The Friends of Dragon Run recently received a $16,264 grant from Dominion Energy to help establish the Dragon Run Environmental Academy Mentorship.

The program was created to train and mentor leaders and educators that serve life science students, said FODR Vice President Carol Kauffman. Experienced educators and naturalists will train invited middle school teachers from Gloucester, Mathews and other Middle Peninsula communities on the importance of the Dragon Run watershed today while also emphasizing the historical uses of the watershed by indigenous peoples and early European colonists.

The primary text that will be used for planning will be “An Educator’s Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience,” said Kauffman.Once the educators are trained, educational field trips to the Dragon Run watershed will be planned for their students during the 2023-2024 school year.

Kauffman shared a quote from the educator’s guide, which says, “MWEEs represent sustained activi...