Columbia, SC—Catawba Trail Elementary School and St. John Neumann Catholic School are the Fall 2013 recipients of $250.00 Conservation Education Mini-Grants from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.  Both schools plan to use the mini-grants to support school gardening initiatives. 

At Catawba Trail Elementary in Richland County School District Two, conservation education is already a school-wide priority.  Science lab teacher and recent SC Conservation Teacher of the Year Vikki Pasco leads students in environmental studies during the school day and offers additional enrichment through the school’s Nature Navigators club.  Pasco plans to involve Catawba Trail students in all aspects of the new school gardening initiative, from constructing the raised beds to starting garden transplants in reused egg shell planters. 

St. John Neumann School also has a strong environmental focus and is a Certified Green Steps School.  Students involved in St. John Neumann’s Eco-Friendly Eagles program already reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, harvest rain water with rain barrels, and maintain several raised beds and wildlife habitats on school grounds.  Stacy Carns, Eco Club co-leader, will use the Mini-Grant to purchase tools and supplies to help students maintain the existing gardens. 

Faculty and staff members of public, private, and alternative schools in Richland County are eligible to apply for Conservation Education Mini-Grants to support campus conservation projects and youth environmental education initiatives.  The next application deadline is February 15, 2014.  Click here for details and the application. 

# # #

Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners. In South Carolina, Conservation District boundaries conform to County boundaries.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise planning and use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

Contact