Grants

2023-2024 NPS-21st CCLC Greening STEM Grants

Delivering STEM education on National Park lands for under-resourced communities

The National Park Service (NPS) is collaborating with the US Department of Education (ED) and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) to build the capacity of NPS units and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) to design and deliver STEM programming that partners formal and non-formal educators and engages youth from under-resourced and/or underrepresented communities in after-school time (AST) or out-of-school time (OST) place-based citizen science and environmental monitoring, preferably using components of NEEF’s Greening STEM model.

The National Park Service (NPS) is collaborating with the US Department of Education (ED) and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) to build the capacity of NPS units and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) to design and deliver STEM programming that partners formal and non-formal educators and engages youth from under-resourced and/or underrepresented communities in after-school time or out-of-school time using place-based citizen science and environmental monitoring.

Through these NPS-21st CCLC Greening STEM grants, NPS and NEEF seek to advance mutual STEM education goals by providing 21st CCLC program participants with access to authentic STEM experiences that use the environment and NPS’ unique mission—to preserve, unimpaired, the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations—as a context for engagement.

List of Grantees Awarded

Biscayne National Park
Homestead, FL

The goal of the proposed project is to continue to expand and improve STEM programming and field trips at Biscayne National Park in partnership with the YMCA of South Florida. Biscayne National Park has a very active marine debris removal program that focuses on removing potential barriers for loggerhead turtles that nest annually in sites along the Atlantic Coast including Biscayne National Park. Students from five 21st Century Community Learning Center sites will learn about ocean currents, marine vertebrates and invertebrates, micro debris and micro trash, and apply their understanding of field techniques to conduct small trash transects on Elliott Key. Students will present key findings at a science fair poster display.

Shenandoah National Park Association
Luray, VA

Shenandoah National Park has a well-established Education Program with more than 30 years of experience providing curriculum-based, STEM-based education programs for area schools that correlate with Virginia and national Science Standards of Learning. The partnering 21st Century Community Learning Centers schools have been long time participants in the Park’s education program and have partnered with Shenandoah National Park for the first year of this grant to build an understanding and appreciation of the NPS, importance of pollinators and hands-on creation of gardens. This project will continue Shenandoah National Park’s first effort to teach students how to use citizen science apps to monitor and report environmental conditions at their pollinator gardens and in their communities.

Rocky Mountain Conservancy
Estes Park, CO

This project aims to enhance the environmental education programing at the Academy of Arts & Knowledge, a Pre-K-5th Grade arts integrated charter school in Fort Collins. The school has a robust before, after, and out-of-school time program committed to advancing equity in education. The goal is to expand the school’s capacity to offer high-quality environmental education opportunities that foster creativity, problem-solving and hands-on learning experiences for all students, particularly those from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds. Through this partnership, partners will be able to offer at least three onsite field trips to Rocky Mountain National Park for students to participate in ranger led programming as well as bi-monthly visits from the Rocky Mountain National Park AmeriCorps VISTA during the Community Learning Center time to tie the STEM programs experienced within the park to school programming. Participating students will be invited to host a table presenting their learning at Rocky Mountain National Park’s annual Earth Day Celebration.

Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Peninsula, OH

On April 8th, 2024, people living in Northeast Ohio will have the extraordinary opportunity to view a total solar eclipse. This is a once in a lifetime event and the perfect opportunity to provide STEM based education programming to local students. The goal of this project is to provide meaningful STEM education related to the eclipse for underserved students in the Cleveland metropolitan area who will be in the path of totality during the upcoming solar eclipse. Partnering with Horizon Education Centers, the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cuyahoga Valley National Park educators will provide students with scientific programming and activities revolving around the upcoming total solar eclipse, empowering them to enjoy the eclipse safely and knowledgably.

Friends of Saguaro National Park
Tucson, AZ

As part of science-based research within National Parks, Saguaro National Park brings students to the park as citizen scientists to engage in real, place-based STEM research that is seamless from the classroom to the field. The Lost Carnivores program exposes youth to park management principles and decision-making through using wildlife cameras both in the park and at schools. Students will collect real data to help the park determine if five small desert species, including foxes, skunks, and raccoons, still exist in the park and what might have happened to them. They’ll explore questions about what the park might do to remedy the situation and prevent species loss among other animals. This inquiry is based on a real phenomenon in the park that has been identified by park biologists who inventory and monitor the species’ populations. Data gathered from the cameras placed by program participants will assist in this valuable study.

Fund for the City of New York (Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy)
Rockaway Park, NY

The Seasonal Change: Monitoring the NYC Environment for Climate Change engages 21st Century Community Learning Centers students in citizen science through collecting, analyzing, and visualizing phenology data of key plant species in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The Jamaica Bay Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE), located in Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, contains ecological, cultural and historical sites as diverse as the city that surrounds it. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (JBWR) is the jewel of the unit, with over 12,000 acres of open bay, wetland, pond, and woodland habitat, a vibrant visitor’s center and classroom, and miles of easy to access trails. During the 2023-2024 school year, students will engage in monthly learning opportunities with GATE educators including multiple field experiences at the park.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Kodak, TN

This program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will provide support to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tennessee Valley and Graham County Schools to bring students into the park to experience STEM programs. The goal of this project is to increase STEM literacy and connection to public lands for students with limited access to these spaces. NPS educators will work with students during day-camp style programming that will incorporate techniques including environmental stream and soil inventory and monitoring as well as incorporating Cherokee crafts and traditional technology into STEM activities.