Rep. Sykes Announces $41,000 National Park Foundation Grant to Support Student Nature Journaling at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

October 28, 2026 Rep. Sykes Announces $41,000 National Park Foundation Grant to Support Student Nature Journaling at Cuyahoga Valley National Park AKRON, OH — Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) announced that the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been awarded a $41,000 field science grant by the National Park Foundation (NPF). The funds will support Environmental Community Heroes!, a partnership among the Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Willson School, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s PK-8 hub for deaf education. Now in its third year, Environmental Community Heroes! builds on two years of success using nature journaling to help students better understand their environment while supporting teachers in bringing nature journaling into classroom instruction. This year, the program will expand its focus on student leadership and career exploration by training three to four former participants, now in ninth grade, to co-facilitate student activities and assist with two local teacher professional development sessions. Fifteen new fourth- and fifth-grade students will join the existing cohort, bringing total participation to 40 students in grades 4-8. Students will explore Cuyahoga Valley National Park and their local communities, including their school, neighborhoods, and parks, to observe and document environmental conditions, ask questions, and share their findings through a school gallery exhibit. Up to 10 emerging student leaders will take part in activities that connect their learning at Cuyahoga Valley with environmental education initiatives at Olympic National Park. Throughout the program, students will be introduced to park and environmental careers that rely on observation and data collection skills. “Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the best classrooms in Northeast Ohio, and this grant puts it in the hands of students who deserve every opportunity to explore it,” said Rep. Sykes. “Environmental Community Heroes! gives young people a chance to build science skills, step into leadership roles, and see themselves in careers protecting our public lands. I’m proud to announce this investment in the Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Willson School, and I will keep supporting our national parks and the students who learn in them.” “Programs like Environmental Community Heroes! inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and give young people the knowledge, skills, and perspective to become engaged, informed citizens,” said Greg Peckham, President and CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “When students connect with nature, they begin to understand how ecosystems work and how they fit into the world around them.” To further strengthen leadership development, the lead teacher will select student facilitators to help design and lead professional development opportunities for educators. These include two local sessions at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center and one session at Yellowstone National Park for 10 teachers interested in incorporating nature journaling into their curricula. The Willson School teacher leading the project already connects student learning across national parks by organizing overnight experiences at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center and educational trips to Yellowstone and Olympic National Parks. The grant is part of NPF’s 2026-27 Field Science program, which recently awarded more than $1 million in grants to support immersive science education programs for students in parks across the country. Print Email Share Tweet