Birds are incredibly beneficial to us humans. Birds are a natural insect and rodent control and clean up carcasses. We listen to their songs and observe their beautiful colors and behaviors. Birds prompt us to walk trails and beaches to enjoy them, thus providing psychological and physical wellness to us. Environmental and commercial jobs are created and millions of dollars are earned in the travel and recreational industry annually because of birds. They are found around the world, including your backyard.

Yet, we lost over 2.9 billion birds over the past 50 years in the US and Canada (published by Cornell Lab of Ornithology). It’s time to help and give back to the birds. We all can do it. Conservation starts right at your home.

Create a bird-friendly habitat in your yard. Remove invasive non-native plants. Minimize your lawn. Lawn is dead green space on which we waste our water and often use chemicals harmful to the environment. Instead embrace in the beauty of Florida. Plant native plants and trees. Leave some leaf litter and a dead tree, or at least the trunk. It’s a haven for many bird species.

Avoid trimming and pruning plants and trees during breeding season. You only destroy habitat by doing so. Consider providing nest boxes and nest material, like your pets fur or your hair. The birds will flock to your yard.

Use your consciousness! Avoid single use plastic items and Styrofoam, which doesn’t break down for 500+ years. Use reusable containers and straws for your food and beverage, if you have to.

Recycle, it reduces pollution and is easy to do. Eat organic food. Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the agricultural industry in the US. These are toxic for you, the wildlife and environment.

Join a citizen science project and give back to our planet. We only have that ONE.

Say NO to fertilizers, herbicides, rodenticides and pesticides, they kill our birds.

Protect the birds, help them and be certain they will thank you!  

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/citizenscience/about-the-projects/

https://www.zooniverse.org/

https://www.audubon.org/

LEEF's Organizational Members now have their very own webpage so that we can brag about them, and they have their very own "Proud Member of LEEF" logo so they can brag about their membership with us!

Do you know of a teacher, student, or client looking for a business represented among our members? Direct them to our website and let this be a priceless perk of membership with LEEF!

Are you an individual member who works for an EE organization? Ask them to consider joining so they can benefit from this free marketing tool.

Register by September 2, 2020 at www.universe.com/wet2020

• Environmental educators and programs can help support and transform teaching and learning in challenging times
• Outdoor classrooms offer opportunities for newly-reopening schools and districts
• Classroom capacity can be expanded with environmental education programming

Washington, DC, July 1, 2020 – The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) today released eeGuidance for Reopening Schools, a new publication that offers support for schools and districts as they find ways to safely and equitably reopen for students this fall. Developed in collaboration with members of its state Affiliate Network, the guidance offers dozens of specific recommendations for schools and districts. Solutions include using the school grounds for outdoor classroom spaces as a strategy for adhering to physical distancing guidelines, engaging community environmental and outdoor education programs as alternative resources for learning, tapping into the expertise of environmental educators to support teaching and learning, creating healthier learning environments, and supporting at-home learning. The recommendations were developed based on more than 65 community feedback calls conducted by NAAEE Affiliate organizations with hundreds of environmental and outdoors learning providers from around the country during the spring of 2020.

Engaging environmental and outdoor education programs will help schools reopen equitably. The eeGuidance states, “Environmental and outdoor education programs offer some solutions to challenges schools face now and in the future. These organizations can and should be essential partners in supporting schools and families as states begin to reopen schools. Environmental and outdoor education programs present some promising tools for schools and districts throughout the U.S. and are essential partners in creating a more just and sustainable future for all.”

According to Judy Braus, Executive Director for NAAEE, “States are approaching plans to reopen schools according to their own unique circumstances and timelines. NAAEE is excited about linking thousands of environmental education programs across the country with schools and districts to help support students, teachers, and families as schools make plans to reopen in the coming school year. Our goal is to share a range of recommendations that can be adapted for use at the state and local level by our Affiliate organizations in partnership with schools to create a win-win for everyone during a very challenging time.”

View the eeGuidance document online: https://naaee.org/eepro/resources/eeguidance-reopening-schools

For 48 years, NAAEE has brought environmental educators from across the globe together for the field’s largest annual professional gathering. It’s the place where we come together not just to celebrate our accomplishments, but, much more importantly, to build connections to each other, hear new voices, get inspired, and push our field forward.

We’ve made the decision to move the 49th Annual Conference and Research Symposium online this year to protect the health and safety of our attendees, volunteers, and staff. We’re truly hopeful that a virtual gathering will bring an even broader diversity of participants than could have participated in person.

As millions of people are uniting unequivocally against racism and injustice, we know that our conference has the potential to further the cause of racial justice and equality by providing a global platform for working collaboratively toward long term, systemic change. And being online brings new opportunities to strengthen our commitment to equity in the field. Our online conference will include the rich variety of sessions that is always part of our conference, and we promise opportunities for networking, creativity, and innovation. We’ll be in touch soon with all who submitted proposals. In addition, we’ll continue to offer scholarships to help as many people as possible to join us.

I also want to thank our many wonderful partners in Tucson, Arizona, where we hoped to gather this year. The good news is that we will be heading there in 2022, after celebrating our 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh in 2021!

We look forward to having important and provocative discussions and working together to build the world we want. Environmental education has never been more important.

Help us shape the virtual conference! We would particularly appreciate your thoughts on how we can create a virtual conference that will best meet your needs. Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey.

We'll see you online in October!

Judy Braus

Executive Director

Deadline to Apply: Friday, August 21, 2020, 6:00pm

Organization: Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Address: Naples, FL, United States

Job Category: Internship

Job Type: Full-time

Job Description:

Interns in the Conservancy’s Dalton Discovery Center care for live exhibits that house over 125 species of local wildlife including marine and freshwater fish and invertebrates, reptiles amphibians and raptors.

Interns will gain experience in several fields such as education, interpretation and husbandry. You will also gain extensive knowledge of Southwest Florida’s unique ecosystems and assist the staff in bringing environmental awareness to thousands of students and visitors.

Essential Duties:

Interns will work with protected wildlife such as a loggerhead sea turtle and American alligators and will assist the Environmental Education team with animal collection at various coastal locations.

In addition, interns will assist with teaching daily environmental education programs for audiences of all ages and presenting live animals for these programs. Interns will also deliver curriculum based environmental education programs to students in Pre-K through high school as well as lead interpretive Nature Center tour, assist with lecture series, assist with special events, lead off-site outreach programs and lend a hand with field trip programs.

Education and/or experience:

Applicant must be at least a senior in college or possess a BS or BA in science and/or education.

Environmental science/ecology, education or comparable background with a strong interest to work in a nature center and with diverse audiences of all ages.

Some teaching experience is preferable but not required.

Animal care experience is preferable but not required.

Qualifications/Work Environment:

Willingness to work with native and exotic species of reptiles, raptors, invertebrates, amphibians, and fish.

Excellent communication and public speaking skills.

Ability to work with audiences of all ages (public visitors, school groups, volunteers, fellow interns, and staff)

Willing and able to work weekends, holidays, early mornings, and evenings shifts.

Ability to lift 50 pounds and work outdoors in hot, humid and sometimes buggy conditions. Must possess a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

$300 bi-weekly cost of living stipend and dorm accommodation, including laundry, provided.

How to Apply:

Complete the online application and upload supporting information by visit https://www.conservancy.org/about/work-here/internships/education/DDC

Deadline to Apply: Monday, August 3, 2020, 8:00am

Organization: Archbold Biological Station

Address: Venus, FL, United States

Job Category: Internship

Job Type: Full-time

Job Description:

Archbold Biological Station, in Venus, FL, is hiring for an 11-month long environmental education internship. Responsibilities include: helping lead (virtual) elementary school programs, tabling community events, assisting with program evaluations, and animal care (snakes). The intern also develops, facilitates, and evaluates their own e-learning project. The intern receives mentoring and NAAEE conference registration.

Internship Period: 43 weeks, Sept 28, 2020 – July 23, 2021

Last Date to Apply: 8/3/2020 or until filled

Accommodations: Lodgings provided: dormitory style with roommates

Compensation: $210 per week, plus lodging and weekday lunch provided

Hours: 30 hours/week, sometimes weekends

Overview:

Join our education team and make a positive difference by communicating science and fostering a sense of place for children and adults in the Headwaters of the Florida Everglades. The Jill Abrahamson Memorial Environmental Education Internship at Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida is designed with a focus on professional development through skill building, professional experiences, mentorship, and participation in environmental education conferences.

In the era of COVID-19, we are re-thinking our programs, learning new skills, and moving to remote learning offerings. We don’t know when we will return to offering in-person programs, but this internship covers both the coming school year and the 2021 summer camp season. Responsibilities may change due to the virus, but are expected to include: helping lead virtual) elementary school programs, working outreach booths at community events, assisting with program evaluations, and animal care (snakes). The intern will also focus on developing, facilitating, and evaluating their own e-learning project. The intern also has access to our private nature preserve and lake, the chance to accompany ecologists into the field (not currently available), and to work on prescribed fires.

Archbold Biological Station is an independent not-for profit biological research facility founded in 1941 by Richard Archbold. The Station conducts and promotes long-term ecological research and conservation, and has a strong commitment to education. The work at the Station emphasizes the unique biological communities of the Lake Wales Ridge, part of the Northern Everglades watershed, and one of the most distinctive and endangered biotic regions of Florida. For more information, please visit our website at www.archbold-station.org. 

Qualifications:

- College degree, preferably with experience in wildlife biology, natural resources, ecology, environmental education, or other related fields

- Comfortable working outdoors in the Florida heat, alongside biting insects, mosquitoes, and ticks

- Strong interpersonal communication and computer skills (Microsoft Word and Excel, Power Point)

- Spanish language skills a plus

- Able to lift up to 40 lbs.

- First Aid and CPR certification is desirable

- Possess valid drivers’ license with good driving record as determined by Archbold’s insurance carrier.

- Criminal background check using fingerprinting is required

To Apply:

Email the Director of Education, Dustin Angell, a cover letter, resume, and emails for at least two contacts for reference at dangell@archbold-station.org

Central/South Trail Program Manager, Jenna Taylor, writes:

Florida is home to over 500 invasive species that impact both our waters and lands. The University of Florida is asking for help in tracking these invasive species throughout Florida.

The UF Invasive Species Program focuses on educating the public, collecting data on the spread and impact of invasives, and coordinating efforts for safe and effective removal. They encourage individuals to get involved in the following ways:

1.) Use the IveGot1 app- Developed through a collaborative agreement with the National Parks Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of Florida to report invasives. The aim is to better assess the extent of the infestations and hopefully eradicate new infestations before they become a problem. It also allows researchers to seek out outliers, a species popping up where it has never been before, so it can be addressed quickly before further spreading. The app is easy to use and allows a hiker to upload a gps location, description and photo. Hikers may also call 1-888-IveGot.

2.) Get involved with a local IFAS Invasive Program- Every county in Florida hosts a local UF IFAS Extension office where they tackle statewide issues at the local level.

3.) PlayCleanGo - This campaign focuses on reminding hikers and visitors of natural lands to always remember to clean gear,clothing and pets when moving from one location to another to prevent transfer of invasives. Long distance spread can place an invasive into a new environment without natural enemies where the aggressive species can rapidly take over.

As you return to the Trail, keep these simple opportunities in mind to help protect Florida’s native ecosystem. Everyone can play a role in the prevention and eradication of invasive species along the Florida Trail!

15 Strategies for Communicating Science and Data to Non-Scientists:

Learn how to engage your audience and design effective PowerPoint slides

AUGUST 20, 2020

Do you speak at conferences, public meetings, or other events where you need to convey a specific message? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t quite hold the attention of your audience members? Would you like to learn a simpler, more effective way to design your slides? Join presentation coach and trainer, Cathy Angell, for a fast-paced and entertaining class that will show you how to:

• Present visuals that have impact
• Deliver data in a way that sticks in people’s brains
• Transform the way you do PowerPoint

More Information

Register Here

August 6, 2020, 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT

Join us to understand how scientific research and community volunteers have increased protection for nesting shorebirds in Southwest Florida.

During this one-hour webinar you will have the opportunity to ask live questions of the presenters. Presentations will cover:

• How shorebirds are protected by the award winning volunteer group Team OCEAN
• What a critical wildlife area is and how they are established in Florida
• How long-term monitoring was key to influence policy change

Learn more!