EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko has announced 10 recipients of the President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA), at a ceremony at EPA where they were honored for their regional award winning environmental projects.
"This event reminds me of my own childhood, and my early involvement in the environment," said EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko. "When I was in high school, I was part of a state-wide project that enlisted schools to collect water quality data. As I stood shin-deep in the neighborhood stream, sampling for suspended solids and biological oxygen demand, I remember feeling connected to a larger and more important purpose: Protecting the environment."
The projects from these young people have made a positive contribution to environmental education in their communities. The projects honored this year include restoring watersheds; tree planting programs; environmental cleanup; preserving the environment; construction of a wetlands path and observation deck; restoration of a nature trail and native plants; building homes for wildlife; environmental photos; and environmental service projects.
PEYA awards have been presented by the White House and EPA since 1971. Up to 10 winning projects are selected each year from EPA's 10 regions. Young people from around the country and U.S. territories are invited annually to participate in the PEYA program, which is aimed at encouraging individuals, school classes, summer camps, youth organizations and public interest groups to promote environmental awareness and positive community involvement.
The PEYA for contest year 2002 were presented by EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko to the following: Documentary On Recycling & Waste-To-Energy Plant, Webelos Park 92 Eagle Patrol, Ashford, Conn.-Reg.1; Loving My Environment, Samuel Iva'n Alejandro Rivera, Fajardo, Puerto Rico-Reg. 2; Bellwood-Antis Wetlands Education Center - An Eagle Scout Project, Padraig Sean Flynn, Tyrone, Penn.-Reg. 3; The Roots and Shoots Club, Eva Nyerges, Danville High School, Danville, Ky.-Reg. 4; A Home for Wildlife, Nicholas F. Ekladyous, Imlay City, Mich.-Reg. 5; Trail of Dreams, Trenton Frederick, Broken Arrow, Okla.-Reg. 6; Refurbished Nature Trail, The Urban Environmental Outreach Program for Kids, Kansas City, Kan.-Reg. 7; FrontRange Earthforce Youth Advisory Board, Denver, Colo.-Reg. 8; IMPACTT Program, Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz.-Reg. 9; and Pond Kids, Suquamish Elementary School, Suquamish, Wash.-Reg. 10.
Source: EPA
