Project restore will employ a multiple species approach focusing on endangered and imperiled species in northcarolina, including american shad, venus flytrap, carolina madtom, neuse river waterdog,…

The Friends of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences will receive $275,203 under a cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 to implement the Project Restore program from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2027. Project Restore will employ a multiple species approach focusing on endangered and imperiled species in North Carolina, including American shad, Venus flytrap, Carolina madtom, Neuse River waterdog, and/or red wolf. The Museum will provide educational opportunities for teachers and students such as in-classroom learning, field trips, and after-school programs centered around species inventory and restoration. The agreement is funded through the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630), which provides technical and financial assistance for coastal habitat protection and improvement benefiting federal trust species.

Project restore will employ a multiple species approach focusing on endangered and imperiled species in northcarolina, including american shad, venus flytrap, carolina madtom, neuse river waterdog, and/or red wolf. Toimplement the program, the NC museum of natural sciences will utilize multiple strategies and practices to giveteachers and students the opportunity to learn about and participate in species restoration, depending on what is the most practical for the given species and habitat and in consultation with the lead biologists. Educational approaches may include: training for in-classroom experiences with the species, culminating in field trips to visit the species' habitat and participate in restoration efforts; professional development workshops for educators that involve learning about endangered and threatened species and participating in species inventory and restoration in collaboration with state and federal biologists; and/or after-school clubs for middle grades focused on learning about endangered and threatened species, culminating in an opportunity for students to assist in species inventory and restoration efforts. We will target schools in economically disadvantaged counties in eastern and central north carolina as we recruit for new programs in order to provide students and teachers with hands-on and real-life connections to their local environment.