Native American Heritage Month issue! | |
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Join us in celebrating National Native American Heritage Month!
LEAF is a program of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP). The WCEE acknowledges the land and water in what is now called Wisconsin. UWSP occupies the ancestral and contemporary lands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk People. We acknowledge and honor Menominee and Ho-Chunk people who work to sustain these places for many generations.
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New 4th Grade Guide adds Indigenous history | |
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LEAF’s 4th Grade Forestry Lesson Guide, which focuses on Wisconsin’s forest history, has always been one of our most used guides by educators throughout Wisconsin.
If you’ve been following our work over the past year or so, you’ve likely heard we updated this guide. Since March, we have shared the updated guide with 60 educators at workshops and conference sessions in Madison, Green Bay, Ashland, Stevens Point, Minocqua and Merrill.
As we wrap up this phase of the project we wanted to take a moment to look back and share more about one of the reasons why we updated the guide, and how we went about it.
In some of our promotion we used the tagline “Forest History Did Not Start in 1850.” And while very few would dispute that on a factual basis, it is not without controversy, as conventional ways of teaching Wisconsin history — including LEAF’s original 4th Grade Guide — frame forest history within a settler-focused narrative.
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The revised guide brings First Nation perspectives into each aspect of the curriculum. One of the most significant revisions to the guide is the inclusion of brief histories for all of Wisconsin’s First Nations. First Nation histories are shared from the perspective of the Tribes instead of that of a European explorer.
The updated guide includes multi-page histories of the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown for students to use in a jigsaw reading activity. Each First Nation history includes three sections: early history, connections to the land and forests, and their experiences after European contact and during westward expansion.
These new inclusions now make LEAF’s 4th grade guide a resource for meeting the recommendations of Act 31, which is a need that has been expressed by Wisconsin teachers in recent years.
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LEAF is grateful to everyone who supported our learning and efforts as we worked to include fair and accurate representations of Wisconsin's forest history in our 4th Grade Guide. Thank you to the Wisconsin SFI Implementation Committee whose grant help us complete this project.
We acknowledge there is more we can do to continue to improve the 4th Grade Guide and other LEAF resources, while also acknowledging the importance, as emphasized to us by many Indigenous educators, of not further delaying the inclusion of Wisconsin First Nations in our 4th Grade Guide.
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FHAW Conference featured Indigenous perspectives | |
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The Forest History Association of Wisconsin (FHAW) recently hosted its annual Fall Conference in Keshena, bringing together its usual unique combination of forestry folks and history buffs.
This year’s conference centered around the Menominee Tribe’s modern and historic forest use. The sessions provided a great opportunity to learn about Indigenous approaches to forest management, Menominee agroforestry, and how various treaties impacted the Menominee people.
As in recent years, the FHAW partnered with LEAF to offer free conference registrations for teachers.
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"As an educator, attending the Forest History Conference was a powerful experience. I appreciated the wealth of knowledge presenters and attendees had to share," said Lydia, a teacher attendee. "The conference helped me connect with valuable physical resources for history instruction in the classroom, as well as live experts and professionals in the field who were eager to share their research and tools with students." | | | |
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LEAF staff who attended also found the sessions and tours to be full of important and interesting information that tied strongly to our 4th Grade Forestry Lesson Guide.
If you are interested in integrating forest history into your social studies classes or are looking for resources for students who want to focus on forest history for a National History Day project, the Forest History Association is a great place to start.
There are recordings of the conference presentations on the FHAW’s YouTube page, including a talk by Ron Waukau of Menominee Tribal Enterprises about Chief Oshkosh, who was recently inducted into the Wisconsin Forestry Hall of Fame. There are also recordings of FHAW webinars from recent years—a treasure trove for Wisconsin history aficionados.
The FHAW website also hosts “finding aids,” which provide an organized way to find primary source documents related to special topics, such as the Peshtigo Fire or Forestry Hall of Fame inductees. You could also consider becoming a member of the Association, which gives you access to more resources.
Keep your eye open next fall for an announcement about free teacher registration for the 2025 conference. In the meantime, if you have questions about FHAW resources or how to integrate forest history topics into your curriculum, contact Nicole at Nicole.Filizetti@uwsp.edu.
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LEAF On-Demand, Online Offerings
Project Learning Tree On-Demand, Online Offerings
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School Forest Awards
Nominations are now open!
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Each year, LEAF recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to school forest programs.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 School Forest Awards. These awards recognize individuals and organizations that have provided leadership and made significant contributions over a period of years to a local school forest registered through Wisconsin’s School Forest Program.
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Order Now! School Forest Seedlings Available!
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One benefit of being a registered school forest is access to free seedlings from the DNR Nursery to plant in the school forest. Popular species of trees go fast. If you desire to plant a certain type of tree, get your order in early. Once they are gone, they are gone! Follow these steps to place your school forest seedling order:
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Attention 4th grade teachers! | The DNR is also now accepting Arbor Day free tree orders. | | |
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Landscapes for planting are very diverse. Consult your school forest management plan and DNR forester to find out which tree species are most suitable for your property. Available seedling types and descriptions can be found in the Nursery Seedling Catalog and DNR's tree and shrub inventory. The catalog does a great job explaining the growing requirements and provides pictures and a distribution map of each species.
- Once you have decided which species to plant,
Fill out either the online form or the paper form. In the "Free Order" section, choose "Registered School Forest of Community Forest". Note: school forests do not need to order the bulk number of trees. You may order less than the minimum requirements listed; however, there is a maximum of 5,000 trees and 3,000 shrubs school forests can receive. If you have questions, contact Carey Skerven at Carey.Skerven@wisconsin.gov or 715-424-3700, or contact your local DNR forester.
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Wheels to Woods grants due Dec. 31! | |
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Wheels to Woods is a school to forest or forestry related field trip transportation grant program supported and administered by the WI SAF DEI Committee.
This program is open to any Wisconsin K-12 school teacher to apply; however, underrepresented student populations will receive priority funding.
The grants are up to $350 per classroom to cover transportation costs to and from a forest or forestry industry field tour.
Spring and summer trips: Application deadline December 31.
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Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities. | |
Published for November 2024 | | | | |
