The Environmental Professionals’ Organization of Connecticut (EPOC) is pleased to announce our environmental grant awards for 2014 as follows (total amount of all awards is $11,460.00):

• Last Green Valley: EPOC’s funding will support interactive educational opportunities for middle school students during science classes, or after school at club meetings. Hands-on sessions will include using watershed maps and an Enviroscape ®, a table-top watershed model. Students analyze maps, ask questions, make observations, and predict how day-to-day activities can impact storm water and water quality in our lakes, rivers, and Long Island Sound. Students will also learn about pollution prevention and best management practices to help keep pollution from entering our water bodies.
  
  
• Connecticut Envirothon: EPOC’s grant will support the purchase of materials used by high school students and teachers for an annual statewide field competition held in May. CT Envirothon goals are to promote environmental awareness, knowledge, and active personal stewardship among high school students through educational workshops during the school year and cumulating in a field day competition.
  
  
• Eastern CT Conservation District: EPOC’s grant will support The Niantic River Watershed Committee (NRWC) proposal to partner with the Town of East Lyme, Millstone Environmental Laboratory and East Lyme High School to conduct a Streamwalk survey of Latimer Brook in the Flanders area to identify land use and stream corridor conditions that may be contributing to the observed nitrate levels. NRWC will utilize a riparian corridor assessment, or Streamwalk, developed by the Connecticut office of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.
  
  
• Norwalk Tree Alliance: The Norwalk Tree Alliance (NTA) initiates and supports programs for a healthy urban forest in Norwalk, where dense populations and development have reduced canopy. NTA provides environmental education in Norwalk area schools and at the Annual CT Tree Festival, which EPOC grant monies will help support.
  
  
• Menunkatuck Audubon: EPOC’s grant will support the improvement of rooftop garden area used by the Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School to learn about the life cycles of butterflies and observe their unique habits along with pollinators and hummingbirds.

The EPOC Grant Program provides non-profit and not-for-profit environmental advocacy groups, community based groups and environmental education organizations, funding for local projects that benefit the environment on an annual basis. For further information, see our Grant Program page.