Florida Educators,

Many of us are in still in the decision making process regarding summer programs during this COVID-19 health crisis. Some are planning to make adjustments, while others have announced cancellations and the adoption of virtual camps. Let's share our thought processes, decisions, and ideas as we all re-envision our summer programming. 

The League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF) is reaching out to educators across the state to take part in a survey and zoom meeting. Please forward to any educator who may be interested.

The Florida Summer Camps During COVID-19 Survey is designed to give us all a snapshot of what is happening with nature and science camps in Florida. We expect this information will be helpful to you right now, so we've made this google survey anonymous and changed the permissions to allow all of you to see each other's responses. You can check back at any time to see the updated responses. Whatever part of the decision making process your organization is in, we hope to hear from you. https://forms.gle/gvtRTCFSW2r5jBvn8

The Florida Summer Camps During COVID-19 Lunch Zoom is on May 20, 2020 from noon-1pm. I will present the results of the survey and ask you to share your ideas for camp adaptations and virtual programming. This is an informal conversation, so feel free to come dressed as you are or with your lunch. Let's check in on each other and move forward together. If you are interested, email leef.florida@gmail.com

Thank you and have a great day,

Dustin Angell

LEEF President

DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE SPARE TIME NEXT WEEK? PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING LEEF A HELPING HAND ON MAY 5th.

LEEF had to postpone the Spring Conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has now rescheduled it for November 20-22, 2020. Unfortunately, cancellation of the conference was a huge blow to the LEEF funding for the current fiscal year. The LEEF executive director and the LEEF executive board have been seeking fundraising activities that could replace lost revenue. We were fortunate enough to be accepted to participate in a unique fundraising opportunity, #Nonprofit Matching Fund #Giving Tuesday Now.

#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. If you can give $10 or more, we will get your donation plus a share of the national and state pool of matching funds. (You can donate anytime between today and May 21, 2020--not just May 5.)

Every donor to LEEF’s fund will have a chance to receive a newly-designed LEEF t-shirt!

Go to: https://now.firespring.com/nonprofits/leef to make your donation today. And do not forget to share this with all of your friends!

Dear Members,

We want to invite you to our virtual Annual Membership Meeting this Thursday April 30, 2020  at 7 PM.  We will be hosting the meeting on Zoom. Members should have received an invitation via email with the Zoom info to allow you to connect. If you are a current member and did not receive it, please contact us at leef.florida@gmail.comso we can send you the link to attend.

Join us and connect virtually with other LEEF members!

Agenda

• Welcome and Introduction

• LEEF's Year in Review

• Meet our New Executive Director

• General Meeting and Updates

• Officer Installation

• New President Words of Wisdom

Thank you and looking forward to it!

Sarah Davis

Current LEEF President

Work Schedule: Part-Time Regular; Flexible during the week based on programming needs.

Sunday, 10am to 3pm, Will need to work special events as needed. Break camps & summer camp; Reports to Executive Director

Educator Responsibilities:

· Present our existing and to assist in creating new education programs for a wide variety of audiences both at SNC and client’s locations.

· Book, Invoice and manage all educational programming.

· Planning and the operation of Camp Wild during Winter, Spring and Summer Camps.

· Maintain records on campers, CIT’s and Counselors.

· Assist in marketing all aspects of the SNC to include education programs and fundraising efforts on and offsite.

· Assist in the daily operations of SNC to include clerical duties, facility maintenance, and customer service.

· Assist with fundraisers and special events.

· Assist in other departments.

· Train volunteers to assist in educational programs.

Desired Qualifications:

· Have or working towards a four-year degree from an accredited university in Biology, Environmental Studies, or related natural science field.

· A working knowledge of Microsoft Products (Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Access.)

· Effective communication skills both written and verbal.

· Resourcefulness to solve problems and find answers independently.

· Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

· A positive, outgoing and pleasant demeanor.

· A current, valid driver’s license and own transportation and willingness to use own transportation to transport animals to offsite programs.

· Willingness to help other areas when the need arrives.

· A background check will be required.

Please send cover letter & resume to:

Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital

Attn: Robin Reccasina

3000 Sportsplex Drive Coral Springs, Fl. 33065 or

E-mailto:robin@sawgrassnaturecenter.org

Mission Statement: To educate the public about South Florida's wildlife, natural history and environment; rehabilitate injured and orphaned native animals; and promote healthy outdoor living.

LEEF Membership Discussion Forum

In response to your questions posed in our recent LEEF Communications Survey, it has become clear that what you need right now, more than anything else, is the opportunity to share ideas, receive input, and find camaraderie with your colleagues on topics both personal and professional. In an effort to provide a venue where this can happen, we have created a "Discussion Forum" page on our website. The discussion forum is open to all and, to get the conversations going, it has been seeded with two guiding questions. If you feel you have a question that deserves it's own category, please let us know. 

For now the only guideline is that your input is polite, respectful, and relevant. If we find we need more guidelines, we will put them in place.

The creation of this Discussion Forum page was inspired by current events and your honest responses to our inquiries as to how we could help. That being said, we feel that this method of communication among all LEEF Members will continue to be useful in the future, even as things return to "normal".

March 26, 2020

Dear Conference Registrants,

As the emerging public health crisis has heightened dramatically in recent days, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the March LEEF conference. The situation is hugely disappointing, but unfortunately largely out of our control. This is a year’s worth of valuable work, and in such a unique collaboration, with so many appealing aspects.

Cancelling is a shame, but the good news is that we have secured the same location for a make-up conference to be held November 20 - 22, 2020! (More details on that to come soon.)

For now, we would like to tell you about your options for handling the payments you’ve already made for the March conference:

1.  Registration Fee Refunds

The Board of Directors have approved a one-time exception to the Conference Cancellation and Refund Policy. For those who request a registration refund, LEEF will grant it in full.

2.  Registration Fee Transfers

If you would like to keep your registration fees on hold in our account to use toward the make-up conference in the Fall, we are happy to do that for you.

3.  Registration Fee Donations

In light of the substantial financial impact that this cancellation will have on LEEF, we do ask all to consider converting your registration fee, or a portion of it, to a general charitable tax-deductible donation to help offset unrecoverable costs, for which we are happy to provide a receipt.

To submit your choice of refund, transfer, or donate options, please follow this link to the LEEF Conference Refund Request survey. This survey must be completed by April 30, 2020.

Because of the volume of registrants, please have patience as we process refunds and receipts.

What about your lodging payment?

We have talked with the good people at the Florida Elks Youth Camp, and they have offered refunds on all room deposits. The cancellations were made to all last week, so look for that refund on your credit card.

Obviously we suddenly have a whole new set of tasks, questions, and challenges. And we will work them out. Your understanding and support in this difficult choice is gratefully appreciated. We are still in this together and we wish you and your family health and wellness.

Regards,

Sarah Davis

LEEF President

From University of South Florida's Patel College of Global Sustainability:

Join us for an epic statewide dialog on how to Solve Climate by 2030. The WebEx webinar will take place April 7, 2020 at 6pm EDT. After a brief message from the national Solve Climate by 2030 organizers, we will hear from Yoca Arditi-Rocha, Executive Director, The CLEO Institute; Dr. T.H. Culhane, Director, Climate Change Concentration, Patel College of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida; and Laura Stargel, Florida Field Organizer, Our Climate. Moderator: Dr. Brooke Hansen, Director, Sustainable Tourism Concentration, Patel College of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida, kbhansen@usf.edu; cell 607-280-1147

PLEASE REGISTER HERE under state Power Dialogs http://www.solveclimateby2030.org/ to receive the link for the live webinar, or if you would like to be e-mailed a link to the recording. We will be using WebEx so download to your devices ahead of time. For more info, contact Franklin Dureke at idureke@usf.edu. Join our Facebook group here for discussions both before and after the webinar https://www.facebook.com/groups/923130974805088/ We are also creating a master list of climate change organizations in the state and will make that available to all who register for the webinar. Perfect for teachers, especially high school and college, who want to #makeclimateaclass and take advantage of the many additional curriculum materials developed for specific disciplines on the Solve Climate by 2030 website.

On behalf of Eco-Schools USA, Project WET and Project WILD welcome to this co-created professional development. Thank you for choosing this course to support your professional needs. We want to acknowledge your hard work as you are finding new ways to support student learning and collaborate with the community. Thank you!

As a reminder, the course is free and self-paced. In an effort to meet everyone where they are during this trying and ever changing time, the course will remain open through the end of June. Upon completion of the course you will be emailed the free lessons provided to you by Project WET and Project WILD.

Access the course here. https://wildlifeuniversity.schoolkeep.com/c/e7944bc15b22dc288c05a51f89919f2fe26b7368

The Glades 4-H Club of Broward County has partnered with the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital of Coral Springs for their Community Pride Project: Feeding South Florida’s Rescued Animals. After discussing a few different needs in the local community, the club then set out a plan to help provide a renewable food source for the rescued animals at the non-profit wildlife hospital. There was an area for a garden at the center, but it was overgrown with weeds and the existing border for the garden consisted of rotting wood. The club was awarded the Florida 4-H Community Pride Grant to build a new raised garden bed and to plant herbs and vegetables to serve as a sustainable food source for the rescued animals. In December 2019, the club met at the Sawgrass Nature Center and dismantled the old garden by removing rotting wood timbers. The club then assembled a new paver retaining wall and filled the garden with organic topsoil. In January, the club met again at the Nature Center to plant lettuce, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The club donated a watering can and attached a 4-H banner over the garden. Volunteers from the Nature Center helped to water the garden as needed using water collected from existing rain barrels. The club is happy to report that the garden flourished and by early February, some of the vegetables were ready to be harvested. It has been really exciting and rewarding to watch the rescued animals enjoying their organic vegetables! The Glades 4-H club will continue working with the Sawgrass Nature center over the next few months as they finish their Community Pride Grant project.

 

Share your knowledge and expertise of STEAM! We are seeking innovative, dynamic presenters to engage with attendees through lecture style, round table and inquiry-based sessions.

What

2020 Florida STEAMposium

Uniting Florida schools and stakeholders around the common goal of preparing the Florida STEAM Workforce for the future by building strong foundations for each and every Florida child in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math through high quality, engaging standards-based instruction

When & Where

June 15-18, 2020 | Melbourne, FL

Important Deadlines

Session Applications are due Saturday, February 29

Decision and notification sent Friday, March 20

For more information, or to apply, visit: https://www.floridasteamposium.org/apps_to_present/index.php.

Questions, please call 850.245.0078 or email Jennifer.Infinger@fldoe.org.