Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded to Organizations in Wisconsin
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
- 2015
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2015 Grants
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System $192,184
Lyn Bauer-Armstrong, 21 N. Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715-1218
Colaboracion Ambiental- Latino Earth Partnership
The Latino Earth Partnership (LEP), or Colaboración Ambiental, seeks to strengthen the capacity of formal and non-formal educators to partner with Latino communities to engage more than 4,200 young people in environmental stewardship, spanning culture and place at five sites in Wisconsin, Florida and Puerto Rico. Partners develop relationships and recruit participants from Latino communities that reflect current, significant demographic patterns. LEP involves students in kindergarten through grade 12 and university teachers and students, non-formal educators, citizens, elders and other community members in efforts to expand the time people spend outdoors, active learning in real-world contexts, and cultural inclusivity. The LEP program has three phases: capacity building that leads up to train-the-trainer institutes, implementation through teacher professional development institutes and youth stewardship projects, and dissemination through continued and new youth stewardship and community partnerships. LEP believes firmly in what Aldo Leopold noted in the 1949 A Sand County Almanac, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
2014 Grants
St. Croix Valley Foundation of the St. Croix Watershed $192,200
Jane Hetland Stevenson, 516 Second Street, Suite 214, Hudson, WI 54016
http://www.scvfoundation.org/Exit
St. Croix Watershed Certificate Pilot Project
The St. Croix Master Watershed Stewards Pilot Project is a two year project that combines environmental education, leadership development, and civic organizing in a comprehensive watershed steward curriculum with a capstone service-learning project. The long-term goal is to dramatically increase environmental stewardship ethic and activities in the St. Croix watershed in Minnesota and Wisconsin by recruiting and certifying not less than 36 Mater Watershed Stewards and having them enlist small work teams of 3 to 10 additional volunteers to implement watershed protection projects that include education of the community served by the watershed.
University of Wisconsin, Madison Arboretum $91,000
Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715
https://arboretum.wisc.edu/Exit
Colaboracion Ambiental – Latino Earth Partnership (LEP)
The two primary goals of this project are: (1) to strengthen the capacity of formal and informal educators to partner with Latino communities in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Cleveland and (2) to integrate culturally authentic resources and citizen science process skills to be used as models for environmental stewardship in 18 diverse schools and communities. Reaching 70 teachers from 18 schools; 2,700 students from K-12; and 20 community-based partners, LEP curriculum involves youth in the decision-making process of siting, designing, and planting a rain garden at their school and provides an example of how students can play an important role in reducing stormwater runoff in schools and communities. Through planting a rain garden and connecting with citizen science water quality monitoring of waterways affected by stormwater pollution, students bring these ideas back to their families and communities and encourage others to implement similar projects.
2011 Grants
Board of Regents University of Wisconsin System-UN of WI Madison $150,000
Cheryl Bauer Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715
RESTORE Water Stewardship
The Restoration Education, Science Training and Outreach for Regional Educators (RESTORE) Water Stewardship program provides sub-grants to strengthen existing and form new partnerships in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Sub-grants support professional development on two levels: existing lead teams train 70 school teams in 14 basins in 2012 and at least 6 new RESTORE lead teams receive training as instructors in 2012 to 2013 to train 30 additional school teams in 2014. Teachers and community partners involve students in project-based learning including designing and building rain gardens, restoring riparian corridors, and collecting, communicating and using data. Learning sequences are keyed to state standards in science, math, social studies and language arts core subjects. Trainers, students and teachers employ tools and strategies such as participatory photo mapping, global positioning system (GPS), digital photography, Google Earth and citizen science monitoring, dynamic data tools and shared databases. In addition, university students engage with kindergarten through grade 12 students in restoration-based service learning on schoolyards in the community and in riparian, wetland and shoreland areas. Indigenous Arts and Sciences perspectives are also integrated.
2009 Grants
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee $20,074
Jeremy Simon, 1558 North 6th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Wisconsin Forest History and Urban Forestry Program
The Wisconsin Forest History and Urban Forestry Program has three primary, inter-related goals. The program creates a better understanding among Southeastern Wisconsin's youth of the significance of Wisconsin's urban forests and vegetation, and the role these resources play in the students' and their community's daily lives now and in the future. Additionally, students in Milwaukee and Waukesha County communities are educated about the role of forests in shaping Wisconsin's history and why forests are still relevant to the state's economic, social, and environmental composition. In addition, a community outreach event -- Lumberjack Days -- is hosted to engage the residents of Southeastern Wisconsin in participatory learning activities at camp. To achieve these goals, participants from Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee's (BGCGM) school-based sites in Milwaukee, and students from various Waukesha County schools, collaborate with Camp Whitcomb/Mason in a forestry education program. The project incorporates Project Leaf and Project Learning Tree forestry education materials into an Environmental Education curriculum delivered within schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties and through participatory activities at Camp Whitcomb/Mason.
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System $196,261
Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715
RESTORE: West/Northwest
RESTORE: West/Northwest establishes new partnerships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and West and Northwestern partners to provide professional development and an interdisciplinary curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum focuses on biodiversity, ecological restoration, pollution prevention, and ecological literacy to enhance the FWS schoolyard program. During the project, EE and conservation organizations are recruited as Earth Partnership Facilitating Centers. Teams from the centers -- consisting of non-formal educators, kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, and citizen volunteers -- attend a 2-week RESTORE Institute at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum to be trained in offering Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) programs to teams from local and regional schools and communities. Educators are trained to deliver experiential, restoration-based education. In addition, FWS resource personnel attend 2-day trainings in their states and collaborate in regional institutes and the subsequent schoolyard habitat projects. FWS personnel help recruit schools, regional partners, and resources for the projects at each school. During the schoolyard habitat projects, students, citizen volunteers, and teachers collaborate as community stewards in restoring schoolyards and nearby nature areas. The expected outcomes of these activities are to expand EPS to a new geographical region and enhance student learning and citizen involvement in restoring local environments. Key partners include the U.S. FWS Regions 1 and 8 Schoolyard Habitat Program, National Conservation Training Center, and regional EPS centers.
2008 Grants
Northland College $124,845
Clare Hintz, 1411 Ellis Avenue, Ashland, WI 54806
Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education
As sustainability becomes a widely embraced concept, more and more local communities and households are attempting to engage in sustainable initiatives. The Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education uses education as the catalyst for community-based initiatives that engage all aspects of sustainability to maximize the knowledge, interest, and engagement of community members. Teams of educators, administrators, community leaders, and students make up innovative partnerships that engage people and communities in positive change. Northland College is creating and piloting a Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability that exemplifies innovative, place-based approaches to learning, promotes long-term community stewardship, and encourages regional approaches to sustainability education. In addition, Northland College facilitates dialogue on best practices in sustainability education by developing a leadership team and launching a regional Web portal for sustainability education. Regional communities nationwide participate in national conferences to be trained on the Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability. Dissemination of this model results in increased sharing of regional formal and non-formal educator’s best sustainability teaching and learning practices, increased environmental knowledge and public awareness, and increased exchange of local, regional, and national expertise. Key partners in this project are Shelburne Farms, the Cooperative Educational Service Agency, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, the Alliance for Sustainability, and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College.
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System $122,668
Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 North Park Street, Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715-1218
RESTORE: Children and Nature
The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum’s Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) program uses ecological restoration of school grounds as a means of reforming educational practice in science, math, social studies, language, and the arts. As part of the program, students study site history, measure physical and observe aesthetic features, analyze soil, and learn the biology of native ecosystems through an inquiry-based learning and a hands-on collaborative setting. The RESTORE: Children and Nature initiative is designed to reconnect children and nature by expanding EPS to a broader nationwide audience, leading to improved teaching skills, enhanced student learning, and citizen involvement in restoring local environments. As part of this initiative, pilot partnerships are established with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and regional partners to nationally expand the unique EPS model. During the project, environmental education and conservation organizations are recruited as Earth Partnership Facilitating Centers. Teams from the centers, consisting of non-formal educators, kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, and citizen volunteers, attend a 2-week RESTORE Institute at the UW-Madison Arboretum to be trained in offering EPS programs to teams from local and regional schools and communities. In addition, FWS resource personnel attend 2-day trainings in their states and collaborate in regional institutes and the subsequent schoolyard habitat projects. This project addresses several key issues, including biodiversity, ecological restoration, pollution prevention, and ecological literacy. Key partners in this initiative include the FWS Schoolyard Habitat Program, National Conservation Training Center, Oklahoma Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Great Plains Nature Center and Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, La Crosse District, and regional EPS Facilitating Centers in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Minnesota.
Wisconsin Children's Center/Madison Children's Museum $10,000
Allison Hildebrandt, 100 State Street, Madison, WI 53703
Leap into Lakes
Leap into Lakes is an inquiry-based, hands-on experience that immerses young children in the underwater world of lake critters and plants and plays on their innate connection to living creatures while connecting them to larger ecological concepts such as stewardship. Leap into Lakes addresses the educational priorities of promoting stewardship, health and teaching skills by bringing scientifically sound curriculum to classrooms to educate children, parents and teachers about the basic concepts surrounding Wisconsin waterways and freshwater ecosystems, the importance of clean water and its relation to health and to build teacher capacity and confidence in science education in head start classrooms, preschools, and family child care programs. The project is delivered to preschools throughout the Madison metropolitan region and at community events.
2007 Grants
Burnett County $21,477
Richard Schneider, 7410 County Road, K #16, Siren, WI 54872
Grassroots Sustainable Development - Citizen and Municipality Education
Burnett County is implementing the Natural Step program (a philosophy of sustainable development) to communities in a two-county area. Participants, including representatives from two county high schools, are educated on subject areas where sustainable development can have a meaningful impact (education, transportation, or waste management, for example) through workshops and field trips. Using the books “The Natural Step for Communities — How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices” and “The Natural Step for Businesses,” introductory training sessions are taught on the community level. The goal is to learn that sustainable development is one of the strategies that can be a vehicle to guide sensible development without permanent and irreparable damage to our environment.
2006 Grants
River Country RC&D Council Inc. $23,000
Brian Brezinski, 1304 North Hillcrest Parkway, Suite B, Altoona, WI 54720
Partnership for Prairie Education and Restoration
The Partnership for Prairie Education and Restoration project encourages stewardship of prairie remnants in the Eau Claire area. The project focuses on measures to protect remnants of the prairie near Xcel Energy’s gas and electric lines as well as other spots in the area. Local organizations, schools, community groups, and the public are asked to volunteer to work on the sites. Participants volunteer their time and commitment to restoring the prairie through the project’s educational demonstrations, classroom instruction, and community gatherings. In addition to awareness, a collaborative education effort is pursued that consists of creating or modifying educational curriculum and materials. A Web site has been created to showcase efforts made with the prairie. The Prairie Partnership consists of community members who represent the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Northstar Middle School, and Prairie Enthusiasts.
2005 Grants
Rock River Coalition $5,090
Suzanne Wade, PO Box 141, Watertown, WI 53094
A Rain Garden in Every Community
The Rock River Coalition installs rain gardens at schools and other community locations. A rain garden is a native plant garden that receives rain from a roof or paved area, allowing the water to soak in instead of flooding off. With these gardens, the coalition educates youth, adults, and community leaders about the concerns of storm water runoff and groundwater recharge. Teachers are trained on storm water concerns and educate students both in the classroom and at demonstration sites.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum $100,000
Elizabeth McCann, Research and Sponsored Programs, 750 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1490
Restoration-Education and Science Training for Outreach to Regional Educators
This project extends the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum’s nationally recognized Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) Program model for professional development of teachers to a broader audience. Through this project, EPS is promoting and replicating ecology-based education in other states by establishing EPS Program Facilitating Centers at four nonformal educational sites. Teachers and nonformal educators at the four sites participate in a Restoration-Education and Science Training for Outreach to Regional Educators (RESTORE) Train-the-Trainer Summer Institute to learn how to provide restoration-based education. The RESTORE initiative is an interdisciplinary approach to providing education on biodiversity loss and ecological restoration that involves restoring native ecosystems on school grounds. Teams of instructors create, implement, and evaluate high-quality professional development training programs for each center. These instructors also attend an annual Winter Meeting to discuss successes and lessons learned and to network with their fellow participants; this forum helps to create a national learning community of professionals who are well versed in schoolyard habitat restoration. EPS staff members provide support and resources to the teams of instructors throughout the process. Each center is expected to train approximately 40 to 60 local nonformal educators and teachers of kindergarten through grade 12. Key project partners include Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, the University of Wisconsin – Madison Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Wisconsin-based EPS Program Facilitating Centers.
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education $9,975
Susan Ermer, 403 LRC, WCEE, WE-SP, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Wisconsin Puerto Rico Environmental Exchange Project
Teachers from Puerto Rico and Wisconsin participate in an exchange program to expand their knowledge about environmental education. Through the Global Environmental Teachings program, teachers participate in workshops, tours, and lectures about island ecology in Puerto Rico and temperate ecological communities in Wisconsin. Puerto Rican teachers visit several Wisconsin sites, including the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, a natural history interpretive hike at Copper Falls State Park in Melon, and a boat tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore that begins in Bayfield.
2004 Grants
Biodiversity Project, Inc. $10,000
Jane Elder, 214 North Henry Street, Suite 201, Madison, WI 53703
Great Lakes Public Education Initiative
In this project, Biodiversity Project, Inc., hosts a 2-day, retreat-style meeting of representatives from leading organizations and agencies engaged in public environmental education related to the Great Lakes. The participants in the meetings share lessons learned from a pilot public education campaign conducted in Wisconsin. The participants also collaborate in planning an expanded regional public education campaign regarding Great Lakes topics and build partnerships to implement the campaign.
University of Wisconsin-Madison $24,288
Dr. Elizabeth McCann, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison, WI 53572
Classroom Support for Environmental Inquiry on School Grounds
In this project, arboretum staff members from the University of Wisconsin-Madison help students learn how to think and act like scientists. The staff members accomplish this by providing in-class support to kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers while they engage their students in inquiries related to ecological restoration on school grounds. The cornerstone of the project is a 2-week, multidisciplinary summer institute at which teams of teachers learn about loss of biodiversity and the process of ecological restoration. Teachers learn how to teach this process to their students through hands-on activities. The teachers are provided access to an online forum to discuss successes and share advice with other participants.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point $5,000
Anna Haines, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Land Use Environmental Education: Planning for the Future
Under this project, master's degree students have the opportunity to sign up for an online course in land-use environmental education. The course introduces current and aspiring educators to the concepts, issues, ideas, and available resources related to land-use, and facilitates the students' adaptation and creation of environmental activities and lessons for specific land-use topics. This is the first online course offered on the topic of land-use management. Additionally, presentations about the innovative project are being delivered to educators at conferences.
2003 Grants
River Country RC&D Council, Inc. $25,000
Heather Amundson, 1304 N. Hillcrest Parkway, Suite B, Altoona, WI 54720
One on One Intensive Grazing Education
This project is providing intensive, hands-on grazing education to farmers and landowners within a 22-county area. Farmers and landowners are educated in grass management, use of grazing animals as management tools, pasture and paddock layout, watering and fencing systems, and other tools necessary to implement a successful grazing system. The one-on-one project could serve as a model anywhere in the Midwest where there is potential to graze livestock.
Riveredge Nature Center, Inc. $64,937
Christine Kelly, 4458 West Hawthorne Drive, P.O. Box 26, Newburg, WI 53060
Center for Regenerative Learning: A Regional Environmental Education Training Program
This project involves creating a Center for Regenerative Learning that offers a training program for volunteer environmental educators in southeastern Wisconsin. The training program is supported by a 3-month internship, a 24-month mentoring program, and an ongoing set of locally based continuing education courses. Designed using guidelines developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education, this training program, which is conducted by volunteers, equips middle-school educators with environmental decision-making skills and professional development opportunities that allow them to promote responsible environmental actions. Partners for the project include the Urban Ecology Center, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station, Lac Lawrann Conservancy, and Pier Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point $4,839
John Heusinkveld, 2100 Main Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Youth Environmental Leadership in Riparian Zone Management
Young people from the Tomahawk and Lac Du Flambeau tribes are working together to create a coalition that identifies riparian forest management issues, monitors environmental factors, and analyzes data. The coalition, which was created by Treehaven, also carries out a community support action plan. Goals of the coalition include increasing student and teacher awareness of the components necessary for a healthy riparian ecosystem, bolstering knowledge of scientific sampling techniques, and encouraging community involvement in environmental preservation.
Waterloo School District $7,797
Connie Schiestl, 813 North Monroe Street, Waterloo, WI 53594-1175
Waterloo School District Environmental Education Project
Supported by the Waterloo School District, this project encourages high school students to restore a shoreline habitat that was damaged when an unsafe dam on the Maunesha River was removed. The students learn how to design a habitat and grow some of the plants needed for the restoration. They are also building an interpretive walking path along the shoreline for community education purposes, and they are conducting soil and water sampling during the project. The high school students pass on their knowledge during field trips with middle and elementary school pupils.
2002 Grants
Aldo Leopold Nature Center $20,273
Kathe Crowley Conn, 300 Femrite Drive, Monona, WI 53716
Nature Net Online Directory
A teachers' statewide on-line interactive directory answers the question "Where do I go on a field trip?" The directory provides links to nature center programs throughout Wisconsin. A teacher is able to view an on-line map of Wisconsin, identify a geographic area of interest, and click on that area to obtain a list of links to nature center programs.
River Revitalization Foundation, Inc. $9,865
Kimberly Gleffe, 200 N. Jefferson Street, #201, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Take Me to the River
The River Revitalization Foundation, Inc. works toward increasing awareness and appreciation of the Milwaukee River among minority students in the Milwaukee Public School District. More than 300 students are reached through the project.
Superior School District $11,100
Peggy Smith, 3025 Tower Avenue, Superior, WI 54880
Superior Community-Based Environmental Education
Eight teachers in grades 7 through 12 work with 10 representatives from local businesses and government agencies to develop 3 classroom projects that integrate site-based learning into the district's environmental education curriculum. Prior to project design, the teachers visit community workplaces to learn about current environmental challenges, industry concerns, and the academic skills needed for employment. An important goal of the project is to strengthen the school program through the development of partnerships.
Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education $5,000
Paul Denowski, 223 Nelson Hall, UWSP, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Investigating and Re-establishing Midwest Environmental Education Regionalism
The Midwest Environmental Education Conference is an annual regional conference encompassing eight states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. The goal is to assemble key environmental education leaders from each state to examine the current regional structure, and to explore the opportunities for increasing environmental education capacity on a regional scale.
2001 Grants
Marinette County Land & Water Conservation $5,000
George Cleereman, Courthouse, 1926 Hall Avenue, Marinette, WI 54143-1717
Shoreline Best Practices
Property owners receive special assistance from Marinette County Land & Water Conservation and that organization’s partners in developing stewardship plans for their properties. The plans focus on practices that are appropriate for upland and shoreland areas. Restoration and protection of vegetative shoreline buffers are key components of the plans. The goals of the project include increasing the property owners’ knowledge of the effects of development on shoreline habitat and water quality and encouraging participation in the stewardship planning process.
Wisconsin Wetlands Association $4,920
Charles Luthin, 222 South Hamilton Street, Suite 1, Madison, WI 53703
Wisconsin's Purple Loosestrife Bio-Control Program
The association and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources coordinates a workshop for teachers on biocontrol of the purple loosetrife. Teachers of grades 4 through 6 are written teaching materials developed from existing materials on biological control of purple loosetrife. The curriculum conforms to the state’s teaching standard.
2000 Grants
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Natural and Applied Sciences/Humanistic Studies $5,000
Andrew Fiala, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
The Restoration of the Fox River-Green Bay Ecosystem
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay offers a series of interactive workshops during which participants practice critical thinking skills that help them to respond to local environmental problems, most notably the remediation of sediments in the Fox River basin that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Teachers and members of the Hmong community, the Oneida and Menominee nations, and the local community are invited to participate actively and learn how to assess the remediation efforts currently taking place on the Fox River. Topics covered include statistical reasoning and the scientific method.
1999 Grants
Milwaukee Community Service Corps $4,559
Joanne Scigliano, 1150 E. Brady Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Mobile Recycling and Waste Reduction Education Program
Members of the Milwaukee Community Service Corps and Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) are trained to educate third and fourth graders about recycling and waste reduction. After training, a team of two volunteers visits classrooms throughout the Milwaukee area. Activities are sent to the participating classes before the visits, so that the students can prepare for the visit. During the presentations, students are engaged in hands-on learning activities to help them understand concepts and issues related to recycling.
Polk County $5,000
Jacob Bellinsky, 215 Main Street, P. O. Box 460, Balsam Lake, WI 54810
Riparian Education and Stewardship
The Riparian Education and Stewardship Project seeks to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive program designed to retain and restore vegetative buffers, improve shoreline habitat, and reduce pollution caused by runoff. Through a slide show, an exhibit, and promotional materials, which are being developed under the project, members of the community are given information about riparian buffer zones. In addition, workshops, tours, and demonstrations are offered to educate the community about water quality and habitat issues related to riparian zones.
1998 Grants
16th Street Community Health Center $18,980
Ellyn McKenzie, 1032 S. Cesar Chavez Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Collaborative Environmental Education Project
During the school year, the 16th Street Community Health Center is conducing three teacher workshops that focus on the topic of air quality. Teachers learn to use the recently revised Project Learning Tree curriculum, as well as a curriculum designed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Teachers also learn how to use data taken from particulate air monitors in their communities. They then educate their students about the importance of good air quality, using the monitors as a local, community-based reference. Staff of the health center also visit classes participating in the project.
Citizens for a Better Environment $5,000
Susan Mudd, 152 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Human Health and Endocrine Disruptors
The Women's Health and Environment Network (WHEN) is creating and distributing a videotape and supporting materials designed to educate young women about the possible health risks associated with endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals found in the environment that may have an adverse effect on hormonal balance and development in humans. WHEN is working collaboratively with Audubon Middle School and the Division of Nursing of Alverno College to develop a teacher's discussion guide, student handbook, and fact sheets to accompany the video. The target audience is middle school girls, and the materials encourage them to think critically and make informed decisions. Students participating in the development of the video and materials are responsible for researching the topic, as well as learning the technical aspects of developing a video.
Trout Unlimited $4,000
Laura Hewitt, 1327 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53715
Water Quality Monitoring by Citizens
In partnership with Community Conservation Consultants (CCC), Trout Unlimited is training 15 to 20 citizen volunteers to collect reliable water quality monitoring data. The data collected is to be integrated into a basinwide database already established for a school monitoring initiative. Environmental professionals from the partner organizations train the volunteers, develop sampling protocols, identify sampling sites, and integrate the information collected. The staff also write monthly newspaper columns to inform the general public about their efforts to manage and protect the watershed.
Wisconsin Coulee Region Community Action Program, Inc. $2,677
Kay Bender, 201 Melby Street, Westby, WI 54667
House Party Plan
The House Party Plan educates parents and the general public about the threats posed to human health by lead-based paint, especially as those threats affect children. Eight house parties are held over a period of six months; more than 40 residents of underserved communities are educated about lead hazards. The staff of the Wisconsin Coulee Region Community Action Program, Inc. train volunteers to conduct the house parties in an effective, educational manner. At the sessions, participants learn proper cleaning methods for addressing lead contaminants and receive cleaning kits to take home. By the end of the session, parents are able to assess their home environments and initiate practices that will help protect their children from exposure to lead.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee $5,000
Sharon Rohde, 10005 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226
Birds Without Borders
The grant funds for this project assist the Zoological Society of Milwaukee in developing a multiyear international conservation, research, and education project designed to monitor species of birds that breed in Wisconsin and winter in Belize, Central America. More than 20 teachers in participating schools are trained to use the already developed One Bird-Two Habitats curriculum. Students work with zoological society scientists at the research sites to observe and identify different species of birds. They also participate in bird-banding demonstrations, bird walks, insect sampling, and data analysis. Communicating with students in Belize provides students with cultural lessons, in addition to the scientific knowledge they acquire.
1997 Grants
Blackhawk Council of Girl Scouts $2,900
Juli Speck, 2710 Ski Lane, Madison, WI 53713
Increasing Environmental Programming in Girl Scouting
The Blackhawk Council of Girl Scouts is using a series of workshops and training sessions to enhance and expand its environmental education program. Training courses conducted by naturalists provide troop leaders with teaching skills, seasonal information, and supplementary environmental education activities designed to promote environmental awareness and stewardship attitudes. Leaders receive resource materials, field guides, and information about natural history that they can incorporate into the programs they conduct with their scouts. A corps of volunteer naturalists assists the troop leaders, and supplementary training enables volunteers to lead nature hikes, organize day camps programs, and create environmental service projects. The effort also includes workshops on the Project WILD, Project WILD/Aquatic, and Project Learning Tree curricula. The workshops and training sessions reach more than 200 leaders and other volunteers.
Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. $5,000
Margo Anne Kuisis, 1313 W. Mount Vernon Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Learning Side-by-Side
Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. provides an interactive learning experience for students and teachers that fosters an understanding of pollution prevention, waste management, and concepts related to water quality. The organization conducts workshops in which teachers learn how to incorporate environmental education into their lesson plans under existing curricula. The workshops increase teachers' knowledge of pollution prevention, waste management, and water quality. Students participate in hands-on field trips and take part in pre- and post-visit classroom activities. The project reaches 25 elementary school teachers, 15 secondary school teachers, and 1,600 to 2,400 students.
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa $4,970
Dan Tyrolt, Route #2, Box 2700, Hayward, WI 54843
Environmental Awareness Education Project
This project establishes an environmental education and awareness program within the Lac Courte Oreilles tribal community. To spark the interest of the community, the program addresses environmental issues related specifically to reservation policies and conditions. Under the project, materials related to pertinent environmental issues are developed, collected, categorized, and distributed. The program also offers members of the community training in composting and recycling and workshops on groundwater contamination. The tribe produces an environmental newsletter, conducts public forums, and prepares radio announcements to educate members of the community about issues that affect their daily lives. More than 3,000 members of the tribal community benefit from the project.
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters $4,883
Gary Lake, 1922 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53705
Environmental Education Through Children's Literature and Television
Formal and informal educators participate in a week-long summer institute designed to showcase the wide variety of resources available to support environmental education efforts. Participants are immersed in children's literature, television, and activities. They participate in activities chosen from existing curricula to increase their level of comfort with environmental issues and concepts. The 30 educators who take part in the program reach some 3,000 or more students.
1996 Grants
Bad River Mashkisibi Tribal School, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa $24,696
Angela White, Principal, P. O. Box 39, Odanah, WI 54861
Mashkisibi Watershed Education Project
The Mashkisibi Watershed Education Project will integrate Native American culture into already existing watershed curriculum; offer a high school ecology course; and deliver educator training. Students engage in field work and action-oriented projects from an Ojibwe cultural perspective. Tribal elders will relay values through storytelling and contribute to the curriculum, which will prepare students in northern Wisconsin with the skills needed to address resource conflicts.
Cable Natural History Museum $4,340
Allison Slavick, P. O. Box 416, Cable, WI 54821
Traveling High School Exhibit and Curriculum.
The Cable Natural History Museum is working with high school biology teachers at Drummond High School to co-teach a course entitled, Environmental Issues and You. During the course, students research, design, and produce a traveling exhibit about regional aquatic environmental issues, such as Lake Superior coastal wetlands. In addition, students are developing accompanying curriculum resources.
Milwaukee School of Engineering $3,225
Dr. Deborah Jackman, 1025 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109
Promoting Environmental Careers through Upward Bound Program
The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is integrating an environmental engineering education module into its Upward Bound program for disadvantaged high school students. MSOE's project familiarizes students with the importance of understanding how environmental issues impact the quality of their present and future lives. In addition, the project is sparking the students' interest in environmental careers by taking them on field trips to local landfills and wastewater treatment plants.
1995 Grants
Brodhead School District $5,000
Greg Wells, 1400 21st St., Brodhead, WI 53520
Educate to Improve and Maintain Water Quality
The purpose of this project is to provide workshops and field trips for teachers of kindergarten through 5th grade on stormwater management, land use, and water quality as it relates to the Sugar River, the area's important watershed.
Friends of Hixon Forest Nature Center $4,950
Brenda Haug, 2702 Quarry Rd., LaCrosse, WI 54601
Promoting Environmental Education
Funds from this grant will enable the nature center to expand its program to reach 1,200 additional elementary students in the LaCrosse area. Curriculum offered as part of the program has already been developed under a Wisconsin Environmental Education Board grant.
International Crane Foundation $5,000
James Harris, P. O. Box 447, E-11376 Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI 53913-0447
Schools Involved in Sandhill Crane Research
The International Crane Foundation will partner with students and teachers from five schools to engage in the study of the Sandhill Crane. Students will track cranes using radios in the field, analyze data, and assess the conflicts that arise between agriculture and ecology.
1994 Grants
Friends of Riverside Nature Center $4,300
Else Ankel, 3368 N-Bartlett Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211
Lead Poisoning Prevention--A Pilot Project for Community Education in Milwaukee
The funds from this grant will help to carry out a program entitled "Lead Poisoning Prevention--A Pilot Project for Community Education in Milwaukee." The program aims to increase knowledge about the health risks of ingested lead paint and to provide information about removing lead paint from the home. Outcomes of the project include educating more than 100 community residents about lead poisoning and prevention, conducting educator workshops on lead to middle-school teachers in eight schools, training 15 community members to safely remove lead paint from their home, and testing 30 homes for the presence of lead paint.
Lac du Flambeau Public School $3,969
Karen Crisman, 2899 Highway 47, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538
Environmental Education Curriculum
The purpose of this project is to incorporate environmental education in the new school's curriculum. Funds will be used to integrate environmental concepts, outdoor education, and Native American culture across the school's curriculum and to develop teacher workshops for kindergarten through 8th grade that promote the environmental curriculum focus. The school, which opened in the 1993-94 school year, is located on the Lake Superior Chippewa Indian reservation. More than 90 percent of the school's student population is Native American.
River Alliance of Wisconsin $5,000
Sara Johnson, 122 State St., Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703
Workshop on Rivers and Watersheds
The purpose of this project is to hold an interactive workshop at Wisconsin's 1994 state-wide conference on rivers and watersheds that will convene partners in watershed management to discuss societal aspects of river use and protection. Funds will be used to provide stipends for workshop facilitators and scholarships for Native Americans, farmers, and other under-represented individuals. The workshop will use consensus building and conflict resolution techniques to first find common ground and then to develop long-term solutions for preserving Wisconsin's rivers.
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point $100,411
Abby Ruskey, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin, 1900 Franklin, CNR Bldg., Stevens Point, WI 54481
Environmental Education Demonstrations State Project
The "Environmental Education Demonstrations State Project" will build state governmental capacity to develop and deliver environmental education programs in five states -- Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Illinois. The goal of the project is to assist these states in developing and implementing comprehensive state-wide environmental education action plans which may include the development of state coordinating councils and pre-service and in-service teacher training.
1993 Grants
Mercer School District $3,990
Steven Stevenoski, P. O. Box 567 Margaret Street, Mercer, WI 54547
Forest Research Program
The purpose of this project is to develop a forest research program on the school's 40-acre parcel of forest and an accompanying outdoor-based school curriculum. Flora and wilderness trails will be used by more than 200 elementary and secondary students for educational purposes, and the funding will enable a study station to be established in the forest to enhance the study of soils, insects, forestry, and plant and animal life. Project results will be distributed to 19 other schools impacting more than 9,000 students.
Sokaogon Chippewa Nation, Mole Lake Band $25,000
Holly YoungBear-Tibbetts, Rte 1, Box 625, Crandon, WI 54520
Tribes at Risk
The purpose of this project is to teach all 11 tribes in Wisconsin about the findings of the recently released EPA comparative risk analysis report entitled, "Tribes at Risk." The report is the first study in the U.S. that evaluates environmental risks to particular groups of Native Americans. The project will educate Native Americans to be aware of and minimize potential environmental risks that they face in their communities. Interactive computer technology and video will accompany presentations to tribal government staff, local communities, and secondary science educators.
University of Wisconsin - College of Agricultural and Life Science $13,738
Elaine Andrews, 216 Agriculture Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Community Leader Training Materials on Residential Indoor Quality
This grant funds a project designed to create a partnership between the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension to create community leader training materials on residential indoor air quality. The partnership will enable the grantees to supply county extension agents with hands-on educational materials in 72 Wisconsin and 90 Minnesota county offices.
1992 Grants
Midwest Nutrition Education Research Council $5,000
Brookfield, WI 53045
Health and Environmental Education Activity Book
This project involves developing, testing, and distributing a coloring and activity booklet for 5- to 7-year-old children that addresses heath and environmental education issues. The booklet will be distributed during school field trips to grocery stores in northern Illinois and Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point Native American Center $4,696
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Pre-college Summer Program
This grant will partially fund a two-week, pre-college summer program for 42 Native American students from eleven tribes across the U.S. who range in age from 14 to 18.