DEP Newsroom

Kulpmont, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today a total of $632,897 in environmental grant funds have been awarded to 63 projects statewide, 50 of which engage youth and adults living and/or working within environmental justice areas. Grants were awarded to schools, institutions, conservation districts, and environmental and community organizations.

DEP visited Veterans Memorial Park in Kulpmont to tour several onsite projects completed with past DEP grant support and learn about upcoming environmental projects planned within the park.

Bert Myers, DEP Director of Environmental Education, announced that the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance (SCRA) was awarded a 2022 DEP Environmental Education grant of $2,995 for a project titled “Veteran Memorial Field Green Building Techniques and Rain Garden Build.”

“These grants help provide the foundation for environmental education for people of all ages,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest In Our Planet’ and each of these projects represents an investment into furthering the environmental education of Pennsylvanians.” 

The SCRA’s 2022 project will include a hands-on environmental field day for local high school students to learn about green building techniques used in a newly constructed restroom and pavilion facility.  These features include the use of recycled materials, rain water collection, solar power, and energy-efficient insulation. The students will complete their field day by planting a rain garden using native plant species.

“Prior to 2016, this park was underutilized; the walking track was in disrepair, and the stream channel had no vegetation,” said Steve Motyka, SCRA vice president and member of Kulpmont Borough Council. “A 2016 DEP Environmental Education mini grant sparked a resurgence for this recreational complex, and we have built on that momentum year by year with the help of subsequent grants.”

 

More than 500 local students have participated in environmental educational programs at the park to date, learning about historical mining practices that heavily impacted the community’s natural resources and participating in environmental restoration practices, such as riparian buffer and tree plantings, to improve the site. These programs were made possible through a total of six prior DEP Environmental Education awards and a host of community partners.  The environmentally friendly restroom and pavilion facility was funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).  

 

“Hundreds of trees have been planted by students at this park, instilling in them a new environmental awareness; and because of those efforts and their impact on the landscape, hundreds of people now use this facility daily,” said Motyka.

  

Myers congratulated the SCRA and its project partners, including the Northumberland County Conservation District, Penn State Master Gardeners, and numerous community organizations and businesses, on their latest grant award and their track record of successful projects at the site.  

“These funds provide students and adults with educational programs that emphasize the value of a healthy environment in their backyard,” said Myers. 

The Environmental Education Grants Program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates setting aside five percent of the pollution fines and penalties DEP collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania. Since its inception, the DEP has awarded $12.3 million in environmental education grant funding to support 2,135 projects.

The 2022 program selected applications for the development of innovative formal and non-formal education projects that:

• Address grant program priorities of water, climate change, and/or environmental justice; 

• Provide opportunities to expand the public’s understanding of Pennsylvania’s environmental issues; and 

• Develop skills required to make informed decisions.

Grants were awarded to schools, institutions, conservation districts, and environmental and community organizations. Thirty-four local projects received mini grants of up to $3,000; twenty-eight projects with a broad or statewide reach received general grants of up to $20,000; and one project, designed to engage students and teachers at the local, state, and national levels, received a grant of $65,710. More than 90 percent of grant funds will support projects that engage youth and adults living and/or working within Environmental Justice areas.

Bradford 

• Bradford County Conservation District: Conduct two (2) Forestry education symposiums for private landowners and forestry logging professionals on topics such as sustainable forestry practices and Erosion & Sedimentation plans. ($11,996) 

• Cameron County Conservation District: Hold multiple education programs for all ages that address effective ways of reducing nonpoint source and source point water pollution. ($1,553) 

Centre 

• Penns Valley Conservation Association: Expand its 5th to 7th grade Meaningful Climate Change and Watershed Education Toolkits (MC2WET) to meet the needs of all 3rd grade level students in the Penns Valley Area School District. ($2,921)

• The Pennsylvania State University:  Hold a hands-on professional development workshop for PreK-12 educators on the key roles pollinators and pollinator landscapes play in ecological resiliency. ($2,061) 

• Clinton County Conservation District (2 projects): Spark the interest of girls (grades 8-10) in STEM studies by hosting a “She Can” weekend workshop led by professional women ($1,949); and Create a farmer education program promoting the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program. ($850) 

• Columbia County Conservation District: Host multiple events for farmers, landowners, K-12 students and the public utilizing rainfall simulator kits and a slake demonstration kit to promote water quality protection through proper soil management. ($2,833) 

• Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance:  Host a field day for high school students focused on native plants and green building design. Students will plant a rain garden. ($2,995)

• Potter County Conservation District: Host two (2) pond workshops, including PSU surface water testing and follow-up, for landowners and contractors. ($1,658).

• Snyder County Conservation District: Provide a hands-on camp experience for 1st-4th graders involving rotating environmental stations. Friends and family members will help install conservation practices. ($2,580)

• BLaST IU 17: Launch an Environmental Explorer Program (grades K-8) in Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga counties. (20,000)

• Pennsylvania Envirothon: Implement a statewide project that encourages high school students' exploration of environmental issues and provides them with tools for creating healthy communities through stewardship actions. Students and teachers interact at the county state and national levels. Analyze the existing program to determine ways of expanding engagement of teachers and youth in environmental justice areas. ($65,710)

• The Pennsylvania State University: Hold a 5-day residential camp program for students (grades 9-12) from Centre, Huntingdon and Chester counties, focusing on local water quality issues, climate change and social/leadership experiences. ($5,500)

• Tioga County Conservation District: Provide education to landowners and farmers in Tioga and Potter counties on how soil health can lead to profitable land management, protect water quality and combat climate change. ($10,732)

###