Seasonal Job Opportunity for Environmental Educators at Baxter State Park

Hello MEEA members,
Baxter State Park has started their search for Seasonal EE professionals.  Here is the job description and information:

Wilderness Educator Internships

6 month - May 13, 2012 – October 27, 2012

3 month - May 20 – August 11, 2012

3 month - July 29 – October 20, 2012 (two positions)

Baxter State Park, Maine

The Information/Education Division of Baxter State Park is looking for mature, self-motivated, and creative individuals for Wilderness Educator Intern positions. These positions will undertake natural resource-based projects, and provide public environmental/conservation education via public contact on Katahdin, children’s programs, community environmental education, among other duties.

Baxter State Park has over 209,000 acres of mountainous wilderness and managed forest in northern Maine. It is home to Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine. The Park is one of the largest wilderness areas in the Eastern United States and has many rare plant and animal species.

The positions will assist the Park Naturalist and Interpretive Specialist in the following:

• Perform foot patrol/public contact on Katahdin and other designated high use areas in the Park.
• Create and facilitate children’s nature programs in the Park and in area schools/libraries.
• Participate in citizen science inventory/monitoring efforts, i.e. Mountain Plant Watch and Loon Count.
• Provide information/education to Park visitors at the Visitor Center.
• Update information/education handouts and signage.
• Oversee the coordination of and attend workshops, i.e., Project Wild, Project Learning Tree and Invasive Plants.

Training/education provided:

• Wilderness First Aid
• Leave No Trace 2-day Trainer Course
• Training on Park trails, including Katahdin and other mountains

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in natural sciences, education, or environmental education preferred

Desired abilities:

• Effectively communicate with strong oral/written communication skills.
• Demonstrate good people skills, including being outgoing and friendly.
• Hike extremely rugged terrain during Mountain Patrol.
• Work independently.
• Live in primitive shared housing or alone in remote situations without electricity.
• Work cooperatively with fellow employees, supervisors and management.

Requirements:

• Available to work the entire timeframe of the internship
• Current and valid driver’s license
• Work a 40-hour week, including every weekend with Monday/Tuesday off.

Stipend:

$300/week plus housing and a Park vehicle for work use only.

To apply: Either go to our website – www.baxterstateparkauthority.com and download an application or request an application by emailing: marcia.williamson@maine.gov.

Application deadline: Until filled.

Maine Environmental Education Association Board Meeting Announcement

Hello MEEA members,
Just a reminder that our monthly board meeting is slated to be held Wed, December 7th at 3:30 p.m. at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta.  Please feel free to join us, all members are welcome to attend.

MEEA and the New Science K-12 Framework

The DOE in Maine is working hard planning and preparing for the next generation of science standards.  This is a super exciting time to be part of envisioning the future of science education in Maine...one of the lead states in the country working with the framework.  The Maine Environmental Education Association will be involved in this process and will attempt to keep all our members appraised of the developments that arise.

Anita Bernhardt from the DOE has created a wonderful blog that keeps all educators up to date about the framework.  Please follow her blog at http://scitechframework.wordpress.com.  I will also be blogging about the framework this year as it relates to the EE work we are all dedicated to improving and keeping relevant to education in and out of the classroom.  As a classroom teacher myself, understanding new standards and the way they are developed is a continual challenge.  I hope to follow this effort closely as the work unfolds in the next couple of years.  Keep following this blog for more info as well!

MEEA Board Meeting November 2nd at Gilsland Farm, Falmouth

Hello Members,
Just a reminder that the MEEA board is meeting Nov 2nd from 3:30 to 5:30 at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth.  All members are welcome to attend!

Also, the website redevelopment subcommittee will meet prior to the meeting at 2:45.  MEEA is working hard to create a more useful website rich with information and resources for formal and non-formal educators.  Stay tuned to see the results of this work.

MEEA Organizational Members' ELLMS Project Raises $290,000 for EE in Maine!

Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) is proud to share a story from the Bangor Daily News about an exciting new environmental education (EE) initiative in the State of Maine.  Four of MEEA's organizational members -- Ferry Beach Ecology School, Chewonki, Bryant Pond and Tanglewood -- are collaborating to make funds available for Maine elementary and middle schools to participate in their EE programming.  The following story from the Bangor Daily News provides more information.  Congratulations to these programs for working hard to provide top quality EE to Maine school children!

ELLMS Project raises $290,000 for environmental education in Maine

Posted Oct. 14, 2011, at 12:01 p.m. Bangor Daily News

           

WISCASSET — Four well-respected Maine non-profits have combined forces to combat the economic challenges facing public schools in Maine and limited access public school students have to environmental education.
Chewonki Outdoor Classroom for Schools (Wiscasset), Ferry Beach Ecology School (Saco), UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond, and UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood (Lincolnville) have formed a partnership to help provide residential environmental education to Maine public school students: Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students: The ELLMS Project.

The project has caught the attention of leaders in the field of environmental education and major funders, receiving $290,000 in grants to date. The ELLMS Project will encourage students to develop a lifelong commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship, outdoor exercise and recreation, good nutrition, community-building, and civic engagement through positive, nature-based activities, lessons, and challenges.

The project will also spur students’ understanding of the connections between natural resources and the economy so that they will be better prepared to participate in the “green economy.”
Ryder Scott, ELLMS Project spokesperson and program director at Bryant Pond, says he is thrilled to be a part of this collaborative effort. “Our four organizations are competitors, but we share the same mission of providing residential environmental education to Maine students, getting them outside and active. All four of our programs provide academic programs that complement schools’ science curricula, and offer students a chance for a ‘camp’ experience — eating with their classmates; sleeping in simple dorms, cabins or tents; being a part of a small community and engaging in outdoor activity and learning,” Scott said in a press release.

Recognizing that school budget cuts and increased transportation costs have prompted many schools to eliminate off-campus enrichment, the ELLMS partners have created a financial aid fund for public schools that need support to give their students residential environmental education. Through the ELLMS fund, public elementary and middle schools in Maine can apply for grants to help send their students to any of the four ELLMS organizations. Schools will apply to the fund online, selecting the program that best fits their curriculum and needs. The ELLMS Project Steering Committee is currently soliciting businesses and foundations for funding for this initiative and with great success.
Five foundations have already contributed for the 2011-2012 school year. The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation granted the ELLMS Project $125,000. Megan Shore of the Sewall Foundation says, “Providing opportunities for Maine’s school children to learn about and connect with the environment is an essential part of strengthening Maine’s communities, economy, and health. The collaborative nature and strong track record of the organizations involved in this program, as well as the potential to reach so many children throughout the state, were very compelling.”

The other foundations who are supporting the ELLMS Project to date are the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation ($5,000), the Sam L. Cohen Foundation ($20,000), the Quimby Family Foundation ($40,000), and Jane’s Trust ($100,000). Cohen Foundation Executive Director Nancy Brain says that her foundation was impressed with the collaborative spirit of the ELLMS Project. “It’s rare that we see competing organizations come together like this for a common goal. The combination of what these non-profits offer collectively is going to make a huge impact on Maine students. We’d love to see more Maine organizations follow this model.”

Ryder Scott says there is still a long way to go to make ELLMS financially sustainable. “We’re working on ways to assure that all Maine students, regardless of family income, have access to residential environmental education. ELLMS will allow us to share best practices and administrative resources; reach a much greater number of public school students, particularly underserved students; and work together to teach a rising generation how to be responsible stewards of their environment, their own health, their communities, and their state.”
For more information on the ELLMS Project or to apply for financial aid, visit www.ellms.org or contact Ryder Scott at 207-665-2935 or ryder.scott@maine.edu.
Anyone interested in financially supporting the ELLMS Project, is urged to contact Lucy Hull at 207-882-7323 ext. 127 or lhull@chewonki.org.

MEEA Members There is Still Time to Sign Up for the NEEEA Conference!

Dear MEEA Community, friends and colleagues, If there are still some of you considering attending the 45th annual New England Environmental Education Association Conference but haven't registered - Please do so now! We are a little over a week away from a wonderful time of networking together, sharing ideas and lesson plans, participating in workshops, stargazing with friends, being inspired by our colleagues, telling stories and singing around a campfire, wandering through the cool exhibit hall, bidding on excellent silent auction items, dancing to celebrational music, eating good food, and replenishing our wells.
So no more dilly-dallying. Register today at http://neeea.org/conference/index.html

Scholarships are also still available if that will help get you there. Don't decide not to come just cause of lack of funds - let's work out a way to get you to the conference. Contact Robin for more information regarding scholarships. rstuart@massaudubon.org

Alright, hope to see you there!
Cheers
The 2011 NEEEA Conference Committee
http://neeea.org/conference/index.html

Calling for Input From MEEA Membership Regarding our 2012 Conference

Hello MEEA Members...

The MEEA conference committee is already hard at work preparing our 2012 MEEA spring conference.  This year we would love to get your input about the conference.  Here are a few questions we would like you to consider and comment on.  Your participation is this discussion is highly appreciated!

1. Do you have any suggestions for themes or speakers for the 2012 MEEA Annual Conference?  (Any particular subjects, topics or issues related to environmental education you think should be addressed?)
2. How familiar are you with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)?  Is STEM something that formal and/or non-formal educators are talking about and referring to?
   

MEEA board meeting today at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth

The MEEA board will be meeting today at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth from 3:30 -5:30 pm.  The board is honored to welcome Sarah Kirn as a presenter today.  Sarah is Vital Signs Program Manager at Gulf of Maine Research Institute.  Our goal will be to hear about the work GMRI is doing and to find avenues for networking and collaboration with this highly succseful EE organization.  We will also be disscusing the Envrionmental Literacy Plan and MEEA's goals for implementing this plan.  Members are welcome to join us! 

Remember- if you are a member and are interseted in volunteering on a MEEA commitee please contact any board member or Olivia Griset at oliviagriset@yahoo.com.

Meet MEEA's Educator of the Year: Lewiston High Teacher Laurie Haines

Monika Thiele and Lauire Haines

"Q and A With

MEEA Educator of the Year- Laurie Haines" 

As a public school teacher who is passionate about environmental education, I find it is always inspiring to meet other teachers in Maine who share this common passion.  When you meet Laurie her passion for all things natural and teaching others about the natural world becomes quickly apparent.  Laurie practically bubbles over with excitement when asked to talk about her views on EE and the work she has been doing with her students at colleagues at Lewiston High School.  The following article is an interview I did with Laurie after she received MEEA's Eberhard Thiele Environmental Educator of the Year Award this April.  I hope you enjoy hearing about Laurie's work and that it inspires you to get your kids outside learning!...

~Olivia Griset

Q: "How long have you been teaching?"

A: "18 years... 11 at Lewiston High School"

Q: "What motivates you to be a public school teacher involved with Environmental Education in the State of Maine?"

A: "I think EE is the most important subject matter that we have to teach students. If we don't have any kind of stewardship what else is important? Any where you can put any bits and pieces of EE in your teaching you will be successful... kids spend so much time indoors and not exposed to nature; exposing kids to the environment is really cool and the most important thing you can do."

Q: "What is your favorite outdoor project you do with your students?"  

A: "We take our students on one field trip a year (all we can afford) to a forest away from campus and they explore and see some really big trees- some of which they have never seen before.  We do all sorts of fun things- measuring trees, finding fungus, writing poetry, opening their eyes to the beauty and complexity of nature.  Many of the inner city kids where I work have never been to a forest in their lives. Seeing kids for the first time realizing that a forest is a neat place to be and it is important to keep healthy and is a vibrant and useful part of city is an amazing experience."

Q: "What keeps you motivated to do the all the extra work to help other teachers learn how to get their kids learning outside?   

A: "I think if teachers don't go outside they don't have the experiences to take their students outdoors for learning.  Until you take your kids out you haven't experienced fully what you can in education seeing the joy and wonderment on their faces.... this is such an important facet of education.  When working with other teachers I have seen their fear about teaching outside.  I realize I need to help other teachers get comfortable working in the outdoors with their students... I think it is really important to get other teachers to understand what they need to do to be successful getting their students outdoors."

Q: "How have you seen teaching and learning outside impact your students?"

 A: "There are so many stories of this... I will just share one.  I have kids do poetry and haiku outside... having students doing the haiku and reading them and finding how much beauty the kids see in the forest to me is the most special experience.  They write a haiku for what season we are in and it is descriptive of what they see and how they feel and that is very unique. If I have time we do it right when we are in the woods.  They sit down anyplace in the forest and write; it is important that they are out in nature seeing it as they write about it.  The poems reflect how experiencing nature has impacted my students."

Q: "What advice would you give to a teacher just starting out with environmental education?"

 A: "Don't' be afraid to try new things-more than anything- there is so much out there- so many resources! Always be looking for something new to add and see what works. If you try something and it fails then tweak it and try it again. Make environmental stewardship key to some portion of what you teach and try to have the kids become stewards of something...

Start small, then keep adding and changing and be versatile, don't be afraid to change course- go with your strengths and branch out from there."

Q: "When not teaching, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?"

 A: "I love the outside- gardening, kayaking, hiking in the forest and photography... I have a photography website that I have created called mainenaturediary.com- check it out!"

Q: "Any final thoughts for our readers?"

A: "You don't have to teach an environmental science course to do environmental education and outdoor work in school... it applies in any course and to any grade level! Nature and stewardship can apply and augment any topic of study- so take a risk and try something new with your students- you won't regret it!"

MEEA Members Announcement About the Upcoming NEEEA Conference

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Attend the 2011 New England Environmental Education Alliance Conference! This year the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society (MEES) within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is hosting. The conference will be at the Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charlton, MA from Friday October 21 through Sunday October 23, 2011. Join in the stimulating workshops, be roused by the high energy World Music ensemble Gaia Roots, and be inspired by the Keynotes speakers and closing ceremony!

To register follow this link. http://www.neeea.org/conference.html

On behalf of the NEEEA Conference Committee, we look forward to seeing you in attendance!

Attention Parents and Teachers: EE Event Upcoming at the Botanical Garden

YOU ARE INVITED to great summer event....a documentary film screening of Mother Nature's Child (www.mothernaturesmovie.com) on Sunday, August 21st, 3:00-5:00pm at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay (www.mainegardens.org).  Admission to the gardens is free to event attendees and childcare is available as well during the movie and post-film talk.There will be:

~an introduction to the film and to Juniper Hill School by Anne Stires

~a showing of the hour-long documentary, Mother Nature's Child: A film that explores the deep connection children innately have to the natural world, the media age influence on that connection, and, as family members and teachers, our ability to support their vital connection.

~a post film discussion by David Sobel, professor of Education at Antioch University and author of many books including, "Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators," and "Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Community," and "Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors."

Please bring friends and family to the Bosarge Family Education Center at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on Sunday August 21st for this exciting event.

MEEA's New Blog

I am very excited to introduce the Maine Environmental Education Association's new blog.  Visit this blog for updated information about exciting new EE initiatives in the state of Maine.  Also in upcoming posts read about educators in Maine who are doing innovative EE work.  If you have information about upcoming EE programs in Maine please contact the moderator or post on this blog.

More about MEEA:
Created in 1982, MEEA helps organizations, schools, groups, educational programs, and individuals promote and expand environmental education in Maine. In addition, MEEA acts as a clearing house, keeping groups and individuals informed of issues and events in the field of environmental education. We believe conserving Maine's rich cultural and natural heritage requires an environmentally aware citizenship.

MEEA's Mission:
The Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) facilitates and promotes environmental education in Maine through the sharing of ideas, resources, information, and cooperative programs among educators, organizations, and concerned individuals. MEEA is built on the strengths and contributions of our members.

Joining MEEA:
Join as an individual or an organization and enjoy discounts at the annual conference, a listing in the MEEG, and MEEA web site and other benefits of membership while supporting our cause.  To join please visit our website at http://www.meeassociation.org.