Join CAEE for our first ever Western Slope Environmental Education Summit!

REGISTRATION REQUIRED (Scroll down to "Register Now" button).  We appreciate if you can register by Friday, September 20 for logistical purposes, however, you can register until the day of the event or on site.

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Summit: 9:30am (Networking/Check-In);10:00am-4:00pm (Summit)

Networking Happy Hour: 4:30-6:00pm 

Location: Delta Performing Arts & Education Center, 822 Grand Avenue, Delta, CO 81416 

Cost: Full Day Rates ($40-CAEE Member; $50- Non-member); Half Day Rates- Morning or Afternoon Only ($20-CAEE Member; $30- Non-member)

If you are not a CAEE member and would like to become one and receive a discounted member rate for this event, click here for more information and to join.

Cancellation policy: If you are no longer able to attend this event, we must receive an email notification at least 2 buisness days prior in order to receive a refund due to food being provided for this event.  Registrations can be transferred to another person.

The Western Slope Summit will bring together various agencies, nonprofits, educators, and supporters of environmental/nature/conservation education to learn, share and network about the various practices, programming, resources and potential collaborations in the Western Slope area. Please note that anyone from any part of the state is welcome to join us!

TENTATIVE AGENDA (Subject to Change)

9:30-10:00: Morning Networking/Check-In

10:00-10:45: Welcome & CAEE Overview of State and National Initiatives

10:45-12:15: Roundtable Discussions

12:15-1:00: Networking Lunch

1:00-2:00: Session # 1 (2 simultaneous sessions on different topics lead by local educators)

2:00-3:00: Session # 2  (2 simultaneous sessions on different topics lead by local educators)

3:00-4:00: Share Out and Takeaways from Sessions/Moving Forward from the Western Slope Summit

4:30-6:00: Networking Happy Hour at nearby venue

We hope that you can join us for the full day! However, if you can only join for part of the day, please indicate that by selecting morning only, afternoon only or networking happy hour only when you register. 

EVENT DETAILS:

MORNING ACTIVITIES: CAEE will kick off the event with updates on the Colorado Environmental Education Plan (CEEP) for PreK-12 learners that was approved by the State Board of Education in December 2012. Come learn how the strategies in the CEEP can impact your work and how it will move forward through the recently selected statewide Colorado Environmental Education Leadership Council and the future development of regional councils in your area in 2014.  CAEE will also share updates on the No Child Left Inside national legislation as well as other CAEE updates, programs, and resources available to support your work.

Roundtable discussions in the later morning will allow participants to connect with others with shared focus areas and interests.  

AFTERNOON ACTIVITES: In the afternoon, participants will have the opportunity to attend 2 sessions at different times on various topics led by local educators. There will be four different session topics in total.  After the sessions, we will come back as a larger group to share out main points, ideas and takeaways and how that can inform our work moving forward.

AFTERNOON EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS:

Forging Non-formal Partnerships with Schools, Sarah Johnson,Education and Outreach Coordinator, Roaring Fork Conservancy:   Learn from Roaring Fork Conservancy's Watershed Education Program how to engage local teachers and schools.  Also, explore Colorado Academic Standards from a non-formal educator perspective.  Realize this isn't as daunting as you may think! Leave with a digital excel file to get you on your way to correlating your programs. 

Tools for Program Evaluation-Using Evaluation to Tell your Organization's Story, Sonja Macys, Executive Director, Yampatika: Are you using evaluation to tell your organization’s best story? Learn how establishing solid evaluation protocols on the front end of a project can not only help you tell your story, but also improve your program. Afraid of evaluation tools? Don’t be! You probably already have most, if not all, of the tools you need in your tool kit. We will use lessons learned from Yampatika’s K-5 environmental literacy program in Steamboat Springs, Colorado to reflect on what type of data is useful to collect, explore options for collecting it, and discuss how it can help us better our programs and better tell our story.

Differentiated Learning Strategies: How Project Learning Tree (PLT) Meets Needs of Different Learners, Shawna Crocker, Project Learning Tree Coordinator, Colorado State Forest Service: Project Learning Tree (PLT) adds new suggestions for differentiation of activities with each annual reprint of our guides.  These allow educators to include procedures that help all learners enjoy our activities.  Detailed explanations of each method are included as an appendix.  Other creative differentiations include new and exciting workshop models, such as “PLT IN the Trees”, and “New STEMS on the PLTree!”  GreenWorks and Green Schools Grant opportunities  provide additional incentives for educators to stay involved!

Cat Herding Survival Tips: Graceful Group Management on the Trail and in the Classroom, Leigh Gillette, Education Coordinator, Southwest Region, Colorado Parks and Wildlife:Eighteen years of teaching on trails, in boats, on skis, from ropes, and in classrooms has given environmental educator, Leigh Gillette, a big ol' bag of group management tricks.  She's excited to share ideas with you via demonstrations, scenarios, and discussions.  We'll think about management from both student and instructor points of view, and consider proactive program designs as one of the best management tools of all.

CAEE looks forward to learning more about the interests and needs of educators on the Western Slope and how our shared assets and resources can have a broader impact!

REGISTRATION REQUIRED (Scroll down to "Register Now" button).       

CHECK OUT CAEE'S OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS     

Webinar- October 1, 3-4pm MST: Spatial Environmental Education: Teaching EE Online and in the Field with Web Maps. Click here for more information and to register.