Kids’ science center in McCall gets some help
Kids check out a map at the McCall Outdoor Science School. By Matt LovelessMOSCOW - The education can go on. But, one of Moscow's greenest organizations almost lost funding for one of its most far-reaching programs. MultimediaThat's the McCall Outdoor Science School, a collaboration between the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, UI and Ponderosa State Park. It's a place for 5th and 6th grade students to get outdoors for a week to learn about the natural world around them. "For many kids, it's the only opportunity to get out of the classroom, and do that experiential level of learning," said PCEI Executive Director Tom Lamar. In May, PCEI got word it would lose its more than $300,000 it takes to run the program. "If we didn't have the funding, the students wouldn't have had a place to go this fall," said Lamar. Lamar said they were able to get about half of the money they needed on a second try, but an Idaho congressional representative said that wasn't enough. Needing just more than $130,000, freshman Congressman Walt Minnick spent the last three months fighting for PCEI's program, asking budget-makers in Idaho and Washington D.C. to find the funds. Last Tuesday, PCEI got word Minnick's persistence paid off, and the McCall school will last the fall. "It's a huge piece of funding, and Walt Minnick's office was great at helping us make sure we could get it," said Lamar. Lamar said not only will it keep the education going. It will help keep about 40 AmeriCorps members across the state employed, 15 of whom are also UI graduate students in McCall. "They're taking classes, they're teaching kids, they're doing service, and they're getting a small amount of money in return to support their education," said PCEI Program Director for Education Greg Fizzell. "We're very proud to be able to continue to offer that, and we're working with the university to make that happen," said Lamar. Most Popular |
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