May snuck up on us! Did it sneak up on you? May is so busy, but try to take a moment this spring for YOU. Consider joining PA State Park Educators on a Wildflower🌸Walk. Feel the sun on your shoulders. Walks are scheduled in PA State Parks & Forests throughout Pennsylvania this May.

PA Native Species Day is this coming Thursday -- May 18. Join in an in-person or virtual PA Native Species Day program with PA State Park Educators. Bring natives to your Yard! Consider making your lawn 🌸 more biodiverse this spring. Learn with DCNR.

FYI - The 2024 Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Environmental Education (EE) Grants application deadline has been moved a month earlier to - November 15, 2023.

• The 2024 DEP EE Grants Program will begin accepting applications in early August 2023 for the project period July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025.
• Survey your audience, gather your partners, & start working on your application now. Keep checking DEP EE Grants for updates.

E-Blast Contents:

• Section 1: Summer is Coming! Teaching Ideas for the Rest of the School Year
• Section 2: Summer & early Fall In-Person & Hybrid Educator Professional Development Workshops
• Section 3: Trainings & Conferences for Educators
• Section 4: Explore the Outdoors!
• Section 5: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
• Capstone: PA State Park Updates

😎Section 1: Summer is Coming! 😎

Teaching Ideas, Activities, & Lessons for the

rest of the School Year

• FREE! A Tool for Your Science Toolkit: Natural Inquirer🐝- Natural Inquirer is a free science education journal for MS-HS students. It was created for scientists to share their research. Materials are available for download & print order for FREE! Explore the variety of PLT resources that have been correlated to Natural Inquirer!

• Keep on celebrating World Migratory Bird 🐦Day (WMBD) with your students which is on or around May 13, 2023. This year's theme is “Water:💦Sustaining Bird Life.” Download resources for free! WMBD also offers nice, low cost educational items such as posters, stickers, education guides, etc.
• Check out this FREE Bird Friendly plants🌿poster!
• FREE! Nature-Themed Book📙Guides! Are you looking for book guides that support student engagement with nature-themed children's books? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers 15+ free, downloadable book guides for grades K-5 filled with fun activities that address NGSS, Math, ELA, and Art Standards. From "An Egg is Quiet" to "Flute's Journey" to "Crow not Crow" - & more!

• PLT & the American Bird Conservancy recently collaborated to develop a new digital activity collection to celebrate our feathered friends for World Migratory Bird 🐦Day (May 13) & beyond!
• Download the activities, free for a limited time, and try them with students in grades K-2, with variations for grades 3-5. You will need to have a free PLT.org account and know your password to open your download.

Don't forget Pennsylvania's Remake Learning Days from April 20 - June 3, 2023!

A variety of organizations — such as PA State Parks, schools, libraries, nonprofits, businesses, & more have come together to provide virtual & in-person STEM-based innovative learning experiences & career exposure events! There are over 1000 events happening across PA 🤩.

Find a FREE Remake Learning Day Event Near You!

·    Find Northeastern PA Remake Learning Day Events

·    Find Southeastern PA Remake Learning Day Events

·    Find Central PA Remake Learning Day Events

·    Find South Central PA Remake Learning Day Events

·    Find Northwestern PA Remake Learning Day Events

Find Southwestern PA Remake Learning Day Events 

Section 2:

Summer In-Person & Hybrid

Educator Professional Development Workshops

Go to the DCNR Calendar for ALL Upcoming Educator Workshops

COVID safety protocols will be followed for all in-person workshops.

Hybrid Watershed💦Education Educator Workshop

Choose & Attend 1 Mandatory Virtual Meeting, Complete Pre-Work Assignment, & Attend Field Day Workshop

Virtual Meeting Options (choose one):

• Wednesday, May 17, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
• Thursday, May 25, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
• Thursday, June 8, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Field Day Workshop - Wednesday, June 28, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Hybrid & In-Person at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd, Nazareth, PA 18064

Act 48: 14 hrs. (upon completion of all requirements)

Fee: $15.00 payable in advance; pre-registration is required

Educators teaching grades 6-12 are invited to join us virtually for an intro. to the Bureau of State Parks’ Watershed Education Curriculum to discover lessons & resources that can be used to teach cross-curricular, inquiry-based lessons in the classroom that will prepare students for stream field experiences. The required homework assignment will introduce you to your local watershed through investigating its natural features & issues related to human use, and can be used as an evidence-based reasoning assignment for students. The assignment must be completed after the virtual meeting, before the in-person field day (6/28/23). 

The in-person field day at Jacobsburg EE Center will provide the opportunity to practice inquiry-based teaching techniques while using PA State Parks’ Watershed Education Curriculum as a guide. Teachers will receive the curriculum & supplemental materials to ensure confidence while teaching Watershed Education with an emphasis on PA STEELS! Registrants MUST complete the Pre-Work, attend 1 virtual meeting of their choosing, AND attend the Field Day to receive the DCNR Watershed Education curriculum & to be awarded their Act 48 Hours.

Register NOW for both the virtual meeting of your choice & field day separately:

Register for the Virtual Meeting (Required: choose ONE of the following):

• Wednesday, May 17th 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
• Thursday, May 25th 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
• Thursday, June 8th 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Register for the In-Person Field Day (Required) - Wednesday, June 28^th

Virtual PA Science Standards Educator Workshop

Saturday, May 20, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Online via Zoom; offered by Millersville University

Act 48: 3 hrs.

Fee: $45.00

Get prepared for the move to the new Pennsylvania Academic Science Standards in 2025! This practical workshop will provide you with more than a theoretical understanding of the new science standards. It will show you what real classroom instruction looks like using the new standards. Learn about the new science standards via a deep dive into a 10-lesson watershed unit--Shared Waters for grades 4-8. This unit addresses ALL of the 3-5 & most of the 6-8 Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (3.4) standards. All attendees will receive full access to all instructional materials. Register NOW.

Facilitators: Dr. Nanette Marcum-Dietrich, Millersville University & Dr. Bill McConnel, Virginia Wesleyan University. Both are Professors of Science Education with 25+ years of K-16 teaching experience.

Wild about Elk🦌 Educator Workshop

Monday, June 12, 1:00 pm - 7:30 pm (optional Elk calf capture from 7:45-9:00 pm)

In Person at Elk Country Visitor Center, 950 Winslow Hill Rd Benezette, PA 15821

Fee: $10.00; included - one copy of the Wild About Elk curriculum guide, snacks, & drinks (dinner on your own).

Act 48: 6 hrs.

This hands-on workshop will explore the natural history & habitat needs of Pennsylvania Elk; historical and current management strategies; and modern research techniques used to study Elk, including an attempted elk calf research activity with the PA Game Commission. It is open to formal & non-formal educators working with students in grades K-12. Professional Educators from the PA Game Commission, the Keystone Elk Country Alliance, & PA State Parks will guide participants through educational activities from Project Wild's Wild About Elk Curriculum Guide which can easily be integrated into science, language arts, math, art, & social studies. It addresses the current standards for Environment & Ecology. Optional calf capture requires off trail hiking (i.e., hiking up & down steep hills, uneven surfaces, through fields w/limited ground visibility, & through forests). To Register - email: ConEd@KECAUS.com or call 570-398-4744 Ext. 30311; registration deadline: May 31, 2023.

MWEE💦Ambassador Training

Tuesday, June 20, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

In-Person at Memorial Lake State Park, 18 Boundary Road, Grantville, PA 17028

Act 48: 6 hrs. + 3 hrs. for required MWEE 101 pre-work

Fee: FREE! This is a partnership between IU13 & PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR).

Join colleagues for a day outside to engage with the new PA STEELS (Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy, and Sustainability) standards and explore connections to a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE). The workshop will provide hands-on experiences and resources for educators to increase environmental literacy and connect students to the world around them. Target Audience: This training is focused for educators within Lebanon & Lancaster County, but it is open to all K-12 Science Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Coordinators, Environmental Educators, & more! Completion of the MWEE 101 online training is required to become a MWEE Ambassador. Register NOW. Questions? Contact, Keira London at 717-947-1940 or keira_london@iu13.org.

WILD About Bears🐻Educator Workshop 

Thursday, June 22, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm AND Friday, June 23, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm; Must attend both days.

In-Person at the PA Game Commission Southwest Region Office, 4820 Rt. 711, Bolivar, Pa. 15923

Act 48: 11.5 hrs.

Fee: Free! Pre-registration is required.

Join PA Game Commission (PGC) educators and biologists for an in-depth and up-close educational experience with Black Bears! You will receive your own copy of the award-winning Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide as well as lessons & activities to integrate bear🐻lessons into your teaching. You'll learn about Black bear physiology, biology, & management in Pennsylvania. How the PGC handles nuisance bears and research trapping efforts will be discussed as well as the reasons for tagging and relocating Black Bears in the Commonwealth.

Although not guaranteed, all efforts will be made to have at least one live Black Bear on site to be safely processed and tagged. Day 2 of the workshop includes a field trip to nearby PGC game lands to demonstrate trapping and snaring techniques. This workshop is targeted to grade levels 3-12. Register NOW by contacting Seth Mesoras, Information & Education Supervisor at smesoras@pa.gov or 1-888-PGC HUNT/1-888-PGC-WILD ext. 20208. Register by: 4:00 pm on Friday, June 16, 2023. 

Project WILD🦊Educator Workshop

Friday, June 23, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm

In-Person at Mount Pisgah State Park, 28 Entrance Road, Troy, PA 18214

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: $10.00, pre- registration is required

Participants who attend this Project Wild Educator Workshop will receive the award-winning Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide along with other great materials. The guide is filled with a variety of hands-on, interdisciplinary lessons. The workshop is open to both formal & non-formal educators. The training agenda includes both classroom & outdoor activities. Professional Facilitators from DCNR State Parks will lead the training. Pre- Registration is required. To register for the workshop please contact Mt. Pisgah State Park at 570-297-2734 or Email: mt.pisgahsp@pa.gov

Growing Up🦊WILD Educator Workshop

Saturday, July 8, 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

In-Person at Lackawanna State Park, 1839 Abington Road, North Abington Township, PA 18414

Act 48: 2.5 hrs.

Fee: $10.00 payable in advance; pre-registration is required.

Growing Up WILD is an award-winning early childhood education program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and encourages them to explore the world around them. Join us for this hands-on training to explore wildlife & the environment through the Growing Up WILD curriculum. This workshop is available to formal & informal educators of children between 3-7 years old. All participants will receive the Growing Up WILD Activity Guide. Register NOW. Registration for this workshop is limited & will close on July 1.

Questions? Contact Tony DeSantis, EES at antdesanti@pa.gov or 570-945-7110.

Pennsylvania Land Choices / PLT Places We Live Educator Workshop

Tues, July 11, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm 

In-Person at Columbia Crossing, 41 Walnut St. Columbia PA, 17512

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: $15.00 payable in advance

Pennsylvania Land Choices is an educational curriculum developed by the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks as a tool for teachers to educate their students about land use, land conservation, and sustainable communities. The lessons provide hands-on, standards-based activities for students in grades 6-12. From comparing aerial photographs to designing a park, PA Land Choices provides activities aligned to state academic standards. Project Learning Tree’s Places We Live provides educators with a useful tool for place-based education to help create a bond between young citizens and their communities. Earn 5.5 Act 48 hours while learning about land use, community planning, & community investigations. Each participant will receive the DCNR PA Land Choices curriculum, the Project Learning Tree (PLT) Places We Live Secondary Ed. Module, & other resources. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, contact Kelly Ford, EES at kelford@pa.gov or (717) 252-1134.

Watershed💦Focused: Reptile🐢& Amphibian🐸Educator Workshop

Thursday, July 20 & Friday, July 21, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm each day; participants must attend both days

In-Person at Cook Forest State Park, 100 RT 36, Cooksburg, PA 16217

Act 48: 15 hrs.

Fee: $125.00 payable via cash or check to the ‘Commonwealth of PA’

This workshop will emphasize hands-on activities and in-depth field identification surveys in a variety of habitat types. This course is an advanced DCNR Watershed Education workshop emphasizing hands-on activities and in-depth field identification surveys in a variety of habitat types.  We will car-pool to various sites along & within the National Wild & Scenic Clarion River and Allegheny National Forest drainages to sample for snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, toads, and salamanders. Attendees will receive a copy of Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania & the Northeast, the Peterson’s Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern & Central North America, & copies of some of the DCNR Watershed Education curriculum lessons.

The first day will mostly be terrestrial work, proper hiking footwear & long pants are suggested. Much of Day 2 will be spent within aquatic habitats, so sturdy river footwear is a must (old sneakers are good, flip-flops and sandals are bad). A sturdy “river-walking stick” will be useful. Payment must be sent to: Cook Forest State Park, ATTN: Reptiles & Amphibs, P.O. Box 120, Cooksburg, PA 16217 Register by 7/7/23 by contacting Dale Luthringer, EES at (814)744-8475 or dluthringe@pa.gov.

Project WET💦/Wonders of Wetlands (WoW)! Educator Workshop

Friday, July 21, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

In-Person at Ricketts Glen State Park, 695 State Route 487, Benton, PA 17814

Act 48: 6 hrs.

Fee: $10.00 payable in advance; pre-registration is required.

Project WET & Wonders of Wetlands (WoW!) are hands-on, interdisciplinary resources and activity guides which integrate water & wetland education into every school subject. This workshop is open to all educators who work with students from grades K-12, from formal teachers to naturalists, scout leaders, and others! Earn 6 Act 48 hours while experiencing hands-on activities related to water and wetlands. Participants will receive both the Project WET & the WOW!: K-12 Teacher’s Guides for Activities in the Classroom & other relevant resources. Registration for this workshop is limited & is required by Friday, July 14, 2023.

Register NOW. Questions? Contact Rhiannon Summers, EES at rhsummers@pa.gov or 570-477-7780.

PLT Exploring Energy ⛮ Educator Workshop

Wednesday, August 3, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

In-Person at Parker Dam State Park, 28 Fairview Road, Penfield, PA 15849

Act 48: 10 hrs. (7 hours in-person, 1.5 hours pre-workshop assignment (exploring your personal energy use) , & 1.5 hours post-workshop activity)

Fee: $10.00, payable in advance

Energy ⚡ drives technology, transportation, and quality of life. Energy generation sources are expanding to keep up with increased demand. Today’s students require an understanding of what drives their daily activities and what the future of energy sources looks like. Learn how to explain basic concepts of electrical generation, the history of energy development, and the current trends of energy sources.

During the workshop, we'll explore Project Learning Tree's (PLT) Energy & Society Guide. Activities in this guide will help your students to understand the different types of energy, their sources, different modes of transportation & the energy used to power the move, and examine the fuel efficiency of various vehicles. Attendees will receive the PLT: Energy & Society Activity Guide Kit. You will also explore an array of hands-on STEM kits available to classrooms, from solar to wind to water and then develop your own inquiry-based worksheet to take with you. A post-workshop assignment will help you personally find ways to conserve energy & demonstrate that to your students. Register NOW online or call Parker Dam State Park at (814) 765-0630. Questions? Email Suzann Rensel, EES at slenhartre@pa.gov. Deadline to register is July 27, 2023. 

Section 3:

Trainings & Conferences for Educators

Section 4:

Explore the Outdoors!

Migration Round-Up -- Friday, May 12-Monday, May 15 🐦🏸

Looking for a fun Mother's Day adventure? How about joining birders from across the state in our spring Migration Round-Up? Birders of all levels are invited to contribute! Let's see which park can tally the biggest species list!

To learn more about the this friendly birding competition visit the DCNR Calendar of Events & reach out to your participating park educator.

Additionally, visit eBird to setup your free account & track your own data. To learn about how eBird works, watch this video.

National Safe Boating Week -- May 20-26, 2023 🛶🦺

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) & the PA Fish & Boat Commission encourage you to wear your life jacket while recreating out on the water.

• Learn more about scheduled public paddling programs at PA State Parks - use the QR Code listed under "Partner Programs."
• Learn about life jacket 🦺 loaner sites across the state & ASL paddling signs to know by using the QR codes listed below.

While you're out on the water (or on the shoreline), celebrate Pennsylvania's Fish🐟for Free Days - May 28, 2023 & July 4, 2023 🎣

Section 5:

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

- Learn more about DCNR's DEI efforts-

Black Birders 🐦Week 2023

May 28 - June 3, 2023

#BlackBirdersWeek will feature panel discussions, bird walks, & giveaways, both virtually & in-person. The event week is organized in partnership with BirdNote, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Collective, & other organizations.

Follow Black Birders Week on social media @BlackAFInSTEM (IG, Twitter, or FB) or check out their website - www.blackafinstem.com to stay updated on events & activities.

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 ALL👐

• Many Environmental Education programs require pre-registration. Explore the DCNR events calendar for details and to register.
• 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.
• 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 🚮.
• Alcohol is not allowed in PA State Parks.
• 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 🏡
• Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
• Stay on marked trails
• Clean up after pets 🐕

• Continue to practice social distancing (stay >6' apart)
• Take hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly
•  Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose
• If you are sick or have been exposed to someone who is sick, stay home

It's Gonna Be May!

Carissa Longo, Environmental Education Program Coordinator

&

Christine Ticehurst, Recreation and Interpretation Coordinator

Visit the DCNR Events Calendar- Teacher Workshops to find additional training opportunities! Click the arrows to see upcoming months.