Watershed Education Grant Applications Available

MARGARETVILLE, NY, December 5, 2006 - Ward Todd, chairman of the Catskill Watershed Corporation Education Committee, has announced that applications are available for the next round of Watershed Education Grants.

Pre-school through 12th grade students are the target audience for Round 10 of the Grant Program, designed to increase awareness and understanding of the New York City Water System and the West-of-Hudson Watershed which supplies 90 percent of the water supply for nine million people, Chairman Todd said.

Guidelines and applications that can be downloaded and filled out on-screen are available on the Public Education page of the corporation’s web site, www.cwconline.org. Applicants may also call Education Coordinator Diane Galusha at 845-586-1400, ext. 29 (toll-free 877-WAT-SHED) to obtain hard copies of the forms and guidelines.

The deadline for submitting applications is February 2, 2007. Awards will be announced in the spring. Round 10 projects should take place during the 2007-2008 school year.

Schools and non-profit organizations both in the Watershed and in New York City are eligible to apply for grants for projects that may range from stream life studies to nature writing; environmental research to Watershed history explorations. Applicants may also seek funds for Special Options including Trout in the Classroom, Streamwatch, study visits to Frost Valley and Ashokan environmental and outdoor education centers, the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater production "City That Drinks the Mountain Sky," and "Catskill Tales & Tunes" by singers/storytellers Ira and Laurie McIntosh, a new offering this year.

Students and teachers are also invited to browse the Catskill-NYC Watershed Educators’ Web Site, www.watershEducators.org, for descriptions of projects previously funded by the CWC’s Education program.