News Releases from Region 09

EPA awards $80,000 to the Pacific American Foundation to educate Hawaiian students on local watersheds

(11/10/15) SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded an environmental education grant of $80,000 to the Pacific American Foundation located in Kaneohe, Hawaii. The goal of the program, Wisdom of the Watershed, is to improve environmental science education by increasing the interest of Hawaii's youth in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines through culturally-relevant curriculum and meaningful outdoor watershed educational experiences.

The program will help sixth through twelfth grade students explore and compare three different watersheds in Hawaii with different land management practices. Students will take field trips partnered with research scientists and will measure water quality in the watersheds using scientific instrumentation. The microbial and sediment environments will also be sampled. Students will analyze the collected data and engage in service learning projects to improve environmental quality throughout the watersheds.

"Hawaii's watersheds are unique," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "The Pacific American Foundation will teach the next generation of scientists to protect and manage these critical natural resources."

"The Pacific American Foundation's program, Wisdom of the Watershed, provides environmental educational by engaging students, in current, ongoing environmental research through partnerships with University researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and public and private sector businesses, thus providing relevance in STEM learning and a profound understanding of both the scientific and engineering processes," said Derek Esibill, Program Director of the Wisdom of the Watershed Program. "Concurrently, the program engages teachers by tailoring their curriculum to enable students to participate in ridge to reef expeditions. These expeditions use cultural, place-based research projects to create meaningful outdoor experiences, increasing the interest of Hawai`i's youth to pursue pathways in STEM careers."

EPA's Environmental Education Local Grants Program supports environmental education projects that increase the public's awareness and provide them with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment. The EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office received over 80 applications this year, and the Pacific American Foundation project is one of seven projects in the Pacific Southwest Region that will receive an environmental education grant.

For more information on Environmental Education Grants, please visit: www2.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants

For more information on the Pacific American Foundation, please visit: www.pacificamerican.foundation