FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 23, 2013

Greenfield, MA. As students gear up for back-to-school, the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRC) urges teachers and educators to explore River of Words along the Connecticut River, an environmental art and poetry program promoting watershed awareness, literacy and the arts. Visit the River of Words for more information, including online lesson plans that are aligned with Common Core State Standards and highlight innovative teaching strategies for connecting youth to the natural and cultural resources of their local environments.

“It’s exciting to see the river through young people’s eyes,” says Carol Berner of Smith College, River of Words along the Connecticut River program coordinator. “Their poems, paintings and parades bring new perspectives to the river’s ecosystems. Students are inspiring their communities to pay attention to the environment and protect the health of the river.”

The website also showcases creative ways in which youth are interacting with their watersheds and provides educators with resources to inspire and inform their classrooms. The Project Gallery features student videos, booklets, artwork, and poetry on environmental topics including the annual CRC Source to Sea cleanup. Recent News celebrates and disseminates current school and community projects, building new connections between students and teachers upstream and downstream.

The River of Words along the Connecticut River program engages young people and educators in four states through school programs, professional development workshops, publications, and community projects. Offered in partnership with the Connecticut River Watershed Council, the program draws on the internationally recognized pedagogic model of River of Words integrating science, literacy and the arts in place-based K-12 curriculum.

CRC advocates for the entire, four-state Connecticut River watershed, working to protect water—the river, its tributaries, lakes, fish—and the land, plants, and creatures connected to that water to keep them safe now and for future generations. To learn more about CRC, or to make a contribution to help protect the Connecticut River, visit ctriver.org or call 413-772-2020 x201.

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CONTACT:                                                                      

Andrew Fisk, Executive Director, afisk@ctriver.org, 413-772-2020 ext.208

Carol Berner, Program Coordinator, row@ctriver.org, 413-772-2020