Volume 12, Issue 10

October, 2006

Executive Director's Corner: Ali Goulstone Sweeney
(303-273-9527 or director@caee.org)

This Month's Topic: Gathering at the Headwaters: Building EE in Society

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The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) 35th Annual conference, Gathering at the Headwaters; Building EE in Society, was held this month in St. Paul, MN. More than 1000 participants were on hand to attend and provide sessions on sustainability; conservation and community education; EE leadership skills; schools, education, achievement, and literacy; and environmental justice, health and education.

This year a track was added called Quality Assurance Initiatives that highlighted sessions focusing on excellence in environmental education. EE Certification was a hot topic in this track. In the general information session I attended, there were well over 50 people from across the country talking about and planning for certification of environmental educators. CAEE has just started the process of developing certification (please contact me for more information, or see http://www.caee.org/quality for details). There are three model states - Utah, Kentucky, and Texas - who already have certification programs up and running. The conference highlighted these programs as a guide for assessing the skills and knowledge necessary in environmental education.

The conference also highlighted the EE Resource Review program - a peer review of EE resources - that was started right here in Colorado. The great news is this program was expanded to the national level, and Idaho and Utah started providing EE Resource Reviews as well this year. As the original state, folks are looking to us and watching how resource review fairs in our state. I encourage all of you to get started in resource review. The very first step is to assess your own program against guidelines for excellence in environmental education. Then three of your peers will review your materials and provide an "outside eye" and lots of comments and feedback. Those who have gone through the process have found the comments very helpful, so please go to http://www.caee.org/quality and find out more, or please give me a call and I will help you through the process.

A focus on quality will help us strengthen and expand the EE profession. Quality takes time and leadership. In Colorado, we've been lucky to have dedicated leadership. I want to thank those of you who have taken the time to join us on the journey to excellence as committee members, reviewers for the review system, participants in professional development, and advisory council members.

I also recognize that quality takes time, and this is a very busy field. I encourage you to find the time to get your resources reviewed, or be a part of the comment processes for certification. The experience will be worth the time for you and your organization. For those of you who have not yet checked out these programs, it is not too late, rather you are just in time to get into resource review and be a part of the development of certification in this state.

Master Plan Connection:
Be a part of the Colorado EE Master Plan! These initiatives are supported by the Colorado Environmental Education Master Plan, Goal I Collaboration, Goal II Professional Development, Goal III Promotion, and Goal VII Systemic EE. Check it out at http://www.caee.org/CEEMP.

Bulletin Board

Upcoming Events

Visit www.caee.org/calendar.html for an online listing of upcoming events!

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Northern Colorado Globalization Discussion Group. Graduate student Jenny DeSarro will be leading a discussion group on globalization, beginning on October 30th and meeting every Monday through December 18th. Each week will discuss an aspect of globalization. Book cost: $18. If you are interested, please contact Jenny at 303-881-2505.

A Month of Photography with John Fielder at The Wildlife Experience. Have you ever wanted to learn more about photography and where to go in Colorado for great photographs? Throughout the month of November, John Fielder will present on a variety of topics. Programs run from 7 to 9pm each evening. Topics: November 1 "How to...," November 8 "The Best of Colorado," November 15 "Ecosystems of Colorado," and November 29 "Colorado: Then and Now." Individual Sessions: $50 for members, $60 for non-members. Entire Series: $150 for members and $180 for non-members. Call (720)488-3343 to make reservations.

Fundamentals of Sustainability, November 6-10. Course offered by Sustainability International, LLC, developed to introduce the concept and theory of sustainability and practical approaches for designing sustainability programs. http://www.sustainabilityintl.org/course_fundamentals.htm

Wild Films for Free. Join The Colorado Mountain Club for the Wild Films for Free Series at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden on Thursday, Nov. 9. All films in the series are free and open to the public; donations are appreciated. Showtime is 7 p.m., and an optional, casual discussion will follow the presentation. November's film is "Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven." Robert Redford narrates this classic portrayal of one of the world's most visited natural places through the eyes of rangers, firefighters, naturalists, and trail workers. The film was a Blue Ribbon winner at the 1989 American Film & Video Festival. The American Mountaineering Center is located at 710 Tenth Street, Golden, CO. Visit http://www.cmc.org/wild for more information.

Western Museum of Mining & Industry Adult Lecture Series: African Diamond Wars, November 14, 7:00 p.m. Dr. Terrence Haverluk, professor of geography at the United States Air Force Academy, will overview how geological and geographic resources impact international relations by exploring a case study on "Plate Tectonics, European Colonialism, and the African Diamond Wars." This event is free to the public, but due to the adult content of this program, a mature audience is recommended. Please RSVP at 719-488-0880. For more information, visit http://www.wmmi.org

Change the World Movie Night, November 18. The Cottonwood Institute is hosting a screening of "The Next Industrial Revolution" and a discussion about environmental sustainability on Saturday, November 18, at the Fluid Coffee Bar, 501 E 19th Ave., Denver, CO, 7:00pm - 9:00pm. For more information, go to http://www.cottonwoodinstitute.org and click on "Upcoming Events."

Career

Note: these announcements are only position highlights and are not intended to be all-inclusive.

NAAEE/EE-Link offers a jobs database service for EE job seekers or employers seeking EE staff.

To view job postings, visit: eelink.net/eejobsdatabase.html

To submit a job to the database: eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/add_job.cgi

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Part-time Outdoor Education Leader at Denver Public Schools' Balarat Outdoor Education Center, Jamestown, CO. Includes two days and 1 night each week of the school calendar. The instructor will facilitate 5th grade overnight excursions at Balarat. He/she will work with fellow Balarat staff members, the students' classroom teacher, and high school teaching assistants to deliver outdoor learning activities that are appropriate to the environment and age level of the students. For more information and directions to apply, please call the Balarat Office at 720-424-2940.

Front Desk 6 month seasonal position at Colorado State Parks Denver office. Hours are 8-5, M-F. Duties include providing callers with information about state parks. Sell park passes and permits, maintain brochure rack. Assist parks personnel with clerical needs. Excellent communication, computer, phone and public contact skills required. Contact Jane at 303-866-3203 x336 or e-mail resume to jane.burns@state.co.us

Fellowships in Environmental Studies (STAR Preliminary Application Deadline: November 2, GRO Preliminary Application Deadline: November 16). EPA is now accepting applications from students for the 2007 Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) graduate fellowship programs. Up to 80 graduate awards and up to 15 undergraduate awards will be made. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/

Inner City Outings Leaders. Do you love the outdoors and teaching? Please join Inner City Outings as a leader or support leader, and have fun! ICO is a community outreach program of the Sierra Club that provides inner city youth and adults with trips to the natural world. ICO provides trip funding and the clients, and you design and lead educational trips- hiking, camping, rafting, skiing, or other adventures. Please contact Lisa Dawson at 720-945-1168 or tonsakerr@aol.com.

Grants, Awards, and Competitions

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Target Field Trip Grants. Deadline: November 1. This grant program will award (up to 800) K-12 U.S. educators grants of $1,000 each to fund a field trip for their students. Apply online http://sa-eapp.org/fieldtripgrants/rules.php

Fund for Wild Nature. Deadline: November 3. The Fund for Wild Nature is for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, and actions to defend wilderness and biological diversity. http://www.fundwildnature.org/proposal.html

Student Sustainable Design Competition, Deadline: December 21. The U.S. EPA is looking for cutting-edge technology that could protect the environment while growing the economy through its "People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3)" program. The agency plans to award up to $1.25 million in grants that enable teams of college students to research, develop, and design these programs. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/p3/

UNEP Children's Painting Competition. Deadline: December 31. Children (ages 6-14) globally are invited to submit their paintings on the theme "Climate Change" to their Regional UNEP Office. http://www.unep.org/tunza/paintcomp/

Resources and Announcements

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Sustainable Campus Fair at Auraria, November 13, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. The Fair is an educational outreach event that promotes the use of clean energy, community sustainability, and energy conservation. Hosted by COPIRG (Colorado Public Interest Research Group), this event could reach more than 38,000 students on the Downtown Denver Auraria Campus, and will be held in conjunction with the showing of "Inconvenient Truth" in the Tivoli Student Union. There will be a 1:00 pm panel discussion including students, faculty, and local officials. COPIRG invites you to participate by setting up a booth at the event. Each vendor is encouraged to provide educational displays and hands-on learning activities. Please join us as we work to promote environmental education. If you're interested in participating, please contact Shaun Lally at (303)556-8053 or lally_shaun@hotmail.com, or Jacob Bouchard at jbfbouchard@hotmail.com. For questions about the panel discussion, please contact Andrew Pattison at (303)709-4968 or andrew.pattison@cudenver.edu.

World EE Congress ~ CFP. Deadline: November 30, 2006. Call for papers and authors for the World EE Congress in South Africa on July 2-6, 2007, "Learning in a Changing World." http://www.weec2007.com/weec07.php

NAAEE Announces 2007 Conference CFP, Deadline: January 31, 2007. Submissions will be accepted beginning November 20, 2006 - online only. 2007 NAAEE Annual Conference: November 14-17, 2007 ~ Virginia Beach, Virginia. Research Symposium: November 13-14, 2007. http://www.naaee.org/conference/2007-call-for-presentations

Save the Date - Girl Scouts-Mile Hi Council's Outdoor S'more: May 19, 2007. 10 am - 4 pm, Camp Genesee. Want to showcase your programs to Girl Scout troop leaders? Consider participating in this free opportunity to reach out to Girl Scout leaders, parents, high school-aged Girl Scouts and adult friends of Girl Scouts at this special event where outdoor and environmental programs, activities and trainings will be showcased. If interested, please contact Linda Fuller, at Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council at 303-607-4838 or at lindaf@gsmhc.org no later than March 1, 2007.

Join the New EPA Kids Club! EPA's new Kids Club is a great opportunity to stimulate learning and get students recognition for environmental projects that benefit their community. The Kids Club is open to all kids in the US, pre-K through 4th grade. Sign-up is easy at http://www.epa.gov/kids. Kids Club members get a membership card and a certificate!

More Than 20 Tons of Recycling Collected in CU's First Week. In their first two major collection efforts of the new school year, CU Recycling and the Environmental Center enjoyed resounding successes with on-campus student move-in and Global Jam. During the move-in period in late August, over 40,000 lbs. of cardboard were recycled, in addition to over a half-ton of Styrofoam being collected and kept out of landfills. With the help of the student recycling team, who flattened boxes and pulled recyclables from dumpsters, loading docks and entrances were also kept clean, facilitating the move-in process.

Free Online Resources from The Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Education Training Center. Curriculum, overheads, online teaching modules, and more are available for wilderness managers, educators, students, and the interested public. http://carhart.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=curriculum.

EE & Diversity Professional Development Workshops. These workshops, offered by EETAP and Intercambios, provide groups or organizations the opportunity to explore multicultural issues as they occur in the field of environmental education by examining cultural-based dilemmas, discussing case studies, and investigating how to make the necessary changes to effectively work with diverse audiences. Contact Lisa LaRocque (intercambios@zianet.com) or 505-522-7511) for details.

Advancing Education through Environmental Literacy. Free copies of Advancing Education Through Environmental Literacy are available through EETAP. EETAP and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) collaborated to produce the popular booklet and CD. Visit http://www.eetap.org/html/free_booklet_cd.php for details.

Project WILD celebrates millionth educator! Project WILD is celebrating this milestone achievement of having trained one million educators since 1983, having provided environmental education instruction to more than 53 million students. http://www.projectwild.org/1MWILDEducators.htm

Status of State-Level EE Now Online. What is the status of state-level EE? This new online resource includes state-by-state data, a slide show and accompanying notes, and recommendations and resources for building comprehensive EE programs. Information based on the results from the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP) study (2004-2005) that tracked the development of comprehensive state-level EE programs across the 50 states. http://www.naaee.org/50statesurvey

Biography of Conservation Pioneer Enos Mills. Filter Press announces a new biography, Enos Mills: Rocky Mountain Naturalist, by Colorado storyteller, outdoorsman, and award-winning author John Stansfield. http://www.filterpressbooks.com/item546979.ctlg

New Online Bilingual EE Hub for U.S.-Mexico Border Region. The new Border-Wide EE Coalition Web site is a rich source of EE information for the US-Mexico border region. Easy to use, this new portal provides a calendar portlet and live search feature on every page, and lists bilingual publications, hundreds of organizations, contacts, and events, all listed in both English and Spanish. See what's new! http://redeafronteriza.net/ (Spanish) http://bordereeweb.net/ (English)

ABCs of Ecology. The naturalists at Ferry Beach Ecology School on the coast of Maine have contributed their collective knowledge and innovative teaching methods to publish The ABCs of Ecology®: An Educator's Guide To Learning Outside. This 230-page book is essential for anyone looking for outdoor activities and lesson plans to help children understand the world in which they live. http://www.fbes.org/store/ABCsoEcologyFlyer.pdf

Children and Nature Network (C & NN) Website. C & NN was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. To check out the variety of informative resources C & NN has to offer, visit http://www.cnaturenet.org/children_nature_network.html.

New Resource Available from the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation. NEETF, in partnership with the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education & Training (COMET(r)), has released the first in a series of free online courses relating weather to the environment. Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment is part of an innovative program to provide environmental education and resources to broadcast meteorologists, enabling them to integrate environmental science information into weather forecasts. The course is an excellent primer on how weather events relate to the health of a watershed, and how the public can take simple actions to protect watershed health. Land use managers, teachers, community leaders, and others interested in learning more about watersheds are encouraged to use and distribute this interactive resource. http://www.meted.ucar.edu/broadcastmet/watershed/.

PLT Premieres "Places We Live" Curriculum. Project Learning Tree (PLT) has developed new secondary EE materials to give students an awareness of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of decisions connected to community growth and change. 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. http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/31_41_39.html

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Phone: 303-273-9527 Fax: 303-273-5780
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