Broadening Horizons

Thanks to a recent $10,000 grant from The Jim Moran Foundation, students countywide are getting up close and personal with South Florida's native flora and fauna.

The Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge received the one-year grant to support the Wheels to Environmental Learning Lessons program, a partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County.

Now, buses shuttle K-12 students to the refuge to experience a variety of interactive environmental-learning activities that enhance STEM lesson plans. Visitor Services staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service direct the educational programs.

"Thanks to the generosity of The Jim Moran Foundation, hundreds of Palm Beach County school children will be given an opportunity to experience the magnificent Everglades first-hand," says refuge manager Steve Henry, according to a press release. "These experiences build life-long connections to nature and help students better understand the direct link between the health of the Everglades ecosystem and our quality of life in South Florida."

Adds Friends president Elinor Williams: "For many of these students, it is their first opportunity to visit the Everglades, and they leave the refuge with a new sense of wonder."

Visit loxahatcheefriends.com.