By Lori Richardson, Wildlife Education Specialist, Pennsylvania Game Commission

With the school year underway, imagine you are an educator who needs an activity to help teach conservation specific skills and concepts, is exciting and engaging for students, complements the curriculum and helps meet the state Department of Education's Environment and Ecology State Education Standards.

Whether you teach afternoon kindergarten, middle school social studies, high school science or lead a youth group, you could be on your way to the schoolyard, the copy machine, the classroom or the computer with a variety of Project WILD activities to supplement your curriculum, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

"But," you ask yourself, "isn't the Pennsylvania Game Commission the independent state agency that manages the Commonwealth's wild birds and mammals, and sets hunting and trapping seasons?" Yes, that's the one. And, the Game Commission firmly believes wildlife conservation education is an important part of its mission that helps current and future generations develop an appreciation for wildlife management and the role that hunting and trapping play in properly managing wildlife populations.

To accomplish this objective, the Game Commission, which receives no general state taxpayer dollars, uses Project WILD, an award-winning, international, hands-on conservation education program.

Started nearly 25 years ago, Project WILD teaches people about wildlife and the environment and how humans interrelate with both. WILD provides educators, primarily kindergarten through 12th grade, with interdisciplinary activities that help address state and national education standards and help educators comply with mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. WILD's materials are scientifically sound and use educational practices proven to be effective.

The basic 500-page, K-12 Project WILD Guide has more than 120 activities to help educators teach skills from observation to synthesis using a variety of environmental-related topics. The activities have been designed so educators can easily incorporate them into almost any classroom curriculum and nearly any subject, such as science, reading, English, social studies, math, civics, physical education or art.

WILD's mission is to provide wildlife-based conservation education that fosters responsible action. WILD's goal is to develop the awareness, skills, knowledge and commitment that are necessary for people to make informed decisions and act constructively and responsibly toward wildlife and the environment.

WILD is one of the most widely used conservation and environmental education programs among K-12 educators. Recognized as the nation's most successful wildlife education program, WILD is bringing hundreds of thousands of students from awareness to action as conservationists worldwide each year.

Theresa Alberici coordinates the program in Pennsylvania through the Game Commission's Bureau of Information and Education. She works closely with the Department of Education as well as prominent conservation and environmental education organizations throughout the state and the country. Her dedication to wildlife and environmental awareness, along with her talents in creating curricula and ability to work with educators have earned her recognition from the state Department of Education and Pennsylvania's conservation education community.

"Educators leave Project WILD workshops with a renewed appreciation of wildlife and are excited about how they're going to share what they've learned with their students," Alberici said. "This year, wildlife agencies nationwide celebrated one million educators 'Gone WILD.' More than one million educators have been trained in the program since Project WILD originated in 1983.

"Project WILD isn't about teaching kids what to think about wildlife; it's about teaching kids how to think about wildlife and giving them the skills they need to become responsibly active citizens who recognize the importance of wildlife and the environment.

The milestone of training one million educators means that, through Project WILD, more than 53 million people worldwide have experience in thinking responsibly about natural resources. Last year alone, state wildlife agencies ordered more than 65,000 guides for distribution to educators across the country, reaching 1.8 million students with information on wildlife conservation."

In the Game Commission's Southwest and Southeast region offices, which represent the two most populated regions in the state, two additional employees serve as facilitators for Project WILD workshops.

Southwest Region Wildlife Education Supervisor Joseph Stefko has been active in providing direct wildlife links to educators, as well as conducting programs for students. Stefko developed the popular "WILD About Bears" advanced workshop and has been spearheading it since 2003. He also coordinates an intern program to offer in-the-field wildlife training for interested college students.

Southeast Region Wildlife Education Specialist Dan Lynch, in addition to conducting workshops and student programs, has worked with statewide wildlife and conservation organizations to develop "wildlife trunks" that offer educators hands-on resources and materials for students. Lynch has developed a "wildlife forensics" teacher workshop and program that provides a look into the world of wildlife criminal investigations and procedures.

In addition to Game Commission staff, nearly 300 facilitators from classroom teachers to educators in state parks, county conservation districts, nature centers and zoos have been trained to conduct basic Project WILD workshops statewide. Their dedication over the years makes the program successful.

Park Forest Elementary School Principal Donnan Stoicovy, of State College, Centre County, said that more than half of the teachers at Park Forest have participated in Project WILD and use the resources in the classroom. In addition to being a supporter of the program, Stoicovy has been a Project WILD facilitator since 1985, when she served as a classroom teacher in Sagertown, Crawford County.

"The activities, the book, the ease of use and guidance provided are just the types of things teachers need when they are trying to prepare lessons to help their students better understand wildlife and conservation," Stoicovy said "I'm very pleased that the Game Commission is able to offer Project WILD, especially since the agency is able to make Project WILD even more effective by using its own supplemental information, such as the Wildlife Note series. I hope the Game Commission has the financial resources in the future to continue sponsoring this excellent program."

Dr. Sandra Holmes, a facilitator with Project WILD since 1986, currently is an associate professor of education and biological sciences at Messiah College in Grantham, Cumberland County. Initially trained in Washington, Holmes has used Project WILD in three additional states: Washington, Idaho, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.

"I've used Project WILD at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, and currently use it at the college level," Holmes said. "I also have used it in various other settings, such as girl and boy scouts, 4-H, child and youth groups and pre-school, as well as with my own grandchildren.

"The program is so flexible that you can use the materials and activities with any number of students, any age and in any setting, such as a backyard, city park or school property. "This makes it a very useful tool for home-schoolers."

Holmes noted that one of her previous students was selected for a teaching position within a Pennsylvania school district primarily because she was Project WILD certified. Other students have reported similar experiences to Holmes while applying for teaching positions in other states, such as Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey.

"It is clear from these experiences that Project WILD is valued in the larger educational community, and those seeking teaching positions stand out in the candidate selection process if they already are Project WILD-certified. School districts are able to turn to these certified teachers to offer training to their peers in areas such as environmental and physical sciences, and many schools are striving to have at least one teacher certified in Project WILD at every grade level in every building within the district.

"It is wonderful that the Game Commission is offering Project WILD, and I certainly hope that they are able to continue to make this vital program available to future educators."

Billie Jo Crouse, a third grade teacher at the Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary School in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, was certified in Project WILD in 1998.

"When I first took Project WILD, I had not been involved in the outdoors at all," Crouse said. "This program has made me a different teacher. It isn't just a hands-on program for students; it is a minds-on program. It doesn't teach or tell students what to think, but how to think about conservation and the environment.

"As soon as I was certified in Project WILD, I started using it in the classroom. The more that I used it, the more students went 'wild' for it. During our summer academy, the program I developed using only Project WILD materials was well attended the first year. In the second year, the sign-up for this course doubled, and every year since we have had more students apply to take the course than we have room to accommodate."

Using the "WILD About Bears" course, Crouse noted that Stefko and his interns worked with her to link the state's environmental and ecology standards to each activity, thereby removing the "guess work" from determining which activities met the standards.

"WILD About Bears, and all of the other Project WILD courses have been wonderful tools for teachers," Crouse said. "They are so easy to integrate into various classes, such as language arts, math, science and social studies. The students are learning about wildlife conservation and they don't even realize it.

"I would be very disappointed if the Game Commission were unable to offer this program. The agency and its staff do an amazing job offering Project WILD, and it is a resource I find extremely valuable. If the Game Commission is forced to stop offering it due to financial reasons, it would be a great injustice to students."

Brian Rothman, an elementary school teacher with the Philadelphia City School District, first experienced Project WILD while working on his master's degree, and later while working at the Philadelphia Zoo.

"When I taught kindergarten through fifth-grade science, Project WILD helped me supplement the materials provided by the school district in teaching about nature and wildlife habitats," Rothman said. "The wildlife education kits provided by the Game Commission for use with Project WILD are an excellent resource to bring hands-on lessons into the classroom, which can be very challenging working in an urban area.

"I believe that Project WILD should be used throughout the entire school district. Not only should each teacher go through the course, but Project WILD also should become part of the district's core curriculum."

Since 1983, more than 26,000 Pennsylvania educators have gone WILD with the Game Commission, and more than one million nationwide. Below are some of the programs offered just this past year to educators through the Game Commission. Workshops are eligible for Act-48 hours, which educators must acquire to retain their teaching certificates.

Basic Project WILD: This workshop, typically six hours long, also can be adapted for in-service training. Participants become familiar with the Project WILD program and activity guide by participating in hands-on, interdisciplinary student activities. Educators finishing the workshop receive the K-12 Project WILD Curricula and Activity Guide.

Endangered & Threatened Species: This workshop focused on endangered and threatened species. Educators learned about the politics involved in protecting these species as well as the circumstances that can lead to a species becoming threatened or endangered. A canoe trip at Wildwood Lake to view the state endangered American lotus, was part of this workshop.

WILD About Elk: This two-day workshop focused entirely on Pennsylvania's elk herd in the northcentral part of the state. Educators met with biologists and land managers who work with elk, and got to hear firsthand about the issues that arise when people and elk are living together in the same region. Participants also visited the elk range for up-close information on elk habitat as well as elk viewing opportunities, before heading home to their students, with information they learned right from the experts and a teacher's guide chock-full of elk facts and activities.

WILD in the City, Peregrines: This one-day workshop was designed to give educators a greater understanding of peregrine falcons, one of our state's endangered species. Educators learned about biology, habitat, migration, natural history and more from the biologists working closest with these magnificent birds. Participants viewed a peregrine up-close, watched them flying around the city and saw the nest box and web-cam at the nest site on the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg. Educators took home lots of background information and activities to use with their students, as well as information on real-time web cameras at nest box locations across the state, so (from their classrooms) they can watch peregrines hatch.

WILD on the Susquehanna: Educators spent this day-long workshop canoeing the Susquehanna River and learning about its habitat with biologists and naturalists. They visited one of the few nesting colonies of the great egret and black-crowned night heron in the state and searched for river otters, before studying macro-invertebrates and performing water tests.

WILD About Bears: This two-day workshop focuses on Pennsylvania black bears and is held at the Southwest Regional Office and on State Game Land 42. Game Commission Biologists, the Wildlife Education Supervisor, Wildlife Conservation Officers and student interns provide background knowledge about bear biology, distribution, taxonomy, life history and management. Participants share in a number of hands-on activities to include related Project WILD Activities, British Columbia's "Bear Aware" safety program, bear aging, bear population estimation and setting an actual bear culvert trap. The highlight of this workshop is the processing of a live bear, where the participants get to see first hand the sedation of the bear, removal from the culvert trap, ear tagging, tattooing, weighing, tooth extraction for aging, checking for overall health and finally the release of the bear on State Game Lands.

WILD Action Grants: These grants are typically available annually to help organizations create wildlife habitat that can be incorporated into education programs and enjoyed by the community and used by wildlife. Butterfly gardens, interpretive nature trails, habitat enhancements and native plant gardens are just a few examples of what's made possible through WILD Action Grants.

Other education opportunities available through the Game Commission include:

Advanced WILD workshops -- These workshops focus on specific species or topics. Educators get in-depth background information and meet biologists and other experts working in the field of focus. Workshops on bears, raptors and deer are popular.

Pennsylvania Songbirds and Pennsylvania Biodiversity -- These two programs focus on songbirds and biodiversity, respectively, and are designed similarly to Project WILD with science-based student activities addressing state standards.

The Wildlife of Pennsylvania children's book (in English or Spanish) -- This educational guide to Pennsylvania wildlife for young students to color is based on habitat and includes a color poster. A teacher's guide is also available.

For more information on Project WILD and other conservation education opportunities available to educators through the Game Commission or to be notified of upcoming workshops via email, contact Theresa Alberici at 717-783-4872 or talberici@state.pa.us .

11/3/2006