Climate News

This FREE one day workshop will provide an introduction to the NAAEE ‘s Guidelines for Excellence in K-12 Learning and Nonformal Environmental Education Settings.

When: May 7, 2011

Where: Nederland, Colorado

What: The NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence provide a set of recommendations for developing and administering high quality environmental education programs in schools, museums, parks, camps and nature centers.  Participants will receive copies of Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for K-12 Learning and Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence, as well as other resources for staff training, curriculum development and program administration.

Workshop Objectives:

·        To identify the key characteristics of high quality environmental education programs;
·        To discuss the relationship between program design and program evaluation; and
·        To describe how other documents in the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education series can be used to develop quality programs.

Who Should Attend?

Pre-Service and K-12 Teachers, Environmental and Nonformal Educators, Rangers, Interpreters and Guides, Education Designers, School and Program Administrators

Details and Registration:

This FREE workshop will be held at the Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center, 20 Lakeview Drive, Suite 107, Nederland Colorado, from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, on May 7th with an optional drive and hike to the historic Caribou mining area and stellar views of the continental divide later in the day.  Participants should bring drinks and brown bag lunches, though other food options are available nearby. 

There is limited space and resources so pre-registration is required.

For more information or to register for the workshop please email Eric Carpenter at: eric@rockymountained.com or call 805.705.6026

How can art and creativity inform and respond to some of the world’s most complex issues?

That's the question addressed by a film screening and discussion tomorrow on CU campus:

The Burning Ice film screening and Creative Climates discussion will invite both community members and Communikey Festival goers to explore the important relationships between culture, creativity, and complex environmental issues. Join us April 14^th to learn what some of the world’s most cutting edge artists and some of our very own local Boulder artists and climate scientists have to say about how the arts and sciences can unite to combat climate change and unleash creative problem solving for a sustainable future.

More information about the film and event here.

When:  April 14, Film at 1 pm, discussion at 2:45 pm. 

Where:  CU ATLAS Blackbox Theatre.
Contact: Sarah Dawn Haynes
Additional information: http://ecenter.colorado.edu
 

You can see all the CU Environmental Center's upcoming events on their calendar page.  They have a plethora of events, and are hosting CU's Carbon Cleanse this week.  Next week:  Public lecture by Winona LaDuke on indigenous practices for environmental justice. 

March 28, 2011

You may have heard a little pika calling at you from an alpine boulder-field, or you may have seen one scampering over the rocks with a mouthful of flowers.  Sometimes called the “little chief hare,” this small member of the rabbit family is a vocal and bustling icon of alpine communities. It is also threatened by climate change.

Research Associate Christine Ray from CU-Boulder’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology will explore the nature and conservation status of pikas worldwide, with an emphasis on her research on the local species during her presentation, “Climate and the American Pika,” on Thursday, April 7.

The program is part of CU-Boulder’s “Learn More About Climate” initiative that brings climate change-related topics to communities across the state.  LearnMoreAboutClimate.colorado.edu is an online tool that features five videos that localize climate change by pairing interviews with leading scientists and everyday Coloradans to explain how climate change is affecting our state.  The site also offers resources for teachers, students, policy makers and community members who want to learn more about this critical issue. 

Dr. Ray has studied pikas throughout the western US for more than 20 years and is the author of many scientific papers on threatened plants and animals.  She has taught field studies centered on the pika almost every summer since 1989 and has been interviewed about the plight of the pika for national and international news broadcasts. Her knowledge of pika behavior helped the producers of David Attenborough’s “Life of Mammals” film a special sequence on pikas.

The April 7 program is co-sponsored by the CU-Boulder Office for University Outreach, Arkansas Valley Audubon Society, Pueblo Zoological Society, Pueblo City-County Library District and the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo. It will be held at 7 p.m. in the InfoZone at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, 100 East Abriendo Ave., in Pueblo. Tickets or reservations are not required and the event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact outreach@colorado.edu.

CLEAN

"Teaching Energy Awareness: Understanding Sources and Uses"

April 11-12 and 18-19
Description: For undergraduate faculty, an online workshop will be held April 11 - 12 and 18 - 19: "Teaching Energy Awareness: Understanding Sources and Uses.”  Workshop activities will include presentations about sources of energy, examples of successful activities illustrating the relationship between energy types and their uses, work time to develop new classroom activities or courses for teaching these concepts, and opportunities to collaborate with other faculty. The workshop is free of charge and will be held online so no travel is necessary. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Friday, April 1. You must attend both sessions.  For details about this event and to register, go to: http://cleanet.org/clean/community/energyworkshop/index.html

"It's a Feast! Climate Resources Galore on NASA's Global Climate Change Website"

April 11
Description: For middle and high school teachers, CLEAN will host a one hour webinar on Monday, April 11 :  “It’s a Feast! Climate Resources Galore on NASA’s Global Climate Change Website," presented by Laura Faye Tenenbaum, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Time – 4pm Pacific / 5pm Mountain / 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern . This event is free of charge but space is limited and pre-registration is required by Monday, April 4. For details about this event and to register, go to http://www.cleanet.org/clean/community/webinars/nasa.html 

More events are coming up in May and June – find the full schedule on the CLEAN Community page.

RAFT

"What is climate change?"

Tuesday, April 12th, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Description: “How do I know if Colorado’s climate is changing and how it will affect me?” this is the driving question that you and your students will investigate in a lesson designed by Colorado elementary and middle school teachers to integrate nature of science and climate science content. Join two science educators, Stephanie Chasteen and Deb Morrison, from the University of Colorado at Boulder for this evening workshop to explore this lesson designed for middle school science students. Adaptations for younger or older students will be highlighted. The inquiry-based lesson is student-centered with numerous internet resources. Students become familiar with the topic by discussing media coverage of climate change in Colorado, their own opinions about the topic, and evidence supporting their hypothesis. Featuring video, data analysis and group discussions and presentations, the lesson concludes with each student writing a newspaper article summarizing the class findings.

Cost: Members: FREE; Non-Members: $10

This workshop is made possible by the CU-Boulder Learn More About Climate project.

Sign up for the workshop here.

Project WILD and Project Learning Tree

"Using Sheltered Instruction"

April 16 & 17, 2011
Description: Projects WILD and Learning Tree are interdisciplinary, supplemental environmental, and hands-on education programs suitable for learners of all ages, types, cultures and ethnic groups. Activities have been correlated with the Colorado Model Content Standards for Science, Geography, History, Math, and Reading/Writing, and are available in Spanish. This workshop is designed for educators who teach Linguistically Diverse Students. Participants will participate in demonstrations of sheltering techniques for content area instruction and practice using rubrics for evaluating and modifying activities and text materials.

Click here to learn more and download the registration form.

Project WILD

"The Best of Books and Bears"

April 16, 2011 8:30am – 4:30pm

Coyote Ridge Elementary, Fort Collins

Description: Just as talking to the animals was a boon for Dr. Doolittle, reading about them and linking the reading to a wide variety of exciting activities can give a real boost to students’ basic and advanced comprehension skills! Use critter books, together with standards-based Project WILD activities, to improve comprehension strategies for all elementary levels. Participants will be provided with dozens of indoor and outdoor activities to enhance learning and motivation.

Cost: $15.00
1⁄2 continuing ed credit is available thru CSM for $35.00

To register:

Thompson Teachers use Coursewhere for TIC credit.

All registrants need to send a $15 check to: Betsy Perna, 1500 Lakeside Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Include your grade, school, and email address.

For more info email betsy.perna@thompsonschools.org

Rocky Mountain Nature Association

"Spring Ecology"
April 16
Explore Rocky Mountain National Park as it wakes up from winter.  Learn about the biological changes happening within the plants and animals of this mountain ecosystem with CU professor Tim Kittel and how these changes help shape the decisions Park managers make about the valuable resources within this diverse area. Click here for more information.
 
For more information or to register for an educational adventure through RMNA, please visit www.rmna.org or call the Field Seminars Center at 970-586-3262.
 

Do you know a young person looking for a great summer job making a difference?

Mile High Youth Corps-Colorado Springs is a regional, non-profit, AmeriCorps affiliated organization that provides employment, education and leadership opportunities for young adults ages 18-24. MHYC offers summer opportunities from May through August/October. Youth work on environment conservation projects. Various positions have the opportunities to camp, use a chainsaw and work in the office, learning about non-profit practices. Benefits include weekly stipends and scholarships for Crewmembers and a weekly salary for Crew Leaders.  The position is open until filled, but interviews are currently starting to take place, so apply ASAP.  

Learn more at www.milehighyouthcorps.org
 

The Rocky Mountain Middle School Math & Science Partnership is offering great opportunities for continuing education this summer, including “Earth Science in Context: National Park Service Views of Earth Science Resources."

Learn about the natural resources found within America's national parks, and delve into the decisions resource managers make to preserve those resources. Natural resources explored in this course include: air quality, water quality, caves and karst, fossils, stratigraphy, volcanism, glaciers, coastal geology, and global climate change.

Click here to learn more and to register.

Join 4th-12th grade educators at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado to learn how to teach about “hot topics” and “burning issues”!

June 13-17, 2011

Registration deadline is April 29th.

For more information, visit http://fireecologyinstitute.blogspot.com/

The Kent Mountain Adventure Center and the Colorado State University Environmental Learning Center present "Environmental Education in the Rockies"

May 16-21

Learn skills and techniques to effectively teach and engage others about the environment while earning credit for NRRT365-Environmental Education.

Participants will spend one day in the classroom in Fort Collins followed by five days of field work at the KMAC campus in Estes Park. This course requires participants to: Live in a group camp environment with shared responsibilities, camp on hard surfaces, hike daily, hike 8 miles with a one-way elevation gain of 2,500 feet, be willing to try rock climbing in an outdoor setting, and have fun!

Cost: $610

College credit (optional): $210 additional for 3 credits of Environmental Education (NRRT 365) from Colorado State University

To register, click here.
 

March 23, 2011

The 2011 Arctic sea ice extent maximum that marks the beginning of the melt season appears to be tied for the lowest ever measured by satellites, say scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The CU-Boulder research team believes the lowest annual maximum ice extent of 5,650,000 square miles occurred on March 7. The maximum ice extent was 463,000 square miles below the 1979-2000 average, an area slightly larger than the states of Texas and California combined. The 2011 measurements were tied with those from 2006 as the lowest maximum sea ice extents measured since satellite record keeping began in 1979.

Virtually all climate scientists believe shrinking Arctic sea ice is tied to warming temperatures in the region caused by an increase in human-produced greenhouse gases being pumped into Earth's atmosphere. Because of the spiraling downward trend of Arctic sea ice extent in the last decade, some CU scientists are predicting the Arctic Ocean may be ice free in the summers within the next several decades.

The seven lowest maximum Arctic sea ice extents measured by satellites all have occurred in the last seven years, said CU-Boulder Research Scientist Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, who participated the latest study. "I'm not surprised by the new data because we've seen a downward trend in winter sea ice extent for some time now."

Scientists believe Arctic sea ice functions like an air conditioner for the global climate system by naturally cooling air and water masses, playing a key role in ocean circulation and reflecting solar radiation back into space, said Meier. In the Arctic summer months, sunlight is absorbed by the growing amounts of open water, raising surface temperatures and causing more ice to melt.

"I think one of the reasons the Arctic sea ice maximum extent is declining is that the autumn ice growth is delayed by warmer temperatures and the ice extent is not able to ‘catch up' through the winter," said Meier. "In addition, the clock runs out on the annual ice growth season as temperatures start to rise along with the sun during the spring months."

Since satellite record keeping began in 1979, the maximum Arctic sea ice extent has occurred as early as Feb. 18 and as late as March 31, with an average date of March 6. Since the CU-Boulder researchers determine the maximum sea ice extent using a five-day running average, there is small chance the data could change.

In early April CU-Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center will issue a formal announcement on the 2011 maximum sea ice extent with a full analysis of the winter ice growth season, including graphics comparing 2011 to the long-term record.

For more information visit nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews.

Contact

Walt Meier,303-492-6508
Walt@nsidc.org
Katherine Leitzell, 303-492-1497
Leitzell@nsidc.org

GreenTeacher.com offers free, one hour webinars led by innovative and experienced educators. Topics cover a range of environmental issues such as sustainability, inclusive science education, and energy education. Each session features a 20-30 minute presentation, and 30-40 minutes for you to ask a question of the presenter. Previous webinars are available at http://greenteacher.com/webinararchive. There has been a great response to the first four environmental webinars offered. If you missed them, here is information on the four upcoming webinars.

To view the current schedule, please visit http://greenteacher.com/webinars.