Adkins Arboretum, Shore Rivers Initiative Receives DNR Funding for Youth Education

RIDGELY, MD – A partnership between Adkins Arboretum and Shore Rivers has received funding from Maryland Department of Natural Resources to provide environmental education programming for Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS) students.

Photo: Students on a field trip to Adkins Arboretum get an up-close look at a frog. Thanks to a grant from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, every second-grader in Caroline County Public Schools will participate in a “Bees, Seeds, and Healthy Streams” field experience at Adkins Arboretum, facilitated by the Arboretum and Shore Rivers. Photo: Steffi Ricketts. — Students on a field trip to Adkins Arboretum get an up-close look at a frog. Thanks to a grant from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, every second-grader in Caroline County Public Schools will participate in a “Bees, Seeds, and Healthy Streams” field experience at Adkins Arboretum, facilitated by the Arboretum and Shore Rivers. Photo: Steffi Ricketts.

The project will support the county’s second grade life science unit by engaging CCPS second-graders in a “Bees, Seeds, and Healthy Streams” field experience at the Arboretum. During the current school year, each of the nearly 500 second-graders in the county will participate in a meaningful outdoor field experience at the Arboretum, facilitated by Arboretum and ShoreRivers educators and supported by trained volunteers.

Following the field experience, the students will conduct a native plant/pollinator count in their schoolyard and plant native seed balls to improve schoolyard habitat and attract pollinators. The program also includes professional development for second grade teachers to familiarize them with the organizations’ missions, the Arboretum grounds and the “Bees, Seeds, and Healthy Streams” component of their science unit.

Originally focused solely on plants and pollinators and facilitated by the Arboretum, the program took a deeper dive when the Arboretum received a Chesapeake Bay Trust Environmental Planning grant in 2021 to partner with ShoreRivers. Combining both organizations’ missions—native plants and clean water—led to a more comprehensive field experience that has been enthusiastically received by CCPS and will serve as a model for future learning opportunities.

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration and education.

The Department of Natural Resources leads Maryland in securing a sustainable future for our environment, society and economy by preserving, protecting, restoring and enhancing the State’s natural resources.