| HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced a series of upcoming
professional development opportunities offered as part of the agency’s Project WILD
program. Classroom teachers, early childhood
teachers, informal educators, homeschooler leaders and Scout and youth group leaders are
welcome to participate in these workshops.
Project WILD is an award-winning, international, hands-on conservation education
program. It focuses on wildlife and the environment and how humans interrelate with both.
WILD provides educators, primarily kindergarten through 12th grade, with interdisciplinary
activities that help address state and national education standards and help educators
comply with mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. WILD’s materials are
scientifically sound and use educational practices proven to be effective.
WILD’s mission is to provide wildlife-based conservation education that fosters
responsible action. WILD’s goal is to develop the awareness, skills, knowledge and
commitment that are necessary for people to make informed decisions and act constructively
and responsibly toward wildlife and the environment.
Theresa Alberici coordinates the program in Pennsylvania through the Game
Commission’s Bureau of Information and Education. She works closely with the
Pennsylvania Department of Education as well as prominent conservation and environmental
education organizations throughout the state and the country. Her dedication to wildlife
and environmental awareness, along with her talents in creating curricula and ability to
work with educators have earned her recognition from the state Department of Education and
Pennsylvania’s conservation education community.
“Educators leave Project WILD workshops with a renewed appreciation of wildlife
and are excited about how they’re going to share what they’ve learned with their
students,” Alberici said. “This
year, wildlife agencies nationwide celebrated one million educators ‘Gone WILD.’
More than one million educators have been trained in the program since Project WILD
originated in 1983.
“Project WILD isn’t about teaching kids what to think about wildlife;
it’s about teaching kids how to think about wildlife and giving them the skills they
need to become responsibly active citizens who recognize the importance of wildlife and
the environment. The milestone of training one million educators means that, through
Project WILD, more than 53 million people worldwide have experience in thinking
responsibly about natural resources. Last year alone, state wildlife agencies ordered more
than 65,000 guides for distribution to educators across the country, reaching 1.8 million
students with information on wildlife conservation.”
Following is a
listing of one-day educator trainings scheduled for the coming months:
MARCH
WILD about Peregrines!:
Join the Game Commission, Department of Environmental Protection and ZOOAmerica for a free
workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 25, at the Rachel Carson State Office Building in
downtown Harrisburg, Dauphin County. Workshop
participants will explore the successes of peregrine falcon reintroduction in
Pennsylvania; examine falcon specifics and endangered species concepts; and observe
falcons in Harrisburg. Participating teachers
are eligible for 5.0 Act 48 credit hours. Lunch
will be brown bag, or participants can visit a concession in the building. Deadline to apply is March 18. Contact: DEP Environmental Education and
Information Center, 717-772-1644 (phone) or adevine@state.pa.us.
APRIL
WILD about Endangered Species: Join
educators from the Game Commission and ZOOAmerica from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on April 8,
at HersheyPark ZOOAmerica, Hershey, Dauphin County. Workshop
participants will examine the concepts and issues surrounding threatened and endangered
species; investigate how and why species become threatened or endangered; examine laws
affecting these species; and explore methods biologists are using in species
reintroduction. The fee is $25, and will
include lunch, a snack and all materials. Deadline
to apply is April 1. Contact: Elaine Gruin,
ZOOAmerica, 717-534-3831 (phone) or egruin@hersheypa.com.
Growing UP WILD! Join the Game Commission and the Monroe County Environmental
Education Center on from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on April 15, at Monroe County EE Center in
WHERE, for the newest Project WILD program, which is focused on those pre-Kindergarten
youth ages three to seven. The cost is $40 and includes materials and a snack. Workshop attendees will participate in this
hands-on, environmental professional development opportunity that correlates to
Pennsylvania State Education Standards, Head Start Domains and NAEYC Standards. Participants also are eligible for Act 48 hours. Contact: Monroe County EE Center at 570-629-3061
(phone), monroecd@ptd.net or visit their website at www.mcconservation.org.
PA Biodiversity! Join the Game Commission and Dauphin County Wildwood Park from 9
a.m. until 3 p.m. on April 21, to explore the vast array of wild plants, animals and
ecosystems at the Olewine Nature Center in Wildwood Park, Susquehanna Township, Dauphin
County. Through the use of resource materials
and hands-on activities, session participants will investigate the concepts of
biodiversity, explore Pennsylvania’s biodiversity and examine local and global issues
relating to biodiversity in a format designed for teachers of middle and high school
level. However, background information is
valuable for teachers of all grade levels. Participating
teachers will receive the “Pennsylvania Supplement to Windows on the Wild” and
“Windows on the Wild by World Wildlife Fund.”
The session will feature both indoor and outdoor activities and includes a field
exploration. The activities used in this
session are correlated with the Environment and Ecology Standards, and may be used to
fulfill Act 48 hours. The cost to attend is $10. The deadline to apply is April 15. Contact: Olewine Nature Center at 717-221-0292.
MAY
School Yard Habitats/ Forest Ecology: Join the Game Commission and Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources’ Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center from 9
a.m. until 3 p.m. on May 7, at the Jacobsburg EE Center in Wind Gap, north of Allentown,
to gain a better understanding of the ecological roles that native plants and forested
systems play in the habitat needs of wildlife populations.
In addition to a hands-on interactive study of an established native plant garden,
participants also will visit a series of evolving forests ranging from early successional
to old growth. The free workshop will provide
educators with books and materials addressing society’s growing disconnect from
nature, as well as other materials that promote insightful understanding of current
environmental issues. Participants will need
to bring their own lunch. Deadline to apply
is April 30. Contact: Bill Sweeney at
Jacobsburg EE Center, 610-746-2808 or wisweeney@state.pa.us 
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