Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate: Carbon, Oxygen, Water and Shade - Putting a Price on the Benefits of Your School Yard Trees
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This Web Seminar took place on April 23, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Time. Presenting was Dr. David V. Bloniarz Project Director of the USDA Forest Service’s
Urban Natural Resources Institute (UNRI) and Conservation Education Specialist Vicki Arthur. The presenters gave an overview of the i-Tree resources including a curriculum
that is developed for use with secondary students and adaptable to the elementary
classroom.
This is the Second of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the Earth Then,
Earth Now: Our Changing Climate Symposium that took place at the NSTA National
Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program Dr. Bloniarz
and Vicki Arthur showcased a curriculum that highlights the importance of trees
as a natural resource. They gave participants a chance to hear about and use a tree
benefits calculator that provides monetary values for the many benefits provided
by trees. The presenters talked about Urban Forestry and explained that the projected growth of urban areas over the next 30 years will make the thoughtful planning of urban forests essential to environmental and economic prosperity.
Fourty-one (41) participants were present at the live Web Seminar in addition to
the presenter and NSTA staff. Participating educators represented the states of
California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
and Wyoming. Two participants attended the Web Seminar from countries outside the
United States: South Korea, and Canada.
Seminar participants received one of the NSTA SciGuides. A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants My PD Record and Certificates area in the NSTA Learning Center for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.
Here are some comments provided by the participants at the end of the Web Seminar:
- “I will use some of the info to help sell the idea of an outdoor classroom to
the board and superintendent and then to use to develop curriculum.”
- “Fits in with current work, and shows me how to expand what I can offer my students.”
- “The content is very relevant as the ecosystem is fragile and it correlates
with the information the student should know about their environment.”
- “This content will be helpful during the global warming unit - brings the changes
closer to home.”
Thanks to the participants and the presenter for the learning opportunity, the interactions,
and a job well done!
Websites
For more information contact webseminars@nsta.org
Underwritten by Sally Ride Science, NOAA, and the U.S. Forest Service.
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