Nature’s Academy, Inc., a non-profit environmental educational company based in Bradenton, recently completed a grant project through the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP). The project titled Island Adventures Pilot Program provided 200 elementary aged students information about local ecosystems and the importance of conservation. Nature’s Academy engaged more than 1,500 students from Manatee and Pinellas County thanks to a variety of grants. 

The SBEP grant helped Nature’s Academy support students and volunteers from Kinnan Elementary and Prine Elementary in Manatee County. The project involved a classroom workshop, a mangrove nature walk through Leffis Key to observe bird life, a marine organism biodiversity study with the use of dip nets, and a coastal cleanup project. The final component of the program included classroom discussions and small group projects focused on environmental awareness. Students were tested before and after the program to measure learning results.

SBEP has provided more than $150,000 in grants to more than 90 organizations since 2002 as part of its annual Bay Partner Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to promote environmental education, awareness and stewardship that benefit Sarasota Bay and its tributaries. Funding is available for local projects that focus on Bay education, Bay restoration or Bay-friendly landscaping. All of the grants require an education component that encourages Bay-friendly stewardship.

Bay Partner Grant applications for the current fiscal year must be received at the SBEP offices by 4pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012 to be eligible. Applications can be downloaded from the SBEP website at sarasotabay.org. The website also provides ideas for various projects. Inquires are welcome at sara@sarasotabay.org.