Special to The News

Lamar University’s 23^nd annual summer graduate institute for educators ends this week. The 10-day field institute offered in conjunction with the Region 5 Science Collaborative, local industries, state and federal agencies and environmental non-governmental organizations concludes Friday at Port Neches Park with demonstrations by the Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office oil spill prevention and response unit with airboat rides to see remediation in the Bessie Heights Marsh.

The “Teaching Environmental Science in the Three Rivers’ Watershed and Wetlands” course, held annually since 1996, promotes strategies for protecting natural resources in Southeast Texas.

Throughout the 10-day field institute, Southeast Texas EC-12 teachers were introduced to local environmental issues through first-hand experiences as they toured and discussed a wide range of environmental habitats and industries of the region.

During the program participants learned about the fragility and resiliency of the environment as well as ongoing work to monitor, remediate, preserve and protect it by a wide array of NGOs, governmental entities, researchers and industry professionals.

The course is jointly sponsored by 21 partners: Entergy, Westrock, Texas Regional Science Collaborative, Jason Alliance of Southeast Texas, SEMPRA/Pt. Arthur LNG, ChevronPhillips, Texas Energy Museum, Huntsman, DuPont SRW, Valero, National Park Service: Big Thicket National Preserve, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Big Thicket Association Clean Air & Water, Inc., Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention and Response, Texas Agrilife Extension Service/Sea Grant, Texas State University Texas Stream Team, Texas Parks & Wildlife Coastal Fisheries, U.S. Coast Guard and Lamar University.