Healthy Habitat Grants Available for Texas Schools

Media Contact: John Spence, Service Learning Texas, (512) 420-0214, icle__media__contact">Media Contact: John Spence, Service Learning Texas, (512) 420-0214, jspence@txcsl.org; Tom Harvey, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, (512) 389-4453; Al Sommers, representing Encana Oil & Gas, (512) 330-0500, asommers@sommerspr.com

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Student Projects Will Help Implement Texas Conservation Action Plan

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AUSTIN — The call is going out to public and private middle and high schools and educational nonprofits across the state: Texas Healthy Habitats Grants of up to $10,000 are now available from Service Learning Texas, with applications due Sep. 30.

The grants will involve students in service-learning initiatives to improve or restore the natural environment, made possible with a donation from Encana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc. to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

The grants program encourages students to partner with communities, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff and other experts to identify conservation needs and work together to come up with solutions. The students will address priorities in the Texas Conservation Action Plan (formerly Texas Wildlife Action Plan), a blueprint to aid wildlife and their habitats before they become threatened or endangered.

The program builds on an existing partnership between TPWD and Service Learning Texas, a statewide initiative of the Texas Education Agency and Region 14 Education Service Center. Service Learning Texas improves student achievement through service-learning, which integrates community service with academic success.

Eligible grant applicants include:

  • public schools, open enrollment charter schools, and private nonprofit schools in Texas that serve youth in grades 5-12;
  • 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Texas that work with students in grades 5-12; and
  • state or local agencies in Texas that work with youth in grades 5-12.

Applications for the grant competition are available in the 2010-2011 Docs & Info section on the Service Learning Texas Healthy Habitats webpage and are due by Thursday, Sep. 30. Applicants should consult with TPWD staff for assistance in identifying local environmental needs, examining issues and determining resources, and developing a plan. Applicants may apply for up to $10,000. Competitive preference will be given to counties in which Encana operates (Angelina, Denton, Freestone, Hood, Leon, Nacogdoches, Panola, Parker, Robertson, Sabine, Shelby, Tarrant, and Wise).

Applicants must also watch a recording of webinar on a the grant, and a link to the recording is posted on the Healthy Habitats page of the Service Learning Texas website.