Congratulations to Our Captain Planet Foundation Grant Recipients!

The Upstream Downstream Connection
Greater Greenville Community Foundation
Greenville, NC

We are applying for an EarthEcho Expeditions Educator Grant for the Upstream Downstream Connection River Quest, a 100 mile river awareness kayak event from Goldsboro to New Bern, NC that is being led by high school students. Our goal is to make the public aware of the vital linkages in our upstream downstream connection from the river to the coast. The proposed 10 day kayak journey will focus on water sampling/testing, cataloging birds/trees along the route, GPS navigation and documentation. Scientific standards and controls will be maintained to insure as accurate as possible data is collected. Students will pass out free monofilament recycling units along the way to people on the river. An outdoor river awareness educational event will be conducted in Kinston, NC with a local riverkeeper group. Students will share data and experiences about the journey with 360 members from 9 local Boys & Girls Clubs who will attend the free camp program and help identify and catalogue the results.

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Gulf of Mexico Habitats and Deadzones
Life Builders - Acorns to Oaks, Inc
Slidell, LA

We are applying for an EarthEcho Expeditions Educator grant.The coastal watershed the Gulf of Mexico has been impacted by climatic changes and human impacts, leading to one of the largest dead zones in the world.  Students will be introduced to the Mississippi River Basin, problems of climate change and human impacts and how they affect the biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics both within the dead zone and in other local aquatic habitats.    Use of the Earth Echo Expeditions instructional videos and lesson plans will introduce problems our ecosystem is encountering.  The students will then actively participate in hands on water quality testing of our local watershed.  Students will also discover the how biologically diverse the estuarine and gulf water systems are and why they are important in our economy. At the end of each session, students will create a photo journal of their experience and knowledge of the watershed and how they can help protect the environment.

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Coral Reef Restoration
Rockway Middle
Miami, FL

Project Description: Students will learn about the importance of maintaining healthy coral reefs. In so doing, students will learn how to grow and plant corals at damaged coral reefs. Additionally, students will learn the importance of maintaining a healthy marine environment to insure the healthy growth of corals. Rockway Middle School is working with EarthEcho International in an effort to create an awareness among students and to empower them to make a difference in our water environment.

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St. Margaret's School Rainscape Retrofits Project
St Margarets School
Tappanhannock, VA

Project Description: We are applying for an EarthEcho Expeditions Educator grant.  The Rainscape Retrofits Project addresses the other side of the coin: the existing buildings that have no way to soak runoff back into the ground.  This program utilizes Friends of the Rappahannock’s (FOR) expertise and equipment, student volunteer girl power and school resources to install rain gardens throughout campus. The SMS Green Team (a student volunteer, extracurricular group) organizes volunteers for installation.  We establish the natural system through an innovative resource sharing approach and keep the nutrients on land being taken up by vegetation instead of increasing dead zones downstream in the tidal Rappahannock.

The Rappahannock River, like all major rivers in Virginia, is impacted by stormwater runoff from urban and suburban landscapes. Stormwater runoff is the fastest growing source of pollution in our river basin and across the Chesapeake Bay, carrying excess nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment as well as bacteria, insecticides, pesticides, used motor oil or just about anything to the river.  

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Did any of these projects inspire ideas for your classroom?

Apply through next set of grants through the NEA Foundation, due June 1, 2014.

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