Arboretum/Wildlife Learning Company Offer Teacher Trainings

for National Environmental Curricula Starting Spring 2008

ESPERANCE, NY (01/15/2008)(readMedia)-- In celebration of their new partnership for environmental education, the Landis Arboretum and Wildlife Learning Company offer national environmental education curriculums through teacher training sessions this Spring at the Arboretum.

Teacher Trainings for National Environmental Curricula (to be offered at the Landis Arboretum except where noted).

Saturday, March 22, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm (NYPA, Gilboa) • Flying WILD is an exciting new program that introduces middle school students to bird conservation through classroom activities and school bird festivals. Flying WILD supports educators by providing interdisciplinary, standards-based learning experiences to engage students, helping them understand the importance of migratory birds and their conservation. A 360 page guide contains more than 40 activities along with all the information needed to plan a student-led bird festival at your school. Materials are funded by Return a Gift to Wildlife in New York State. Preference for this workshop is given for formal and non-formal educators working with students grades 6-9. $20/participant

Saturday, April 26, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm • Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design), is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. The curriculum assists students of any age in developing awareness, knowledge, skills and commitment, resulting in informed decisions, responsible behavior and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment. • Aquatic WILD is an extension of the original Project WILD that addresses aquatic wildlife and serves as an invitation to explore and understand the fascinating world of water and the aquatic habitats it supports. Two curriculum guides are provided: Project WILD, containing more than 120 activities in 525 pages and Aquatic WILD, containing 50 activities in 260 pages. Materials are funded by Return a Gift to Wildlife in New York State. This workshop is appropriate for formal and non-formal educators of grades K-12. $20/participant

Saturday, May 31, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm • Project WET is a collection of innovative, water-related activities that are hands-on, easy to use and fun! Project WET, a thorough water education program, explores people’s relationships to water and also addresses water’s chemical and physical properties, quantity and quality issues, aquatic wildlife, ecosystems, and management strategies. Created in 1995, the curriculum contains 91 activities in more than 500 pages. Materials are funded in New York State by NYS DEC Division of Water Resources. This workshop is appropriate for formal and non-formal educators of grades K-12. $20/participant

Saturday, June 7, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm • The Leopold Education Project is an innovative, interdisciplinary educational program based on the classic writings of the renowned conservationist, Aldo Leopold. The LEP curriculum was developed to teach the public about humanity’s ties to the natural world and to provide leadership in the effort to conserve and protect the earth’s natural resources. LEP seeks to instill a love, a respect, and an admiration for the land, leading to an ecologically literate citizenry with and intense consciousness of the earth and its inhabitants. Materials are sponsored by NYS DEC and include: LEP Teacher’s Guide: Lessons in a Land Ethic (21 activities in more than 80 pages); A Sand County Almanac and LEP Task Cards. This workshop is appropriate for formal and nonformal educators of grades K-12. $20 per participant

Time spent on each of these workshops can be used towards in-service credits; participants should obtain approval from their district. Registrations are limited; deadline 10 days prior to each workshop date. Contact Wildlife Learning Company: 607-293-6043

More Educational Innovation at Landis Environmental Conservation Officer and Landis member Keith Isles (K-9 Unit) presents a 45 minute demonstration during which he explains the role of Environmental Conservation Officers and how dogs are used to assist them. He also offers insight into the training process and the areas of canine deployment, such as handler protection, human tracking, wildlife detection for apprehending poachers, etc.

The Arboretum also plays to facilitate a Law Enforcement educational program appropriate for grade school and/or middle school students called EAGLES. To learn more about this important security program, visit www.dec.ny.gov.

These new programs are scheduled on a group by group basis. Call the Arboretum office (518.875.6394) or write info@landisarboretum.org.

Wildlife Perspective Wildlife Learning Company, Inc. is a full-service environmental education company offering services and products to schools, libraries, environmental organizations and members of the general public. WLC promotes conservation through education and strives to connect people to nature by providing programs and products that foster an appreciation of the natural environment, impart an understanding of how natural systems function, and create a desire for people to explore the natural world further and take personal responsibility for its protection and care. Wildlife Learning Company provided programs to more than 6,000 participants last year.

Year-round Multi-faceted Jewel The Landis Arboretum is a multifaceted natural jewel. It now encompasses 548 acres of trees, shrubs, old growth forest and, of course, breath-taking vistas and memorable gardens. Long a destination of choice among Capital District gardeners, environmentalists, nature lovers, hikers, bikers, and birders, the Landis Arboretum may be one of the best-kept secrets of the northern Catskills.

The Arboretum is central to the New York State Wine and Spa Trails and in close proximity to historic Sharon Springs. And, it is a natural stop for those traveling to the high-volume tourist attractions between the Albany, Cooperstown, and Finger Lakes Regions.

The Landis Arboretum is located 1.5 miles off scenic-designated Route 20 in Esperance, NY, a beautiful and easy drive from throughout the Capital Region. The grounds of Landis are open daily, year-round, from dawn until dusk. www.landisarboretum.org, info@landisarboretum.org, 518-875-6935.

Contact: Susan O’Handley, Vice President, Wildlife Learning Company, Inc., 107 East Hill Road, Hartwick, NY 13348, (607) 293-6043 • Fax: (607) 293-6675; message@wildlearn.com, www.wildlearn.com.

Anne Donnelly, Chair, Education Committee, Landis Arboretum, PO Box 186, Lape Road, Esperance, NY 12066, (518) 875-6935/(518) 875-6394, info@landisarboretum.org, www.landisarboretum.org

More about the George Landis Arboretum The Landis Arboretum may well be the northern Catskill Region’s best-kept secret. With centuries of history and the riveting beauty inherent in the Arboretum’s world-class, global collections, generations of extraordinary plantings continue to impart their secrets to its visitors. http://www.catskillregionguide.com/articles/article.php?id=995