News
New climate curriculum available! The IdEEA Climate Cohort of nine Idaho educators has completed a set of units for grades 5-12 based on the Idaho Climate-Economy Impacts Assessment and tied to the Idaho Science Standards for a place-based discussion of climate variability relevant to Idaho’s students. See the full list of lessons at https://www.idahoee.org/climate-curriculum. We encourage you to use these lessons and provide feedback! We also ask for your input on our survey about teaching climate in your classroom so we can help support these lessons being used.
Recent news from the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10:
The National Environmental Youth Advisory Council has released its draft recommendations
Region 10’s student award went to an Alaskan Girl Scout troop’s project, “Bucket Trees for Campfire Safety.”
$3.6 million given to support environmental projects nationwide; in Region 10, the projects selected are: Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group - $100,000 (Theler Environmental Education Programs); Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association - $99,735 (Future Leaders of Whatcom Waters Program); Takshanuk Watershed Council - $97,640 (Jilkaat Aani Ka Heeni (Chilkat Watershed) Stewardship Project); and University of Alaska Anchorage - $100,000 (Connecting Communities Through Peatland Ecology).
September’s Reading Wildly Book Club selection is Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Golfarb. Crossings was named one of the best books of 2023 by outlets including the New York Times and Smithsonian, and received the Sierra Club's 2024 Rachel Carson Award for Excellence in Environmental Writing. Author Ben Golfarb will virtually start off our meeting, which will be followed by a discussion around how the 40 million miles of roadways on our planet impacts animals in surprising ways. Join the in-person discussion Sunday, September 8, 3-4pm MDT, at the Downtown location of Java (223 North 6th Street #110 Boise, ID 83702) The Event is free, but registration is required.
Professional Workshops
“What an Owl Knows” book study this fall. The IdEEA book selection from the recent STEM conference is the focus of this upcoming PD opportunity. The objective of our book study is to research What an Owl Knows from the educator’s lens, pre-K through high school, so that we can create a science unit that is aligned with the Idaho Science standards and use it in the classroom this fall.
"If anyone knows anything about anything,” says Winnie the Pooh, “it’s Owl who knows something about something.” Owls have truths to tell us. We would be wise to listen. Owls inhabit our language and are embedded in our sayings. When we are cranky and uncooperative we are “owly.” If we stay up late at night we are “night owls.” This book explores what new science has discovered about these enigmatic birds. Their anatomy, biology, behavior, and hunting skills.
Bringing a little more of our Idaho outdoors into our classroom walls will lead to successful outcomes for our students, more fulfilling careers for us as teachers, and lasting benefits for our communities. More details and registration info HERE.
WILD! Teaching climate change through wildlife. The 2024 Earth To Sky workshop will be November 12-15 in the Grand Teton National Park. Both formal and informal educators are encouraged to APPLY TODAY!
Supporting Students Social Emotional Learning (SEL) through Nature-based Activities. Explore Project Learning Tree’s Connecting for Health and Planet, a theme-based series for third through eighth-grade educators that invites learners to investigate how being outside—and among trees, specifically—provides people with many different physical, emotional, social, and learning benefits. The first 5 attendees of this FREE -hour webinar will get a free digital copy! September 17, 4:00 – 5:00 PST / 5:00 – 6:00 MST. Learn more at idahoforests.org/plt.
Idaho Ecosystems with WILD, WET & PLT! Zoom sessions October 29, November 19, and December 3. 7-8:30 pm (MT)/6-7:30 pm (PT). In this interactive virtual class, receive training and award-winning materials from Project WILD, Project WET, and Project Learning Tree, with which you will engage upper elementary students in learning about Idaho ecosystems. The class includes three synchronous Zoom sessions, with most coursework done separately on your own. For part of the class, you will choose one of the curricula (WILD, WET, or PLT) to explore in more depth and will receive that program’s comprehensive activity guide(s). You will leave the course with plans to use materials from the course with students, both indoors and out. Fee $45;1 PD credit for an additional $60. Register at idahoforests.org/plt.
Fall workshops from the Outdoor Learning Store are now open for registration. There are some great sessions planned so be sure to register now at https://outdoorlearningstore.com/workshops/.
Two conferences from our Washington EE colleagues, E3 Washington, this fall. Both formal and non-formal educators are invited to the Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) conference on October 12 (in person in Spokane with a virtual option), with keynote speaker Hazen Audel. Outdoor, environmental, and sustainability educators are invited to the Growing Together conference at the Cispus Learning Center in Randle, WA in mid November.
Employment/Volunteer/Student Opportunities
Environmental and STEM education positions through AmeriCorps. More details through the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute and University of Idaho 4H.
Resources & Grants
Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass) will be releasing a brand-new book this fall, available for pre-ordered HERE. Dr. Kimmerer is one of the Indigenous presenters participating in the 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning Course through the Outdoor Learning School Store. More info at: https://outdoorlearningstore.com/4-seasons
Upcoming Events
September 8: Reading Wildly Book Club
September 9: What an Owl Knows book study (online)
September 17: FREE Supporting Students Social Emotional Learning (SEL) through Nature-based Activities
October 2: Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation (IWCF) 2024 - Our Shared Environment: LEAD! (Learn - Engage - Adapt - Discuss) in Boise. Featuring Dr. Jonathon Foley from Project Drawdown and Dana Gunders of ReFED.
October 29: Idaho Ecosystems with WILD, WET & PLT
November 7-9: NAAEE 2024: Building Bridges in Pittsburgh, PA
November 12-15: Idaho Earth to Sky in Grand Teton National Park, WY
November 15-17: Washington’s Growing Together conference for outdoor, environmental, and sustainability educators
EE Spotlight
Project GREEN is a Boise-based sustainability network founded to address local, regional, and global issues & solutions. They host an annual Sustainability Summit for environmental educators and advocates to connect and learn from each other. IdEEA is proud to have sponsored the summit over the past years and use it as the venue to announce our EE award winners.
The 2024 Sustainability Summit was an amazing event with motivated and engaged participants, highly knowledgeable speakers and presenters, and great field trips each day. The theme of Grit provided an interesting lens through which to examine classroom experiences in sustainability, and the summit took place at Boise’s Riverstone International School, a great venue for teachers and professionals to explore classroom and whole school sustainability together.
Talks included a keynote address from Emily Wakild (BSU) on Spaces for History in Sustainability; an update on climate change and its impacts on health from Dr. Ethan Sims (Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health); Exploring Links Between Mental Health, Outdoor Education and Climate Change from Dr. Jen Pierce (BSU); Energy Efficiency for Schools from Chris Pollow (Idaho Power); and The Confluence Project from Woody Wood (U of Idaho). Field trips were to a local restoration project at Warm Springs Creek and to Foote Park at Lucky Peak Dam. Numerous concurrent workshops were also available.
Mini-grants were offered to teachers to help facilitate them taking what they learned in this conference to their own classrooms. The Ada Soil and Water Conservation District also offered grants to support their community outreach goals. Big thanks to additional sponsors Idaho Power, Ada Soil & Water Conservation District, and Partners for Clean Water, as well as all the Project GREEN project partners!
More details and the copies of the 2024 presentations are online HERE.
IdEEA Updates
IdEEA is proud to be the fiscal sponsor of two youth-led climate action projects through the City of Boise. One, the Placer Institute, promotes a new age of climate-focused education by engaging students as both recipients and cultivators of its curriculum. Following an hour of land-based engagement, students will be asked to participate in a seminar-style discussion. Sessions will take place Saturdays this fall at Boise’s Jim Hall Foothill Learning Center. The other project is based on The Adventure Gap and aims to get recreational equipment and education to a wider audience for increased exposure to the outdoors.
Become an IdEEA member and support EE in Idaho! If you have an interest in supporting our mission more fully but don’t have the capacity to be on the board, join one of our committees! Any active members are eligible to meet with a committee to help with specific events and projects. Let us know you’re interested by emailing communications@idahoee.org under the subject “Committees” and we’ll connect you to the correct Committee Chair. Become a member today! Stay current with all our updates! Subscribe to this newsletter and follow our blog at idahoee.org.
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