L-K Agriculture Teacher Receives Grant

Linden-Kildare High School received funding from Collins Academy and the Today Foundation totaling nearly $1,500 for a proposal submitted by Mariah McPherson, Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at Linden-Kildare High School.  
Grant funding will be used by McPherson to purchase supplies and materials necessary for the school greenhouse to become the Linden-Kildare Native Plant Center.  
“The goal of the project is for McPherson’s Wildlife Management and Horticulture students to provide public and private landowners with a source for native plants,” stated Gary Endsley, Director of Collins Academy.  
“Side benefits include education of students and the community on native flora and fauna, improved habitat for pollinators including the Monarch Butterfly, and increased awareness of environmental issues in our region,” he added.  
Linden-Kildare Native Plant Center will work with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Collins Academy, private landowners, and managers of public properties in the Big Cypress Watershed to improve wildlife habitat by restoring wetlands, riparian, and upland landscapes.  
Two basic steps are involved: (1) the raising of nectar producing pollinator and host plants, and (2) the monitoring of use of these plantings by target organisms such as honey bees and butterflies.  
By raising and installing native plants and monitoring use, students will learn and use important principals of ecology and land management related to the improvement of wildlife habitat.
The Collins Academy, a program of the Today Foundation, located in Jefferson, provides hands-on learning opportunities that focus on environmental conservation and historic preservation.  
The Collins Academy is working in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide area schools the opportunity to develop an environmental project for their school or community.  
Known as the ‘Paddlefish Reintroduction Education Initiative’, this grant empowers each participating school to develop a project that reflects efforts of the Collins Academy and the EPA toward promoting environmental stewardship.  
As a capstone, participating classes will present results of their projects during the Paddlefish Festival scheduled for May 18-19, 2016 in Jefferson.  
At this event, students will enjoy a day of natural science presentations while expanding their knowledge of environmental stewardship in a changing world.