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SEEAL
Staff
Board of Directors
Accomplishments
Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts


SEEAL

SEEAL, formed in 1997, is a program of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts (CFSEMA). Our mission is to improve environmental awareness and stewardship in Southeastern Massachusetts. The collaborative is open to any individual or organization that shares this goal.

For over a decade, SEEAL has acted as an umbrella organization, applying for and providing over $1 million in grants to local non-profits and organizations that provide environmental education, outreach, and mitigation, in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Our network currently includes over 100 partners, consisting of schools of all sizes, community groups, non-profits, businesses and local governments and individuals who are all committed to collaboration.

SEEAL was formed with the initial goal to provide educational experiences to young people of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The natural extension of this goal has led to a regional development in environmental education and stewardship activities to encompass watersheds throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. These include Buzzards Bay, Taunton River, Jones River, and Westport River.

SEEAL partners require resources and technologies beyond the existing abilities of the individual partners. A unique quality of SEEAL collaborations is the willingness of the partners to formulate a collective vision and to seek funding and resources that benefits a variety of programs and projects in South Coast communities.

Our Vision: We see a culture inspired by environmental awareness and action. Through a network of partner organizations we mobilize community resources and increase capacity for environmental education programs and activities. We embrace an ethic of stewardship that balances human need with ecological integrity.

In order to receive funding from the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance Fund (SEEAL), your organization must join as a member of SEEAL. For more information, please contact Jennifer Marshall (jmarshall@seeal.org), SEEAL coordinator.


Staff

Jennifer Marshall, SEEAL Coordinator
jmarshall@seeal.org
508-493-4343

Katie Kirk, SEEAL Interim Coordinator
kkirk@seeal.org
508-996-8253 ext. 206

Mercy Cover, SEEAL Intern
mcover@seeal.org


Board of Directors

John 'Buddy' Andrade (Old Bedford Village Development Corp)
Diane Berube (Friends of Buttonwood Park)
Tem Blessed (YouthBuild New Bedford)
Derek Christianson (Brix Bounty Farm)
Sarah Cogswell, (SEMAP)
Jean Fox (Workforce Investment Board)
Gay Gillespie (Westport River Watershed Alliance)
Rob Hancock (Save The Bay)
Linton Harrington (The Trustees of Reservations)
Dierdre Healy (UMass Dartmouth Community Service)*
Gail Janeczek (Buttonwood Park Zoo)*
Susan Jennings (UMass Dartmouth Office of Campus and Community Sustainability)
John Long (Bristol Community College Center for Business and Industry)
Annie McDowell (Schooner Ernestina)*
Chris Pires (Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School)
Gina Purtell (Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary)
Gabrielle Simmons (Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts)*
Mark Smith (Ocean Explorium)
Steve Smith (Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District)
Rachel Stronach (Lloyd Center for the Environment)
Desa VanLaarhoven (Marion Institute)*
Polly Zajac (Global Learning Charter School)

*Denotes Executive Board Member


Advisory Council
John Bullard (SEA)
Jack Crowley (Ocean Explorium)
Lori Hanau (Global Round Table Leadership)
Bill McKibben (www.350.org)
Susan Peterson (Teal Partners, Ltd.)



SEEAL Accomplishments

A more current recent list of accomplishments will be added soon.

In 2002, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognized SEEAL's environmental alliance as the model of the future for regional environmental alliances across the State. Massachusetts officials have announced their plan to develop similar alliances as part of the Massachusetts Environmental Education Plan (MEEP).

At the federal level, Congress awarded a $200,000 grant to support SEEAL's efforts through its 'Watershed Connections Project' to expand and strengthen the environmental education of SouthCoast children. This project, funded by the US Department of Education, will target at least 300 students representing five elementary and middle schools of the region with activities designed to improve math and science learning.

Our accomplishments also include:

Service to over 6,500 elementary and middle school children and over 1,100 junior high and high school students was provided through more than 142 programs. 26 teachers participated in professional development institutes. Nineteen watershed education program kits and training from the Westport River Watershed Alliance, Lloyd Center and Coalition for Buzzards Bay was provided to New Bedford elementary schools. After school clubs at the New Bedford High School helped construct a saltmarsh trail at the Dartmouth Children's Museum. Over 2,200 copies of the Flora B. Peirce Trail Guide produced by the Coalition for Buzzards Bay were published. 2,400 copies of a wildflower coloring book were produced and published for Buzzards Bay Garden Club programs. Teachers in the junior high grades in New Bedford received watershed education program kits along with training, a GIS map of New Bedford, a lecture entitled “Cumulative Ecological Effects on New Bedford Harbor: Historical Connections” by Carol Pesch from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the New Bedford Whaling Museum and an underway educational program from New Bedford Harbor on historic Schooner Ernestina, official vessel of the Commonwealth. A “Watershed to the Bay” Waterfront-based Program for elementary and middle school grades was established by the Buzzards Bay Action Committee in collaboration with the Schooner Ernestina, Coalition for Buzzards Bay , Lloyd Center , Westport River Watershed Alliance and others. The Garden Education Center and Interpretive Display at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum was constructed and a Garden Education Curriculum Guide was published. A Westport River Water Quality Report covering eight years was published. 2,000 copies of a River Dwellers Handbook was published. Flora B. Peirce Trail was restored with boardwalks installed. Two-week Summer Programs for the Marion Natural History Museum were established. A ‘Coastal Systems’ Intern was funded for the School for Marine Science and Technology. SEA Connections Summer Content Institute 2001 for teachers was hosted by the Schooner Ernestina, Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies and UMASS

About Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts

Since 1995, area residents have been turning to the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. CFSEMA is a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern – improving the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts.

While the Foundation’s primary grantmaking focus is on the SouthCoast communities of Greater New Bedford, Greater Fall River, and Greater Plymouth County, CFSEMA is a regional foundation serving 41 cities and towns. To date, the Community Foundation has assets of more than $18 million and has distributed nearly $5 million from 108 funds to humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in the region.

To learn more about the Foundation, visit www.cfsema.org.