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Division of Education and Outreach
National Conservation Training Center
May 2014



Spring into VOICES and find resources that will help you connect people to nature, increase your knowledge through professional development, and discover new opportunities. 

You'll never know what you're missing unless you take a few minutes to review all the categories in VOICES. Resources like this quote from Outdoor Afro organizer Rue Mapp, who said, "People can live their best lives connected to nature and connected to each other." Find Outdoor Afro's website under CPWN.  What inspires you to do the work of the Service?  Send me your resources.

Kathy
Kathy_Sholl@fws.gov

 

Youth in the Great Outdoors (YGO)Youth
Play - Learn - Serve - Work

Engaging the Next Generation
Learn about Secretary Jewell's Order #3332 "Engaging the Next Generation" to formalize the youth initiative.  www.doi.gov/news/upload/Youth-S-O.pdf

Empowering Young People
The Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship initiative (GLSI) strives to build vibrant, sustainable communities committed to empowering their young people as environmental leaders and social entrepreneurs. GLSI achieves this vision by: facilitating school-community partnerships; funding innovative, collaborative student-driven projects; providing targeted training opportunities for students and teachers; and, coordinating communities of learning. Collectively, these efforts extend the classroom beyond the walls of any one school building or political jurisdiction out into the exquisite natural and cultural landscape of Northeast Michigan.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alpena Michigan Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is a partner, supporter, and participant in the initiative.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoktul1asN4
Place-based Education in Northeast Michigan - Full
Place-based Education in
Northeast Michigan

SC3 Applications Available
The Green Schools Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently accepting applications for the 2014 Student Climate and Conservation Congress (SC3) U.S. Green Fellow Leadership Program.  All rising 9-12th grade students, school faculty, or staff, who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their schools or communities are invited to apply for the week-long SC3 at the FWS National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV from June 22-28, 2014.  Nominees are encouraged to apply early to have the best chance of acceptance, as admission is on a rolling basis.
 www.greenschoolsalliance.org/students/student-climate-conservation-congress-sc3

Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation
The mission of the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation is to provide outreach to fatherless children and young adults, by promoting educational enrichment, one-on-one mentoring and global service initiatives that will cultivate the next generation of responsible leaders.
http://smharveyfoundation.org/

Urban Refuge Initiative is Moving
Secretary Jewell visited the San Diego Refuge in March regarding the Urban Refuge initiative.  The refuge is partnering with Friends of the Los Angeles River, the National Park Service, and other local organizations to connect urban youth with nature by modifying a mobile RV into an interactive educational center.
www.fws.gov/refuges/news/MoreOutdoorOpportunitiesCityKids.html

Connecting People with Nature (CPWN)Connecting

Get Down and Dirty
International Mud Day is June 29, 2014.  Children and early childhood professionals all over the world will celebrate nature, the outdoors, and mess around by getting really muddy.
www.worldforumfoundation.org/working-groups/nature/international-mud-day/

Conservation Connect
Conservation Connect is a new web-based video series produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center. Each 5-7 minute episode aims to connect youth, ages 9-13, or any age, with the great outdoors, wildlife species, and conservation careers. Conservation Connect is available to youth groups, schools, homeschoolers, nature centers, and other educational based programs throughout the country.
http://nctc.fws.gov/conservationconnect/

iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a free app for iPad and iPhone.  The app allows users to record and share online what they see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.
www.inaturalist.org/

Outdoor Afro
Outdoor Afro is a social community that reconnects African-Americans with natural spaces and one another through recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, birding, fishing, gardening, and skiing.

www.outdoorafro.com/about/

Track Spring's Journey North
Seasonal change is all around us. We see it in the length of a day, in the appearance of a flower, and in the flight of a butterfly. Journey North engages students and citizen scientists around the globe in tracking wildlife migration and seasonal change. Participants share field observations across the northern hemisphere, exploring the interrelated aspects of seasonal change.
www.learner.org/jnorth/

Winter Rendezvous
The Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge and the Tracker Society have continued to offer programs based on the Coyote Guide to Connecting with Nature at the Mary and Murray Looney Education and Research Center. These programs connect children, adults, and families to nature through wildlife identification, primitive survival skills, storytelling, games, and nature-based mentoring. The program is very popular and has increased support for the Refuge and the Refuge System. A video was developed highlighting the recent Winter Rendezvous workshop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNx1tJTOko&feature=youtu.be
 
Winter Rendezvous 2014
Winter Rendezvous 2014

FWS Professional DevelopmentFWS

Register in DOI Learn for courses and webinars:
www.doi.gov/doilearn/index.cfm  

Interpretive Media:  CLM8243
Date:  June 10 to July 3, 2014
Location: Online
This online course will enable participants to design visually appealing signs, write dynamic interpretive messages, select appropriate fabrication materials, identify considerations for sign placement, and estimate project costs.  Once enrolled, participants will participate in the Eppley Institute "Interpretive Media" self-study class. This class must be completed by June 10, 2014.
Contact: Laurie_Heupel@fws.gov or 304-876-7486
Registration Deadline: May 23, 2014

National FWS Communications, Outreach and Visitor Services Training Workshop - Telling Stories, Making Connections:  CLM8252
Date: September 3 to September 5, 2014
Location: National Conservation Training Center
This training introduces innovative communications, outreach and visitor services tools, including storytelling, to participants to build and maintain relationships with key audiences. Using a concurrent-session format, students will focus their learning on their specific training needs. Several sessions will be offered as distance learning opportunities for those unable to attend.
Contact: Laurie_Heupel@fws.gov or 304-876-7486
Registration Deadline: August 1, 2014

Volunteer Recruitment and Management:  CLM8114
Date: August 5 to September 11, 2014
Location: Online
Learn how to develop and maintain strong volunteer programs. Discover how volunteer programs can play a role in meeting resource management objectives. Topics include: benefits, and sensitive issues, of working with volunteers; volunteer policy; and, common types of volunteer programs. This five-week online class meets for eleven, 2-hour instructor-led sessions.
Contact: Laurie_Heupel@fws.gov
or 304-876-7486
Registration Deadline: July 25, 2014

Friends, Volunteers, and Community Partnerships
Staff Training

The Community Partnerships implementation team identified a need to provide Service staff with information on the importance of community partnerships and with the tools needed to effectively develop and manage them. Staff training was identified as a key element to meet those needs. The team developed a list of NCTC training courses that are possible conduits to the Service work force. The goal was to locate at least one course in each of the "General Foundational, Intermediate, or Advanced" courses that could disseminate information regarding the value of working with Friends, Volunteers, and Community Partners.
www.fws.gov/refuges/vision/communityPartnerships.html

Online: Supervising Young Adults in Conservation OUT8045
Date: Ongoing
Location: DOI-Learn - Archived OUT8045 Webinar/Online
Supervising young adults in seasonal and internship positions can be a new and challenging experience for even the most seasoned of supervisors. This recorded webinar, led by Student Conservation Association and US Forest Service staff, will relate critical thinking and problem solving to common issues and situations often faced by supervisors working with young adults aged 16-25. Participants have a quarterly timeline to complete in four-month intervals (Jan 1; April 1; July 1; Oct 1).
Contact: Sandy_Spakoff@fws.gov; 304-876-7783 or Ora_Dixon@fws.gov; 304-876-7314
 
Online: Mentoring: Getting Started with Your Mentee: OUT8081
Date: Ongoing
Location: DOI-Learn (Online)
In this course mentoring experts provide tips and techniques based on their experience. The self-paced training focuses on mentoring fundamentals, including tools, job aids, and skills needed when meeting with a mentee for the first time. Participating in this course will contribute to building a successful partnership with your mentee. Participants are given a quarterly timeline
(Jan 1; April 1; July 1; Oct 1), 4 months intervals to complete. Receive 2.5 credit hours of annual diversity training upon course completion. This course is a prerequisite for Mentoring the Next Generation: Voices of Experience OUT8050-ELEARNING, an Archived Webinar.
Contact: Ora_Dixon@fws.gov; 304-876-7314 or Sandy_Spakoff@fws.gov; 304-876-7783
 
Online: Mentoring: The Next Generation - Voices of Experiences: OUT8050-ELEARNING
Date: Ongoing
Location: DOI-Learn (Archived OUT8050 Webinar/Online)
Hear the ins and outs of mentoring as a panel of experienced mentors and mentees answer questions and provide suggestions for ensuring a productive mentor-mentee relationship. This archived webinar (eLearning) training builds on the mentoring prerequisite OUT8081 and focuses on trouble-shooting challenges in a mentoring relationship. Participants will apply the insights they've gained to their personal mentoring practices to build a more open, inclusive, and trusting relationship with their mentee(s). Course enrollees must score 80% or higher on the online final assessment for course completion. Participants are given a "quarterly" timeline (Jan 1; April 1; July 1; Oct 1) i.e. 4 months intervals to complete this online course. Receive 2.5 credit hours of annual diversity training upon course completion.
Contact: Ora_Dixon@fws.gov; 304-876-7314 or Sandy_Spakoff@fws.gov; 304-876-7783  

Other Professional DevelopmentOther

Changing Public Behavior: People and the Environment
Location: Online
This self-study, e-learning course is designed for natural resource professionals, extension educators, and environmental educators who work with communities. Through an interactive format and investigation of practical examples, participants build skills and confidence in identifying and analyzing behavior change opportunities. After completing the course, participants will have a draft plan for increasing people's involvement in an environmental situation. The course requires an account, but there is no fee.
http://campus.extension.org/

Engaging Military Communities

Date: May 12-June 8, 2014
Location: Online
This is a new EE Capacity professional development course designed for environmental educators and community development professionals interested in working with members of the military community. Exposure to nature through outdoor recreation, gardening, tree planting, and similar activities has been especially valuable to returning warriors and their families. The objective of this course is to increase participants' capacity to develop programs that increase environmental awareness and utilize the therapeutic value of nature in building resilient communities. Limited to 30 participants.
http://tinyurl.com/eem-register

EnviroJordan Study Tour
EnviroJordan is a two-week environmental education study tour August 2-15, 2014. It is open to private and public school teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, environmental and science education professors, museum and nature center staff, and others. Visit breathtaking places like Petra, the Dead Sea, and ancient castles. Luxury camping in nature reserves and the Wadi Rum desert. Cost is $2,400. Graduate credit and scholarships available.  Application deadline: May 12, 2014
http://envirojordan.org

Summer Institute for Climate Change and
Energy Education

Date: August 4-6, 2014
Location: Sandstone, Minnesota
Integrate STEM content into any subject area and deepen your ability to teach about energy and climate change with curriculum and experiences from this professional development event. The $125 fee includes two nights lodging, meals, with curriculum and materials galore. Come for the free giveaways, CEUs, and optional graduate credit, and stay for the inspiring keynotes, guest scientists, and campfire conversations with some of the Midwest's best educators.Contact: education@willstegerfoundation.org or 612-278-7147
www.willstegerfoundation.org/summer-institute

 

Educational ResourcesEducational

Do you have CAT?
Even if you like dogs, we all need
to have CAT -- the online Career Awareness Toolkit (CAT).  CAT is filled with ideas, lesson plans, and other resources to help any Service employee put together a presentation about conservation careers.  Watch a brief four-minute video for a demonstration with tips on using CAT.  CAT has more than nine ideas and is just waiting for you to ignite inquisitive excitement in young people, from elementary to college age.
Video: http://nctc.fws.gov/resources/knowledge-resources/video-gallery/careers.html
CAT:  http://go.usa.gov/jrU9

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Project
Help protect forests and endangered species. This site contains a list of things kids can do to help Dr. Seuss' Lorax character.  You'll find games, a coloring book, printable stickers, and information about endangered places and species. After taking the pledge, students can also print a customized certificate.
www.seussville.com/loraxproject/

Measuring Environmental Education Outcomes
This NAAEE free downloadable e-book is authored by 20 environmental educators across the U.S. who are trying to offer a fresh look at environmental education outcomes and their measurement.
www.naaee.net/publications/MEEO

Natural Heroes Project Guide

The Natural Heroes Project Guide is a free downloadable PDF for educators.  This 46 page classroom guide consists of 6 projects aligned to Common Core and is designed to supplement the popular PBS broadcast series.
http://naturalheroes.org/educational-resources/

Tools for Engagement
This planning guide features ideas and resources about how to best engage people in conservation efforts.  The downloadable toolkit is divided into sections including core planning steps, and resources.
http://web4.audubon.org/educate/toolkit/toolkit.php

TurfMutt - Saving the Planet One Yard At A Time.  
TurfMutt is an environmental education program offering free science-based, standards aligned curriculum, activities, educational videos, and puzzles for students in grades K-5, their teachers and parents.  TurfMutt inspires kids to get outside, explore nature in their communities, and learn about the value of plants and green space.  
www.turfmutt.com

Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps
Resource Education Curriculum (REC)

Consisting of 17 one-hour lessons, the REC was developed for 8th-12th grade students in outdoor settings, highlighting specific concepts related to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  The resource is easily adaptable in level and content, and it is divided into five themes: leadership, cultural heritage, ecological relationships, stewardship, and sustainability.  They are designed to be printed (double-sided) on 8.5 X 11" card stock. The pages need to be cut in half and sorted before being taken into the field.
http://repository.uwyo.edu/ycc_rec/

Events, Conferences & WorkshopsEvents

Endangered Species Day
Celebrate the 9th Annual National Endangered Species Day on May 16, 2014. This is an ideal opportunity for educators and students to learn about the importance of protecting threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Register your activity and check out the materials provided in toolkit.
www.endangered.org/campaigns/endangered-species-day/

NAAEE Conference

Ottawa is looking forward to hosting you during the 43rd NAAEE Conference: Building Momentum for the Next Chapter October 8-11, 2014.
www.ottawatourism.ca/en/conferences/naaee

National Wildflower Week
From May 5 through May 11, 2014, celebrate nature's bounty of wildflowers across the nation.  The week not only aims to highlight wildflowers' beauty, but to encourage citizens to understand their value and take steps to protect them. Wildflowers and native plants help conserve water, reduce mowing costs, provide habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, and protect the soil from erosion. In addition, native plants often require less resources to maintain than plants that aren't native to a region.
 www.wildflower.org/nww/

Grants, Awards & ContestsGrants

2014 Pollinator Challenge
In celebration of National Pollinator Week, June 16-24, the USFWS is challenging stations to engage in pollinator education, management and science activities.  The Challenge runs from April 15 through September 30. 
 https://inside.fws.gov/index.cfm/go/post/EC-Pollinators?

Climate Change LIVE GreenWorks! Grant
Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, forest improvement project, streamside restoration plan, recycling program, energy conservation project or any other project that could help address climate change? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a ClimateChangeLIVE GreenWorks! Grant. The deadline is September 30, 2014.
http://climatechangelive.org/index.php?pid=177

Every Day Capacity Building Grants
Every Day Capacity Building Grants provide Friends Groups with grant funds of up to $5,000 to help build their capacity to serve public lands. Proposals for the winter cycle are due October 30.
www.publiclandseveryday.org/grants/capacity-building-grants

John Muir Youth Award

The John Muir Youth Award aims to encourage people to not just learn about, but to become involved in conservation and the protection of wilderness and biological diversity. It accomplishes this aim through a five-step discovery process to explore, enjoy, study and celebrate wild landscapes and wildlife. The John Muir Youth Award is NOT a competition. If students complete the project according to the five criteria, they will receive a certificate for their achievements.
http://eeingeorgia.org/resource/about.aspx?s=73443.0.0.4863

NAI Awards Programs
The National Association for Interpretation offers Professional Awards and an Interpretive Media Award Competition.  Deadline is May 30, 2014.
www.interpnet.com/nai/Resources/Awards_Programs/nai/_resources/Awards_Programs.aspx?hkey=a2fac3b1-e65f-4932-a2a7-6fc3425760a1

National EE Week Photo Contest
The EE Week Photo Contest is designed to allow educators to upload their photos and stories of engaging students in environmental education.  Deadline is May 31, 2014.
http://eeweek.org/photo-contest

Young Birder of the Year Contest
Young people, ages 10-18, are invited to compete in the American Birding Association's (ABA) Young Birder of the Year (YBY) contest, designed to help young birders discover new skills and enhance their talents.  Deadline is June 15, 2014.
http://youngbirders.aba.org/young-birder-of-the-year-contest
VOICES is Archived

Looking for that special resource from a previous issue?  You're only a click away from finding past issues of VOICES. 

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs069/1103390641162/archive/1103559298512.html

 

 

Kathy Sholl, Editor

In This Issue



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Youth in the Great Outdoors Logo




 Neighborhood Explorers Logo


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Let's Move Logo





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