THE MENOKIN FOUNDATION AWARDED Grant will fund Educational Outreach Program in the The Menokin Foundation has been awarded a matching grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $12,300 to support “The Backyard Classroom: Educational Outreach Project.” Based on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs), the curriculum will target 5th and 6th grade students from the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula schools. The project fuses history and environmental science in two lesson plans, using Menokin, home to Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence and member of the Continental Congress, as the case study. One lesson focuses on Colonial History, emphasizing the political climate leading up to the Revolution. The second lesson will focus on watershed systems, teaching about water as a natural resource - how it was utilized in the 18th century and how people and our environment affect watershed systems today. Hands-on activities will include assembling a replica of an 18th century window and sash and performing water quality analysis in Catpoint Creek and Wilna Pond. In 2005, the Menokin Foundation conveyed a conservation easement to the US Fish and Wildlife Service on 325 acres of its 500 acre property. The acreage is now managed as part of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. “The Preserve America grant will afford Menokin the means to offer an SOL- based educational program to students that is in close proximity to schools in our community. Furthermore, this is an excellent opportunity to partner with the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge,” said Helen Murphy, the Menokin's Foundation's President. The Preserve America Initiative aims to increase local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, is the honorary Chair of Preserve America. For more information on the educational outreach project or to schedule a field trip to Menokin for the 2008-2009 school year, contact: Kerry Garrett, Outreach Coordinator; 804-333-1776, menokin@menokin.org
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