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IDAHO
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
CONFERENCE 2009
TO BE HELD IN POCATELLO
On March 6 & 7 the Idaho
Environmental Education Association (IdEEA) will present its annual
Conference at the Rendezvous Complex at Idaho State University.
Gathering under the theme “Environmental Service: Bring Learning to
Life,” the conference will focus on how educators can
 make
service activities more educative, while also exploring a range of other
environmental education issues, opportunities, and accomplishments. The
conference will feature displays by educational resource providers,
presentations of exemplary environmental education programs, a showcase
of K-12 student work, and educational field trips in the area.
The professional development focus titled “What You Don’t Know about
Service Learning” will be presented by Jerry T. Pharr, Jr. of Austin,
Texas and is sponsored by the Idaho National Laboratory. Pharr has spent
nearly 15 years as an inspiring trainer, astute commentator, and
persuasive lobbyist for the advancement of youth civic engagement. He
recently served as vice president of Earth Force, one of the nation’s
leading environmental service-learning organizations. This session will
explore show how service-learning—when implemented properly—is the
perfect tool to achieve many of the environmental, social, and civic
outcomes that are so fundamental to environmental education.
Additional sessions will be presented by teachers who are implementing
environmental service-learning in their classrooms and representatives
from the Idaho Children and Nature Network, ISU’s G-K 12 Project, Solar
4R Schools, BSU’s Service Learning Program, and more. A poster session
will highlight additional Environmental Education projects and
resources.
 On
Friday March 6 at 7:00 PM, wildlife photographers and storytellers,
Diana and Buck Wilde, will present a multimedia event titled “A Walk on
the Wild Side” in the Planetarium at the Rendezvous Complex. This event
is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5. Discover what
the Wilde’s learned by negotiating face-to-face encounters with grizzly
bears while living on the Alaskan Peninsula, and see grizzly bear
behavior illuminated with their intimate photography.
Saturday afternoon will feature field trips with options for visiting
the Pocatello Community Charter School, restoring habitat on the
Portneuf River with Horizon Alternative School, helping Idaho Fish and
Game with habitat improvements, and tracking pygmy rabbits at the Idaho
National Laboratory. Trips include a sack lunch and require a $25 fee.
Conference sponsors include Idaho State University, Idaho National
Laboratory, S.M. Stoller, Teton Science Schools, The Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality, Idaho Power, Idaho Water Resource Research
Institute, Monsanto Company, and the Greater Pocatello Convention and
Visitors’ Bureau.
Scholarships and continuing education credit are available.
Pre-registration fee is $85 for IdEEA members, $110 for non-members, and
$35 for full-time students, through February 20. After February 20,
registration fees will be $100 for IdEEA members, $125 for non-members
and $35 for full-time students. Register online at
www.idahoee.org. For more
information, contact the Idaho Environmental Education Association at
208-232-5674 or e-mail amy@idahoee.org.
Share the news with your
friends and family. Download the IdEEA Conference and A Walk on
the Wild Side flyers from the IdEEA website.
www.stoller-eser.com/IdEEA/conferenceflyers.htm
Conference Scholarships
Available
Thanks to generous donations from the J.R. Simplot Company, Idaho Water
Resources Research Institute, and Partners for Prosperity, we will be
awarding over 20 scholarships to cover registration costs for the Idaho
EE Conference.
Scholarships will be awarded to the first 5 Pocatello District 25
teachers who apply, courtesy of J. R. Simplot Company.
Scholarships will be awarded to teachers in Fort Hall and/or Butte,
Freemont, Clark or Teton Counties, courtesy of Partners for Prosperity.
Apply today!
Let the sun shine in!
 Applications
for Idaho Power’s Solar 4R Schools program are due March 1, 2009.
Successful applicants will receive, at no cost, a 1.1 KW solar
array, data monitoring equipment, and curriculum package. Schools
must be in Idaho Power’s service area. Idaho Power hopes to award up
to two installations in 2009. For more information visit,
www.idahopower.com/greenpower/Solar4Rschools
Classwish.org
Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding
and devastating budget cuts, many schools do not have the supplies
teachers need to help their students explore the natural world. Too
often, dedicated teachers end up spending hundreds of dollars of
their own money on supplies each year, and still it's not
sufficient.
Classwish.org, a new nonprofit,
offers a simple alternative:
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Teachers visit the
site to create a Wish List of the things they need, including
chemistry sets, microscopes, and magnifying glasses.
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ClassWish helps
attract parents, alumni, local businesses and other potential
supporters to see exactly what is needed and to inspire their
help.
-
Contributions are
tax-deductible and ClassWish provides a receipt.
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ClassWish sends the
supplies directly to teachers at the school.
It's a great way for
teachers to get the support they need, and parents and communities
can be engaged in supporting environmental education and funding the
things they care about. Everyone is united in helping our children
learn, grow, and perform at their best.
National
Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions
The National Teach-In on
Global Warming Solutions is a day dedicated to education and
engagement aimed at stopping the trends contributing to global
warming. Our nation and our world sit at a critical juncture: We
must reduce our emissions swiftly to keep warming to the "manageable
low end" of 3-4 degrees F, says NASA's James Hansen. This year we
have a chance to turn our environment, our economy, and our hopes
around. On February 5th, 2009, you can help millions of Americans to
seize our window of opportunity: a new administration in the white
house and a moment to re-envision future, more sustainable policies.
 Right
now, join over 600 colleges, universities, high schools, faith
organizations and civic groups across the country and help ignite
the grassroots movement! Sign up and screen the launch web cast, The
First 100 Days. Watch the webcast in a campus auditorium, or school
or church basement. We are partnering with Interfaith Power & Light
and The National Wildlife Federation to produce a special version of
the webcast tailored for faith audiences. Or have a potluck and hold
a D.I.Y. Teach-In in your living room.
How would you like your community or class to have a one-on-one
session with your member of Congress or US Senator? Just send us an
e-mail, and we will work to make it happen. As a critical part of
the Teach-In, we are coordinating with Speaker Pelosi’s office to
set up a bank of computers in the capitol to create an historic
opportunity for national dialogue.
What we do in the next 100 days can truly help change the direction
of this country and set us on a course toward energy independence
and economic prosperity. For more information about this exciting
event check out our website at:
www.nationalteachin.org.
Call for Articles
IdEEA is accepting articles that highlight environmental education
programs in Idaho. To be considered for inclusion in the next
edition of IdEEA Report, articles must be 300 words or less and
submitted by April 1st. Preference will be given to individuals
and/or organizations that are IdEEA members and offer programs that
are statewide or could be adopted in locations throughout Idaho.
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Idaho Environmental
Educator of the Year
Awards
The time is now..... Nominate individuals who have made significant
contributions to Idaho’s environmental education community! IdEEA is
accepting nominations for the 2008 Idaho Environmental Education Awards
in the categories of Elementary, Secondary, and Professional
Environmental Educator of the Year. The deadline for nominations is
Friday, February 20.
Recipients will be recognized at the 2009 Idaho Environmental Education
Conference on March 6 and 7. For more information on how to nominate
your favorite educator, please visit
www.idahoee.org or contact Laron Johnson at
ljohnson@sd251.org
Go ahead, nominate someone who has done an outstanding job in the
environmental education field!
Silent Auction
IdEEA is hosting
a silent auction in conjunction with the 8th annual Idaho Environmental
Education Conference.
Help support education about Idaho’s environment by donating an
item for auction. From tiny trinkets to big-ticket items, we hope to
have many items to sell to the highest bidder. Donations of gently used
items are welcome.
You can bring your donation to the Conference on Friday, March 6th or mail it to IdEEA, P.O. Box 791, Lava Hot Springs, ID 83246.
Contact Amy at IdEEA for more information.
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