Sign up now for the Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program, held in OFRI’s 15-acre Rediscovery Forest inside The Oregon Garden in Silverton. This is a perfect setting to learn about forests and other natural resources. The program uses learning stations and hands-on activities to teach fourth through sixth-grade students why forests are important. The topics covered in program lessons include plant and animal adaptation, forest food webs, healthy forests and wildlife habitat. The curriculum is aligned with the Oregon Science Standards and the Oregon Forest Literacy Plan. This field program lasts about four hours. The cost is $3 per student, but scholarships are available. 

More information and registration are available at https://learnforests.org/resource_article/rediscovery-forest-education-program

The new Investigate the Forest journal pages are intended to guide students in learning about Oregon’s forests while they explore the outdoors. They offer hands-on student-centered ways to study the forest and other natural environments just outside their door, and may be used before, during or after attending an Outdoor School program, to enhance a student’s understanding of Oregon’s forests and how they’re a vital resources. Each journal page is designed to stand alone, but may be used in conjunction with other pages in a learning progression. Individual pages can be printed for students to add to their Outdoor School journals, or printed and stapled together as a complete sets. Download them at

https://learnforests.org/sites/default/files/Investigate%20the%20forest_DIGITAL.pdf

The 2022-24 edition of K-12 Forest Education Opportunities, OFRI’s guide to forestry education programs and materials, is now available to order or download.

Free copies of the guidebook can be ordered or downloaded through OFRI’s website for K-12 forest education, LearnForests.org. The guide includes details about forest-related education programs and field trip destinations across Oregon, as well as information about OFRI’s educational resources aimed to help K-12 teachers and students explore Oregon’s forests and forest-related topics.

View a copy online, or order your copy at https://learnforests.org/resource_article/teachers-guide-to-forest-education-opportunities

OFRI has updated its Oregon Forest Literacy Plan, a framework for what every Oregon student should know about the state’s forests by the end of high school. 

A diverse group of educators and natural resource professionals reviewed the concepts presented in the plan and suggested ways to revise them to ensure that they address current approaches, issues and challenges related to Oregon’s forests appropriately. OFRI asked the group to identify and consider important recent changes in the fields of forestry and education, such as the intensity and impact of wildfire, and increased awareness of the role of indigenous people in forestry.

The plan also went through a public review process, where the draft educational concepts were made available to members of the public, who could offer input. 

Free copies of the newly updated Oregon Forest Literacy Plan can be ordered or downloaded from OFRI’s website for K-12 educators, LearnForests.org. View the updated plan at https://learnforests.org/oregon-forest-literacy-program 

High school students are invited to make a video that provides information about the value of one or more jobs in the forest sector. Entries may be submitted between October 1, 2022, and April 7, 2023. Find details (including contest rules, prizes for winners, and information on how to make a submission) at www.thruthetrees.org. 

“Exploring Salmon & Trout Lifecycles with Students” 

Date: Saturday, September 17th 

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., PST

Format: *In-person, 6 hours

Location: Outdoors, in a covered pavilion in Eugene, OR 

Audience: Upper elementary classroom and nonformal educators

Curriculum: Project WILD’s Aquatic WILD guide 

Description: 

Would you like a hands-on introduction to salmon and trout for your students? The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Fish Eggs to Fry” (FETF) program brings salmon and trout eggs into learning experiences, to be raised in an aquarium and then released into the wild. It is a great way to expose learners to the lifecycles and habitat requirements of salmon and trout. This workshop will provide upper elementary teachers and nonformal educators with an introduction to ODFW’s FETF program, as well as Project WILD’s Aquatic WILD curriculum. 

Registration required. Offered at no cost to formal and nonformal Oregon educators. PDUs available. https://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/workshops

NEW! “Tribal History, Shared History & Explore Your Environment”

Date: October 7th, 2022

Times: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., MDT 

Format: *In-person, 6 hours

Audience: Intended for Eastern Oregon K-8 educators 

Location: Four Rivers Cultural Center & Museum, Ontario, OR

Curriculum: Project Learning Tree’s Explore Your Environment guide

Description: 

As part of the “Malheur Fall Professional Development Day,” this interactive hands-on session will explore SB 13: Tribal History, Shared History concepts and lessons such as the Essential Understandings, 6 P’s and local tribal resources. In addition, we will explore how activities from the new Project Learning Tree K-8 Guide, Explore Your Environment can complement tribal history, shared history lessons.

The Regional Educator Network has opened all sessions to Malheur, Grant, Harney, Lake and Wallowa County educators.

Offered at no cost. Registration required. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904094caea72eabfc1-tribal1

“Exploring Modified Project Learning Tree Lessons with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde”

Date: November 1, 2022 AND November 3, 2022

Time: 4:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., PST both days

Format & length: Online, 4 hours

Audience: K-8 formal and nonformal educators, though all welcome

Curriculum: Project Learning Tree’s Explore Your Environment guide

Description: 

Join us for this interactive workshop, the first to explore newly-modified Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities! The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR) chose three activities to supplement and infuse with their culture and indigenous knowledge to make them place-based: one for K-2 grade students, one for 3-5 grade students, and one for 6-8 grade students.

Cheyanne Heidt from the CTGR will be a guest speaker.

All participants will receive copies of PLT’s Explore Your Environment K-8 guide, as well as digital access to the three modified versions of the activities.

Registration required. Offered at no cost to formal and nonformal Oregon educators. PDUs available. https://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/workshops

“Natural Resource Educators Conference and Envirothon Training”  

Dates and Times: 

• Natural Resources Conference: December 14, 2022, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., PST
• Envirothon Training: December 15, 2022, 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m., PST

Format: In-person*

Location: The Oregon Garden, Silverton, OR

Audience: High school natural resource educators 

Description:

This in-person conference will focus on the social, economic and ecological aspects of Oregon’s natural resources and meets the professional development requirement of the Oregon Department of Education statewide Natural Resources / Forestry Career & Technical Education (CTE) Program of Study. Lunch provided both days. Information about mileage and lodging will be provided in the workshop confirmation letter, closer to the conference date. 

This conference is offered in partnership with Oregon Natural Resources Education Program (ONREP), Oregon Department of Education (ODE), Oregon Natural Resources Educators Association (ONREA), and Future Natural Resource Leaders (FNRL).

Registration is required and offered at no cost to formal and nonformal Oregon educators. PDUs are available. Substitute reimbursement is available on teacher workdays. 

Registration:

https://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/natural-resource-educators-conference-and-envirothon-registration