WASHINGTON –
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin announced today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $22,000 environmental education grant to the Irvine Natural Science Center in Baltimore County to help teach
high school students from economically and educationally challenged neighborhoods how to protect the environment.
Under the program, high school students who get the environmental training will in turn become teachers and mentors for younger students in a partner elementary school.
“The Irvine Nature Center is a model for environmental education and programs,” said Senator Cardin.
“It is the ideal site for educating Baltimore area students about the need to protect and nurture our environment for future generations.”
Senator Cardin has long supported the work of the Irvine Nature Center.
This year, he has secured funding in the Senate appropriations process to help relocate and expand the Center from its current Greenspring Avenue location to a 116-acre site in Caves Valley.
The move is expected to be completed by the Fall 2008. The Irvine Nature Center is a non-profit environmental education organization providing more than 500 programs a year to children and adults in the Baltimore area.
Since 1992, EPA has provided almost $3 million annually in funding to local organizations and schools nationwide. These grants fund education programs in nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies supporting a wide range of environmental issues for citizens of all ages.
