This project provides funding to the grantee to design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy…

This $133,333 federal Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951), will fund an environmental education initiative in Belfair, Washington. The grantee, the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (Hcseg), will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques to increase environmental literacy and promote pro-environmental behaviors among students, teachers, and community members in the local area. Key activities will include tree plantings, water quality testing, studying macroinvertebrates and stream health, monitoring flora and fauna, and incorporating indigenous knowledge for stewardship practices. The project will also provide teacher training workshops and facilitate guided environmental education experiences for the general public, with the goal of increasing participants' knowledge of the local environment, fostering environmental stewardship, and raising awareness of environmentally-related careers. The award has a period of performance from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

This project provides funding to the grantee to design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy and encourage behavior that will benefit the environment in belfair, washington. This project will address issues facing the local ecosystem as well as local communities who rely on the area's natural resources. Students and community members will adopt positive environmental behaviors and participate in local stewardship and habitat restoration activities. The project will work with five title 1 schools with subawards. This program also will work with a local outdoor learning program, barnacles and bees, and the general public. The project will increase participants' knowledge of the local environment and human impacts, increase environmental stewardship and thoughtful daily actions to protect local ecosystems, and increase student awareness and consideration of environmentally related careers. The theler wetlands and union river estuary preserve will become more resilient to the effects of climate change from theeler environmental education program (teep) restoration activities. Activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in belfair, washington and provide students, teachers, and community members the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Examples of environmental and educational project activities include tree plantings, water quality testing, studying macroinvertebrates and stream health, monitoring flora and fauna, and using indigenous knowledge for stewardship practices and developing new perspectives towards the environment. The program provides scenarios for participants to think critically, problem solve, develop solutions, make decisions, and take stewardship action within their community's watershed. The programs take place primarily in outdoor settings, due to the project location's accessible saltwater march, freshwater swamp, and riverine wetlands. The program also provides environmental education experiences and lessons held indoors due to the project's indoor classroom and wildlife exhibit. Subrecipient:the grantee will solicit for subaward proposals for specific grant activities four eligible title i school project partners. And an eligible nonprofite the funding will be used for teacher staff time, substitute teachers, and travel. Outcomes:expected deliverables of the project include: environmental education experiences for students and teachers from the schools and the nonprofit outdoor learning program; two one day teacher training workshops where the teachers receive professional development focusing on theler environmental education program priorities and since time immemorial curriculum; guided environmental education experiences in the outdoors for the general public and four community stewardship events like native plantings, trash and invasive species removal. Expected outcomes of the project include: short-term - an estimated 3,000 visitors and members of the general public will become more knowledgeable about local habitat restoration efforts and the environmental education project happening in the community; medium-term - students will develop positive attitudes and behaviors toward environmental stewardship and be empowered to change behaviors and take daily actions that benefit the environment; long-term - teachers will share knowledge gained with colleagues, and empower them to incorporate environmental project topics into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) lessons and new teachers from title 1 school partners will participate in project workshops. The intended beneficiaries include 12 kindergarten through 12TH grade teachers, 1,600 students, and 6,000 community members