Contributed by Lucie Lehman
Combined GMAS grants of $6,000 have given over 200 students access to a wide variety of educational programs and activities in 2022. A $5,000 grant to Audubon Vermont provided scholarship funds to a diverse group of students, according to Debbie Archer, Education Program Manager at Audubon Vermont. “It really covered the full range of educational opportunities we have here at Audubon, like our Forest Classroom and our Forest Playschool programs, and then also summer camp.” Archer also highlighted a program that Audubon Vermont partners in with the Burlington School District, called Summer Opportunities and Academic Enrichment (SOAR), which combines outdoor recreation and education, including art, watershed ecology, and field biology. Archer said that dozens of students from Flynn and Edmunds elementary schools in Burlington participated in the range of offerings, and that with fall programs gearing up, even more children will benefit. “The additional help and scholarship funds are going to continue to have an impact on so many, because families still need the help and are asking for it,” Archer added, expressing thanks for the financial support. “Working with our local Audubon chapter is fantastic.”
A $1,000 grant to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington made possible the purchase of 10 sets of Celestron and Nocs Provisions binoculars for the club, which were used for its first-ever birding outing on September 14 along the Winooski River near Burlington. Aaron DaCosta, the club’s Director of Youth Inclusion, said the trip was a big success. “We had 14 kids with us yesterday and they liked it. There were smiles all around, and they loved looking through the binoculars,” he said, adding that he was pleasantly surprised by the level of interest the kids showed in learning about birding and using the binoculars. “I always thought the kids would have fun doing it, but I wasn’t expecting the amount of kids and the wide range of personalities and interests.” Blue Jays were a popular and easy-to-spot bird. Another trip is planned for later in the fall, and DaCosta hopes that some GMAS board members might even participate and help teach the kids and staff more about the birds commonly seen in our area. He promises a reprise of the gummi worms the kids enjoyed at the end of the outing!
Boys and Girls Club members gather for a birding outing along the shores of the Winooski River.