Grant Name:
Youth
Watershed Education
Project Size:
$64,642
Grant Amount:
$6,500
Strategic Value:
Water quality, economic
viability, connecting children with nature
The Lake
George Association, the oldest lake association in the nation, has a mission to
protect Lake George from pollution, storm water runoff, salt, invasive species
and shoreline damage. In 2016, Cloudsplitter supported LGA’s Youth Watershed
Education: The Floating Classroom. While some of the education programs take
place in the school classroom, others are on board the floating classroom, a
40-foot catamaran designed specifically for the Lake George Association. The
Floating Classroom is a hands-on aquatic adventure to learn about the Lake
George Watershed. The students
learn how to keep Lake George clean and healthy. Participants investigate
different aspects of the lake’s ecosystem using scientific sampling equipment.
Some activities include measuring water clarity, catching zooplankton, and
testing PH, temperature and oxygen levels. The goal of LGA Youth Watershed
Education program is to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment in
children concerning the watershed so they are able to make informed decisions,
behave responsibly and act constructively to protect the lake long into their
future.
Lake
George is used year round by local residents and tourists for many recreational
activities, but due to its purity, is also used as drinking water. Since the
clean water of Lake George is the basis of the large tourist economy in the
summer that supports its year-round residents and a source for clean drinking
water, it is important to educate about water quality.
Grant Analysis:
Cloudsplitter funding helped conduct the education program which teach thousands
of students each year about water quality. In 2016, 2,249 participants took park
in the Floating Classroom Program. A total of 101 trips were conducted for 1,753
students and 496 adults. There were 40 in-school programs conducted for 832
students, along with an after-school enrichment program to cover topics such as
water use, water pollution and invasive species.