• Tuesday, September 12, 2023 9:32 AM | Deleted user

    For a link to current Environmental Education jobs in Florida posted on NAAEE's job board, click here

    eeVAL is hiring!!

    The eeVAL team is hiring a project coordinator! Could this be you?

    Full time, $50-55k/year, flexible hours/remote.

    Hourly/temp to start, with high potential to transfer to salaried position.

    Apply here! bit.ly/eeVAL-PC

    Questions? Contact Kathryn: kathryn_stevenson@ncsu.edu

    We are looking for someone with:

    - Experience/interest in culturally responsive and equitable evaluation & environmental education

    - Excellent project management skills & experience

    - Lived experience serving those underrepresented and marginalized in EE and evaluation.

    We are hoping to hire quickly, but the position will be open until we find the right fit.

    Now accepting applications for 2024

    Pursue your passion with Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens while you earn your master’s online from Miami University through the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP). Created for working professionals, the AIP is a one-of-a-kind master’s program that immerses students in collaborative inquiry and action as they champion change. Through web-based coursework from Miami and face-to-face experiential learning and field study at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, you will connect with classmates, Miami University faculty, zoo experts, and community leaders locally, nationally, and globally.

    The AIP is designed for students from a range of backgrounds and career stages. With professional and academic mentoring and self-designed Master Plans, students adapt their degree path to fit their interests in fields such as community-engaged conservation, inquiry-driven education, environmental justice, learning across K-12 and informal settings, animal care and welfare, green business innovation, climate change, urban ecology, human-nature relationships, environmental restoration, and public engagement in science.

    Applications are being accepted until February 28 at http://AIP.MiamiOH.edu. Courses begin in May 2024. Applicants may contact the AIP Coordinator at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Jamie Lankenau, at lankenauj@jacksonvillezoo.org or 904-757-4463 ext. 107.


    Graduate tuition for all programs is greatly reduced because of support from Miami University. NEW for 2024 Applicants: To help make a Miami education more accessible and affordable, the Miami University Graduate School will waive the $50 application fee for those who attend one of the following Information Sessions preceding the fee payment step of the application process: https://miamioh.edu/cas/graduate-studies/project-dragonfly/highlights-and-digital-media/informational-webinars.html 


    --

    Interested in a global classroom? Miami’s Project Dragonfly also offers global field courses, which can build toward the AIP master’s degree. Earth Expeditions graduate courses occur online and at global field sites in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu

    Project Dragonfly reaches millions of people each year through inquiry-driven learning media, public exhibits, and graduate programs worldwide. Project Dragonfly is based in the biology department at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Established as a state university in 1809, Miami is one of the eight original Public Ivies and has a distinguished record of excellence in research and teaching in science and science education.


  • Thursday, September 07, 2023 11:45 AM | Deleted user


    Thanks to LEEF member contributions, we were able to award $2,000 in Mini Grants in 2023.  The LEEF Board of Directors has selected 4 applicants from this year's LEEF Mini Grant program to receive $500 of funding each.  These innovative programs are located in communities with a majority of Black, Indigenous and people of color residents and make a priority to include these residents in their programs.  They also demonstrated innovation in environmental education, and some included a focus on climate change or climate resilience. 

    Each organization will present a session about their program at either the March 2024 LEEF Conference or in an online webinar to share their lessons learned with others.  Their programs will occur in 2023-24 and finish by August 30, 2024. 

    Below is a brief description of each LEEF member organization selected for funding:

    Alachua Conservation Trust - From the Classroom to the Creek: The Creekside Environmental Education for Kids Program

    The CrEEK Program serves approximately 1,000 4th grade students, predominantly from Title I schools in Alachua and Putnam counties in Florida. On average, student participants are approximately 65% African American, 20% Caucasian, and 15% Hispanic, and disproportionately from low-income families. The CrEEK program provides these students with access to fun and engaging environmental education, while actively working against educational barriers and fostering a diverse future of nature lovers and environmental leaders. 

    The CrEEK program busses 60 4th grade students to an Alachua Conservation Trust property each week during the school year and provides 5 contact hours per student.  The program includes 3 outdoor stations, lunch and follow up discussion in the classroom the next day.  The program goals are to develop students' curiosity for nature, meet educational standards, and reinforce student empowerment.  To meet these goals, CrEEK guides students in hands-on activities such as dipnetting in the creek and sweep netting in the meadows to learn about life cycles, observing decomposition of plants and logs to learn about the carbon cycle, and walking on nature trails to reinforce observational thinking and species identification.  The CrEEK program serves each student with 5 contact hours.

    LEEF funding will provide supplies necessary to expand the program to other Conservation Trust areas and offer a new CrEEK Family Days program to families to participate in engaging outdoor learning.

    Reef Environmental Education FoundationInspiring Hope for the Ocean's Changing Climate 

    REEF will lead the Inspiring Hope for the Ocean's Changing Climate lesson for High School students in class or through after school clubs in the Florida Keys. Thirty percent of the households in the Florida Keys are below the poverty level and defined by the United Way as Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed (ALICE). ALICE residents earn just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. Students of these households may have barriers that will likely prevent them from participating in activities and extracurricular opportunities. Though surrounded by water, access to the ocean is still limited to those who own boats. Demographics of Monroe County (Florida Keys) include residents from Cuba, Haiti, and Columbia.

    The goals of the program will be:

    • To provide a context for climate change and its impacts by focusing on local issues and observed phenomena by residents 
    • To strengthen a student’s connection to their home and community by nurturing positive relationships with the environment
    • To empower students to take action steps that increase community and student dialogue to inspire hope and climate solutions

    This program combines the qualitative information gathered through community conversations and REEF's quantitative data on fish population declines in the Florida Keys - an essential part of life to the population of 2.4 million residents and 5 million visitors in the Keys. Students will collect interviews about the changing climate with family, friends, and community members asking them about changes they have seen in their lifetime. Anticipated stories may include: hurricanes, sea level rise, less fish, coral bleaching, and warming temperatures. As a small group activity, students will use the qualitative data from the interviews to piece together actions, events, and impacts of climate change and how it affects fish populations, diversity, and abundance of the Keys. This flowchart activity shows students the interconnectedness of humans and nature while gaining a thorough understanding of their natural surroundings. Ocean Literacy and Climate Literacy Principles will be incorporated to provide scientific content for climate and ocean systems. As a concluding event, students will host opportunities for various groups to write their “What can I do” post-it notes creating dialogue on climate solutions. Meeting audiences where they are, action steps are encouraged to be tailored to what each demographic can practically accomplish. These steps may include sharing their reflections and findings on social media. This lesson turns students into active citizens by understanding where they live, garnering pride, and caring for their backyard and community.

    Sanibel Sea School - A Week in the Field

    A Week in the Field will mentor high schoolers in environmental research in Southwest Florida. Participants will learn about water quality issues, resource management, coastal wildlife, and conservation. They will conduct authentic scientific research on Sanibel Island, Pine Island Sound, and the Gulf of Mexico. They will be mentored in research methods and laboratory practices by SCCF biologists. Participants will gain valuable skills in collecting, interpreting, and presenting data to the community.

    LEEF funding will allow underrepresented groups to participate in the Week in the Field summer camp program on Sanibel Island at no cost to campers via an application system.  Sanibel Sea School will organize transportation from Cape Coral and Fort Myers to make the camp more accessible. There is a $9 toll to the island, and many families can’t take the time to go out of their daily commute to drive their children over.

    The Week in the Field camp's primary goal is to foster and encourage the interests of Lee County high school students in the research fields, especially interest in STEM amongst underrepresented groups.   

    Place-Based Education – The camp focuses on community-based problems. The camp will be organized around real-world problems and how scientists work to solve them on Sanibel, in order to connect students to their community.

    Diversity & Inclusion - Sanibel Sea School considers all children to be valuable members of learning experiences with differing voices, strengths, abilities, and contributions. Their inclusive programs embrace and expand children's sociocultural repertoires while teaching them how to deal with controversy and conflict creatively and constructively.

    Mentorship – Students work alongside biologists with years of expertise and use research-grade equipment. They analyze samples in a laboratory setting while being mentored in laboratory practices.

    Oxbow Eco-Center - St. Lucie Watersheds and Wildlife

    There is a distinct disparity between access to nature and nature programming between more affluent and underserved schools. As such, Oxbow has selected a local school whose students have been financially unable to visit the Oxbow Eco-Center for many years to be the beneficiary of this program: Chester A. Moore Elementary School in Fort Pierce. With the grant funding, the school will receive both transportation to the Oxbow Eco-Center and nature programming at no cost. Principal of Chester A. Moore Elementary, Ms. Thelma Jackson, is enthusiastic and inspired by the possibility of this opportunity. The St. Lucie Watersheds and Wildlife program will:

    • Provide transportation for students and teachers from the grade(s) selected by the principal to participate to the Oxbow Eco-Center and Preserve for environmental science programming at no cost to them
    • Provide meaningful, immersive nature and watershed experiences for students while at the Oxbow Eco-Center and Preserve at no cost to them
    • Provide classroom teachers supplies and resources to independently implement outdoor learning at their school via Oxbow's Watersheds and Wildlife resource bin.

    Watersheds & Wildlife is a hands-on program that highlights watershed concepts, basic needs of living things, and local keystone species such as the alligator and gopher tortoise. Students will interact with Oxbow's virtual watershed sandbox, meet Oxbow’s live animal ambassadors, incorporate physical movement into their learning, and actively explore the watershed on the Preserve during a watershed stroll.

    These activities will provide students the opportunity to be immersed in nature, which in turn develops appreciation for the environment, the desire to care for it and fosters stewardship. In addition, teachers will be provided supplies and resources to implement their own watershed lessons at their school site and/or classrooms via Oxbow's Watersheds & Wildlife resource bin. The resource bin was successfully piloted with teachers in the 22-23 school year and provides the means to independently lead additional environmental science lessons effectively and efficiently at their schools.

    For over 20 years, the Oxbow Eco-Center has been recognized as a respected environmental education and nature center in Port St. Lucie. Oxbow staff hosted over 3,000 students in high-quality, hands-on environmental education programs during the 2022-2023 school year.

    Congratulations to these winners of LEEF's 2023 Mini-Grant program; we are honored to support your efforts and look forward to learning from you in the coming year.

    If you have any questions about the Mini Grant program or would like to contribute to funding this program in 2024, please contact LEEF's Operations and Outreach Manager at trina at leef-florida.org.


  • Thursday, February 16, 2023 10:35 AM | Deleted user

    Did you know that students in the United States spend just two hours per school year, on average, learning about the climate crisis? According to UNESCO, only half of the national curricula in the world have a reference to climate change.

    National Wildlife Federation and Bard College’s Graduate Programs in Sustainability launched #Teach10Hours4Climate in 2022 to increase the amount of time – five-fold – that K-12 students spend learning about this existential topic and gain the knowledge and skills they need to adapt to a rapidly changing world. Ten hours for climate education per school year sounds like a modest request – and it definitely is, given the scale of the crisis. But it’s an achievable start.

    Click here to register and receive a guide with worksheets and resources


  • Wednesday, January 25, 2023 2:32 PM | Deleted user

    Calling all high school educators!  The Climate Initiative's Learning Lab has three teacher modules and seven learning modules available for free to download.  Register by February 15th and you could receive a $300 stipend for a 2022-23 school year project.

  • Monday, December 19, 2022 10:34 AM | Deleted user


    THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

    The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship (GTF) is a professional development opportunity for pre-K–12 educators made possible by a partnership between Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society. Through a competitive application process, we’ll select exemplary educators to host aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ voyages for a life-changing, field-based experience. Our Grosvenor Teacher Fellows will transfer their onboard experience into new ways to teach students, engage colleagues, and bring new geographic awareness into their learning environments and communities.

    Fellows also take on a two-year leadership commitment to support National Geographic’s education initiatives. Throughout their commitment, Fellows may be asked to conduct webinars, co-design resources, participate in meetups, and serve as mentors to other educators.

    The fellowship was founded by Sven-Olof Lindblad in honor of Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman emeritus, National Geographic Society, in recognition of his decades-long work supporting pre-K–12 educators and promoting geography education across the United States and Canada.

    More info here


  • Wednesday, October 26, 2022 10:29 AM | Deleted user

    Florida Sea Grant is hiring a regional clean boating coordinator for NE Florida (to cover FDEP's northeast region). There are a few different options for work location, so although the job description says Flagler, that's not set in stone. Additionally, the position is listed as "time limited" because it is a contract position through FDEP, and that contract has to be renewed annually. But if the person is doing the job, there is no reason to anticipate the position not being renewed! If you know anyone who has an interest in boating, marinas and outreach, please encourage them to apply. We've just extended the application deadline to October 30. 

     

    https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/524008/ne-regional-clean-boating-coordinator-extension-program-specialist


  • Friday, October 14, 2022 8:47 AM | Anonymous

    Join Archbold Biological Station's education team and make a positive difference by communicating science, connecting people to nature, and cultivating environmental identity in children and adults in the Headwaters of the Florida Everglades. The intern receives on-the-job training, mentorship, and participates in a statewide education conference.

    Responsibilities include but are not limited to: leading elementary school field trips, assisting in virtual events, working outreach booths at community events, assisting with program evaluations, and performing animal care (snakes) duties. The intern can choose to receive fire training and help on prescribed burns. During personal time, the intern can enjoy access to our preserve lands, including a private lake, and is invited to accompany researchers into the field to see rare plants, Gopher Tortoises, and Florida Scrub-Jays. 

    Position: Jill Abrahamson Memorial Environmental Education Internship at ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION

    Internship Period: 34 weeks, Nov. 28, 2022 – July 21, 2023

    Last Date to Apply: 10/30/2022

    Accommodations: Lodgings provided: dormitory style with roommates

    Compensation: $12.25 per hour

    Hours: up to 30 hours a week, sometimes weekends

    View the full job posting here.

  • Thursday, October 06, 2022 9:31 PM | Anonymous

    Do you want to make interactive 360 virtual tours for your natural area or educational center?

    If so, join Dustin Angell (Archbold Biological Station) and Sara Kassis (Sonama State University) for a free 90-minute workshop and create a tour alongside them. The 360 images and other materials are provided, but participants will need to make a Thinglink account. Thinglink offers free accounts to preview their platform. Sara and Dustin are not associated with the company; they just want to share this creative educational tool with you.

    October 12, 2022, 2PM-3:30PM EST

    Register online HERE

    On Oct. 11, registrants will be emailed the Zoom link and course materials.


  • Thursday, September 22, 2022 11:41 AM | Anonymous

    Fall Semester 2022 Environmental Education Assistance and Training, Polk County Parks and Natural Resources, at Circle B Bar Reserve and Polk’s Nature Discovery Center

    The scope of this work is an instructional contract. Polk’s Nature Discovery Center is looking for an environmental educator that will be conducting environmental education field visits for 3rd-5th grades at Circle B Bar Reserve and Polk’s Nature Discovery Center, during the months of August 2022 – December 2022. Polk County Environmental Lands Program implements educational programs in partnership with Southwest Florida Water Management District. The educational programs will serve a variety of audiences and ages within Polk County. These programs will engage the community in investigating the value of Polk County’s natural resources. Programs for school age children will introduce and review concepts that are a part of the curriculum in the classrooms. The primary purpose of these programs will be to connect complex concepts to meaningful real-life experiences and to help people understand their impact and connection with the environment. This scope will provide the following instructional assistance:

    • Implement environmental education programs with a variety of groups including but not limited to school groups, after school programs, families, and community groups. 
    • Prepare for educational programs, which may include but not limited to making copies of materials, setting up rooms, setting up stations, cleaning and disinfecting supplies, assisting with the creation of virtual content, and anything else needed to prepare for groups. 
    • Maintain organization of materials and supplies 
    • Assist with communication with the teachers, parents, and other adults leading the children’s groups. 
    • Conduct Pre and Post Test evaluations of each group. 
    • Represent the County and District with providing sound science information on water resource and natural resources of Polk County. 
    • Assist with staff and/or teacher training workshops as needed during this time frame.

    Provide instructional assistance minimum of 4 days not exceeding 5 days per week, within the fall semester programming period which starting as soon as possible and ends December 23, 2022. A new contract period would be January 2023 – May 2023.

    Typical Hours for Instructional Assistance: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm, 6 hours per day (may be flexible for the right candidates) 

    For more information contact Eric Eversole 863-668-4673 or email nreducator@polkcounty.net


  • Thursday, September 15, 2022 4:13 PM | Deleted user

    NEWS RELEASE


    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Sept. 15, 2022                 

    For more information, contact: Trina Hofreiter, Operations and Outreach Manager, League of Environmental Educators in Florida

    (407) 676-4137              


    The League of Environmental Educators in Florida, in partnership with the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance, announces the launch of Phase 2 of its landscape analysis of environmental education efforts in eight southeastern states. This phase follows the successful Phase 1 project, which focused on environmental education (EE) in nonformal settings. Data from Phase 1 allowed SEEA to identify gaps and barriers to access that prevent successful implementation of EE in the region and determine next steps for increasing environmental literacy efforts in the southeast. Collected from more than 650 programs in eight states, the data also allowed the network to equip organizations conducting environmental and conservation-related work in the region with the resources they need to allocate their own resources more effectively and to ultimately serve as a guide for future strategic planning efforts at the local, state, and regional level.

    The baseline data we gathered in Phase 1 has the potential to do even more than it already has, and that is one reason why the next step, Phase 2, is essential. In Phase 2, SEEA will gather data from PreK-12 schools in the eight SEEA states, enabling the network to get the full picture of EE happening in schools throughout the region. Then, in late 2022 and early 2023 SEEA will compare this data with that collected in Phase 1. The two datasets together will offer the most complete picture ever collected of current EE offerings in the region and what gaps and barriers exist in both formal and nonformal settings for students of all ages and in all areas. Comparing the data from nonformal and formal EE providers will allow SEEA affiliates and their states to further the goal of advancing EE in the region and building collective impact that has a lasting effect on the southeast.

    Following the success of Phase 1, SEEA is now distributing a robust survey to PreK-12 schools around the southeast. The primary target audience for the Phase 2 survey is school and district administrators and formal educators, at all grade levels, who work in the PreK-12 setting. The survey is the result of several collaborative sessions with EE leaders from the participating states and across the nation, and an in-depth analysis of the findings from Phase 1. Questions relate to organizational operations, audiences served, programming themes, and services to better understand environmental education and engagement in the southeast. 


    Following the survey period, SEEA members will create communications tools custom tailored to the needs of teachers and administrators in the southeast. SEEA will then distribute the findings to survey participants, school administrators, community leaders, classroom teachers, nonformal education providers, and other potential stakeholders through various communications tools such as a shared narrative, website, presentations, infographics, and reports.  


    SEEA would like to invite classroom teachers and PreK-12 school administrators to participate in this project by filling out the survey by October 5, 2022. You can learn more about the project and access the survey at southeastee.com/landscapeanalysis. 


    The Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance is a partnership of the following organizations:

    • Environmental Education Association of Alabama (EEAA)

    • League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF)

    • Environmental Education Alliance (EEA) of Georgia

    • Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE)

    • Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance (MEEA)

    • Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC)

    • Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC)

    • Tennessee Environmental Education Association (TEEA)

    About the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEA)
    SEEA is the result of a formal agreement between the southeastern states’ NAAEE affiliate organizations for advancing long-term objectives that further the common interests of the member states. The eight southeastern states’ NAAEE affiliate organizations are the SEEA affiliate members. 



Founded in 1983, the League of Environmental Educators in Florida is the professional association for individuals and organizations dedicated to the cause of environmental education in Florida. We are the state affiliate for North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), an organization that brings together those interested in the study and enjoyment of our natural world and one that has promoted excellence in environmental education throughout North America and the world for over four decades.  

The League of Environmental Educators in Florida is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

© 2021by the League of Environmental Educators in Florida.


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