Grand Traverse Conservation District Awarded $200,000
The Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD) has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT).
The grant is part of a program known as the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative which aims to increase awareness of the ecology of the Great Lakes. The idea is that heightened awareness and a deeper education of the Lakes will foster more active and smarter stewardship for the long-term sustainability of the lakes.
The GTCD plans to use the environmental stewardship grant to establish the Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative (GTSI).
“We are excited about the Initiative’s potential to bring together teachers, students and community partners to work toward solutions for water-related issues in the Grand Traverse region,” said Colleen Masterson-Bzdok, Education Director at the GTCD and Project Manager for the new Initiative. “This combination of meaningful exploration, critical thinking and community service are essential for creating the next generation of environmental stewards.”
The GTSI will focus on cross-curricular teams of teachers in 3-5 target schools at the elementary, middle and high school level for this first 20-month implementation phase. Other K-12 teachers in the region will also benefit by access to professional development workshops and online resources. Professional development will begin in the summer of 2010, with water-related projects being designed and implemented during the 2010-11 school year.
The GTSI is particularly well-suited for the Grand Traverse region, where economic development and quality of life are closely tied with water quality and natural resources, and where community-driven processes like the Grand Vision and Boardman River Dams Project can provide meaningful opportunities to incorporate the work of teachers and students.
To read more about the work of the Grand Traverse Conservation District visit www.natureiscalling.org
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