Ohio EPA awards more than $336K in grants for environmental education

Across the state, Ohio EPA is putting money into the eager hands of schools, businesses and environmental do-gooders. From improving water quality and developing virtual networks, to hazardous air pollution training and enhancing nature restoration efforts, these 18 recipients are ready to create and execute engaging projects that will capture the imagination and educate Ohioans with how to be the best Buckeye environmental stewards possible.

Here are the recipients of Ohio EPA’s Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) grants:
 
• Water Management Association of Ohio, Watershed Division is receiving $50,000 for its “MS4 Bootcamp On Demand” project that will create a series of six on-demand videos to improve water quality in local waterbodies and downstream lakes and rivers benefiting surrounding communities. The videos will advance the regulated community’s understanding and compliance with stormwater regulations.
 
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History is receiving $49,936 to undertake ecological restoration activities throughout its system of nature preserves. The project will work with the regulated community in ecological restoration efforts adjacent to Mentor Marsh and will raise public awareness through seven volunteer restoration events and establish interpretive signage at three publicly accessible preserves.
 
• Wright State University is receiving $49,895 for the “Futures in Chemistry: Empowering Young Minds in Electrochemical Detection of Heavy Metals for Water” program that will teach high school students how to use advanced instrumentation to detect heavy metals in water and the importance of water quality monitoring. Students will gain hands-on experience in environmental testing and data analysis, engaging them to consider STEM careers.
 
• Ohio State University – Environment and Natural Resources is receiving $35,320 to develop a virtual networking platform through the Environmental Professionals Network for the regulated community, environmental professionals, and people interested in STEM careers. The project will enhance the existing Environmental Career Ambassadors program. In addition, funds will directly support a day-long training and networking event in July with educators and ECA members at Columbus City School’s Spruce Run Nature Center.
 
• Groundwork Ohio River Valley is receiving $30,100 to train approximately 150 youth and area residents on the history and hazards of air pollution through hands-on educational activities such as constructing an air quality monitor and biking along a mobile air quality route.
 
• Delaware City Schools – Hayes High School is receiving $21,823 for the Hayes Outdoor Learning Lab. Students will design and create seven habitat areas in the lab to be populated with native plants through research and coordination with environmental professionals. The outdoor learning space will allow students and the community to learn about pollinator spaces, expand prairies and enhance conservation corridors, including city parks and four native plant nurseries.
 
• University of Rio Grande is receiving $19,336 for the “Catfish in the Classroom” program, which is a collaboration between the university and area high schools to house catfish fingerlings, establish catfish tanks in participating classrooms, and provide training and curricula associated with aquaculture, fish biology, water quality and stream ecology. Activities associated with the program include raising fingerling channel catfish, collecting growth data, selecting an appropriate local tributary for releasing catfish, performing habit assessment, and organizing a release event.
 
• Shelby Soil and Water Conservation District is receiving $19,250 to educate students, the public and the regulated community on watersheds with an augmented reality sandbox. Community members will learn how topography and rainfall affects non-point source pollution and erosion, and how it all relates to the topography, land use and water quality within the county and beyond at community events, including the Shelby County Ag Night and Shelby SWCD field days.

• The Big Love Network is receiving $5,000 to fund “Growing Community,” a full-day activity, in the Fall of 2025. Experts will discuss the connections between air quality, tree canopy, food security, placemaking and safety in the East Akron neighborhood.
 
• Community Life Collaborative is receiving $4,966 to restore the 40-acre campus with native plants and trees, pollinator gardens, rain gardens and butterfly corridors. The restorations will mitigate flooding, capture and filter rain from a large parking lot and improve water quality.
 
• Macklin Legacy Gardens is receiving $4,922 for the “Understanding and Preserving Urban Green Spaces” project that will establish air monitoring locations within the Avondale community. People participating in the program will learn about the importance of urban green spaces, supporting biodiversity within the community and the benefits of green space preservation.

• Franklin County Pollinator Pathway is receiving $4,896 to create a pollinator pathway for bees and other pollinators within Franklin County by helping at least one school, two businesses and at least 20 residential homes to install and maintain pollinator gardens.
 
• Naturewise Columbus is receiving $4,000 to help cover the costs of publishing Ribbit! Magazine, which is a free quarterly publication dedicated to Columbus nature and designed to serve as an accessible and engaging tool for urban environmental education.
 
• The Wilds is receiving $3,065 to expand The Wilds aquatic ecology program, allowing youths aged 8-18 years to learn about habitat restoration, water quality, and macroinvertebrate communities. The program introduces participants to the restored Miller Valley Wetland and Stream, the abiotic and biotic factors that influence water quality, the tools researchers use to measure these, and the make-up of the macroinvertebrate community in comparison to these factors.
 
• Franklin County Public Health is receiving $2,978 to upgrade existing tick check stations within the county Metro Parks and construct six additional stations in other parks throughout the county. Each station provides tick safety information, as well as materials and instructions on how to remove and dispose of ticks.

• Ashtabula Soil and Water Conservation District is receiving $2,634 for the “Ashtabula County Sustainability Summit.” The summit will bring together county leadership, business and industry leaders, the public, and students to collaborate and create a working sustainability plan to guide the growth and future of the county.

• Clermont Park District is receiving $2,442 to enhance an established water education program by providing students with field equipment to engage in hands-on experiences related to water quality testing and aquatic ecosystems. The equipment will allow students to participate in field activities and explore careers in environmental sciences.
 
• Indian Hill Exempted Village School District – Indian Hill Elementary School is receiving $2,000 for fourth-grade science students to engage in Project-Based Learning about weathering and erosion and the impacts of erosion and how to prevent it. Students will engage with the Indian Hill City Engineer during the project, investigate where erosion is occurring on the Red Bird Hollow Train, and then create signage to educate the public to raise awareness on erosion along the community nature trail.
 
Eligible grant recipients include environmental groups, public and private schools, colleges and universities, trade or professional organizations, businesses, and state and local governments. Letters of intent for the next grant round are due to Ohio EPA no later than July 8, 2025, and applications are due no later than July 15, 2025. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Ohio Environmental Education Fund online or at (614) 644-2873 to discuss project ideas.
 
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