MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2003

Contact: Wendy Eng-Rytell 619.255.0244
weng-rytell@sdnhm.org

Binational Environmental Education Program Receives Award for Environmental Achievement

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA--Proyecto Bioregional de Educación Ambiental (Bioregional Environmental Education Project, or PROBEA) has been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 9 office as a recipient of its 2003 Environmental Achievement Award. PROBEA, affiliated with the San Diego Natural History Museum, is a collaboration of more than 24 organizations from Mexico and the United States to provide quality environmental education and teacher training throughout the bioregion of San Diego and the Baja California peninsula.

The award recognizes outstanding environmental advocates who have made significant contributions toward enhancing and protecting the quality of the environment. "We view this program as a great opportunity for us to say thank you to all those dedicated individuals and organizations who are going above and beyond the call of duty to safeguard our natural resources," says Leo Kay, EPA spokesman.

PROBEA's major accomplishments in 2002 include training 340 teachers from 106 different schools about local watersheds and the importance of conserving natural resources and water quality. PROBEA also collaborated on a project to produce a CD-ROM on the Tijuana River Watershed. In addition, PROBEA created a Spanish-language version of Ocean Oasis, a large-format film depicting the biological diversity of Baja California and the Sea of Cortés, for distribution throughout Baja California, Mexico. Other accomplishments include an agreement with Colegio de la Frontera del Norte (COLEF) to expand the waste water treatment park, Ecoparque, into a model environmental demonstration site in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

PROBEA was among the 43 winners selected out of 200 nominations to receive the award. An awards ceremony will be held in San Francisco on April 22, 2003. Accepting the award on behalf of PROBEA will be Doretta Winkelman, U.S. Program Director, and Dolores Monterrubio, Mexico Academic Director. For more information on PROBEA, contact Winkelman at 619.255.0184.

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