Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded to Organizations in West Virginia
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
2010 Grants
The Friends of Deckers Creek $24,000
Kevin Stitzinger, 100 Campus Drive AH 204, Elkins, WV 26241
Watershed Groups Engaging Youth in Environmental Service-Learning
The mission of the Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) is to increase youth participation in helping clean up the Deckers Creek watershed for conservation, preservation, and recreation through youth-led projects and research. Through their peer network, dozens of youth as well as community adults become involved in the activities presented by the youth stewardship group. Students engage in stewardship activities that include monitoring streams, identifying and marking stormwater drains, monitoring energy use, assessing impacts on water quality, influencing schools to become more environmentally friendly, advocating for public green-space areas, speaking at town council meeting and school board meetings, and hosting hands-on environmental education activities at community events. Specifically, this project addresses environmental stewardship in a local context and uses community-based stewardship activities as the primary teaching tool.
2009 Grants
Appalachian Trail Conservancy $20,000
Amy McCormick, 799 Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Volunteer Environmental Monitoring, Management and Conservation
The goal of the Volunteer Environmental Monitoring, Management and Conservation program is to promote community stewardship of the Appalachian Trail and its conservation corridor by educating residents in towns along the trail in North Carolina, especially students, families, and other local groups. The program administers 11 training sessions in one day, enabling community members to learn about the importance of environmental monitoring for mitigating threats to ecosystems related to climate change, pollution, habitat fragmentation, and invasive plants. Workshops train participants to monitor rare, threatened, and endangered plants; monitor and control invasive plant species; and begin restoration of ecosystems harmed by invasive plants. Part of the project is also directed at training teachers who participate in the "Trail to Every Classroom" program, providing them with the resources and preparation to teach environmental monitoring to their students.
Friends of Deckers Creek $21,907
Sarah Veselka, P.O. Box 877, Dellslow, WV 26531
Friends of Deckers Creek
The Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) program monitors the biological community and water quality of the watershed and disseminates the findings to the public. This program is the only ongoing FODC project designed to track trends in the water quality and biological communities of streams in the Deckers Creek watershed. Data collected and published through this program are used to educate the public about the impact of acid mine drainage and other environmental pollutants, as well as to steer restoration efforts, evaluate the success of restoration, and educate community members, leaders, and students on the steps taken to improve current conditions and to protect Deckers Creek in the future.
Ohio County School $11,250
Leah Stout, 2203 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003
Project Green and Growing Well
Project Green and Growing Well builds awareness of environmental and health issues facing the young generation and helps students assume responsibility for launching an Environmental Stewardship Community Project. An additional focus of this project is disseminating information to members of the public to make them participants in a greener and healthier community environment. By involving the young generation in sustainable school projects and an environmental stewardship community service project, the students' homes, schools, and community reap environmental benefits. As part of the project, students participate in a recycling drive and help make environmental changes to a biking and walking trail. The project further heightens the public's awareness through a science fair focused on environmental topics.
2008 Grants
Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association, Inc. $7,103
Val Page, P.O. Box 196, 300 Front Street, Mullens, WV 25882
Community Stewardship Initiative
The Community Stewardship Initiative allows the Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association (UGWA) the ability to reach farther into the watershed through small community forums, public meetings, the media, stream cleanups, and by fostering meaningful partnerships. While it cultivates an enthusiasm for watershed stewardship, UGWA teaches the community about the health risks surrounding untreated wastewater and how to avoid hazardous contact. The goal of the wastewater project is to increase access to adequate wastewater treatment facilities in local communities and reduce human health risks caused by discharges of untreated household wastewater.
2007 Grants
Cacapon Institute $14,924
W. Neil Gillies, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808
A New Model for Regional Environmental Education Using the Internet
The Cacapon Institute professional education and outreach staff work with the region's schools and communities to promote watershed awareness. This grant is used to reach a teacher-targeted audience through the use of Project Learning Tree workshops, working with education faculty at universities, through personal visits to schools, and by using the teacher contacts with other environmental organizations and agencies. Teachers use :Internet-based activities to educate students and help provide a unique venue for critical thinking using real science.
2006 Grants
Oglebay Institute $9,910
Mark Williams, 1330 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003
Mission Ground Truth: Enhancing Teaching Through Technology and Field Experiences
The Olgeby Institute: Mission Ground Truth is an integrated, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based ecosystem assessment program that incorporates field studies and innovative technologies for middle school teachers. Teachers explore environmental education concepts and methods, complete freshwater stream and deciduous forest ecosystems testing, and equipment usage that assist in integrating the program into the classroom curriculum. The project is designed and developed for grade 7 and 8 teachers in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
Tucker County Family Resource Network $12,043
April Miller, 501 Chestnut Street, Parsons, WV 26287
Organizational County Connections
The Tucker County Family Resource Network — Tucker County Connections (TCC) community education initiative in West Virginia assists young people in developing a relationship with the natural environment. TCC teaches elementary through high school-age children to treat the local streams and woodlands responsibly. Students and teachers from Tucker County elementary, middle, and high school, Boy and Girl Scouts, and 4-H groups participate in educational field trips to local public land preserves, providing students with a model of environmental, experiential teaching and learning practices. A Natural and Cultural History Field Trip Series and Resource Guide also have been developed.
2005 Grants
Friends of the Cheat, Inc. $5,175
Danielle Adams, 119 S. Price Street, Suite 206, Kingwood, WV 26537
Structuring Friends of the Cheat's Education Initiatives
The Friends of the Cheat’s (FOC) current educational initiatives that involve acid mine drainage (AMD) are structured under this project. AMD is a result of mining practices by the coal mining industry that occurred from the early 1900s and polluted streams in north-central West Virginia. FOC works with educational professionals to promote and implement initiatives that raise awareness about AMD. Awareness is raised by development of a flyer and Web site that describe the educational opportunities FOC offers as well as school instruction and outdoor educational activities, including interpretive watershed tours. These initiatives are shared with elementary, middle, and high school children (including home-schooled children); Girl Scout and 4-H groups; and civic groups. This project leads to concerned, educated citizens who become active and involved in community watersheds and the quality of the water.
2004 Grants
Friends of Cheat, Inc. $3,232
Keith Pitzer, 119 S. Price Street, Kingwood, WV 26537
Acid Mine Drainage Awareness Education Program
This grant supports development of an Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Awareness Education Program for 32 students at Preston High School, 50 students at Bruceton School, 60 Boy Scouts, and 53 4H members. This program provides the participants with a thorough understanding of water quality issues, water sampling, AMD, and the importance of restoring the Cheat River to health as a waterway. In addition, the program provides guided tours of the AMD Interpretative Trail in Preston County to educate the public about the impacts of coal mining on the Cheat River watershed and what is being done to restore the Cheat River to its original state.
2003 Grants
Cacapon Institute $8,408
Neil Gillies, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808
Internet-based Watershed Learning Center
This project involves development of an Internet-based Watershed Learning Center for teachers and students on the Cacapon Institute web site. The learning center allows teachers to engage students with more substantive exercises over longer periods than is possible in the context of brief classroom visits. It also increases the number of students that teachers can reach in a cost-effective manner. The learning center is an effective resource that can be readily scaled up to serve teachers and students over a greater portion of the Appalachian region.
Glenville State College $9,686
Loralyn Hilton-Taylor, 200 High Street, Glenville, WV 26351
The Little Kanawha Watershed Project
One objective of this project is to revise the educational goals of the laboratory component of a general biology course at Glenville State College. A second objective is to expand environmental science research opportunities for undergraduates at the college. Currently, the undergraduate research course consists of predominantly literature research, but as students make a transition into the new curriculum, this course will become an independent research course where students will design and conduct their own independent research projects. The grant provides funding to establish a watershed-based environmental research program to provide research experience to all interested undergraduates.
Lightstone Community Development Center $7,060
Alexander Struminger, HC 63, Box 73, Moyers, WV 26815-9502
New Technology Applications for Watershed Environmental Field Data Gathering
To enhance a college-level course called "The Human Environment: Watersheds and Their Communities," the Lightstone Community Development Center is introducing new technology applications such as field collection of environmental data using handheld devices and field test kits and field mapping with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These technological advances are helping to enhance the science curricula in the school systems in West Virginia and Virginia as well as the curriculum at a regional 2-year college.
The Children's Tree House Child Development Center $5,000
Joyce Leonard, Rural Route 1, Box 166, Sheperd Grade Road, Sheperdstown, WV 25443
Outdoor Environmental Learning Center
The Outdoor Environmental Learning Center project involves creating an outdoor learning space where the public, children, and their parents can learn about human health threats associated with environmental pollution. The project gives special emphasis to providing information about how pollution affects children and how human exposure to pollutants can be minimized in order to preserve good health.
The Mountain Institute $5,000
Elizabeth Byers, 100 Campus Drive, LA 108, Elkins, WV 26241
Thematic Weekend Workshops in Environmental Sciences
This project addresses two major needs within the West Virginia science teacher community that have been identified by the West Virginia Science Teacher Association: (1) a need for more opportunities to receive field training in environmental sciences and (2) a need for better hands-on approaches to field and classroom teaching in general. The project is addressing these needs by providing teachers with hands-on training in workshops titled “Mountain Biodiversity” and “Changing Upland Watersheds.”
2002 Grants
Cacapon Institute $5,000
W. Neil Gillies, Route 1, P. O. Box 326, High View, WV 26808
Stream Scholars Summer Camp
The camp provides eighth-grade students with a mix of hands-on stream work, discussions, and writing centered around the topics of stream ecology. The camp encourages environmental careers and education to increase West Virginia's need for an increased rate of college attendance.
Friends of the Cheat $7,383
Meredith Pavlick, 119 S. Price Street, Suite 206, Kingwood, WV 26537
Acid Mine Drainage and Watershed Awareness Education Program
The project raises awareness about the impacts of mining on local waterways. An acid mine drainage interpretive trail is developed that addresses environmental issues through interpretive materials found along the path. An environmental education awareness program is also developed to teach children about environmental issues in their area.
Lightstone Foundation, Inc. $5,000
Anthony E. Smith, PhD., P. O. Box 73, Moyers, WV 26815
Watersheds and Their Communities
Lightstone's 600-acre organic farm serves as a dormitory, classroom, and laboratory for 1 week of intensive, experimental training that includes the study of plant and animal ecology and water.
Potomac Valley Audubon Society $11,728
Kristin Alexander, P. O. Box 578, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
A Watershed Education Initiative for Eastern West Virginia
This project evaluates the effectiveness of a watershed program in the panhandle of West Virginia for future use as an outreach program by the Yankauer Nature Preserve. The program introduces fourth-grade students to the concept of watersheds, and explains why they are important and how to take care of them. Evaluation of the program focuses on students' knowledge of watersheds and related environmental issues and changes in attitudes towards the environment. Teachers evaluate the implementation methods of the program and identify areas for program improvement. The watershed concept is poorly understood by the Eastern Panhandle community at large. This program helps students and teachers gain awareness of the watershed concept.
2001 Grants
Cacapon Institute $5,000
W. Neil Gilles, Route 1, Box 326, High View, WV 26808
What's in a Watershed?
This project funds Watershed Stewardship fairs (WSF) for students at three high schools. The fairs increase students’ understanding of environmental issues and enhance their ability to respond to issues in an informed manner by focusing on water quality studies. The workshop is designed to foster critical thinking in forestry practices, application of best management practices, and activities that affect drinking water quality, non-point source pollution, and conservation of plants and animals.
Great Kanawha Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. $1,500
Jackie Moales, 418 Goff Mountain Road, Cross Lanes, WV 25313
A Watershed of Wisdom: Blue Creek Watershed Association Environmental Education Project
The goal of the project is to educate teachers, students, and members of the local community about watershed issues and the health issues related to water quality. The program familiarizes students with their local environment through hands-on experiences in assessment of the watershed. EPA funding provides for the purchase of a non-point Source EnvironScape Unit, a riparian kit, a groundwater kit, and watershed kits. Participants in the program include 6 teachers and approximately 225 students in grades 3 through 5.
Randolph County Schools $5,000
Carol Cain, 40 Eleventh Street, Elkins, WV 26241
Randolph County Outdoor Initiative
The goal of the project is to educate 350 students in grade 5 about the importance of environmental education and to help the students explore solutions to environmental problems. Students explore local waterways and forests, examine local history and traditional folk art, and learn about resource management practices. The students develop a sense of responsibility for the preservation of the community.
2000 Grants
Cacapon Institute $5,000
W. Neil Gillies, Rt. 1 Box 326, High View, WV 26808
Keep Well Water Program
Middle and high school students are trained in testing for the presence or absence of bacteria and in testing water samples in their own homes, interpreting and reporting the results to local media and posting the results on Cacapon Institute's Web site. In the Cacapon Watershed, 60 percent of wells are contaminated with total coliform bacteria, and 17 percent are contaminated with Escherichia coli. Reported results educate the public about the quality of community drinking water and about health concerns associated with contaminated drinking water.
The Children's Treehouse $5,000
Mark Madison, Box 166, Shepherd Grade Road, Shepherdstown, WV 254430
Grow With Us
Preschool children enjoy an outdoor environmental learning site. The site is furnished with native plants, shrubs, and trees that attract birds and butterflies. Bird feeders and houses and observation sites provide the children with glimpses of life in the wild. The water site houses fish, aquatic vegetation, frogs, tadpoles, and some insects. The children learn about nature from observing plants and animals in their natural environment.
1999 Grants
Little Eagle Childcare Center $5,000
Paula Marrone-Reese, P. O. Box 1208/STOP 900, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Beginning Bee's - Bugs, Birds, and Bushes
This project provides preschool children with exposure to their environment. Under the project, the Little Eagle Childcare Center is developing an environmental education site that includes native plants designed to attract butterflies and other insects. A water site is being installed for water plants and aquatic animals (tadpoles, goldfish, and others), and regular observation sites are being erected. The site includes two self-pollinating fruit trees. Local teachers trained in preschool education assist in the project. The goal of the program is to create an atmosphere in which children at an early age can become aware of and be challenged by their environment.
1998 Grants
Shepherd College Foundation $15,270
James Watson, Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
Environmental Education at Shepherd College and in Its Environs
This grant enables Shepherd College to continue to develop its internal undergraduate environmental education program and to enhance its outreach to public schools in the region by providing funding for student work in the field and at conferences and workshops. Funding also enables the program to obtain portable air, water, and soil testing kits that enhance both teaching on campus and continuing education for public school teachers.
1997 Grants
Little Eagle Child Care Center $5,000
Lisa Shawyer, P. O. Box 1208/Stop 900, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Kids Discover Nature's Gifts
The participants in the Kids Discover Nature's Gifts program, ages 4 to 12, establish observation sites and wildlife feeding stations in various ecological habitats. A computer database of information collected by the students themselves allows the students to compare their results with other documented information and study both differences and similarities.
Pine Cabin Run Ecological Laboratory $5,000
Nancy Ailes, Route 1, Box 328, High View, WV 26808
Reducing Non-Point-Source Pollution Committee
This project educates the community about issues related to non-point-source water pollution. The goal of the project is to work through the newly established Watershed Stakeholder Advisory Committee and with the community to reduce pollution in the Lost River and Cacapon River watersheds. Using methods learned during monthly meetings, the members of the committee reach out to their respective communities to implement agreed-upon strategies to reduce non-point-source pollution. The project targets members of the community who represent every significant category of river user throughout the watershed.
Potomac Headwaters RC&C Region, Inc. $5,000
Roger Boer, 1450-6 Edwin Miller Boulevard, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Groundwater and Public Health
Under this project, local government officials, teachers, migrant workers, students, and the general public learn about the relationships between the quality of groundwater and public health and about the specific threats to public health that have been identified in Berkeley County, West Virginia.
1996 Grants
Lightstone Foundation $5,000
Dr. Anthony E. Smith, HC 63, Box 73, Moyers, WV 26814
Future Stewards
This project will promote environmental careers for students by providing training and apprenticeships in natural resource conservation, family farming, and rural community development. Federal funding will support wages for five high school students, a project director, and project expenses.
West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection $5,000
Roseanne Long, 10 McJunkin Road, Nitro, WV 25143
Project WET Teacher Training Workshop: Groundwater Quality Issues
Teachers in four rural eastern West Virginia counties will learn about water and groundwater issues from the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (WVA DEP). WVA DEP will use Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) materials to illustrate the issues, which are particularly sensitive to water contamination because of the local karst hydrogeology.
1995 Grants
Boone County Board of Education $5,000
David Cooke, 69 Avenue B, Madison, WV 25130
Alternative Rural Waste Water Systems for the Southern West Virginia Counties: A Real-Life Laboratory
The goal of this project will be to build local capacity to develop and deliver solid environmental education programs through application of existing knowledge in a site specific manner - an outdoor laboratory aimed not only at school children but all residents of the area. The main objective will be site identification and analysis of appropriate alternative wastewater systems in Boone County and development of one site as a working system. The target audience for the project is all residents not hooked up to a municipal wastewater system, and for whom conventional septic systems are not feasible.
East Fairmont High School Foundation, Inc. $24,500
Terry Kerns, 1993 Airport Road, Fairmont, WV 26554
Acid Mine Drainage Project
This project proposes to develop a model on how acid mine drainage should be taught, how schools can be linked by electronic transmission, and how resource materials can be made available to schools with computer hook-ups in an economical manner. Initially the project will be aimed at approximately 10 teachers and their students in three or four states in the Appalachian region. Each teacher then will conduct a workshop for 10 or more teachers in his or her local area.
1994 Grants
Monogalia County Health Department $4,995
Sally Taylor, 453 Van Voorhis Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505
Drinking Water Contaminants
For this project, the Monogalia County Health Department will sponsor three workshops: one for the public, a second for plumbers and contractors, and another for State Health Department Environmental Specialists. The environmental objective of this project is to protect drinking water from contaminants.
The Woodlands Mountain Institute $5,000
John Eckman, Main & Dogwood Streets, P. O. Box 907, Franklin, WV 26807
Environmental Assessment
Under this grant, the Woodlands Mountain Institute will train 100 youth in West Virginia about environmental assessment. The environmental benefit of this project is that after the training students will return to their communities to begin local environmental action or environmental assessment projects.
1993 Grants
Pocahontas Communications Cooperative Corporation $5,000
Gibbs Kinderman, State Route 28, Dunmore, WV 24934
Impacts of the Logging Industry on the Environment
This grant funds a hands-on, informal education program on the impact of the logging industry on the environment. The program will be presented to approximately 1,500 summer visitors to the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Southern Appalachian Labor School $5,000
John P. David, P. O. Box 127, Kincaid, WV 25119
Identification of PCB Hot Spots
Through workshops, research, and site identification, Labor School staff will work with at least eight community groups to identify sources of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination from coal mining operations and report "hot spots" to EPA. Citizens will learn about the health risks of PCBs and how to prevent the risks.
West Virginia Community Action Directors Association $5,000
Dave Treharne, P. O. Box 4007, Parkersburg, WV 26104
Workshops for Social Service Employees
Through four regional workshops, social service employees will learn about the environmental issues faced by low-income families in the 55 counties they serve. The ultimate goal of the project is to teach these families how to effectively deal with environmental problems.
1992 Grants
West Virginia Environmental Education Training Center $15,470
Ripley, WV 25271
Environmental Education Curriculum Workshop
This grant funds a project to present environmental education curriculum workshops to elementary, intermediate, and secondary science educators in a state with a large rural population.
West Virginia State Soil Conservation Committee $5,000
Charleston, WV 25305
Farmer/Landowner Workshop
This grant funds a project to provide workshops for 100 farmers and landowners to educate them about non-point source water pollution.