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The importance of plants is not a message restricted to just botanical institutions. In this issue of Education E-update, you’ll find resources and profiles of exciting plant programs being developed by organizations including zoos, natural history museums, and aquaria. Just as plants can play an important role in the education programs of these institutions, botanical institutions can learn equally important lessons from other EE organizations. Reach out and explore collaborations with other environmental education centers in your area!
Best Wishes,
Brian Johnson
Education Officer, BGCI ( U.S.)
Editor, Education E-update
brian.johnson@bgci.org
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BGCI offering Education for Sustainable Development workshop at APGA: Join members of BGCI’s education team from around the world for a full-day workshop at the American Public Garden Association (formerly AABGA) conference in San Francisco in June. The pre-conference workshop, “Education for Sustainable Development: A Step-by-step Process for Public Garden Educators,” will feature presentations, discussion, hands-on activities, and break-out groups to introduce the history and framework of ESD, help participants create ideas for ESD programs, and highlight ESD case studies from public gardens worldwide. The APGA website includes further details about the conference and registration.
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Invaders Citizen Science Program: The Invaders Citizen Science Program trains volunteer “citizen scientists” to use a specially developed invasive species early detection and reporting kit. With this kit, volunteers help detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive species in their local areas. The information collected is integrated into a national database and distributed to local regulatory agencies. The kit was developed and tested by a consortium of botanic gardens, zoos, natural history museums and aquaria, including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Missouri Botanical Garden. More information is available online or by emailing Damon Waitt (dwaitt@wildflower.org).
Good Nature Publishing: Good Nature’s posters are dubbed “flora and fauna field guides for your wall.” Richly illustrated posters include “California Native Oaks,” “Invasive Plants of the Interior Northwest,” and “Eastern Native Wildflowers,” among others. Good Nature is also beginning a botanic garden series. You can commission a poster of your garden’s flora or scenic spot. Check out the full line of posters on the Good Nature Publishing website.
Junior Master Gardener online news: Keep up with the latest news from the Junior Master Gardener program, as well as book reviews, craft project ideas, and curriculum ideas with the Junior Master Gardener program’s monthly online newsletter. The current issue and back issues are available on the JMG website.
North American Association for Environmental Education Call for Presentations: NAAEE’s 35th annual conference will take place Oct. 10-14 in St. Paul, Minn. Presentation proposals are now being accepted in five conference strands, including sustainability; conservation and community education; EE leadership skills; schools, education, achievement and literacy; and environmental justice, health and education. Proposal deadline: Feb. 22. Visit the NAAEE website to submit a proposal.
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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: Is there an education program from a zoo that might be a good addition to my botanic garden?
A: Zookeepers are oftentimes the best sources of information about the animals at zoos, and many zoos feature regularly scheduled “keeper chats” for visitors. At the Houston Zoo, for example, zookeepers are even given scheduled time each week to research and prepare for these short presentations. At botanic gardens, horticulturists have a similar expertise with the plant species they tend. Many horticulture staff most likely already interact with garden visitors. Education staff at gardens should consider working with their horticulture department to create opportunities for strengthening the visitor experience with “gardener chats.”
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Issue 9: February 2006 |
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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:
San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park
Zoos aren’t just for animals, and the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park have made plants an integral part of their conservation education programs. The zoo’s 1,900 acres are home to more than a million plants, and themed gardens throughout the grounds highlight unique plant species from around the world. The Nativescapes Garden, for example, features 1,500 plants representing 500 species native to Southern California. The Xeriscape Garden educates visitors about the importance of water conservation in gardens.
To draw visitor attention to these botanical collections, the third Friday of every month is Plant Day at the zoo. This special day features self-guided walking tour maps with a focus on the plant collections and zoo habitats, and botanical bus tours of the zoo grounds. The zoo’s two orchid greenhouses, which are home to more than 3,000 orchid plants representing 800 species, varieties, and cultivars, also open to the public on Plant Day. A zoo staff expert on orchids, as well as members of the San Diego County Orchid Society, answer visitor questions about these imperiled species.
Learn more about the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park ’s plant collections and programs on the zoo’s 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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