The latest Teaching Green newsletter from the Department of Environmental Protection features the Benscreek Canoe Club and its partner First Waves who provide underserved youth from the Greater Johnstown Area with three outdoor educational experiences, helping them to connect human actions with a clean environment. 

Students engaged in multiple conservation activities, including stream samplings, tree plantings, and river cleanups. Using a Mobile Media Lab, they created video documentaries of their experiences to share with their community.

Click Here for more information on the program.

Montgomery County Pollution Prevention

The Montgomery County Conservation District, in partnership with Penn State Extension, held “Conservation and Water Pollution Prevention” online workshops on September 23 and September 30 that reached over 225 residents.

The sessions were chock full of practical information on rain gardens and rainbarrels to conserve water and manage stormwater, native plant landscaping, and tree planting to control soil erosion. The first 60 registrants received native trees, along with fencing and staking materials. Over 80 percent of participants said they learned new information. 

New PA Envirothon App

Planning for a successful virtual state competition in March, the Pennsylvania Envirothon used environmental education funds to help launch its first app to support students’ understanding of Envirothon topics while experiencing Pennsylvania’s outdoors.

Android and Apple friendly, it features links to the Envirothon Station Training; tree, fish, wildlife and other identification guides; and bird song and frog and toad calls; and other information. Austin Jadlowiec, an Envirothon alum and a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, developed the app.

Read more in the latest issue of the Envirothon newsletter.

These three environmental education programs are supported by DEP’s Environmental Education Grant Program

Other Articles

DEP’s Teaching Green newsletter also features articles on these topics--

-- Students Help Educate Pennsylvanians About Radon

-- 2 School Districts Receive PA Energy Development Authority Grants

-- Environmental Educators Receive Growing Greener Grants For Water Quality Projects

-- Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Framework

-- DEP Environmental Education Grant Announcement Coming This Spring

-- Revised State Environment & Ecology Education Standards To Be Published For Comment

-- Rachel Carson Building Peregrine Falcons Busy

Click Here to read the entire Teaching Green newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.

For more environmental ed resources, visit DEP’s Environmental Education webpage.  Questions should be directed to Bert Myers, DEP Environmental Education and Information Center, call 717-772-1828 or send email to: gimyers@pa.gov.

Related Article:

-- PA Meaning Watershed Educational Experiences Virtual Learning Workshop Series For Classroom Teachers

[Posted: January 14, 2021]

1/18/2021