teacher workshops. The project demonstrates practical ways to use environmental education programs, solidifies partnerships with the community, and sets standards for projects.
Milton-Freewater Unified School District #7 $4,755
Diane Groff, 138 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862
Science Technology Environmental Land Laboratory and Research Project
The Science Technology Environmental Land Laboratory and Research (STELLAR) project seeks to identify environmentally sound solutions to persistent and recurring problems in the local agricultural community. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 who participate in the STELLAR project become environmental stewards as they research the interconnectedness of management of crops, the watershed, and weeds through the project's living classroom approach to scientific investigation. The STELLAR project is designed to reach the area's rapidly growing Hispanic population, who make up approximately 33 percent of enrollment in the Milton-Freewater Unified School District; few such students enroll in traditional science courses.
Northwest Film Center $5,000
Ellen S. Thomas, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
Alien Invasion Film Project
Under the Alien Invasion Film Project, 75 junior and senior high school honor students from diverse economic and racial backgrounds create a 20-minute film and printed study guide that focuses on the effects of alien and invasive plant and animal species on an indigenous habitat. Through the project, students acquire a variety of skills related to scientific inquiry and process, research, community outreach, and the technical and artistic aspects of film making. The project provides a model for the certificate of advanced mastery (CAM) in the Natural Resource Systems focus area, a key component of education reform in the Portland public schools and throughout Oregon.
Orlo $5,000
Pete DuBois, P. O. Box 10342, Portland, OR 97214
The Garbage Gurus
The Garbage Gurus uses the creative arts to increase understanding of environmental issues among citizens and engage them in addressing such issues. The project educates students and teachers, links schools with community organizations, and provides workshops for students during which they explore environmental careers and activism. Through the Orlo Road Show, which visits selected watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest, 10,000 students and members of community groups experience a 45-minute musical assembly and attend workshops.
Portland State University $19,181
Julie Magers, Center for Science Education, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207
Water Workshop Series for Teachers
The Water Workshop Series for Teachers trains educators of kindergarten through 12th-grade students to lead and facilitate the improvement of science education by establishing community, research, and education partnerships. The project offers 12 workshops to approximately 165 teachers throughout Oregon and southern Washington and brings together numerous existing public and private programs, materials, and resources in water education. Teachers have available the tools, resources, and expert guidance they need to effectively incorporate water education activities into their current curricula.
Rogue Valley Council of Governments $69,500
David Jacob, P. O. Box 3275, 155 S. Second Street, Central Point, OR 97502
Bear Creek Stewardship Project
The Bear Creek Stewardship Project provides educational opportunities for students and teachers in the Bear Creek watershed and in rural communities in southwestern Oregon. The project sponsors a training session for educators that focuses on monitoring of water quality and provides equipment, supplies, and references necessary to conduct such testing. It also provides study kits and supports a water quality monitoring program for students. A student congress and a watershed education symposium give students the opportunity to share the results of their projects and work to improve the condition of Bear Creek. In addition, the program funds school and class environmental education projects through a small grant program and sponsors two large-scale stream cleanups, as well as the Adopt-a-Storm-Drain Program that provides drain-painting kits and informational brochures for use by students and teachers. Completing efforts under the project are two videos produced by students, one that focuses on the project itself and another that addresses misuse of storm drains, and a rural outreach program. Approximately 1,000 students in grades 1 through 12, as well as 40 educators, are involved in the project.
School District No. 1 - Madison High School $4,840
Julie Howland, P. O. Box 3107, Portland, OR 97208
Madison High School Water Analysis Team
The Madison High School Water Analysis Team project provides the ethnically diverse population of Madison High School, which is 37 percent minority, with the opportunity to become involved in real science, build a broader understanding of water quality issues, explore careers in natural resources, and take positive action to benefit their communities. Some 30 to 90 students and two teachers participate in the project, which is intended to raise the percentage of students at Madison who take science courses from the current lowest level among Portland high schools.
Sherwood School District 88J $11,130
Janet Bechtold, 23295 So. Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, OR 97140
Sherwood Sustainable Community Education Initiative
The Sherwood Sustainable Community Education Initiative promotes interdisciplinary environmental education by making available a reproducible model that demonstrates the benefits of sustainable development and fosters partnerships among schools, environmental groups, businesses, and government. The three primary activities offered under the project are a pilot teacher training workshop that provides information about innovative trends in environmental and sustainability education and curricula in use throughout the nation, pilot projects that test the model with students and members of community groups, and two or three pilot projects that test the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
1996 Grants
Central Oregon Environmental Center $5,000
Peter Geiser, 16 NW Kansas Street, Bend, OR 97701
Journey for the Planet - The Kids Ecoteam Program
This project educates 950 sixth-grade students in the Bend-LaPine School District about sustainable lifestyle practices. A step-by-step workbook, Journey for the Planet - The Kids Ecoteam Program, is provided to the children to learn how to change their behaviors and influence others to become more eco-wise consumers. In-service training is provided to the teachers. The project promotes partnerships with community and public organizations and empowers the students to make informed and responsible environmental decisions affecting pollution prevention.
City of Gresham - Department of Environmental Services $5,000
Amy Cortese, 1550 N.W. Eastman Parkway - Suite 175, Gresham, OR 97030-3830
Naturescaping for Clean Rivers
The Naturescaping for Clean Rivers program prevents pollution and improves wildlife habitat in a rapidly developing community. It informs, demonstrates, and involves volunteers in native landscaping, restoration, and enhancement of property while reducing reliance on water, fertilizers, pesticides, and energy. The project hosts workshops for 120 local property owners in the Gresham area. These workshops include field trips to demonstration sites and classroom learning about watersheds, the individual's connection to water quality, native plants, and the basic landscape design techniques. Neighborhood leaders are being recruited and trained to participate in demonstration site projects and volunteers are being recruited to assist with planting native vegetation throughout the city.
La Grande School District - La Grande High School $13,167
Dolores Carmichael, 2802 Adams Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850
Watershed and Forest Health Education Program
Under this grant, the school district is educating 882 high school students in the biological, social, and political issues involved in watershed and forest management using an outdoor laboratory setting. Aquatic survey data from Sheep Creek and pre-reforestation data from the Rebarrow Experimental Forest is being gathered and compiled by the trained teams of students. Data will be digitized and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis will be conducted, then restoration and enhancement projects will be written and implemented for the watershed and forest study sites.
Marcola School District 79J $4,997
Maurice Thorne, 38300 Wendling Road, Marcola, OR 97454
Preserving a High Quality Watershed
This project expands the existing water quality monitoring program to include the high school students and other Marcola residents; propagates native plants in the school-owned arboretum; conducts cleanup and restoration projects and riparian surveys along the Mohawk River and Cartwright Creek; and, leads to the exchange of information with other school districts. These activities are being made possible by workshops with teachers, students, and residents in collaboration with McKenzie Watershed Council partner organizations and the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network. The information, data, and experiences gathered in the water quality monitoring program and workshops are being used as tools to address drinking water and groundwater protection, aquatic and upland habitat protection, and nonpoint source pollution in rural areas.
National Wildlife Federation $19,085
Beth Stout, 921 S.W. Morrison Suite 512, Portland, OR 97205
Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat
This project creates schoolyard wildlife habitats as outdoor classrooms at three elementary schools and one middle school in the Portland area, reaching approximately 400 students. Twelve to 16 teachers and 25 parents are trained to integrate use of the habitats into the overall school curriculum. The Federation is writing and distributing a workbook for teachers and schools on how to create schoolyard wildlife habitats in this region.
Oregon 4-H Foundation $5,000
Virginia Thompson, 5390 4-H Road NW, Salem, OR 97304
4-H EM*Power Waste Management Curriculum
The 4-H EM*Power Program (new 4-H Environmental Stewardship Waste Management curriculum) in Oregon is being implemented through workshops to build state-wide capacity to educate youth in waste management. These workshops are for teachers and other educators from both formal and nonformal programs. Under the leadership of adults trained in EM*Power workshops, youth in sixth through ninth grades are identifying waste management concerns; learning how waste management concerns become issues, and becoming empowered to take action on waste management issues in their community.
Oregon Groundwater Association $4,900
Nancy Sippel, 4130 SW 117th, #465, Beaverton, OR 97005
Sharing the Wealth: Groundwater, Oregon's Buried Treasure
This project improves environmental education skills for teachers and students through workshops providing the basis for each school (seven selected schools around the state) to develop a unique groundwater strategy as a community outreach component. Students have a unique opportunity to create, develop, and manage a project that challenges their critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and research skills. The target audiences for this project include: the middle through high school students and teachers from the seven schools throughout Oregon who receive buried treasure chests and participate in the workshop training, and the general public in the communities of the participating schools who gain a better understanding of the prevention of groundwater contamination.
1995 Grants
Columbia Education Center $75,490
Ralph Nelsen, 11325 SE Lexington, Portland, OR 97266
Science Improvement Through Environmental Studies (SITES)
The Columbia Education Center has requested $75,490 in support of a project to expand their program to establish environmental education demonstration sites at public and private schools in five states. "Science Improvement Through Environmental Studies (SITES)" will use a nationally-recognized investigative and problem-solving approach to the study of the ecological, environmental, and social principles associated with biodiversity. The project will include a two-week summer training institute for middle school teachers to address ways to use and improve existing curriculum and to provide teachers with the skills needed to organize and lead effective in-service sessions. Following the training, the Center will monitor the teachers' implementation of their programs and certify qualified teachers to serve as state-level volunteer Peer Leaders to provide post-project in-service programs for their colleagues in the region. Once completed, the Center plans to market their project nationally by, for example, submitting it to the U.S. Department of Education for possible inclusion in the National Diffusion Network. The project will reach 60 teachers and 6,000 students.
Concordia College $4,800
Charles J. Kunert, 2811 NE Holman, Portland, OR 97211
Hands-On Environmental Experiences for Future Teachers
This project is aimed at all (1,500) Concordia College undergraduate students with special emphasis on the 300 students enrolled in elementary and secondary education. The class is called Problems in Science and is designed to assist students in gaining skills and understanding of environmental concepts which will transfer to their subsequent teaching experiences. The college will take these students to two environmentally-important sites and involve them in such hands-on activities as measuring and monitoring changes in the environment and the effects of harmful practices.
Douglas County School District #77 $5,000
Jim Docherty, P. O. Box E, Glendale, OR 97442
K-12 Environmental Education and School-Wide Recycling Program
The purpose of this project is to create the first environmental education recycling program for this kindergarten through 12th grade school district which serves 625 students. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality curriculum for waste reduction will be used and adapted to the rural school setting. A school-wide recycling and waste reduction program also will be implemented. Through this project, the objective is to increase the understanding of recycling and waste issues by the students, staff, and school patrons.
LaGrande High School $14,734
Dolores Carmichael, 708 "K" Avenue, LaGrande, OR 97850
Watershed and Forest Health Education Program
This project will educate 941 high school students in the biological, social, and political issues involved in watershed and forest management using an outdoor laboratory setting. Aquatic survey data from the Five Point Creek Watershed and pre-reforestation data from the Rebarrow Experimental Forest will be gathered and compiled by a trained teams of students. The students will analyze that data using mathematic skills and computer technology. Working with federal and state agencies, landowners, tribes, and industry, they will develop a habitat restoration and enhancement plan. Some of the restoration and enhancement projects will be monitored to evaluate and adjust for watershed and forest health.
Multnomah Education Service District $20,000
Kris Persson, P. O. Box 301039, Portland, OR 97230-9039
Environmental Educator Training Partnership
The Outdoor School, a residential environmental education program for all 6th grade students in the Multnomah County area, will link its landscape ecology-based curriculum to middle school natural science instruction. It will use the environment to teach, build upon previous learning, provide hands-on activities, and include preparation and follow-up plans at 66 middle schools. The goal of the project is to improve the skills of the 40 teachers, 20 field instructors, and 35 program leaders by providing training for them and building the capacity of local schools to provide an integrated, applied environmental and natural science curriculum consistent with Oregon's school reform law.
Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District $4,947
Ron Graves, 2325 River Road, #3, The Dalles, OR 97058
Fifteenmile Creek Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Pilot Project
This project will educate members of the local landowner community and high school students under leadership of the local Soil and Water Conservation District. By directly involving 115 families (550 people) owning property adjacent to streams in the Fifteenmile Creek Watershed, and approximately 300 high school students in environmental monitoring and analysis, this project will increase the awareness of both water quality and fisheries resource issues and show that local resource management decisions can make a difference. Landowner and student workshops will be held to provide background on the nature of the problems, teach necessary, hands-on skills in monitoring, and provide information to enable data interpretation.
1994 Grants
Central Oregon Environmental Center $5,000
Peter Geiser, 16 NW Kansas St., Bend, OR 97701
Central Oregon Household Ecoteam Program
The "Central Oregon Household Ecoteam Program" will consist of households forming community-based "EcoTeams" to work on specific environmental projects. The objectives of this project are to educate the public about environmentally sustainable lifestyles, to help team members achieve measurable reductions and efficiencies, to promote partnerships with community and public organizations, and to empower the community to make informed and responsible environmental decisions.
Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation $5,000
Kathleen Kanury, P. O. Box 1433, Corvallis, OR 97339
Wildlife Rehabilitation
This project will use wildlife rehabilitation resources to bring environmental education to the public. Students from the Corvallis School District will apply problem-solving techniques to local environmental problems contained in wildlife rehabilitation records. The students will produce and publicly display information about living with wildlife in a shared environment.
City of Hillsboro $15,651
Patrick Willis, 123 W. Main Street, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Wetland Education Broadcasts
For this grant, the City of Hillsboro will design and implement a wetland education program for broadcast over the Oregon Ed-Net satellite video-telecommunications system. The program will consist of a 10-week educator training session with classroom student discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on laboratory experiences.
Columbia Education Center $21,941
Ralph Nelsen, 11325, SE Lexington, Portland, OR 97266-5927
Learning About Biodiversity
The project, "Learning About Biodiversity," will involve students in environmental issues, investigations, evaluation, and resolution. A two-week summer training will be held for 20 teachers from public and private schools in Oregon and Idaho. These teachers will set their schools up as demonstration sites.
Jacksonville Woodlands $5,000
Larry Smith, P. O. Box 252, Jacksonville, OR 97530
Visit to Jacksonville Woodlands
The purpose of this project is to prepare students and teachers before their visit to the Jacksonville Woodlands. Participants in this project will produce a woodlands educational videotape and supporting teachers' materials.
Monument High School $5,000
Ron Gaither, North Street, Monument, OR 97864
Water Quality Monitoring for John Day Watershed
In coordination with state and local organizations, the Student Watershed Enhancement Team from Monument High School will assist in the collection and processing of John Day watershed data. The team will establish a water quality monitoring network. This grant will allow the team to acquire the computer power to analyze the data and communicate results in a professional manner.
1993 Grants
City of Salem $4,998
Tina Schweickert, Public Works Department, 555 Liberty Street, SE, Room 325, Salem, OR 97301
Adopt-a-Stream
The Adopt-a-Stream Project provides teacher training and coordination for student monitoring and assessment of local streams. Six teachers and students from elementary to high school will participate in adopting a section of a local stream and will record information. A Salem Youth Watershed Summit will be held for students to report on their projects and share information.
Columbia Basin Institute $22,000
William H. Bean, P. O. Box 3795, Portland, OR 97208
Hispanic Environmental Education Demonstration
This grant funds an Hispanic environmental education demonstration and publications to educate the Spanish-speaking residents regarding environmental issues in the Columbia Basin area. Four informational and motivational presentations and a question and answer meeting with regulatory agencies will be held to discuss Hispanic environmental concerns. A bilingual manual also will be written. The project is located in Washington.
Columbia River Estuary Study Task Force (CREST) $5,000
Carol Rushmore, 750 Commercial Street, Room 214, Astoria, OR 97103
Columbia River Estuary Natural Resource ArcView Educational Pilot
The "Columbia River Estuary Natural Resource ArcView Educational Pilot" project provides GIS end-user training to teachers in Seaside, Oregon's Coastal Studies and Technology Center designed for 9th through 12th grade students. The project will assist those teachers to develop GIS curriculum for students using the natural resource GIS database of the Columbia River Estuary, which was developed by CREST.
Northwest Film and Video Center $5,000
David S. Mayne, 1219 S.W. Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
Paths to a Sustainable World Project
The purpose of the "Paths to a Sustainable World Project" is to develop a five-part documentary film series that demonstrates new methods and technologies that preserve the environment. The project will provide a communications link between various groups pursuing environmentally sustainable projects and can also be used in the high school and college level classrooms. The film will be designed for both broadcast and Multimedia applications.
Oregon 4-H Foundation $5,000
Virginia Thompson, 5390 4-H Road NW, Salem, OR 97304
Wetland Wonders
The implementation of a "Wetland Wonders" study program in Oregon for 30 to 50 elementary school teachers is the goal of this project. This grant will provide program components with equipment and supplies for classroom activities and printing costs for the curriculum and program leader's manual.
The Wetlands Conservancy $21,449
Anthony Laska, P. O. Box 1195, Tualatin, OR 97062
The Oregon Wetlands Stewardship Program
The Oregon Wetlands Stewardship Program will enable citizens, through The Wetlands Conservancy's Site Evaluation Program and Wetlands Watch Program, to distinguish types of impacts in wetlands they are monitoring. A Wetlands Permits Primer for training will be developed.
1992 Grants
Administrative School District #10 $4,060
Seaside, OR 97138
Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP)
The "Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP)" will allow local schools, communities, and city governments to protect intertidal habitat through educational programs and through a new concept of protective stewardship.
Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center $5,000
Benton County, OR 97339
Wildlife Rehabilitation
This grant funds a project that involves using wildlife rehabilitation efforts as an experimental learning method for use in public educational systems. CWRC staff, in partnership with area educators, will integrate knowledge about debilitated wildlife into the local public educational system.
Eugene School District $5,000
Eugene, OR 97402
Cal Young Middle School Stormwater-Wetland Study
The Cal Young Middle School Stormwater-Wetland Study involves educating students about creating and implementing environmental solutions in their community through a environmental education curriculum.
Oregon Department of Agriculture $5,000
Salem, OR 97301
Small Farm/Rural Homesite Water Quality Education Project
The Small Farm/Rural Homesite Water Quality Education Project provides funding for printing and disseminating a handbook of recommended pollution control practices for rural homeowners and noncommercial farms.
Oregon School for the Blind $4,866
Salem, OR 97301
Stream Enhancement and Fish Habitat
This grant funds a summer environmental workshop for students and staff to work with Oregon Fish and Wildlife personnel in planning and implementing a stream enhancement and fish habitat improvement project.
University of Oregon $5,000
Eugene, OR 97403
Environmentally Sustainable Development
The "Environmentally Sustainable Development" project involves a two-term course that will assess the long-term environmental sustainability of various development strategies.