Tuolumne River Trust Receives Grant From California State Parks
California State Parks has awarded the Tuolumne River Trust’s Trekking the Tuolumne Safely program a $367,128 Outdoor Equity Grant. These funds will improve equitable access to the outdoors for Modesto residents and will empower youth and families with outdoor leadership education, safe access to parks, recreation opportunities, and environmental education.
Trekking the Tuolumne Safely will offer 19 activity days in the community for 2,500 participants and 6 trips to natural areas such as Moss Landing State Beach, Great Valley Grasslands State Park, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and more. The Tuolumne River Trust (TRT) is committed to providing outdoor experiences that help young people connect the dots between the classroom, their community, and their environment. Students who participate in this program will gain knowledge that will serve them for a lifetime and will help them become stewards of their own communities.
“I got involved with the Tuolumne River Trust for my children who are the future of this community. I love that my children enjoy the park, the river, the trees, and that they are learning so much about nature.” says Norma Padilla-Davalos, whose children have participated in our Tuolumne River Adventure Club (TRAC) program for over 5 years.
For nearly two decades, TRT has sponsored the Trekking the Tuolumne River Program, which is a science standards-based curriculum that teaches kids about water, the ecology of the Tuolumne River, the multiple benefits of the Tuolumne River, and river and canal safety. This newly-funded effort builds on the old model to place greater emphasis on outdoor recreation and safety. TRT will partner with Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) to implement this grant.
“We are elated to continue collaboration efforts with community partners such as SCOE. These collaborative efforts allow us to engage with families in Modesto’s riverside communities to address safe and equitable access to neighborhood and river parks. We look forward to implementing environmental education and outdoor activities for students and their families in the Robertson Road community in West Modesto.” Said Tuolumne River Trust’s Central Valley Program Director, Edgar Garibay
California State Parks awarded $57 million in Outdoor Equity Program grants to 125 different programs throughout California to advance the state's "Outdoors for All" initiative. The program is designed to expand opportunities for California's underserved communities to engage in outdoor recreation and improve their overall health and well-being.
“We look forward to working alongside the Tuolumne River Trust to provide both safe access to outdoor spaces and engaging environmental education around the Tuolumne River watershed.” This is the second grant in as many years that the Stanislaus County Office of Education STEM Department has partnered with the TRT to provide environmental education to elementary students from underserved communities in Modesto. It is my belief that through education we can empower students to be stewards of the Tuolumne River watershed, and help to maintain a healthy and vibrant river for all to enjoy” - Jose Marquez, Stanislaus Project Coordinator, STEM/HSS with SCOE.
