Posted: Fri, 7 May 2010 02:51 PM - 8,453 Readers

By: Texas Parks and WIldlife Department

Schools and organizations across the state have begun service-learning projects to benefit wildlife and the environment with the help of Texas Healthy Habitats Grants. A total of $225,000 in Texas Healthy Habitats Grants were awarded to 15 different schools and non-profit youth organizations across the state, including near Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, Bryan, Lubbock and other cities. Each organization received up to $15,000.

The students are addressing priorities in the Texas Wildlife Action Plan, a blueprint to "keep common species common" and avoid more species from becoming threatened and endangered. Texas is believed to be the first state offering grants for student service projects to support a state wildlife action plan.

The grants are being administered by Service Learning Texas, made possible with a donation from Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Encana donated $486,000 to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation to support the Healthy Habitats grants program, plus two other projects ・control of giant salvinia and other invasive plants choking Toledo Bend reservoir in East Texas, and facilities for the new Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton County. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department experts will continue to guide grant projects as they unfold over the next year.

Student projects are to research and define a local environmental issue, investigate public and organizational policies related to the issue, design and implement a service-learning project in collaboration with at least two community partners (including TPWD staff), evaluate and publicize the results to public officials and community members, and develop Web profiles for each project that will be integrated into the TPWD and TxCSL Web sites. Students started planning projects this fall and are continuing their field work throughout spring.

Below are updates on grant recipients and their projects, listed by metropolitan area or region. More information, including photos and video, is on the Healthy Habitats Facebook fan page.