COLUMBUS – Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency is awarding funding to statewide projects that support a range of water restoration programs.
The agency’s environmental education grants, totaling $271,000, are going to communities for wetland education, water quality, biodiversity initiatives, habitat restoration, and home drinking water and septic system maintenance.
One of those entities is located in north central Ohio.
Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning (Camp Nuhop) (Ashland, Richland counties) is receiving $26,216 to establish an environmental education pilot program within the camp’s outdoor education program.
The initial focus is on habitat restoration and environmental career awareness with an emphasis on students continuing their learning through community projects.
Black Swamp Conservancy (Henry, Lucas, Wood counties) is receiving $34,647 to train and support teachers to use Conservancy lands to educate students. The project includes a workshop and backpacks with learning materials for students taking field trips to Conservancy lands.
New Philadelphia City Schools (Tuscarawas County) is receiving $50,000 to continue to expand its Appalachian Ohio tick project. It takes students into the field and laboratory to collect and analyze tick DNA to see how many carry diseases such as Lyme disease. They inform the public about the trends and how to protect themselves while outdoors. The students benefit from learning molecular biology and the modern tools of biotechnology.
Dayton Society of Natural History (Butler, Clark, Greene, Hamilton, Madison, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby, Warren counties) is receiving $30,945 to make nature trails at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery more accessible and educational with additional wildlife elements and signage. The project will promote museum-supported nature exploration through play elements and an interactive storybook trail. Guided programs will focus on pollinators, nature, pond life, conservation, and water quality.
Case Western Reserve University-Leonard Gelfand STEM Center (Cuyahoga County) is receiving $49,317 for a project that will give students the tools and techniques to investigate their neighborhood watersheds and help them determine year-round water quality sampling protocols to complete a community action project called “SALT-FRESH.” The project will use local resources and aquatic systems to help underserved students connect to their community and become better environmental stewards.
Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District (Allen, Paulding, Putnam counties) is receiving $19,120 to purchase an augmented reality (AR) sandbox for teachers to use with students to study watersheds, water quality, and show how activities of people and animals affect the environment. The AR sandbox will be shared among teachers in adjacent counties.
Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District (Belmont County) is receiving $13,749 to teach students and the public about indicator species and endangered species in the Captina Creek watershed. Activities will include small stream fish identification, stream ecology, stream health, and stream anatomy. The program will help improve the understanding of water quality as it relates to wildlife and the community.
Rivers Unlimited (Butler, Hamilton counties) is receiving $15,500 for a project to educate volunteers and the community about water quality results provided to the Citizens Water Quality Program on the lower Great Miami River. Rivers Unlimited has supported monthly water quality monitoring at more than 60 sites for 14 years. The program will educate volunteers, citizens, local officials, and others about water quality and nutrient loading in southwest Ohio.
Ohio Sickle Cell and Health Association (Franklin County) is receiving $31,560 for an “Environmental Climate and Justice Academy.” Mezzacello Urban Farms and Public Utilities will teach students scientific tools and methodologies that lead to STEM-driven solutions in environmental careers.
Students will create, develop, and deploy soil testing, air quality monitoring, and water sampling devices. These will provide students the tools for critical thinking and working with public utilities as a pathway toward a career.
The next grant application deadline is July 15, 2024, with letters of intent due by July 8. Grants are available for $500-$5,000 and general grants are for up to $50,000. More information is available on the Ohio Environmental Education website.