ESA Press Release:

ESA Ecology and Education Summit to address environmental literacy

Nationally recognized conference will explore progress in science and environmental education

The Ecology and Education Summit “Environmental Literacy for a Sustainable World” will be held October 14-15, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Co-organized by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and National Education Association (NEA), the event is sponsored by federal agencies, foundations, societies and associations and being held in collaboration with more than 20 national organizations and over 30 individuals. The summit brings together educators, scientists and policy professionals from a wide variety of sectors—including academia, business, agriculture, government, the health industry and the media—to focus on environmental education and opportunities for progress.

“Environmental literacy is essential for creating a sustainable society,” said Meg Lowman, ESA Vice President for Education and Diversity, and Summit co-chair. “As we move into a technologically advanced future, our understanding of Earth’s systems and how humans play into those systems is increasingly vital—the more we know about Earth processes, the better prepared we will be for environmental changes and future resource management.”

Environmental literacy is concerned with the ability to understand ecological, biological and physical systems, as they connect with human systems, and with environmental decision making. The Ecology and Education Summit is moving toward a Decadal Action Plan for environmental literacy outlining immediate next steps and long term goals.

“The Summit will engage educators and experts from a wide range of fields to generate ideas and collaboration and to lay out a specific plan for developing a green workforce and society,” said Carolyn Breedlove, Manager of NEA’s Green Across America, and Summit co-chair. “We have designed interactive strategies to foster discussion and promote creative action.”

The Summit will also feature two keynote speakers, five panel discussions, two breakout sessions and an evening reception on October 14 featuring a poster session, interactive displays and exhibits. In his Keynote Address “Eyewitness to Global Warming,” Will Steger—the National Geographic Society’s first Explorer-in-Residence—will recount his personal experiences observing the effects of global climate change. Will Allen—former professional basketball player, urban farmer and “hero” in the 2010 edition of Time Magazine’s 100 World’s Most Influential People—will talk about the current state of the urban agricultural movement in his Keynote Address “Growing Food and Community in the City.”

Other topics in the Summit include:

• Learning about Complexity and Change: New Foundations for Environmental Literacy
• Turning the Tide: Building a Green Society through Learning and Doing
• Seeing our World Inside and Out: Harnessing New Technologies for Environmental Literacy
• Fostering Lifelong Learning Skills: Empowering Best Practices in Effective Teaching and
• Learning
• Expanding Funding, Strengthening Public Policy
• Environmental Literacy for All

The Ecology and Education Summit agenda is available at http://www.esa.org/eesummit/content/summit-agenda. The Summit is sponsored by the Ecological Society of America, National Education Association, National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Education Foundation, Tree Foundation, National Geographic and Green Mountain Digital.

Contact: Katie Kline
katie@esa.org
202-833-8773 x211
Ecological Society of America

Below is information about a trip that Dr. “CanopyMeg” Lowman will be leading up the Orinoco and Amazon region in April 2011:

Download (PDF, 753.26KB)

From the Children and Nature Network:

Take A Child Outside Week is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor activities, our goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration.

More info: http://www.takeachildoutside.org/

Follow Dr. Meg Lowman as she travels to Ethiopia to help save the Church Forests of Ethiopia. Updates will be posted under the Ethiopia category of the CanopyMeg blog as well as on:

Ethiopia Trip Sponsors: National Geographic, TREE Foundation, and NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

Ciegler, J. C. 2010. Weevils of South Carolina (Coleoptera: Nemonychidae, Attelabidae, Brentidae, Ithyceridae, and Curculionidae). Biota of South Carolina. Vol. 6. Clemson University, Clemson, S. C. 276 pp.

This book contains keys, descriptions, drawings, and photographs of 522 species of weevils found or likely to occur in South Carolina, USA (exclusive of Scolytinae and Apioninae). Appendices include host plants, new state records, aquatic and semiaquatic forms. The book may be purchased for $40.00 (shipping & handling included) from: Public Service Room, 96 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0129, or online from http://clemson.edu/psapublishing.

From the Times of India:

Directorate of tourism, Andaman and Nicobar administration invites proposals for development of canopy walkways project in Andaman & Nicobar Islands under item rate base offer.

Details:

Click for larger image

Please welcome our first TREE student leadership fellow. Taylor is our first student officer for TREE, as part of our new outreach to educate young people about non-profit management. Welcome, Taylor.

Taylor Jamrok graduated from New College of Florida in 2009 after studying environmental issues, sustainable development, economics and business. His final thesis combined many of these interests as he organized a team of developers to produce energy conservation software that would increase the efficiency of computer networks by eliminating corporate costs and carbon footprints. His interests in computer technologies also includes web design, programming, and graphic design. After founding the Jamrok Consulting Group during his senior year of high school, Taylor has worked with numerous clients in Sarasota and his hometown of Florence, South Carolina. Here he was directly involved with the technical development of the Pee Dee Land Trust, helped establish an Internet-based tracking system for threatened raptor species, and has worked closely with various nonprofit organizations.Taylor enjoys hiking and kayaking at local state parks, exploring speleological sites in the southeast and cooking fresh foods grown in his backyard organic garden. He is currently a supervisor at a local branch of the Department of Commerce and the new Vice President of Development for TREE.

Dr. Meg Lowman was a visiting James Martin Fellow at the Center for Tropical Forestry in the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University during spring 2010. During this time, she conducted workshops for Earthwatch Institute at their European headquarters, directed by Nigel Winser (www.earthwatch.org) . She also lectured for the Environmental Change Institute on Plant-Insect Interactions in Forest Canopies, and on Women in Science — Challenges in Field Biology. She also worked with Global Canopy Programme staff (www.gcp.org) headed up by Andrew Mitchell, whose group has created the Little REDD Book to create metrics for reducing deforestation as part of global climate change strategies.
With colleagues, she visited research projects at Whytham Woods outside Oxford, including their canopy walkway (see photos).
During her Fellowship, Lowman was hosted by world-acclaimed artist Angela Palmer, whose exhibit called Ghost Forest has been viewed by millions of people and called attention to climate change and tropical deforestation. Palmer and Lowman hope to collaborate in future on programs to integrate art and science. For more on Ghost Forests, see www.ghostforest.com

TREE Foundation is celebrating its 10th birthday in 2010, as well as the 10th anniversary of our flagship project, the Myakka River State Park canopy walkway. Over the past 10 years, thousands of visitors have learned about forest canopies by walking through the treetops, and hundreds of thousands of additional visitors to our websites have learned about forest conservation. In honor of our decadal birthday, TREE is launching a tree-planting project for southwest Florida. Beginning on April 22 (Earth Day), TREE is partnering with Turner Tree and Landscape of Bradenton, Florida to plant out four-foot high native live oak trees (Quercus virginiana) at sites that need greening. For every $100 donated to the canopy walkway or to TREE’s environmental education programs, two trees will be planted in your honor. This project will not only add much-needed canopy shade to southwest Florida, but it will also boost our environmental programs with your generous contributions. Thank you, Turner Tree and Landscape, for this partnership!
Thank you for your support of Tree Research, Education and Exploration!

Donation information

Would You Know What To Do With A Python?
Would You Know What Not To Do?

To date, several large Pythons have been reported in Sarasota County. We need your eyes to spot them so we can catch them before they spread further.

Python Patrol Workshop

Monday, April 26, 2010
Session 1: 9 am – 12 pm
Session 2: 1 pm – 4 pm

Sainer Pavilion
New College of Florida

Space is limited. To register for this FREE workshop, go to the following website:
http://pythonpatrol.eventbrite.com/

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