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 eachmonth’s publication!
In This Issue:
USEE News
Community Corner
Environmental Education News
Educator’s Corner
USEE News
Upcoming Events
Utah Environmental Education Conferenc
Make your lodging reservations now!
Get ready! USEE’s 17th Annual Environmental Education Conference will be held on November 10-11, 2006 at the Ogden Nature Center in Ogden, Utah. This year we welcome Kathleen Dean Moore, nature writer and professor of philosophy at Oregon State University, as our keynote speaker. We are also excited to welcome Laura Nelson, Energy Advisor to the Governor of Utah, and Brian Day, President of the North American Association for Environmental Education! Official Conference lodging is available at a discounted rate of $59 per night at the following location:
Best Western High Country Inn
1355 West 12th Street
Ogden, Utah 84404
Phone: 801.394.9464 Fax: 801.392.6589
Please call the hotels directly to make your reservations. Don’t forget to mention that you will be attending the USEE conference to receive a discounted rate. Online registration for the conference will be available after September 1st! Please contact Marie at 801-328-1549 or marie@usee.org if you have any questions.
News
Internship Opportunities at USEE!
USEE is looking for part-time interns to assist in various areas such as conference planning, the Utah EE certification program, and development. Please see EE Jobs below for more information!
FREE Posters at USEE’s TRC!
The school year is approaching fast! How is your classroom going to look? If you need some new posters to spruce up your classroom walls and entice your student’s minds, USEE has hundreds to give away for FREE! Come visit our Teacher Resource Center (TRC) at our office, and pick up you very own set of free posters ranging in topic from fire education and biodiversity to wildlife and landscape! To have posters sent in the mail, contact Marie at marie@usee.org or 801.328.1549.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Wild Oats Markets at Sugar House and 400 South for naming USEE as a current recipient of the Wooden Nickel Program! Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bags when you shop at Wild Oats and donate your wooden nickel to USEE!
Thank you to our new and renewing Institutional Members:
- Colorado River and Trail Expeditions
- The Living Planet Aquarium (link to http://www.thelivingplanet.com/)
- Salt Lake City Public Utilities (link to http://www.slcgov.com/utilities/default.htm)
- Swaner Nature Preserve
- USDA Forest Service
- USU: Utah House/Utah Botanical Center (link to http://utahbotanicalcenter.org//)
USEE would like to thank the individuals and organizations that contributed articles for the Summer/Fall issue of The WEB. This issue focuses on Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate with featured articles including "Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate,” by the 2006 Canon Envirothon Education Committee, “Utah Water Issues in 2006” by David G. Ovard of Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, and “Do as the Romans Did” by American P.I.E., Public Information on the Environment. The WEB is available to view online To become a member of USEE and receive a yearly subscription to the WEB newsletter click here!
Community Corner
Upcoming Events
Salsa Cook-Off in the Garden!
August 19, Fairpark Garden 1037 W 300 N @ 6pm
Delicious salsa, kids activities, music, and prizes! Sign up to be a part of the competition, or join Wasatch Community Gardens on the day of for free tasting and fun in the garden. Visit http://www.wasatchgardens.org/ for details and to download an entry form!
e2 Citizen Invitational
August 23, SLC, UT @ 6pm
Enjoy a summer evening at the Tracy Aviary! Welcome home Anami who flew from the Aviary all the way to Idaho; watch an exciting, comical, and informative Birds of Prey show; and enjoy the celebration! Visit www.slcgreen.com to find out more.
Stream Bank Revetment Installation
Mid-August, Swaner Nature Preserve, Park City, UT
Looking to get down and dirty? Then Swaner Nature Preserve is the place for you! The preserve is looking for volunteers mid August for its stream bank revetment installation effort. Visit www.swanernature.org for more information.
Garden Workshop Series
Saturdays through October, Utah House, Kaysville, UT
Saturday mornings from 9:00-10:00 am at the Utah House Classroom, you can learn about an array of garden topics from Davis County Master Gardeners. For more information, visit http://utahbotanicalcenter.org/EduClasses.html.
Did You Know..?
In 1996, there were 750 major wildfires in Utah that burned more than 500,000 acres. The cost to fight these fires was $22 million! There are many steps that you can take both as a concerned citizen and homeowner to prevent the spread of wildfires from firewise landscaping to homeowner safety precautions.
To learn more about Fire Safety, visit http://extension.usu.edu/cooperative/ueden/index.cfm/cid.325/, or to check out some of the latest wildfire initiatives, read “BLM Snapshots” at http://www.fire.blm.gov/textdocuments/7-28-06.pdf. If you would like to obtain fire education materials, please contact Marie at USEE through email or phone (marie@usee.org or 801.328.1549).
Environmental Education News & Events
Local
Tracy Aviary After Hours
Thursdays in September – 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th
Looking for something interesting to do with your Thursday nights? Tracy Aviary is hosting four lecture discussions regarding birds and topics relating to their habitat, birding, etc. Why not make it a family night! Tracy Aviary will have educational programs for the smaller family members to take part in while you sit back and relax learning the marvel of birds. For more event information, email info@tracyaviary.org, call 801-596-8500, or visit http://www.tracyaviary.org/Events.htm.
National
NAAEE 35th Annual Conference
October 10th – 14th, St. Paul, MN
Join NAAEE for their annual conference, "Gathering at the Headwaters: Building EE in Society," this October to examine how the role of EE can be integrated into facing challenges found in our education systems and natural resource conservation. Sessions abound for EE providers from all arenas: non-formal settings, universities, K-12 classrooms, business, and government. With over 350 speakers in 5 strands and valuable networking opportunities, invest your professional development dollars wisely with NAAEE in Minnesota!
To register, visit www.naaee.org.
Upcoming Annual Environmental Education Conferences
- ANCA Annual Summit ~ Cedar Creek, Texas, August 24-26, http://natctr.org/summit.html
- KAEE Annual Conference ~ Covington, KT, September 8-9, http://www.kaee.org/conference.htm
Educator’s Corner
Professional Development/ Training Opportunities
Online Science Course From the American Museum of Natural History
August 28–October 8 & October 30–December 10
The American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH) Seminars on Science is offering 4 online graduate courses designed for K-12 educators this fall: Earth: Inside and Out; The Ocean System Genetics, Genomics, Genethics; The Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds; and Space, Time, and Motion. Graduate credit and certification are available to meet professional development needs, NCLB, and salary gradation requirements. For details, visit http://learn.amnh.org. (Courtesy of NSTA newsletter)
EETAP Online Courses at the University of WI-Steven’s Point
September 18 – December 1 & September 11– November 17
EETAP still has enrollment space available for two online courses this fall through the University of WI-Stevens Point: Applied EE Program Evaluation and Fundamentals of Environmental Education! To register, contact Angela Lemar (Angela.Lemar@uwsp.edu) or visit http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/.
Teacher Resources
New Cultural Diversity Content Available on NAAEE Web Site
EETAP, Intercambios, and NAAEE have teamed up to provide environmental educators with online information and resources on EE and diversity. The site contains information about perspectives and approaches for Environmental Education to remain effective and relevant to diverse populations both locally and globally. Visit http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/diversity/cultural-diversity-eetap/. (Courtesy of NAAEE and EETAP Newsletter)
New PLT Supplement ~ “Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live”
Project Learning Tree has developed new education materials for grade 9-12 students to develop their sense of place and critical thinking skills so they will care about and influence the decisions being made about the places they live. Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live gets students exploring their own neighborhoods, learning about their community's development through time, and involved in local community action projects. Educators can obtain a copy of PLT's Places We Live module by attending a professional development workshop in their area. For more information, visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/31_41_39.html.
Consumer’s Guide to After School Science Resources
This guide provides a searchable database of science curricula for afterschool programs and includes activity kits, instructor guides, and content appropriate websites. Visit http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/guide/science/.
Grants & Awards
Red, White, and Green Climate Change Grant
Deadline: September 1st
Youth Service America and the Civil Society Institute are awarding $500 grants to implement a service-learning project about climate change. This youth-led project must engage community members as well as those running for election in November 2006. Visit http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm#nowavailable for more information.
PLT GreenWorks! Grants
Deadline: September 29, 2006
All pre-school to high school formal and non-formal educators trained to use Project Learning Tree in the classroom are invited to apply for the GreenWorks! Grant. If you have an innovative idea for a hands-on community action or service-learning project for your students, but are unable to fund it, then apply now! Visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_21.html.
Presidential Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA)
Deadline: October 31, 2006
The U.S. EPA invites youth to participate in the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) program. This program recognizes young Americans for protecting the nation’s air, water, land, and ecology while promoting EE awareness and positive community involvement. Individuals, school classes, summer camps, public interest groups, and youth organizations are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/awards.html.
EE Jobs
USEE Internships
Application Deadline: September 1st, 2006
EE Certification Internship
|Intern will assist with the coordination and promotion of the Utah Environmental Education Certification Program. This program establishes high standards for the professional qualifications of environmental educators in Utah. These standards better define the environmental education (EE) profession within the state of Utah, and meeting these requirements helps foster the professional development of EE providers as individuals and as a professional community.
Conference Planning Internship
Intern will assist with the coordination and promotion of the Annual Utah Environmental Education Conference. Duties include assisting with nearly all aspects of conference planning such as advertising/promotion, scheduling, registration, and other logistics. If possible, interns will attend the conference and offer support in coordinating on-site logistics.
Development Internship
Intern will assist with fundraising and development activities. Responsibilities may include researching funding opportunities, assisting with developing and editing grant proposals, coordinating donor solicitations for annual auction, and serving on development and event committees.
Qualifications include: passion for environmental education and a desire to learn more about statewide EE efforts, strong leadership and interpersonal skills, and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Must be self-motivated, reliable, able to work independently as well as with a team, and competent in using computers.
These are volunteer, part-time (10-15 hours per/week) positions from 9/1-12/1 2006.
Benefits include: flexible schedule, great work environment, and professional development opportunities.
To apply please send a cover letter and resume by September 1st, 2006 to:
Sommer Thorgusen
Email: sommer@usee.org
Fax: 801-595-1555
350 South 400 East #G4
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Request for Proposals - Salt Lake County “Stormwater Public Information”
Deadline: August 25, 2006
Salt Lake County is soliciting competitive proposals from qualified firms to provide assistance with the preparation and implementation of effective public information and education programs regarding storm water pollution and its prevention to meet UPDES storm water permit conditions. Email Sharon Pierce at spierce@slco.org with questions regarding the proposal.
Work Study Position with Bend-in-the-River, University of Utah
Work as a volunteer leader, an educator, a grounds worker, or any combination of the above at the Bend-in-the-River, a two-acre natural site on the Jordan River. This position offers experience with area nonprofits and environmental organizations. Duties include preparing a variety of lessons and instructing in the classroom, conducting grounds work and related research, coordinating and leading volunteer groups
Visit http://www.sa.utah.edu/bennion/bend/job.htm for a full position description.
For more environmental education job opportunities visit USEE’s EE Jobs page: http://usee.org/eeinfo/jobs.html