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Winter may seem dormant to some, but educators didn’t hesitate to learn outdoor skills at the Wildlife Weekend this past month. As pictured above, Ice Fishing 101 was a great success. Now the days are getting a bit longer and you can hear sap moving in the trees. Nature is about to wake up. So are many opportunities for formal and nonformal educators. Information, registrations and deadlines abound in this issue of the Essential Educator.
March 1: Deadline for grant applications for high schools from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University – $2,000 grants for high school journalism and environmental science collaborations.
March 3: The 2020 Great Lakes Conference at Michigan State University. Sessions run 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. $150 educator stipends may be still available. Contact Justin at seldenju@msu.edu.
March 5: Environmental Education Certification workshop at Lansing’s Potter Park Zoo. Get started on your EE journey by attending the mandatory Strand 1 workshop. For information go to Maeoe.com.
March 6-7: Michigan Science Teachers Association conference in Lansing. Join thousands of educators for Michigan’s largest science conference. The Michigan DNR hosts a presentation room on Friday, March 6, covering a variety of natural resources education topics. Look for us in room 203 at the Lansing Center.
March 14: Designing Games to Communicate Your Message workshop at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings. Are you passionate about the environment and conservation but don’t know how to grab people’s attention and convey your message? Here’s your chance to learn how to design a fun game to do so.
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March 15: Application deadline for the DNR Career Pathways program. If you know high school students, age 16-18, with an immense interest in a natural resources career, they can apply to attend Career Pathways, a four-day residential session in northern Michigan June 25-29. Career Pathways introduces students to fisheries and wildlife biology, forestry, parks management and conservation law enforcement.
April 15: Deadline for fall 2020 Salmon in the Classroom applications. If you want to join the 300 Michigan schools raising Chinook salmon in the classroom next school year, you must apply by April 15.
April 15: Deadline for proposals for the fall 2020 state environmental education conference on Beaver island. Proposal forms and other conference information is being posted at Maeoe.com/Conference.
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The DNR’s Academy of Natural Resources, July 14-19, is filling quickly. If you are an educator looking for professional development, join the hundreds of teachers and nonformal educators that have attended “RAM Camp” since 2008. This summer, sessions include NatureQuest; Forests, Fields and Fins; and MEECS Week. $100 scholarships from Safari Club International and SCECHs are available, as are graduate credits from Ferris State University.
ANR North is another opportunity for a smaller number of educators. Only one course is offered Aug. 2-7 at the Ford Center, Michigan Technological University’s field campus west of Marquette. This summer’s program features a timeline of cultural impacts on Upper Peninsula’s natural resources and includes a look at U.P. geology, early Native American lifestyles and impacts of missionaries and the fur trade and the copper and iron trade. $100 scholarships from Safari Club International and SCECHs are available.
Find more information and applications for both ANR Classic and ANR North at Michigan.gov/ANR.
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Save the date for MAEOE annual conference
The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education will hold its 2020 conference on Sept. 25-28 on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan at the Central Michigan University Biological Station. Lake Michigan’s largest island is an amazing collection of beauty, history and natural resources. This is a destination conference for all who have ever wanted to travel to the island, accessible by ferry or plane. Information is being shared on the MAEOE website.
Turkey Time curriculum
Much of Michigan’s landscape will soon host a plethora of wild turkeys searching for mates and filling the air with one of nature’s most conspicuous sounds … the gobble. You and your students can learn about one of America’s greatest conservation stories, the return of the wild turkey. Register for the DNR’s new Turkey Time curriculum. Participants receive a packet with a variety of activities all about wild turkeys in Michigan, including their history and biology.
Spend the summer teaching others about nature
The DNR hires seasonal explorer guides to work in more than 40 state parks each summer. You can lead hikes, create age-appropriate activities and present fun programs that feature each park’s unique resources. Work begins with training in mid-May and continues through the summer until mid-August to Labor Day. For more information, see our State Park Explorer Guides page or email the program coordinator at DNR-ExplorersProgram@Michigan.gov.
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The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education hosted its second Wildlife Weekend, partnering with the DNR, to provide educators winter learning opportunities in a relaxing atmosphere. Courses in outdoor skills and birds were offered. New courses will be offered Feb. 5-7, 2021, when the wildlife weekend combines with the Nature Center Summit.
This year’s Nature Center Summit drew more than 100 people to the DNR’s Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Roscommon Feb. 14. Sessions were meant to update nonformal educators about current trends in Michigan’s natural resources and environment. Wildlife disease, forest health, the status of bears, wolves and cougars, and other sessions were extremely well-attended. Mark your calendar for Feb. 5, 2021, to take part next year.
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