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
Now Accepting Applications for the Utah Environmental Education Certification Program
Deadline to apply: June 15, 2005
The Utah Environmental Education Certification Program establishes high standards for the professional qualifications of environmental educators in Utah. Certification has a variety of benefits for individuals, organizations, and the field of EE. Individual educators often find that the certification process serves as an important step in their professional development. In meeting high standards of the program, candidates more fully master both the theory and practice of EE, making them more effective as professionals.
For more information or for an application packet, contact Jen Visitacion at jenv@usee.org, 801-328-1549, or visit http://www.usee.org/certification.html.
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.
Special Thanks
We would like to thank Alta Ski Resort for accepting donations on behalf of USEE at the ticket counters and restaurants throughout Earth Day Weekend!
Community Corner
Upcoming Events
San Juan River Upper Canyon: Rafting for Adults – Canyonlands Field Institute
June 5-9, Canyonlands Field Institute
If you are interested in taking an exciting and educational rafting trip form Bluff to Mexican Hat, contact Karla at the Canyonlands Field Institute at kv@canyonlandsfiledinst.org or visit http://www.canyonlandsfieldinst.org. Raft from Bluff to Mexican Hat, UT.
Swaner Nature Preserve Watershed Festival
June 10th, Park City, UT
Swaner Nature Preserve’s 2nd annual watershed festival will take place on Saturday, June 10th from 10-2pm at the Basin Recreation Field House (Kimball Junction). A variety of activities, presentations, and informational booths will be providing activities and information on birding, fishing, wildlife photography, water-wise landscaping, and tours of the preserve just to name a few. Visit www.swanernaturepreserve.org or call 435.649.1767 for details.
Bear River Celebration
June 10th, Logan’s Willow Park, UT
Come join Bear River’s 5th annual celebration form 9-4pm for free! Many organizations and schools have signed up to participate in this event full of things to do such as the student share fair, fishing,and a variety of activities such as fish printing, wildlife, pond ecology, water conservation and quality, recycling and much more. Contact USU Water Extension at 797-2580 or email Andreé Walker at andree@cc.usu.edu for details.
Community News
Grand Prize Winners Named in National Education Competition
Congratulations to Cassandra Collard, from Heritage Elementary School in Layton, UT, for winning the elementary division in the National Energy Foundation’s (NEF) 5th annual competition “Igniting Creative Energy!” Cassandra created an “I Spy” themed book that highlighted 101 ways to save energy at home by designing and photographing scenes from her dollhouse. Her project summary stated” “I hope that people will start doing the simple things they can do around the house to save energy. I hope that my project will be fun to look at, but that it helps people learn also.” To learn more about the NEF competition, visit www.nef1.org.
Did You Know..?
The Clean Water Fund estimated that the average American home uses 40 pounds of unsafe household cleaners each year! What we throw away and wash down our drains often ends up in our water systems! Not only do they harm our environment, but they also impose short- and long-term health effects such as allergic reactions, dizziness, eye irritations, and even the formation of carcinogenic compounds that are harmful to adults and especially children. (Source: American P.I.E., Public Information on the Environment www.americanpie.org)
Check out the following websites for more information and safe alternatives to household chemicals:
http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html
http://www.groundwork.org.za/Resources/household_toxic_tour.htm
Environmental Education News & Events
Local
2006 Earth Day Poster Contest at Ogden Nature Center
The Ogden Nature Center recently held its 2006 Earth Day poster contest themed “Climate Solutions.” 
Congratulations to all the grand prizewinners for their hard work and talented artistic expression!
K – Benjamin Keller
1st – Seth Saunders
2nd – Ruby Marden
3rd – Aleisha Keller
4th – Victorieya Smith
5th – Matt Houtz
World Ocean Day
June 8th
June 8th is World Oceans Day; so take the opportunity to celebrate the world oceans by participating in events and activities with aquariums, zoos, and museums. Visit the Ocean Project site for activity suggestions http://www.theoceanproject.org/news/oceanday.html.
Regional
Second Annual Teaching Evolution: Meeting the Challenge Workshop
June 12, University of CO at Boulder, CO
Science educators and administrators can attend this free full day event packed with lectures, discussions, workshops, and panels from 8-5pm. Space is filling up fast, so register for this great educational opportunity by June 1st before it’s too late! For more details, visit http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/EEBprojects/teaching/index.html.
National
2 New EETAP Articles
EETAP has completed two new articles on key initiatives in environmental education (EE). They highlight work by EETAP, its partners, and others in EE related areas. These articles inform EE practitioners and other educators about programs and trends in EE and their significance for the field. Please click on the following links to read on!
- “Education and the Environment: Partners for Change” http://eetap.org/media/pdf/PartnersFINAL_4_5_06.pdf
- “EE Program Profiles” http://eetap.org/pages/article.ee_program_profiles.2006.04.php
Embrace Excellence: Two-part Workshop in NAAEE Reviews
June 6, Washington, DC (register by May 30th)
Those interested in improving programs and becoming a certified NAAEE reviewer are invited to attend this workshop. Participants will learn how to effectively evaluate resources with "EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence” and also how to maintain an "edge of excellence" in resource evaluation. Visit http://naaee.org/pages/resourcereview/QA.html for details.
FireWorks “Master” Workshop
June 27-29, Missoula, MT
All formal and non-formal educators are invited to attend this free workshop while space is still available! This class offers in-depth study of fire behavior and ecology while also introducing a variety of activities. Please contact Autumn at ahaughey@fs.fed.us or call 406.829.6894.
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/.
Educator’s Corner
Professional Development/ Training Opportunities
Scholarships for Online Courses Available through EETAP at the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point
EETAP will now have scholarships available for both of its online courses, “Applied EE Program Evaluation” and “Fundamentals of Environmental Education
More information about these courses and scholarship qualifications can be found at www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap.
Two Summer Semesters of Online Courses From American Museum of Natural History
June 12-July 23 & July 3-August 13
The American Museum of Natural History’s Seminars on Science is currently registering science educators for two summer semesters. These six-week courses are designed for K-12 educators, and include resources for classroom use, feature rich web-based discussions, and on-line accessibility. For more information and to register, go to http://learn.amnh.org or call 800-649-6715.
Source: NSTA Express
FREE Professional Development Web Seminars
Five diverse and in-depth NSTA Web Seminars for science educators are available. These seminars are free, and allow participants to interact with real experts. Seminar topics include Space Journey, Coral Ecosystems, Hurricanes, Energy, and Assessment Probes. For a full schedule, visit http://institute.nsta.org/web_seminars.asp.
Teacher Resources
2006 PLT PreK-8 Guide
The new PLT PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide is now available to educators who have been to a PLT workshop in the past can now order PLT’s new PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide by mail, or through the website. Visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_21_10.html to order a copy today.
PLT Online Store
The PLT Classroom Resource and Reading Connection section of the PLT online store is now up and running and filled with numerous books correlated to the newly revised PLT PreK-8 Activity Guide’s “Reading Connections” sections, Energy & Society, Forest Ecology, Focus on Forests, Municipal Solid Waste, and Exploring Environmental Issue: Places We Live. Visit http://shop.plt.org.
NSTA's SciLinks® Online Teacher-Approved Internet Service
The following links provide NSTA web-based resources for expanding upon science lesson plans.
- Grades K–4:
http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=63823447142110441066
- Grades 5–8:
http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=63823447145510441066
- Grades 9–12:
http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=63823447149910441066
WOW! Wetlands Education in Spanish
Now available is the first Spanish extension to WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands curriculum guide, called Las Maravillas de Humedales – Environmental Concerns. The 355+ page book includes extensive wetland ecology information and over 50 hands-on activities correlated to National Science Standards. Visit http://www.wetland.org/.
Senderos Spring Edition
Senderos, the electronic bulletin from the Border-Wide EE Coalition, features stories and news from the border region’s environmental educators, and information about programs and events taking place in the ten US-Mexico Border States. Visit http://www.eecc.net/eneaseng.htm for more information.
Grants & Awards
Chevron Conservation Awards Program
Deadline: May 31
Individuals and organizations can apply to the Chevron Conservation Awards Program that recognizes outstanding contributions to natural resource conservation. Six winners will receive a cash award of $15,000 to aid in their conservation work. Visit http://www.chevron.com/social_responsibility/community/programs_conservation.asp.
VIVA! Garden for Schools Contest
Deadline: May 31, 2006
It’s easy to apply for the Garden for Schools Contest! 50 VIVA! Garden Contest winners will receive a $250 Home Depot gift card and be featured on the vivagarden.com website. Just fill out an entry form and a description of your school garden! Visit http://www.vivagarden.com/schools/contest.html for details.
Braitmayer Foundation K-12 Education Grants
Deadlines: June 1st & November 15th
The Braitmayer Foundation will be awarding grants to fund a broad range of K-12 education programs with curricular reform initiatives and professional development opportunities for teachers. For more information on how to apply, visit http://www.braitmayerfoundation.org/guid.htm.
2006 Healthy Sprouts Award
Deadline: October 15th
In order to promote “health-focused youth gardens”, the National Gardening Association invites applicants to apply for the School Gardens Program’s 2006 Healthy Sprouts Award, sponsored by Gardener’s Supply. Twenty-five schools or organization will be awarded with a $200 gift certificate to support school garden programs demonstrating the relationship between nutrition and hunger in the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.kidsgardening.com/healthysprouts1.asp
EE Jobs
Director of Education ~ Stokes Nature Center
Stokes Nature Center is looking for an Education Director to lead education staff and programs, which include program development & implementation, education staff & intern training, supervision, and evaluation. Please visit http://www.logannature.org/employment.htm for a more detailed job description.
Volunteer Naturalist at Great Salt Lake Nature Center
Farmington Bay, UT
The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay is looking for volunteer wildlife enthusiasts interested in participating in the center’s educational programs and events. Volunteer naturalists conduct education programs and lead field trips that range in topics about the Great Salt Lake’s wetlands and wildlife. No experience necessary, training is provided! Contact Karen Caldwell or Jodie Anderson at 801.476.2740.
For more EE jobs, please visit http://www.usee.org/eeinfo/jobs.html