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This month’s Education E-update is arriving in your inbox a few days later than usual. Despite my best laid plans, I ended up with an engagement I truly could not get out of. You see, earlier this month I was selected for two weeks of grand jury duty. While the process was fascinating, it certainly created some unforeseen delays in my work plan. Now, back in the office, I am wading through weeks of unread emails and returning to projects that I had left in a hurry. Deadlines do tend to sneak up on us, and the deadline for submitting abstracts for BGCI’s Sixth International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens is quickly approaching. (See the official call for proposals in “The Latest” below.) The Congress offers an incredible opportunity for forging connections with botanic garden educators from all over the world—all while enjoying the magnificent surroundings of the oldest botanic garden (founded in 1621!) in England. Please contact me with any questions you may have about submitting an abstract, and let’s send a large U.S. contingent to the Congress!
Happy Holidays,
Brian Johnson
Education Officer, BGCI ( U.S.)
Editor, Education E-update
brian.johnson@bgci.org
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Last call for Congress abstracts!
Don’t miss out on sharing your story with the world’s largest gathering of botanic garden educators. BGCI’s Sixth International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens will take place Sept. 10-14, 2006, at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden in Oxford, England. The deadline for submitting abstracts for workshops, papers, or posters for the Congress has been extended to Jan. 13, 2006, but don't delay! Visit the Congress website to submit your abstract or for more information on the conference.
“Planet Plant” landing soon! In early 2006, BGCI (U.S.) will be launching "Planet Plant," a plant conservation website for kids ages 9-12. Each month, kids with a Planet Plant passport will explore the world of a new plant with a conservation story to tell. Both online and offline activities will guide kids through science, art, and reading activities, all with an emphasis on plant conservation. BGCI (U.S.) is currently looking for botanic gardens willing to find children to evaluate the site in January before its official launch in early spring. Contact Brian Johnson (brian.johnson@bgci.org) for more information, and get a sneak preview of the Planet Plant website now. Please note that this is just a sample page from the website. The site is still in development and not all features are up and running.
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National Gardening Association grant opportunities: The National Gardening Association offers funding and resource opportunities for school and community gardens. Programs include the second annual “Remember Me” Rose School Garden Awards to help 20 schools commemorate the events of Sept. 11, 2001, with rose garden supplies and support for conflict resolution and mediation training. The Kids Gardening newsletter has full details on this and other award opportunities.
Orchid Conservation International 2006 grants: Orchid Conservation International is offering grants for projects directly related to orchid conservation, including educational projects. A single grant of 5000 British Pounds or several smaller awards will be made. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2006. For more information, visit the OCI website or email OCI Secretary Philip Seaton (Philip@seatonorchids.freeserve.co.uk).
AZA Regional Meetings call for sessions: Zoos aren’t just for animals anymore! Indeed, some zoos are also botanic gardens while others maintain extensive plant collections. Share your experience and expertise in plant-based education with zoo educators by submitting a proposal for a workshop or poster at next year’s American Zoo and Aquarium Association regional meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Jacksonville, Fla. Check out the AZA website for full details.
ACGA “Growing Communities” workshop: Join the American Community Gardening Association for an in-depth, hands-on workshop based on ACGA’s curriculum for leadership development, “Growing Communities: Community Building and Organizational Development Through Community Gardening.” The two-day workshop focuses on community organizing, leadership skills, grassroots fundraising, communications planning, and coalition building. Visit the ACGA website or contact Layman Lee (layman27@gmail.com) for more information.
Flora Delaterre, Plant Detective: On each episode of this radio show produced by Montana Public Radio and the University of Montana, Flora Delaterre investigates one plant and its medicinal properties. Important information on plant conservation is also included. The radio show is free to any public or community radio station, and would make an excellent sponsorship opportunity for botanic gardens. Visit the Flora Delaterre website for more information and to hear an episode of the show.
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Each month, we answer a plant conservation education question that you've always wanted answered. Send your questions to
e-update@bgci.org.
Q: How are international strategies like the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation relevant to my work as an educator?
A: While documents such as these are developed on an international scale, their relevance to your work as a local, place-based environmental educator is worth noting. First, international strategies and treaties have tremendous influence on the shape and direction of the environmental education field. The United Nations’ Agenda 21 and Decade of Education for Sustainable Development are rapidly changing the EE field as we have traditionally known it. Second, there are useful guidelines for plant conservation educators within the many pages of these documents. The International Agenda, for example, highlights eleven key recommendations for botanic garden educators. These recommendations can be useful in creating an education master plan for your organization. Finally, these strategies are all created with the ultimate goal of halting the loss of plant diversity worldwide. Educators can play an important role in achieving this goal; indeed, this goal is most likely unattainable without enormous contributions from educators like you. Keeping abreast of these latest developments is an important part of your professional development.
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Issue 7: December 2005 |
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In each issue of Education E-update, we shine the spotlight on an innovative plant conservation education program taking place at a BGCI member institution. If your BGCI member institution has a program that should be "in the spotlight," email a short description and contact information to
e-update@bgci.org.
In the spotlight this month:
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
In the Sonoran Desert, pollinators abound. Hummingbirds zip from plant to plant, butterflies and moths flit through the dry desert air, and the lesser long-nosed bat visits cacti late at night. The important relationship between these plants and animals is highlighted through a school outreach program of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The Museum's Pollinator Habitat Kit provides an opportunity for school communities (students, educators, administrators and community members) to learn the benefits of and the steps involved in creating a schoolyard habitat for pollinators. The schoolyard pollinator habitat provides not only a safe place for plants and wildlife, but also an interdisciplinary, hands-on, outdoor learning lab that promotes student achievement. The kit provides information and activities that introduce the importance of pollinators, threats to pollinators (including habitat loss, pesticides, and invasive species), and a step-by-step process for designing and planting a schoolyard pollinator garden. Students learn that the future of plants and animals are intimately linked, and how they can take a proactive role in helping save them. The Pollinator Habitat Kit is also available in Spanish. For more information, visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum website or contact Yajaira Gray (ygray@desertmuseum.org), Conservation Outreach Coordinator.
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The deadline for the call for papers for BGCI’s Sixth International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens has been extended to Jan. 13, 2006. Download the form for submitting your ideas for posters, presentations, or workshops. You can also stay up to date on conference developments by registering your interest today. For more information on the Congress, to be held in September 2006 at the University of Oxford (UK) Botanic Gardens, visit the official website.
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Do you have an amazing plant conservation education resource, program, or story to share? Get the word out about your work through Education E-update! Each month’s newsletter is read by more than 300 plant-based educators nationwide. Email e-update@bgci.org to showcase your program. |
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Please forward this email to education colleagues at your living institution or to others who have an interest in plant conservation education. |
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