Education and Outreach Partners

Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP)
www.BTNEP.org

Dedicated to preserving and restoring the wetland ecosystems lying between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers, BTNEP partners with agencies and other stakeholders to provide free, science-based training and classroom materials — lesson plans, posters, videos, DVDs and interactive CDs — that incorporate up-to-date science on wetland ecosystems and coastal restoration. BTNEP workshops include the upcoming “Spirit of the Estuary – Using Art to Understand Ecology,” WETMAAP trainings and intensive, day-long workshops and ongoing workshops for kindergarten through fourthgrade teachers.

Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence–Central Gulf of Mexico
(COSEE–CGOM)
http://cosee-central-gom.org
Jessica.kastler@usm.edu
(228) 872-4269

Each year a dozen middle school teachers enrolled in COSEE, a National Science Foundation–funded program, trek into Louisiana’s wetlands to learn about coastal ecosystems and discover how research scientists operate in the field. In the fall 40 educators attend COSEE workshops that present classroom materials developed around such themes as habitat and physical processes in the environment.

Gulf of Mexico Alliance Environmental Education Network (GOMAEEN)
www.disl.org/mailman/listinfo/gomaeen

Environmental educators subscribing to GOMAEEN’s e-mail list receive daily news and updates on workshops, conferences, educational materials, grants, jobs, policy changes and more from across the gulf coast. A companion clearinghouse (www.neii.gov/gomaeen) offers a searchable online library of environmental information.

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF)
www.saveourlake.org
joann@saveourlake.org
(504) 836-2238

Each year LPBF teaches thousands of Louisiana residents about conservation and coastal issues, offering on-site presentations on watershed and coastal topics for schoolchildren, garden clubs, civic associations and other groups. Its Web site offers a free curriculum guide and other educational planning resources. Through LPBF’s Water Watch field program, teachers and students conduct yearlong, hands-on studies of water quality in the New Orleans area.

Louisiana Envirothon
www.deq.louisiana.gov/envirothon
www.lacoast.gov/education/lawec

Each spring teams of Louisiana middle and high school students compete in Envirothon, a problemsolving contest involving land navigation, botany, biology and other disciplines. Teams learn to differentiate between invasive and native species, study “green” building and identify macroinvertebrates. Each team also examines human impacts on a parcel of land and proposes remedial strategies.

Louisiana Sea Grant
www.laseagrant.org

Based at Louisiana State University, Sea Grant is a partnership of 16 colleges and universities across the state that offers education, research and outreach programs to educate citizens of all ages about cultural, environmental and economic values of Louisiana’s wetlands and about the challenges facing marine and coastal ecosystems.

Louisiana Sea Grant programs
Louisiana Marine Education Resources (LaMER)
www.lamer.lsu.edu

For K–12 teachers and informal educators, LaMER offers workshops, science- based classroom materials and resources for teaching about marine, aquatic and wetland ecosystems.

Marsh Maneuvers
www.lamer.lsu.edu/projects/marsh_man/ index.htm

Each July high school students from Louisiana 4-H clubs spend four days in the marshes to learn about wetland ecology, hydrology and ecosystems. Additionally they study the marshes’ cultural and economic importance and policy issues surrounding the wetlands’ use and preservation.

Ocean Commotion
www.lamer.lsu.edu/projects/oceancommotion/index.htm

Some 3,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade students attend this annual event presenting interactive exhibits about Louisiana’s coastal environments and the need to protect coastal resources.

Scope-on-a-Rope (SOAR)
www.scopeonarope.lsu.edu

SOAR teaches K–12 science teachers to operate miniature magnifying video cameras, examining various material, from particles that make up barrier island sand to life forms found in a drop of pond water. The program provides lesson plans and equipment for classroom use.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
www.wlf.state.la.us/education

LDWF offers a variety of programs teaching children and adults about fish and wildlife. Through FUN Camp (Families Understanding Nature) and Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, participants learn skills like fishing, camping, canoeing and shooting. For teachers and informal educators, WETSHOP, a one-week wetland immersion program, provides hands-on experiences and classroom curricula. Activity guides and other materials are available for K–12 classrooms.

Louisiana Wetland Education Coalition (LaWEC)
www.lacoast.gov/education/lawec

LaWEC furthers knowledge and understanding of Louisiana’s wetlands by providing educational resources to teachers, wetland materials to the public, and interagency communication about projects and resources to members.

Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences (PIES)
www.pi.uno.edu

Providing opportunities to study and explore Louisiana’s wetlands, PIES teaches students and educators about the issues facing the state’s coastal ecosystems. PIES offers workshops for educators, summer programs for middle and high school students, and field trips during the school year.

Project Learning Tree
www.laplt.org

An award-winning, multidisciplinary program, Project Learning Tree teaches critical thinking and problem solving skills as students from prekindergarten through high school use science, math, language arts and other subjects to learn about local, regional and global environmental issues.

Project Webfoot
www.ducks.org/projectWebfoot
joey_b@ldaf.state.la.us

Through Ducks Unlimited’s Project Webfoot, elementary and middle school students discover the functions and values of wetland ecosystems. At free workshops, teachers learn to use the program and receive materials that incorporate science, math, language and visual arts into wetland studies.

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
www.projectwet.org
joey_b@ldaf.state.la.us

Award-winning Project WET offers intensive workshops that train K–12 teachers and informal educators to incorporate hands-on lessons about water quality, wetlands, watersheds and water resource conservation in classroom and outreach programs. Workshop participants receive WET’s curriculum guide with 90 waterrelated classroom activities.

Project Wild
www.projectwild.org

A conservation education program used in schools across the U.S. and in seven foreign countries, Project WILD leverages kids’ natural curiosity about nature and the environment to teach science, social studies, literature, math, geography and history. State wildlife and educational agencies conduct teacher workshops illustrating the characteristics and importance of wildlife habitat. WILD’s curricula, materials and demonstrations all meet state educational standards.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov/educators

Through its Web site, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides an online library, classroom materials, photos, maps, and links to conservation groups for educators and students.

Wetland Education Through Maps And Aerial Photography (WETMAAP)
www.wetmaap.org
Larry_Handley@usgs.gov

This national program’s short courses, workshops and Web site teach educators about the functions and values of wetlands and how to integrate environmental and earth science into curricula. Maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery and introduction to geographic information systems technology promote understanding of environmental issues, including land loss and the causes and consequences of wetland change. the Louisiana WETMAAP curriculum is funded in large part by BTNEP and PIES.