MAYNARD, MA: 28 teachers from eight states - California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington - will venture to the vast wetlands of Brazil's Pantanal, the USA's North Cascades, and Kenya's Samburu District during July and August to work with leading scientists on Earthwatch conservation research projects. The US participants, forming teams with colleagues from England, France, Iran, Japan, Kenya, and Sweden, will map and monitor endangered ecosystems and the impacts of human activities on wildlife habitats. Upon return home the international teams will share "lessons-learned" locally through activities with students and workshops with colleagues.
The program "Strengthening Geography through Conservation Field Work" is part of a nationwide partnership developed by Earthwatch Institute ( www.earthwatch.org) with a grant from National Geographic Society Education Foundation ( www.nationalgeographic.com/foundation) and additional fellowship support from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation Butler Fund. The program promotes collaboration among science and geography educators and provides applied research experience using a variety of research tools including Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
"This is precisely the academic ‘hands-on' field training that raises the flat map to life," says Stephen Cunha, Professor of Geography and Coordinator of the California Geographic Alliance. "This initiative tackles the dire need to advance standards-based teacher content proficiency in geography and the geosciences."
Participants, ranging from elementary to secondary level educators, were selected through a competitive application process publicized in collaboration with state geographic alliances, science associations, and technology partners.
Deborah Hagenbuch-Reese from St. Augustine, Florida, a seventh grade geography teacher for over 20 years and Teacher Consultant for the Florida Geographic Alliance, says that one of the reasons she applied was because "many of my students have never traveled any further than the next state. When students realize that someone they know has actually been to this place that is so far way, it makes the distance not so great, and lays the foundation for a sense of global community."
Vicki Trapp, a second grade teacher from Marlborough, Massachusetts, and member of the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance says, "I believe that my students are not too young to learn that they have a responsibility to take care of their world," Trapp plans to incorporate her experience as part of a geography unit to "describe more accurately the role science is playing in conserving the world's habitats."
Fourteen educator fellows, including Hagenbuch-Reese and Trapp, will travel to the Pantanal in southwestern Brazil. The Pantanal is the world's largest wetlands, 24 times the size of the Everglades with some of the most diverse tropical wildlife in South America. The team of scientists, geographers, and teachers will conduct baseline studies of flora and fauna, including radio-tracking of peccaries and behavioral studies of river otters.
While Hagenbuch-Reese and Trapp head south for the wetlands of Brazil, other teachers will travel north to the Pacific Northwest. Based in the Skagit river basin, they will be wading through streams to help assess salmon habitat restoration efforts.
For Kim Meline, a teacher for twenty-five years in Washington, serving on an expedition in the nearby Skagit River basin studying salmon is a valuable opportunity because she says, "I want my teaching to be relevant, up-to-date, and involve students in issues that are close to home."
Margaret Holzer and Maria Ferrante Ives, both from New Jersey, will travel to the Samburu District of Kenya. This classic East African landscape contains one of Kenya's highest concentrations of threatened savannah wildlife, as well as supporting a growing human population. The teachers will be helping a group of scientists identify how wildlife populations and local livelihoods can coexist.
Holzer with 18 years teaching, a MAT in science and a MS in Physical Geography, says "Earthwatch field experiences do not end with ‘return home' - the residual effects last forever." Upon return to New Jersey, Holzer plans to engage her students in daily and weekly data collection as part of a year-long investigation to monitor environmental changes in the local community.
"Strengthening Geography in Schools through Conservation Field Work" is based on Earthwatch's thirty years of experience and successful model of experiential education through field science. Earthwatch conservation projects in Brazil, the Pacific Northwest, and Kenya provide ideal settings for teachers to integrate science and geography and learn new technologies to share their findings with the educational community.
For more information on how you or your school can be involved, contact Meg Warren, Project Director at mwarren@earthwatch.org or 1-800-776-0188 x117. The complete list of fellowship winners includes:
Cass Clagg
Silverado Elementary
Silverado, CA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal,"
July 15-26, 2004
Bonita Coleman
Valley Christian Middle School
Cerritos, CA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Kate Gregory
Santa Monica Blvd. Elementary
Los Angeles, CA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Jorge Sanchez
Mira Loma Middle School
Riverside, CA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Elizabeth Smith
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Elizabeth Kinzley
York Middle School
York, ME
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
July 31 - Aug 6, 2004
Natasha Watson
Tremont School
Bass Harbor, ME
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
July 31 - Aug 6, 2004
Tracy Hyde
Westfield North Middle School
Westfield, MA
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Cheryl Sanderson
Summer St. School
Lynnfield, MA
Project: "Communities, Water, and Wildlife of Samburu,"
July 17-30, 2004
Jane Stolper
Cittick Elementary
Mattapan, MA
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Vicki Trapp
New Covenant Christian Sch.
Marlborough, MA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Catherine Bishop
James Rosser Elementary
Moorhead, MS
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Karen Malone
Oxford Middle School
Oxford, MS
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Maria Ferrante Ives
George G. White Middle School
Hillsdale, NJ
Project: "Wildlife Habitats of Samburu"
July 3-16, 2004
Frank Wiley
Locke Senior HS
Los Angeles, CA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Jennifer Harrison
Westward Elem. IB School
West Palm Beach, FL
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Judi Oswald
Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr HS
Cocoa Beach, FL
Project: "Communities, Water, and Wildlife of Samburu,"
July 17-30, 2004
Deborah Hagenbuch-Reese
Sebastian Middle School
St. Augustine, FL
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal,"
July 15-26, 2004
Margaret Holzer
Chatham HS
Chatham, NJ
Project: "Wildlife Habitats of Samburu"
July 3-16, 2004
Carolyn Carnevale
Winsor Hill School
Johnston, RI
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Daureen Clyde
Deering Middle School
W. Warwick, RI
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Joanne Greenleaf
Central Falls HS
Central Falls, RI
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Helen Johnson
Wickford Middle School
No. Kingstown, RI
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
July 31- Aug 6, 2004
David Bergler
Westside School
Seattle, WA
Project: "Communities, Water, and Wildlife of Samburu,"
July 17-30, 2004
Kim Meline
Spanaway Jr. HS
Tacoma, WA
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
June 26-July 2, 2004
Jacqueline (Sage) Delazzari
10 th St. School
Marysville, WA
Project: "Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"
July 31 - Aug 6, 2004
Kevin Johnson
Sehome High School
Bellingham, WA
Project: "Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Gretel Von Bargen
Skyline High School
Sammamish, WA
"Conserving the Pantanal"
July 15-26, 2004
Earthwatch Institute is an international nonprofit organization which supports scientific field research worldwide by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. The Institute's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.