Calling all Florida, K-12 Teachers! We are hosting an exciting all-county Everglades Literacy Teacher Training virtually on Saturday, October 16th from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., with K-5 and 6-12 breakout rooms.

Teachers who attend this virtual training may earn PD points from their districts and are eligible to receive free, printed materials to implement lessons into the classroom.

More Information

Register today and be sure to share with other K-12 teachers who might be interested! Use this link to register.

Register Here

As LEEF continues its commitment to JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), we share this exciting opportunity with you:

The Joy Trip Project is pleased to announce the release of the Anti-Racism in the Outdoor Resource Guide. Created by Dr. Don Rakow of Cornell University and Laura Brown of the University of Connecticut this annotated bibliography is a detailed list of articles and online content references that explore the complexed issues of racial disparities in the equitable access of all people to  the outdoors. In partnership with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison this new recourse guide will be shared in a free Zoom panel discussion titled Everyone’s Earth: Conversations on Race and Environment on Thursday September 30th at 11:30AM Central Time.

“The Antiracism in the Outdoors Resource Guide was created to serve as a non-refereed resource to facilitate understanding of the history and impacts of racism in the parks and green-spaces for anyone hoping take action toward making outdoor recreation and environmental conservation more diverse, equitable and inclusive. The Guide includes national organizations, presentations & podcasts, affinity groups and resource lists, books, articles, general anti-racism resources and ally-ship resources, but it is by no means comprehensive.   So many voices and stories, particularly those of Black Indigenous, and People of Color have historically not been shared or raised up. We hope this will serve as a staring place to raise up, support, and build stronger collaborations around these issues.”
 

(Christopher Kilgour, Claudia Pineda Tibbs, Corina Newsome)

The panel discussion, sponsored by the Schlecht Family Foundation, hosted by the Nelson Institute and moderated by community relations liaison James Edward Mills, will formally introduce the ARITO Resource Guide and engage questions from a live online audience. The panelists include Christopher Kilgour, Founder of Color in The Outdoors, Corina Newsome, Community Engagement Manager, Georgia Audubon Society and Claudia Pineda Tibbs, Advisory Board, Latino Outdoors; Sustainability Manager, Monterey Bay Aquarium. Registration is required to attend and participants are welcome to ask their questions in advance. The organizers hope to encourage a rousing conversation that will continue at their respective campuses and at institutions of higher learning around the country. Please join us for this groundbreaking event.

Tiger Creek Preserve Outreach and Volunteer Specialist position is now posted and accepting applications until 10/22 at www.nature.org/careers Job ID# 50358.

This person will be joining a dynamic onsite team looking forward to celebrating the preserve’s 50^th anniversary in the upcoming year. They will also be teaming up with two other Outreach and Volunteer Specialists working together on building statewide supports to unlock the potential for community engagement at our individual preserves. To help us better connect with our increasing Spanish-speaking neighbors, we’re looking for someone able to communicate in Spanish and English

Position Summary

The Center Assistant, Admissions will support the Blair Audubon Visitor Center operations and guest services including Admissions, its Nature Store and Gallery Cafe sales, general visitor and volunteer assistance, and membership sales.

COVID-19 mitigation at the Center includes frequent sanitation, a Plexi glass partition, Merv-13 filtration system, timed ticketing, mask requirement inside the Visitors Center, and the closure of some amenities.

This is a full-time position working 40 hours per week. Ability to work evenings and weekends required.

More Information

Oct. 8, St. Petersburg. Email sdunifon@co.pinellas.fl.us for information or to register.

Nov. 9, Eustis. Go to www.universe.com/wetnov2021 for information or to register

Dec. 9, No. Miami Shores, Email seleefer@webtv.net for information.

The FMNP Invasive Plants course and all of the class presentations will be online via ZOOM, with in-person field trips. Please help me get out the word about this course to others who may be interested.

  FMNP Invasive Plants course - Leon County

October 1-29, 202
Live Online, On-Your-Own Activities & In-person Field Experiences
Registration closes at 10:00am on September 27, 2021
(Course Code: IP21-08 Schedule attached)

All classes will now be held live online via Zoom. The On-Your-Own activities are designed to extend learning and minimize in person contact time.
The field trips will still be in-person with safety guidelines. Alternative, self-guided field experiences can be approved by the instructor for people who are not local or are not comfortable about being outdoors in a group.

This course will educate participants in all aspects of invasive plants in Florida, including ecology, morphology, upland and aquatic invasive plants and native alternatives. People who complete this course will be able to identify important invasive plant species, understand the threats they pose, how to reduce them through prevention and control, and be prepared to teach others about invasive plants and how to limit their introduction and spread.

Register by Sept 27^th at  FMNP - Invasive Plants of Florida (ufl.edu)

Program Agenda

The League of Environmental Educators in Florida has been serving environmental educators throughout Florida since 1981. LEEF supports environmental educators in Florida to achieve their vision of a statewide culture of environmental literacy and stewardship. Environmental education (EE) encourages inquiry, investigation, and the development of skills that enable responsible decisions and actions that impact the environment.

Our annual conference attendees will enjoy our field trips, professional development, evening networking events, educational sessions, and much, much more! We anticipate at least 100 formal and nonformal educators from across Florida. Our conference attendees are educated consumers who are happy to support green companies and educational organizations & agencies.

Generous sponsors of the annual conference allow LEEF to provide resources and to invite more attendees!

If you would like to support this important event, please learn more about the options here.

SPONSOR THE 2022 LEEF CONFERENCE

Interested in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion issues? Want to build a strong foundation in the language, concepts, and principles of equity work? Then this course is for you! The League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF) and the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance are excited to provide this opportunity for environmental educators across the state. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and be one of the first to register to qualify for a scholarship!

This is a 12 hour intensive course meant to be an introductory course for environmental educators.  It is asynchronous except for five 1 hr check-in calls that will take place every few weeks.

Registration closes on September 15th and space is limited!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Now accepting applications for 2022

OXFORD, Ohio (Sept. 1, 2021) – Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2022 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences in 15 countries throughout the world. http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu

Earth Expeditions can build toward the Global Field Program (GFP), a master's degree that combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities so that students can complete the GFP master's part-time from anywhere in the United States or abroad. http://GFP.MiamiOH.edu

Project Dragonfly also offers the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) master's degree that combines web instruction from Miami University with experiential learning and field study through several AIP Master Institutions in the U.S. Applications for Miami's 2022 cohorts are being accepted now with place-based experiences provided at zoos and botanical gardens in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Jacksonville, New York, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis. http://AIP.MiamiOH.edu

Graduate tuition for all programs is greatly reduced because of support from Miami University.