Santa Clara Valley Water District’s
Water Awareness Program
This is the electronic news update for March with links to events and opportunities coming up for you and/or your students. Please share this information with colleagues.
EVENTS CALENDAR
March 8 – March 21, 2007 – GLOBE at Night 2007
Mark your calendars! It is time for the Second Annual Star-Hunting
Party. GLOBE at Night! Join thousands of other students, families and
citizen-scientists around the globe hunting for stars between March 8 and 21, 2007. Take part in this international event to observe the nighttime sky and learn more about light pollution around the world. Participation is open to anyone who lives or works in one of the 109 GLOBE countries and can get outside and look skyward.
Participation does not require any special training or instruction. The GLOBE at Night web site (www.globe.gov/globeatnight) provides all the information needed to participate, including instruction guides for teachers, students, and parents. There is no cost to participate in GLOBE at Night.
Good to know about GLOBE:
International Polar Year (IPY) is quickly approaching! IPY begins on March 1 2007 and will last until March 1 2009. During the next two years, scientists, educators, and students from around the world will be working together to better understand the polar regions and how they impact global systems including climate.
GLOBE is pleased to announce that there will be many opportunities for GLOBE student participation in IPY activities over the next two years. To keep you informed on ways schools can participate in GLOBE IPY events and learn about other IPY-related activities, we have created a new GLOBE IPY Web page. Please check this page often to learn about upcoming events and how to become involved.
Saturday, March 24, 2007 – WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands
WOW features over 50 multidisciplinary activities correlated to National Science Standards. Leave this workshop with activities you can do with your students to better their understanding of the ecological function and value of wetlands, and ways to promote informed decision-making regarding wetlands.
When: Saturday, March 24, 2007 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: California Science Center's Amgen Center for Science Learning, Los Angeles, CA
How: Cost of $45 includes WOW! curriculum guides and all course materials.
Contact: Anna Gaiter at agaiter@cscmail.org or call 213-774-7455 for more information or to register.
March 31, 2007 and April 1, 2007
Phil Stoffer of the United States Geological Survey has agreed to lead a field trip to the new Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park located near Gilroy. Highlights will include great exposure of the Calaveras Rift, volcanic rocks, a large, active slump, and rock collecting on the gravel bars along Coyote Creek.
The trip will take place all day on Saturday, March 31 and part of Sunday, April 1. You may choose to attend Saturday only (which can be combined with any other full-day Saturday workshop or field trip for 1 unit of Geology 104 for $44) or opt to attend both days to earn 1 unit for the trip.
If you would like to participate in the field trip, please contact Ellen P. Metzger Professor and Co-Director, Bay Area Earth Science Institute Department of Geology San Jose State University San Jose, CA 95192-0102 Phone 408-924-5048; Fax 408-924-5053 or e-mail at metzger@geosun.sjsu.edu
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 1, 2007 – Write On! Wetlands Challenge 2007.
Environmental Concern presents its 3rd Annual International competition. Help bring wetlands to life and create a children’s book, written and illustrated by kids, for kids. Here’s how it works: Part I – a call goes out to students in grades 7-9 to write a manuscript. Part II – after the winning manuscript is chosen, students K – 6th grade illustrate the story. All entries must be submitted by April 1, 2007. For more information or questions please contact Jodi Carr at youth.edu@wetland.org .
April 12, 2007 – California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) Workshops
This one-day workshop will include a review of integrated pest management, hands-on demonstrations, and tours of major pest problems in schools. This workshop is especially useful for IPM coordinators, maintenance & operations directors, groundskeepers and custodians. These classes are for public school district employees.
California DPR’s School IPM Training Program is pleased to announce the dates and locations for training in 2006:
April 12, 2007 at Franklin H.S., Stockton (San Joaquin County) (very limited space available)
May 22, 2007 at Kern Agricultural Pavilion, Bakersfield (Kern County)
June 27, 2007 at Carnegie Middle School, Carson (L.A. County)
April 14, 2007 – The Bay Area Earth Science Institute’s Global Warming Workshop
This FREE workshop will explore a variety of ways to help your students understand the causes, impacts and implications of global warming.
When: Saturday, April 14th, 2007, 8:30 am- 4:30 pm, San
Where: Jose State University, Duncan Hall, Rm. 614.
Presenters: Eugene Cordero (SJSU Dept. of Meteorology)
Anne Marie Todd (SJSU Dept. of Communication Studies)
Emerson LaJoie (SJSU Dept. of Meteorology)
Participants will receive teaching materials, ready-to-use classroom activities and a stipend of $90, (in combination with another full-day workshop). Participants will be eligible to earn 1 unit of Geology 104 for $44. Workshop is keyed to meet California State Standards.
For more information and/or to obtain a registration form contact: Ellen Metzger at metzger@geosun.sjsu.edu or 408-924-5048 or fax: 408-924-5053.
For full consideration, please return the form by March 31st . Any and all applications received after March 31st are also welcome, and will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis until capacity is reached.
April 14-15, 2007 – Santa Clara County Gem and Mineral Society’s Gem and Mineral Show
Would you like to bring your class to a Gem and Mineral Show where they can learn about rocks, minerals, the rock cycle, geology and more? For more information, visit: www.baesi.org
When: Kids area open from 10:30a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Show is from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: SCVGMS 52nd Annual Gem and Mineral Show Kids Area at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Rd., San Jose
Admission: Free for children under 12. $6 for adults
If you are interested in signing up for this class, please contact: The Altek Media Group at 951-781-8624 to verify space is available.
April 20, 2007 – California Energy Commission's Energy Calendar Art Contest
Students in grades 3-8 have the opportunity to draw or paint their way to recognition and prizes in the California Energy Commission's Energy Calendar Art Contest. Twelve illustrations displaying visions of the ways energy will improve our lives and the environment will be selected for inclusion in the Commission's Energy 2008 calendar. In addition to seeing their art displaying throughout the year in the popular calendar, the 12 winning artists will each be awarded a $250 U.S. Savings Bond. Their teachers will receive cash awards to purchase educational materials for their classrooms. All participating students who submit pictures will receive a California Energy Commission certificate of participation and other prizes.
Entries are due at the Commission by Friday, April 20, 2007. For more information, visit Energy Quest, the Commission's website for children, at www.energyquest.ca.gov.
April, 22 2007 – South Bay Bird Fest
Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day and Earth Day together! Spend the afternoon exploring birds in their habitats! South Bay Bird Fest happens rain or shine and is FREE! For reservations or information call: (408) 262-5513 or visit: http://www.fws.gov/desfbay/birdfest.htm
GRANTS AND FUNDING
www.grants.gov – click here to find a grant for you!
The Stewardship Council – Youth Investment Program 2007 Catalyst Grants Round 1
The online application for the Catalyst Grants Round 1 is now open. Applications are due on March 16, 2007. Catalyst grants are intended to nurture small grassroots organizations providing youth programming and are capped at $10,000. Please follow this link to visit the Council’s website, review our 2007 grant making plan and access the online application: 2007 Grant Application
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) – Clair A. Hill Scholarship
Each year a $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by CH2M Hill, is awarded to a deserving student. The program is administered by the ACWA member agency that received the Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence the previous year. In 2006, South San Joaquin Irrigation District was honored with the Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for its innovative "South County Water Supply Program: A Promise Kept".
Eligible students must be California residents attending selected California schools (Participating Schools) full time as a sophmore, junior or senior during the current academic year. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 16, 2007. Note: no applications have been received yet!
You can download the scholarship application here, or contact the South San Joaquin Irrigation District's Cheryl Burke, by phone: (209) 249-4623, by email: Cheryl@ssjid.com or by fax: (209) 249-4640. Further information can be found at www.ssjid.com
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)
The ACWA awards three $3,000 scholarships each spring to qualified students in water resources-related fields.
Eligible students must be California residents attending selected California schools (Participating Schools) full time as a junior or senior during the current academic year. Applications must be postmarked no later than APRIL 1 of each year. Note: no applications have been received yet! You can download an application and guidelines for the ACWA scholarship program. Information is also available by calling ACWA at 916.441.4545 or e-mail us. ACWA Members: For opportunities to sponsor ACWA scholarships, see ACWA's Sponsorship Program.
GOOD TO KNOW
Youth Science Institute Summer Camp Registration is NOW OPEN!
Call today for the best selection of camps. Complete membership and Summer Camp registration is available via pdf at: Summer Camp Program Details and Registration
Registration is taken via phone, mail, fax and walk-in at YSI Vasona. To register or for more information, call 408-356-4945.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge provides fun, FREE weekend programs for families and adults throughout the spring. To read about upcoming events or to receive the Tidelines newsletter, visit www.fws.gov/desfbay/ And don’t forget the South Bay Bird Fest is Sunday, April 22 from 1pm – 4pm at DESFBWR in Alviso – check out “Upcoming Events” on this newsletter for more information.
The San Jose Go Green Schools Program, a program of the City of San Jose Environmental Services Department, fosters school recycling and environmental stewardship in a parent- and community-driven process based on the Go Green Initiative. San Jose Go Green Staff connect K-12 schools in San Jose with free recycling supplies and other green resources, and encourage them to take up Go Green at whatever level they choose: whether starting a school recycling program or fully launching environmental education. For more information, please contact Deb Bogart at (408) 975-2533 or sjgreenschools@sanjoseca.gov
MAKE THIS YEAR A GLOBAL YEAR! My Wonderful World is a National Geographic-led campaign—backed by a coalition of major national partners—to expand geographic learning in school, at home, and in the community. Geography is more than places on a map. It’s global connections and incredible creatures. It’s people and cultures, economics and politics. And it's essential to understanding our interconnected world. We want to give our kids the power of global knowledge. Visit: www.mywonderfulworld.org to get involved!
Attention Friends of Guadalupe Gardens. Get up, get your workout done and move on with the rest of the day! The jogging for health class is in danger of being cancelled due to low enrollment. Please consider joining! They promise this is truly for beginners! For more information, visit: www.grpg.org or Jogging for Health or call: 408-298-7657.
This class will introduce you to running as a recreational activity. In addition to running, they will provide an overview of equipment, nutrition, and cross training for the recreational runner. And for a goal, by the end of the class each student will be ready for his or her first recreational race! Also includes pedometers and healthy living material and videos from Kaiser Permanente San Jose.
Meeting location: Guadalupe River Park & Gardens Visitor & Education Center, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose Session dates: February 23, 26, March 2, 6, 9, 21, 23 & 28 Time: 7:15 to 8:15 am Cost: $25.00 Instructors: Kirk Flatow, Heidi Schenone
Spring 2007 – Healthy Living Classes in the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens
Get 2007 off to a healthy start with fitness classes in a "gym" as big as all outdoors - the beautiful Guadalupe River Park. Fitness and equipment professionals will provide the basic instruction you need to start and keep to a fitness routine, for much less than the cost of a gym membership! Thanks to a generous grant from Kaiser Permanente San Jose, each class (including all sessions) is only $25.00 a person. But, hurry there are only 25 spots available for each class! Pre-registration is required and participants must be 18 years of age or older. All classes will begin at the GRPG Visitor & Education Center, 438 Coleman Avenue. For more information call 408-298-7657. For more information contact: Kary Houle, Education Coordinator @ 408-298-7657.
Educators can log on to the CREEC (California Regional Environmental Education Community) Nework website – http://www.creec.org/region5/ – to meet their regional CREEC Network Coordinator or find hundreds of environmental education (EE) resources to strengthen instruction and motivate learning across the curriculum. Search the online resource directory, join online EE discussion group, and/or find funding for EE projects. EE providers can also log on to find professional support, enhance program effectiveness, and reach new audiences.
Applications for membership in the Content Working Group (CWG) and the Education Working Group (EWG) are being requested for California’s Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI). The San Luis Obispo County Office of Education is seeking both highly-qualified technical experts in science, history/social science and environmental science to join the CWG and highly-qualified educators to join the EWG for California’s EEI.
Members of the CWG will participate in the review of the technical accuracy of the draft instructional materials being developed as part of the EEI Model Curriculum. Members of the EWG will participate in the review of education-related aspects of the draft instructional materials being developed as part of the EEI Model Curriculum. For more information and questions regarding this application, please contact: eei@seer.org.
BAY NATURE magazine has set up a brand new online calendar that will make it easier for you to find out what is going on and also to get out the word about your organization's upcoming events. Just go to: http://www.baynature.com/calendar.html to preview the calendar.
The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic, active, art and science program designed to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The program guides students, using scientific and wildlife observation principles, to communicate visually what they have learned through an entry into the Junior Duck Stamp art contest. For more information, visit: www.fws.gov/duckstamps/junior/junior.htm
Each month the EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) produces a list of new titles available from the Center. They have established an electronic list serve for people who want to keep abreast of new EPA publications.
To receive this listing by e-mail, click on this link: <mailto:nscepnew@one.net?Subject=Subscribe> and write “I would like to subscribe to the NSCEP New EPA Publications List Serve. Or send an e-mail with a subject line of “Subscribe to nscepnew@one.net.” Subscriptions can also be taken by phone at 800-490-9198.
Attention Classroom Teachers: Do Something Different with Your Summer!
Apply to the IISME Summer Fellowship Program! Earn $7,400 in 8-weeks working in the Bay Area’s most exciting companies and university labs. Develop engaging lessons to bring back to your students. In the past 22 years, IISME has offered 2,187 Summer Fellowships to teachers from all around the Bay Area.
Teachers gain:
- Up to $7,400 income ($800 per week, plus $1000 in Fellowship Grants)
- Hands-on, practical experience to broaden their perspective
- Stimulus for standards-based curriculum development
- Better understanding of skill requirements needed in modern workplace
- New & enhanced skills and discovery of hidden skills transferable to teaching
- Improved opportunities for infusing their curriculum with relevance
- Lasting partnership with their sponsor organization, based on personal contact
- Professional community supportive of risk taking and change
- An opportunity to raise awareness among employers of current developments in education
Go to: http://iisme.org to start your application today!
Eligibility Requirements: Participants must teach in Alameda, Santa Cruz, Sacramento, Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, or San Francisco, have 2 years classroom experience by the end of this school year and committed to staying in the classroom for 3 years.
For more information contact: Alicia Baturoni, Education Manager 408-553-2266 or abaturoni@iisme.org
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JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District – Open Space Planner II
Salary: $5,190 - $6,660/month (Closes on March 30)
About the Position: This position is responsible for coordinating the design and management of complex capital improvement projects. Typical capital improvement projects may include design and construction of parking areas, restrooms, interpretive or other recreational facilities; construction and repair of staff facilities including barns, field offices, or employee residences; and resource-based projects including design, construction or repair of unpaved roads, trails, bridges and other stream crossing improvements. For more information and application, visit www.openspace.org or call the District office at (650) 691-1200.
San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society - Interpretive Specialist
Full-time: 40 hours/week, including Saturday. (Open until filled)
Temporary position, ending June 30, 2007, possibility to extend 1 year
Salary: $3,270 /month. Benefits: $83/ month to purchase your own health insurance, sick leave and vacation time
About the position: This position’s responsibilities include: developing, implementing, and evaluating interpretive programs for a diverse audience, especially those addressing urban runoff pollution prevention; staffing the EEC, both during the week and on weekends (Saturdays); implementing watershed enhancement projects, especially coordinating pesticide-free native plant gardens; and writing comprehensive narrative reports. Approximately 15% of the job is performed outdoors; most of the remaining time is spent in an office setting. Occasional evenings and local travel will be required. Hiking/walking is required while leading tours and conducting programs. Lifting heavy objects (approximately 50 lbs), such as boxes and tables, is sometimes required.
To apply: send a letter of interest, resume, and sample of a publication you have written to: Genie Moore, EEC Director, P.O. Box 411, Alviso, CA, 95002
Coastal Commission - Environmental Intern, Public Education Program
Full-time — San Francisco Office (Open until filled)
Competitive salary plus excellent benefits. The successful candidate will be an employee of the Tides Center’s Marine Education Project * – a joint project of the Tides Center and the California Coastal Commission.
About the position. The Public Education Program’s Environmental Intern reports to the Public Education Program Manager and is involved in Coastal Commission public education programs throughout California. The Intern will assist with all aspects of the California Coastal Cleanup Day Program, the Adopt-A-Beach Program, and the Whale Tail License Plate Marketing Program. Responsibilities will include: solicitation of Cleanup Day event sponsorships; organization of event logistics; development of publicity and marketing materials for all programs; communications with local Cleanup Day and Adopt-A-Beach coordinators; tracking data collected at beach cleanup events; assist with the development of an Adopt-A-Beach membership program; and production of a constituency newsletter. The Intern will help represent the Commission at environmental fairs and events.
Contact: Christiane Parry, Public Education Program Manager, (415) 904-5208
To apply: Applications accepted until position is filled. Only the most qualified applicants will be interviewed. Please submit cover letter, current resume, and writing sample, to:
Christiane Parry, California Coastal Commission
45 Fremont Street, Suite 1900
San Francisco, CA 94105–2219
cparry@coastal.ca.gov
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