Conservation Education Enhancing Environmental Literacy

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Conservation Education Enhancing Environmental
Literacy

• National Council for Science and the Environment
• University-Federal Dialogue

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Key Resource Management Issues

• Wildfire
• Loss of Open Space
• Invasive Species
• Unmanaged Recreation
• http//fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/pao/four-threats/
• Recognition that poor environmental literacy is a
  resource management issue too

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conservation education focused on youth is
imperative to developing a stewardship ethic, an
understanding and connection to natural
resources, and, ultimately, to conservation of
the nations natural resources. Chief
Dale Bosworth, 2005
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Creating connections to nature
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Reducing that deficithealing the broken bond
between our young and natureis in our self
interest, not only because aesthetics or justice
demands it, but also because our mental,
physical, and spiritual health depends upon it.
The health of the earth is at stake as well.
Richard LouvLast
Child in the Woods Saving our Children from
Nature-Deficit Disorder
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CEs Mission
We work with partners to provide and deliver
high-quality, science-based education about
forests and grasslands to preK-12th grade
children and their educators in both formal and
non-formal settings.
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Strategic Plan for Conservation Education to
Enhance Environmental Literacy

• Employ an intra-agency and partnership-based
  approach.
• Assess programs and improve accountability.
• Ensure that CE programs align with FS
  priorities.
• Enhance environmental literacy.

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Goal 1 Develop deliver high-quality materials
and programs.
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Preparing our People - Training

• Guidelines for Excellence in EE
• Material resource reviews
• Project Learning Tree

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Evaluating our Programs - Impact

• My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource
  Assistant (MEERA). http//66.135.39.457080/umich0
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• Ecological Understanding as a Guideline for
  Evaluation of Non-formal Education (EUGENE)

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Goal 2 Provide strong leadership management of
CE program.
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Alignment with FS Strategic Plan

• GOAL 6 Engage Urban America with Forest Service
  Programs.
• Outcome Broader access by Americans to the
  long-term environmental, social, economic, and
  other benefits provided by the Forest Service.
• Objective 6.1 Promote conservation education to
  increase environmental literacy.

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Internal Partners
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Goal 3 Pursue new, and strengthen existing
partnerships.
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PartnershipsExternal
NEETF
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Caring for the land, and serving people.