Carnegie Museum to use $ 1.25M grant for climate change education

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has received a National Science Foundation grant of $ 1.25 million over four years to lead climate- change education in the region’s rural areas and develop a network for educators, scientists and community activists.

The museum will develop the Climate and Rural Systems Partnership with communities through hubs in Mercer and Westmoreland counties.

Its partners are the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out - of- School Environments, known as UPCLOSE, and the Mercer County Conservation District. The hubs will be at Munnell Run Farm in Mercer County and Powdermill Nature Reserve, the museum’s environmental research center in Westmoreland County.

“I am thrilled that the museum and its partners will bring this program to the Laurel Highlands and Mercer County,” said Laurie Giarratani, director of education at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. “In general, museums often struggle to serve rural audiences, and natural history content is highly relevant to these communities.”

She said the idea for this project sprang from discussions among leaders of environmental groups outside Allegheny County. “The people we spoke with described the importance of conservation to valued activities like hunting and fishing,” she said. “They pointed to livelihoods, like farming, as deeply connected to the natural world. Climate- related threats like flooding, erosion and crop damage are urgent issues that impact these aspects of everyday life.”