Friday, July 18, 2008

ADEQ Grant To Help Educate Apache Youth About Water Quality

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Director Steve Owens announced that an $8,050 grant has been awarded to the Gila Watershed Partnership to fund a water quality improvement education project for Native American youth in the Coronado National Forest in Graham County.

The grant was awarded to the Gila Watershed Partnership to educate young members of the Apache tribe about improving water quality in the Upper Gila Watershed. The funds will be used to develop a summer camp in the nearby Mount Graham area that would include environmental and cultural activities.

The five-day, Dzil Nchaa Si'An youth camp will encourage youths to pursue careers managing natural resources and increasing ecological awareness while enjoying the outdoors.

"We have been working closely with the Gila Watershed Partnership on a number of successful joint projects for the past several years," Director Owens said. "We are pleased to continue to support the work of the Partnership in this unique undertaking with the Native American community. It is especially important to help young members of the Apache Tribe & other tribal nations learn how to protect water quality & other precious natural resources. This camp is a terrific idea."

The grant is funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the federal Clean Water Act.