|
 The grants were made to remind
consumers of the vital need to protect water resources every day for
future generations, and were awarded to community projects that
improve, restore or protect watersheds, according to Illinois
American Water.
“At Illinois American Water, Earth Day is every day. Our team works
hard to not only provide clean water for life, but for our
communities to thrive,” said Bruce Hauk, president of Illinois
American Water.
A total of $20,750 in grant funds were awarded and the Lincoln
College grant was the second-highest amount awarded, exceeded only
by a $4,000 grant to the Bolingbrook Park District. Lincoln College
was also the only college to receive a grant.
Dr. Julia Ossler, Lead Faculty for the Conservation Biology program
at Lincoln College, said the funds will be used to raise awareness
of watershed protection and the impact of stream-bank erosion along
Sugar Creek at the Campbell Creekside Outdoor Center for
Environmental Education at Lincoln College.
“This a great opportunity to highlight the many ways that our
Conservation Biology program benefits the larger Lincoln community,”
Dr. Ossler said. “Funding from this grant will help pay for physical
improvements at Creekside, while also allowing our students to
perform hard science on water quality at the site.
“This will promote conversations among local stakeholders on how to
mitigate the ongoing erosion and the importance of protecting our
streams. The proposed projects will allow students and community
members to observe first-hand scientific research,” Dr. Ossler
explained. “Instead of viewing scientists as lab-bound people in
white coats, students can see science in its many different realms
and its multidisciplinary form.”
The Logan County Soil and Water Conservation Agency/Natural Resource
Conservation Service will also play a significant role as a project
partner, providing expertise and insight into the challenges and
impacts of stream-bank erosion from neighboring areas.
The grant will help finance a number of projects, including a
five-week project-based assignment for Lincoln College students,
exploring Sugar Creek and the surrounding area to evaluate causes of
erosion, mitigating factors that contribute to it, and the impact it
has on biodiversity and stream health.
Student groups will create conference posters outlining specific
erosion factors that they have encountered at Creekside, focusing on
one they feel is most damaging to the surrounding ecosystem. Each
group will outline a budget-limited plan that would mitigate the
factor in question, providing a scientific justification and
applying solutions that have shown success in similar situations.
[to top of second column] |
The
project will culminate in the posters being displayed at the
annual community Fall Festival at Creekside to receive feedback
from the community and invited experts on the feasibility of
their plans.
Other
projects that will be funded with aid from the grant include:
-
Demonstrating stream-bank erosion control methods
to local stakeholders in the community (landowners, educators,
students, and college/university and scientific researchers) at
a free, public conference;
-
Extending the boardwalk at Creekside to make
features of Creekside more accessible;
-
Building an educational, interpretive display on
the Wibben Overlook platform above Sugar Creek at the terminus
of the Peoples of the Past Boardwalk. It will feature signage
that highlights local land use and stream-bank erosion control;
-
Developing open-access multidisciplinary lesson
plans that align with the national Next Generation Science
Standards (NGSS) for upper-level high school students. These
lesson plans will be available to anyone on the Creekside
webpage starting in the 2018 academic year. These project-based
activities will engage students in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) education using the nature center as an
anchoring landmark for engagement. It will also will draw from
the professional knowledge and insight of conference attendees
from the summer conference.
In
addition to Lincoln College, other grant recipients included:
Foundation for Ohio River Education, Bolingbrook Park District,
Nature at the Confluence, Inc. in South Beloit, Wisconsin, Pekin
Park District, Heal the Hill Prairie at Forest Park Nature Center in
St. Louis, Illinois River Sweep, Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum
and Senior Services Plus, Inc. in Godfrey.
Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the
largest investor-owned water utility in Illinois, providing
high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to
approximately 1.3 million people. The company employs more than
6,900 persons who provide regulated and market-based drinking water,
wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million
people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada.
[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College]
 |
