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October News

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Funding Sources & Upcoming Deadlines
In The News
Partner Updates & Resources
Assorted Items of Professional Interest

FUNDING SOURCES & UPCOMING DEADLINES

New EPA STAR Fellowships Application Deadline: October 16, 2005
Approximately 100 new fellowships will be awarded for research in environmental fields of study through the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow. The STAR program provides educational support for full-time masters and doctoral level students who plan April 5, 2006future leaders in environmental science, education, assessment, and restoration efforts. Contact Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-4355 or ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov

President's Environmental Youth Awards Deadline Extended: October 31, 2005
The President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) recognizes young people across America for projects that demonstrate their commitment to the environment. K-12 students, sponsored by an adult, submit evidence of a completed project as defined in the application to their local EPA regional office. Your project could be an award winner! For information and application materials, go to http://epa.gov/enviroed/awards.html .

Graduate Research Fellowship Deadline: November 1
 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invite applications for Graduate Research Fellowships in the National Estuarine Research Reserves System. This program funds high-quality research focused on improving coastal zone management while providing students with hands-on training in conducting ecological monitoring. Projects must address coastal management issues that relate to non-point source pollution, estuarine ecosystem restoration, biodiversity and effects of invasive species, and sustaining estuarine ecosystems. The stipend amount is $20,000. http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Fellowship

EPA Environmental Education Grants Application Deadline: November 23
 Submit grant proposals to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop aware and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. This grant program provides financial support for projects which design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques. Most grants will be in the $10,000 to $15,000 range. For complete information, click here:www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants_sol2006.html

VA 4-H Natural Resources EE (NREE) Grants Deadline: October 31
 Virginia 4-H NREE www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/eenr.html grants provide up to $1,500 for projects that enhance wildlife habitat and understanding among Virginia youth. Applications are available from Jeff Kirwan, jkirwan@vt.edu or tel. 540-231-7265. Natural resources agency partners and schools are eligible to apply as long as there is a tie to the 4-H program. Last year everyone who applied received funding!

Build An Outdoor Classroom At Your School Grant
 Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer! classroom magazine are offering this outdoor classroom grant program to help schools improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences outside the traditional classroom. This Grant program is for outdoor classroom proposals by K-12 public schools in the United States . Grants up to $2,000 will be awarded to at least 100 schools and grants up to $20,000 may be awarded to schools or school districts with major outdoor classroom projects. Proposals are reviewed three times a year.www.Lowes.com/outdoorclassroom

IN THE NEWS

National Folk Festival
October 7-9
Brown's Island , Richmond , VA (FREE ADMISSION)
 The “National” Comes to Virginia ! For over 65 years, the National Folk Festival http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/events_schedule.html has provided a way for people to embrace American traditions that define our culture today. From Tidewater to the Blue Ridge , Richmond ’s event will showcase Virginia ’s rich, living musical traditions as well as its deeply rotted traditional occupations and crafts. www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?FeatureID=145

VA Dept. of Environmental Quality’s Community Involvement Updates
About two dozen people attended the open house and community meeting for the Southwest Region in Abingdon on September 22, 2005 to discuss environmental interests, including local and regional air quality and water quality concerns.

The community meeting for the Tidewater area drew more than 30 people to the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission office in Chesapeake on September 27, 2005 to discuss how the community can become effectively involved in local land use decisions and environmental permitting decisions, particularly relating to wetlands protection. The meeting was co-sponsored by the planning district commission and Wetlands Watch. Discussion was led by a panel of experts representing Wetlands Watch, the city of Chesapeake and DEQ.

More than 30 people attended a community meeting on October 3, 2005 held at DEQ’s Northern Virginia Regional Office in Woodbridge . Area residents and representatives of local businesses and environmental organizations discussed air quality and water quality issues in Northern Virginia .

These meetings are part of seven held this year as part of DEQ’s community involvement initiative to increase understanding of how DEQ operates, identify issues that are a priority in each region of Virginia and enhance opportunities for community involvement in environmental activities in Virginia.

DEQ will hold two more community meetings in October and November:

  • October 11, Glen Allen
  • November 17, Harrisonburg

For more information, visit the website at:www.deq.virginia.gov/community/

“Celebrate Conservation” Virginia ’s Natural Resources Conservation Week
October 16-22
 Natural Resource Conservation Week is a partnership activity with Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service and is officially observed the third week in October. Each year the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts selects a theme, prepares materials and distributes them throughout Virginia ’s 47 local conservation districts to educators and community leaders. Resource packets target 3rd/4th grade and or 7th grade.

To learn more about Natural Resources Conservation Week, contact the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts http://www.vaswcd.org/educate.htm or your local Soil and Water Conservation District www.dcr.virginia.gov/sw

Virginia’s Water Monitoring Day Events 2005- October 18, 2005
This Fall, there will be several Water Monitoring events in Virginia complimenting the World Wide Monitoring Day event of October 18, 2005 . For information on World Water Monitoring Day, educational materials and how to order test kits, events in your watershed, and contacts, please go to the web links listed at http://va.water.usgs.gov/watermonitoring05.htm

PARTNER UPDATES & RESOURCES

Welcome New Partners

A Natural Alliance by Scott Harper, the Virginian - Pilot
 Read this wonderful article about the Hampton Roads Alliance for EE ( HRAEE ) www.vanaturally.com/hraee/hraeearticle.pdf Regional EE Alliances are in the initial planning stages in the Richmond , Southwest VA and Roanoke areas. Contact Nancy Drumheller at nwdrumheller@deq.virginia.gov or 804-698-4550 if you are interested in being part of an EE Alliance or a steering committee member in your region.

The Great Outdoors
If you are fascinated by the great outdoors or love visiting state parks, you can check out the Nature & Science section of the National Park’s website at www.naApril 5, 2006 format:Am1 -->April 5, 2006cs include critical issues, global conservation, science and research, social science, and protecting and restoring.

Biological Woodsmen's Week - October 12-15
Healing Harvest Forest Foundation will conduct a week long public educational event in the forest of Fauquier County. During the week of the 12th -15th, guided tours of actual harvesting operations will be available to the public. A panel discussion about the issues of community-based restorative, sustainable forestry will be held in the Federal Room at the Airlie House starting at 7:00 pm on Saturday, the 15th. Contact Jason Rutledge at 540-270-0587 for more information.

ASSORTED ITEMS OF PROFESSIONAL INTEREST

Elementary Science and Literature Resource
 Paula J. Klonowski, Science Specialist, K-8, Virginia Department of Education offers this resource http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/teacher/pdf/Literaturelist.pdf which lists literature for children with an environmental emphasis.

Starbucks Foundation Environmental Literacy Program
The Starbucks Foundation, a corporate leader in the environmental community, has initiated an environmental literacy program that provides funding to innovative local projects. The foundation seeks out programs that give young people new ways of thinking and acting, and empower them to become "heroes” for a sustainable environment in their own communities." Funding may be sought not only by nonprofit organizations, but also by public schools and libraries. For more information on the program, visit their website www.starbucks.com/aboutus/grantinfo.asp.

Classroom Earth website offers links to the “very best” in environmental education. The www.classroomearth.org/most%5Fpopular link consists of the most popular and widely used environmental education programs for K-12 classrooms. Each program provides proven curricula, materials, and, in many cases, in-person training on how to use the program with students. ThesApril 5, 2006#BeginDate format:Am1 -->April 5, 2006d many align with state standards of learning.

Professional Development Courses Online
 National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) announces the inauguration of a new linked promotional page featuring providers of online courses for science educators. The page will be linked from each Monday's edition of NSTA Express. These providers-from universities to informal science institutions - invite you to learn more about their courses to see if they are right for you. To browse courses, first visit http://institute.nsta.org/tier2.asp . Institutions interested in inclusion in NSTA's promotional program may contact tier2@minime.nsta.org for details and rates. (Courtesy of NSTA Express)

Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) Offers Online Courses

  • Fundamentals of Environmental Education - February 6- April 21, 2006
    Gain a foundational knowledge of environmental education (EE) and learn how to incorporate quality EE into your instruction. 
  • Applied Environmental Education Program Evaluation - February 20- May 5, 2006 This course is designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs. 

To register or learn more, please visit the EETAP website at www.eetap.org or contact the UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education EE Outreach Extension office at 715-346-3854. 

The Green Classroom by Angela Neville, JD, REM, Environmental Protection Recommended reading by Ann Regn , Director, VOEE. www.vanaturally.com/greenclass.pdf

New Goldman Environmental Ethics Curriculum Available
 For the last 16 years the Goldman Environmental Prize has recognized and rewarded the efforts of grassroots environmentalists around the world. The Prize is proud to announce the launch of a new high school ethics curriculum Environmental Ethics: Examining Your Connection to the Environment and Your Community that will engage and educate the next generation of environmental leaders. Please visit www.envethics.org to learn more.

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