(CHICAGO) September 7, 2017—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $91,000 grant to Trout Unlimited to provide educational opportunities to western Michigan girls.
“Over the next two years this grant will help 150 middle school girls learn about water issues through the STREAM (Science, Technology, Recreation, Engineering, Arts, Math) program,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “This program will help improve the environment and prepare these students for higher education.”
After completing this training, some of the middle school girls will then mentor elementary school girls on these subjects. Some of the girls will also plan and design restoration projects to address environmental problems with their local waters. The grant will focus on the Rogue River and Lower Grand River watershed areas of Michigan, which includes Grand Rapids and other communities in West Michigan.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to engage young girls in a program that teaches science, technology, recreation, engineering, art, and math (STREAM) in an outdoor, informal learning environment,” said Nichol DeMol, project manager for Trout Unlimited. “Ultimately this program will generate an action-oriented network of young river stewards in and around Michigan’s Lower Grand River watershed. Educating youth now means that the next generation will be ready, willing and able to sustain Trout Unlimited’s work into the future—continuing to protect, reconnect, and restore North America’s coldwater watersheds.”
Trout Unlimited’ s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds. The nonprofit is partnering with Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore, Our Communities Children, the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds and the Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited chapter for this project.
For more information about EPA’s environmental education program: https://www.epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/education