Posted: Monday, June 29, 2009 12:00 am
SOMERS - The Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside will host the 2009 Environmental Survival Challenge. Held in partnership with Kenosha and Racine county environmental centers and nature preserves, the ESC takes place from 12:30-4:30 p.m. July 6-17 for students in grades five and eight.
The challenge links eco-science techniques with area industry by combining hands-on science lessons with community projects. The ESC investigates the effects of forestry, energy and waste on water quality and eco-system health. Participants will visit the YWCA River Bend Nature Center, Hawthorne Hollow, the Root River Environmental Education Community Center, the Eco-Justice Center and the UW-Parkside campus. Each week closes with a Friday field trip to a forestry/energy-related business.
The Environmental Survival Challenge is an eco-science service-learning experience developed in 2008 for schools in Milwaukee and western Racine counties by the Southeastern Wisconsin Service-Learning Consortium. This year, the ESC is being expanded to Racine and Kenosha counties. The program was the recipient of the 2009 Governor's Statewide Service-Learning Award.
Cost for the 2009 Environmental Survival Challenge is $35 per week per student, which includes equipment and transportation from UW-Parkside. A limited number of scholarships are available. The deadline to enroll is Wednesday, July 1. For more information, call Ben Lehner or Jamie Racine at (262) 595-2654 or e-mail lehner@uwp.edu or Jamie_Racine7@hotmail.com