For the Birds! Greenpoint at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy

Project Lead:	Audubon New York
2014 Project Partners:	St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy; NYC Department of Parks and Recreation; and McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance
2015 Project Partners:	St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy; McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance; Prospect Park Alliance; Prospect Park Audubon Center; Greenpoint Eco-Schools; NYC Composting Project; North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, formerly Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn; North Brooklyn Community Boathouse, formerly North Brooklyn Boat Club; and The Horticultural Society of New York
Project Location:	12 Newell Street; and Monsignor McGolrick Park
Total GCEF Funding:	$72,260

2014 GCEF Grant:	$24,857	2015 GCEF Grant:	$47,403
Total Matching Contributions:	$41,708
2014 Matching Contribution:	$16,162	2015 Matching Contribution:	$25,546
TOTAL INVESTMENT:	$113,968
2014 & 2015 Projects Completed:	July 2017

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In 2014, through a competitive grant process, Audubon New York, a state program of the National Audubon Society, received a $24,857 GCEF grant (and provided $16,162 in matching funds) to implement a “For the Birds!” environmental education program at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy. For the Birds! is an innovative program that promotes learning in the sciences and language arts, as well as community engagement among young students. The For the Birds! Greenpoint program was implemented in four classrooms in Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 from April to December 2014. Students learned about basic bird biology, adaptation, migration, mechanics of flight, and other topics. The program content made critical connections to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts as well as the language arts. The program moved between the classroom and Monsignor McGolrick Park where native habitat sites in the park served as focal points for students to learn about science concepts, ecosystem processes, and the bird and other wildlife species that rely upon urban green spaces.

After another competitive process, Audubon New York received an additional GCEF grant of $47,403 (and provided $25,546 in matching funds) to continue and expand the For the Birds! Greenpoint program at St. Stanislaus Kostka in 2015. Project activities added with the additional funding included creating a new school garden, and delivering adult and family-focused environmental education workshops for Greenpoint residents. The 2015 multi-week For the Birds! program was implemented in Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 in Spring 2016, and in the fall and spring of 2017. A single event program focused on birds of prey was implemented for the entire student body in grades K-8.

PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Engaged 219 total students in the program for a total of over 1,500 environmental education programming hours
Planted approximately 300 native plants in McGolrick Park (in conjunction with For the Birds! Greenpoint at P.S. 110 The Monitor) and 132 native plants in the habitat garden at St. Stanislaus Kostka Academy
Demonstrated an increase in students’ bird knowledge; a positive change in attitude towards birds and the environment; and an increase in stewardship ethic and desire to help birds thrive locally as found in students’ post-project evaluations
Held 6 workshops for adults, with 40 people in total attending, focused local birding, composting in Greenpoint, and identifying native plants
Recruited and trained 7 local residents as program volunteers, who assisted in the creation of a bird-friendly native habitat garden on school grounds (in conjunction with For the Birds! Greenpoint at P.S. 110 The Monitor)