News Releases from Region 05

EPA Grant Funds Student Conservation Projects at 15 Wisconsin Schools

EPA Grant Funds Student Conservation Projects at 15 Wisconsin Schools

CHICAGO – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $91,000 environmental education grant to the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation’s Green Schools Network to fund community-based water stewardship projects for students at grades K-12.  The network partners with the Aldo Leopold Foundation through its F.I.E.L.D. Corps. which “fosters inquiry and empowers learners through discovery.”   

The Wisconsin Green Schools Network will engage 500 students at 15 schools in water conservation projects to foster understanding and appreciation of nature. Teachers also will be trained to incorporate environmental projects into the curriculum.

 “My overarching goal is to lead EPA in a way that our future generations inherit a better and healthier environment,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.  “This grant helps teach Wisconsin students about conservation through hands-on experience with nature.”

“The goal of this F.I.E.L.D. Corps project is to engage students in their academic learning by understanding and appreciating the natural world’s connection to their lives through purposeful community-based stewardship projects,” said Victoria Rydberg, WGSN Co-Founder. “These real-world experiences will provide the needed inspiration, motivation, and innovation to develop the next generation of leaders." 

The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the future of outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing, the long-term sustainability of wildlife populations and conservation education. For more information: http://www.wiwf.org/

For more information about EPA’s environmental education program: https://www.epa.gov/education

Students learn about prairie restoration by collecting seeds and planting them on school grounds. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Wildlife Federation’s Green Schools Network.