Happy Earth Day from SEEK!
Spring is full of environmental celebration days that are often accompanied with free educational resources and ideas to incorporate into your classroom and education programs. April 22nd, Earth Day, is arguably the most famous or recognizable of these days. This issue of the SEEK Bulletin highlights several upcoming EE celebrations and resources!
Don't forget to check out SEEK's Jobs, Internships, and Volunteer pages. Now is the time that many organizations are hiring their seasonal summer staff.
In this issue:
 Lowry Nature Center is a beautiful 10,000 square-foot prairie-style building nestled in the middle of Carver Park Reserve in Victoria, MN. We offer a wide variety of programs and activities on topics such as natural history, cultural history, and outdoor recreation. We also conduct 1870's MN history programming at the Grimm Farmhouse and a unique archeology and pre-history program at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park.
Our interpretive area is home to "Habitats" a unique outdoor play area with structures that mimic natural habitats found at Carver Park. Park guests can also enjoy and learn native gardening skills at the butterfly garden, rain garden and prairie garden areas.
Group programs with naturalists are available for schools, home-schoolers, youth agency groups, seniors and community groups. There is a grade specific, MN state education standard linked set of programs available for groups but all programs are customizable based on learner outcomes of the visiting group.
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April:
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April 3: Workshop: Go Solar at Your Cabin, Shed or Fish House will be held at the Maplewood Community Center in Maplewood
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April 5: Environmental Education Cohort: Reading and Writing with EE in Mind will be held at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington
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April 5: Workshop: The Nuts and Bolts: Experiential Education 101 will be held at the Voyageur Outward Bound School in Saint Paul
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April 5: Workshop: Tracking Nature Through the Seasons will be held at the Maplewood Nature Center Maplewood, MN
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April 12: Workshop: Conservation in a Changing Climate: Teaching About Climate Change will be held at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington
- April 13-19: National Environmental Education (EE) Week 2014 - Greening STEM: Engineering a Sustainable World
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April 17 - May 22: Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer Training - North Woods/Great Lakes Northland will be held at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd
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April 19- 27: National Park Week: Go Wild!
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April 22: Earth Day
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April 22: Presentation: Climate Trends and Climate Change in our Own Backyard will be held at the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood
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April 26: Arbor Day
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April 26-27: Course: Using the Outdoors as a Classroom will be held at Eastman Nature Center in Osseo
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April 29: Webinar: Ecoliteracy through Active Citizenship
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May 1: Webinar: Nature and Forest Schools: Changing the Way We Connect to Place, Play and Inquiry-Based Education
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May 1-2: Conference: The State of Water: Minnesotans Protecting Our Lakes and Rivers will be held at Cragun's Resort in Brainerd
To learn more about these events and many more, visit the SEEK Calendar.
Announcing a new 2014 Environmental Education Cohort at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Join a dedicated group of elementary educators focused on integrating and embedding environmental education and outdoor instruction into everyday school instruction. Sponsored by Jeffers Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sessions are offered the first Saturday each month from 9:30am - 11:30am February - May. Participate in one Saturday morning workshop or as many as you can! 3 CEU credits are available for each session.
Free Educational Toolkits Available to help you celebrate Earth Day 2014: Green Cities
Earth Day - April 22 - is a day for action; a chance to show how important the environment is to you. As the global organizer behind Earth Day, Earth Day Network creates tools and resources for you to get involved with Earth Day in your community. We offer 3 toolkits that give you ideas, tips, and hints on how to plan Earth Day in your area: toolkit for Organizations, for Schools, and for Universities.
 National Environmental Education (EE) Week is April 13-19
National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the nation's largest celebration of environmental education. It is held each year the week before Earth Day and inspires environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students. The 2014 theme, Greening STEM: Engineering a Sustainable World, will explore the application of engineering to sustainable solutions for a healthier planet and healthier people.
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Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) seeks lake ice data from citizens
The MPCA is asking citizens to document one of the most important indicators of spring for our state – the date on which ice disappears from a lake, or lake ice-off. The MPCA collects ice-on and ice-off data and makes it available to researchers and the Department of Natural Resources’ State Climatology Office. The more data available to researchers, the better they can track climate trends and their effects on lake health, local wildlife, and citizen lake use. Citizen observers make it possible to maintain records of ice data across the state on a huge numbers of lakes.
Discovery Education and 3M Search For America's 2014 Top Young Scientist - Deadline: April 22
Encouraging students to share their passion for science, the Young Scientist Challenge asks students in grades 5-8 to create a one to two-minute video communicating the science behind a possible solution to an everyday problem related to one of the following categories: How We Communicate, How We Move, How We Stay Healthy, How We Make A Difference - or come up with your own idea! Each national finalist earns an exclusive summer mentorship with a 3M scientist to complete a summer “innovation” assignment. The highest scoring finalist earns the title America’s Top Young Scientist and wins $25,000 and a trip to Costa Rica!
Celebrate Arbor Day on April 25th or Arbor Month during the month of May
In 1876, Minnesota became the fourth state to adopt the tradition of celebrating Arbor Day. Since 1978, Minnesota has been celebrating Arbor Day on the last Friday in April. May has also been recognized as Arbor Month in Minnesota. The Minnesota DNR offers many resources to help educators celebrate Arbor day, including free posters, a Teacher's Guide to Arbor Month, and more!
Celebrate National Park Week April 19- 27, 2014 with a free pass to visit Minnesota's own Voyageurs National Park
On April 19 – 27, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation invite everyone to celebrate National Park Week with the theme “National Park Week: Go Wild!” We are kicking off National Park Week with fee-free entrance days on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20! This is a great time to visit Minnesota's one and only National Park - Voyageurs National Park - located in northern Minnesota along the international border.
 Apply to be a Minnesota GreenCorps Host Site - Deadline: May 5
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is accepting applications from organizations interested in participating as a host site for the 2014 - 2015 year of the Minnesota GreenCorps program. Minnesota GreenCorps is an environmentally focused AmeriCorps program, that places members with organizations around the state to spend a year of service addressing critical environmental issues, while gaining experience and learning valuable job skills. Members will serve on projects in the areas of Air Quality, Waste Prevention and Recycling, Green Infrastructure, and Living Green Outreach.
2014-2015 GreenCorp Member Applications accepted through June 6th
The MPCA is also accepting applications from individuals interested in AmeriCorps service with Minnesota GreenCorps during the 2014-2015 program year. MPCA will place up to 40 full-time GreenCorps members with local governments, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions statewide.
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Educational Resources available to help celebrate International Compost Awareness Week - May 5 -11
International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is a celebration of the benefits of recycling organic waste. This multi-media publicity and education event showcases composting and compost products. It features everything from composting in your backyard to large-scale commercial composting facilities and businesses serving entire communities. This year’s focus is two-fold: Compost: The Solution to Sustainable Soil and Water and Compost in Your Everyday Life. Free composting resources for teachers and students are available for free download.
Celebrate 2014 International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD): Why Birds Matter on May 10
Environment for the Americas fosters bird conservation education and celebrates and brings attention to bird migration through International Migratory Bird Day. IMBD 2014 shares the many ways in which birds matter to the earth, to ecosystems, and of course, to us. Environment for the Americas has developed many educational and promotional materials related to this year’s theme. We invite you to use these materials at any time to support your events and programs.
Local Food Resource Hubs program supports residents to grow healthy local food
The Local Food Resource Hubs are neighborhood networks of gardeners that provide home gardeners and community gardeners the support they need to grow, preserve, cook and compost their own fresh food by offering supplies, educational opportunities, and community connections in their neighborhood. Residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul can join the Local Food Resource Hubs order seeds and plants at a discount and can pick them up at a distribution event on May 17. But it's about more than just the seeds and the plants. The Hubs program is meant to foster community development, using gardening as the tool.
Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Distribution Events Are Back
Each spring, the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) works with local businesses and governments to bring area residents inexpensive compost bins and rain barrels through Sale Events. This year RAM has expanded the communities where we will be holding distribution events making it more convenient to reduce waste and conserve water. These events begin in April and run through June and are in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, and Mankato.
 Free Workshop for Educators: 2014 Rivers Institutes featuring Waters to the Sea
Join us this summer, as Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) presents its acclaimed Rivers Institute, a three day field-based professional development opportunity that inspires, educates and prepares 3rd-8th grade teachers to engage students in STEM disciplines through experiential, inquiry-based investigations at local watersheds. The St. Croix River Institute will be June 23-25 and the Mississippi River Institute will be held July 28-30.
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Join the Minnesota Zoo for the 2014 Summer Educator Expedition to the Amazon
Join a group of educators and the Minnesota Zoo as we travel the Amazon Rainforest via Iquitos, Peru from July 1-11. We will gain first-hand experience with the content we teach: from biomimicry to biodiversity to rainforest conservation and sustainable development. Working closely with faculty from all over the world, we will engage in field investigations and get hands-on experience with various tools and techniques for data collection. Trip Fees: $2340 land cost plus airfare.
You're invited to the 2014 Summer Institute for Climate Change and Energy Education
The Will Steger Foundation's 2014 Summer Institute for Climate Change & Energy Education will be held August 4-6th at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, MN. Integrate STEM content into any subject-area and deepen your ability to teach about energy and climate change with curriculum and experiences from this professional development event. The $125 cost includes two nights lodging, meals, with curriculum and materials.
 Groundwater Overview & Videos
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has created two videos about the Mount Simon Aquifer which is under the Twin Cities Metro Area to provide a basic overview of groundwater -- explaining what groundwater is, where it comes from, how it moves, and more. The video also explains the results of a study of groundwater usage in a major water supply aquifer that serves the Twin Cities and southeastern Minnesota. The DNR's main groundwater page also includes resources for teachers and students.
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 Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) Anthology of Urban Environmental Education
The Nature Conservancy's LEAF program connects urban high school teachers to share best practices in developing green curricula. The LEAF Anthology of Urban Environmental Education is a collection of lessons and projects that has been developed and used in schools and by environmental educators. These lessons are assembled here, designed to inspire students to think critically, get outside of the classroom and apply the skills they are developing in their core classes to real world issues of environmental conservation and sustainability.
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 The Story of Solutions: Why Making Real Change Starts with Changing the Game
This 9 minute video, written by The Story of Stuff creators Annie Leonard and Jonah Sachs, explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal. In the current 'Game of More', we're told to cheer a growing economy - more roads, more malls, more Stuff! But what if we changed the point of the game? What if the goal of our economy wasn't more, but better - better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet? Shouldn't that be what winning means?
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) - Nomination Deadline: April 1, 2014; Application Deadline: May 1, 2014
The PAEMST Awards recognize outstanding K-12 teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. The 2014 Awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers working in grades K-6. Teachers may nominate themselves. Nominated teachers will receive an invitation to begin the application process. Recipients of the award receive 1. a certificate signed by the President of the United States; 2. a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C.; 3. $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
USDA Farm to School Grants - Deadlines: April 2 and April 30
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm to School grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. Four types of grants are available. 1. Planning grants ($20,000 - $45,000) are intended for schools just getting started on farm to school activities; 2. Implementation grants ($65,000 - $100,000) are available for schools seeking to augment or expand existing efforts. 3. Support service grants are available to conduct trainings, create complementary curriculum, or further develop supply chains, among other activities. Proposals for these 3 grants are due April 30, 2014. 4. Trainings and events grants ($15,000 - $50,000) are intended to strengthen farm to school supply chains or provide technical assistance. Letters of Intent for this grant is due April 2, 2014.
Water Quality Improvement Grants - Deadline: April 4
Cost Share grants are available for projects that protect and improve water and natural resources within the Nine Mile Creek Watershed. Funds may be used by public or private landowners implementing projects that support: 1. Improve water quality or increase the capacity of the watershed to store water 2. Preserve, protect, and restore native plant and wildlife habitats, with emphasis on lakes, rivers, and wetlands 3. Protect and preserve groundwater quality and quantity. The maximum grant amount is $3,000 for residential projects, $10,000 for lake and townhome associations and $25,000 for commercial and government projects. The minimum grant amount is $500.
 Clean Air Choice Biodiesel Essay Scholarship - Deadline: April 4
This scholarship provides an opportunity for Minnesota high school seniors to gain an understanding of the benefits of using cleaner burning, renewable fuels like biodiesel by writing a 1,000 word essay. Two scholarships will be awarded - first place: $1,000 scholarship and second place: $500 scholarship.
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American Public Health Association (APHA)'s Get Ready Scholarship - Deadline: April 8
This scholarship is designed to encourage high school and college students to focus on the importance of emergency preparedness, including natural disasters, infectious disease, and other emergencies. Applicants write an essay between 350 - 700 words using one of the predetermined questions. Six scholarships of $400 each will be awarded: two for high school seniors; two for college undergraduates; and two for graduate students.
National Wildlife Refuge Friends Grant Program - Deadline: April 14
This grant provides "Friends" groups funds for projects that assist organizations to be effective co-stewards of our natural resources within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Competitive seed grants ($1,500 - $5,000) are provided to creative and innovative proposals that seek to increase the number and effectiveness of organizations. The following grants are available: Special Initiative: Friends Peer-to-Peer Coaching grants; Start-up Grants; Capacity Building Grants; and Project Specific Grants (i.e. funds for developing outreach and conservation education programs for local schools, communities, and private landowners.)
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes – Deadline: April 15
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes celebrates inspiring, public-spirited, highly diverse young people from all across America. It honors twenty-five outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our environment. The top ten winners each receive a $5,000 cash award to support their service work or higher education.
Walmart Foundation State Giving Program - Deadline: April 26
The State Giving Program provides grants to 501(c)(3) organizations, ranging from $25,000 to $250,000. The proposed use of the grant must fit within one of the Walmart Foundation's core giving areas: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating or Career Opportunity. Organizations seeking funding for programs outside of these core giving areas, and whose programs focus on the unmet needs of underserved low-income populations, can apply in the last cycle only.
 Every Day Capacity Building Grants - Deadline: April 30
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) Every Day Grants will strengthen the stewardship of public lands by providing "Friends Groups" with grant funds of up to $5,000 to help build their capacity to serve public lands. Twenty five grants will be awarded to those groups who make the best case for how the funds will build their capacity to better serve the lands they love.
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The Lawrence Foundation - Deadline: April 30
The Lawrence Foundation focuses on grants to support environmental, education, human services and other causes. We offer both program and operating grants and in one case also directly sponsored, organized and hosted a workshop that brought together academics, non-profits and funders to explore the issue of environmental economics. Award amounts vary. Nonprofit organizations, public schools, and libraries are eligible for contributions or grants. (Note: Religious, charter or magnet schools are NOT eligible for funding.)
Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation Grants – Deadline: April 30
The Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation funds innovative projects that foster connections between individuals, communities, the environment and the world at large. The foundation funds in a broad range of focus areas and is most interested in projects that require and/or inspire those directly benefiting from the project to give back to their communities both during the project and into the future. Proposals are accepted for single year, multi-year and matching grants. Grants Range from $500 to $30,000.
Patagonia Environmental Grant Program - Deadline: April 30 (or ongoing, if you are applying directly to a retail store near you)
Patagonia funds only environmental work. We support small, grassroots activist organizations with direct-action agendas, working on multi-pronged campaigns to preserve and protect our environment. We help local groups working to protect local habitat. Your efforts should be quantifiable, with specific goals, objectives and action plans, and should include measures for evaluating success. Grants are available up to $12,000.
The North Face Explore Fund - Deadline: May 1
This grant-giving program is committed to supporting nonprofit, community organizations that break down the barriers to getting youth outdoors. The goal of the Explore Fund is to inspire the next generation of young explorers and conservationists by funding groups that help kids discover nature's playground. In 2014, the Explore fund will award $250,000 to 25 organizations. 15 of those organizations will receive $5,000 and the remaining 10 grants will be awarded based on online voting taking place this summer.
American Honda Foundation Grants – Deadlines: May 1
Grants of $20,000 to $75,000 are provided in the fields of youth education and science education to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, trade schools, and others for programs that benefit youth and scientific educational institutions. The American Honda Foundation supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.
Thacher Environmental Research Contest - Deadline: May 5
The 2014 Thacher awards challenges high school students to examine U.S. protected areas using geospatial tools and data to determine the challenges and potential for future changes in these areas. This contest seeks to further students’ ability to design and communicate creative approaches to environmental issues using 21st century technologies. Cash awards will be given to the top three projects: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place. Teachers of the winning students/teams will receive a $200 Amazon.com gift card.
Xcel Energy Foundation Grants - Deadline: May 9
Xcel Energy's Environmental Focus Area Grants support nonprofit organizations in their Environmental Education and Environmental Stewardship projects. Priorities include EE programs or projects that 1. provide K-12 students with hands-on EE experiences and curriculum that foster an ethic of stewardship and conservation and that support academic content standards; and 2. programs or projects that provide training, resources and support to enhance the quality and effectiveness of K-12 environmental educators.
 Brower Youth Awards – Deadline: May 12
The Brower Youth Awards has launched the prize search for outstanding grassroots environmental leaders across North America. We celebrate eco-activists, ages 13-22, leading the way to a green, just future. Six Brower Youth Award recipients will receive a $3,000 cash prize, a professionally produced short film about their work, and flight and lodging accommodations for a week-long trip to the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Recycling Bin Grants – Deadline: May 16
The Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) is accepting applications for the 2014 John Maattala bin grant. Applications must be submitted by a RAM member (you can join RAM) to be eligible to receive recycling bins through the grant. RAM is offering three types of recycling bins this year: Bottle bins, Recycle Clear x2, and Recycle Clear x3. RAM also offers free downloadable recycling signs for your bins.
SEEK stands for Sharing
Environmental Education Knowledge and is the online home of Minnesota's
environmental education resources.
For further information visit
the SEEK website or Facebook page or contact Colleen Schoenecker,
SEEK Coordinator, at seek.pca@state.mn.us or 651.757.2700 or
800.657.3864
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