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LCEC doles out Environmental Funding Awards

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To show its commitment to wildlife and the environment, LCEC awarded the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum $2,500 to support their Mollusks on the Move program which educates children and adults of Lee County about the life of a mollusk and the importance they serve in the ecosystem.

Dr. Lin Muilenberg, education director at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, was extremely excited after learning they were a recipient. Dr. Muilenburg said they plan to use to the grant to purchase colorful, information rich banners for their Mollusks on the Move program.

“In our educational outreach programs, we often take a small aquarium along, in addition to a variety of beautiful Southwest Florida shells, so people can observe and learn about live mollusks. Over the past six months, we’ve designed and obtained grant funding for a brand new traveling program, Mollusks on the Move. Next month, we will begin construction of three new mobile aquariums that will enable us to bring a greater variety of live mollusks to public events. The banners funded by the LCEC grant provide a gorgeous and informational backdrop for our mobile tanks. We will use the eye-catching banners, which will include colorful close-up photography of a variety of mollusks, to attract audience members at events and as a source of educational information during our tank talks,” Muilenburg said.

Future plans for the Mollusks on the Move include bringing it beachside.

“We will visit parks and beaches throughout the area, offering beachgoers the opportunity to touch live mollusks, observe them up close, and learn about their fascinating behaviors. The program will also be available to visit local community centers and schools, and participate in festivals and other special events,” she said.

LCEC launched its Environmental Funding Award program in 2014. Since then, they have given over $30,000 to organizations who have applied and qualified for the award.

“While this marks the third year of our official award program, we have been assisting local agencies and programs for decades,” said Laura Puerto, LCEC senior public relations specialist. “We are cognizant that Southwest Florida is home to many environmental treasures and we want to be sure to do our part to help preserve, protect, nurture and educate. This award program is just one of the many ways that we can make a contribution.”

Other recipients who benefitted from the Environmental Funding Awards include CROW, SCCF and Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.

To apply for an LCEC environmental award, organizations can email pr@lcec.net to receive an application. The deadline for 2017 award applications is Mar. 15, 2017.