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You are here: NRS Home / Research Programs / Environmental Literacy / Reaching Out to Lifetime Learners
Environmental Literacy

Reaching Out to Lifetime Learners

Whether it’s educators seeking professional development courses, or adults seeking nonformal education opportunities through community groups or nature centers, Station research supports environmental literacy for lifetime learners.

Selected Projects

[image:] Opening webpageForest For Every Classroom
In 2010, we initiated a replication of Forest For Every Classroom (FFEC), an innovative, place-based, year-long professional development program for K-12 teachers, in Wisconsin. Created in 1999 through a partnership between Shelburne Farms, National Wildlife Federation, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service Conservation Study Institute and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, FFEC provides a high-quality model for professional development.

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It emphasizes:

  • A variety of partners including non-profit environmental education organization and a land management agency
  • Sustained year-long professional development that includes at least three overnights and a minimum of 11 days of training distributed throughout the seasons
  • Foundational training in the principals and practices of place-based learning
  • In-depth strategies, case studies,  and resources in service learning and civic engagement
  • Exposure of educators to academic and professional resources specialists who are willing to be part of a network of local support for participating teachers
  • A curriculum development framework that meets state and/or district standards
  • Participation in the FFEC evaluation program including formative and summative evaluation, with data shared with the Founding Partners

Our partners in Wisconsin include State and Private Forestry, R9 Urban Connections, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, LEAF, Project Learning Tree, Trees for Tomorrow, Nicolet Distance Education, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
LEAF is Wisconsin’s K-12 environmental education program which is a partnership program between the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Read more about LEAF at http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf.

 

[photo:] two acornsEcomyths Chicago
Since January 2009, Ecomyths, a partnership to solve environmental myths and mysteries in Chicago, has been sharing information with the public on water, wetlands, and soil. In addition to sending out monthly electronic postcards, the web site includes opportunities to ask scientists questions, research environmental topics, and get involved around the region. Visit their web site at: http://www.ecomythschicago.org/

 

[photo:] Need descriptionBird Banding With the Community in Jamestown, NY
Research Wildlife Biologist Scott Stoleson and his staff run bird-banding programs for the public for five weeks each spring at the Jamestown Audubon in Jamestown, NY; 2011 will be the fifth year for this program, which draws bird-lovers of all ages. An average of 20-25 people participate in these early morning programs.

 

[photo:] A story cloth is a traditional Hmong method to depict their history. This story cloth shows the Hmong fleeing their villages in Laos from North Vietnamese soldiers, crossing the Mekong River, and entering refugee camps in Thailand by the Lu Vang family of Minneapolis, Minnesota (image courtesy of University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Chalmer Davee Library).Conservation Education DVD for Hmong American Communities
This project grew out of earlier focus groups in which Hmong participants identified a need in their communities for education about American environmental values and practices. The DVD has been filmed and the footage is currently being edited.

 

 

Discover the Forest
Discover the Forest helps families find ideas for outdoor activities along with educational and conservation information. The site also includes a new interactive tool, powered by Nature Find™, which enables users to search for nearby forests and parks, as well as downloadable activities to print and take along when they visit.

 

Last Modified: 09/10/2012

About this Research Area

Science theme: Environmental Literacy

Featured Product

[image:] Cover from GTR-NRS-21 Bringing the Northern Forest to your ClassroomBringing the Northern Forest to Your Classroom. 2008. Twery, Mark J.; Hildreth, Sandra J.; Evans, Celia A.


Featured Resource

[image:] Logo from website - Discover the Forest - It's where the other you lives.Discover the Forest

Discover the Forest helps families find ideas for outdoor activities along with educational and conservation information. The site also includes a new interactive tool, powered by Nature Find™, which enables users to search for nearby forests and parks, as well as downloadable activities to print and take along when they visit.