Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Awards 92 Grants for Environmental Education and Stewardship

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett today announced that he is awarding $334,074 in environmental education grants to 92 schools, universities, non-profit organizations and conservation districts across Pennsylvania.

"Education is the basis for fact-based environmental protection," Governor Corbett said. "On Earth Day and every day, I am pleased to support efforts aimed at increasing environmental awareness and protection through learning."

Grant recipients will use the funding for various initiatives, including farm field days, summer camps, exploratory learning activities, professional development, soil testing exercises and explanatory signage along watersheds. Through these initiatives, students, teachers, farmers and others will learn about a variety of environmental issues ranging from rain barrels, stormwater management and hydroponics in agriculture, to Marcellus Shale and the Chesapeake Bay, among other topics.

The grant program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates setting aside five percent of the pollution fines and penalties the Department of Environmental Protection collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania.

For more information about environmental education, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click "Environmental Education," or call 717-772-1828.

Media contact: Amanda Witman, DEP, 717-787-1323

Editor's Note: Grant recipients are listed below with the award amounts, alphabetically by county. Organizations that are marked with an asterisk (*) represent the total of two awards.

Adams

Gettysburg College, $4,500
Lake Meade Property Owners Association Inc., $3,000

Allegheny

Allegheny County Conservation District, $2,518
Citizen Power Inc., $3,000
Forbes Road Career and Technology Center, $7,500
McKeesport Area School District, $5,133
STREAM Academy, $5,135
Riverquest, $4,500
Redevelopment Authority of the County of Allegheny, $4,500
Spectrum Charter School, $1,856

Armstrong

Armstrong Conservation District, $2,997

Beaver

Allegheny Aquatic Alliance, $3,000
Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators, $4,500

Berks

Albright College, $762
Alvernia University, $4,340
Twin Valley School District, $2,939

Bradford

Wyalusing Area School District, $2,859

Bucks

Buck County Conservation District, $3,750
The Middle Bucks Area Vocational Technical School Authority, $3,000

Butler

Butler Area School District, $3,130
Penn Christian Academy, $3,000
Stream Restoration Inc., $4,500

Cambria

Cambria County Conservation District, $4,148

Carbon

Carbon County Conservation District, $3,000

Centre

Bald Eagle Area School District, $2,981
The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, $4,148
State College Area School District, $2,992

Chester

Avon Grove Charter School, $4,106
Chester County Economic Development Foundation, $5,319
Chester County Intermediate Unit 24, $3,000
Coatesville Area Arts Alliance Inc., $2,988
Delaware Valley Earth Force Inc., $4,500
Green Valleys Association of Southeastern PA Inc., $2,920
The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County, $2,917
Urban and Rural Science Alliance Inc., $2,850

Clearfield

Trout Unlimited Inc., $4,800

Columbia

Columbia County Conservation District, $4,360
Municipal Authority Borough of Catawissa, $2,892

Cumberland

Mechanicsburg Area School District, $2,900
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, $2,998

Dauphin

Dauphin County Commissioners – Parks and Recreation, $3,000
Dauphin County Conservation District, $2,861
Harrisburg Area Civic Garden Center Inc., $4,000
National Audubon Society Inc., $4,260
PA Biomass Energy Association, $4,500
West Hanover Township, $4,200

Delaware

A Few Steps Foundation, $2,850
Ridley School District, $4,674
Pennsylvania Resources Council Inc., $4,500 
Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, $4,300

Elk

Keystone Elk County Alliance, $2,473

Erie

Erie City School District, $6,000*
Erie County Conservation District, $1,700
Gannon University, $4,250
Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5, $2,998

Fulton

Fulton County Conservation District, $3,000

Lancaster

Lancaster County Conservation District, $4,150
Lancaster Farmland Trust, $3,130
Manheim Central School District, $6,500

Lawrence

Lawrence County Conservation District, $3,447

Lebanon

Lebanon County Conservation District, $3,000
Lebanon Valley College, $3,000

Lehigh

Wildlands Conservancy Inc., $2,692

Luzerne

Wilkes-Barre Area School District, $4,500

Montgomery

Lower Merion Township, $4,281
Schwenksville Borough, $5,000

McKean

Pennsylvania State University Office of Sponsored Programs, $4,500
University of Pittsburgh – Bradford Campus, $4,500

Mercer

Grove City Area School District, $2,675
Mercer County Conservation District, $2,662
Shenango River Watchers Inc., $4,500

Monroe

Brodhead Watershed Association, $3,833

Northampton

Nurture Nature Center Inc., $4,400

Philadelphia

Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia Inc., $4,500
GVF TMA Foundation, $4,424
School District of Philadelphia, $1,000
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, $4,500

Pike

Pike County Conservation District, $4,800

Snyder

Lower Penns Creek Watershed Association, $2,951
Selinsgrove Area School District, $3,000
Snyder County Conservation District, $5,143*

Tioga

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, $4,390
Tioga County Conservation District, $5,627

Washington

Avella Area School District, $2,874

Westmoreland

Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, $5,260
Municipality of Murrysville, $3,000
Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette Inc., $3,184
Saint Vincent College, $2,935
Westmoreland County Conservation District, $912

York

Spring Grove Area School District, $5,000

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor