GreenTalk - Winter 1998

Take a "LEAP"

Want to get a jumpstart on your next science project? Have a great idea for a class science trip to a lake, but no funds behind it?

You may not have heard about the recent implementation of the "Lakes Education Assistance Program" (LEAP), but it is one of the offshoots of the Conservation 2000 bill signed by Gov. Jim Edgar in 1995.

One class puts funds to use in a field trip as they LEAP into new discoveries at a local pond.

The program was designed to assist schools, teachers and students in the study of lakes and lake watersheds. Under the coordination of Steve Kolsto in the Illinois EPA's Bureau of Water, LEAP developed out of a need that Steve saw on one of his many visits to a classroom.

"I was visiting a science classroom in Carlinville and noticed they had nets and monitoring equipment to study at nearby Beaver Dam State Park Lake," recalls Steve. "I was impressed that the school had put funds into this, but soon learned that the teacher had paid for all of it out of her own pocket."

That teacher's kind of dedication led Steve to coordinate the LEAP program last year. The Conservation 2000 bill set aside $50,000 for watershed education, which made it possible for 130 proposals across the state to get off the ground and into the nearest watershed. Last year, the program funded almost $33,000 in proposals.

According to Steve, the best part of LEAP is that there are few limitations for ideas, as long as the project is lake-related. One part of the program provides funding up to $500 for teacher/youth participation in lake/pond-related field trips, activities, teacher seminars and workshops. Equipment for watershed studies such as hip waders, test tubes for studying water samples or chemical equipment may qualify. Even monies to hire substitute teachers or buses to make field trips possible may be eligible for funds.

LEAP projects range from supplementing a classroom's library with lake-related books, to actually building a small lake ecosystem on school property to promote continual lake study. Non-profit organizations may also apply.

In less than two years, LEAP has already generated many appreciative supporters. Mike Ellis, a teacher from Rochelle, writes, "I work in a school district with very little funds for things of this sort. So this is great and much appreciated!" And Ann Limestall, a teacher in Waterloo, commented, "Thank you Illinois EPA for the grant to purchase a kit to do surface water testing. We have already started using the kit to test the city of Waterloo's lakes which previously were used as our water supply but now are to be used for recreational purposes. I really appreciate your support and plan to get a picture and article in our local paper. Thank you!"

To learn more about LEAP or to receive an application, contact Steve Kolsto in the Illinois EPA's Bureau of Water at (217) 782-3362.

Portions reprinted from "Watershed Watch" newsletter, written and edited by Christy Trutter, Illinois EPA Bureau of Water.