BRIDGTON — Loon Echo Land Trust is helping children learn about their environment, and the importance of protecting the region’s land and natural resources, by awarding Environmental Education Grants to local educational institutions and libraries. Every year, schools and libraries in Loon Echo’s seven-town service area, Denmark, Bridgton, Harrison, Naples, Casco, Raymond, and Sebago, are invited to apply for one of Loon Echo’s Environmental Education Grants, developed as a memorial to local teachers, Helen Allen and Polly Bartlett. 

Grant recipients for 2017 include: Casco Public Library, Raymond Village library, Naples Public Library, Spaulding Memorial Library, Harrison Elementary School, Sebago Elementary School, and the First Congregational Church of Bridgton.

Since 1998, hundreds of children have benefited from programs that teach about the natural world due to Loon Echo’s Environmental Educational Grants. Past recipients have used their grants for a host of outdoor activities such as bringing in expert speakers, creating naturalist backpacks, and permanent educational displays.

FMI: www.lelt.org, 207-647-4352.

Students learn about sustainable forestry at Loon Echo Land Trust’s Mayberry Hill Preserve in Casco last summer.