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 an educator, business owner, agency personnel, or a concerned citizen, we hope that you will find something useful and interesting in each month’s publication!
In This Issue:
USEE News
Community Corner
Environmental Education News
Educator’s Corner
USEE News
USEE Certification Initiative Highlighted in National Article
The Environmental Education Training and Partnership (EETAP) has completed four great new articles on key initiatives in environmental education (EE), highlighting work by EETAP, its partners, and others in related EE areas. Please click on the following links to read on!
- “Leading the Way to Environmental Literacy and Quality: National Guidelines for Environmental Education”
http://eetap.org/pages/ee_articles.php - EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice”
http://eetap.org/media/pdf/Guidelines.Final.20060319.pdf - “Distance Education: A User Friendly Learning Option”
http://eetap.org/media/pdf/Certification.Final.20060227.pdf - “The Roots of Environmental Education: How the Past Supports the Future”
http://eetap.org/media/pdf/Online.Final.20060302.pdf
Volunteer Positions and Internships Available
Volunteer for USEE or become an intern! We are seeking volunteers to provide program support and expertise for the Great Basin Earth Institute (GBEI), outreach and events, conference and event planning, grant writing and fundraising, and public relations. Please contact Sommer at sommer@usee.org or call 801.328.1549 for more information.
Support USEE with your conference calls!
Every time you use AccuConference services, they will donate 20% of the profits to USEE. For more information on services provided by AccuConference visit www.accuconference.com. To make your calls count, sign up HERE and use referral code 2468713.
Community Corner
Upcoming Events
The Weekend “WING FLING”
April 21-22, Brigham City, UT
Join the celebration of the James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center Grand Opening at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge! The event is packed with activities and topics from bird identification to photography and field journaling. Call Betsy Beneke at (435) 734-6436 or visit http://www.fws.gov/bearriver/events.html for details.
Earth Day Celebrations on April 22nd 2006
Salt Lake City:
Earth Day is on its way! The downtown SLC Earth Day 3rd annual celebration will be held at Library Plaza, 11am-4pm. Come see the Recycled Fashion Show, and visit the various Earth Day info booths! Email Allison Jarvis at AJarvis@slco.org for details.
Ogden:
The Ogden Nature Center earth day celebration is full of events and entertainment from 12 - 4 pm. Visit www.ogdennaturecenter.org for details.Zion Canyon’s Second Annual Earth Day:
Celebrate Earth Day by enjoying a variety of free activities and demonstrations such as live music and organic farming from 10-6pm at the Giant Screen Complex at Zion National Park. For more information contact Julie Hancock, Park Ranger at julie_hancock@nps.gov or (435) 772-7610.
Arbor Day Award Ceremony ~ “Trees are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes”
April 28, Red Butte Gardens, UT
Everyone is welcome to attend the Arbor Day ceremony, from 10am-12pm, which include award presentations to the student and school winners of the statewide Arbor Day poster contest, keynote speakers, the musical talents of Upland Terrace Elementary School, and tree planting!
Bird Browsing
April 29, Ogden Nature Center, UT
Come to the Ogden Nature Center to visit and learn about their resident raptors with renowned birder Jack Rensel, and walk the trails in search of seasonal birds and rare sightings for free! Visit www.ogdennaturecenter.org for details.
“LIVE GREEN” Festival
May 13, Downtown SLC, UT
The Downtown Alliance will host its third annual Sustainable Living Festival and Eco-exchange “LIVE GREEN” on May 13th from 8:00am-6:00pm. Visit www.downtownslc.org for more information.
Annual Plant Sale
May 13, SLC, UT in 2 locations!
Wasatch Community Gardens will be holding their annual plant sales in SLC at both Garfield school and at the Live Green festival on May 13th. Don’t miss out on these exciting events and great deals! Please visit www.wasatchgardens.org for more details.
Colorado River & Trail Expeditions, Inc
May 16-23, Canyonlands National Park, UT
Take a rafting trip on the Green and Colorado Rivers for some birding and Natural History exploration! If you are interested in eight days of rafting, camping, hiking, and natural history, please call 1-800-253-7328 or email crate@crateinc.com.
Community News
e2 Citizen Program - April 25, Urban Room-Main Library, SLC, UT
e2 Citizens are those who work to protect the environmental and economic health of their communities and our world. Join the e2 Citizen community and commit to save money, improve the environment, combat global warming, and ensure a healthy future. You are also invited to attend an e2 Citizen community social on April 25th from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Main Library. Make friends, enjoy refreshments, and experience the entertainment talents of Hal Cannon and his famed banjo. After the party you are invited to a free-showing of the Salt Lake Film Center’s Earth Day film, “Climate Change: The Signs and the Science.” To become and e2Citizen or to learn more, visit http://www.slcgreen.com.
Did You Know..?
30,000,000,000: profit in U.S. Dollars earned from medicine produced in tropical forests
4,000,000,000: tons of carbon accumulated in the air each year (for trees to clean)
850,000,000: trees consumed through Americans’ annual paper expenditure
424,000: trees saved if all US homes replaced one 500-sheet roll of toilet paper with a recycled one
330: pounds of carbon dioxide the average yard tree cleans from the atmosphere annually
260: pounds of oxygen produced annually by a typical tree; 1/2 of a person’s yearly needs
21: percentage increase that trees can add to home property values with each passing year
20: number of degrees that shade from trees can cool a building in summer
10: pounds of pollutants the average tree absorbs from the air each year
1: number of people it takes to make a difference
The following websites have further information on Earth Day and Arbor Day:
http://www.earthday.gov http://earthday.envirolink.org/ http://www.earthday.net/ http://arbor-day.net/
http://nature.org/earthday/ http://arborday.org
Sources: (On Earth, Spring 2006; USDA Forest Services-Syracuse, NY & Davis, CA; Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific SW Research Station, City of Portland, and http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/facts.htm)
Environmental Education News & Events
Local
Congratulations to the Statewide Winners of the Arbor Day Poster Contest!
Kindergarten: Leah Farnsworth - Nebo View Elementary
1st: McKennon Christensen - Panorama Elementary
2nd: McKailee Bishop - Hillcrest Elementary
3rd: Erik Barton - Grandview Elementary
4th: Mallary Andra - Panorama Elementary
5th: Katie Davis - Red Cliffs Elementary
6th: Lisa Lee - Wasatch Elementary (also Grand Prize winner-see photo)
Special Ed: Nick Houghton - Rose Springs Elementary
Well Done Shannon Babb!
Recently, 18-year-old Shannon Babb from American Fork high school won the Intel Science Talent Search scholarship for $100,000. Through a six-month study conducted on water quality in the Spanish Fork River, she identified that humans’ urban and agricultural practices are negatively impacting the river’s water quality. She concluded that with the combination of restructuring and public education on household chemical waste disposal, the water quality of the river can improve. She plans on using her scholarship to pursue a Masters and PhD at Utah State University. Way to go Shannon; good luck with your future endeavors!
For more information on Hazardous Waste Disposal, visit www.slvhealth.org.
Project WET/ Project Learning Tree Educator Workshop
April 28 & 29, Richfield, UT
This two-day workshop is geared toward training formal and non-formal educators to use Project WET and PLT materials in their classrooms. If you are interested in learning more and attending these workshops, please contact Marie Kay at marie@usee.org for more information.
Intrigue of the Past-Investigating Archaeology
April 26, @ The Grand Center, Moab, UT
Do archaeological concepts and resource conservation, Utah prehistory, and Native American perspectives on archaeology fascinate you? All types of educators are invited to join this workshop! Activities, lesson plans, and University credit are available. Contact Joni jlindsay@umnh.utah.edu or Jill jhickok@boep.org for details.
Project WILD Educator Workshop
April 28-29, @ the Department of Natural Resources SLC, UT
This Pre-K-12 wildlife conservation education program is available for formal and non-formal educators. To learn more and obtain Project WILD materials, contact Diana Vos at dianavos@utah.gov or (801) 538-4719. USU credit or certificate of participation is available. Visit http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/projectwild .
Utah Envirothon
April 30th, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Utah high school students will compete in the Envirothon, a hands-on natural resource competition, where winners will continue on to the Canon Envirothon. The UT Envirothon tests students on their knowledge of natural resources in a competitive, outdoor setting. Contact Jennifer Hines jenniffer.hines@ut.nacdnet.net.
Find more events on USEE’s Online Environmental Education Database! Visit http://usee.org/calendar/calendar.html
National
Article on Environmental Education Standards
An informative article featuring work by NAAEE on the incorporation of EE into the accreditation of teacher preparation programs is now available. The article, "Setting High Standards: EE Builds a Home in Teacher Education Accreditation" can be downloaded at http://eetap.org/pages/fetch.php?fid=accreditation.pdf@pdf_url.
National Environmental Education Week!
April 16-22, 2006
National Environmental Education Week will be the single largest organized EE event in U.S. history. It will enhance the educational impact of Earth Day and create a full week of educational preparation, learning, and K-12 activities in classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. Visit http://www.eeweek.org.
NAAEE 35th Annual Conference
October 10 - 14, 2006 St. Paul, MN
Join the NAAEE for their annual conference, "Gathering at the Headwaters: Building EE in Society," this October to examine how the role of EE and can be integrated into facing challenges found in our education systems and natural resource conservation. For more information, visit http://naaee.org/.
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
In a continuing effort to increase and improve Leave No Trace outreach, education and training, The Center for Outdoor Ethics has just launched a survey to help determine how it can best spread Leave No Trace at the grassroots level. Click here to take the survey!
Educator’s Corner
Professional Development/ Training Opportunities
Online Courses Available through EETAP at the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point
EETAP is offering two online courses this summer and fall through the University of WI-Stevens Point: “Applied EE Program Evaluation” and “Fundamentals of Environmental Education.” To register or learn more, please visit www.uwsp.edu/natres/msnree/quikref.htm.
Teacher Resources
The Kids Do Ecology website-support resource for PLT activities
This site is a great support resource for PLT activities that have information about ecology, biomes, and marine mammals; a student forum to pose questions to the ecologists; and student-created web pages of ecology experiments. Visit www.nceas.ucsb.edu./nceas-web/kids.
(Sources: NSTA Reports, Feb. 2006; www.plt.org)
Environmental Education Resource Guide
The Air & Waste Management Association publishes Environmental Education Resource Guide curricula for grades K-12, “Understanding Air Quality” outreach products, information booklets, fact sheets, and other materials. Visit http://www.awma.org/education/eeandpublicoutreach.asp for details.
Insect Diversity Poster
The Entomological Foundation has brought together the talents of Charley Harper and Dr. E.O. Wilson to create the "Insect Diversity Poster: Celebrating the Little Creatures of the World." Visit http://www.entfdn.org/print.php to purchase one today!
E-Field Trips
Check out the Spring 2006 e-Field Trip "Butterflies: Unlocking the Mystery of Metamorphosis" presented in an engaging format and designed to meet national education standards. Classrooms register for free. Visit http://www.efieldtrips.org.
Grants & Awards
Nature of Learning Start-Up Grants – National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Deadline: April 17, 2006
Start-up grants are available for groups and organizations interested in initiating the Nature of Learning Program, a community based EE initiative. Grants up to $5,000 and $3,000, respectively, will be awarded to support start-up expenses and continued support of programs. Visit http://www.nfwf.org/programs/tnol.cfm.
Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Award
Deadline: May 1, 2006
If you have made a difference by shaping your students’ lives through education, you are invited to apply! $5,000 and other honors will be given to five schoolteachers this year. Visit http://www.turnaround.org/about/awards.asp for more details.
CAPCO Science Class Challenge
Deadline: May 8, 2006
All 4-9 educators are invited to participate in the CAPCO Science Class Challenge to win $250 to $5,000 for his/her school! The competition encourages learning about the ozone layer, CFCs, and the environment. For more information, visit http://www.nocfcs.org/scc/home.htm.
EE Jobs
Education Specialist ~ Tracy Aviary
Application deadline May 1st
Tracy Aviary is looking to fill one full-time and one part-time Education Specialist position. Responsibilities include development and delivery of education programs, partnership generation, and volunteer recruitment among other duties. These are Americorps positions requiring a 1700-hour and 450-hour time commitment respectively, and include health & dental benefits and an educational award dependant on service length. Please contact Brent at brentb@tracyaviary.org for more information.
Public Relations Intern, Canyonlands Field Institute
Ongoing application acceptance for seasonal positions
These 2-3 month internships offer an opportunity to learn about aspects of public relations of a small non-profit, such as marketing, fundraising, grants, newsletter production, database management, and more. Contact Karla at kv@canyonlandsfieldinst.org or visit www.canyonlandsfieldinst.org for details.
For more EE jobs, please visit http://www.usee.org/eeinfo/jobs.html