Spring 2014

In this Issue: We're excited to unveil PLT's new online collection of nature activities for families. Plus, PLT-trained educators can apply now for a GreenWorks! grant this year. See the STEM Connections for one of PLT's most popular springtime activities, "Bursting Buds." Read about one young woman's job as a forester that will inspire your students, and meet the 2014 National PLT Outstanding Educators.

2014 National Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educator

By Vanessa Bullwinkle

Spread the word! Grants are available to schools and community programs for environmental action projects.

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News & Updates

Grants,grants,grants! 3 Ways to Green Your Community

By James McGirt Spread the word! Grants are available to schools and community programs for environmental action projects

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New Family Activities: Connecting Kids to Nature

By Kyle Cooper

Are you looking for activity ideas to connect kids to nature at home? Suitable for children ages 3 to 15, PLT has published a new online collection of fun, easy-to-do activities for families.

Page 5 Taking Action

Bringing Nature into the Classroom

By Kathy Westra

Living plants are the signs of life, hope, and the ability to persevere for Central HS in Newark, NJ. Learn how students at this urban school brought nature indoors to improve air quality, connect with their science lessons, and improve student leadership skills.

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The Branch Spring 2014 Project Learning Tree · A Program of the American Forest Foundation

2000 M Street, NW · Suite 550 · Washington, D.C. · 20036 P 202.765.3641 · F 202.827.7924 · Email information@plt.org

www.plt.org · www.forestfoundation.org

Educator Tips

Exploring Forestry as a Career

By Jamie Knight

Forester Jamie Knight explains what a day in the life of a forester actually entails and how she inspires students to explore jobs that will take them outside.

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Resources

Literature Connection – The Gardener

By Chris Erwin

This book is perfect for introducing the aesthetic beauty of plants and the joy of gardening. Compare and contrast rural and urban America with Lydia Grace as she travels to a new city with a suitcase full of seeds.

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STEM Connections – Bursting Buds

By Kris Irwin, Ph.D

Spring is here! Flowers are beginning to bloom and new leaves are growing on the trees. Have your students take a closer look at trees to identify where leaves come from and how changing conditions affect leaf growth.

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EE Resources – Spring 2014

By Jaclyn Stallard

Grant opportunities, contests, webinars, professional development opportunities, interactive models, videos, and more in our latest compilation of EE Resources.

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2014 National Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educators

By Vanessa Bullwinkle

We are pleased to announce, congratulate, and celebrate the five educators selected as this year’s National PLT Outstanding Educators!

These Outstanding Educators were selected for their commitment to environmental education, exemplary use of our award-winning educational materials, and exceptional teaching skills. They use nature and the outdoors to improve student learning and encourage environmental stewardship in today’s youth.

The 2014 National PLT Outstanding Educators and their home states are—

Florida: Robert Raze, Professor, St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Spring

Georgia: Janet (Jan) Forrest Kent, Program Manager, Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, Columbus

Minnesota: Karen Christenson, Science Teacher, St. Anthony Park Elementary School, St. Paul

North Dakota: Sara Forness, Science Teacher, West Fargo High School, West Fargo

South Carolina: Matthew Schnabel, Science Teacher, White Knoll High School, Lexington

The Outstanding Educators were selected from nominees across the U.S. Their diverse experiences illustrate how PLT can be used effectively with all age groups, both in the classroom or outdoors, in nature centers, universities, and with youth groups, and across the curriculum--especially in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math.)

They will be honored at a special luncheon during PLT’s 28th International Coordinators’ Conference in Traverse City, Michigan, May 19–22. They are also invited to attend the World Forestry Center’s International Educators Institute, July 13-19, in Portland, Oregon.

In nominating the 2014 PLT Outstanding Educators, their colleagues pointed to their commitment, creativity, and energy in working with students of all ages and abilities. For example,

Robert Raze is known for his ability to show Florida’s current and future teachers how to use environmental education to strengthen student learning across the curriculum.

When Jan Forrest Kent initiated PLT-based programs at her nature center in Georgia, the number of participants more than doubled within two years.

Karen Christenson uses PLT to get her students excited about science resulting in higher test scores, and she helps teachers across Minnesota make use of their school forest as an outdoor classroom.

Sara Forness, the first educator from North Dakota to be named a National PLT Outstanding Educator, links her students to their community through hands-on learning.

Matthew Schnabel created new courses at White Knolls High School and has led the South Carolina Teachers’ Tour, an annual forestry education summer program for teachers throughout the state.

“Schools must prepare our next generation with the skills necessary to address complex environmental and sustainability issues,” said Kathy McGlauflin, senior vice president for education at the American Forest Foundation and director of Project Learning Tree. “These five outstanding educators show how integrating environmental education and PLT across the curriculum engages students in learning science

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and all core subjects, and inspires them to make a difference in their communities and beyond.”

Read more about each of the five 2014 National PLT Outstanding Educators, and check out the Honorees (from Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Utah) who were selected as their state’s PLT outstanding educators. Grants, grants, grants! 3 Ways to Green Your Community

By James McGirt

Over the past 20 years, Project Learning Tree has distributed over $1 million to more than 1,000 schools and community programs for service-learning projects that improve the environment. From North Pole, Alaska to

Key West, Florida, youth have planted trees, restored habitats, implemented recycling programs, constructed nature trails, conserved water, and reduced energy use, among many other creative ideas.

PLT is now accepting applications for this year's GreenWorks! grants. Applicants must have attended a PLT professional development workshop. The deadline to apply is September 30.

PLT GREENWORKS! GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE IN 3 AWARD CATEGORIES

Traditional GreenWorks! Grants (Up to a maximum of $1,000) Community programs, schools, Scout troops, afterschool programs, etc. are welcome to apply for the traditional GreenWorks! grants. If you have an idea for an environmental improvement project for your school or community, this is the grant category for you. Project ideas are not restricted to any one theme so get creative and tell us how you’d like to take action.

ClimateChangeLIVE GreenWorks! Grants (Up to a maximum of $1,000) Do you have a project idea that will reduce your school’s carbon footprint, improve air quality, or educate others about climate change? Has your school participated in at least one of the PLT-sponsored ClimateChangeLIVE webinars, webcasts, or other events? If so, your school is eligible to apply for a GreenWorks! grant in this category.

GreenWorks! Grants for Registered PLT GreenSchools! (Up to a maximum of $2,000) Schools registered with the PLT GreenSchools! program are encouraged to apply. If your school has completed one or more of the GreenSchools! Investigations and your students want to improve an aspect of their school, let us know by applying for a grant in this category.

DEADLINE AND DETAILS

PLT’s GreenWorks! grant application period is now open and the deadline to apply is September 30.

Teachers and students can visit the PLT website to download an application. All applicants must have attended a PLT professional development workshop. Please visit the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section of the PLT website or contact James McGirt with any questions (jmcgirt@plt.org).

RESOURCES

PLT’s GreenWorks! Grant Program – Learn more about our grant program, application requirements, and other grant details. Also, check out past projects for ideas to get started.

PLT’s GreenSchools! Program – Explore our online resources and discover ways you can green your school. Register to download our GreenSchools! Investigations and become eligible to apply for a grant in this award category.

ClimateChangeLIVE - The U.S. Forest Service, Project Learning Tree, and 26 federal and NGO partners are bringing climate learning to

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educators and students through a series of webcasts, webinars, and online climate education resources.

HELP YOUTH GREEN THEIR COMMUNITY

Apply for a PLT GreenWorks! grant today to help young people "learn by doing." GreenWorks! projects have transformed school and community sites all over the country, with students helping to direct the projects every step of the way.

Project Learning Tree wishes to thank the USDA Forest Service for helping to provide funding again this year for PLT’s GreenWorks! grants. New Family Activites: Connecting Kids to Nature

By Kyle Cooper

Nature is a great teacher! Encouraging your kids to spend time outside and play in nature can improve

their creativity and imagination, classroom performance and academic achievement, as well as their overall health and fitness. Now that spring is finally here, spend time outside with the children in your life and try our

safe, fun, and educational outdoor activities.

OUR NEW “CONNECTING KIDS TO NATURE” ACTIVITY CENTER IS NOW LIVE ON THE PLT WEBSITE.

Use any of these free, downloadable activities to teach about nature, whether you’re in your own

backyard, exploring a local park, on a walk in the woods, or when all else fails, inside.

Teach children how to figure out the age of a tree, discover wildlife living in your backyard, or explore connections between plants, animals, and their surrounding habitat. Each activity builds children's creative and critical thinking skills while they learn what the environment needs to remain healthy and sustainable.

FIND ACTIVITIES TO DO…

In the Forest

Play detective on your next walk in the woods and discover how plants grow, age, and decay. At a Local Park

Get in touch with trees in your local park and use these family activities to take a closer look.

In Your Backyard

Uncover nature's diversity in your own backyard. Look, listen, and meet your natural neighbors.

Inside

Give these activities a try on a rainy day or when you just can't get outside.

WHEN USING THESE ACTIVITIES, KEEP A FEW THINGS IN MIND: Adapt the activities to your specific situation or comfort level. Don’t feel like you have to follow the instructions to the letter.

Keep the children you’re speaking with in mind as well. These activities have proven effective with

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children ages 3 to 15, but the way you present them will change depending on the child’s knowledge and ability. Some activities work better for younger children, others work better for older children.

Help the children in your life experience the importance, beauty, and wonder of the natural world. Take your children, grandchildren, and neighbors’ or friends’ children on an adventure this weekend and give one or more of these activities a try!

PLT’s Connecting Kids to Nature family activities are adapted from PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide and produced by Jaclyn Stallard, Manager of Education Programs. Taking Action Bringing Nature into the Classroom

By Kathy Westra

Nowhere are the challenges of a large urban high school more evident than they are at Central High School (CHS) in Newark, New Jersey. With more than 90% of the school’s 845 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school qualifies as “disadvantaged” under the U.S. Department of Education’s Title I guidelines.

Becoming Guardians of the Earth

But try telling that to Vice Principal Lucinda Eason or to the approximately 160 students enrolled in Central High’s new Environmental Studies Academy. They are positive, engaged, and full of resolve to become “Guardians of the Earth.” They have filled the CHS grounds, classrooms, and hallways with green, living plants—signs of life, hope, and the ability to persevere in the face of difficulties, obstacles, and discouragement. In

fact, the Environmental Studies Academy has adopted perseverance as the CHS “pillar” to guide students’ to make their school more green.

The Environmental Studies Academy is one of five academic tracks inaugurated at CHS in the 2013-14 school year. Its curriculum is designed to prepare a new generation of environmental leaders committed to leaving the world a better place for future generations.PLT GreenSchools! is one of the Academy’s partners, and the GreenSchools Investigations are fully integrated into the Botany and Environmental Data Analysis course curricula. Two GreenWorks grants have helped the new program grow an urban gardening program that is flourishing on the school grounds and in two indoor greenhouses.

“What really excites me about this academy is that I’m a big fan of beautiful plants,” says Demetreous Bennett, a CHS sophomore. “This academy is very exciting to me because I get to learn more about something I love, which makes me better able to help people who need to understand the environment. If you don’t take time to study it, you might not see it.”

In addition to appreciating the beauty of plants and trees, Bennett and fellow Academy students have gained a new awareness of the role plants play in removing harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the air. Bringing the issue of global climate change close to home, the students studied which of three indoor plant species—golden pothos, fittonia, or dieffenbachia—was most efficient in removing CO2 from the air. They then lobbied administrators to place plants in classrooms and on hallway window ledges, convincing them that less CO2 would mean students would be less tired and more alert.

Promoting Student Leadership

Student leadership is central to the Environmental Studies Academy, which serves students in grades 10-12. “We’re involved in everything the administrators are involved with,” says Kristina Porter, a sophomore who serves as the Academy’s president. “When they receive information, they

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pass it along to us in weekly meetings, and we share it with our peers. As student leaders, it’s also our responsibility to listen to our fellow students and get their opinions.”

Recently, Porter and fellow sophomore Michael Faseun joined Vice Principal Eason and chemistry teacher Dr. Brian Kuzma in presenting a webinar about the GreenWorks grant program as part of a national “Climate Change LIVE” webinar series sponsored by the U. S. Forest Service and 26 federal and NGO partners, including Project Learning Tree. The Central High team was joined by hosts Victoria Arthur of the U.S. Forest Service and James McGirt, manager of Project Learning Tree’s Green Schools! program. Together, they explained how GreenWorks grants might support other schools that want to investigate and address climate change issues.

The experience of presenting a webinar to a large national audience “was kind of nerve wracking at first,” confesses Porter. “I didn’t know what to expect. But I actually knew things I didn’t think I knew, and it didn’t bother me that I was talking to probably a thousand people. It was wonderful experience for me.”

Fellow presenter Faseun concurs: “At first it was kind of hard, because I didn’t know what to expect. But after the first five minutes I really knew what I was doing and I was able to adapt to a new experience."

Vice Principal Eason summed up the event this way: “The students did a fantastic job. They were so excited. They felt like rock stars—and so did I!”

Resources

Watch the ClimateChangeLIVE webinar recordings - All current and past webinars, webcasts, and other recorded events are available on National Wildlife Foundation's Eco Schools Website.

Apply for a PLT GreenWorks! grant - Green your schools and communities with a grant from PLT.

Educator Tips Exploring Forestry as a Career

By Jamie Knight “You're a forester?!” That’s a question I get a lot, even though I live in an area where money generated from the timber and related industries support large portions of local communities. For some, the idea of getting paid to spend time outdoors is similar to wanting to be a rock star or an astronaut. It’s fun to daydream about but completely impractical. After all, how many foresters are really needed and what do they do besides hang out in the woods?

I just love being a forester. I get to work outside, interact with great people, visit classrooms, explore nature, assess fire risk, and perform aerial observations of forestland. I wear many hats in my profession and I hope my story inspires others to pursue exciting careers in the outdoors.

GETTING STUDENTS INTERESTED IN OUTDOOR CAREERS

When I visit elementary classrooms to share forestry-based lessons, initially I’m typically met with skepticism and uncertainty. The first thing I ask students is, “How many of you want to be a forester?” Not many, or sometimes no hands go up. Then I ask, “How many of you want to be outdoors?” If it’s a nice day and the sun is shining through the classroom windows, those same kids who have been cooped up in their classrooms begin to perk up. Now I have their attention!

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I continue asking questions. “How many of you want to use cool gadgets at work, like iPads and other tablets, GPS units, or cameras?” More kids begin to look interested; this is, after all, the video-game generation and getting paid to play with technology is a dream-come-true. “How about flying in airplanes or helicopters?” By this time, almost every hand goes up. After all, the idea of flying for work is exciting! The kids are learning the secrets of being a forester - it’s fun, and a lot more than just hanging out with Smokey Bear.

It’s not just kids who don’t realize what’s involved in being a forester; many adults are equally unaware. I should know; I used to be one of them. I attended a small community college in eastern Oregon with the intention of learning to fight wildland fires. I didn’t think I needed to take any forestry classes. Fortunately, I had an advisor, John Russell, who told me, “I know you think you want to fight fire forever, but just give yourself other options. You don't have much more work to do and you can get two degrees and have a lot more choices down the road."

I can proudly say that I took his advice, and there isn't a day goes by that I don't think to myself how glad I am that he pushed me to be more than I was picturing. While I did fight fires for a couple of years, I got an opportunity to work in the forestry arm of my department, thanks to my background. I took the job and it has been a blessing for me!

THE LIFE OF A FORESTER

One of the best parts of my outdoor job is the great people I get to interact with each day. As a forester, I primarily help private forestland owners take steps to achieve the dreams they have for their properties. Whether their goals include protecting their land, making it healthier, creating ideal habitat for wildlife, or preparing the property for timber harvest, I can make recommendations for them to enact their plans. This is such a fun and fulfilling part of my job simply because I get to work with people who

have a real passion for the environment and know what it means to be good stewards.

More often than not, the properties I visit need some sort of thinning to improve the growth rate of trees and health of the forest, remove non-merchantable material, and reduce fire risk. While this isn’t good news for the property owners, as it involves out-of-pocket expenses, I explain the long-term benefits. Fortunately, all of these benefits are mutually inclusive. While a landowner might not be thinking of forest health initially when they thin their trees to reduce fire risk, they end up creating a healthier forest overall.

COMBATING WILDLAND FIRES

During the fire season, I work as the Public Information Officer for my duty station, as an Aerial Detection Observer for my district, as a Fire Warden, and as a firefighter.

As the Public Information Officer, I am the main contact for the media and public when they have questions throughout fire season. I issue press releases and interface with community members when we have a change in conditions that warrant more or fewer public use restrictions, when significant fires impact the public, or when other newsworthy events occur to make sure people have the information they need to stay safe. As the Oregon Fire Warden, I help enforce the Oregon Forest Practices Act and the fire prevention laws and educate landowners on how the laws pertain to them. During the early and late parts of fire season, I might also be called out to work as a fire fighter. Over the course of my career, I’ve also worked in dispatch, logistics, planning, and finance. With Oregon Department of Forestry, we all just jump in and fill gaps where they exist.

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AERIAL FIRE DETECTION

Aerial detection is one of the most exciting parts of my outdoor job. The terrain in eastern Oregon is very rough and rugged. To supplement the efforts of our staff stationed at fire lookout towers, we fly over the terrain for a better vantage. Using aircraft allows observers to report on what fires are doing, the best route to get to them, and any hazards responders may need to be aware of.

We often fly detection missions following lightning events, when fire indices reach critical levels, or when public use reaches high levels. It is my job to be on the lookout for smoke. Once smoke is found, we circle it, get GPS coordinates, and size up the fire using various technologies. This information helps fire managers determine what kind of resources they may need and assess the risks to nearby houses, other buildings, and infrastructures.

All firefighting is dangerous work and being the eyes in the sky can help firefighters on the ground avoid injury or worse.

IN SHORT

While it’s not possible for me to be outside 100% of the time with press releases to write, reports to fill, paperwork to process, and grants to apply for, I am so grateful for my (mostly) outdoor job! The field is so vast and different depending on your employer. Whether you work for the federal or state government, local entities, industrial landowners, or independent contractors, the sky is the limit for careers in the outdoors. It doesn’t matter if your skill set is largely technology-based or if you are an on-the-ground forestry professional; there is truly something for everyone when you explore jobs that take you outside.

RESOURCES

The Nature of Fire - From fire disturbances to the rebirth of the forest, take a deeper look at recent fire occurrences and the nature of fire. Great activity recommendations and other resources included.

PLT Summer Teacher Tours – In June, July, and August, many PLT state programs offer week-long forestry institutes for educators to tour their state’s forests, meet foresters, learn more about sustainable forestry, and how to connect what you learn in the field to the classroom. Resources Literature Connection- The Gardener

By Chris Erwin The Gardener Published: 1997 Author: Sarah Stewart Illustrator: David Small Genres: Picture book, Children's literature Set in the 1930's Depression, young Lydia Grace Finch spends her days in the country gardening with her grandmother. When her Papa loses his job and no one buys her Mama's dresses any longer, Lydia Grace is asked to visit the city to work in her Uncle Jim's bakery. Armed with a suitcase full of seeds, Lydia is determined to bring her skills to the city and a smile to her Uncle's face.

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This book is perfect for introducing the aesthetic beauty of plants and the joy of gardening. The narrative is delivered through a series of correspondence between Lydia Grace and her family and the illustrations earned a Caldecott Honor in 1998.

Use this book to compare and contrast rural and urban America, such as the size of train stations, and the presence of trees, soils, and space for growing. See how Lydia Grace addresses this in her plantings by reusing trash containers and soil from a vacant lot. Show how the love of plants and skill of gardening built a connection across generations between Lydia Grace and her grandmother. Point out that we all have special talents and can use them to complement projects by highlighting how Lydia Grace's gardening increased the bakery's customers and Uncle Jim's floral designs on the cake emphasized their "special" place.

Try reading this book to your class in conjunction with the following activities from PLT's PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.

#7 - Habitat Pen Pals #36 - Pollution Search #41 - How Plants Grow #43 - Have Seeds, Will Travel #47 - Are Vacant Lots Vacant? #74 - People, Places, Things #95 - Did You Notice? STEM Connections- Bursting Buds

By Kris Irwin, Ph.D

Engage your students in real-world applications of STEM education by using Activity 65, “Bursting Buds” from PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.

As days become longer and temperatures increase, dormant leaf buds begin to stretch or elongate before revealing a tree’s new leaves. In this activity, students will observe, measure, and track how trees grow in this way. They will observe trees and collect evidence to investigate how environmental factors, associated with changing seasons, affect leaf growth. Students will use science, technology, engineering, and math to observe, measure, and track changes. They will also construct a scientific explanation based on the evidence they collect to determine how changing environmental factors influence this growth.

GETTING STARTED:

Take your students outside to observe trees and how they grow and change in the spring. Draw their attention to the tree’s twigs and branches and have them record observations in a nature journal. If students have already adopted a tree using PLT's PreK-8 Guide Activity 21, Adopt a Tree, or the STEM Connection Branch article, have them observe the same tree for this activity as well.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

How does the growth of a tree respond to changing environmental conditions? (Next Generation Science Standards; MS-LS1)

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PRODUCT:

Students will construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental factors influence the growth of organisms. (Next Generation Science Standards; MS-LS1-5)

STEM CONNECTIONS:

Science – As you observe trees with your students, ask them to share or record what the branches and twigs look like. Then, revisit the same tree as the weather warms and the days lengthen. Do the students notice any changes? Discuss how environmental factors, such as longer days and higher temperatures, influence tree and bud growth each spring. What would happen to the tree if the weather stayed cold or if it didn’t receive as much light?

Have students observe these changes over the course of a few weeks and have them describe the stages that leaf buds go through as the leaves develop. Have them pay close attention to the changes in tree buds in the spring. They may be surprised to learn that buds swell and elongate before leaves emerge from them.

Technology – It can be difficult to witness plant growth, let alone tree growth. However, students can utilize technology such as digital cameras to help them collect data and monitor leaf growth and changes. Students can even make their own time-lapse video of a bud from dormancy to elongation to leaf. The collection of photos will document the daily changes when viewed in rapid succession.

Engineering – Before flower buds open on the trees, bring in branches of one or more flowering trees, such as cherry, apple, or oak. Place cut branches in water and observe them for several days. Ask students what environmental factors have changed to cause them to bloom earlier than they would have outside. Have students design an experiment to test their theories.

Each year the National Park Service (NPS) hosts the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. To ensure festival visitors arrive when the trees are at peak bloom (defined as 70% of the blossoms are open), the NPS must predict when to hold the festival based on environmental factors and the trees’ responses to the changes. Have your students pretend that they work for their local park service and research, design, and test a process for determining when they should hold a blossom festival each year using a local flowering tree.

Math – As students observe the changes in buds this spring, have them measure and record the bud size from dormancy through elongation until the full leaf forms. Are dormant buds all approximately the same size or do larger buds yield larger leaves?

RESOURCES

• Download the activity page from our new "Connecting Kids to Nature" activity center. This simplified version is adapted from Activity 65, "Bursting Buds" from PLT's PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.

• Supplemental activity resources are available in our curriculum resource database.

GET THE GUIDE

• PLT’s environmental education activity guides are available through professional development workshops.

• Contact your PLT State Coordinator for more information.

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EE Resources- Spring 2014

By Jaclyn Stallard National Environmental Education (EE) Week April 13-19, 2014 Hosted by NEEF, the National Environmental Education Foundation, EE Week is a celebration of environmental education held each year the week before Earth Day. The 2014 theme, Greening STEM: Engineering a Sustainable World, will explore the application of engineering to sustainable solutions for a healthier planet and healthier people. From educator toolkits, to infographics, to EE Week’s ongoing webinar series, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and find something that will work for you. EE Week registration is free and open to anyone.

Nature’s Sound Map

(Resource for PreK-8 and Early Childhood’s “Sounds Around” as well as PreK-8’s “Picture This!”, “Habitat Pen Pals” and “Can It Be Real?”) Nature’s Sound Map is an interactive tool that allows you to listen to clips of nature all over the world. The sounds range from those of an individual animal to entire ecosystems. Historical Sea Ice Atlas (Resource for PreK-8's "The Global Climate") Developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Historical Sea Ice Atlas maps sea ice data between the mid 1800s and today. This interactive digital map allows viewers to watch the ice around Alaska shrink and grow during a period of their choosing, month by month or year by year.

Unlock the Secrets in the Soil

(Resource for PreK-8’s “The Forest of S.T. Shrew”, “Nature’s Recyclers”, “Field Forest and Stream”, and “Soil Stories”, as well as Focus on Forests’ “Monitoring Forest Health” and “The Nature of Fire”)

This collection of infographics from the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service colorfully illustrate soil health: what soil is made of, what’s underneath it, and what it does. National Insect and Disease Risk Map (Resource for Focus on Risk's "Risk Assessment: Tools of the Trade" and for Focus on Forests' "Forest Invaders") The Forest Health Monitoring Program and Forest Health Protection of the U.S. Forest Service has completed the 2013-2027 National Insect and Disease Risk Map. This interactive online mapping tool allows users to assess potential hazards for tree mortality due to major forest insects and diseases.

Global Forest Watch

(Resource for Forests of the World’s “Making the Global Connection”, “Mapping the World’s Forests”, “Analyzing Patterns of Forest Change”, and “Seeking Sustainability: A Global Response”) Global Forest Watch is a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system developed by the World Resources Institute and partners that monitors forests across the world in near real time to show where trees are growing and disappearing. i-Tree Canopy (Resource for PLT's GreenSchools! School Site Investigation, Focus on Forests' "Monitoring Forest Health", and Places We Live's "Green Space") A series of six instructional videos on i-Tree Canopy, an online tool for assessing the value of urban forests, was recently posted to the USDA’s YouTube channel.

Map Tool for Equitable Planning

(Resource for PreK-8’s “Democracy in Action”, “There Ought to be a Law”, and “Planning the Ideal Community”, as well as Focus on Forests’ “Tough Choices” and Places We Live’s “Far-Reaching Decisions”)

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In this EPA Environmental Justice Blog, Makara Rumley writes about the Metro Atlanta Equity Atlas, a map tool showing key areas of community well-being. Learn how this tool can be used to help understand the issues affecting neighborhoods and to encourage equitable policies, development, and planning.

Handy Dandy Safety Guides – Fire and Winter

(Resource for PreK-8’s “Living with Fire” and Early Childhood’s “Evergreens in Winter”) Home Security Systems has put together printable, interactive packets to teach children about fire and winter safety practices. The two Handy Dandy Safety Guides consist of games that help children have fun while learning basic safety principles.

Energy 101

(Resource for PLT's Energy & Society Kit and PLT's GreenSchools! Energy Investigation) The US Department of Energy has created a series of short videos called Energy 101 to teach the fundamental concepts behind renewable energy sources.

WEBINARS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ClimateChangeLIVE Webcasts The U.S. Forest Service, Project Learning Tree and 26 federal and NGO partners are bringing climate learning to educators and students through a series of webcasts, webinars, and online climate education resources. Watch the archived ClimateChangeLIVE electronic field trips that include videos of student-led projects from across the country to engage your students in the topic of climate change, and get them excited about what young people can do to help.

Rainforest Alliance Webinars

• Global Cultures & Communities, April 9 at 4:00pm EST. Connect your classroom to

communities around the world to expose your students to other cultures and ecosystems.

• Bringing Rainforest Alliance to Your School, May 14 at 4:00pm EST. Learn how to implement the Rainforest Alliance's local-to-global curriculum school-wide to expand learning beyond an individual classroom.

Forestinfo.org This website, created by Dovetail Partners, Inc., gathers, analyzes, and communicates scientifically credible information about forests and social, economic, and ecological issues. Check out their Teachers' Tools, Units, and Research References at www.forestinfo.org.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

PLT GreenWorks! Grants Deadline September 30 Do you have an idea for a school or community garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or an energy conservation project? Need funds to implement it? Application forms are now online; the deadline to apply is September 30. Apply for a PLT GreenWorks! grant today! Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award Deadline March 31 - May 15; varies by region Any teacher or other K-12 educator who covers a significant amount of earth science content with their students is eligible for the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). Ten national finalists are selected, one from each NAGT regional section. Some sections also recognize state winners. Individuals may apply themselves or nominate a colleague for the award. Captain Planet Foundation EcoTech Grant Deadline May 31 The Captain Planet foundation, in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, is awarding grants to schools or non-profit organizations for the purpose of engaging children in inquiry-based

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projects in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) that use innovation, biomimicry/nature-based design, or new uses for technology to address environmental problems in their communities.

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