Latah County Foundation - Grant Proposal

A. ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION 1. The Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI) was established in 1986 by citizens of the Palouse Prairie in reaction to local and international environmental issues. During the course of the institutes development, PCEI has actively engaged Latah County youth and adults through environmental education, watershed restoration, and sustainable living. PCEI has a history of creating educational opportunities for community growth and improvement. PCEIs goals are to promote social welfare and ecological health, while participating in conservation, preservation, and restoration of the local area. Through the pursuit of these goals, PCEI works toward its mission of increasing community involvement in decisions that affect our region's environment. 2. PCEI has recently offered several programs, specifically designed to encourage the Latah County communitys interaction with nature:

Animals of the Night - October 28, 2011: More than 350 community members attended PCEI's fourth Annual Animals of the Night family event to learn about nocturnal animals through storytelling, games, live animals, costumed characters, and crafts. This event promotes awareness of local habitat through hands-on experience. Make a Difference Day - October 22, 2011: During this event community members came together to build rock walls, compost gardens, build trails, transplant trees, and set up kids activities for the Animals of the Night event. In approximately three hours, over 120 volunteers completed sixteen projects to help winterize PCEIs Nature Center and prepare for Animals of the Night. Participants experienced teamwork, leadership, and connected with the Nature Center. The LaFortune Groover - November 1, 2011: PCEI broke ground for the foundation of the composting toilet to be built in honor of Jim LaFortune. As PCEIs nature center provides a space for children,

families, and community members to gather, have picnics and parties, or to take a nature walk, the LaFortune Groover will provide a much needed outdoor restroom facility. Other programs specific to PCEIs community education mission include The Pollinator Garden, Rose Creek Preserve, Annual Stream Cleanups, trail maintenance, and the twenty-fifth Annual Auction which featured twenty five local artists. 3. PCEI works with several other organizations that provide similar services. These organizations include Adventure Club, Paradise Ridge Challenge Course, Cub Scouts, and the Palouse Conservation District. PCEI has worked collaboratively with these organizations to provide service opportunities for youth to engage in hands-on learning. However, while these organizations tend to focus on a single objective such as education, environmental protection or habitat restoration, PCEI combines these objectives in order to connect the Latah County community with the natural environment. B. PURPOSE OF GRANT 1. Situation Latah County is a region filled with a rich assortment of opportunities for the youth of the Palouse to learn about the environment around them. Local children benefit from engaging summer programs that help them reconnect with nature. Award-winning author and journalist, Richard Louv, writes that children have less time than ever for unstructured, creative activity in the outdoors. Nature experiences have been shown to encourage environmental empathy, increase children's abilities to learn, think creatively, and improve physical and emotional health. In order to provide these experiences within the community, PCEI seeks funding to support a series of summer educational programs collectively known as Break for the Outdoors. The money requested from the Latah County Community Foundation will help fund program supplies, advertising, transportation costs, and food for Break for the Outdoors participants. The goal of Break for the Outdoors is to provide a range of educational programming for children and families within the Latah County Community.

By creating hands-on opportunities for young people to engage with nature, PCEI encourages connection to the natural world. This provides an opportunity to spark curiosity and to create fun, educational, communitybuilding events. The American Institutes for Research asserts that students who have the opportunity to learn outside have demonstrated a better grasp of scientific concepts, increased motivation to learn, and an improvement in problem-solving skills. 2. Specific Activities The Break for the Outdoors series will include programming which will serve approximately 700 children with 200 hours of engaging programs:

Nature Explorers - Nature Explorers is an after-school program that will feature a safe and educational place for children to go after classes. PCEI will take several trips to local wetlands, parks, and universities. Other days will include hands-on activities, games and crafts. Nature Camp field trips - These camping field trips will offer Latah County children a chance to experience and learn about various local regions. A strong emphasis will be placed upon environmental education for children of all ages. Summer Reading Activity sessions - These sessions feature local authors and community leaders (mayor, elders, teachers), as guest readers. The readings will take place in combination with weekly activities led by the community guest readers. Fall Watersheds Festivals - Watershed festivals will involve approximately 180 students from nine Moscow School District elementary classrooms. Participants will rotate through five educational stations that are facilitated by local water resource professionals, PCEI staff, and volunteers. Animals of the Night - Animals of the Night is an annual gathering with approximately 350 expected participants. During this event, guests explore the PCEI Nature Center trails, learn about nocturnal animals, and play games. Natural Playscapes - For the final development of the play structure at the PCEI Nature Center, PCEI will be working with Washington State

University architecture students to complete the design and development of this outdoor play structure. Children of all abilities will be able to enjoy the accessible pathway system. The Break for the Outdoors programs are scheduled to run from May through December 2012. The Summer reading and activity sessions will run from May till July, the Nature Camp field trips in June and July, the Watershed Festivals and Animals of the Night in September and October, and the Nature Explorers from September till December. For an eight-month period Break for the Outdoors programs will benefit the local community and environment by raising environmental awareness and by educating youth through hands-on activities. Directly addressing PCEIs goals, Break for the Outdoors promotes community involvement, education and environmental awareness. PCEIs long term strategy for sustaining Break for the Outdoors includes a multifaceted financial approach: grants, donations, business sponsors, and earned income. These sponsorships are vital to the success and continuation of this project. With the support of business sponsors and private donations PCEI will continue to provide educational programing. 3. Impact of Activities In 2012, it is projected that PCEI educators will teach 300 programs, including those in Break for the Outdoors, to 2,500 individual students. Primary Latah County communities served include Bovill, Deary, Genesee, Harvard, Juliaetta, Kendrick, Moscow, Potlatch, Princeton, Troy, and Viola. Through Break for the Outdoors programs, Latah County children and families will connect through learning opportunities while developing an appreciation for their natural surroundings. These programs help parents learn the benefits of outdoor play for their children, while working with teachers to provide educational outdoor experiences.

Some of the expected impacts of Break for the Outdoors include literacy improvement, hands-on outdoor science experience, outdoor activities, a safe and stimulating environment after school, family bonding, and learning about animals. C. EVALUATION 1. PCEI will evaluate the effectiveness of Break for the Outdoors programming through a pre-program survey and post-program assessment for students and teachers. These surveys will be used as a quality control method. They will dictate which activities and programs were effective in educating about nature, rebuilding wildlife habitats, and strengthening community ties for all members. There will also be face-to-face contact and phone interviews with teachers and students to determine potential improvements in the program. Increased or return attendance the following year will be another method of measuring the programs effectiveness. 2. The success of the program will be judged by whether projected enrollment numbers are met, and whether a majority of survey responses from staff members and participants indicate that the objectives of the projects were met. 3. PCEI board and staff members will be responsible for evaluating all collected data. This information will also be evaluated by the Board of Directors. 4. Information from surveys and interviews will indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the various programs. Alterations will be made for the improvement of each program, in accordance with consistent feedback.
Financial Statement, Organization and Project Budget, as well as a copy of the current 501 C(3) letter are attached with the email.