MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 19 - Since Earth Day happens to fall on a Saturday this year, thousands of schools around the country are celebrating the holiday earlier in the week. Not to be outdone, students enrolled in Ducks Unlimited's Project Webfoot program got an even bigger head start. They've been celebrating the importance of wetlands all year round.
"Environmental education is just too important to relegate to one day, or even one week," said DU executive vice president Don Young. "Project Webfoot gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate the wonders of wetlands into their lesson plans throughout the year, whether they teach science, art, math or language arts."
The program offers 4 th through 6 th grade teachers an extensive wetlands education kit that they can use as a supplement to their basic school curriculum. It also offers each of their students a free Greenwing youth membership in Ducks Unlimited.
"Today's students will be the conservation leaders of tomorrow," said Young. "The decisions they make will determine the future of wetlands and waterfowl conservation."
Young says he's encouraged by the results of Project Webfoot to date. Launched nationwide last fall at the beginning of the school year, Project Webfoot has reached more than 6,500 students in 250 classrooms during its pilot year.
"There is a real hunger in youth to learn about the world around them," said Project Webfoot coordinator Art DeLaurier. "As they learn, they inspire us all to take better care of our planet. That's what it's all about."
Project Webfoot is a grassroots, volunteer-driven effort. Funds are raised locally to enroll classrooms in communities across the country. The enrollment fee is $300 per class, which covers the cost of the education materials and provides Greenwing memberships to each student in the classroom. Because the money is raised by DU volunteers, the program is offered free to teachers and schools.
For more information about Project Webfoot, visit their Web site at www.projectwebfoot.org
or call 800-45-DUCKS.
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature's most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.