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The environmental nonprofit group Hackensack Riverkeeper has begun accepting applications for the 2010 Ron Vellekamp Environmental Scholarship, which supports a college-bound senior who excels academically and is committed to protecting the environment.

The namesake of the scholarship, Ronald Vellekamp, was a high school science teacher in Ridgefield, a Palisades Interstate Park ranger and a Hackensack Riverkeeper trustee.

“One of the many things I learned from Ron was the value of environmental education — of never letting a teachable moment pass,” Hackensack Riverkeeper leader Captain Bill Sheehan says. “Giving your time is the best investment you can make and the greatest scholarship you can give.”

The $1,000 scholarship, now in its 10th year, is open to students at 67 high schools in northeast New Jersey and southeast New York. Why those 67? Because the schools are all within the Hackensack River watershed.

“Fortunately, the watershed takes up about 210 square miles of land and water in Bergen, Hudson and Rockland Counties,” says Hugh Carola, who administers the scholarship fund. “There are literally thousands of students who are eligible.”

In Jersey City, 11 high schools fall within the river’s watershed, which is generally anything west of John F. Kennedy Boulevard. But if a student attends a school outside of the watershed but lives in the watershed — a distinct possibility here in Jersey City — he or she is still eligible.

Teachers and guidance counselors are invited to submit applications on behalf of deserving students. Each school may nominate one student. A panel of Hackensack Riverkeeper trustees and staffers, led by Sheehan, will review each application. Among other criteria, the panel will consider each applicant’s academic achievements, environmental extra-curricular activities and future plans. The funds from the scholarship are unrestricted and can be used for any required purchases during the student’s first year at college.

Scholarship application criteria are available online at www.hackensackriverkeeper.org or by calling 201-968-0808. Applications must be postmarked no later than Earth Day, April 22, 2010, and the winner will be announced no later than June 1, 2010.