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Sep

7

Mike Town: Passionate about environmental education

Filed Under Interviews, Jackie Wilson | Leave a Comment

CLEARING interview by Jackie Wilson

MikeTown3Mike Town earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University and the University of Washington.

From 1985 to 2010, Mike taught numerous science courses at Redmond High School including a very successful Advanced Placement Environmental Science program, which over the course of more than 10 years has been taken by nearly half of the student body.  He has also developed numerous elective courses including a Career and Technical Educational course in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Design.  In 2006, Mike developed the Cool School Challenge (CSC), a program in which has students audit and then reduce the carbon footprints of their schools. CSC now reaches internationally. Read more

Aug

31

Gertschen Interview: Talking about conservation and education with Lance Craighead

Filed Under Conservation, Forests, Interviews | 1 Comment

lancebookInterview by Chris Gertschen

Lance Craighead is the Executive Director of the Craighead Institute, an applied science and research organization that builds conservation solutions for people and wildlife in changing landscapes. Its mission is to maintain healthy populations of native plants, wildlife, and people as part of sustainable, functioning ecosystems.

Since its founding by renowned grizzly bear researcher Dr. Frank C. Craighead in 1964, the Craighead Institute has pioneered the fields of conservation and wildlife research. Over the past four decades the Institute has conducted ecological research on grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park, genetic research on grizzly bears in Alaska, conventional and satellite radio-telemetry of wildlife, and the use of remote sensing to map vegetation and wildlife habitat. Read more

Aug

10

Chris Gertschen talks with conservationists

Filed Under Biological Diversity, Chris Gertschen, Conservation, Forests, Interviews, Perspectives | Leave a Comment

Gertschenpicby Chris Gertschen

For the past three decades, I have been an activist, a volunteer, a student and a teacher of conservation.  My activist years gave me an advocacy perspective but I quickly saw a great need to expand my own natural science education – to give some foundation and balance to my life and love of the earth.  My studies of biology as an undergrad were focused singularly on human biology and physiology.  The word “ecology” was not then part of the curriculum.  As a graduate student, I was introduced to a whole new world.  In the natural history interdisciplinary program that I designed for myself at Boise State University, I studied geology, zoology, ecology and public affairs.  And, I began to learn about conservation biology. Read more

Dec

3

Best of Clearing CD-ROM Now Available!

Filed Under Art and EE, Biological Diversity, Climate change, Energy Alternatives, Energy Conservation, Environmental Health, Environmental Literacy, Forests, General public, Guest Commentary, Higher Education, Interviews, Justice and Equity, Language arts, Marine/Aquatic Education, Mathematics, Non-formal, Outdoor education, Perspectives, Programs, Questioning strategies, Resources, Reviews, Schoolyard Classroom, Science, Secondary, Service learning, Social studies, Sustainability, Technology, restoration, salmon | Leave a Comment

BOCcd-romcoverCTR.inddThe discs have been burned, and the packaging has been assembled, and the first batch of CD-ROMs featuring “The Best of Clearing, Volume VI” have been mailed out!

If you haven’t seen the advertising on this website, or seen reference to this document before, you should check it out… the best articles, activities, and reviews from past issues of Clearing compiled and published together on a CD-ROM. “The Best of Clearing, Volume VI” is a way to get the best of back issues of Clearing at a very low price (even less than the previous cost of a one-year subscription!).

And just so you know, we’ll soon be republishing an earlier B.O.C — Volume V — which gathers even more great articles from the recent past (think Mike Weilbacher, Jim Martin, and others) in one convenient reference volume for your resource library.

If you’re interested in helping to keep Clearing alive, this is one way to do it. Buy a copy of Volume VI in CD-ROM and keep an eye out for Volume V when it comes available. Click on the “Best of Clearing” link on the nav bar above to buy your copy!

May

14

Ear to the Ground: Ned Buckingham, Olympic Park Institute

Filed Under Ear to the Ground, Interviews | 1 Comment

nedsmallWhat is your current job title?

I am a Field Science Educator for the Olympic Park Institute.

How did you get into this field?

My educational background is in Biology and Secondary Education, and when I graduated from college, I just wasn’t ready to teach in the classroom.  I had an urge to be outside; to live in and experience natural places. Teaching in an outdoor setting seemed to be the best of both worlds.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I’m working on developing a bird feeding behavior/natural history curriculum that is usable for a wide range of students. I’m also at the early stages of developing a hands on, long-term river ecology program which would get students to monitor – via underwater video footage, as well as stream health monitoring – changes or consistencies in the river ecosystem we have access to near our facility.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Opening students eyes to the natural world, and giving them the tools to learn about it and enjoy it keep me coming to work every day.

If you could change anything about your work, what would it be?

I’d love to have more time to impact students. If I had the ability, I would love to see longer programming.

Where do you find inspiration for the work you do?

I find my inspiration from the beautiful places I work, and from the people teaching by my side. To see my fellow educators teaching to their passions about this place inspires me.

What is your favorite resource or tool for teaching about the environment?

My favorite tools for teaching about the environment are current issues. Here on the Olympic peninsula logging and land management are a great resource to get students thinking about land as a resource, and how it is cared for and managed. Frequent field trips to various sites around the peninsula give students great access to seeing clear cuts and other managed lands, which can lead to phenomenal discussions.

Where do you go when you want to recharge your batteries?

Moving water and big mountains recharge my batteries. By either playing or exploring in them, going for a run near them, or just taking them in, I feel myself being recharged.

What is your favorite place to visit in the Pacific Northwest?

The Northwest is way too spectacular to pick one favorite place! Unfair question! I do find myself drawn to rivers, with the Solduc being closest to my house.

What is your favorite nature/environment book?

My current favorite book is Gary Larson’s ‘There’s a hair in my Dirt’. I like that students often miss some of his adult humor, but are still able to take home his message.

Who do you consider your environmental hero?

I can’t pick one name to represent my environmental hero, but I consistently look toward my students as heros. They have the power to make informed, positive decisions, and are the sponges which soak up information and experiences and can help make a positive impact.

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