$267,000 to aid environmental education in Pacific Northwest

The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced environmental education grants totaling more than $267,000 that three Pacific Northwest organizations will use for environmental training and experiences for students from kindergarten to college.

Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, in Carnation, Washington, received $90,474 for a project that, in partnerships with a local school, will allow 200 low-income minority kindergartners to learn about environmental science, including trips to the Oxbow’s Kids’ Farm.

Also in Washington, Auburn’s Green River College won an $85,773 grant that will both train its students and help the Soos Creek watershed. In partnership with other organizations, the project will enable Green River College students to create and share outreach materials on the watershed and prepare and implement restoration plans in cooperation with 28 local property owners.

Corvallis Environmental Center, based in Corvallis, Oregon, will use its $91,000 grant to further its Communities Take Charge online tool and allow middle school students to learn through the Carbon Transformations in Matter and Energy (CarbonTIME) curriculum.

The grants are part of the more than $68 million that the EPA has awarded for environmental education since beginning the program in 1992, typically granting between $2 million and $3.5 million each year.