BRIDGTON — Loon Echo Land Trust has announced that it awarded grants to 10 local schools and libraries as part of its 2011 Environmental Educational Grant Program.

Bridgton Public Library, Casco Public Library, Harrison Elementary, Harrison Village Library, Raymond Village Library, Sebago Elementary, Spaulding Memorial Library and Lake Region High School were the recipients of this year’s awards to help Lake Region children learn about the environment and the importance of protecting the region’s greatest asset, its natural resources and land.

Funds for the grants are made possible through the Loon Echo Education Endowment in memory of Helen Allen and Polly Bartlett, two educators who bequeathed funds to Loon Echo to support educational programs.

At the beginning of each year, schools and libraries in Denmark, Bridgton, Harrison, Naples, Casco, Raymond and Sebago are invited to submit grant applications to Loon Echo Land Trust for environmental programs.

Winning programs this year included Bridgton Public Library’s Storybook Walks in Pondicherry Park, Harrison Elementary’s Predators: The Balance of Nature (A Chewonki Program), and Lake Region High School’s Mayberry Hill Forest Field Day.

The Mayberry Forest Field Day is a partnership program between Loon Echo and Project Learning Tree, Maine Forest Service and the Lakeside Garden Club. The field day is held every spring at Loon Echo’s Mayberry Hill Preserve. Sophomore students inventory and measure trees and other vegetation over time to study the changing forest.

Contact Loon Echo at 647-4352 or [email protected] for more information about the grant program, land protection efforts, group hikes and walks or to become a member.