District offers teachers funding opportunity to educate students on water conservation

Now entering the seventh year of its Blue School Grant Program, the St. Johns River Water Management District with full support of its Governing Board is offering up to $20,000 in grants for education projects that enrich student knowledge of Florida’s water resources through hands-on learning. The application period runs August 1–Sept. 15 and is available to middle and high school teachers within the 18-county area.

“The District’s Blue School Grant program is a unique and meaningful way for us to help our local schools educate students on the importance of water conservation and how to be good stewards of the environment now and in the future,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Education Coordinator, Laura La Beur.

To date, the District has funded 75 water resource education projects with a total of nearly $105,000 awarded to local schools.

Through the District’s Blue School Grant Program, up to $2,000 per school may be awarded to middle and high schoolteachers to enhance student knowledge of Florida’s water resources. Public and charter teachers within the District’s boundaries are eligible to apply.

Examples of previous successful grant applications include:

• Service-learning projects where middle and high school students partnered to study water quality
• Water quality comparison of stormwater ponds on campus
• Conversion of traditional irrigation to micro-irrigation in school landscape
• Water conservation awareness posters and video

Teachers receiving grants will be notified in late October.

Information about criteria and deadlines and the online application can be found at www.sjrwmd.com/education/blueschool or contact Laura La Beur at LLaBeur@sjrwmd.com or 321-473-1339. 

About the St. Johns River Water Management District

St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the District and the State of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The District encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff also are available to serve the public at service centers in Apopka, Jacksonville and Palm Bay.

For more information about the District, please visit www.sjrwmd.com.