Nearly 7,000 students, including fourth grade students from Macomb’s Edison School, will visit Illinois state parks, natural areas, museums and other natural resources sites thanks to grants from the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF).
Edison’s fourth grade teachers received $1,015 for a field trip to Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City.
The competitive grant program allows Illinois teachers to apply for funds to take students on a field trip to study Illinois’ natural resources.
Learning activities must directly relate to the school’s curriculum, and funding covers such expenses as transportation and substitute teachers. IDNR awarded more than $101,000 for 108 field trip grants.
“These field trip grants offer students the opportunity to get outdoors and experience what they’ve been learning about in the classroom,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie.
“The next generation of conservation leaders deserve a chance to experience Illinois’ natural resources in person.
IDNR is pleased to support learning outside the classroom.”
Funding is made possible by private donations from the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation of Skokie and the D.F. and M.T. Grohne Family Foundation of Wilmington. The donations and funding are coordinated by ICF.
Since its inception in 2001, the Biodiversity Field Trip Grant program has distributed more than $1.7 million, and more than 146,000 students have been provided the opportunity to take part in a field trip. Grant recipients are located throughout Illinois and represent students from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Teachers can apply online by Jan.
31 for the next round of field trip funding. For more information about program, contact the IDNR Division of Education by emailing [email protected] or calling 217-524-4126.
