Kids In the Wild: Engaging K-12 Students in Environmental Educational Experiences

The Potomac Watershed Partnership 2012 Winter Information Exchange

WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, 2500 Foundation Way

Martinsburg, West Virginia, December 11, 2012  (9:00-3:00)

Is your group effectively reaching the next generation of environmental leaders? 

Most watershed groups and conservation agencies have “educate the public” in their mission.  It is time to take that mission off the shelf and reach out to the largest education audience, K-12 schools.  Get the tools you need to get a foot in the door at your local school.

Join us!  Learn what is happening across the Potomac Basin and beyond.  The Potomac Watershed Partnership (PWP) is a collaborative effort among federal, state, and local partners to restore the health of the land and waters of the Potomac River Basin, thereby enhancing quality of life and overall the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 

9:00     Doors open & registration.  Light refreshments served.

9:45     Housekeeping & introductions

10:00   The New Mid-Atlantic Environmental Literacy Strategy - Shannon Sprague, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office

10:40   Environmental Literacy from a National Perspective - Laura Johnson Collard, Executive Director, Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education

11:20   Break

11:30   Organizational Announcements – A chance for watershed associations, schools, parks and other groups to briefly update the audience on education projects they are working on. Please sign up your group to speak during registration.

12:00   Lunch- Brown Bag or $8.50 for Daily Grind “box lunch” (due at AM registration)

1:00     Engaging Students With Local and National Parks – Andy Jackson, Coordinator of Science Instruction at Harrisonburg City Schools (Virginia)

1:30     Leaf Pack Network, Teachers and Students Investigating Stream Ecosystems - Christina Medved, M.A., Stroud Water Research Center

2:00     Extended Classroom Programs Leading To Outdoor Experiences - Ellen Murphy, Youth Education Director for Potomac Valley Audubon Society

2:30     Mapping Our Streams, National Geographic Chesapeake Bay FieldScope - Cassie Doty, University of Maryland Center for Educational Studies

3:00     Conclusion

Please RSVP online, by email to pwp@cacaponinstitute.org, or by phone 304-856-1385.

On behalf of the Potomac Watershed Partnership,

Frank Rodgers, Executive Director

Cacapon Institute / P.O. Box 68, High View, WV  26808
304-856-1385 / www.potomacpartnership.org

ISA Certified Arborist MA-4468A

New opportunity for Artists, Authors & Crafters at the MAEOE conference

Enviro-Artists and Authors Walk

Calling all artists and authors! We all know that the MAEOE membership is extremely talented. This year we are offering the opportunity for you to display and sell your work.

How it works: the pool side patio rooms in the Atrium at the Princess Royale will be reserved for this purpose. You will be able to display and sell your items in your room and/or on the patio. There will 2 prime opportunities for you during the lunches on Friday and Saturday. You will be able to have your room, sell your work, and then just lock up and attend the conference. Regular room rate applies, all we ask is a $65 contribution and a donation for the silent auction. For further information, please contact Melanie Parker, MDParker@AACPS.org

Two Month Coastal Education and Leadership Internship Program for Rising High School Seniors

SEA S.T.A.R.PROGRAM (STUDENTS TEACHING AND RESEARCHING)

Sunday June 16, 2013 – Friday August 16, 2013

Do you love the ocean and the outdoors? Do you have an interest in studying wild and diverse ecosystems? Do you dream of one day working as a Marine Biologist? Get ready for the summer adventure of a lifetime! The Marine Science Consortium is excited to offer a Coastal Education and Leadership Program for rising High School Seniors. This internship allows students to gain experience in an Environmental Education program while researching a Marine Science Project that interests them.

We are looking for eight rising high school seniors (currently juniors age 16 and older) with an interest in education, biology or science. Students must have a strong academic profile and be interested in an opportunity to work in an outdoor environmental education setting. Interns will spend a lot of time outdoors in marine environments. Students who are enthusiastic and outgoing, can work easily with others and are organized, with good attention to detail will be the best fit for this internship.

For 2 months students will live, work and play on the Marine Science Consortium’s main campus, in Wallops Island, VA. This internship includes three components: programs, research and enrichment. Students will work alongside program staff to provide environmental education programs and summer camp activities; periodically attend college level courses; develop their own research project or legacy project; and explore the exciting marine habitats of the Eastern Shore of VA. This eight week program is a wonderful opportunity to enhance and develop self-confidence, self-awareness, communication skills, and personal leadership style. The internship is a unique opportunity for students to gain job experience, to learn about the exciting field of Marine Science and to make new friends. Students will gain work and research experience that they may then apply in their senior year in high school and beyond.

Since 1965 The Marine Science Consortium has educated and inspired thousands of children, youth, and adults about the marine and coastal ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Region through place-based, hands-on experiences. MSC is ideally located on Virginia's Eastern Shore, between the powerful Atlantic Ocean and ecologically important Chesapeake Bay. The barrier islands of the Eastern Shore create a series of habitats that are biologically diverse and geologically dynamic. These natural classrooms introduce students to a variety of concepts in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences.

For more information : http://msconsortium.org/#/highschoolstudentinternship/4546405256

APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work on a team, energetic and open to learning
• Strong interest in Science, Education, Marine Biology or Ecology
• Experience working with kids is a plus but not necessary
• This position requires applicants to be able to lift 45 lbs and walk distances of 1 mile at time

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Cover Letter
• Intern Application
• School Transcript
• Two Signature-Sealed Letters of Recommendation (one from a teacher)
• Phone Interview

• Interns must be at least 16 years old by the first day of the internship and must have completed their junior year of high school

IMPORTANT DATES

• Nov 26, 2012 – Begin accepting applications
• Feb 1, 2013 – All Application materials due
• Feb 4, 2013 – Phone Interviews begin
• Mar 1, 2013– Notice of first acceptances

EMAIL OR MAIL COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO:

C. Parker Mcmullen-Bushman

Special Programs Coordinator

The Marine Science Consortium

34001 Mill Dam Road

Wallops Island VA 23337

specialprog@msconsortium.org

757-824-5636

www.msconsortium.org

For more information : http://msconsortium.org/#/highschoolstudentinternship/4546405256

14th Annual Takoma Park Alternative Gift Fair

Give gifts that touch people's hearts, honor them and make a real difference to those in need.

Saturday, December 1, 2012   12 noon - 4 pm
Takoma Park Presbyterian Church Community Hall310 Tulip Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
(corner of Tulip & Maple), three blocks from the Takoma Metro Station

Gifts you can buy for friends and family this year include: a refurbished bike for a rural health worker in Africa; a micro loan for a start-up DC entrepreneur, a month's organic vegetables for a low income family in Takoma Park and many more. All gifts are tax-deductible and include a certificate to drop into a holiday card. Shopping done!

Bring the whole family and start the holiday season with a lift and a renewed sense of what holiday giving is all about. At this year's fair:

Supervised Children's Corner with a visit from Santa, cookie decorating, tasty bake sale with Best Dessert Contest         raffle, great prizes from local businesses, music all afternoon, and a Serenity Corner with free seated shoulder/back massage & Reiki!

Payment is by cash, check or credit cards accepted  100% of each gift goes to the organization.
For more information visit: http://www.aggw.org

To sign up for a reminder or to volunteer, go to https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGliQnJkbHRQODhiMHJXSHF4bHdVX0E6MQ

Or contact Mimi Ikle-Khalsa, Fair Director, at  aggw_inc@yahoo.com

Sponsored by the non-profit Alternative Gifts of Greater Washington,  and the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church.

‘Tis the season to be learning!

Join Environmental Concern December 12-14 for our holiday professional development opportunities. Additionally take the extra work out of 2013 by purchasing pre-made WOW! Activity Kits or renting one of our Wetland Travelling Trunks for your next wetland unit.

POW! The Planning of Wetlands- December 12, 10am-4pm

Participants will learn the step-by-step process for creating or enhancing wetlands on school grounds or within the community. POW! guides participants through wetland design and construction with the goal of utilizing the habitat as an outdoor classroom.  Leave with cross curricular activities that allow students to participate in the design, installation and monitoring of a schoolyard wetland habitat. Cost: $40 includes POW!curriculum

Rain Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms- December 13, 10am-4pm

This one-day course introduces educators to the concept of rain gardens and their value as schoolyard habitats. Participants will understand how rain gardens benefit the environment by improving the watershed and how they can be used as an extension of the classroom. Participants will leave with the basic knowledge of how to plan, design and implement a rain garden from start to finish. Cost: $35 includesRain Garden curriculum

WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands- December 14, 10am-4pm

WOW! introduces participants to wetland ecology through a study of the three parameters of wetlands: vegetation, soils and hydrology. Participants will also learn about wetland functions and values by utilizing K-12 cross curricular, inquiry based activities.  Leave with a wetland resource guide with over 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities in lesson plan format, and ideas for student action projects. Cost: $35 includes WOW! curriculum

Workshops are held at Environmental Concern’s Wetland Learning Center, 201 Boundary Ln, St. Michaels, MD

Space is limited. Please register by November 30, 2012. To register please call Environmental Concern at 410-745-9620 or visit www.wetland.org.

2013 MAEOE Conference Registration is OPEN!!!!

Registration is now OPEN for the

2013 MAEOE Environmental Education Conference 

Educate - Engage - Energize

Understanding the Natural World

February 7 - 10, 2013Princess Royale
Ocean City, Maryland

Click HERE for details  

Conference Questions?
Email: conference@maeoe.org
or Call the 2012 Conference Hotline at 
(443) 824-1953
Hotline Hours: 
Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays 10:00am – 2:00pm. 

You may leave messages at any time & we will return your call.

Join Environmental Concern December 12-14 for our holiday professional development opportunities.

POW! The Planning of Wetlands- December 12, 10am-4pm

Participants will learn the step-by-step process for creating or enhancing wetlands on school grounds or within the community. POW!guides participants through wetland design and construction with the goal of utilizing the habitat as an outdoor classroom.  Leave with cross curricular activities that allow students to participate in the design, installation and monitoring of a schoolyard wetland habitat. Cost: $40 includes POW! curriculum

Rain Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms- December 13, 10am-4pm

This one-day course introduces educators to the concept of rain gardens and their value as schoolyard habitats. Participants will understand how rain gardens benefit the environment by improving the watershed and how they can be used as an extension of the classroom. Participants will leave with the basic knowledge of how to plan, design and implement a rain garden from start to finish. Cost: $35 includes Rain Garden curriculum

WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands- December 14, 10am-4pm

WOW! introduces participants to wetland ecology through a study of the three parameters of wetlands: vegetation, soils and hydrology. Participants will also learn about wetland functions and values by utilizing K-12 cross curricular, inquiry based activities.  Leave with a wetland resource guide with over 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities in lesson plan format, and ideas for student action projects. Cost: $35 includes WOW! curriculum

Workshops are held at Environmental Concern’s Wetland Learning Center, 201 Boundary Ln, St. Michaels, MD

Space is limited. Please register by November 28, 2012. To register please call Environmental Concern at 410-745-9620 or visit www.wetland.org.

Register by phone before Nov. 9^th to receive a $5 discount.

COMING SOON! Keep an eye on Environmental Concern’s Facebook page to vote for this year’sSchoolyard Habitat Photo contest winners!