Sarbanes Announces New U.S. EPA Grant for Environmental Education Programs in Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today announced that the Living Classrooms Foundation has received a $75,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus provide Baltimore students with hands-on learning experiences about how they can help protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The grant will allow the Campus to engage more Baltimore city schools – including Francis Scott Key Elementary Middle School, Thomas Johnson Elementary Middle School and Southwest Baltimore Charter School – in programs that teach students about ways they can help care for the local watershed, such as growing wetland grasses and reducing runoff pollution.

"The Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus provides a tremendous service to the City of Baltimore and to the state of Maryland by educating the next generation of environmental stewards," said Congressman Sarbanes. "This grant will help the Campus continue its meaningful work to educate students and local communities about what they can do to safeguard not only Masonville Cove, but also the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed."

Established in 2009, the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus connects underserved Baltimore students and communities to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The campus was formed through a partnership between the Living Classrooms Foundation, the Maryland Port Administration, the National Aquarium and the Maryland Environmental Services.

For more information about the important work of the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus, visit: http://www.masonvillecove.org/pages/education_center/edu_center.html.

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