NGRREC has been awarded the AmeriCorps Planning Grant by the Serve Illinois Commission

The $53,000 grant ($53,000 grantor share; $31,127 grantee share/match) will fund the planning phase of a new education program, the Mississippi River XChange program, including staff time, travel expenses, training workshops, and marketing and education materials.  Project staff include Vera Bojic (Volunteer Coordinator and grant project leader), Dane Beiser (Financial Officer), Rebecca Steiner (Environmental Educator), and Marcia Lochmann (Director of Education).  The grant was originally submitted by Vera, Dane and Marcia in January 2010.  Follow up plans include reapplication for an AmeriCorps grant to fund the implementation phase of the program.

Background information on the Mississippi River XChange (MRX) program:
The program will provide teachers and students with a holistic approach to studying the Mississippi River and sharing discoveries about local river environments using video teleconferencing equipment.  The first pilot study of MRX took place in 2008.  Two classes (one in NM, the other in IL) met 3 times during the school year to exchange information about their respective river.  Coordinators in both states worked with teachers to do classroom activities and prepare session presentations (correlated to state learning standards).  Teleconferencing sessions were combined with field trips, hands-on classroom activities, artwork, journaling, and letter writing.  NGRREC’s goal is to develop MRX into a multi-state program.  To do so, NGRREC will partner with organizations located along the river that possess the capacity to develop and deliver the MRX program.  Potential partners include Missouri Audubon, University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment and University of New Orleans.  The Confluence Field Station will serve as the central site along the River and the primarily administrative unit for the program.