St. Johns River Water Management District executive director gets first-hand look at Blue School Grant in action

PALATKA, Fla., Jan. 23, 2020 — St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle today joined student-scientists benefiting from the district’s Blue School Grant Program as they began field research testing water quality along the St. Johns River at Julington-Durbin Preserve. Creekside High School’s Academy of Engineering and Environmental Sciences received one of 17 district grants awarded this school year. Students in the program are monitoring water quality to learn about freshwater parameters, the health of aquatic ecosystems and the importance of land use changes and impacts in their community. Each school year, the Blue School Grant program offers a total of $20,000 in financial support to teachers throughout the district’s 18 counties working to promote water resource protection through hands-on learning opportunities.