Connecticut Audubon Society Receives Grant from MEPI

$900 grant from the Milford Environmental Protection Initiative (MEPI) to the Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) will fund the purchase of new scientific equipment that will support online, at-home educational programming for students in the Milford community.

The new equipment—an EnviroScape 3D Coastal Landscape Model—will greatly enhance the delivery of science programs to students learning at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. The EnviroScape demonstrates coastal pollution sources and prevention and allows users to explore the 3D coastal landscape with hands-on activities. As part of its Science in Nature educational programming, CAS educators will create videos and specific lesson plans using the model to teach about the pollutants impacting local the environment and how pollutants can be reduced and remediated.

“Connecticut Audubon Society prides itself on its award-winning, field-based educational programs offered to the students and residents of Milford and surrounding towns. However, due to COVID-19, we were forced to transform our in-person school programs to online distance learning,” said Shari Greenblatt, CAS Southwest Regional Director. “This 3-D environmental educational model will allow us to create engaging learning opportunities for both the classroom and for students learning from home.”

Presentations featuring the EnviroScape during COVID-19 restrictions will be conducted remotely via live video presentation and recorded classroom lessons. Once public health conditions allow, the EnviroScape will continue to be used as an in-person, hands-on interactive tool at the CAS Coastal Center at Milford Point, in area schools, and throughout the community.

Connecticut Audubon Society’s mission is to conserve Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and their habitats. Connecticut Audubon Society established Science in Nature in 2012 to help introduce Connecticut students to basic concepts in outdoor conservation science. It is based on current state and national science standards. More than 70,000 students from across the state have participated at Connecticut Audubon Society’s centers and at their schools.

MEPI's mission is to support environmental protection efforts in the City of Milford. Founded by Milford citizens who shared an appreciation for Milford's natural environment and a desire to protect and steward it into the future, its grantmaking program provides support to teachers, Scouts, librarians, concerned individuals, and local organizations for their environmental improvement and educational projects. 

For more information, visit www.mepimilford.org.