More Pennsylvania students will know the watershed they live in and take action to protect freshwater resources. This is the goal of a new statewide K-12 environmental education task force in which the Department of Environmental Protection plays a lead role.

“Many people don’t know what a watershed is,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “We’re excited to collaborate with environmental education leaders statewide to help change that, starting with young students.

“The earlier people learn how human actions affect their local network of streams and rivers, the better our chances of preventing and reducing water pollution.”

The 20-member Pennsylvania Watershed Education Task Force is funded by a $300,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Program Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Stroud Water Research Center heads the task force. DEP is joined by the Department of Education, PA Association of Environmental Educators, DCNR Bureau of State Parks, and Millersville University on the leadership team.

DEP Environmental Education staff will help ensure that Pennsylvania work plans developed by the task force meet the educational requirements of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement signed by the Commonwealth, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, and the District of Columbia.

The task force will work to improve students’ watershed education and stewardship, and increase environmental literacy in general, by--

-- Training approximately 400 traditional and non-traditional educators;

-- Developing environmental literacy-focused partnerships and a network of watershed education providers;

-- Increasing the number of NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training grant proposals; and

supporting and delivering Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience programming, providing local, hands-on watershed learning experiences.

The task force held its first meeting November 17 at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, State College, Centre County.

For more on educational resources and grants, visit DEP’s Environmental Education webpage.

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[Posted: Nov. 21, 2017]

11/27/2017