Beginning Birding with Lisa MyersThursdays June 5 , June 12, & June 19 7:30-9:00 PM (classes); Saturday Field Trip June 14 8:30AM -11:30AM
Location: McClellan Ranch Park, Cupertino (22221 McClellan Rd.)
Cost: $45 SCVAS members, $55 non-members
This beginning birding class is designed for people who have always wanted to learn about birdwatching. No experience necessary! We'll go over all the things you'll need to know to get started. Field guides, optics, clothing, ethics, habitats, how to find the bird and even a little taxonomy will be reviewed. Through lecture and handouts you'll learn the tricks on how you can tell one bird species from another. We have roughly 250 different species of birds right here in Santa Clara County. This class includes one weekend morning bird walk so we can put our new knowledge into action.
Take a Walk Series Offers Free Book

Take a Cloud Walk, a new addition to the award-winning Take a Walk book series by Jane Kirkland, is available as a free PDF download. In this full-color, 30-page book, readers learn the basic names and shapes of clouds, why they move, why they are white, how they affect climate change, the difference between weather and climate, and weather terms and conditions such as hail, lightning, and fog. Meteorologists Jim Cantore (the Weather Channel®) and "Stormin" Bob Swanson, (USA Today) participated in this fun book giving kids a closer look at clouds. Get your copy at Jane’s new Web site for educators, where you can find many other free resources for educators. http://eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/newclick/6064192

What’s your Carbon footprint?

Calculate your personal carbon dioxide emissions and learn how you can reduce your impact by visiting: http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/html/tools/

What’s the air like today?
You can check the daily air quality in your area at AirNow.gov.

May is Water Awareness month in California!

Check out this website wateraware.org for free downloadable activities and six interactive tutorials for elementary school children.

Interested in school gardening?

Here are some websites that offer information:
· The California School Garden Network provides many free resources at www.csgn.org
· Interactive lessons, videos, and articles are available at www.exploratorium.edu/gardening/index.html

2008 California Science Education Conference

CSTA's 2008 Conference will be on October 30-November 2, 2008 at the San Jose Convention Center. This is California’s premier annual professional development for science educators. Conference events address all areas of science education. There will be speakers, hands-on workshops, field courses, exhibits and loads of resources to take back to the classroom. Early-bird registration deadline is June 30. Visit the CSTA website at www.cascience.org.

Have Your Students Help Name City Hall's 3 Baby Pergrine Falcons!The Mayor's Office is coordinating a naming contest for the three baby Peregrine falcons nesting atop City Hall. The contest is open to young San José residents between the ages of 5 and 17. Last year middle schools nominated a single name, this year the contest is open to individuals. Please pass along the information to anyone who might be interested in sharing with their students or program participants. Submissions must be postmarked by May 16th.
Visit San Jose's website for more information.

Videos

Six˚ Degrees Could Change the World a National Geographic Special

Use this film to explore the topic of global warming with your students. Six˚ Degrees illustrates what is happening and what is to come as a result of global warming while visiting the reefs of Australia, the ice fields of Greenland, and the Amazon’s rain forests. The film explains what is real, what is still controversial, and how existing technologies and remedies could help dial back the global thermometer.
The video is available for borrowing through the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Education Outreach Program. The district requires a refundable deposit of $10 per video or CD. Contact Kathy Machado at (408) 265-2607 ext. 2331 to reserve this for your classrooms.

Don't Move a Mussel

The Video “Don’t Move a Mussel” is completed and ready for distribution. This video provides the viewer with background information on quagga and zebra mussels, including origins, distribution, biology and transport vectors and a detailed assessment of the impacts they can have on the economy, ecology and culture. This 46 minute DVD includes a watercraft inspection and decontamination training section.

PSMFC contractor Bill Zook produced this video with Videoland Productions.
If you have questions on video content please contact Bill @ bjzook2@msn.com.

To order this free video, please fill out the form below and email Stephen_Phillips@psmfc.org, or Fax your information to 503-595-3232.
One video per person at this time please. We will consider bulk orders once this initial distribution has been completed.


DONT MOVE A MUSSEL ORDER FORM

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Websites

Conservation Oriented Games
http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/kids/index.htm
Pacman type game.

http://www2.seattle.gov/util/waterbusters/
fun game to play….

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/water/water/index.cfm
Shows a house and the tips you can follow in each room to save water. Lots of good information and great activity sheets on a variety of topics including global warming.

www.wateruseitwisely.com/toolsLinks/index.shtml
matching game and word search

http://www.usbr.gov/mp/watershare/resources/waterlearn.html
teacher lesson plans and some pdf’s for student use