Ohio River Foundation Youth Program deploys grant

Expanding on its popular education programs and burgeoning restoration work, Ohio River Foundation is pleased to announce that its Youth Conservation Teams (YCT) program has deployed funding from Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) with support from Major League Baseball for high school students to perform work in Greater Cincinnati this summer of 2017.

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) All-Star Game was held in Cincinnati in 2015. As one part of the League’s environmental commitments around the 2015 All-Star Game, MLB balanced the water footprint of the events through Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Water Restoration Certificates® – restoring an equal amount of water to nature as was used throughout All-Star events. Going beyond just balancing the water footprint of the game, an additional grant was made to Ohio River Foundation for its award winning Youth Conservation Teams program.

The YCT students will perform habitat stewardship work, such as planting trees and shrubs along streams; rock lining ditches and culverts, removing invasive plant and tree species, and installing water bars and other diversions to direct water from dirt roads and paths to vegetated areas.

“This is an exciting opportunity for high school students to expand their community service record, and engage in, and also learn more about, habitat restoration work,” said Rich Cogen, Executive Director, Ohio River Foundation. “We thank BEF and Major League Baseball for providing this program support and hope that its action will encourage other companies to also take action to offset the environmental impacts of their business operations and support programs in local communities.”

2016 YCT high school crew member Sarah Ruehl taking a break from removing invasive bush honeysuckle at a restoration site.

2016 YCT high school crew member Sarah Ruehl taking a break from removing invasive bush honeysuckle at a restoration site.

This program is also being funded, in part, by grants from Ashland, Inc. and the Nellie Louise Taft Foundation. ORF is currently seeking additional support for this program. For you or your company to be a program partner, please call Rich Cogen, Ohio River Foundation at 513-460-3365.

YCT crew opportunities for this upcoming summer 2017, including a student crew member application form, will be posted on the YCT webpage in March. Details and further program information are posted at Youth Conservation Team.

Ohio River Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving the 200,000 square mile watershed with education and conservation programs. Its River Explorer and Youth Conservation Team programs inspire thousands of students every year, educating and training the next generation of environmental stewards. Its Restoration Program assists communities throughout the watershed in protecting water quality and facilitating the restoration and protection of their natural resources.

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