Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Ecology and the Environment
The Pennsylvania Audubon Council and nineteen of our Pennsylvania Audubon Chapters were signatories to our comment letter to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education on changes proposed to revise the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Environment and Ecology. Our Council and Chapters joined an extraordinary effort by the environmental community whose efforts urged that a strong focus on these standards be maintained. Our Council letter urged that the “content committee” be reengaged to continue and extend consideration of these standards. We outlined areas of key concern including wetlands, threatened and endangered species, and the importance of environmental laws and regulations. We spotlighted NAAEE’s “Guidelines for Excellence in Personal and Civic Responsibility, Decision Making and Actions Skills…”
The Pennsylvania State Board of Education has issued a new report that addresses the proposed standards. That report can be accessed HERE. The report notes that the content committee was reengaged and tasked with further consideration of the comments that were submitted. The subsequent report reflects that many of the concerns were addressed. The initial reaction by several of our chapter leaders who have shared their initial response to the report has been positive. There is great detail in the report on the content standards and requirements at different grade spans for environment and ecology topics. A timeline for implementation of the state assessments to cover these areas were included in the report. Of particular interest is that a new domain has been added as noted on page thirty-eight of the report:
“To ensure that new academic standards reflect essential principles of environmental education, as suggested by stakeholders, the Board added a new fifth domain for “Environmental Literacy and Sustainability” to the Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Environment, Ecology, Environment and Engineering (Grades K-5) and to the Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Environment and Ecology (Grades 6-12). This fifth domain incorporates essential principles of environmental education across all grade levels organized under three core ideas: 1) Agricultural and Environmental Systems and Resources, 2) Environmental Literacy Skills, and 3) Sustainability and Stewardship. The addition of this fifth domain is responsive to stakeholder concerns indicating that certain content related to environment, ecology, and agriculture either was omitted or weakly linked in the Board’s proposed standards, and also is responsive to the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Act’s charge to fully integrate environmental education into K-12 education.”
As these standards are adopted, it is the responsibility of each school district in the Commonwealth to have their curriculum and planned courses of study reflect and conform to the requirements of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. Our role as a Council and Chapters shift as well. It will be important for each of our chapters to consider how these standards are being implemented in the local school districts in their chapter territories. Together, the Council and the Chapters can monitor student achievement in these areas as reflected on the achievement results as measured by the state assessments once they are updated and in place.
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Policy and Position Guidelines for Conservation Issues of Greatest Concern!
It has been noted that the Policy and Position Guidelines adopted each year by the Audubon chapters in New York State, can serve as a model for the Pennsylvania Audubon Council as we look ahead to the next session of the Pennsylvania Legislature that begins in 2023. Several individuals from chapters in Pennsylvania will be participating in the Spring Council Meetings of New York and Connecticut on May 20, 21, and 22. We will learn more about their process to develop the guidelines and assess if it is a worthwhile model to adapt for the Pennsylvania Audubon Council. An outstanding feature of the New York process is the cooperation with the Audubon New York policy staff in establishing their positions. We plan to reach out to the chapter network of our conservation and advocacy committee chairs and members in a special Council meeting that will be scheduled in early June.
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Pennsylvania Audubon Council Executive Board Nominations and Election
The by-laws of the Pennsylvania Audubon Council require that an annual nomination and process take place to elect the Executive Board of the Council. The seven member Executive Board is comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and three additional Directors who are representatives of their respective chapters. The current members of the Executive Board are President, Leigh Altadonna, Wyncote Audubon Society; Vice-President, Paul Burroughs, Presque Isle Audubon Society; Treasurer, Jim Bonner, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania; Secretary Heidi Shiver, Bucks County Audubon Society; Director, Laura Jackson, Juniata Valley Audubon Society; Susan Murawski, Presque Isle Audubon Society; and Peter Saenger, Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. All seven members of the Executive Board were elected for a one-year term ending June 30, 2022.
The Council Nominating Committee welcomes nominations for positions on the Executive Board to serve a one-year term from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The Nominating Committee includes Ali Bowling, President of Appalachian Audubon Society; John Carter, President of Juniata Valley Audubon Society; and Sean Minnick, Treasurer of Tiadaughton Audubon Society. Any chapter can forward the name and contact information of a nominee willing to be nominated and serve if elected. The Council Executive Board generally meets on a monthly basis and additionally on an as needed basis as required by circumstances. Note that all current members of the Executive Board are eligible for reelection for an additional one-year term.
Any nominations can be sent to the Nominating Committee via email at paauduboncouncil@gmail.com. The deadline for Nominations is Friday, May 27, 2022. The election will follow with an “electronic” ballot with each chapter eligible to submit a ballot no later than Friday, June 24, 2022.
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Bird Collision Working Group Training
The Council program to introduce the Bird-Window Collision Program to interested chapter volunteers took place on March 22nd. There were representatives from seven of our Pennsylvania chapters in addition to the chapters represented by Leigh Altadonna and Peter Saenger who presented the introductory program. The follow up to this introduction is a “training workshop” that is scheduled from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. This training will be a “deep dive” into the “Bird-Window Collision Presentation Tool Kit” that was developed by the Bird Collision Working Group with support from the National Audubon Society.
This is the Council’s inaugural effort to equip our Pennsylvania Audubon chapters with practical tools and strategies to present this program as part of their outreach to the communities they serve. A goal of the program is to inspire personal action to mitigate bird-window collisions with the homes, schools, and properties. Another goal is to build “durable public will” to take further action at the municipal, state, and Federal levels and promote legislative initiatives designed to protect birds such as the Federal Bird Safe Building Act.
The Training Workshop is designed to included opportunities for interaction and the exchange of ideas among the participating volunteers. It will also include support to plan the implementation of this program. We are pleased to have engaged the support of our friend, Kelly McGinley, principal of “Function and Flow” to help facilitate the training session. We plan to offer another Bird-Window Collision Introductory program and training in the near future.
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The Partnership with Bird Town Pennsylvania is Strengthened
Earlier this month, the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Audubon Council authorized the move to establish Bird Town Pennsylvania as an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) under the corporate umbrella of the Council. The “Certificate of Organization” and the “Operating Agreement” have been executed and filed. This arrangement strengthens and formalizes the partnership between the organizations. The missions of our Chapters and Bird Towns are closely aligned around goals like creating bird friendly habitats in our properties, expanded use of native plants and “bird habitat recognition” programs and much more. The hope is that our chapter network will be instrumental in helping to expand the Bird Town program in municipalities across the Commonwealth. The Bird Town Pennsylvania Working Group will be reaching out to chapters to provide an introduction to opportunities for chapters to become involved with the Bird Town program in the communities they serve.
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Advocating for Bird-Friendly Proclamations, Resolutions, and Ordinances (PRO)
A Special Webinar with WeConservePA
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Thursday, June 2, 2022
Join WeConservePA and Bird Town Pennsylvania as we welcome guest speakers from the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Communities team to learn how to use proclamations, resolutions, and ordinances (PRO) to promote healthier and safer habitats for birds through the use of native plants, bird-safe windows, and the reduction of light pollution. This presentation will cover the basics of PRO and the steps involved in securing a PRO in local municipalities.
The webinar will feature local leaders, representing environmental advisory councils, Audubon chapters, and other community groups across Pennsylvania about how they have successfully advocated for their bird-friendly PRO.
Featured speakers will include Connie Sanchez and John Rowden. Connie is National Audubon’s Program Coordinator for Bird-friendly Buildings, focused on building awareness of the hazards birds face as they navigate the built-environment, including glass and lights. John is Audubon’s Senior Director for Bird-Friendly Communities, leading a team that supports the Audubon network’s efforts to provide birds with food, shelter, safe passage and places to raise young in the communities we share with them.
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