Job Announcements

There have been lots of job opportunities popping up all over the place. Check out the MAEOE Facebook page for links to full time and seasonal job announcements.

Just search Facebook for Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education


Hope you are enjoying spring as it blooms!!!

Position Available - Monie Bay Volunteer Coordinator

The mission of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland (CBNERR) is to improve coastal resource management by increasing scientific understanding of estuarine systems and making estuarine research relevant, meaningful, and accessible. CBNERR protects estuarine natural areas at three components: Otter Point Creek, Jug Bay, and Monie Bay-for research and education programs.

Monie Bay is one of three sites that make up CBNERR. It is located on the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area (Somerset County), which is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The primary education event for 16 years has been Wetlands and Wildlife Field Day, which occurs in September when all the fourth graders in the county come to the marsh for this exciting event. Research projects study the impacts of management actions and sea level rise on wildlife habitat. New technologies measure marsh erosion and accretion to see if the marsh is keeping up with sea level rise. To learn more about the Reserve, see www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cbnerr.

Position Description: This position will build on the success of Wetlands and Wildlife Field Day to initiate additional stewardship and education programs, build community awareness and support of the Reserve, and foster a sense of stewardship in local communities by recruiting and coordinating volunteers and organizing volunteer research and stewardship projects.

The Monie Bay Volunteer Coordinator will be supervised by the CBNERR-MD Stewardship Coordinator, but will also work closely with the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area staff and other partners. Activities may include:

• Provide stewardship opportunities for Maryland's urban and rural citizens, including both students and the community surrounding the Monie Bay component

• Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers and volunteer activities for restoration, research and monitoring, and education projects-volunteer field sampling projects may include bay grasses, emergent vegetation, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mammals, and/or birds

• Serve as local community liaison and build volunteer and community support for and interest in Monie Bay programs

• Initiate and foster new partnerships that help to achieve CBNERR goals

• Work with CBNERR and partner staff to develop oral history videos for Monie Bay

• Assist with preparations for and implementation of Wetlands and Wildlife Field Day

• Assist CBNERR staff with planning, overseeing, and managing any visitor facilities that may be built or acquired for the Monie Bay CBNERR component

• Attend and represent CBNERR at community events, providing presentations and activities, as appropriate

• Attend meetings required of all CBNERR Staff and Interns, including site manager meetings

For more detailed information about the project, please contact the CBNERR Stewardship Coordinator, Chris Snow, at 410-260-8732 or via email at csnow@dnr.state.md.us.

Qualifications: This position is open to qualified undergraduates or graduates with experience in volunteer coordination who are capable of working independently with minimal supervision. The qualified person should be self-motivated, have good communication and writing skills, and be comfortable working in physically challenging environments. The ideal candidate will have an understanding of the complex nature of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, the challenges it faces, and management issues.

Application Requirements: Qualified applicants should submit the following:

1. a short proposal (less than three single spaced pages) that describes an example volunteer program and the steps they would take to set it up;
2. copies of unofficial transcripts;
3. two letters of recommendation; and,
4. a one-page resume.

All applications must be received by March 26, 2010.

Position Details: This position is a part-time seasonal contractual employee with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources under the supervision of the CBNERR Stewardship Coordinator. This is a part-time position, and the total number of hours worked per week will be variable and flexible, with a minimum of 16 hours per week and maximum of 40 hours per week (7- to 10-month position beginning May 2010). Salary will depend on education and experience.

Email complete applications to:
Chris Snow, CBNERR Stewardship Coordinator
csnow@dnr.state.md.us
410-260-8731

MAEOE Conference in the News

Last weekend's 25th Annual Conference caught the attention of Kristin Harty Barkley at the Cumberland Times-News in her article, "Educators come to area to learn to teach about environment," appearing Feb. 20.

Cassie Doty had to work around the snow drifts Friday.

Using GPS and Geographic Information System technology, she showed a small group of environmental educators how to map and assess land outside the Appalachian Laboratory on Braddock Road in Frostburg.

“We just kind of winged it,” said Doty, education coordinator at the lab and a presenter at the 25th annual Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education conference.

The event, originally scheduled for Feb. 4-7, was postponed two weeks because of snowstorms that dumped more than two feet of snow on the area.

Several hundred public school teachers and other “non-formal educators” gathered at venues in Frostburg and Rocky Gap State Park for a weekend of workshops on everything from soil fertility to aquatic biodiversity, from identifying amphibians to creating a schoolyard wetland.

Read the entire piece by clicking here.

Seeking Interested OEF/OIF Veterans

Free Wilderness Expeditions Available

Overview: Outward Bound, a 45-year old national non-profit outdoor, adventure-education organization, is looking for OEF and OIF Veterans and service members, interested in participating in fully-funded reintegration wilderness expeditions. Adventures are physically, mentally and emotionally challenging and seek to bolster the self-confidence, camaraderie, pride, trust and communication skills necessary to successfully return to families and communities following war-time service.


Who: Available to all OEF or OIF Veterans who were deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan, pending medical screening

What: A 5-day Wilderness Expedition: may include backpacking, rock climbing, and/or canoeing

When: Dates available from April 2010

Where: Appalachian Trail in Western Maryland and Southern Pa. & the Potomac River in Western Maryland

How: What sets Outward Bound apart is that the goal is personal growth. The wilderness and the skills learned to deal with challenge are simply a vehicle for growth.

Cost: FREE. All course costs are covered by existing funding sources. Funding provided by various sources, including the Military Family Outdoor Initiative Project, a joint project of the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation.

To enroll: Please call John C. Enny, Community Liaison; Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center; (410)-448-1721 ext 1103 or email: jenny@outwardbound.org

Website: http://www.outwardbound.org/veterans

Outward Bound offers WFR class

The Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center is proud to announce the following dates for Wilderness First Responder training: February 16, 2010 - February 23, 2010 AND February 25, 2010 through March 4, 2010 for first certification AND WFR Open Recertification: March 6-March 8, 2010 for a 3 day recertification course.

Wilderness First Responder: 2/16-2/23/2010 and 2/25 - 3/4/2010. Cost: $750
Wilderness First Responder has become the gold-standard in medical training for outdoor educators, guides, and other backcountry professionals. The curriculum is comprehensive but practical, including all of the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in remote and extreme environments. Wilderness First Responder is the best basic medical training for people who like to work or play off the beaten path. The curriculum makes liberal use of practical hands-on sessions as well as classroom lecture and discussion. You should expect realistic scenarios using stage blood and simulated wounds to properly prepare you for backcountry emergencies. Sessions may be video-taped to enhance learning.

WFR Open Recertification: March 6-March 8, 2010. Cost: $400
This three day (24 hour) course is a recertification course open to graduates of ALL wilderness medical training courses of 64 hours or longer with a current certification. Upon successful completion of this course you will receive Wilderness Medical Associates WFR, Anaphylaxis and BLS-level CPR certifications. WMA WEMT graduates with a current EMT-B or Paramedic certificate may also recertify the wilderness portion of their WEMT.

Location:
Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center, 1900 Eagle Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21207

Read more or contact Walter Lenckos at 410-448-1721 or 866-669-2362 ext. 1111 or wlenckos@outwardbound.org for more information. Room and Board are available. Transportation to and from both Penn Station in Baltimore and BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport can be arranged.

2 New Board Members!!!

Their nicknames are Extreme West and Extreme East because they work at the extreme ends of this state. Cat Stylinski comes to MAEOE from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Appalachian Lap in Frostburg; Carrie Samis from the Maryland Coastal Bays Program in Ocean City. “Because MAEOE represents and serves environmental educators throughout the entire state, the addition of Stylinski and Samis to the Board of Trustees will help the organization better reach out to professionals working on the edges of the state,” explained MAEOE Executive Director, Bronwyn Mitchell.

Each individual brings to MAEOE a unique set of talents and experience. As tenured faculty member, Dr. Stylinski has spent the last seven years designing, implementing and evaluating formal and informal environmental/science education programs and products which help middle and high school teachers and youth pursue local watershed investigations using geospatial technology. Dr. Stylinski researches the integration of innovative technology applications into formal and informal education, the relationship between children and nature, and news media impacts on public understanding of and attitudes about science.

Samis brings 16 years of experience as a conservation education professional with expertise in teacher professional development, minority outreach, and gifted and talented education with the goal of providing opportunities for teachers and students to explore local habitats, understand the complexities of local environmental issues, develop critical thinking skills, and foster sense of place, all in an effort to nurture a new generation of environmental stewards. Carrie Samis does not just believe in partnerships, she builds them, most notably as a leader in the organizing of the Delmarva Environmental Educators Network.

Elena Takaki, Board President, emphasizes that “the MAEOE Board feels confident that the organization’s future is bright with Carrie and Cat on board, and is excited to tap into their extensive knowledge and expertise.” Geography does present some challenges. Mitchell notes that MAEOE is committed to taking advantage of technology which will allow “Extreme West Cat” and “Extreme East Carrie” to actively participate in setting and overseeing the implementation of a creative vision for environmental education in the state without driving six hours to attend a two-hour meeting.. “After all,” she comments, “MAEOE believes in environmental leadership by action and example.”

Conference - Early Bird Rates Extended

Due to the convergence of weather and holidays, MAEOE understands that registering for the conference may have fallen to second or even third in your list of priorities. MAEOE also appreciates the financial constraints under which the environmental education community is currently operating. The conference committee met last night and decided to extend Early Bird Registration Rates till January 11, 2010.

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE 2010 CONFERENCE

• Stellar slate of workshops and sessions taught by academic titans designed to build knowledge
• Entomology
• Soil Science
• Benthic Macroinvertebrates
• Fish ID
• Amphibian ID
• Living with Black Bears
• Acid Mine Drainage
• Grant Writing
• Survey Development
• Creative and Effective Programs, Tools, and Resources to Apply Knowledge
• Birding for the Blind
• Make your own BioFuels
• Teaching climate change
• Design a schoolyard habitat
• Envirothon
• Underwater Robots
• Premier Plenaries
• Tony Geraci Revolutionizing School Lunch Programs
• Alliance for Climate Education
• Special Guests
• Opportunity to network with over 270 organizations, schools, agencies, and businesses working in the Environmental and Outdoor Education Field
• Stay on the cutting edge of Legislation at the National, Regional, and Local Levels
• Celebrate and Strengthen the Profession

In addition, MAEOE has given you more choices. With limited budgets, you can send staff to individual workshops or field experiences without having to attend the entire conference. Simply select the Non-Standard Registration option. Please help MAEOE by distributing this notice and encouraging colleagues and educators to attend. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact MAEOE at director@maeoe.org.