Get Hip to Habitat
Get Hip to Habitat melds Galveston Bay Foundation's (GBF's) environmental education and habitat restoration initiatives into one program designed for 6-12th grade students. The program runs the length of the school year and offers project-based learning about coastal wetlands through the set-up, maintenance, and monitoring of mini-marsh nurseries of smooth cordgrass on school grounds that mimic the natural estuarine marsh environment. In the spring, students culminate their project by transplanting their cultivated grasses to designated local marsh restoration sites around Galveston Bay. Objectives include instilling knowledge of the local Bay ecosystem; inspiring students to open themselves to new experiences; and empowering action towards a better Bay.
“We awarded Get Hip to Habit an honorable mention for their multi-layered approach to a distinctly regional issue. Get Hip to Habitat equips students and teachers in the Galveston Bay area with the tools to make a real impact on the regional ecosystem, one that is highly susceptible to storm damage. Judges highlighted how the program gives people an opportunity to connect with the environment, in a place where many community members have never encountered the bay. In the process of harvesting, planting, and replanting marsh grass, youth become more comfortable with new experiences and begin to feel a sense of investment in their local ecosystem. Judges were also inspired by the program leadership’s passion for youth learning – their enthusiasm was infectious and is clearly manifest in the program.”