West Johnston High School Places 8th at
North American Envirothon Competition
Congratulations go out the West Johnston High School Sequoias! The Sequoias placed 8th out 54 teams from the United States and Canada at this year's North American Canon Envirothon competition in Flagstaff Arizona. The team missed the top five ranking by less than 5 points.
The Envirothon has five study areas: Soils/land use, aquatic ecology, wildlife, forestry and current environmental issues. The West Johnston High School team scored the highest score in the history of the state Envirothon with a score of 496 points out of a possible score of 500 points. The team worked together for four years studying hard to reach this level of excellence. The Sequoias are sponsored by the Johnston Soil & Water Conservation District. Team members are: Erin Lineberger, Thomas Lineberger, Lewis Braswell, Frankie Johnson, and Stephanie Tolar. They are advised by Melody Lineberger, Heather Earp and Ethan Lineberger.
The Envirothon is North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. The national competition has a test in each of the five subject areas, and also has an oral component in which the teams are given a real life environmental problem. The team has to devise a plan to solve the problem, prepare posters, develop a budget and then give a 20 minute oral presentation on their proposed solution.
To get to the NC State Envirothon, each team goes through an Area competition and must place in the top seven. There is a resource curriculum for each of the five sections that they study to prepare for the Area and State competitions. It is a real test of character and dedication that these students have been together studying this summer when other students were swimming, going to movies, and just doing normal activities.
Bruce Miller, Chairman of the State Envirothon Committee stated: “These are very dedicated and intelligent students who represented North Carolina well at the national event."
There were over 350 Envirothon teams participating in the middle school and high school levels in North Carolina. North Carolina will hosting the 2009 Canon Envirothon at the Unversity of North Carolina at Asheville campus. For more information about Envirothon, please contact Steve Bennett at (steve.bennett@ncmail.net) or 919-791-4307.
Environment and Health: Making Connections through Water Quality Investigations
Interagency effort helps educators integrate the environment
inside--and outside--the classroom
The "Environment and Health: Making Connections through Water Quality Investigations" Teacher Institute was held at the Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC July 13-18, 2008. This extremely successful teacher professional development opportunity was provided by funding from the 319 Nonpoint Source Grant Program, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program and the UNC Superfund Basic Research Program to the Environmental Education Fund. The NC Office of Environmental Education provided administration and coordination for the Institute. Thirty-two educators from all regions of the state participated, including high school teachers, middle school teachers and some nonformal educators as well.
This week-long teacher institute was created to provide teachers with an in-depth investigation of the diverse environmental science, health and civics issues related to water quality in NC and to provide access to quality, science-based activities and resources that support the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Goals and Objectives in 8th grade science, Earth/Environmental Science and Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science.
By using the interdisciplinary approach of environmental education, educators learned how to address important water quality issues, including nonpoint source pollution and hazardous waste. Educators participated in hands-on activities, site visits and investigations and technology applications correlated to the Standard Course of Study. In addition, each educator received instructional materials including curriculum-related videos, maps, posters, books and other support materials for use with their students. Educators also earned 4.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) required for the renewal of their NC teaching certificates and 30 hours of credits towards becoming Certified Environmental Educators in North Carolina.
Topics included journaling for science; exploring watersheds, estuaries and water quality; Project WET and It's Our Water workshops; NC Environmental Education Certification Program & NC Environmental Education resources; investigations of the relationships between chemicals, water quality, the environment and human health; and field trips to Sturgeon City, the Jacksonville Land Application Facility (Wastewater Treatment), Onslow County Landfill and Materials Recovery Facility, the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the Rachel Carson Research Reserve. The week concluded with an energizing panel discussion on emerging water quality issues in NC with the following panelists: Charles “Pete” Peterson, UNC Institute of Marine Sciences; Rachel Noble, UNC Institute of Marine Sciences; JoAnn Burkholder, NC State University Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology; Dean Carpenter, Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program.
Facilitators for the Institute included staff from the NC Division of Water Resources, NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, NC National Estuarine Research Reserves, UNC Superfund Basic Research Program, Golder Associates, Sturgeon City, NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, Jacksonville Land Application Facility, Keep Onslow Beautiful, NCSU Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology, UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program and the NC Office of Environmental Education. A true team effort!
Some of the teacher comments:
- “My confidence level has increased and my excitement about the topic has mushroomed phenomenally. I'm so interested I can't wait for school to start. I might even have to go back to college to study water quality myself. Wow!”
- “Yes, being better informed about the current issues in NC will help me make my students better informed citizens for years to come.”
- “I plan on teaching from a different perspective. My main focus will be the environment and I will incorporate land, air, and water. In the past I have used what we learned here as one unit, this year I will change. I am very excited about the coming year.”
The Office of Environmental Education and it's partners hope to provide another similarly-themed teacher institute in 2009. There is also discussion of providing an “advanced” teacher institute to provide opportunities for more in-depth exploration of specific water quality issues for the graduates of the 2007 and 2008 institutes.
State Parks make Significant Contribution to Local Economies
North Carolina’s state parks potentially contribute $289 million to local economies annually as well as $120 million to local residents’ income, according to an intensive study researchers at N.C. State University conducted for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
Fourteen state parks examined in the yearlong study contributed at least $139 million annually when spending by tourists was combined with direct spending in the local communities by the parks. The study found that “tourist” visitors to those parks spent an average of $23.56 a day to enjoy the outdoors. In addition, the parks’ impact on local residents’ income was estimated to be $56 million annually.
The study projected the total potential economic impact based on statewide attendance and assumed similar travel and spending patterns for all visitors to the system’s 36 state parks and state recreation areas. For purposes of the study, “tourist” visitors were defined as those non-local visitors whose primary purpose for a trip was to visit a state park.
 The researchers interviewed 852 “tourist” visitors in the 14 parks studied and found that the average group is 3.14 people and the average stay in a local community is 1.73 days. Thus, the average group spends $127.98 during a park visit for such things as food, lodging, souvenirs, services and equipment.
“Our state parks stand on their own as stunning conservation lands representing North Carolina’s rich natural heritage,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. “And, record visitation shows our citizens and visitors value them as such. The economic contributions revealed in this study suggest that the true value of state parks to local communities and the state is much greater than we realized.”
In 2007, state parks reported record-level visitation of 13.4 million. That represents more than three times the combined attendance for the Carolina Panthers, Lowe's Motor Speedway events and Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games in North Carolina.
The study was conducted by Recreation Resources Service of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at N.C. State University. Researchers visited each of the 14 parks between three and five times during the year on weekdays and weekends. The researchers interviewed 2,164 park visitors to determine a percentage of “tourist” visitors. The data was then analyzed with IMPLAN modeling software, an industry standard for economic impact research.
State parks vary in size, style and personality. So, researchers chose parks that  represent a broad cross-section of the parks system, including some with high day-use attendance, such as Jockey’s Ridge and Hammocks Beach state parks and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, as well as those popular for weekend camping trips, such as Stone Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks. Large and small parks, as well as those in urban and rural communities, were included in the study.
The researchers noted that estimates of annual economic impact are conservative based on the narrow focus of the study. Local residents visiting the state parks and so-called “casual” visitors who traveled primarily for other reasons were not surveyed.
The study found that the percentage of “tourist” – non-local, primary purpose – visitors varies widely at different types of parks, from 17 percent at Eno River State Park in Durham County to 75 percent at Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County.
Another finding is that the degree of economic impact is greater in those communities that offer a broad range of services, such as restaurants, lodging, retail shopping, repair shops and outfitters.
 Analysis of the research shows that the state parks make a considerable economic contribution directly to the communities, through operations’ budgets and jobs. The direct impact of the 14 parks studied was $15 million in sales, $10 million in personal income and 256.9 full-time equivalent jobs. The parks’ capital projects were not included. Nor were park fees, such as those fees for camping, since those revenues are returned directly to North Carolina’s general fund.
When this park spending is combined with the impact of “tourist” visitor spending, the annual economic impact in 2007 ranged from $1.73 million at Eno River State Park to $20 million at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. In 2007, Eno River State Park had 341,646 visitors and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area had 834,544 visitors. Read or download the entire report from the NC Division of Parks and Recreation Website, www.ncparks.gov.
Online registration is now open for the 2008 Environmental Educators of North Carolina’s 18th annual conference: Sand, Sea and EENC. Don’t miss out on three days of networking with your fellow environmental educators at the Fort Caswell Baptist Assembly on picturesque Oak Island.
The conference dates are November 6-9.
Visit the EENC conference website, http://www.eenc.org/Conf2008/Registration.html, and click on the “Register Now” link at the bottom of the page.
New Workshop Approved for EE Certification
There's a new option for those seeking NC Environmental Education Certification. Pisgah Forest Institute's "Forest Ecology" workshop for k-12 teachers was recently approved as a Criteria I Instructional Workshop. This week-long experience is offered at PFI, which is located on the campus of Brevard College.
The workshop offers participants an opportunity to learn about the interrelationships within forest ecosystems. Participants discover how plants, animals, fungi, and microbes connect to each other to create forest ecosystems. The importance of abiotic features in determining forest types are examined, and the role of humans as agents of change is addressed. The workshop uses the national forests of Western North Carolina as a classroom to teach participants about the unique organisms and ecosystems of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
For more information about Forest Ecology and other workshops offered by PFI, visit the Pisgah Forest Institute Web site. PFI operates at Brevard College under the Appalachian Center for Environmental Education (ACEE). It was formed in 1999 through the vision and efforts of Brevard College, western North Carolina Congressman Taylor and his office, the USDA Forest Service, and Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association. The main reason for the formation of the PFI consortium was to provide workshops that address the earth and environmental science needs educators encounter in their classrooms.
Take a Child Outside Week!
September 24—September 30, 2008
Take A Child Outside Week is an international program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor activities, the goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration. Visit the TACO Web site for activity ideas and information on how to partcipate and partner in this effort. Take a Child Outside Week is based at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
Environmental Education Quotable...
Ultimately, the collective wisdom of our citizens, gained through education, will be the most compelling and most successful strategy for environmental management.
National Environmental Education Advisory Council,
2000 Report to Congress.
Update: Grassroots Effort Successful in Advancing
EPA Office of Environmental Education
Funding Request
 The current Administration's 2009 Federal budget has no funding provisions for the US EPA Office of Environmental Education. This office supports many national and state-level programs and has provided more than 3200 grants since 1992. North Carolina has received 57 of those grants, totalling $614,089. For restoration of funding to be considered by the Appropriations Committee of the Subcommittee on Interior, a new congressional procedure required that at least 11 Congressional Representatives sign a request letter to the committee. Efforts by the North American Association for Environmental Education and several other organizations that support environmental education were successful in persuading twenty-six US Representives to sign the letter, which has moved on to the Committee. North Carolina Representatives Bob Ethridge (District 2), Heath Shuler (District 11) and David Price (District 3) signed the letter.
UPDATE. This story was originally reported in April, 2008. As of August, neither the House or the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittees have issued their spending bills. It appears likely that Congress will issue a six month Continuing Resolution that will maintain spending at 2008 levels.
EE News Clips!
An environmental education news round up from around the state.
 Environmental Education Center News
Stories about the EE Centers listed on www.eenorthcarolina.org!
Parent News
Updated list of articles related to children and caregivers.
EE School News
Stories about public and private elementary and secondary schools and education policy.
College News
Same as above, but from higher education.
Research and Resources on EE, Learning, and Behavior
Latest articles, reports and peer-reviewed literature on the benefits of environmental education
Informed Consumer News!
The Office of Environmental Education also maintains the "Eco-Smart Consumer" Blog and an Informed Consumer Section that has several lists of updated news articles that cover many topic areas, including farming, food, green building, rivers, outdoor recreation, energy, lawn and garden care and more. These article posts are part of our consumer education and healthy community intiatives. Check them out! |
