The Manes R5 and Gainesville R5 school districts have been awarded grant funds for field trips for students. Manes students plan to visit Ha Ha Tonka State Park and Bennett Spring, and Gaineville students will visit Mammoth Spring. Students from both districts will be touring Fantastic Caverns.
Funding for these trips are part of a Hands-on Karst and Watershed Education project, which offers science education about Ozark karst features: caves, springs, sinkholes, and losing streams. The program is carried out by the South Central Ozark Council of Governments (SCOCOG) and partner organization the Ozarks Resource Center (ORC), and was made possible through grants from EPA Region 7 and the South Central Solid Waste District.
Manes and Gainesville school districts were eligible for the awards because teachers from their districts attended a Hands-on Karst and Watershed Education Workshop in late April.
A few seats are still available for the next workshop, scheduled for July 25-26, which is open to public school teachers, grades 4-12, in districts within Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. Teachers in attendance are eligible for their district to apply for up to $5,000 in grant funds for student field trips to karst features in the Ozarks. The registration deadline is July 11. Register online at KarstintheOzarks.org.
The July 25-26 workshop will include a field trip to Round Spring, Devils Well, and Alley Spring. Teachers not only learn about Ozark karst features and are eligible for field trip funding, but they also receive curriculum, lesson plans, access to educational videos, a menu of additional in-classroom support after the workshop, and a $300 stipend. Please contact Tegan Vaughn at 417-247-7875 or tvaughn@scocog.org for more information.
