Garden at San Jose private high school named a Certified Schoolyard Habitat

Nature grants

Local organizations working in nature and conservation can apply for significant funding from the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District this year. The agency, which manages and preserves public and green space in the South Bay, has announced $250,000 in grant funding. The funds are available to support a variety of projects, from educational programs and applied science to building conservation partnerships.

Organizations can apply for the lower funding tier, which caps at $25,000 per project, or the higher tier, which reaches $50,000. The agency will host a public workshop for interested organizations July 13. Pre-proposals are due July 21. To submit a proposal and for more information, visit openspace.org/grants.

Neighborhood Notes

ROSE GARDEN>>The garden at Bellarmine College Preparatory has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Schoolyard Habitat. The commemorative plaque that will be installed in the garden reads: “This site is recognized for its commitment to sustainably provide the essential elements of wildlife habitat and provide students a place to learn outdoors and connect with nature.”

As noted in Bellarmine’s Mission of Environmental Sustainability, the private Catholic boys high school “is committed to serving God by educating our community about ecological stewardship and solidarity with creation, and by modeling that stewardship and solidarity in the day-to-day operations of our school.”

Since 1996, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to assist schools in the creation of Schoolyard Habitats, which create and restore wildlife habitat on school grounds while providing outdoor classrooms for learning across the curriculum. More than 10,000 schools have been certified through this program. For more information, visit nwf.org/schoolyard.