Volume 12, Issue 11

November, 2006

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

This Month's Topic: CAEE's Stakeholder Survey Project

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A big, BIG thank you to all of you who took the time to take the online stakeholder survey. All in all, 477 people filled out the questions on the survey. It took them between 20 minutes and 2 hours to fill out!

The purpose of the survey was to better understand existing and potential audiences for CAEE programs and to identify opportunities to improve programs and services statewide. The survey will also serve as a baseline for many characteristics of environmental education in Colorado. For CAEE, the office, we'll be working on how we can use the specific CAEE program and services data to improve our work. For CAEE, the Alliance of all of us, we have all sorts of data we can use to build support for environmental education, create partnerships, and leverage resources. The environmental education specific data created a snapshot of environmental education in Colorado - data we can compare to previous studies, other states, and years from now - where we once were.

Data analysis and discussion of results has not been completed, but we're working on all of the details so please watch the website and this newsletter for updates from the survey. The Environmental Education Advisory Council met earlier this month and worked on some of the data looking for observations and patterns - about a range of data - from evaluation of environmental education programs to defining environmental education. The notes from the meeting will be available on our website soon.

Here's a little tidbit of some of the information from the survey respondents, and believe me there is much, much more to come.

Formal educators and informal educators (combined) were asked a series of questions about where, how and for whom they taught environmental education.

Locations: % (n)

• Public school: 55% (118)
• Non-profit organization: 36% (77)
• Government agency: 30% (64)
• Interpretive center or park: 28% (61)
• Private school: 17% (37)
• Museum, zoo, aquarium: 12% (25)
• Higher education, extension: 11% (23)
• Business or corporation: 5% (10)
• Student at college or university: 5% (10)
• Other = public utility, parks and rec, in-home, parks, camps, community, consultant: 7% (15)

Approaches: % (n)

• Field trips: 78% (170)
• Outdoor activities and games: 75% (162)
• In-class activities and games: 67% (146)
• Experiments: 51% (111)
• In-class lecture and discussion: 51% (110)
• Guest speakers: 47% (101)
• Service projects: 41% (88)
• Independent reading and writing: 26% (57)
• Storytelling: 24% (52)
• Online or web activities: 20% (43)
• Team teach with other teachers: 18% (40)
• Other = tours, workshops, clubs, media , exhibits, field projects, kids & camp programs, public events: 15% (32)

Audiences % (n)

• School students: 74% (160)
• Elementary School: 58% (127)
• Adults and Parents: 44% (95)
• Middle School: 43% (94)
• Teachers and educators: 43% (94)
• Families: 42% (92)
• High School: 10% (88)
• Community groups or organizations: 34% (75)
• Early Childhood: 28% (62)
• Pre-School: 28% (60)
• Mixed or civic youth groups: 27% (59)
• Higher Education or University: 21% (45)
• Business or corporate professionals: 10% (22)
• Other = seniors, churches, utility and industry, tourists, special needs groups, researchers, government, river guides: 7% (16)

Summary points from evaluator:

• A majority of respondents (55%) suggested that EE is provided in public schools. Approaches used in teaching mentioned by a majority of respondents included field trips (78%), outdoor activities and games (75%), and in class activities and games.
• Most frequently mentioned audiences were school students (74% and specifically elementary school students (54%). Untapped audience segments included Hispanic or other diverse cultural groups and high school and university students.

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.

CAEE's New and Returning Board Members

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CAEE would like to welcome our newest board member, elected at the Statewide EE Advisory Council Meeting on November 3, Stacey Renouf of Denver Water. In addition, three board members were re-elected at this meeting: Diane Simmons (Colorado Academy), Skip Spensley (Spensley and Associates), and Karen Hardesty (Colorado Division of Wildlife). We'd also like to thank outgoing director Stephen Garretson for his energy and dedication!

Thank you, CAEE Members!

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This Thanksgiving, and throughout the year, we're very thankful for your membership, support, and involvement in the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education! We wish you a happy holiday and much to be thankful for!

Ali Goulstone Sweeney and Amanda Peterson

Save the Date: Teaching Outside the Box - April 27-29, 2007

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Half-Day Workshops: 1:00-5:00 pm
EE and Beyond: Focusing on Sustainability and Sustainable Development
Presented by Dan Chiras, Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Environmental Science, Colorado College

Expressions of Nature: Art and EE

Be a Presenter! Application Deadline: January 31, 2007

Visit http://www.caee.org or call 303-273-9527 for more info.

Register by March 9th for the lowest prices!

Teaching Outside the Box strives to be a ZERO-WASTE event!

Bulletin Board

Upcoming Events

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

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Re-Defining Business: A celebration of the first annual Business Citizen of the Year Awards. Recognition will be given to many exceptional local businesses that positively impact our community and environment. This event will also introduce the Microenterprise Connectory, an online tool for community businesses. Come see how this program works with small business owners to address their environmental impact and learn how easy it is to be a more sustainable enterprise. Thursday, November 30th, 700 Kalamath St, Denver, 6:00 pm. RSVP to Caitlin Hedberg, 303-308-8121 by Nov. 27th.

Cal-Wood Education Center's Fourth Annual Christmas Tree Fundraiser, Saturday, December 2, 10am - 2pm. For a minimum donation of $100 per tree, Cal-Wood staff will lead you to a section of pristine forest where you can select and cut the perfect tree to decorate your home this Christmas. Enjoy a variety of homemade soups, salads, and breads, as well as coffee, tea, and other holiday beverages. Your donation will go directly to Cal-Wood's Scholarship Fund to help low-income students from the Front Range attend Cal-Wood's Outdoor Education Program. Space is limited - please RSVP to Shane Milne (shane@calwood.org or 303.449.0603) and include the number of family members attending, how many cars you will be bringing, and your approximate arrival time.

Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit: Forging Solutions at Colleges and Universities - February 22-23 -CU-Boulder.The summit will feature leading experts, government officials, campus leadership, multiple workshops, a Green Products Expo and more. Pre-Summit workshop February 21 - "Fostering Sustainable Behavior Workshop" with Doug McKenzie Mohr, expert in Community-Based Social Marketing. For information, visit http://ecenter.colorado.edu/rmss2007/index.html

2007 Colorado Summit for Recycling, May 20-22, Keystone. CAFR is seeking topic ideas, proposals and presenters for the 2007 program. Presenters attending the entire Summit receive a 50% discount on registration costs. To suggest a topic, apply to present, become a sponsor, exhibitor, or for registration details, contact Marjorie Griek, PO Box 11130, Denver, 80211, 970-535-4053, marjie@cafr.org, or visit http://www.cafr.org.

2007 NAAEE Annual Conference: November 14-17, 2007 ~ Virginia Beach, Virginia. Research Symposium: November 13-14, 2007. Submit presenter proposals online beginning November 20, 2006. Deadline: January 31, 2007. http://www.naaee.org/conference/2007-call-for-presentations

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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Denver Zoo: Educator. Deadline: December 6. The Educator position works closely with School and Family Programs staff to deliver dynamic programming to a diversity of school and youth audiences. This is a temporary position available January 1, 2007-December 31, 2007. Compensation is $13/hour (no benefits package included). 40 hours/week. To apply for this position, please send your resume and cover letter indicating your interest in the Denver Zoo Educator position to: Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80205, Attn: Leslye Bilyeu, Human Resources

ECOS Communications: Researcher/Interpretive Content Developer Position - Fulltime. Seeking an exceptional candidate with a proven track record of researching and developing interpretive content for natural history exhibits. Applicant must have a background in biology/zoology and/or exhibit-based natural history/environmental interpretation. Position is benefit and profit sharing eligible and is available immediately. Send letter of interest, resume, salary history/requirements, work samples/portfolio and availability to: Interpretive Researcher/Content Developer Position, ECOS Communications, 2028 17th Street, Boulder, CO 80302 or, info@ecos.us

Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery seeks enthusiastic and experienced substitute teachers for the After School Program & Full Day Programs. Wild Bear is also seeking elders in the community to bring their expertise to programming, as well as professionals in the arts and sciences to lead new Adult and Family Workshops. To find out more about Wild Bear or these opportunities, visit http://www.wildbear.org or call (303) 258-0495.

Grants, Awards, and Competitions

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Roger Revelle Global Stewardship Fellowship. Deadline: December 20. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow will spend one year working as a special assistant for the Congress, an executive branch agency, or a non-governmental agency in the Washington, DC, policy community on domestic or international environmental issues encompassed under the umbrella of "global stewardship" beginning in September. http://fellowships.aaas.org/02_Areas/02_Global_Stewardship.shtml

Volvo Adventure Award. Deadline: January 31, 2007. The Volvo Adventure Environmental Award provides international recognition for projects undertaken by young people (ages 10-16) to improve their local environment. Successful groups will win an all-expenses paid trip to Sweden, where they will present their projects and agenda for action. http://www.volvoadventure.org/

Lois Webster Fund - Grants Available for Colorado Wildlife Research Projects. Application deadline: January 22, 2007. The LWF of the Audubon Society of Greater Denver was established in 1995 specifically to support Colorado non-game wildlife research and related education projects. The LWF is interested in funding projects designed to lead to the conservation of non-game species that are declining or under stress or suffering loss or degradation of habitat. Approximately $5,500 will be available for project funding in 2007 from the LWF. Complete grant guidelines and an application form are available at http://www.denveraudubon.org/loiswebster.htm. Please contact Polly Reetz at reetzfam@juno.com with questions.

Volunteer for an Earthwatch Expedition! Investigate lemurs in Madagascar, explore grey whales in Mexico, uncover the remains of the Roman Empire in Great Britain. Volunteer for one of 130 expeditions offered worldwide. Teachers - apply for a fellowship! Students - apply for a scholarship! Education fellowships and student scholarships provide full and partial grants to teachers and students to sponsor their participation on an Earthwatch expedition. Visit http://www.earthwatch.org or call 800-776-0188.

Rainforest Workshops - Teachers & Students to the Amazon. Two exciting ways for teachers and environmental educators to travel to the Amazon Rainforest: (1) Sign-up for the 15th annual Educator's Amazon Rainforest Workshop on scheduled June 30 - July 9, 2007 or (2) TRAVEL FREE during our 8-day Student Amazon Rainforest workshops in June and July 2007, while giving your students and their families the benefits of educational travel to one of the most diverse environments in the world to participate in a life changing Service Learning project in a village along the Amazon River. For expedition information or funding ideas call Dr. Frances Gatz at 1-800-669-6806, email fgatz@earthlink.net or visit http://www.travel2learn.com

Calling All Eco Heroes. Deadline: February 28, 2007. Action For Nature has a juried annual contest, for which cash prizes and other gifts are awarded to young people, 8 to 16 years, who have achieved an outstanding environmental success, and whose efforts will inspire others. Guidelines and application form available at http://www.actionfornature.org/eco-hero/ecoheroawards.html

Youth Service America Grants. Youth Service America and Capital One are offering grants of up to $500 to support youth-led service learning projects in low/moderate income communities. Applicants must be located in the metro Washington, DC, area. http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm#nowavailable

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado is conducting a teacher researcher program for the summer 2007, Department Of Energy Academies Creating Teacher Scientists (DOE ACTS). For more information, contact: Linda Lung, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Office of Education Programs, 303 275-3044, linda_lung@nrel.gov, or visit http://www.nrel.gov.

Resources and Announcements

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The Wildlife Experience is looking for exciting and dynamic presenters for Family Fun Days in 2007. TWE runs all-day programs with educational activities the first and third Saturday of each month, and features some sort of wildlife-related speaker or presenter on those days. If you are interested or have suggestions, please contact Jessy Clark, Education Manager, at 720.488.3304.

SustainLane is an open-source knowledge base for state and local government officials to exchange best practices in sustainability, and network among peers. Also offers a site for people to rate and discuss green products, services, and personal sustainability. http://www.sustainlane.us/

EETAP Announces 2007 Spring Schedule for Popular Online Courses
Applied EE Program Evaluation: February 19 - May 4 Designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs.
Fundamentals of EE: February 5 - April 20
Provides educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to incorporate quality environmental education into their instruction.
Offered through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, in-state tuition rate applies to all participants. Three undergraduate or graduate credits available. Courses also offered as a non-credit workshops. Contact: Angela Lemar (Angela.Lemar@uwsp.edu) for a registration form or visit http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/

Online Master's Degree Info Sessions. Environmental professionals can now earn a Master of Environmental Management at Duke University online. Learn more about this innovative, online program by attending the virtual information session from 6:00-7:30 p.m. EST on December 13. RSVP: del@nicholas.duke.edu. http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/del/

Find information about classroom materials to download free energy education activities and lessons at the Energy Hog website: http://www.energyhog.org/adult/educators.htm. For information, please contact: Maria Ellingson, Alliance to Save Energy Program Manager / Campaign Director, (303)333-4570, mellingson@ase.org.

Posting of resources or events does not constitute endorsement of those materials or activities by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education or sponsors of CAEE.

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EE InfoLink Editor: Amanda Peterson
Phone: 303-273-9527 Fax: 303-273-5780
E-mail: info@caee.org

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