Heather Obara Esq., Associate Director of the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT ) has sent the following press release.
This is more fantastic news from ACT, who already is high on the list of heroic organizations for their leasing and purchasing of sensitive lands bordering the Santa Fe River, thus protecting them from development. Now they are winning prestigious awards for working with youth, so vital to the sustainability of environmental protection.
OSFR totally supports youth programs, as seen in our ongoing interest in the Fort White Middle School Parknership program.
We commend and congratulate ACT for this well-deserved recognition.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2023
Alachua Conservation Trust
Keara Clancy, CrEEK Program Coordinator
352–373–1078
info@alachuaconservationtrust.org
Alachua Conservation Trust’s Creekside Environmental Ed for Kids Program Awarded2023 Every Kid Outdoors Grant
The CrEEK Program brings 1,000 students to the Little Orange Creek Nature Park’s outdoor
classroom annually
Gainesville, Florida – Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT)’s Creekside Environmental Ed for
Kids (CrEEK) Program was one of 33 awardees for the National Park Trust’s 2023 Every Kid
Outdoors grant. In partnership with the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Trust developed
the Every Kid Outdoors grant to support schools and organizations focused on connecting
elementary school–aged youth to public parks, lands, and waters. The Every Kid Outdoors grant
through the National Park Trust will provide $4,500 to the CrEEK Program for transportation of
students from underserved schools in Gainesville and Putnam Counties to Little Orange Creek
Nature Park.
The CrEEK Program serves approximately 1,000 fourth graders from underserved schools
annually. As part of their participation in the CrEEK program, students engage in activities such
as catching bugs with a sweep net in the grass fields, dipnetting for invertebrates in the creek,
working within nature to identify and learn about decomposition and the carbon cycle, going on
nature hikes where they identify different species of plants and animals, and cataloging their
discoveries in their science journal. These activities are paired with guidance and discussion with
ecologists and environmental educators so students can make lasting connections with the
knowledge gained and the surrounding environment. The CrEEK program offers an opportunity
for students, who may not have the opportunity to explore nature in their everyday lives, to gain
knowledge about science concepts, feelempowered to ask questions and explore, and most importantly, have fun in the process. Through the program, ACT hopes to inspire a passion for nature and empower the next generation of conservation stewards.“The CrEEK program is truly something special,” said CrEEK Program Coordinator Keara Clancy. “The outdoor classroom doesn’t just teach students about science, it allows them to have a transformative experience in how they see and experience the world around them. They feel empowered to continue exploring and employing the new skills they have learned, even after the field trip is over – and that’s what it’s all about.”
For over a decade, the National Park Trust has been a leader in youth outdoor programming and
has been actively addressing the lack of transportation to outdoor spaces – one of the most
significant barriers to kids getting outside and experiencing nature. This grant supports the
Every Kid Outdoors program, a federal youth initiative designed to provide every 4th grader in
the United States the opportunity to visit public lands and waters for free with their families. The
great outdoors is an excellent classroom, and the Park Trust and the USDA Forest Service are
partnering to provide the experiences that will help kids establish lifelong connections with
nature and become the next generation of park stewards.
“We are delighted to expand our partnership with the USDA Forest Service by providing
numerous nonprofits and schools across the country with Every Kid Outdoors Transportation
Grants,” said Grace Lee, executive director of National Park Trust. “These critical resources will
allow thousands of children from under–served communities to discover our public lands and
waters. For many of these students, it will be their first opportunity to explore the great
outdoors.”
To learn more about the CrEEK Program and how you can support it, please contact ACT at
info@AlachuaConservationTrust.org ATTN: CrEEK Program Coordinator, or (352) 373–1078.
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ABOUT ALACHUA CONSERVATION TRUST
Since 1988, the mission of Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) is to protect the natural, historic,
scenic and recreational resources in and around North Central Florida. ACT protects land
through purchase, donation, and conservation easements primarily in 16 counties. As Florida’s
natural leader in conservation, ACT has conserved over 56,000 acres.
Find out more at AlachuaConservationTrust.org
ABOUT NATIONAL PARK TRUST
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023, National Park Trust’s mission is to preserve parks
today and create park stewards for tomorrow. Since 1983, the Park Trust has acquired many of
the missing pieces of our national parks, benefiting 51 national park sites. Our national youth
education and family initiatives, including our Buddy Bison Programs and National Kids to
Parks Day, serve 300 Title I schools annually and cultivate future park stewards. We believe that
our public parks, lands, and waters should be cared for, enjoyed by, and preserved by all for
current and future generations.
Find out more at parktrust.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ivan Levin at 540.818.5818 or ivan@parktrust.org.
