The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Cheryl Moffat for her outstanding water resources education project, “Water Pollution, Conservation and Wetland Importance.” A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.
Moffat’s 2007–2008 Splash! mini-grant project helped Avon Park High School students determine pollution levels at local lakes through water samples and water quality tests. Students also worked with parents to document their home water use, created projects promoting conservation and studied the concept of watersheds through the use of an Enviroscape model.
Highlands County projects are funded by the District’s Peace River Basin Board, which includes portions of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties.
To select the awardees, District staff reviewed school projects funded through the Splash! mini-grant program and grants applied for by community members, local governments and non-profit groups through the community education grant program. District-sponsored programs that use volunteers to educate others about water conservation were also considered.
Many of the District’s grant projects focus on various aspects of all four of the District’s areas of responsibility — water supply, water quality, natural systems protection and flood protection.