Friday, July 16, 2010
No Child Left Inside!
You may or may not know that there is a current push for the inclusion of environmental education into the National Elementary and Secondary Education Act through an amendment called No Child Left Inside (NCLI). You can find out more about this grassroots effort online. For Ohio's part, the Environmental Education Council of Ohio is working with ODNR, ODE, Ohio EPA, Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, and the Leave No Child Inside Coalition to develop a state Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP). This ELP has to be in place to capture funding should the NCLI amendment pass as there are significant dollars that will be distributed to states to help in including environmental, conservation and outdoor education into the regular school curriculum. This includes the creation of schoolyard habitats, field investigation opportunities, and professional development for teachers in this type of education. Check out the Children and Nature Network to find extensive research on the advantages and benefits of spending time outdoors and using the outdoors as a context for learning. And, you can feel free to contact any of the partnering agencies for additional information about the status of Ohio's ELP.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day! Did you do something for the planet today? That seems to be the theme of the day on all the Facebook pages and Twitter tweets and email advertisements that have flooded my inbox. Thank goodness we don't do this all by junk mail anymore, imagine the trees that would have died for the sake of Earth Day, ironic as that is.
I took my daughter for a walk today in celebration of Earth Day. She's only 16 months old, but she loves the outdoors already. I suppose she gets that from me, at least I hope she does. She thoroughly enjoyed her walk, even if it was just around the neighborhood. She learned what a stop sign was, she picked up several pine cones, she filled her little pockets with rocks from the neighbor's driveway, and she stopped to watch a pair of mallards waddle through a field, proclaiming at the top of her lungs "Ucks!" She is fascinated with all things outdoors, from the tiniest leaf on the deck, to the pile of mulch in the driveway. It's so much fun for me to see these things again, but through her eyes. And we literally have to drag her kicking and screaming into the house to get her into the tub before bed. That's my girl.
If you ever wonder how you make an outdoors person, don't discount these little moments. Ask anyone in the field of outdoor or environmental education and most will tell you that they chose this career because of their memories of the outdoors. Mine are with my uncle. He was, and still is, and avid outdoor enthusiast. He is an amazing photographer and, even now in his 60's, can still hike miles and miles in a day with his dog. He used to "kidnap" me and my brothers and sister and take us on day-long hikes in the parks around our hometown. It was fun, we felt like we were escaping. He made us feel like we were sneaking off to some far away land that only we knew about. I now know all the same parks and natural areas that we went to as kids and they are very well known and well used. But, as a kid, I don't ever remember seeing anyone else out on those trails with us. We always felt like we were so far away from everyone and everything. It was great.
So, in celebration of Earth Day, don't just do something for the environment, let the environment do something for you. Get outdoors! That's always the first step toward being an environmental steward. Take a walk, catch a fish, spy on a bird, photograph a sunset. Do whatever you can that will recharge your batteries. Enjoy the outdoors! And take a child with you. You'll never see things the same again.
I took my daughter for a walk today in celebration of Earth Day. She's only 16 months old, but she loves the outdoors already. I suppose she gets that from me, at least I hope she does. She thoroughly enjoyed her walk, even if it was just around the neighborhood. She learned what a stop sign was, she picked up several pine cones, she filled her little pockets with rocks from the neighbor's driveway, and she stopped to watch a pair of mallards waddle through a field, proclaiming at the top of her lungs "Ucks!" She is fascinated with all things outdoors, from the tiniest leaf on the deck, to the pile of mulch in the driveway. It's so much fun for me to see these things again, but through her eyes. And we literally have to drag her kicking and screaming into the house to get her into the tub before bed. That's my girl.
If you ever wonder how you make an outdoors person, don't discount these little moments. Ask anyone in the field of outdoor or environmental education and most will tell you that they chose this career because of their memories of the outdoors. Mine are with my uncle. He was, and still is, and avid outdoor enthusiast. He is an amazing photographer and, even now in his 60's, can still hike miles and miles in a day with his dog. He used to "kidnap" me and my brothers and sister and take us on day-long hikes in the parks around our hometown. It was fun, we felt like we were escaping. He made us feel like we were sneaking off to some far away land that only we knew about. I now know all the same parks and natural areas that we went to as kids and they are very well known and well used. But, as a kid, I don't ever remember seeing anyone else out on those trails with us. We always felt like we were so far away from everyone and everything. It was great.
So, in celebration of Earth Day, don't just do something for the environment, let the environment do something for you. Get outdoors! That's always the first step toward being an environmental steward. Take a walk, catch a fish, spy on a bird, photograph a sunset. Do whatever you can that will recharge your batteries. Enjoy the outdoors! And take a child with you. You'll never see things the same again.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Birdfeeding in Wintertime...Memories in the Making.
I just got back from a nice, albeit short, vacation in Florida. I'm always struck by the diversity of birds that I see at my mom's verses my own home, especially in winter. For goodness sake, she has Painted Buntings at her feeders all winter long!! And, on a trip to the grocery store, you will likely see Sandhill Cranes in the parking lot! Lucky!
My first exposure to bird feeding was actually through her parents, with whom I was very close, and who my daughter is named after. My grandfather was the avid bird feeder. He had feeders on his back porch all winter long and he'd sit and eat breakfast at the kitchen window and watch the many visitors. He had an old Golden Guide to Birds, which I inherited when he passed away. I've kept it in a special place because it has wonderful little handwritten notes and newspaper clippings in it that he kept, all related to birds. It wasn't until I went to college and took my first ornithology class that I realized that my grandfather was a bona fide bird nerd, just like the rest of us. I smile when I think of that because I believe he would have loved that title. My grandmother was not as interested, but she continued to feed the birds long after he passed. I think she had just as many fond memories of him sitting at that window with his cup of coffee as the rest of us did and probably couldn't bear to stop.
My daughter now has a feeding station outside her bedroom window. And, even though she's a toddler, she gets excited when the downy woodpecker comes to the suet feeder. She loves the little goldfinches and chickadees too. I keep a list of our visitors hanging on a tack next to her window, kind of a house list so to speak. And Grandpa's bird guide is in the top drawer of her dresser waiting for her to be old enough to carefully flip through the worn pages and pick out what birds are at her feeders now as compared to what he was seeing way back when. We'll probably always feed birds at our house. And I hope my daughter has just as many fond memories of those birds and our time together as I do of my mom and my grandparents.
February 12-15th is the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Fall and Winter Outdoor Education Ideas
If you're thinking that you need to wait until spring, now that our lovely Ohio winter has set in, you're underestimating the potential for great winter outdoor experiences. Here are a few tips and activities to help make your winter outdoor adventures a success:
Winter Outdoor Education Safety Tips:
- Make sure the students are properly dressed for the weather. That means no flip flops for older kids and definitely gloves and hats for the little ones.
- Make short trips outdoors if it's really cold, and be sure to keep moving. Standing still in the cold just makes you colder.
- Be careful around large water features, especially moving water. Stepping through the ice can turn a fun experience into a dangerous one very quickly. Never walk on ice that's less than 4 inches thick and never trust ice over moving water.
- Have students view features of the school during the winter and compare to how they looked in other seasons. Have students keep a sketch or photo journal of different features, i.e. trees, flower beds, streams, fields, etc. for a seasonal comparison study.
- Try to find animal tracks in heavy snow or muddy areas. Setting up bait piles of corn, bird seed or other beneficial food to encourage wild visitors is a good way to find tracks. Look around pond edges, muddy areas along parking lots and playgrounds, and along streams for tracks as well.
- If you have a bluebird box trail, take a peek in the boxes to see if any mice have taken up residence for the winter. You can leave them be for now, but be sure to clean out your boxes and make any necessary repairs by March 1st so they'll be ready for any early returning cavity nesting birds such as bluebirds and house wrens.
- Keep bird feeders as full as possible during any significant snow or ice events. If you have enough warning, fill them up the days before a big weather event. Your feathered neighbors will be much appreciative of the food during these difficult times. If possible, keeping a source of water open will really draw in a lot of visitors. This can be accomplished by keeping a waterproof heating coil in a bird bath all winter long.
- Keep a list of what species of wildlife visit your site during the winter versus other seasons. Have students speculate on why some animals are here only certain times of the year.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Power of Environmental Education
When you write for a living, sometimes it is a struggle to come up with a topic, a theme, even an inspiration for posting on blogs such as these. Sometimes you're too busy to put down your thoughts. But then, every once in awhile, something makes you stop and remember why you do what you do. And sometimes, it's better to let someone else tell the story.
Below, you will find an essay from friend, volunteer and fellow educator, Mike Sustin. His essay is about how environmental education can truly inspire, not just our students, but even ourselves. Thanks Mike, for reminding me of why I love my job.
In 2006 I was given the green light to develop an Environmental Science course at West Geauga High School, my alma mater and my place of employment for the past eleven years. While developing the course, I spent an enormous amount of time reaching out to resource people at other schools and at the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, Geauga Park District, Ohio Division of Wildlife, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Environmental Education Council of Ohio. Everyone I spoke with was incredibly encouraging, but everyone had a different perspective on how Environmental Education (EE) ought to be offered and on what it should be focused. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary by nature (no pun intended) and requires students to really wrap their minds around complicated issues and to draw upon prior knowledge and skills from other courses. I chose a textbook, I planned some laboratory experiences and field trips, but ultimately, I decided to keep an open mind and let my students’ interests drive the direction of the course.
After working with the first two groups of students through the first year, I became acutely aware of two problems that so many Environmental Education professionals had been lamenting for years. First, our kids are indeed suffering from “nature deficit disorder,” a phrase coined by author Richard Louv in his best-selling book, Last Child in the Woods. The second problem needing addressed can be summed up by an often used quote from author and naturalist Robert Michael Pyle, “What is the extinction of a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?” Both problems are diagnosed by the
observations that my students know everything about polar bears, every species of penguin, bleaching of the coral reefs, the importance of recycling and energy conservation, but they can’t identify a single tree or bird’s song in their own backyard. These wonderful students, all of them seniors, most of them voting for the first time during their final year of high school, know so much and yet don’t know enough to really care about what they can personally embrace and purposefully impact.
Three days that changed my life were spent on summer vacation in 2008 with Annie Rzepka and Nancy Speck of the Geauga SWCD, Jen White of the Portage SWCD, and over a dozen other teachers on a three day road trip called the Advanced Wonders of Watersheds Workshop. We piled into vans and explored EE opportunities all across the north coast from beautiful Burton all the way to the Oak Openings Region near Toledo. On the long ride home I decided that a trip like this needed to be offered to my high school students. How better to help them understand than to get them out there in the diverse environments of their home state and let them connect the dots on their own?
On June 23, 2009, the first ever Summer Ecology Experience Across Ohio was ready to hit the road. At 6:30 am in the parking lot of West Geauga High School a group of nine students and their three chaperones loaded the vans for what would be an eight day and seven night road trip across Ohio. The itinerary included programs at Black Swamp Bird Observatory and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge near Oak Harbor, Ohio State University’s Stone Lab at Put- In-Bay, the Army Corps of Engineers office at Caesar Creek State Park and The Museum at Fort Ancient near Wilmington, the outdoor drama, “Tecumseh!” in Chillicothe, Hocking Hills State Park and concluded at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve in Huron.
The entire program was intended to address big picture topics such as conservation and preservation of habitat, human history of land use, and geology. Students were also engaged in activities on edible and medicinal plants, water quality monitoring, watershed management, wildlife identification, and rock climbing and rappelling. Moreover, all of this education was accomplished outdoors and outside each student’s comfort zone away from their families, camping in tents, cooking their own food, caring for each other and learning to deal with fears.
Student learning was assessed through daily journal assignments and other entries including poetry and artwork. An assessment strategy I had adopted from the Wonders of Watersheds workshops was the use of haiku. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that uses only three lines, the first and third lines contain only five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables. The brevity of this form of poetry requires students to focus on key elements of a lesson and how they have internalized the material. Here are some examples:
Epilimnion
Lake Erie can stratify
Hypolimnion
-Heather Wilcox, after a lesson on limnology at Stone Lab
Dragon or Damsel?
Eyes on top or at head’s side?
Wings tall or spread wide?
-Hanna Wilson, on the boardwalk at Ottawa NWR
The students’ journals reflected exactly the kind of learning I had envisioned for them. Each of them made the obvious connections I had planned, and all of them made the connections I had hoped they would catch. After reading their journals, I was pleasantly surprised, time after time, with the quality of the introspective entries the students had made. Each of them commenting on how one experience or another changed them, or brought a sudden clarity to their place in the world. In the heart of this teacher, I had only privately hoped that a student or two might have reached this level of informed understanding. Reading these journal entries made the months of planning worth every minute.
In closing I would offer teachers the challenge to do something with students outside. All the hurdles that you can think of are just excuses. All you need is an imagination. Pay attention to your students. Take them outside and you will find your lesson plans under that rotten log or in the stream or mud puddle or at the birdfeeder. The Ohio Academic Content Standards should not be viewed as an anchor around your neck, and pointing to that thick green book as an excuse is exactly that. Taking kids outside provides for boundless integration opportunities for science, math, language arts, social studies and more. Get on the phone or the internet and contact your SWCD, your park district, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, or the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and you will be amazed at the resources waiting for you to use for free and in your own schoolyard. Lastly, I will share a quote from Rachel Carson that has inspired me in my growing career as an environmental educator, hopefully it strikes a chord. “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
Below, you will find an essay from friend, volunteer and fellow educator, Mike Sustin. His essay is about how environmental education can truly inspire, not just our students, but even ourselves. Thanks Mike, for reminding me of why I love my job.
In 2006 I was given the green light to develop an Environmental Science course at West Geauga High School, my alma mater and my place of employment for the past eleven years. While developing the course, I spent an enormous amount of time reaching out to resource people at other schools and at the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, Geauga Park District, Ohio Division of Wildlife, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Environmental Education Council of Ohio. Everyone I spoke with was incredibly encouraging, but everyone had a different perspective on how Environmental Education (EE) ought to be offered and on what it should be focused. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary by nature (no pun intended) and requires students to really wrap their minds around complicated issues and to draw upon prior knowledge and skills from other courses. I chose a textbook, I planned some laboratory experiences and field trips, but ultimately, I decided to keep an open mind and let my students’ interests drive the direction of the course.
After working with the first two groups of students through the first year, I became acutely aware of two problems that so many Environmental Education professionals had been lamenting for years. First, our kids are indeed suffering from “nature deficit disorder,” a phrase coined by author Richard Louv in his best-selling book, Last Child in the Woods. The second problem needing addressed can be summed up by an often used quote from author and naturalist Robert Michael Pyle, “What is the extinction of a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?” Both problems are diagnosed by the
observations that my students know everything about polar bears, every species of penguin, bleaching of the coral reefs, the importance of recycling and energy conservation, but they can’t identify a single tree or bird’s song in their own backyard. These wonderful students, all of them seniors, most of them voting for the first time during their final year of high school, know so much and yet don’t know enough to really care about what they can personally embrace and purposefully impact.Three days that changed my life were spent on summer vacation in 2008 with Annie Rzepka and Nancy Speck of the Geauga SWCD, Jen White of the Portage SWCD, and over a dozen other teachers on a three day road trip called the Advanced Wonders of Watersheds Workshop. We piled into vans and explored EE opportunities all across the north coast from beautiful Burton all the way to the Oak Openings Region near Toledo. On the long ride home I decided that a trip like this needed to be offered to my high school students. How better to help them understand than to get them out there in the diverse environments of their home state and let them connect the dots on their own?
On June 23, 2009, the first ever Summer Ecology Experience Across Ohio was ready to hit the road. At 6:30 am in the parking lot of West Geauga High School a group of nine students and their three chaperones loaded the vans for what would be an eight day and seven night road trip across Ohio. The itinerary included programs at Black Swamp Bird Observatory and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge near Oak Harbor, Ohio State University’s Stone Lab at Put- In-Bay, the Army Corps of Engineers office at Caesar Creek State Park and The Museum at Fort Ancient near Wilmington, the outdoor drama, “Tecumseh!” in Chillicothe, Hocking Hills State Park and concluded at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve in Huron.
The entire program was intended to address big picture topics such as conservation and preservation of habitat, human history of land use, and geology. Students were also engaged in activities on edible and medicinal plants, water quality monitoring, watershed management, wildlife identification, and rock climbing and rappelling. Moreover, all of this education was accomplished outdoors and outside each student’s comfort zone away from their families, camping in tents, cooking their own food, caring for each other and learning to deal with fears.Student learning was assessed through daily journal assignments and other entries including poetry and artwork. An assessment strategy I had adopted from the Wonders of Watersheds workshops was the use of haiku. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that uses only three lines, the first and third lines contain only five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables. The brevity of this form of poetry requires students to focus on key elements of a lesson and how they have internalized the material. Here are some examples:
Epilimnion
Lake Erie can stratify
Hypolimnion
-Heather Wilcox, after a lesson on limnology at Stone Lab
Dragon or Damsel?
Eyes on top or at head’s side?
Wings tall or spread wide?
-Hanna Wilson, on the boardwalk at Ottawa NWR
The students’ journals reflected exactly the kind of learning I had envisioned for them. Each of them made the obvious connections I had planned, and all of them made the connections I had hoped they would catch. After reading their journals, I was pleasantly surprised, time after time, with the quality of the introspective entries the students had made. Each of them commenting on how one experience or another changed them, or brought a sudden clarity to their place in the world. In the heart of this teacher, I had only privately hoped that a student or two might have reached this level of informed understanding. Reading these journal entries made the months of planning worth every minute.
In closing I would offer teachers the challenge to do something with students outside. All the hurdles that you can think of are just excuses. All you need is an imagination. Pay attention to your students. Take them outside and you will find your lesson plans under that rotten log or in the stream or mud puddle or at the birdfeeder. The Ohio Academic Content Standards should not be viewed as an anchor around your neck, and pointing to that thick green book as an excuse is exactly that. Taking kids outside provides for boundless integration opportunities for science, math, language arts, social studies and more. Get on the phone or the internet and contact your SWCD, your park district, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, or the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and you will be amazed at the resources waiting for you to use for free and in your own schoolyard. Lastly, I will share a quote from Rachel Carson that has inspired me in my growing career as an environmental educator, hopefully it strikes a chord. “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Summer Education Opportunities--Keep those Kids Outside!
Hey folks!
I hope everyone is ready to jump into summer! My daughter turns 6 months old this weekend and her daycare asked if I had a swimsuit to bring so she could enjoy the kiddie pool! I can't believe it! I think I've mentioned this before, but one of the reasons I love her daycare is because they take the kids outside ALL THE TIME! As long as it's not raining, they go out.
If you're looking for things to do with kids this summer, here are a few suggestions:
I hope everyone is ready to jump into summer! My daughter turns 6 months old this weekend and her daycare asked if I had a swimsuit to bring so she could enjoy the kiddie pool! I can't believe it! I think I've mentioned this before, but one of the reasons I love her daycare is because they take the kids outside ALL THE TIME! As long as it's not raining, they go out.
If you're looking for things to do with kids this summer, here are a few suggestions:
- Look to your local, county and state parks. Many, if not most, offer summer day camps for weeks at a time. It's a great way to keep your kids occupied and out from in front of the computer or television. And many of them are wildlife-themed, which obviously we encourage. :-)
- You can also check out your local zoos. All of the 5 Ohio zoos have summer camps for kids of all ages.
- Check out your local arboretums, plant conservatories, and science museums for similar offerings.
- Setting up play areas in your backyard where your kids can dig, plant, and dig some more can go a long way towards keeping them occupied and interested in the outdoors. Allowing them to build forts and tree houses, supervised of course, gives kids a place to hang out in nature on their own.
- Helping them create a nature journal by taking a few pieces of paper, folding them in half and wrapping a string through the middle for binding, is an easy way to give them a creative outlet for writing and drawing outside. And best of all, they don't have to worry about it being graded!
- Using a similar technique as the above journal, have your kids make a backyard field guide of all the plants and animals they find, either by drawing or collecting plants and drawing animals or signs of animals that they might find. You all might be surprised by what lives there. If you need help identifying some of the critters, check out the A to Z Species Guide on our Web site.
- Camping in the backyard is a great experience for kids. All you need is a small, inexpensive tent, a pillow and some blankets, and a flash light and you've got the makings of an outdoor adventure. Hearing the sounds of the backyard at night opens up a whole new world to kids. If you're really adventurous, you can invite the neighborhood kids and have a big group camp out.
- Fishing is an excellent way for kids to explore the outdoors. And it's free for kids under 16. Depending on the age of the child, plan on having other things to do if the fish aren't biting. Bring along some collecting boxes and small nets for insect collecting. Check out our Web site for good places to fish near you.
Outdoor exploration opportunities are endless in the summertime! Whether it's something as simple as splashing through the local creek or taking a canoe trip, kids love the opportunity to explore the outdoors. You're limited only by your imagination.
Please feel free to post any other suggestions you may have. Or if you know of any local events this summer, feel free to post them here.
In the meantime, GET OUTDOORS!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
West Geauga High School Teacher Recieves National Grant for Wildlife Education Projects
April 9, 2009
Submitted by: Bonnie Gruttadauria, Director of Communications, (440) 729-6802
bonnie.gruttadauria@westg.org
West Geauga science teacher receives TAPESTRY grant
West Geauga High School science teacher Michael Sustin was awarded $10,000 last week in grant money from the Toyota TAPESTRY Program for excellence and innovation in science education. The TAPESTRY grant will be used to support a study of bobcat and black bear populations in three northeastern Ohio counties.
“Supporting excellent teachers who can excite and energize their students is a great way to make an impact on future generations,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of philanthropy and community affairs. “TAPESTRY's reach over the past 19 years has allowed countless numbers of students to be inspired by the possibilities of science education.”
Sustin’s project, The Return of Apex Predators to Northeastern Ohio, proposes to research and document the permanent residency of bobcats and black bears in three Northeastern Ohio counties and investigate methods of managing for them. It will offer students the opportunity to use real scientific inquiry skills and technology to make a difference in statewide management goals and strategies and to raise awareness and respect for successful conservation efforts. Students will interpret topographic maps and Geographic Information System technology to identify and evaluate potential habitat to use in the study. Students will put in place cutting-edge remote sensing and imaging technology to capture visual evidence of the target species without unnecessary human intrusion. Students will then be challenged to investigate, evaluate and select innovative, effective and efficient wildlife and land management strategies that will promote continued success of bobcats in black bears in the study area. Finally, students will be empowered to realize their own efficacy by publishing and presenting their research findings to supporting agencies and in community forums through printed and electronic media.
Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by the NSTA, Toyota TAPESTRY is the largest annual K-12 science teacher grant program in the United States. Award-winning projects are selected from three critical areas for today’s youth: environmental science, physical science, and science applications that promote literacy. Fifty grants of up to $10,000 are awarded each year, along with a minimum of 20 grants of up to $2,500 each. In total, Toyota awarded $550,000 in grants to 82 teachers in 2009. More than $8.5 million has been awarded to 1,064 teams of teachers throughout the program’s 19-year history.
About Toyota:
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs over 36,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $17 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $464 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit www.toyota.com/community.
About National Science Teachers Association:
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 58,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives and others involved in science education.
Submitted by: Bonnie Gruttadauria, Director of Communications, (440) 729-6802
bonnie.gruttadauria@westg.org
West Geauga science teacher receives TAPESTRY grant
West Geauga High School science teacher Michael Sustin was awarded $10,000 last week in grant money from the Toyota TAPESTRY Program for excellence and innovation in science education. The TAPESTRY grant will be used to support a study of bobcat and black bear populations in three northeastern Ohio counties.
“Supporting excellent teachers who can excite and energize their students is a great way to make an impact on future generations,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of philanthropy and community affairs. “TAPESTRY's reach over the past 19 years has allowed countless numbers of students to be inspired by the possibilities of science education.”
Sustin’s project, The Return of Apex Predators to Northeastern Ohio, proposes to research and document the permanent residency of bobcats and black bears in three Northeastern Ohio counties and investigate methods of managing for them. It will offer students the opportunity to use real scientific inquiry skills and technology to make a difference in statewide management goals and strategies and to raise awareness and respect for successful conservation efforts. Students will interpret topographic maps and Geographic Information System technology to identify and evaluate potential habitat to use in the study. Students will put in place cutting-edge remote sensing and imaging technology to capture visual evidence of the target species without unnecessary human intrusion. Students will then be challenged to investigate, evaluate and select innovative, effective and efficient wildlife and land management strategies that will promote continued success of bobcats in black bears in the study area. Finally, students will be empowered to realize their own efficacy by publishing and presenting their research findings to supporting agencies and in community forums through printed and electronic media.
Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by the NSTA, Toyota TAPESTRY is the largest annual K-12 science teacher grant program in the United States. Award-winning projects are selected from three critical areas for today’s youth: environmental science, physical science, and science applications that promote literacy. Fifty grants of up to $10,000 are awarded each year, along with a minimum of 20 grants of up to $2,500 each. In total, Toyota awarded $550,000 in grants to 82 teachers in 2009. More than $8.5 million has been awarded to 1,064 teams of teachers throughout the program’s 19-year history.
About Toyota:
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs over 36,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $17 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $464 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit www.toyota.com/community.
About National Science Teachers Association:
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 58,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives and others involved in science education.
Friday, March 27, 2009
What's Happening at Old Woman Creek
Canoe Tours and Nature Art Classes on the Calendar at Old Woman Creek
Free Educational Programs Offered April through October
HURON, OH - Ohioans are invited to explore a unique, protected Lake Erie estuary through free educational programs at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife's Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, 2514 Cleveland Road East in Huron.
Programs include guided hikes, canoe tours, nature art classes, a seminar on invasive species, and hands-on rain garden and rain barrel workshops, which help protect streams and Lake Erie by dealing with storm-water run off at home.
Events are scheduled to begin April 4 and end October 21. For a complete program schedule and details, visit oldwomancreek.org and click on "Events."
Estuaries such as Old Woman Creek protect Lake Erie by removing pollutants from streams and rivers. Estuaries also benefit coastal communities by buffering against floods and erosion.
Serving as nurseries and homes to a wide variety of wildlife, estuaries are important to the environment and economy. Recreational fishing in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie contributes more than $300 million to the state's economy each year. Wildlife watchers spend about one billion dollars annually statewide.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.
Free Educational Programs Offered April through October
HURON, OH - Ohioans are invited to explore a unique, protected Lake Erie estuary through free educational programs at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife's Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, 2514 Cleveland Road East in Huron.
Programs include guided hikes, canoe tours, nature art classes, a seminar on invasive species, and hands-on rain garden and rain barrel workshops, which help protect streams and Lake Erie by dealing with storm-water run off at home.
Events are scheduled to begin April 4 and end October 21. For a complete program schedule and details, visit oldwomancreek.org and click on "Events."
Estuaries such as Old Woman Creek protect Lake Erie by removing pollutants from streams and rivers. Estuaries also benefit coastal communities by buffering against floods and erosion.
Serving as nurseries and homes to a wide variety of wildlife, estuaries are important to the environment and economy. Recreational fishing in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie contributes more than $300 million to the state's economy each year. Wildlife watchers spend about one billion dollars annually statewide.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Early Childhood Education
Spring is getting closer and soon it will be time to start taking your kids outside more and more! I can't wait to get my daughter out in the stroller or the front carrier on a hike. I'm very fortunate in that her daycare takes the kids outside on any day that is 25 degrees or higher and pleasant. So, she'll get to go out a lot during her time there.
What are some ways that day cares and other early childhood care providers could get their students outside more often? What activities could they do? If you have some suggestions or know of any activities that you've used that have worked well with kids in day care, preschool or after school care, please post them here. We'd love to hear what you've done!
Also, the National Project WILD office is in the midst of field testing activities for its upcoming Early Childhood Supplement to Project WILD. This new booklet will contain over 20 activities geared to pre-K thru 2nd grade. Some are modifications of existing activities, others are completely new activities. Some Ohio facilitators and teachers are participating in the field testing and we look forward to the release of this new guide.
What are some ways that day cares and other early childhood care providers could get their students outside more often? What activities could they do? If you have some suggestions or know of any activities that you've used that have worked well with kids in day care, preschool or after school care, please post them here. We'd love to hear what you've done!
Also, the National Project WILD office is in the midst of field testing activities for its upcoming Early Childhood Supplement to Project WILD. This new booklet will contain over 20 activities geared to pre-K thru 2nd grade. Some are modifications of existing activities, others are completely new activities. Some Ohio facilitators and teachers are participating in the field testing and we look forward to the release of this new guide.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to the first ever Ohio Wildlife Education blog! Here you'll find up to date information on professional development opportunities, activity ideas, and more.
If you'd like me to post something to share, feel free to email me. Also, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you'll know when to check for new information. I'll try to post at least once a month, sometimes more at certain times of the year.
Meanwhile, get outside and enjoy the outdoors!
Jen
If you'd like me to post something to share, feel free to email me. Also, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you'll know when to check for new information. I'll try to post at least once a month, sometimes more at certain times of the year.
Meanwhile, get outside and enjoy the outdoors!
Jen
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