Washington - U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given $27,800 to the Township of Woodbridge to create a community based restoration project along the Raritan River involving high school students.

The township will engage students and teachers from three high schools in the "Woodbridge Township Wetlands Restoration Education Project," which includes seminars and field trips to different wetlands and Brownfields sites along the Raritan River. The program will focus on pollution - causes, prevention, and stewardship.

"Our children will inherit the environment in which we live today, so it is important to create educational programs that not only teach them about the environment around them, but gives them hands on experience in ways to restore and protect it," said Menendez. "This program will do just that for Woodbridge students."

"Giving kids the opportunity tostudyreal examples ofsensitive environments andpollutedsiteswill teachthemlessons inenvironmental protectionto enhance what they learn in the classroom,"said Lautenberg, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee."This federal grant will give local high school students hands-on experience restoring an important natural resource in their community."

EPA's Environmental Education Grants Program provides seed money to environmental education projects that will increase public awareness and participation in addressing environmental issues. Since 1992, EPA has awarded over 3500 such grants.

For more information on EPA's EE Grants Program, Click Here.

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