Eight community nature projects throughout the greater Portland metro region received a boost Thursday after the Metro Council awarded $204,000 in Nature in Neighborhoods conservation education grants.
The grants will help connect people with nature, boost environmental literacy and develop conservation leaders. Money for the grants comes from the parks and natural areas levy that voters in the region approved in 2013.
"As our population grows, we put increasing stress on our environment, and Metro’s fortunate that we’re able to fund programs and grants that counteract that," Metro Councilor Craig Dirksen said. "We’re able to identify and set aside sensitive lands and have money to restore and protect them, and raise up another generation of people to be stewards of that land to train them to know what we didn’t know when we were young."
Metro received 35 pre-applications requesting more than $800,000 in funding. A committee of nine conservation education experts from local organizations and agencies invited 16 to submit full applications before recommending eight for grants.
Committee members noted a shift in recent years, with a growing number of community-based organizations and traditional environmental organizations emphasizing diversity, equity and inclusion in their applications.
More than a fifth of the pre-applications came from culturally specific community organizations, and more than two-thirds described underserved communities, such as communities of color and low-income communities, as their prime audience.
"Fifteen years ago, I was a recipient of environmental programming, and 15 years later -- every day -- it impacts the way I do my work," said Jessica Rojas, a member of the grant review committee and a coordinator for the city of Portland's Community Watershed Stewardship Program. "That's why it was a very valuable opportunity for me to be on your committee, because I take this work very personally. I want to see meaningful environmental programming because I know that's what it's going to take to create the next generation of environmental leaders."
Momentum Alliance, a youth-led nonprofit nurturing future social justice leaders, received a similar conservation education grant a year ago to work with Northwest Youth Corps. They received an additional $30,000 on Thursday to continue the partnership, which diversifies leadership in conservation through intensive internships for 10 youths and provides year-round programming and coaching for 35 additional youths.
"It is a really special partnership for us," said Henry Hays-Wehle, who led last year's crew. "This is an opportunity to expand the world of our natural spaces and make sure that people of all backgrounds understand that it’s their space, too, that this is a industry that’s for them. Our public lands belong to everybody."
Full list of recipients of Nature in Neighborhoods conservation education grants 2016:
Total award amount recommended: $203,626
Program: CDE's Youth Leadership Development Program
Grant amount: $30,000
Recipient: Center for Diversity & the Environment
Partners: Youth Mentoring Collaborative, Westwind Stewardship Group, Metro/Oregon Zoo ZAP Program (Zoo Animal Presenters), Audubon Society of Portland TALON Program (Teach, Advocate, Lead, Observe and Nurture), Friends of Tryon Creek
Program summary: CDE will offer their Youth Leadership and Development Program with a racial equity focus to engage historically underrepresented youth. The program will support participants as emerging leaders to reshape and diversify the environmental movement.
Program: Bike Camp
Grant amount: $17,367
Recipient: Community Cycling Center
Partners: Groundwork Portland, Hacienda CDC, Home Forward, Columbia Slough Watershed Council
Program summary: Bike Camp provides opportunities for youth (ages 6-13) from low-income families to discover nature in their own backyards. Participants ride to regional parks, learn through hands-on environmental education, develop problem-solving skills and earn a bicycle.
Program: Ecology Education in North Clackamas
Grant amount: $30,000
Recipient: Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors
Partners: North Clackamas School District, Oak Lodge Sanitary District, Clackamas River Water Providers, Schoolyard Farms, Institute for Permaculture Education for Children, Portland State University, North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council
Program summary: Ecology Education in North Clackamas engages 600 4th and 5th grade students and 20 teachers at four Title I elementary schools in the North Clackamas School District. Each classroom will receive four ecology lessons and a service-learning field trip.
Program: Opportunity Corps & Beyond
Grant amount: $30,000
Recipient: Momentum Alliance
Partners: Northwest Youth Corps, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, APANO, Latino Network
Program summary: Opportunity Corps & Beyond is a partnership between Momentum Alliance & Northwest Youth Corps. The partnership will diversify leadership in conservation through intensive internships for ten youth and provide year-round programming and coaching for 35 additional youth.
Program: Sandy River Delta Conservation Education
Grant amount: $15,000
Recipient: Sandy River Basin Watershed Council
Partners: Confluence, US Forest Service, Oregon Zoo, ODFW, Friends of the Sandy River Delta, Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute, Lower Columbia River Partnership, National Park Service, Friends of Trees
Program summary: The Sandy Delta Education Initiative brings Portland, Troutdale and Gresham students to the Sandy River Delta to develop a sense of stewardship through place-based learning about the Sandy River’s ecology and culture and ongoing habitat restoration.
Program: Soul River Youth and Veterans Program
Grant amount: $30,000
Recipient: Soul River, Inc.
Partners: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Oregon Zoo, The Intertwine Alliance, City of Vancouver Parks & Recreation, PPS Title VII Indian Education, Integrated Interventions, Portland Parks & Recreation, Loop, Orvis, Swim, Water Master, Columbia Sportswear, Oregon Public House.
Program summary: Soul River, Inc. connects veterans and youth to nature through events in both local and remote settings. This project will strengthen learning about local nature, establish relationships with local youth organizations and build organizational capacity.
Program: Growing Green: Training Diverse Leaders for Tomorrow's Jobs
Grant amount: $30,000
Recipient: Tualatin Riverkeepers
Partners: Tualatin Riverkeepers, Centro Cultural of Washington County, Muslim Educational Trust, Center for Intercultural Organizing
Program summary: As Washington County's green industry jobs increase, Tualatin Riverkeepers will work with Centro Cultural, Muslim Educational Trust and other partners to deliver culturally relevant vocational training and internships for people of color in urban forestry.
Program: Blue Lake Young Rangers
Grant amount: $21,259
Recipient: Washington County 4-H Association
Partners: Metro, Portland Community College SE Center, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific NW Research Station, Alliance High School @ Joseph Meek ProTech, David Douglas High School, Parkrose Middle School, Reynolds School District, Food & Community Health interns from OSU Extension School
Program summary: This summer capstone experience, piloted in 2015, will continue the success of the Blue Lake Young Rangers. Middle and High School aged rangers from diverse backgrounds participate in outdoor service projects, conduct research and explore new technologies develop interpretive materials, and present their findings.