About GEECe
Grassland Conservation and Education Fund (GCEF) was established in 1995 to provide support and education about the Grassland Ecological Area throughout the San Joaquin Valley and California. GCEF, as a non-profit, would provide a common ground between many cooperators of different backgrounds to express the support and education of the local habitats. The Grassland Environmental Education Center (GEECe) was developed that same year to increase awareness and appreciation of wetlands as part of GCEF, while recognizing the integral role played by agricultural and sporting interests in establishing and maintaining habitat for wildlife. This mission statement of GEECe was put into play with a part-time education coordinator that was hired by Grassland Water District (GWD), a cooperator of Grassland Conservation and Education Fund, to provide tours two days per week during the months of September through June. The GEECe facility was located on Tri-Valley Growers Plant, now Liberty Packing Plant, on Ingomar Grade near Los Banos, California.
In January of 2001, a partnership was established between GWD and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), in which the CDFG began contributing funds to the program. In return, the GEECe education coordinator provides education and public outreach activities on CDFG lands in Merced County. With the additional funding and job responsibilities of the CDFG partnership, the education coordinator’s position is now full-time.
In the fall of 2006, GEECe will be relocated to the California Department of Fish & Game – Los Banos Wildlife Area’s Interpretative Marsh. This new location will provide opportunity for GEECe to grow in many ways. GEECe will be open year-around to serve the many public and private groups with a larger “playground” for groups to explore and learn about the vast number of species found in this area.
GEECe hosted over 1,000 students per year from 1995 to 2001. With the introduction of the CDFG partnership in 2001, an additional 10,000 students and adults have participated in the program through workshops, in-class presentations, fieldtrips to GEECe, and tours and fieldtrips to CDFG lands. GCEF has been a self-sustaining program with the partnership between the two agencies and the many local contributions made each year. Awards
1996 – PG&E Community Service Award
1998 – Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Theodore Roosevelt Environmental Award. |
