Biodiversity Counts

. Biodiversity Counts

On the Web.

The education programs listed below tend to be national or regional environmental projects that in some way focus on the study of biodiversity in the field. Most are supported on the World Wide Web, and involve longitudinal species or site monitoring.

General Resources
West
Northeast
Northwest

General Resources

Entomology Education Web site: Look here for education material produced by the Entomological Society of America.; Visit this site for links to information about environmental education.
National Headquarters Earth Stewards: A three-year pilot program based in Pleasantville/Atlantic City, NJ; Columbia, MO; Lafayette, LA; Chicago, IL; Pierre, SD; Chico, CA; and Anchorage, AK, which links resource professionals from either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Biological Resources Division, U.S.G.S. (BRD) with teachers, students (K-12), parents, and community members to develop environment education programs.
Global Lab Curriculum (GLC): GLC is a full-year, interdisciplinary introductory science course that takes full advantage of emerging Internet technologies. Supported by the National Science Foundation and piloted over five years in 300 schools in 30 countries, GLC engages students in choosing a local "study site" that provides the context for authentic, hands-on integrated explorations.
Journey North: Journey North in an annual Internet-based learning adventure that engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Linked to classrooms from the tropics to the tundra, students conduct interactive, comparative studies of the natural world. In addition to following migrations, they observe the local emergence of spring through studies of daylight, temperature and other signs of change.
MonarchWatch: Developed by the University of Kansas's Department of Entomology, Monarch Watch is an outreach program aimed at furthering science education, particularly in primary and secondary school systems, promoting conservation of monarch butterflies, and involving thousands of students and adults in a cooperative study of the monarch's fall migration.
The GLOBE Program: GLOBE is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. GLOBE students make a core set of environmental observations at or near their schools and report their data via the Internet. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students to enrich their science education.
National Conservation Training Center: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) provides training and education services in conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitat. The NCTC is a gathering place where conservation professionals and educators from all sectors can learn together in an environment especially designed for them. It is a place where people from the government, not-for-profit organizations, corporate sectors, and other groups can come together in a nonthreatening, collaborative setting to learn new skills, share perspectives, and establish networks. Located approximately 60 miles from Washington, DC, the NCTC campus provides full-service residential facilities complemented by professional staff, cutting edge programs and curriculum, and the most advanced technology available.

NatureWatch/Celebrating Wildflowers: NatureWatch is a cooperative effort of federal, state, and private partners to conserve wildlife, fish, wildflowers, and their habitats. The NatureWatch program Celebrating Wildflowers encourages active public support for resource conservation for native plants. Some local program volunteers visit schools and share knowledge and appreciation of wildflowers with students.

Northeast

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History/The Selbourne Project: The RTPI sponsors The Selborne Project, a major education program that supports middle school teachers who want to adopt a holistic, hands-on method of teaching and learning.

West

Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute: A not-for-profit science and environmental education organization founded in 1986. The Institute's facilities in Tucson Mountain Park include laboratory, classroom, library, synoptic collections, insect gardens, and nature trails. While their education efforts are designed primarily for the college level, they also provide outreach programs to local schools and other groups. In-service programs for teachers and half-day and full-day workshops and fieldtrips for the public are also offered.

Northwest

Green City Data Project: Green City Data teams map natural areas, identify and assess animal habitats, conduct species inventories, take water quality measurements, and make public presentations in support of natural area preservation. GCD facilitates the formation of partnerships between youth and conservation groups/resource management agencies in an effort to preserve and steward selected sites.
NatureMapping Project: The NatureMapping Program aims at creating a national network that links natural resource agencies, academia, and land planners with local communities primarily through schools. The NatureMapping Program in Washington is open to participation on many levels. Individuals, community groups, and schools all can take part in monitoring their environs and sending the information into the NatureMapping Program's database.

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