| September 16, 2003
News Release An environmental education grant will allow King County to expand its ever-popular Wheels to Water program by more than 40 percent, and provide roughly 1,500 additional students with memorable water quality experiences this year. King County's Wheels to Water program provides schools with free bus transportation so that students can go on field trips and learn about water quality. On field trips, students engage in activities such as observing salmon spawning in the wild; measuring chemicals in the water to determine water quality; visiting wastewater treatment plants to learn about the connection between what goes down the drain and what goes into Puget Sound; and studying stream insects to determine relative health of ecosystems. The $18,000 Environmental Education Grant was awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency in August. "Understanding water quality issues is necessary to protect this vital resource now and in the future," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "Wheels to Water is a successful program that has helped educate future generations on this critical topic. Through this grant, we will be able to expand the program significantly, and provide educational opportunities to serve low-income and rural schools that wouldn't otherwise be able to participate." More and more, school districts are facing severe budget cuts that make educational field trips for students prohibitively expensive, despite the valuable learning opportunities they provide. In a survey of teachers conducted by Mountains to Sound Greenway, the highest ranked need to improve their teaching of environmental education was funding for buses. This is especially true for low-income schools. "The Wheels to Water Program is an outstanding avenue for my students to learn about and make connections to the real world they live in," said Stella Bass, a seventh-grade teacher at Washington Middle School. "We use this program as often as the funding allows. Since many of our students are low income it is most difficult to pay for transportation to a site. Without the support for this program, my students would miss the opportunity to see in action what they can only see in pictures otherwise." Through Wheels to Water, students visit a number of natural areas and urban sites around the county, through programs offered by a number of organizations and agencies, including Mountains to Sound Greenway, Nature Vision, and King County's wastewater treatment plants. The Wheels to Water program began in 1999-2000 as a way to increase student knowledge of water quality issues by participating in on-site environmental education programs. In 2002, Wheels to Water provided 83 trips, serving 3,446 students from 13 of the 16 school districts in the county. Since the program began, it is typically fully booked with a wait list. The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks administers and funds the program, and partners with Metro Transit to provide buses. To learn more about the Wheels to Water program or to reserve a bus, visit the program Web site or call Laura Gray at 206-263-6028. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: The first Wheels to Water field trip of the school year will take place Thursday, September 18, when about 50 third graders from Madrona Elementary School will arrive at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery at noon. Please contact Logan Harris at 206-263-6550 if you would like to take pictures or video. Related Information |
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