EPA Funds Idaho Environmental Literacy

   Idaho Environmental Education Association (IdEEA) was recently award a $33,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, to facilitate the development of a state-wide literacy plan. The project brings together stakeholders in education, business and industry, government, and other public and private organizations across Idaho, to draft a vision of environmental literacy for the state, and identify a range of ways it can be supported.
   Idaho joins over 20 states in developing environmental literacy plans for their states. Environmental literacy incorporates the local environment into school curriculum using nonpartisan scientific investigations, schoolyard and community projects, outdoor learning experiences, and themes that cross disciplinary boundaries. Research indicates that this approach can improve performance on standardized academic tests, reduce discipline problems, and increase student engagement.
   Matt Sanger, IdEEA’s president and lead author of the grant application, said “this is a tremendous opportunity for Idaho to engage in meaningful discussions of what environmental literacy might mean to and for this state . . . IdEEA is especially fortunate to receive this award when competition is so stiff for these grant funds.”
   This year, EPA’s Region 10 headquarters received 109 grant applications from the region, which includes Idaho, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes. Only nine grants were awarded and IdEEA received the second largest grant. According to Sally Hanft, EPA’s Region 10 Environmental Education Grant Coordinator, 2010 was one of the most competitive years they have seen for these awards.
   The project will be directed by Kristin Fletcher, IdEEA’s executive director, and guided by an advisory committee of stakeholders from around the state. Stakeholder meetings will begin early this fall and be held in Boise, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Ketchum, Moscow, McCall, and Twin Falls. For more information, contact IdEEA at kristin@idahoee.org or 208-720-4180.

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