The Rockfall Foundation Awards 2010 Environmental Grants

The Rockfall Foundation Awards 2010 Environmental Grants

The Rockfall Foundation has awarded grants for grassroots environmental projects to 14 groups in Middlesex County. A total of $15,000 has been distributed to county libraries, schools and other nonprofit organizations.

The majority of the grants for the 2009-2010 grant year will support environmental education and conservation initiatives involving children in elementary grades through high school. The grant recipient schools and libraries represent communities throughout the county, including Durham, Middlefield, Middletown, Essex, East Hampton, Haddam, East Haddam and Deep River. The complete list of recipients is below.

“We are particularly pleased that a number of grants will help enrich school science and natural history curricula,” said Anthony P. Marino, chair of the foundation’s Grant’s Committee. “These awards are a tribute to the dedication and creativity of our county’s teachers, librarians and volunteer educators.”

As in previous years, the funded projects stress hands-on learning and exploration, through tending organic gardens, creating interpretive signs for nature trails, and enjoying supervised encounters with live animals. Students will share their experiences and learning on the web.

“Most of these projects help build and nurture community among students and adults both in and outside of the classroom,” Marino adds. For example, students involved with school and community garden projects will donate their harvests to local food banks and soup kitchens.

One school-based project highlights The Rockfall Foundation’s 75th Anniversary, which is being celebrated this year. Educators at Memorial Middle School (Middlefield) are partnering with the Regional School District 13 Outdoor Education Center ( Durham ), Connecticut Forest and Park Association (Rockfall) and Long Hill Estate ( Middletown ) to create a standard-based curriculum for two Wadsworth Legacy properties, Wadsworth Falls State Park and Long Hill Estate, which were once owned by Rockfall founder, Clarence S. Wadsworth.

“Due to their location, the Wadsworth legacy properties are easily accessible to school children in six Middlesex communities,” according to Kevin Brough, Principal of Memorial Middle School. The projects materials and docent program will enable more classes to visit and explore these remarkable parks of natural beauty and ecological significance. “This initiative has the potential to bring students of diverse backgrounds together to explore the outdoor world.”

The foundation has provided environmental education and planning grants to organizations and towns throughout Middlesex County since 1971. Rockfall seeks programs that inspire residents, young and old, to go outside, take a hike, paddle a local river and, whenever possible, get up close and personal with wildlife. While modest, the foundation’s grants often provide critical seed money and support for outstanding environmental education and planning projects.

Requests from county schools and organizations for environmental grants have increased sharply in recent years. As a result, the foundation has initiated a Campaign to Grow Our Grants, which is the focus of the foundation’s 75th anniversary benefit dinner celebration in May.

A complete listing of the grant recipients and project descriptions are available on the foundation’s website www.rockfallfoundation.org. Grants are awarded by the foundation annually. Application information and schedules are available by calling the office at (860) 347-0340 or visiting the website.

Founded 75 years ago by Middletown philanthropist Colonel Clarence S. Wadsworth, Rockfall is named after the falls in Wadsworth Falls State Park . In addition to its grants program, the foundation sponsors educational symposia, continues to preserve and help sustain open space land holdings in the county and supports the 100- year-old Wadsworth/Kerste deBoer Arboretum, a Wadsworth legacy property on Long Lane.

Rockfall is headquartered in Middletown in the historic deKoven House on Washington Street , which it maintains and operates as a community center with meeting rooms and office space for locally-based environmental groups.

Contact: Virginia R. Rollefson, Executive Director, The Rockfall Foundation
(860)340--0340; vrr@rockfallfoundation.org

The Rockfall Foundation Grants 2009-2010

Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Rockfall

"WalkCT Program - Middlesex County Representation on WalkCT Website” to collect and publish trail information for towns in Middlesex County on this statewide walking locations and healthy lifestyles website.

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Middletown

"Promoting Water & Watershed Conservation: A Rain Barrel Demonstration Project" to raise awareness about an inexpensive and easy to use "green" practice.

Connecticut River Museum, Essex

"Interpretive Signage Program, Phase I" to educate the public about the natural heritage of the Connecticut River and the Essex waterfront.

Deep River Public Library, Deep River

"Greening Library Sprouts in Deep River" to create an organic garden on the grounds of the Deep River Public Library to engage children and their parents as learners, explorers, leaders, and nurturers.

Town of East Haddam

"Green Committee Organic Victory Garden": to convert underutilized land into an educational organic garden in keeping with East Haddam's historical agrarian rural character while supplementing the local Food Bank with fresh produce.

East Hampton Library, East Hampton

"Fribrary Time Goes Green!" to educate 4th and 5th graders on ways to preserve and protect the environment and effect positive change in attitudes and behavior through a year-long series of hands-on, age-appropriate activities.

Essex Garden Club, Inc., Essex

"John Winthrop Middle School Greenhouse and Raised Bed Gardening Project" to educate students about healthy and sustainable gardening practices and share harvests with the community.

Haddam Land Trust, Higganum

"Bamforth Wildlife Preserve: Wildlife Habitats Trail" to create National Park Service style signage in cooperation with Haddam-Killingworth High School students to educate the public about local wildlife habitats and sustainable management techniques.

Incarnation Center’s Bushy Hill Program, Ivoryton

"Living Off the Land: The Magic of Fire" to introduce students to the basic skills of cooking and production of household products through the Native American and Wetlands Program

Independent Day School, Middlefield

"School Garden and Empty Bowls Projects" to cultivate an organic school garden and support food pantries in Middlesex County as part of an interdisciplinary standards-based curriculum project for students in kindergarten- 8th grade to learn about organic, sustainable food.

Middlefield Memorial School, Middlefield

"Stewardship of the Natural World Through Education and Experience at Wadsworth Legacy Properties" to create a standards-based curriculum to get students and families outside for hands-on education about the natural world so that they can become stewards of the environment; initiate a docent program to encourage area schools and families to come to the properties.

New Britain Youth Museum At Hungerford Park (Van Buran Moody School)

Kensington” Environmental Education Program: Live Animal Programs for Kindergarteners at Moody School" to provide classroom and hands-on, live animal programs to augment the Kindergarten Science curriculum to increase vocabulary, science literacy, and awareness of the natural world.

Regional School District 13 Outdoor Education Center, Durham

"Interactive Website for Wadsworth Legacy Properties" to create an interactive website where it will be possible to click on different map locations to learn about local plants, trees, animals, ecology, and history; and where teachers, docents and the public can print out information, curriculum and suggested activities.

Higganum Vision Group

"Higganum Vision Group - Community Building Projects" to encourage development to preserve natural and cultural resources, and improve pedestrian/bike safety to create a lively community where people live, work and play.