News Releases from Region 06
EPA Grant of $300,000 Will Help Galveston Bay Foundation’s Education Program
DALLAS – (Dec. 8, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the Galveston Bay Foundation received a $300,000 cooperative agreement to help educate citizens on how they can help the bay and the environment of coastal Texas.
The Galveston Bay Foundation’s project will empower citizens to learn about and address threats to environmental health in the Galveston Bay region. Strategies include translating and marketing the Galveston Bay Report Card for Spanish-speaking audiences and improving and raising awareness of our pollution reporting application, the Galveston Bay Action Network. The project will serve at least two million people over three years by making them aware of the state of Galveston Bay as well as actions they can take to influence change.
“This project will provide an easy, accessible way for local communities to take action and protect our bay,” said Heather Schiappa. “By fostering more educated and empowered citizens, Galveston Bay Foundation anticipates changes in perceptions and practices within our community, which will ultimately lead to long-term improvements in water quality.”
The Galveston Bay Report Card is a public-interest driven scientific analysis of the health of Galveston Bay made possible by a grant from Houston Endowment and implemented by the Galveston Bay Foundation and Houston Advanced Research Center. The report card, which will be available in both Spanish and English, provides the public with easy-to-understand information regarding the health of Galveston Bay to encourage meaningful, science-based discussion, and inspire action through events, activities and management decisions that protect and preserve the bay for future generations.
The Galveston Bay Action Network pollution reporting tool enables citizens to submit a simple pollution report that is then forwarded to the agency responsible for investigation and remediation. EPA’s grant will allow Galveston Bay Foundation to integrate the current reporting tool into a smart phone application, which will increase Galveston Bay Action Network’s capacity by using technology to promote increased usage.
“EPA is looking forward to working with the Galveston Bay Foundation on education and outreach to raise awareness on environmental stressors in the Galveston Bay region” said Ben Scaggs, Director of the U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program.
This cooperative agreement will further the strategic goals and objectives of Gulf of Mexico Program and lead to a healthy and prosperous ecosystem.
Learn more about the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program: /gulfofmexico
Learn more about EPA’s work in Texas: /tx
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