Environmental award applications available for students

HUDSON COUNTY AND BEYOND – The Hackensack Riverkeeper is now accepting applications for the 2015 Ron Vellekamp Environmental Scholarship.
The program, in memory of the late science teacher and founding Riverkeeper trustee, was created to assist college-bound high school seniors who excel academically and who maintain a strong commitment to environmental protection.
Teachers and guidance counselors are invited to submit applications on behalf of deserving students. Each school may nominate one senior.
A panel of Hackensack Riverkeeper trustees and staffers, led by Capt. Bill Sheehan and Program Director Hugh Carola, will review each application. The panel will consider applicants’ academic achievements, environmental extracurricular activities, and plans in selecting the $1,000 awardee.
There is a unique requirement that all applicants must either live within the 210-square mile Hackensack River Watershed and/or attend a high school located that region.
Full scholarship application criteria are available at www.hackensackriverkeeper.org or by calling Carola at (201) 968-0808.
A list of watershed municipalities is available on the Links page of the website. For those living in bi-watershed communities like Jersey City, Paramus, or Ramapo, N.Y., some additional research, or a phone call to fund administrator Carola, may be necessary to determine a student’s eligibility.
All applications must be postmarked no later than Earth Day, April 22, 2015. The winner will be chosen and announced by June 1.
For more information, call Carola or email hugh@hackensackriverkeeper.org.