Schools in Wisconsin receive more than $7,000 in small grants from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin has awarded $7,856 to seven
Wisconsin schools through a 2015 Teachers Outdoor Environmental Education
Fund<http://www.wisconservation.org/how-we-work/teachers-fund/> grant. The
Teachers' Outdoors program awards grants to projects focused on outdoor
environmental education. The 2015 recipients' projects range from tree
plantings to school gardening to aquatic ecology.
"A full understanding of the natural world cannot be found without getting
out into it, where students can experience the concepts they learn in the
classroom," said Pete Ostlind, who established the Teachers Outdoor
Environmental Education Fund in memory of his wife Sue Spaeth, a Wisconsin
native and elementary school teacher for more than 30 years. "We remember
best what we feel so these early experiences can help to foster a lifelong
appreciation for the outdoors in children. This is where we begin to develop
the environmental capacity of future generations."
Both grant programs provide grants of up to $1,000. The 2015 recipients are:
* Coleman Elementary School (Marinette County) for an overnight
outdoor education program, including environmental science and outdoor
recreation activities.
* Crestwood Elementary School (Dane County) for a children's outdoor
education and garden project, to engage children in environmental, outdoor,
and gardening-related activities.
* Highland Community School District (Iowa County) for creating
environmentally friendly gardens, engaging students in native plantings and
gardening activities.
* Laona School District (Forest County) for a forest education
project that will include forest plantings, and native plant education and
stewardship for students.
* Malcolm Shabazz City High School (Dane County) for Project Green
Teen, which will engage high school students through outdoor environmental
science activities related to aquatic ecology.
* Meadowview Middle School (Monroe County) for a prairie and woodlot
restoration program including hands-on environmental education.
* Pittsville Elementary School (Wood County) for a school forest
environmental education project.
"By providing children with the opportunity to explore Wisconsin's outdoors
through this grant program, we are hoping to instill in them appreciation
for our landscapes and wildlife in years to come," said Caitlin Williamson,
the Foundation's program and development coordinator.
The Teachers' Outdoor Environmental Fund, which is supported in part by the
Chabot Family Foundation, provides grants for public school teachers (K-12)
to undertake environmental education projects. The Teachers' Outdoor
Environmental Education Fund has now awarded $17,382 to 21 schools since its
inception in 2010.
The next round of Teachers' Outdoor Environmental Fund applications will be
announced in April 2016. Learn about the grant programs and read about this
year's winners at http://www.WisConservation.org.