Project Summary

The Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education received a $200,000 grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust to create a hub for the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative that will partner 11 Copper Country schools with 15 community organizations in Houghton and Baraga counties. The goals are to implement place-based education, engage students in real-world learning and to serve as valued resource in their communities. The Initiative incorporates three strategies:

1. Implementing 'place-based curricula' in the classroom that engages students in learning about their community, cultural heritage, local watershed, and the Great Lakes;
   
2. Providing teacher-training and student programs that increase content knowledge about the Great Lakes and opportunities for students to visit and learn about Lake Superior, tributary streams, wetlands, forests, and other outdoor environments near their schools;
   
3. Developing school-community partnerships with local units of government and community organizations to address local needs by working together on local stewardship projects. For more information about the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, visit http://www.wupcenter.mtu.edu/lssi.