Check Out a State Park Pass and Backpack at Colorado Libraries

This program is a partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, State Library, local library systems, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. It is meant to encourage Coloradans to visit our State Parks and experience all of the great outdoor recreation that this state has to offer.

Starting June 20, 2016, libraries across the state are offering two "Check Out State Parks" passes, each for distribution with an activity backpack containing binoculars, brochures and other educational materials to library patrons.​

The park pass is good for entry into any Colorado State Park for up to seven days.  The pass is a hang tag for the rear view mirror and must be visible in the library patron's car.​​  The pass does not give any discounts for camping, programs, licenses, etc.​​​  The backpack includes binoculars, a wildlife viewing guide, a tree and wildflower identification guide, a park brochure, suggested activities list and the Leave No Trace outdoor ethics principles.

For more information visit this link, or check the Participating Libraries List to find a library near you!

2016 International Jr. Foresters' Competition

The U.S. Forest Service International Programs is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for young adults interested in Forestry, Natural Resources, and Environmental Science!  The International Jr. Foresters’ Competition is an annual event hosted by Russian Federal Forestry Agency (RFFA) to promote and reward young scientists for their interest and efforts in the environmental field, as well as to encourage international dialogue about forestry issues. The 2016 competition will take place in in early September (September 4 – 9), and will include time for sightseeing in and aroundSt. Petersburg, Russia. The competition, which runs a bit like a science fair, is open to young adults between the ages of 14-22. Projects will be presented to an international panel of judges to compete for public recognition and valuable prizes.  Projects that students have already completed for local science fairs or college courses can easily be adapted to the required format.

The USA participated in this event for the first time in 2012, and our student representatives won 3^rd place in the overall competition. Click here to learn more about their experience: http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/10/17/us-teens-win-third-prize-at-international-jr-foresters%E2%80%99-competition/.

The U.S. Forest Service International Programs office will provide 1-2 scholarships to cover international travel for qualified applicants who have completed one project (projects can be submitted by one individual student or by teams of two students).  To compete for these scholarships, the deadline for submission of projects to the US Forest Service International Programs office is July 8^th, 2016. U.S. Forest Service will also provide travel support and coordinate all logistical details of the students’ journey.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Jennifer Smith or Jacob Minor before applying to learn the latest information and confirm the application process. Feel free to contact Ms. Smith or Mr. Minor at any point with questions or concerns.

Distance Learning Position Opening at RMNP

Ever want to work in a National Park? Do you have solid geek skills and a formal education background to be able to walk in off the street and be able to:

-web author in a content management system

-develop, set up, and run distance learning content for presentation on such platforms as a portable rear-projection screen, Webex, Google Hangouts, Skpe, etc. 

-set up and administer a Learning Management System such as Blackboard

-use design and editing software such as Adobe InDesign and Elements

-use and guide others in the use of a Promethean board

-correlate and/or design curriculum to Colorado state academic standards, Common Core, and Next Generation Science Standards

If so, Rocky Mountain National Park will be advertising a term Education Technician position starting on Tues. June 14 on https://www.usajobs.gov. 

The position is project based and will last at least 13-months, extendable up to 4-years with full benefits. The salary starts at about $43k per year.

This position is part of a very motivated and widely recognized non-formal education team, considered one of the best in the National Park Service. 

Seed: An Art Exhibition Inspired by the Beginning of Everything

Curated by Lee Lee, this exhibition explores the duality of seeds in the world today; examining issues of current trends in industrialized agriculture, as well as inviting viewers to experience the potential expressed by seeds through a wide range of mediums. This project is a 'dispersal' of the work accomplished by SEED Taos & includes artists spanning the regions between Albuquerque to Boulder

The SEED Taos Facebook can be found here. 

Immersive Colorado Education Summit: August 23-26

CfP - Call for Colorado Immersive Education Summit Participation

Come and join the upcoming Immersive Colorado - Immersive Education Summit in Denver and La Junta this coming August 23 - 26!  

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is involved with an Immersive Education project.  In partnership with the Immersive Education Initiative (based at Boston College), Otero Junior College and East Otero School District (La Junta), students have constructed a virtual Bent's Fort in the video game, Minecraft.  This will be one of the featured presentations at an Immersive Education Summit to be held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and in La Junta this coming August.    

For more information and for registration details, click here.  

National Get Outdoors Day & National Park Service Centennial Celebration

GET OUTDOORS COLORADO's National Get Outdoors Day & National Park Service Centennial Celebration!

Saturday, June 11th, 2016

10 AM - 3 PM

Sloan's Lake Park

(North Shore) 25th & Sheridan Blvd., Denver, CO 80212

A fun, free, active day with a zillion things for everyone to do!

fish + climb + dance + hike + paddle + eat + learn + play + celebrate

PBS’ Nature Cat and Denver Broncos Cheerleaders will be there to help us celebrate. Select adaptive

recreation activities are available for people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Click here for more information!

Project Learning Tree Summer Training Courses

Project Learning Tree is a K-12 learning initiative led by the Colorado State Forest Service.  

On June, 11, join us at Barr Lake State Park in Brighton for a Basic Project Learning Tree (K-8) workshop.  PLT enhances critical thinking, problem solving, and effective decision-making skills, teaching students to weigh various sides of an environmental issue to make informed and responsible decisions. Come learn the methods that have motivated educators to get environmental education into their classrooms, and their students into the environment, for forty years! 

Looking for an innovative way to teach about water?  Register for our three-day Forests to Faucets training in July. In this interactive workshop you’ll learn first hand where your drinking water comes from. You’ll explore our mountain watersheds, learn about the effects of forest fires on our water, conduct water quality studies, tour a Xeriscape garden, and visit a water treatment facility. You’ll walk away with the Project Learning Tree and Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) curriculum guides and a better understanding of where your water comes from.

Recharge your energy education resources with a Project Learning Tree mini-institute covering energy resources, conservation, sustainability, and alternative sources.  At July's PLT Focus on Energy, participants will receive an abundance of resources for their grade level, including Activity Guides, the Energy & Society multi-media kit, and PLT's service learning program GreenSchools.  We'll also tour alternative energy resources in and around the cool mountain community of Fairplay.

You can register for or read more about these professional development opportunities at the Colorado PLT webpage.