Project Meeting Summary

 A Joint Project of the Sea Grant Network
and Geographic Alliances

Planning Meeting - Summary
Chicago, Illinois

 

Present:

Robin Goettel, Nancy Lerner, Helen Domske, Pat Charlebois, Pam Blanchard, Norm Bettis
Doug Jensen, Rosanne Fortner, Hyonyong Lee, Tony Lewis

1. Contacts with Geographic Alliances

IL-IN Sea Grant – Robin Goettel

  • June 27-28 or 28-29
  • Also spoke with G.A. coordinators in WY, CT, IA, and WA
  • Honorarium for 20 teachers; Will tie in with GENI (Indiana's)Geography Institute with 30 teachers

Illinois Geographic Alliance -- Norm Bettis

  • Two summer institutes in IL – 2 week tech institute in Chicago and 1 for first time teachers in Edwardsville (June). Also 8-day workshop on GIS in June; Giant City State Park (S. IL) another conference.

NY Sea Grant – Helen Domske

  • Will work with folks on western side of NY; Jenny Figuroa & Dave Wagner
  • Spring date; day workshop at Niagara; voluntary morning/afternoon at Buffalo Zoo or wildlife refuge.
  • Honorarium for 20 teachers

LA Sea Grant – Pam Blanchard

  • 1.5 day workshop at Lake Fausse Park, 1 day workshop at Tickfaw State Park
  • date in late spring (? June) with follow-up the following fall.

WA Sea Grant – Nancy Lerner

  • Rawhide Papritz (WA Geographic Alliance)
  • Spring workshop – 1.5 day wksp. Mike Spranger has guided… Tacoma (at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium). Theme of migration with movement of exotics will be incorporated.

Format – a workshop with the product being stewardship projects –(Later it was agreed upon that other teacher responsibilities included developing a lesson plan, and sharing information with other educators, either in home state or at regional or nat'l educator conferences.)

2. Goal, Objectives & Components

Objective: Teach teachers about exotics

Goal 1: Teach educators and their students about the ecological impacts of exotics and how these students and members of their community can make environmentally responsible decisions to help prevent the spread and transport of exotic species

Obj 1:Increase knowledge of MS/HS teachers about exotics
Obj 2: Help meet Geography standards, link to state standards
Obj 3: Enhance information sharing
Obj 4: Facilitate community awareness

Components

-Workshop
-Community awareness
-Web component
-Lesson & activities

3. Discuss workshop content

Discussion of variability between programs. Helen noted that the teachers she works with are more interested in local issues and species that are found in the Great Lakes. Robin responded that due to the geography-based audience we are targetting and the geographic concepts we want to convey, we should all have some common species to work with even if they aren't found in our regions.

Themes – migration, species similarities and differences, regional variations in populations of exotics

Sensitivity to audience – Nancy Lernenr noted that WA has large population of nonnative citizens – so exotic species as a term is used less often.

Review of "Discussion with Geographic Alliance Coordinators" - see handout

    • See list of five geographic concepts listed

States are developing their own content standards based on the national standards.

Will it be difficult to target MS/HS in the same workshop?

A: The 18 standards cross all grade levels.

Norm: In IL there are five grade level categories.

Helen: Teachers are good at adapting material to their grade levels – so should not be a problem if we stick with Themes.

Pam: Did anyone question why exotic species are such a hot topic today?

Doug/Norm: How do human beings impact this process? What are the consequences of human-nvironment interaction? Consequences and solution – solution is change in behavior.

Tony brought copy of the National Geography Standards ($7 National Council of Geography Teachers), Spreading Word About You (Binko method) and Key to the National Geography Standards (Xerox available).

Importance of biological content. -- Keep biology in context of what makes them a successful invader. What makes an invasive species a nuisance species?

Direct them to appropriate websites & materials that will give them more background information.

Helen and Pat will formulate the biological content that will form the basis of the background teachers will need.

Do we limit the enrollment only to MS/HS?

A: Grade range is meant as a guideline, teachers willing to adapt to the workshop format should be more than welcome. Robin: So on promotional materials – target is 6-12 – but open to all who are interested?

A: Lesson plans should be focused on middle to 12 level. Perhaps target K-6 down the road as we build on the success of this project.

Tony: ESRI – www.gisday.com – lots of freebies, free software – developing parish (county) databases for GIS – LA will have a GIS theme in their workshop.

USGS website – http://nas.er.usgs.gov/

Gulf of Mexico Program website – Doug says this is one of the best NIS sites – if not the best.

Importance of signing release for workshop participants – both adults and students

Pam – Create Powerpoint presentations by schools about their projects – limit them to 5-6 pages and have them summarize their projects

Should consider implementing the following things for each workshop:

  • Provide list of partners and potential topics.
  • Be sure there is plenty of time to network and link about projects and common interests.
  • Check out Websites prior to workshop and select appropriate ones to demonstrate and let teachers explore.

Flow of workshop:

  • Introductions
  • Icebreaker
    • Place cards with specific species under categories of native/ nonnative (Helen).
    • Species with characteristics presented on cards and put under correct exotic species (Doug).
  • Exotic overview
  • Brief overview of Geography Themes

Geography Connections to Exotic Aquatics (Xeroxed page) – description of how exotics fit with the geography themes. Everyone needs to think of other examples to add to this outline. Other standards may be appropriate as well and everyone is more than welcome to expand the list. Perhaps #5 isn’t appropriate – discussion over "resources’ – Perhaps Standard #17 and #18 would be better used as an example on this sheet.

Geographic Skills (A-E) are listed on the back of the "A Geography Curriculum Framework" – use those skills to develop lesson plans.

4. EATM Training module

Choose appropriate curriculum & educational products

  • Common resources used at all four workshops. Robin feels strongly that some products need to be presented at all workshops. Tony suggested National, Regional, Local activities.
  • Zebra Mussel Mania – curriculum of 10 activities, with short intro on overview. Designed by 5-6 teachers, but can be used 5-12 grades.
  • Helen – choose selected activities to present – make reference to other products available.
  • Norm: suggested Origin, Distribution, Movement, Consequences, and Solutions– a natural break of five sections to use in organizing the four workshops.
  • Great Lakes Solution Seeker - $10/copy – but Rosanne can cut you a deal on a class set.

Choose appropriate curriculum & educational products

  • Zebra mussel (central), nutria (Gulf)
  • Eurasian watermilfoil & Purple loosestrife

People that had a hand in writing the different products – go through the activities and pick which ones fit under the ODMCS sections – then workshop presenters can pick from the list.

Within the ODMCS sections – use a specific exotic species to begin each of the sections.

Tony: are we teaching teachers to teach teachers – or teach students? WE are teaching teachers to teach students comfortably.

 

NCGE = August 2-5, 2000 Chicago – Intercontinental Hotel – opportunity to present material to national audience. The following year's meeting, 2001, in Vancouver will be the site of the Poster Session.

5. Community awareness projects

Jeff Kohmstedt, Robin’s assistant

Youth poster contest (see handout)

Approaches and Issues for EATM Poster Session

    • Too difficult to put all posters on website.
    • Use prejudging as a tool to reduce numbers
    • Are winners one from each site?

Everyone wants to do class projects/ Teachers submit class project(s)/ Evaluation by host site/ One or two individuals will present results of community projects on the behalf of all other projects from that site:

Everyone that wants to go submit their name, names drawn at random, One, Two, Alternate 1, Alternate 2. It is understood that people that go to the meeting will between them represent all the projects from LA. If state can only send one person, then specific projects will be chosen.

6. Web elements of EATM

Rosanne – blue book and CD ROM

Ohio – major player in Env. Edu and Training Partnership - NAAEP – service project

Evaluation of the Content of Web Sites – provides guidelines for evaluation of website

Hyonyong Lee – geoscientist, familiarized himself with exotic background

Progress on web project for EATM – Hyonyong Lee

  • See the summary outline of the web site (Xeroxed).
  • Could lessons be keyed to National Standards and then presented in a matrix? (Pam)
  • Could framework be online? Perhaps the one developed for the original day camps be used? (Helen) Robin will send the framework to the Geographic Alliance representatives for their review.
  • Virginia SG has a website with exotics for children – could possibly be linked (Doug).
  • Links – to Bridge (Vicki Clark), SGNIS.

The Bridge – materials for teachers (reviewed); collaboration by Navy, NOAA, National Marine Education Association http://www.marine-ed.org

Rosanne – will develop image guidelines for materials to be submitted to web – especially in terms of image size.

Terminology – needs to be standardized – exotic, nuisance, invasive, etc. No decision.

7. Teacher-developed class lesson plans & activities.

Rosanne furnished framework. Must have clear instructions on type of file that needs to be turned in.

Robin will send copy of ESCAPE activities that she distributed at NCGE.

Camera-ready material for drawing.

Lessons turned in to site coordinator (quality control happens here). Then send to Nancy.

8. Create community awareness plan.

Promotional Brochure information.

Resources
National Standards
Participant Commitments – yes, include
Participant Benefits – yes, include
Partners

Pam: Line drawing of nutria for Robin.

Nancy: Line drawing of two crabs.

Participants will:

1. Assist their students in developing community awareness project(s) (must be aquatic exotic)
2. Develop lesson plan or activity
3. Spread the word through presentations to their colleagues

Community awareness project -

3-5 page PowerPoint presentation

digital images – dpi – 100

printed work – need original photos for scanning or digital photo at highest resolution

8. Responsibilities.

(PLEASE NOTE THIS SECTION WILL BE EXPANDED; SEND ME MISSING ITEMS THAT YOU KNOW OF. PLEASE REVIEW RESPONSIBILITIES BELOW. RGG )

Everyone

Send Robin the quantity of promotional flyers you need and address to which they should be sent.

Use Web site to discuss questions and share new ideas about the project.

Visit Web site and add to list of examples for each relevant Geographic Standard we have identified.

Need to agree on how to handle community awareness portion of the Project. (After several of you left, we thought it would be better for teachers who were available to attend the poster session--without any students.)

Robin

Promotional flyer (needs date and workshop locations from everyone) – Will provide a draft for everyone's review on Dec. 8th. Please reply by Dec. 14th. Will provide by February 1 to send to sites

Send ESCAPE packet of draft activities (exotic species compendium of activities to protect the ecosystem)

Discussion on website

Examples of exotic species concepts/issues that demonstrate or illustrate geographic standards

Send Nancy copy of activity format specs that were sent to teachers for Day Camp project

Pam

Send nutria line drawing

Guidelines & Image format for community awareness projects

Doug

Purple loosestrife, watermilfoil

Send Robin a copy of STOP THE INVASION

Update Web address list

Nancy

Green crab, Chinese mitten crab

Tony

Send folks a copy of Geography for Life (includes the Nat'l Geographty standards)

Send folks the URL for ESRI project for GIS

 

Project Coordinator

Robin G. Goettel, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Communications Coordinator, University of Illinois, 63 Mumford Hall, 1301 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801
tel 217/ 333-9448 FAX 217/ 333-2614 email goettel@illinois.edu

Project Assistant

Jeffery J. Kohmstedt, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
tel 217/244-8809 FAX 217/ 333-2614 email kohmsted@illinois.edu