The Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) is pleased to announce it has received a $74,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) to support a vast expansion to the existing Flint River GREEN water quality monitoring program. The program expansion will bridge communities, classrooms, curriculum, and careers.

Flint River Green Bridges will fully immerse students in Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEEs) that allow them to identify and investigate locally relevant water quality examples and participate in outdoor field research. Students will be able to apply the knowledge they gain through stewardship action projects they design and lead and then share their experiences back with parents, students from
other schools, decision makers, and community leaders at the annual GREEN Summit. While engaging in MWEEs, Bridge students will explore their connectivity to local and global waterways, contribute to ongoing data collection, and learn about possible career trajectories in science, technology, community engagement, and project management.

The expanded program will begin with the roll out of a 10-week flexible and cross-curricular unit of study for teachers. Core to the 18-month project is a partnership with UM-Flint’s Discovering PLACE, the Flint hub of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, which will enhance teacher training and support the implementation of MWEEs with students. A pilot group of 6th – 8th grade teachers from 7 schools will implement the program during the 2019 – 2020 school year. Other schools within the Flint River watershed will have access to the materials and training in subsequent years. All resources developed through this grant will be made publicly available online for anyone interested in implementing a similar program in other watersheds. For more information, contact Autumn Mitchell at amitchell@flintriver.org or (810)-767-9491.