National Association of Conservation Districts

Education Links

Conservation education is an important component of conservation districts. For your convenience, a variety of lesson plans, information and programs have been organized by topic and are listed below. If you have additional sites we should list, please send suggestions to stewardship@nacdnet.org.

Note: ** indicates partner links.

Ag Education

Project Food, Land & People
Project Food, Land & People promotes approaches to learning to help people better understand the interrelationships among agriculture, the environment and people of the world.

Ag in the Classroom
Agriculture in the Classroom provides tools to teachers as they help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society, so that they may become citizens who support wise agricultural policies.

FSA Kids
This Farm Service Agency site for kids provides games, activities and information about food and agriculture

The Story of Corn
Educational corn stories and tools on this site provide resources for teachers and students.

Farming Today and Tomorrow
This site provides lesson plans to teach the history and future of farming.

Chesapeake Bay Education Resources

Chesapeake Academic Resources for Teachers
Looking for a Bay friendly classroom activity? Grow bay grasses in your class, initiate Bayscaping in the schoolyard, do some water quality testing in a local stream or creek. Teachers can take advantage of CHART (Chesapeake Academic Resources for Teachers), a great new resource.

Coastal

Marine Protected Areas of the United States
The National Marine Protected Areas Center offers links to education materials and training opportunities to increase understanding and awareness of MPAs among government agencies, coastal and marine educators, and their audiences.

Conservation District Programs

Hands-On Activities and Projects from Virginia’s Conservation Districts
These programs provide opportunities for citizens to become good stewards of our environment and natural resources.

Conservation Education Material Suppliers

Enviroscapes
This site sells interactive units to teach children about environmental and conservation practices.

EnVision Environmental Education
EnVision manufactures groundwater simulators for educators.

Acorn Naturalists
Acorn Naturalists catalog offers resources for teachers, naturalists, interpreters, outdoor educators, camp counselors, parents and their children.

Environmental Media
Environmental Media designs, produces and distributes curriculum-based media to support science and environmental education for classrooms and communities.

Splash
This is an interactive computer game that teaches fundamental concepts about nonpoint source pollution prevention measures in a farm, city, and neighborhood setting.

Living Landscape
This is an interactive computer game that takes learners of all ages through various best management and conservation practices to turn a rundown farm and landscape into an environmental showplace.

Conservation Action Through Education
The Project CATE Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit conservation and environmental foundation that offers a series of six CD-ROMs that teach children in kindergarten through 12th grade about water, wildlife, air, soil, energy and recycling.

Ecology Center
The Ecology Center offers a unique, current events-based curriculum for high school teachers and college instructors to facilitate thought-provoking ecological education in the classroom.

Conservation/Environmental Organizations

North American Association for Environmental Education
NAAEE is the professional association for environmental education that promotes professional excellence in non-formal organizations, K-12 classrooms, universities, government agencies, and corporate settings throughout North America and in over 55 other countries.

Environmental Education and Training Partnership
EETAP offers educators information, resources and links for promoting academic achievement and environmental literacy.

** Envirothon
The Canon Envirothon is an annual competition in which winning state/provincial student teams compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management.

The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy's mission is to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

Izaak Walton League
The Izaak Walton League takes a common-sense approach toward protecting our country's natural heritage and improving outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.

National Science Teachers Association
NSTA publishes books and journals for science teachers from kindergarten through college.

Earth Day

Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide.

Federal Agencies

USDA Forest Service For Kids
This site provides links to educational programs like Smokey Bear.

Natural Inquirer
The Natural Inquirer is a middle school science education journal that tells about scientific research conducted by scientists in the USDA Forest Service

State and Private Forestry
The State and Private Forestry organization is the federal leader in providing technical and financial assistance to landowners and resource managers to help sustain the Nation’s forests and protect communities and the environment from wildland fires.

Natural Resource Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private land owners and managers conserve their soil, water, and other natural resources by providing technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs.

Tidbits for Teachers
This site provides classroom-tested lesson plans, stories, and activities about soil formation, habitats, and land use from the NRCS.

US Fish and Wildlife Services
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

US Bureau of Land Management
The BLM is responsible for carrying out a variety of programs for the management and conservation of resources on public lands.

US Department of Agriculture
The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.

Environmental Protection Agency
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment for the American people.

EPA Education Resources
This is a list of educational materials for Pre-K through 12 grade.

U.S. Geological Survey
USGS is an unbiased, multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water

Farm Service Agency
The Farm Service Agency administers and manages farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs as laid out by Congress through a network of federal, state and county offices.

Field Guides

Soil Field Guide (GLOBE project)
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program.

Data Sheets for Soil investigations
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program.

Freshwater Mussels of the Upper Mississippi River System
This site from the Fish and Wildlife Service tells about the nearly 300 species of mussels that inhabit freshwater rivers and lakes in North America

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
USGS provides animal identification tools on this site.

American Field Guide
Tap into the sights and sounds from a wide variety of environments throughout America by browsing many topics on this site about America’s wilderness.

Forestry

**Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree is an award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in Pre K-grade 12.

National Arbor Day Foundation
National Arbor Day Foundation strives to have the greatest possible positive impact, to close the gap between what's known and what's practiced by engaging people worldwide in tree planting.

American Forest Foundation
The American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit education and conservation organization working for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and to help people make informed decisions about our communities and our world.

American Forests
American Forests works to protect, restore and enhance the natural capital of trees and forests.

American Forest & Paper Association
The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest, pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood products industry

The Forest Products Game
This provides a link to forest game lesson plans.

Tree Musketeers
Tree Musketeers is the nation’s first youth environmental organization where kids teach other kids to become active citizens and community leaders.

National Christmas Tree Association
The National Christmas Tree Association strives to be one voice representing Christmas tree professionals and promoting the use of real Christmas trees.

National Association of State Foresters
NASF is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of all 50 State Forestry agencies, the eight U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

The Forest History Society
The Forest History Society is a nonprofit educational institution that links the past to the future by identifying, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating information on the history of interactions between people, forests, and their related resources.

Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association
HPVA's mission is to promote and support the use of high quality, environmentally sound, decorative wood products manufactured in North America.

Society of American Foresters
Since 1900, the Society of American Foresters has provided access to information and networking opportunities to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals.

Forestry Tools for Teachers
This provides comprehensive lesson plans to bring forestry into the classroom.

GPS

GLOBE – GPS Section
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program.

Other

National Geographic Association
This site links to all the publications and endeavors of the National Geographic Association.

Earth Force
Earth Force engages young people as active citizens to improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

EnviroLink Network
The EnviroLink Network is a non-profit organization which has been providing access to thousands of online environmental resources since 1991.

Sustainable Development
This site provides links to sites relevant to sustainable development.

GLOBE – Complete Teacher Section
This is the teacher’s guide for GLOBE.

GLOBE – Atmosphere Section
This is the link to GLOBE’s atmosphere chapter.

GLOBE – Land Cover Section
This is the link to GLOBE’s land cover/biology chapter.

Recycling

Office of Solid Waste (OSW) Educational Resources
This site provides a wealth of materials for teachers, kids, students, and researchers to develop an increased knowledge of solid waste issues.

Soils Education

Soil Biology Primer
This is an introduction to the living component of soil and how it contributes to agricultural productivity, and air and water quality.

Soils Education
NRCS provides links to soil education materials from this site.

Dr. Dirt
These are hands-on resources for K-8 teachers based on scientific inquiry to teach science, soil, engineering, agriculture, and natural resources.

Underground Adventure
At Underground Adventure, students can learn about soil as a habitat, and the benefits of soil to society.

Soil Biological Communities
Bureau Land Management’s soil site for kids provides interactive learning.

Discovery
This is an interactive soil site for kids.

GLOBE-Soil
GLOBE’s soil chapter is provided on this link.

Water

**Project WET
Project WET promotes responsible water stewardship through excellent and effective water education.

Water Science for Schools
This site offers information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center to test water knowledge.

USGS Science Education
The U.S. Geological Survey provides scientific information intended to help educate the public about natural resources, natural hazards, geospatial data, and issues that affect our quality of life.

National Ocean and Atmospheric Agency Education Resources
This site has been designed to help students, teachers, librarians and the general public access the many educational activities, publications, and booklets from NOAA.

Watershed Management Training
This site offers a variety of self-paced training modules that represent a basic and broad introduction to the watershed management field.

GLOBE – Hydrology Section
This is the site for GLOBE’s hydrology chapter.

Water Education Foundation
Designed for use by teachers, non-formal educators, and water quality professionals, The Water Sourcebook series covers today's most important water environment topics.

National Drinking Water Foundation
NDWT helps small communities by collecting, developing, and providing timely information relevant to drinking water issues.

National Ground Water Association
The National Ground Water Association is dedicated to advancing the expertise of all ground water professionals and to furthering ground water awareness and protection through education and outreach.

Ground Water Adventurers
The Ground Water Adventurers site is a program of the National Ground Water Association for kids who like science, fun, and exploration.

Great Lake Commission
The Great Lakes Commission is a binational agency that promotes the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water and related natural resources of the Great Lakes basin and St. Lawrence River.

Wildlife

Project WILD
Project WILD is based on the premise that young people and educators have a vital interest in learning about our natural world.

Urban Birds Program
Urban Bird Studies is a group of projects to learn more about birds in cities.

World Wildlife Fund
WWF is the largest multinational conservation organization in the world and involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.

Ducks Unlimited Greenwings program
Junior Greenwings are younger Ducks Unlimited members; they participate in the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl.

National Audubon Society
This links to the Audubon Society’s educational programs.

National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.