Welcome to the Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE) E-Newsletter! This publication exists to connect educators and our community with valuable news, information, and opportunities! 
Whether you are aneducator,business owner, agency personnel, or a concerned citizen…we hope that you will find something useful and interesting in eachmonth’s publication!
In This Issue:
USEE News
Community Corner
Environmental Education News
Educator’s Corner
USEE News
Upcoming Events
4th Grade Wasatch Front Watershed Education Workshop
February 28, 
2007 ~ Red Butte Garden, SLC, UT (9:00-4:00pm)
Take part in this FREE educator workshop to learn about your local watershed, obtain education materials, and earn re-licensure points! The primary goals of this program are to create awareness of where Salt Lake Valley obtains its drinking water, change behavior to protect our drinking water, utilize place-based education activities within the Wasatch Front, and demonstrate their tie to the USOE Core Curriculum. For more information or to register, contact Staci Strenkert at (801) 328-1549 or staci@usee.org.
News
New GBEI Course ~ “Global Warming: Changing CO2urse”
The Great Basin Earth Institute will soon offer its newest course geared toward the latest hot topic - global warming. Learn more about the complexities of global warming and what it will take to create a sustainable future. This 4-session course will lead you along the path to exploring how your habits affect climate change, to understanding the history and science of global warming, and to empower you to take action. For more information, visit http://www.usee.org/services/GBEI/home.htm or email gbei@usee.org.
USEE’s Teacher Resource Center (TRC) is Now Online!
Yes, it’s true! Everyone can access the new searchable database for our TRC online at http://www.usee.org/database.html. Just scroll down to the “Search for:” heading and type in any keywords associated with the materials for which you are searching. Any results with “(Utah Society for Environmental Education)” written after them correspond with the materials we carry at our TRC! For more information, call (801) 328-1549 or email info@usee.org.
Special Thanks
Thanks to the support of REI’s Community Grant program, USEE has received funding for a Project Learning Tree School pilot program. We will be providing training and classroom support for an entire school as well as providing them with a “Tree Trunk” full of materials to use with the Project Learning Tree activities. The goal is to promote environmental education and stewardship in today’s youth utilizing this proven, national award winning program.
Community Corner
Upcoming Events
Snowshoe Under the Stars
January 19 & February 23, 2007 Swaner Nature Preserve, Park City, UT
Snowshoe under the stars with Swaner Nature Preserve and the Salt Lake Astronomical Society (SLAS). View deep sky objects like Orion’s Nebula or the waxing gibbous Moon. Each evening will include a snowshoe trip on the Preserve with discussions of the Preserve’s nocturnal wildlife, followed by a unique opportunity to use telescopes provided by the SLAS. This fun, family activity is FREE and SNP can provide snowshoes. Space is limited, so call (435) 649-1767 to reserve your spot.
University of Utah Campus Sustainability Forum insert pic: U of U SEED.bmp
January 22, 2007 ~ Union Building Panorama East Room (2:00-4:00pm)
Community members are invited to attend this forum to explore campus-based issues such as resource use, energy efficiency, transportation, and sustainable community development. Share knowledge and develop solutions to make the University a leader in the sustainability movement addressing the social, economic, and environmental challenges of the future. For questions, contact Lindsay Clark at Lindsay.clark@utah.edu.
Growing Communities Workshops
January 26-27, 2007 ~ University of Utah
Join the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) and Wasatch Community Gardens for an in-depth, hands-on workshop. This 2-day leadership workshop will cover community building and organizational development through community gardening. For more information, visit http://wasatchgardens.org/workshopschedule.html, call (801) 359-2658, or email community@wasatchgardens.org.
St. George Winter Bird Festival
January 26-28, 2007 ~ St. George, Utah (Tonaquint Park & Nature Center)
Red Cliffs Chapter of the Audubon Society presents this year’s St. George Winter Bird Festival, which will feature field trips, presentations, live displays, workshops, and more. Visit www.sgcity.org/birdfestival or www.utahbirds.org for further information on this exciting event!
Snowshoe – Creature Creation at Stokes Nature Center
January 27, 2007 ~ Logan, Utah (Stokes Nature Center)
Enjoy a day in the snow with your family at Stokes Nature Center (SNC)! Move away from building the traditional snowman and make a snow creature on snowshoes (snowshoes provided)! Please pre-register, space is limited; call now (435) 755-3239. Visit www.logannature.org to learn about other SNC programs.
Moonglow Snowshoe & Trailside Treats ~ Ogden Nature Center
January 31, 2007 (RSVP by January 29) ~ Ogden Nature Center North Trailhead @ 7:00pm
Grab your gear or reserve rentals at the ONC (call early!) and meet at the ONC NORTH trailhead. Hike up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail under the moonlight, and enjoy treats and hot drinks at the trailhead afterwards. Call (801) 621-7595 to reserve your spot today!
Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH) Winter Programs
Winter/Spring 2007
Check out the programs UMNH is offering this winter for K-5th graders. Their programs cover a variety of topics from slime, bugs, and crystals to ecology, frogs, and chemistry! Visit http://www.umnh.utah.edu/museum/PublicPrograms/youthClasses.html for details.
Community News
Congratulations to City Academy Charter School!
This year, 32 GreenWorks! grants were awarded to PLT schools across the country for community-based environmental projects. Congratulations go out to the Utah school award recipient, City Academy Charter School, for its “Biodiesel Energizes Us” project. Students in grades 8-11 will make their own biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil for their school bus. Their goal is to have all City Academy field trips run on this domestic, carbonneutral fuel thereby reducing their school’s transportation-related CO2 emissions by 50%! Since 1992, Project Learning Tree has distributed approximately $375,000 to fund over 700 grant projects in communities across the country. To learn more about this program, visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_18.html.
Did You Know..?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the principal greenhouse gas in global warming and scientific consensus is that human activities connected to the use of fossil fuels have contributed to the 35% rise of CO2 in the last century, with over 30% of human-induced CO2 due to transportation alone. An innovative approach to offsetting this impact is purchasing “green tags,” which supports renewable energy. To calculate your “travel footprint” and learn more about “green tags,” visit http://www.nativeenergy.com/TravelCalculator.php5.
(Source: NativeEnergy http://www.nativeenergy.com/index.html)
Environmental Education News & Events
Local
20th Annual Utah Arbor Day Contest ~ “Trees are Terrific… and Forests are Too!”
Deadline to Register: February 5, 2007
The contest is open to K-6 graders and special education students. By participating, students will learn about the benefits and uses of trees in their lives and will be eligible to win an array of prizes. All participating schools will receive a $50 tree coupon to purchase and plant a tree as a school Arbor Day activity and four regional winning schools will be awarded a $500 check to use as they see fit. For more information, visit www.arborday.utah.gov.
2007 Harvesting Energy Summit: Rural Prosperity through Renewable Energy
February 26-28, 2007 ~ Salt Lake City, UT
An exciting three-day gathering of rural leaders and champions of renewable energy, this year’s conference promises to be a potent opportunity for building networks, exchanging information, sharing news of progress, and forging a stronger future together. For more information, http://www.harvestenergy.org/ihen/index.html or email summit@workinglandscapes.com.
REGIONAL
Call for Presenters! Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference
Deadline for Applications: January 31, 2007
The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education is seeking presenters for the 2007 Teaching OUTSIDE the Box conference, April 27-29. Teaching OUTSIDE the Box is Colorado’s premiere professional development event focusing on environmental education. For details and an application, visit http://www.caee.org, call (303) 273-9527, or email info@caee.org.
Wallace Stegner Center Twelfth Annual Symposium
March 2- 3, 2007 University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
The Wallace Stegner Center’s 12th annual symposium will explore issues of Colorado River management, focusing on the seven-state Colorado River Compact and other aspects of the “Law of the River,” the complex set of laws, treaties, cases, regulations, and other documents that govern use and management of the Colorado River. For more information, visit http://www.law.utah.edu/_FILES/stegner/brochures/symposia_2007.pdf.
NATIONAL
Invitation to Participate in Cultural Inclusiveness Initiative
Letters of interest are due by: January 19, 2007
EE and other organizations working in related areas are invited to submit letters of interest for an 18-month pilot initiative that will build the knowledge base on EE of how organizations become more culturally inclusive. It is anticipated that this experience will provide the groundwork needed to refine strategies and tools that will assist other EE organizations in becoming more culturally inclusive. Contact Sharon.Courtney@uwsp.edu for details on how to get involved.
NAAEE Announces 2007 Conference CFP
Deadline: January 31, 2007
NAAEE will be holding its annual conference “Explore New Horizons for Environmental Education,” November 14-17, 2007 in Virginia Beach. Submissions are now being accepted online only through the end of January. For more information, visit http://www.naaee.org/conference2006/2007-call-for-presentations.
World Wetlands Day 2007 - Fish for Tomorrow?
February 2, 2007
Every year, February 2 marks World Wetlands Day. Check out the Ramsar Convention's Web site http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/wwd_index.htm for new selection materials, activities, and information packets for FREE!
Educator’s Corner
Professional Development/ Training Opportunities
Project WILD Educator Training
January 19-20, 2007 ~ Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, UT
Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation education program designed for formal and non-formal youth educators (pre-K-12th), which emphasizes wildlife through hands-on activities that enhance student learning in all subject and skill areas. To register for this workshop, contact Diana Vos (801) 538-4719/dianavos@utah.gov, or visit http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/projectwild for further details.
Research Experience for Teachers in Costa Rica
Application Deadline: February 1, 2007
The Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program offers high school science teachers the opportunity to pursue mentored research at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. The objective of the program is to provide science teachers with a well-rounded research experience in tropical biology while also helping the selected teachers integrate field-oriented research into their classroom instruction. For details, visit www.ots.duke.edu/.
Teacher Resources
“An Inconvenient Truth” DVDs for Teachers
Deadline: January 18, 2007
50,000 copies will be donated on a first come, first serve basis to teachers across the country interested in using the film as a teaching tool in classrooms. Teachers should visit www.participate.net to request the DVD. A free curriculum guide is also available for download.
Celebrate Thoreau for Earth Day! Walden Project ~ Earth Day 2007
"Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau" is a new theatrical play about the last two days Henry David Thoreau spent in his cabin before leaving Walden Pond. The script is being offered FREE OF CHARGE to educators as an Earth Day 2007 Event. Visit www.waldenplay.com for more information.
Pack Your Bags for Planet Plant
Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s new Web site "Planet Plant" is for kids ages 9-12. Check out the online and offline art, science, outdoor, and botanic garden activities that will get kids excited about the importance of plants and the need for conservation. Every month features a new plant with a great conservation story to tell. Visit http://www.planetplant.org .
(Source: NAAEE EE-newsletter)
ABCs of Ecology®: An Educator’s Guide to Learning Outside. New Price!
Ferry Beach Ecology School shares its innovative outdoor teaching techniques with the publication of The ABCs of Ecology®: An Educator’s Guide to Learning Outside. This 230-page book is for classroom teachers, home school educators, naturalists, nature center volunteers—anyone committed to teaching children about the world in which they live. Visit http://www.fbes.org/Store.html for details.
Grants & Awards
Toyota Tapestry Grant Program
Deadline: January 18, 2007
Apply now for a grant in the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program. Log on to http://www.nsta.org/programs/tapestry to apply for one of 50 grants of up to $10,000 each or 20-25 mini-grants of up to $2,500. The program will award K-12 teachers in environmental science, physical science, and/or literacy & science education.
NEA Learning and Leadership Grants
Deadline: February 1, 2007
These grants support school teachers, education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education to support individuals with professional development opportunities or groups with collegial study. Visit www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm for more information.
Committed to recycling? Tell us about it.
Deadline: February 16, 2007
Individuals, businesses, communities, and schools are invited to apply online for a recycling award. AF&PA recognizes outstanding recycling programs as part of on-going industry efforts to increase paper recovery. Visit www.paperrecycle.org to apply and to find additional information on paper recycling and resources.
Igniting Creative Energy ~ A National Student Challenge
Deadline: February 17, 2007
All K-12 educators are invited to participate in the 6th annual Igniting Creative Energy Challenge. This competition encourages students to learn more about energy conservation and the environment. Students may express their ideas in the form of documented science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music or video or web site projects. They may also submit recent service projects, or results from the National Energy Foundation's own Energy Patrol activities. Visit http://www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org/ for details.
EE Jobs
Education Services Section Manager ~ Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)
Application Deadline: January 19, 2007
The position oversees ODFW outdoor and conservation education programs. ODFW is rebuilding its education programs and this will be an incredible opportunity for the right individual. The job description can be found at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/hr/.
Green Teacher Seeks Volunteer French and Spanish Translators
Green Teacher is seeking assistance of volunteer translators who can write fluently in French or Spanish, and who would like to translate a favorite article, or an article on a favorite topic from Green Teacher. All volunteer translators will have as much time as they need to complete the translation. The work of all volunteers will be credited in the body of the articles that they have worked on. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact Tim Grant at tim@greenteacher.com or by calling (888) 804-1486.
For a list of additional environmental education job/internship opportunities visit USEE’s EE Jobs page: http://usee.org/eeinfo/jobs.html.