A new on-line course, Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment, provides a unique opportunity for American Meteorological Society Seal holders and certified broadcast meteorologists to learn more about watersheds and earn credit toward their continuing education requirements.

The course is a primer on how weather events relate to the health of a watershed, and how the public can take simple actions to protect watershed health. The online curriculum, while intended for meteorologists, is also highly useful for land use managers, teachers, community leaders, and others interested in learning more about watersheds. It contains a collection of graphics that make it easy for meteorologists and others to explain watersheds visually.

The course is now available on the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training distance learning website and was developed by NEETF and COMET through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The course complements an on-going effort by NEETF called Earth Gauge, which provides environmental tips appropriate to the three-day forecast for 55 television markets and more than 80 participating meteorologists, reaching 130 million viewers. These tips are written and designed to allow weather broadcasters to integrate them into their on-air weather reports.

The effort is part of a broader initiative to promote broadcast meteorologists as “station scientists” who can expertly cover environmental and science content.

For more information, contact Sara Espinoza at the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation at: espinoza@neetf.org .

11/24/2006