The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Calaveras County Water District a $4,069 grant.
The money is slated for use in supporting the district´s environmental education projects for area school children.
The grant is part of an overall $190,000 the EPA awarded to organizations throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.
The district plans to develop an Adopt-A Watershed program for Calaveras River and its tributaries based on the Streamside Community Primary Unit to involve teachers, elementary school children and their family members from each of the county´s ten elementary schools.
On field trips conducted along the river system, students can examine evidence of plants, trees, animals and other natural phenomena, and note results in field journals.
Students collect tiny insects and micro invertebrates from the river, examine them to evaluate health of the river, then discuss their observations as a group and complete follow-up essays after the field trip.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:33 pm