This project provides funding to orange county coastkeeper to implement its project, which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that…

This project provides funding to orange county coastkeeper to implement its project, which will 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 orange county, california. The grantee will empower students with tools and resources to be active participants in the environmental movement. This project will provide students a combination of in-class lessons and field trips to the upper newport BAY ecological reserve to gain hands-on experience learning evidence-based curricula and developing solutions to climate change induced problems. Students will participate in ongoing water quality and ecosystem monitoring, which will provide connections between classroom concepts and real-world environmental issues. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $98,491. Pre-award costs have been approved back to 05/01/2023. Activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in orange county, california and provide students, teachers, and community members the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Activities to be performed during this project period include: classroom lessons, fields trips, hands-on learning, outdoor recreation, stem education, community action projects, educator training, and community building.subrecipient:all listed sub-recipients are non-profit organizations as described in section 501(C)(3) of the internal revenue code: (1) orange county environmental justice education fund (2) bolsa chica conservancy (3) wetlands and wildlife care center (4) OC habitats (5) project grow coastkeeper has a strong working relationship with the aforementioned non-profit organizations through our various ongoing programs and community relations. Many directly contribute to our education programs on a regular basis and offer their expertise in realms of conservation that complement coastkeeper's focus on water quality and conservation. All listed subrecipients will contribute resources for curriculum development, such as data or media, or student resources for community action projects, such as volunteer opportunities or professional networks. Coastkeeper will divide 25% of the total EPA funds awarded for this program evenly by five and distribute subawards in the form of a grant at the start of the project period. Outcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: the goal of the project is to empower students with tools and resources to be active participants in the environmental movement. History shows low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately afflicted by environmental injustices and repercussions of climate change. These same communities face systemic barriers that suppress educational and recreational experiences by creating inequitable access to natural spaces and quality stem education. This project will provide students a combination of in-class lessons and field trips to the upper newport BAY ecological reserve to gain hands-on experience learning evidence-based curricula and developing solutions to climate change induced problems. Students will participate in ongoing water quality and ecosystem monitoring, which will provide connections between classroom concepts and real-world environmental issues. Students will apply this knowledge by actively participating in a community action project and attending a symposium where they share their stewardship projects with community members. The project will also produce a climate-resilience curriculum guide and provide educators training to continue educating students beyond the scope of the program and build a network of engaged local youth and teachers.