--Nicolet Distance Education NetworkForest Ecology Introduction
NDEN Awarded Northern Initiatives National Forest Service Grant
NDEN’s grant proposal “Forest Resources and Ecology: A Distance Education Model” has been selected for funding through Northern Initiatives. Monies supporting our project are part of the Electronics Commons joint partnerships between Northern Initiatives, the USDA Forest Service, the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, and the Wood Education Resource Center (WERC).The grant was prepared and will be implemented in collaboration with U.S. Forest Service personnel assigned to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The grant period runs from December 1, 2005 through November 30, 2006 and the total grant award is $36,043.00.
The purpose of the Forest Resources and Ecology Project is to provide students and teachers with the opportunity to pursue hands-on conservation education projects on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. National Forest Service personnel and other collaborators such as the WI Department of Natural Resources will assist teachers in preparing for on-site projects. They will also work with teachers and students conducting projects on site and assist project participants in developing post-project sharing sessions.
One of the requirements for the project was the use of technology in an innovative way that others could model in their communities. In this project the NDEN interactive television network (ITV) will be used to provide students and teachers with conservation education background information in preparation for their field work experiences. ITV will also be used by students to share the results of and the lessons learned from their on-site projects. These sharing sessions will also explain how these activities can be replicated by students and teachers in their own district. Finally, interactive television will be used to provide project related professional development workshops for teachers and community partners.
All classroom project activities are designed to promote the implementation of the Wisconsin’s model academic standards. Project activities are also designed to promote knowledge and awareness of forest resources, ecology, and forest management issues and to assist students in developing an environmental ethic so that they are able to make informed decisions regarding the National Forest ecosystem.
Some of the topics that will be studied and the grade levels participating are as follows:
Fish Habitat/Ecosystems in Lakes & Streams(7-12)
Breeding Bird Survey (7-12)
Native Peoples and Archaeology (3-5)
Smokey Bear and Fire Safety (K-3)
Healthy Forest Initiative (4-8)• Foiled by Milfoil (k-12)
Litter/Pollution (K-4)• Bear and Wolf Population Surveys (9-12)
Fish Population Survey (7-12)
Aquatic Invasive Species Zebra Mussels(9-12)
Tree Benefits (grade 4)
Non-Native Invasive Species (5-12)
Sustainable Forestry (4-8)(Continued from page 1)