 KAEE recently welcomed new member, Ellen Prusinski. Ellen is the coordinator of engaged and experiential learning and assistant professor of education at Centre College in Danville. Read on to learn more about her interest in integrating EE and community learning and to find a really fun fact at the end!
KAEE: What projects or programs are you working on that particularly inspire you? Ellen: This semester, I’m teaching Global Perspectives on Education, which is one of my favorite classes to teach in part because it is a great excuse for me to engage with new material. KAEE: What goals do you have for your organization or programs within the EE field? Ellen: I hope that we can find new ways of helping Centre students integrate learning about the environment into whatever discipline or field they are studying, whether that is English or Anthropology or Physics. KAEE: What is an area you feel you could use support in from this network of fellow educators? Ellen: I am still really new to this field, so I could probably use support in a lot of different areas! Right now, I am prioritizing a focus on how to help encourage students who feel discouraged and fearful about climate change. KAEE: What is something you feel could be beneficial to share with this network? Ellen: I lived in Asia for four years after college and love to think about how the U.S. could learn from the experiences of other countries that approach issues of environmental education from different angles. If this is of interest to anyone, I’d be glad to chat. KAEE: Share a fun fact or random tidbit about yourself with the group! Ellen: My 4 year old and I learned to ride a tandem bike last spring. If you see us tooling around Lexington, please say hi!  THE GOODS Now is your chance to bid and win an authentic Maker's Mark Bourbon Barrel that has been thoughtfully and purposely converted into a rain barrel. Once used to age bourbon, this white oak barrel has been repurposed into a rain barrel by KAEE Board Member Jason Nally at Maker's Mark. The barrelhead remains intact, therefore providing flexibility in installing the rain barrel and configuring it to any downspout. The barrels have been donated by Maker's Mark and we are so grateful for their support and the opportunity to raise funds for the field of environmental education in Kentucky.  THE AUCTION For this fundraiser, we will be using a sealed-bid style auction. We have 10 bourbon rain barrels available. Minimum bid for each barrel is $75. Bidders may submit one bid using this form. Submitting more than one bid indicates bids for more than one barrel. Bidders will not be able to see the amounts submitted by others. In this style of auction, it is suggested that bidders submit the highest price they'd be willing to pay for an individual barrel. If you want more than one barrel, submit more than one bid. The top 10 bidders will be the winners! KAEE staff will view the bids on closing day and announce the winners thereafter. Bidding closes on Earth Day, April 22nd. Winners will be contacted the week of April 26th. Pick up at Maker's Mark by May 23rd is required (weekdays preferred). THE CAUSE Funds raised in this auction support the work and mission of KAEE. We are thrilled to be able reuse and re-purpose items from one of Kentucky's greatest industries. To learn more about KAEE and the work that we do, click here. Thanks for your support!
 Headwaters is a nonprofit organization working to improve water quality and increase environmental literacy in Letcher County. Our mission is to engage and educate members of our community on local water quality issues and concerns. With local, state, and federal partners, we are introducing best management practices to abate NPS (nonpoint source pollution), such as riparian buffers, rain gardens, and septic workshops. Headwaters, Inc. encourages stewardship of local waterways by helping recruit community scientists for Watershed Watch in Kentucky stream water sampling.
1). What organization are you with and what is your current role there? My name is Elizabeth Jones and I am the Watershed Coordinator for Headwaters Inc., a local nonprofit organization in (southeastern Appalachian) Letcher County Kentucky that focuses on educating our community on water quality issues and concerns. 2). What projects or programs are you working on that particularly inspire you? Through funding received from the 319 (h) Clean Water Act, Headwaters worked with partners such as Watershed Watch, KDOW, EKU, UK and many others to complete a watershed plan to address nonpoint source pollution in 3 specific tributaries of our North Fork: Kentucky River which flows through Whitesburg Kentucky. Through research, sample collection, community feedback and other resources, an outline was developed to help guide solutions and best management practices for the water quality issues that are identified in that plan. The written plan was completed earlier this year and we are now working with one of our local elementary schools, West Whitesburg Elementary School, where we are almost ready to start a Riparian Buffer demonstration project that will be directly behind the school on the bank of the North Fork: Kentucky River and a Rain Barrel demonstration project that will apply guttering to an existing outside classroom space to educate on how gutters guide stormwater. 3). What goals do you have for your organization or programs within the EE field? I am working with EKU and their Natural Areas program directors to include Lilley Cornett Woods into our educational plan this year with WWE. We are also working with our local 4-H chapter and will include our Project Wet and other environmental education training in our activity development. My main goal as Watershed Coordinator for our organization is to focus on increasing environmental literacy in this area. 4). What is an area you feel you could use support in from this network of fellow educators? I could use support in learning how to introduce environmental education to adults, not just children. 5). What is something you feel could be beneficial to share with this network? One of my personal observations is that many people appear to be intimidated by the use of language that is not familiar to them and when we lose their interest, we may not get another chance. So, I believe that a compromise is needed. We need to work on increasing basic EE vocabulary and focus on including that terminology in our lesson plans, but also as a professional, I need to also consider my audience and even adults can be overwhelmed with a bunch of language that they do not understand. As an example, most people do not know what a Riparian Buffer is and I have noticed that even when speaking with a state representative, they can be turned off very quickly if I am using words that are not familiar. 6). Share one fun fact or random tidbit about you would you like to share with the group! One random tidbit about myself is that I like to sing gospel music. I have belonged to a church and been a part of their Praise Team for 10 years where we sing songs out of the red backed Hymnal and that experience allowed me to develop amazing relationships in my community and in that church. It also gave me the courage and strength to go back to school which led to a great boost in self-confidence and self-worth. I now have a Masters Degree and a job that I love, that is greatly rewarding. It all changed my life.  KAEE, in partnership with the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance, is delighted to announce the launch of a dynamic project that has been in the works for many months—a landscape analysis of environmental education efforts in eight southeastern states.
Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Pisces Foundation, this landscape analysis project will include a comprehensive study of the environmental education already happening on the ground, enabling the states involved to identify gaps and barriers to access that prevent successful implementation in some areas. The final report will also provide recommendations and next steps for increasing environmental literacy efforts in the southeast based on an inventory of model programs and initiatives happening nationwide. This analysis and tailored state recommendations included in the report will equip organizations conducting environmental and conservation-related work in the southeast with the materials they need to address gaps, allocate resources more effectively, and, ultimately, meet the goal of increasing environmental literacy levels and stewardship behaviors. “Although there are numerous organizations providing high-quality EE programs across the southeast, most of these are operating independently of one another, and little is being done to harness the collective impact of these programs to create large-scale change in each state or throughout the region,” Hoffman says. “This initiative will allow us to see the current landscape of environmental education in the southeast and help us to focus on larger-scale, capacity building initiatives that extend our impact beyond the local community.” The final report will serve as the first step to strengthen and improve the nonformal EE community to be able to deliver high-quality programs to students and teachers. The tool will also provide recommendations to systemically infuse environmental principles and concepts in formal school curricula that will aid in increasing and integrating EE into formal education systems. “We are excited to embark on this work,” Hoffman says. “To have the capacity and funding to bring together and connect the hundreds of organizations doing environmental literacy work across the southeast is a huge opportunity to grow the environmental education movement." YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE! SEEA would like to invite Environmental Education program and service providers to participate in this project by filling out the following survey by Friday, April 2nd. Organizations that respond will be listed as part of a state and regional landscape of environmental education programs and services. This analysis will take a comprehensive look at the scope of environmental education offerings available, trends in the field, and operational shifts. By better understanding the important work being done in the southeast, we can identify gaps and barriers to access, as well as opportunities for service providers to partner with one another to advance our collective efforts toward environmental literacy. Questions relate to organizational operations, audiences served, programming themes, and services to better understand environmental education and engagement in the southeast. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. This is a two-part survey. After you complete the first part of the survey, you will have the opportunity to complete a survey of each of your individual programs or to group these into one survey. Support for this project was provided by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Pisces Foundation. The Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance is a partnership of the following organizations:
 KAEE recently welcomed new member, Alice Hilton! Alice is part of Lexington's Public Information and Engagement team housed within the city's Department of Environmental Quality & Public Works. Her team works to preserve, protect, and enhance the city's environment by educating the public about the need and benefits of creating a healthy and sustainable quality of life for our community. In the far right picture above, Alice is leading a public outreach activity to educate kids about the importance of maintaining healthy sanitary sewers with a fun activity - turning toilet paper into truly flushable wipes! Learn how to make your own "TP Spray" as a replacement for flushable wipes (Did you know flushable wipes aren't really flushable?!). Scroll down or click to find ALICE'S SUPER TP SPRAY RECIPE and keep reading to learn more about Alice! 1). Where do you work and what is your current role? I serve as the Community Outreach Liaison for the Public Information and Engagement team in Lexington’s Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works. 2). What projects or programs are you working on that particularly inspire you? Our team is currently building partnerships with community centers, libraries, and other community-based groups to provide youth programming, with a focus on developing and supporting place-based learning initiatives and environmental career exploration. 3). What goals do you have for your organization or programs within the EE field? I look forward to continuing to work towards programming that is deeply embedded in and responsive to community needs, as well as striving to be inclusive of and accessible to all the different people and groups in Lexington. 4). What is an area you feel you could use support in from this network of fellow educators? I always need support in pushing myself in how to think about and engage with active antiracism, equity, and inclusion efforts in the field of environmental education and beyond. 5). What is something you feel could be beneficial to share with this network? I’m sure many have already seen it, but I found Angela Park’s Centering Equity in EE’s COVID Response webinar to be extremely helpful in asking challenging questions and demanding both self- and organizational-level reflection. 6). Share one fun fact or random tidbit about you would you like to share with the group! Our household is getting three ducklings in mid-March! If anyone has tips on raising ducks, I’d love to hear them.   Jennifer Adler is a longtime KAEE member and past board member. She is an assistant professor of biology at Maysville Community and Technical College in Paris, KY. Jennifer has long been an advocate for the intersection of games and EE concepts and has led numerous sessions on these topics. We asked her to share a bit about her experience in educating through game play and the value of EE games in the following interview. We hope you enjoy it!
1. How would you define a quality EE game and why do you think they are important to use in the traditional or non-traditional classroom? Games are widely used to teach content because games are engaging. But there are certainly gradations. Gamifying refers to using a generic game to learn (or more often review) content. Think of a Jeopardy or Candy Land type game. Simulations encourage critical thinking but tend to have one outcome that students work toward. Quality games (or games-based learning) use the mechanics or rules of the game to teach the topic. Quality games can teach processes in addition to content because they are one and the same. Games often have a competitive aspect that takes the engagement up a notch. However, some students have trouble learning when intimidated by a competitive group. Of course, good planning and class management skills can mitigate this. But especially when working with a new group of students, cooperative games are an easy solution. Cooperative games can still have competition, but the students work together to compete against the game or the teacher. 2. What do you find most valuable about playing EE games with your own students at the undergraduate level? I often have students of various ages and backgrounds, so I use games at the beginning of the semester to encourage students to get to know each other. I also use games to encourage critical thinking and systems thinking. When people play board games, they accept that strategy is part of the process. But so many learners don't employ that flexible mindset when absorbing new material. Games in the classroom bridge that divide. 3. What suggestions might you have for formal and non-formal educators about how to adapt EE games into their curriculum? Educators who want to create their own games should simply play games, for fun, all the time! The more comfortable you become with game mechanics, the easier it is to look at a game and think, 'I can take this game mechanic (of tile placement) and use it to explain habitat restoration!'. Also, keep it simple! Although I love to play complex board games which contain a booklet of rules, those don't translate well to shorter time frames. But I have successfully taken a board game and just stripped out some of the rules to get to the core of the competency that I'm trying to teach. Lastly, if you are already using a simulation in your class, it may be easy to gamify it. Just try to make the gamification make sense. 4. What are your top four EE game recommendations? I frequently use these four games that employ game-based learning design. I keep coming back to them because they are extremely easy to teach, are great for any age, and adaptable to multiple topics. 1) "Biodiversity Game" from The Systems Thinking Playbook for Climate Change This is a nested set of triangles that is manipulated to show relationships between the parts of a system. 2) "Oh Deer” from Project WILD This is such a classic! If you fear an adult group wouldn't enjoy running around, create a table-top version using pictures. 3) "Dynamic Systems Dance” from Project Learning Tree’s Southeastern Forests and Climate Change. 4) "Carbon on the Move", also from Southeastern Forests and Climate Change. For older students and adults, I like modifying existing board games. For example, a stripped-down version of 'Pandemic' is great for teaching growth curves or the spread of invasive species or diseases. There are also a slew of games by Genius Games that focus on accurate game mechanics for biology topics. 5. What is the best way to adapt EE gameplay in our current virtual state? There are so many online products now, it makes my head spin! As I've transitioned to online and hybrid classes, I've started using gamifying simulations such as: MinuteLabs, BioInteractive, and 'The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science' from Annenberg Learner. Another option is using game creation as a learning process. For example, ask students to design character cards that they will later use to play a game. Creating art will be therapeutic and students will have time to do the necessary research. Think outside the box. States of water could be your characters with attributes of strength, fluidity, and cellular damage. If you're teaching older students, try an internet search for 'serious games' and the topic you're teaching. 'Serious games' are more complex video games (or board games) whose primary purpose is to teach the players. There are a few for younger audiences, such as "Morphy" at the Smithsonian Science Education Center website. This is a growing field. Just check out Eco for a look at the future fusion of online games and environmental education.  Photo credit Roy Crawford Welcome New KAEE Member, Donna Alexander! 1). Where do you work and what is your current role? My name is Donna Alexander and I work at Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) as the Program Manager.
2). What projects or programs are you working on that particularly inspire you? KNLT is working to protect, connect and restore wildlands, large forest tracts and migratory corridors in Kentucky. Every time I set foot on Pine Mountain or in any of our amazing natural areas in Kentucky, I am inspired! 3). What goals do you have for your organization or programs within the EE field? During the pandemic, I have seen more and more people come to see the huge importance of time in the outdoors to our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. I hope that more people will get out to enjoy KY’s unbelievably rich opportunities for outdoor recreation and will in turn value and move to protect these and other wild and natural areas. 4). What is an area you feel you could use support in from this network of fellow educators? I love to see and learn new ideas for encouraging everyone (but especially children) to get outdoors more and to develop deep connections with natural areas around them. I look forward to learning more from KAEE members. 5). What is something you feel could be beneficial to share with this network? I (and my co-workers) are always happy to share more about the work of Kentucky Natural Lands Trusts and our efforts to preserve wildlands. 6). Share one fun fact or random tidbit about you would you like to share with the group! We currently have one pet in the family – a yorkie mix who was our hiking buddy for years. Due to his advanced age, he no longer hikes with us, but he loves stroller rides around the neighborhood and “anytime” rides around town in the car.  As we begin a new year, KAEE continues to build upon its vision of offering dynamic professional development to environmental educators across the state. Our interest in online professional development came along pre-covid to meet the demands and interests of current Kentucky environmental educators. Due to the many demands of our current lifestyle, many people need and want to be able to attend training on a very flexible schedule without traveling far. Consequently, the idea of the eeCredentials were developed in partnership with Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education. This effort coincided with the retirement of Dr. Melinda Wilder from Eastern Kentucky University. Dr. Wilder always knew that she wanted to stay involved in EE after her retirement, so was pleased to be invited to work on the eeCredential project. The project started with the Community Engagement course and then went on the Professional Learning Leader credential. Dr. Wilder says she enjoys working on this project because it has challenged her to learn about effective online pedagogy. With the pandemic, this information base has exploded, and she is constantly learning new things. She also enjoys it because it has helped her keep in touch with the environmental education community in Kentucky. Just for fun and to get to know her a little bit better we asked her the following 20 questions. Getting to Know / 20 Questions with… Melinda Wilder 1. If you could be any animal, which would you be? Difficult to decide—maybe a salamander of some kind. 2. What is the top destination on your would-love-to-visit list? Patagonia 3. What is your favorite place to visit in Kentucky? Lilley Cornett Woods 4. Who inspires you? My mother, Rachel Carson, E.O. Wilson 5. What’s the last book you read? Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 6. Who would you most like to swap places with for a day? Lucy Braun (back when she was exploring the eastern Kentucky forest) 7. If you could choose a superpower, what would it be!? Mind control—so I could convince them to care about the environment :) 8. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Periwinkle 9. What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Fire roasted Rattlesnake with Homebrew 10. What do you find most energizing about environmental education? Helping non-EE believers drink the “Kool-aid” ;) 11. What do you find most energizing about environmental education? What I find most energizing is when you are able to help someone develop the same passion and caring for taking care of our natural environment. 12. What was your first job? A naturalist at a living historic farm in Holmdel New Jersey 13. What is something you saw recently that made you smile? Our little dog standing on a small log (from our invasive species work) overlooking her “domain” 14. What is something—big or small—that you think you’re really bad at? Fishing 15. What is something—big or small—that you’re really good at? Weeding 16. If you had to pick one age to be permanently, what age would you be? 50 17. What fictional place would you most like to visit? Fern Gully 18. Who is your least favorite superhero? I don’t know superheroes very well 19. What is one hobby you’d love to get into? Foraging 20. What is your favorite aspect of being a member of KAEE? The EE community
In a world of increasing energy demand, climate change, and a global pandemic, air quality education is more important than ever. The Kentucky Division for Air Quality not only works with facilities to regulate air pollution in the state but also provides significant education and outreach programs to environmental educators and community groups. The programs cover air pollution sources and solutions and focus heavily on the social science aspect of air pollution. They strive to highlight the ways in which every-day individual choices affect Kentucky’s air quality. For example, some topics include illegal versus legal trash burning along with simple choices such as leaving your car running at your kid’s school pick up line.
The head of the division’s education and outreach, Roberta Burnes, served on KAEE’s board for several years and is now focusing her efforts on adapting to the new, virtual world. In the past, Burnes has always conducted educational trainings in-person and worked with students directly to develop student-led idle reduction programs. Now, Burnes is working to transition all educational materials and programs into a virtual format while ensuring accessibility to all students and educators. As Burnes hopes to return to in-person outreach next fall, she is currently focusing on making the virtual streaming programs accessible and effective for K-12 education. So far, Burnes has completed one virtual streaming lesson and feels confident in continuing the virtual formats in 2021. Burnes has also created virtual lesson plans, a story map, and activities for educators and is working to add more to the list. To check them out and explore more about the division’s education efforts, visit their website: https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/Air/Pages/Education-and-Outreach.aspx If you are interested in integrating a lesson from the division into your classroom, contact Roberta Burnes today at, Roberta.burnes@ky.gov.   If you are a current or upcoming educator interested in furthering your knowledge and credentials as an environmental educator, Eastern Kentucky University may have something to offer you. Offered to both undergraduate and graduate students, EKU is now offering a 12-hour certificate in environmental education that provides the skills to be a confident leader in environmental education in both formal and informal educational settings. The certificate itself is a form of professional development for in-service educators and provides pre-service educators with a number of professional development experiences. Some examples include training in Project Wild, Population Connection, Project Learning Tree, and/or Project Wet. There are also opportunities to gain credit hours through serving as an environmental education intern where students can work with K-12 groups and conduct outreach within the community.
The certificate allows educators the opportunity to enhance their curriculums with engaging, hands-on exploration, using the natural world as a living laboratory. REC 590 and 790, Teaching in the Outdoors, are two classes that focus on teaching in an outdoor setting by combining outdoor skills and an environmental service-learning investigation. Areas of focus for the course include managing groups in the field, group dynamics, leadership, team building techniques, EE related to outdoor recreation, and Leave No Trace Principles. There are also a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, recreational tree climbing, rock climbing, and overnight camping. EKU is working to continue all of the activities of the course during covid-19 by possibly placing part of the course online, but this will be determined closer to the class start date. Another interesting opportunity in the certificate is the elective UNP 500/700, a nine-day international service-learning course. This amazing study abroad opportunity allows students to broaden their experiences and perspectives in order to better understand how classroom concepts apply to the real world and real lives of people. Students are able to engage with hands-on content and put their EE skills into practice, while also creating a positive impact on the community and environment. For students interested, the Division of Natural Areas offers fundraising and scholarship opportunities! The program is accredited by the North American Association for Environmental Education and was designed in conjunction with the Master Plan for Environmental Education approved by the Kentucky Legislature. In addition, this program has received accreditation from NAAEE Accreditation: Distinguished College and University Programs. For more information, visit their website: https://naturalareas.eku.edu/certificate-environmental-education |
