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Pennsylvania State Parks
๐ท March 2023 E-Blast ๐ท
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๏ปฟHappy St. Patrick's Day ๐
from PA State Parks!
Happy International Women's Day (March 8)! Celebrate the Women ๐ who are special in your life today. #EmbraceEquity
Do you feel the sunshine โ? The Vernal Equinox is almost here! On March 20, 2023, Spring ๐ท will officially arrive! This March Edition of our PA State Parks E-blast is full of ideas & free lessons to teach about St. Patrick's Day โ, Spring, Birds ๐ฆ, Women's History, & more. Don't the miss the BRAND NEW PA Water ๐ฆ StoryMap! We've also got professional development trainings coming up! Get outside this Spring with PA State Parks!
E-Blast Contents:
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Section 1: Teaching Ideas, Activities, & Lessons
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Section 2: In-Person & Virtual Educator Professional Development Workshops
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Section 3: Trainings for Educators
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Section 4: Explore the Outdoors!
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Section 5: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
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Capstone: PA State Park Updates
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Section 1:
๐ Teaching Ideas, Activities, & Lessons ๐
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Save the Date - Thursday, May 18, 2023
The Pennsylvania Governorโs Invasive Species Council invites schools, organizations, local governments, and businesses to celebrate the 2023 Pennsylvania Native Species Day on Thursday, May 18, 2023๐ธ! join in with activities celebrating PAโs native plants, animals, and insects ๐ while highlighting the need to protect our biodiversity from the proliferation of invasive species.
Find ideas, resources for Educators, & learn more about the 2023 PA Native Species Day or contact Deb Klenotic, Council Communications Chair at dklenotic@pa.gov or (717) 649-9136.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
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March is Womenโs โ History Month
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๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ Pennsylvania Digital Water๐ฆAtlas! | |
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The DEP Water Use & Planning Program recently published an interactive Digital Water Atlas as part of the new 2022 State Water Plan. The Digital Water Atlas StoryMap presents the landscape of PA's extensive water ๐ฆ and land resources with a focus on how they are managed. It is intended to help PA leaders, educators, and residents understand where their water comes from, and how it is affected by natural events and human activity.
๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ
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From NOAA: Shared Waters: An Upstream, Downstream MWEE Partnership Webinar for Educators
Wednesday, March 22, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm on Zoom
Fee: FREE! Register NOW
The Shared Waters project embraces the idea of teaching students to be good watershed neighbors. In partnership, Millersville University and Virginia Wesleyan University Schools of Education partner with a local school district to implement a MWEE in elementary schools. Their goal is the systemic implementation of MWEEs in local schools and undergraduate teacher education.
Watershed๐ฆEducation Hybrid Educator Workshop
Wednesday, March 29 (Virtual on MS Teams from 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm) and Thursday, April 13, 2023 (In-person from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm) ๏ปฟMust attend both days
Hickory Run State Park, 3 Family Camp Road, White Haven, PA 18661
Act 48: 10.5 hrs. (including pre-workshop assignments)
Fee: $30.00 payable in advance
Watershed Education (WE) is an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary curriculum that is geared toward students in grades 6 -12. By blending hands-on classroom and field investigations, students participate in data collection and analysis, community networking and partnerships, stewardship, and service learning activities. This is a hybrid online (MS Teams) and in-person workshop where both days are required. Please register online or contact Alexis Weber, EES for assistance, alweber@pa.gov or (272) 808-6192 by Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
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Project WET๐ฆEducator Workshop
Saturday, April 8, 9 am - 3:30 pm
In-Person at Black Moshannon State Park, 4216 Beaver Rd, Philipsburg, PA 16866
$25.00 payable in advance
Act 48: 5.5 hours
Every day, the quality & quantity of water resources affects the health and well-being of the planetโs nearly 7 billion people. The total amount of water on Earth cannot be increased, but we can protect, conserve, and better manage the water resources available. Educators who attend this Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Workshop will receive the Project WET K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide 2.0 which is filled with hands-on, interdisciplinary lessons that make all facets of water education accessible to all. The workshop is open to formal & non-formal educators teaching grades K-12. Designed to complement existing curricula rather than displace or add more concepts, Project WET activities address PA Academic Standards. Pre-registration is required. Register NOW. Questions? Contact Michelle McCloskey, EES at blackmoshannonee@pa.gov.
PLANT ๐ฟ CAMP for EDUCATORS!
Tuesday, August 1 - Thursday, August 3, 2023; Registrants must attend all 3 days.
In-Person in & around Pymatuning State Park, 2660 Williamsfield Road, Jamestown, PA 16134
Act 48: 25 hrs.
Fee: $100.00 payable in advance; includes cabin accommodations, meals, & transportation to all field visits.
Apply NOW! Applications are due by May 1, 2023!
Join skilled facilitators for a unique 3-day, hands-on educator workshop which will explore a variety of water resources in Northwestern Pennsylvania. During the 3-days, participants will be immersed in aquatic ecology lab & field experiences. This workshop is based at Pymatuning State Park and is designed for those educators (formal & non-formal) teaching high school students in 9th-12th grades. Participants will receive the PA Biodiversity Educators Guide as part of the workshop. The $100 workshop fee for each teacher selected to attend includes cabin accommodations, meals, and transportation to all field sites. ๏ปฟFor more information, contact Emily Borcz, EES at eborcz@pa.gov or 724-932-3142 ext. 106.
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Section 3:
Trainings for Educators
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The 2023 Great Lakes๐ฆLiteracy Education Exploration (GLLee) Self-Paced Courses are Now Open!
GLLee are free, fun, 3-hour online, interactive, asynchronous courses for educators on a Great Lakes topic. Courses are open to all, not just those in the Great Lakes Region.
Upon completion, participants will receive:
- A certificate for 3 contact hours
- Access to a curated collection of hands-on lessons, activities, & resources
2023 Topics (pre-registration required, click titles to register)
- Driving Question - How do invasive species impact the Great Lakes and what can we do to help reduce their impacts on native ecosystems?
Coastal Erosionโฑ (best suited for students in grades 6-12)
- Driving Question - How does coastal erosion shape the shorelines of the Great Lakes and impact our ecosystems and communities?
Marine Debrisโด (best suited for students in grades 4-12)
- Driving Question - How does marine debris impact our Great Lakes and animals (including humans) and plants that depend on this freshwater resource?
Urban Water Cycle๐ฆ (best suited for students in grades 4-12)
- Driving Question? How do people access clean, fresh water, and what happens to the water after its use?
Vernal Pools๐ธ (best suited for students in grades 6-12)
- Driving Question - How do vernal pools (seasonal woodland wetlands) benefit the Great Lakes region?
Questions? Contact admin@cgll.education.
This opportunity is provided by The Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL), a Sea Grant-led network and partnership that promotes Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists, residents, and students by encouraging hands-on experiences and basin-wide stewardship; and providing educational resources & networking opportunities. This GLLee opportunity is supported by CGLL with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) & National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Expanding Youth Involvement in Exploring Exciting Employment Directions in Agriculture ๐ฝ (YIELD) Teacher PD
July 17 - 21, 2023 + one day TBD, 8:30 am - 4 pm each day
Location: Penn State Harrisburg
Apply NOW! Application Deadline: March 31, 2023
Target Audience: Secondary computer science, biology, & environmental science teachers *Note: Interdisciplinary pairs of teachers from the same district are encouraged.
YIELD is a 6-day professional development workshop that allows teachers to explore the
agricultural industry through academic research labs and food & agricultural industries. In
this workshop, teachers will learn how to automate hydroponics systems, carry out plant
tissue culture and breeding, and learn about the medicinal properties of plants๐ฑ.
Participant Benefits:
- A $300 stipend for participating in the summer program & Lunch provided
- Act 48 hours are available upon request
- Option for limited travel stipends provided for teachers who cannot commute daily.
More info can be found HERE. Questions? Contact Tiffany Lewis
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Section 4:
๏ปฟExplore the Outdoors!
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As spring approaches and the "itch" to get outdoors gets stronger, consider attending one of the many exciting programs offered at a Pennsylvania State Park near you. Listed below are a small sample of what's to come this month. Discover more!
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The Chesapeake Mapping Initiative for Pennsylvania
The Chesapeake Mapping Project strives to ensure places important to African Americans are better represented in historic preservation
and land conservation priorities.
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In Pennsylvania, African American churches and cemeteries were used as focal points in a crowdsourcing effort. Beginning in 2022, community members in south-central PA (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, & York counties) were asked to identify historically significant churches and cemeteries. This resulted in 45 new state cultural resource records! Final records are expected to conclude later this year and will be documented in the PA-SHARE system.
Check out the sites on the Pennsylvania map (more info. & instructions)
(Harrisburg, PA played a large role in the Underground Railroad)
With a goal of telling a more complete American story, a new partnership among the National Park Service Chesapeake Office; the National Trust for Historic Preservation (National Trust); the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership have worked towards mapping and identifying sites and landscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed region significant to African American history and culture.
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Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE)
April 11-13, 2023 - Virtual Inclusive Summit via Zoom
Registration is required. Pricing varies. Learn more visit here.
WHAT IT IS? A multi-day virtual summit centered on increasing inclusive practices in regard to recreating in winter โ, public lands, and workplace culture.
WHEN IS IT? April 11 - 13, 2023 | Tuesday: 11:00 am-6:00 pm ET; Wednesday: 11:00 am-5:00 pm ET; Thursday: 11:00 am -5:00 pm ET
WHO IS IT FOR? People who facilitate outdoor recreation and education programs. ๐ฅพ If you guide, train, or encourage people to get outdoors, this Summit is designed for YOU!
WHY? AORE is hosting this summit to provide attendees with a wider recognition of exclusionary practices within outdoor recreation & education and to help them gain better understanding of how they can actively work to make change as leaders in the industry.
WHERE IT WILL BE? Online through Zoom!
EVENT STRUCTURE: The 3-day virtual Summit (April 11-13, 2023) offers each day focusing on a different topic around inclusivity. Tuesday - winter sports, Wednesday - public lands, & Thursday - human resources & workplace culture.
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PA State Parks are YOURS! | |
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Book your virtual, in-person programs, and field experiences with PA State Park Educators now! Find a PA State Park. Need help connecting to a PA State Park with an Educator on staff? Reach out to Carissa Longo at calongo@pa.gov.
DCNR facilities and Programs are OPEN to ALL๐
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Many Environmental Education programs require pre-registration. Explore the DCNR events calendar for details and to register.
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Plan your outing before you leave. Learn about facilities, download on your phone or print a park map, and review regulations here: Find A Park
- Take care of & respect the resource. Park, hike, hunt, & more only in designated areas.
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Check the weather before you depart, wear layers & proper footwear, and bring water. Wear orange if hiking in designated hunting areas.
- Please do not litter ๐ฎ.
- Alcohol is not allowed in PA State Parks.
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Make a reservation at a PA State Park Campground, Camping Cottage, Cabin, Yurt, or Pavilion. Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance.
You can help keep state parks safe for all by following these practices:
- Use the restroom before you leave your house ๐ก
- Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
- Stay on marked trails
- Clean up after pets ๐
- Continue to practice social distancing (stay >6' apart)
- Take hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly
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Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose
- If you are sick or have been exposed to someone who is sick, stay home
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