Conservation Education Days (teacher + landowner trainings)

2010 is winding down…and it has been a banner year for Playa Festivals and playa education! Over 1,500 5^th graders in 22 schools were engaged in hands-on learning through 14 Festivals in 2010, as well as teachers, parents, and educators. Ogallala Commons (creator of Playa Festivals) and our partners at Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and county Soil & Water Conservation Districts…are now gearing up to make 2011 another great year for building natural resource literacy for students and adults.

Ogallala Commons and its partners will conduct 5 Conservation Education Days in early 2011 that will occur on school days. Each of these training days will provide educators with basic information about playas and Playa Festivals, as well as opportunities for teachers to share tools and activities that enhance TEKS-based learning before and after the Festivals. In addition, for a 90-minute lunch period, area landowners will be joining our session to learn with the educators. This interchange is important for three reasons: 1) it will allow landowners to see that there is interest in playa conservation in local schools, with a new generation of students, 2) it will allow teachers to meet landowners who might have an interest in playa conservation, and/or school visits to their playas, and 3) it will enable teachers and landowners to learn some pertinent information about playas, conservation of the Ogallala Aquifer, and natural resources in general.

The five dates and locations for the Conservation Education Days (see attached agenda) are:

- Wednesday, January 12 at Clovis ISD Central Office, Clovis, NM

- Wednesday, January 19 at Oak Grove Elementary School,

Brownfield, TX

- Wednesday, February 2 at Lindsey-Steiner Elementary School

Library, Portales, NM

- Tuesday, March 1 at Amarillo Southwest Library, Amarillo, TX

- Tuesday, March 8 at Friona High School, Friona, TX

(These sessions will be conducted from 9am – 3:30pm…and are limited to 20 teachers/educators each)

We want to let all schools know that demand for Playa Festivals is very high…currently more than we can provide in the fall semester or even the short spring semester. So, any schools selected to host or participate in Playa Festivals will need to assure that their 5^th Grade teachers complete a training session before the Festivals take place. Now, here is the good news: the trainings listed above are free of charge, they will be energizing, and those who complete any of these training workshops are eligible to receive 6 hours of GT continuing credit through Region 16 and 17. Those of you

interested in receiving credit from Region 17 need to email me at juliehodges@prairieworkshop.com, and I will send a link to you for online registration. In order to receive credit you must complete this process prior to the session date. Region 16 teachers will need to fill out a form that will be available at the Conservation Education Day.

I would suggest that any school interested in a hosting or participating in a Playa Festival strategize to send a teacher (or maybe two) to each of the scheduled training sessions. Since each session is a bit different with varied presentations, having some of your teachers represented at all the training sessions increases the information and resources that can be brought back to teachers and schools.