First-Hand Experience for Teachers
The BLM Teachers on the Public Lands program gives teachers opportunities to work as interns on public lands during their summer breaks. The teachers work at Hands on the Land sites, where they observe BLM resource management first-hand and develop lesson plans that BLM employees, teachers, and community volunteers can use in the future.
When the teachers return to school in the fall, they share their program projects with their students. The teachers’ projects enrich students’ understanding and appreciation of the public lands. The teachers also have the opportunity to receive graduate and/or continuing education credits.
The program allows educators to have a curriculum based on real-life experience and strengthens connections between local schools and the BLM. At the end of the program, teachers and students have a better understanding of the role of the BLM and the management of public lands.
The partnership has resulted in the writing of lesson plans on such topics as climate change, marine biology, native plants, soils, hydrology, and riparian habitats. We are working to share these plans with other teachers nationwide through the Hands on the Land website at www.handsontheland.org
Teachers on Public Lands program began in 2014 through a BLM partnership with the University of Colorado - Denver.
In the following video, Eileen Davis -- a Teacher on Public Lands participant -- shares her experiences working in the Las Cruces, New Mexico area.