Stream + Wetlands Foundation supports outdoor education program
The Stream + Wetlands Foundation (S+W) Board of Trustees made a three-year commitment to support the environmental education program at The University of Akron Field Station at Bath Nature Preserve. Established in 1998, the mission of the UA Field Station (UAFS) is to serve the needs of the people of northeastern Ohio through research, education, and service that promotes a better understanding of our relationship with the natural environment.
“We are pleased to help support the work of Dr. Roketenetz and the UAFS at Bath Nature Preserve,” said S+W President Vince Messerly. “Outdoor learning experiences, particularly ones that promote the importance of wetlands, engage students and encourage positive attitudes about our environment.”
S+W’s contribution will help develop an outdoor learning center at the Bath Nature Preserve and provide continuing support for environmental education programs for urban and rural K-12 students in the region.
The support also removes a very real financial hardship and burden for many area school districts, which might otherwise prevent their learners from having access to quality nature-based experiential learning.
“For the last five years, we have had the pleasure of hosting more than 4,000 students from northeast Ohio on field trips to The University of Akron Field Station, as well as conducting classroom visits for an additional 4,500 students so that they can learn about nature, biomimicry, wetlands and conservation,” says Field Station Manager Lara Roketenetz, Ph.D.