Peter Fee, math/science teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School in Madison, Wisconsin, has spent time in Alaska on a Bears of Admiralty Island Teacher Expedition and also volunteered with the USFS, SEACC, and Juneau Cooperative Weed Management Area's summer 2011 invasive weed clean-up of Whitewater Bay. 

The inspiration he gleaned from his Teacher Expedition and Whitewater Bay trips manifested with his students back in Wisconsin:

"I took students on a field trip where we walked over to a country park and worked with two people from Friends of Lake Hill View Park to collect native plant seeds and spread them to areas where invasive species were removed by hand -- some of which was done by our students the spring before. I like how excited they got about us walking 50 minutes instead of driving. Thought this may be added as good evidence of your outreach benefits and how it positively affects other areas of the country."

Read the blurb about the class's work from the Madison, Wisconsin Northside News.

Peter's next hope is to get a class that spends a week in the fall canoeing down the Wisconsin River while camping and working with the Department of Natural Resources to remove invasive species from natural areas. 

***

Are you a teacher looking to take similar inspiration back to your own community?

Teachers view a brown bear on Admiralty Island during the 2005 expedition.

Registration for the 2012 Teacher Expeditions is still open. Glaciers, climate change, brown bears, humpback whales, natural history, habitat and land management issues, human interactions with wildlife, effects of human use patterns on Alaskan landscapes, and how to incorporate the natural world into your classroom are all topics you may explore on one of these exciting expeditions!

The Alaska Summer Research Academy (ARSA) is currently accepting applications for their 2012 summer programs. The ARSA is an intensive, two-week long learning experience for students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Individuals will study one subject and work in small teams participating in project based learning in a college-like environment. These programs are designed to be fun and engaging, while challenging at the same time.

The June 18-29 session is a day program for 7^th-12^th graders. Topics include: Math in Nature, The Science of Art, Robotics, Forensic Anthropology, Plant Genetics and Electric Car Construction. Visit the ARSA page for more details regarding the June Sessions!

The July 16-27 session will provide housing for students in the UAF dorms, where they will attend their programs during the day, and participate in a wide variety of fun activities in the evenings and weekends. Topics will include: Archaeology, Biomedicine, Civil Engineering, Cool Vibrations, Denali Geographic, Engineering Design, Extreme Photography, Fiber and Electronics, Forensics, Game Design, Genetics, Marine Biology, Not So Simple Machines, Radical Math, Robotics- beginning and advanced, Small Circuits, Sounds of Science and Sustainable Energy. More information on the July Sessions can be found here!

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to excel in the STEM sciences! 

Saturday, March 10th - 2-9pm - JACC

Friends of Admiralty Island is hosting a potluck, art display, and gathering of southeast Alaska's top scientists and most talented writers, artists, and thinkers. Come to be informed, inspired and challenged to add your voice for a brighter future for Admiralty Island.

Be sure to catch featured speaker Hank Lentfer at 7:30pm.

Brown bears search for clams during a 2006 Discovery Southeast Teacher Expedition to Admiralty Island

View the event's official poster for the full list of scientists, artists, and writers who will be contributing their insight and artwork to this event. 

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PS. Are you an educator interested in learning more about the life history and habitat of Admiralty Island's brown bears? Check out Discovery Southeast's Teacher Expeditions -- this year's Bears of Admiralty Island expedition is from June 4-10.

Coming soon to SAGA’s Eagle Valley Center, located at mile 24.2 Glacier Highway.

 The Jamboree is a FREE event, filled with outdoor play and exploration for all ages. There is going to be a barbeque lunch, games, nature exploration and art, naturalist walks, relays, cross country skiing and maybe even Reflectosorous! 

 We look forward to the jamboree this year, and hope you will come and support outdoor recreation here in Juneau!

Keep your eyes peeled for more details; February is already flying by!!

Thursday, February 9 at 7pm

UAS Egan Glacier View Room 221/222

Richard Carstensen will give perspectives from 3 decades of research on Juneau's most important and controversial fish and wildlife habitat. How can an understanding of succession and developmental changes contribute to better management decisions and to imagine the wetlands future?

Richard has been a Juneau naturalist since 1977 and an instructor and researcher for Discovery Southeast since 1988. From 1996 through 2009, his principle research interest was Tongass-wide forest issues and biogeography. More recently, his focus has been closer to home – a watershed-based study of the CBJ, and a deepening fascination with integrating human and natural history.

Since the mid-1980s, Richard's research projects on the Mendenhall Wetlands have mostly revolved around the Juneau Airport. Just as dairies dominated the wetlands from the 1890s to World War II, aviation has dominated since the Great War.

Oblique view over the developing Juneau Airport in about 1934

Discovery Southeast is offering two separate Discovery Days for children age 7-12 on Tuesday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 22. (Those are both parent conference days for the Juneau School District)

[Last year's March Discovery Day at Eaglecrest]

On Tuesday: We'll head down to South Douglas with naturalist Kanaan Bausler to discover the natural areas there. The day will end with ice skating at Treadwell Ice Arena (we'll cover all the costs of skating/renting gear).

[Last year's February Discovery Day at the Glacier Visitor Center]

On Wednesday: We strike out to Eagle Beach State Park with Kanaan for a day out the road, using the Eagle Beach cabin as a warm-up spot. (Transportation provided!)

[Last year's February Discovery Day at Eaglcrest]

What to bring: Children should come with a lunch, snack, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing to stay comfortable and happy outside. Depending on what the weather gives us, children may bring their own snowshoes, although this is optional. Discovery Southeast has 20 pairs of child-sized and 7 pairs of adult-sized snowshoes, which are available on a first come-first served sign-up basis. We can also help outfit your child with rubber boots or snowgear if needed -- please ask in advance.

Prices: $35 per day for Discovery Southeast members, $40 per day for non-members. Scholarships available -- call 463-1500 to inquire.

Transportation: 

Tuesday in South Douglas: No transportation provided. Dropoff at 9am at the Mt. Jumbo trailhead on 5th Street (located next to 319 5th Street); pickup at 3:30pm at the Treadwell Ice Arena. The children will be ice skating -- open skate lasts until 4pm that day, so children are free to stay and enjoy the rest of open skate under parent supervision! 

Wednesday at Eagle Beach: Transportation provided. We have teamed up with SAGA's Eagle Valley Center to offer a shuttle Out-the-Road. Pickup at Harborview at 8:30am, pickup at Riverbend at 8:50am. Drop off at Riverbend at 3:40pm, drop off at Harborview at 4:00pm.

To register:

Download the following registration form, print it out, complete it, and return with payment to our offices by fax, email or snail mail. You can also call us and we'll register your child over the phone or stop by our downtown office to drop forms off. We are located in the ArtiCorp Building at 4th and Harris in suite 208.

Call 463-1500 or visit the Discovery Days page for more information!

Do you know any college students or recent graduates with an interest in nature education and conservation? As of today, registration for the Alaska Conservation Foundation's internship with Discovery Southeast is open. 

2011 Intern Celeta Cook at Outdoor Explorers summer camp

Learn about and apply for the 2012 Alaska Conservation Foundation Internships.

All registration materials for this internship are due by midnight, Alaska time, on February 29, 2012.

Read the Discovery Southeast internship description below, quoted from the ACF website:

Host Organization:  Discovery Southeast

Title: Natural Science Educator

Location:  Juneau, AK

Website: www.discoverysoutheast.org

Description of Organization:  Discovery Southeast is a non-profit environmental education organization whose mission is to connect people to nature.  Discovery Southeast is devoted to experience-based, inquiry-driven natural history and conservation education programs for children, adults, students, and teachers in Southeast Alaska. We encourage a land and sea use ethic that recognizes our interdependent relationship with nature, and also recognizes the unique qualities of the Southeast Alaska coastal environment as a place to experience this relationship.

Duration: Twelve weeks: preferably June 4, 2012 through August 24, 2012, though there is some flexibility (Outdoor Explorers camp season runs June 11 – August 10).

Internship Assignment:  The Natural Science Intern will spend 70% of his/her time in the field leading, exploring and delivering Discovery Southeast’s hands-on environmental education program, Outdoor Explorers (OE), to youth ages 7-12.  This exciting and dynamic week-long day camp exposes youth to Juneau’s natural area through outdoor exploration, natural history, science based education, arts, crafts, and environmental education games and activities.  The intern receives training and experience in inquiry based, hands-on field leadership as well as conservation education and Southeast Alaska natural history.   The intern is also responsible for some coordination and administration of the OE program and reports to the Executive or Program Director while working closely with a lead naturalist and other program support staff.

The goals of this assignment are to have youth participants in Outdoor Explorers:

• explore the diversity of Southeast Alaska’s natural habitats,
• describe the natural communities found in the Juneau area
• demonstrate group skills and work together in a positive atmosphere
• learn and practice outdoor survival skills
• express and understanding and appreciation of the natural world through creative activities and conservation ethic
• learn how the ocean influences them and how they influence the ocean

Responsibilities:

• Assist with the planning, coordinating, and leadership of summer outdoor day-camps
• Prepare lessons and activities that focus on outdoor skills, natural history, and connections between nature and science-based principles
• Engage in outdoor procedures that emphasize safety, risk management, good judgment, positive group interaction, and personal leadership
• Perform administrative tasks in support of the Outdoor Explorers summer day camp program which includes handling registrations and communication with participant’s parents
• Assist when needed with the implementation of Discovery Southeast’s other community-based programs like Parade of Species, Teacher Expeditions and World Ocean Day
• Assist with driving a 15 passenger van upon approval. (Not required).

Qualifications:

• Prior experience in environmental education, backcountry travel, and natural history interpretation
• Desire and proven ability to work with diverse youth between the ages of 7 and 12
• Creative teaching and supervisory skills
• Ability to manage risk, provide positive leadership, and interact constructively with others
• Knowledge of Pacific Northwest/Southeast Alaska natural history preferred
• Ability to hike in difficult terrain and conditions while wearing a 10-20 lb. backpack
• Current First Aid/CPR required; Wilderness First Responder preferred
• Strong organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Valid driver’s license and proof of good driving record

Financial Support:  This is a paid internship with assistance in finding low-cost housing

Click here to apply (and to find out whether you are eligible).

A few years ago, Discovery Southeast was joined on their Bears of Admiralty Island Teacher Expedition by PBS Nature, which was filming footage for a future television program... and now that program is here!

Fortress of the Bears premieres Wednesday, January 25th, 8pm Alaska time. View more details and video clips at the Fortress of the Bears page on PBS Nature's website. 

Watch Fortress of the Bears - Preview on PBS. See more from Nature.

Interested in Teacher Expeditions? Registration is now open for the summer of 2012.

Looking for a unique and thrilling way to earn professional development credits? 

Alaska Geographic's 2012 Teacher Trainings are now open for registration (including Discovery Southeast's Teacher Expeditions!)

Alaska Geographic Teacher Trainings - be inspired by Alaska's wild classrooms

From their website:

"Every ecosystem and classroom is unique, so each Teacher Training is custom-designed. Some are based out of a field camp with rustic tent cabins, while others use charter boats, tents, or hotels for accommodations. Meals, lodging, equipment, and transportation are provided, unless otherwise stated. Most meals are served family-style, and are simple, hearty, and healthy."

Discovery Southeast offers three of these trainings - Brown Bears of Admiralty Island, Glaciers and Climate Change in Wild Alaska, and Whales of Icy Strait.

View all details on our Teacher Expeditions page.

Call 907-463-1500 to register!

These expeditions are made possible by the joint efforts of our outstanding partners: Above and Beyond Alaska, Alaska Discovery, Spirit Walker Expeditions, Alaska Geographic Association, USDA Forest Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the University of Alaska Anchorage.