Happy Spring! As many of you plan action projects this spring, share your plans with us! As always, feel free to contact us with any questions.

New City School submitted this creative PSA for the Parks Climate Challenge:

Last week, the first White House Summit on Environmental Education was held. Read Richard Louv's reflections on this event and the importance of environmental literacy.

There have been various phenological indicators of this year's early spring in Minnesota such as the early return of loons. There has also been recent writing about examples of phenological changes in Concord, Massachusetts that have been documented thanks to the early phenology records in Thoreau's journals. Bring your students outside to document changes of their own! Another benefit to taking your students outside is the link between physical activity and improved academic performance that is being shown in recent research. As we are enjoying this beautiful spring season, take your students outside to connect with their place and post their observations and journal entries to the Minnesota's Changing Climate online classroom. We love seeing your students' excellent work!

Happy National Park Week-especially to our Parks Climate Challenge cohort!

Kristen and Ann

Featured Resource

Weather Underground launched a great new page on climate change. This site presents climate data in an accessible way and also features local climate data for students to explore.

Professional Development Opportunities

Interested in joining a virtual climate change education book club mostly focused on young adult fiction? Find out more. You will have to register to the ICEE forum if you would like to join the conversation!

Classroom Earth is offering professional development grants for a six week online course on wildlife conservation with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Application Deadline: April 30

The National Environmental Education Foundation is accepting applications for the Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award. The 2012 award will go to an outstanding high school teacher who successfully integrates environmental education into their curriculum and engages students in interdisciplinary solutions to environmental challenges. Nominate a colleague or yourself. Application Deadline: June 8

Apply to the National Science Teachers Assocation's New Science Teacher Academy. Application Deadline: July 1

Spring is finally upon us! It's a perfect time to get your class outside with their journals and make some observations as Minnesota "wakes up." It is maple syrup time and we wanted to share this video about how the industry is changing that we came upon a few weeks back.

Last week, Will Steger visited Hawley Elementary and Hawley High School to speak with students about his adventures and what the Hawley students have been learning about climate change. First, he met with a third grade class that has been participating in our Minnesota's Changing Climate project. The students were all very excited to meet Will and asked many questions about his expeditions, the effects of climate change on their region and climate change solutions. WDAY news in Fargo featured a great piece on this classroom visit. Will then gave a presentation to Hawley High School as well as members of the public. Students saw the impacts of climate change that Will has experienced firsthand and heard interesting tales from his expeditions. These students also asked a range of questions including how Will stayed motivated when facing such odds. Will responded that it was always his determination and drive that kept him going during difficult circumstances. This visit was a wonderful opportunity to visit a different region of the state and share Will's stories and knowledge with another group of students. Thanks to our wonderful hosts!

Happy New Year! Launching Minnesota’s Changing Climate was a highlight of 2011 and we are excited about continuing to expand this program in 2012.

Parks Climate Challenge schools are continuing to create excellent PSAs. Check out this great work from Bloomington Lutheran School:

We are still accepting proposals for Parks Climate Challenge mini grants, so feel free to continue working on your applications. Let us know if you would like to discuss ideas for your project or have any questions.

We are looking forward to Will’s upcoming visits to Proctor, MN this week and Hawley, MN in February.

We hope that everyone enjoyed winter break and has had a wonderful start to 2012! Remember to share your great work and feedback with us as you continue teaching Minnesota’s Changing Climate this year.

Kristen and Ann

Resources

If you’re looking for new climate resources, check out these excellent climate apps: Skeptical Science, World Bank Climate Change DataFinder, ClimateCounts, Earth Observer, Arctic Watch and Drought/Fire Monitor.

Green Ribbon Schools Program

This national program recognizes schools with achievement or significant progress in the following 3 areas: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environment; 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. Application deadline: February 22, 2012.

Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators

This award recognizes grades K-12 educators who teach environmental education with innovative approaches. Application deadline: January 31, 2012.

Minnesota Renewable Energy Challenge

Start a Minnesota Renewable Energy Challenge team at your school. Registration deadline: March 1, 2012.

Eco-Hero Awards

Nominate a student between the ages of 8 and 16 who has been working on a creative environmental project for an Eco-Hero Award. Application deadline: January 15, 2012.

Professional Development

Participate in training to be a Climate Literacy Ambassador.

Save the dates for the 2012 Will Steger Foundation Summer Institute: August 7 and 8, 2012.

Funding Opportunities

National Environmental Education Foundation

High school students have the opportunity to receive $1,000 grants to work on wildlife conservation. Learn more from this video. Application deadline: February 1, 2012.

AF&PA Recycling Awards

Enter to win a $2,000 prize for your school’s paper recycling program. Application deadline: February 10, 2012.

We had another fantastic day of school visits with Will Steger on November 18 when we visited Roseville Area Middle School and MetroTech Career Academy. During each visit, students presented the work that they have been doing with the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and Will spoke to large groups of students. Read more about the November 18 visits.

Thanks to Kay Nowell for sharing this informative video that was created about the impacts of climate change on the lives of students in Alaska. The students emphasize how climate change is affecting their community and sense of place. This is a great example of a project that students can help create about their own experiences and what they are learning about climate change.

We are beginning to revise the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum for a second edition. If you have feedback about lessons that have or have not worked well that you have not yet shared, please email Kristen, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will also begin to contact teachers individually in the upcoming weeks who were planning on using the curriculum in the fall. Thank you in advance for sharing your feedback and examples of your students' work.

In a November 2011 survey, the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication found that the majority of Americans think that global warming worsened recent extreme weather events. If you are looking for resources to teach about extreme weather and climate change, the Will Steger Foundation provides this resource.

Join the Learnin' From Durban video conference with delegates at the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa. This YEA! MN event will take place Saturday, December 3 at the Edina Library from 2pm to 4pm and is co-sponsored by the Citizen's Climate Lobby and Cool Planet. Contact Joe, YEA! MN Coordinator, with any questions about this event, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you are still planning on creating or working on PSAs with your students, check out these examples for some inspiration.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Kristen Poppleton

Ann Benson

Featured Resource

Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon and others created a new guide to renewable energy projects in schools. Learn more and download the guide.

Funding Resources

Enter the Get Green Video Contest with a video about how science, technology, engineering or math can make your city greener. Deadline: December 8, 2011

Apply for Captain Planet Foundation Grants to promote environmental education in schools and help young people engage in environmental stewardship. Deadline: January 15, 2012

EarthEcho Water Planet Challenge Grants support service learning projects that improve water resources. Deadline: February 1, 2012

Professional Development Opportunity

The National Environmental Education Foundation and its partners are hosting a free Greening the Schoolyard: Gardens and Habitats webinar on Wednesday, December 7 at 6pm. Register here.

Future Opportunity

Present on your great work teaching about climate change at the 2012 Minnesota Environmental Education Conference, June 21 and 22 at Itasca State Park.

On November 18, Will Steger's second day of school visits started at Roseville Area Middle School where Will gave presentations on his experiences in the Arctic and the impacts of climate change to two groups of eighth graders. Since Roseville Area Middle School is a participant in the Parks Climate Challenge program, each presentation began by showing the top public service announcements that students had created about the Mississippi River. It was fun to see these informative and creative videos. Will then spoke to students and answered many of their thoughtful questions. Students were very interested in Will's experiences on expeditions as well as the changes that he had observed over the years.

Next, we went to MetroTech Career Academy where Will met with the environmental science class and environmental club as a small group and then spoke to the whole high school. In the small group meeting, students presented the action projects that they had been working on to find solutions to a variety of environmental issues as a part of the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum. Students and staff at MetroTech had also completed a survey assessing their carbon footprint, what they already do to engage in solutions, what are barriers to more action and what they will do differently in the future. They had gathered some excellent data, and it was exciting to see the wonderful ideas that these students had for their action plans!

Thanks again to our fantastic hosts, and we look forward to seeing more examples throughout this year of what students are creating as part of our Minnesota's Changing Climate program!

On November 10, Will Steger visited two metro area schools and spoke to them about his experiences in the Arctic, the importance of observation and keeping journals and the effects of climate change. The first visit was to Crosby Farm Park with middle school students from Friends School of Minnesota. Students did tree coring and sampling at different sites in the park to collect data about the trees in the area. Friends School of Minnesota visits this site monthly to collect a variety of data throughout the year. They have been doing this program for over 10 years, which gives students the opportunity to learn about the importance of longitudinal data. It will be an excellent opportunity for these students to compare their data with this previously collected data at the end of the year. At Salem Hills Elementary, Will spoke to a third grade class, answered their questions and took them outside to write in the journals that they have been keeping this year. It was wonderful to see students collecting data, observing outdoors and exploring their environment just as Will did when he was young. Students were very familiar with Will and his work, and it was exciting to see the work that students have done and are continuing to do with the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and online classroom.

Thanks to our wonderful hosts and we are looking forward to more school visits with Will this year!

Will Steger’s school visits will begin next week with visits to Friends School of Minnesota and Salem Hills Elementary. Later this month, he will be visiting Roseville Middle School and MetroTech Career Academy. We are looking forward to these visits and will be posting about them on this Climate Lessons blog.

There have been 3 grant applications submitted from our Parks Climate Challenge Cohort, which have been great to see. We are excited to read the others!

There have been a couple recent articles examining effective climate change communication and teaching. One very interesting paper examines the personality types of Ph.D. climate researchers as well as the general public. It finds that the personality types of climate researchers differ from those of the general public, which has interesting implications for effective climate change communication strategies. Another recent article describes the importance of hands-on activities in teaching about climate change. Hands-on activities allow students to discover the impacts of climate change for themselves rather than just reading about them, which leads to a deeper understanding.

Featured Event

A Sense of Where You Are: Science and Knowing on the Mississippi River, Pat Nunnally, River Life Program Coordinator

Pat Nunnally will explore the Mississippi River, what we know about it and what it means on Wednesday November 9, 2011 at Aster Café in Minneapolis.

Funding Resources

CERTs Seed Grants

The 2012 CERTs Seed Grants have been released, which support community-based clean energy projects.  They are looking for projects that inspire other community groups to take action and provide models that can be replicated. Past funding has gone to projects in schools. For more information: http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/rfp  
Application deadline: November  15, 2011

Youth Garden Grants

The National Gardening Association is continuing its Youth Garden Grants program, which provides Home Depot gift cards to schools and community organizations who plan to garden with young people. For more information: http://www.kidsgardening.org/grants/2012-youth-garden-grants-1
Application Deadline: November 28, 2011

Great American Can Roundup

Join the Great American Can Roundup and win prizes for being one of the schools that collects and recycles the most aluminum cans. For more information: http://www.cancentral.com/roundup/

Project Saving Species

Collect cell phones for recycling to help save gorilla habitat. If your school collects the most phones, you can win up to $5,000. For more information: http://cincinnatizoo.org/savingspecies/

More Funding Suggestions

The Children & Nature Network provides suggestions about how to get funding for taking your students outside: http://www.seek.state.mn.us/article.cfm?id=5779

Future Opportunity

April 2012 is the Children & Nature Newtork’s Let’s Get Outside month. Start planning an outdoor April event with your students to join the movement. This would also be a great opportunity for an action project with your students.

Keep up the good work!

Kristen Poppleton

Ann Benson

Last week, Education Program Manager, Kristen Poppleton, Media Development Director, Jerry Stenger and I spent the day conducting interviews with 3 University of Minnesota professors, which will be included in the online classroom portion of our Minnesota’s Changing Climate project funded through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Our goal is to provide students with examples of current research being conducted to study climate change throughout Minnesota’s biomes. It was incredibly interesting to speak with these experts and hear firsthand about their current projects and what they have already learned.

Our first interview was with Dr. Jennifer Powers, Assistant Professor in the Plant Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior departments. Her current research in Minnesota examines the prairie’s responses to predicted climate warming. This is the first study in which the vegetation is being directly manipulated, through infrared heat lamps directly over the study plots, at 2 levels of warming. The plots also contain different combinations and types of prairie plant species in order to evaluate whether the effects of warming depend on the types of species present. This research will help evaluate how different global change drivers will affect the prairie biome in order to determine how to best manage the existing prairie fragments. Near the conclusion of her interview, Dr. Powers stated that learning how ecosystems respond to climate change is one of the greatest challenges that 21st century scientists face.

Our next interview was with Dr. Lee Frelich, Director of the Center for Forest Ecology, who spoke to us about his research in Minnesota’s boreal forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. His research focuses on climate change, disturbances and invasive species. Dr. Frelich emphasized that climate has an important impact on the frequency of forest fires and wind storms as well as the presence of invasive species, so it is important to study these 3 elements together. One of Dr. Frelich’s current studies involves a plot at Hegman Lake in the BWCA where every tree was mapped 10 years ago, which allows him to follow the composition and growth of the forest over time. One observation is that red maple, a deciduous forest species, has been invading the area and increasing in abundance. This means that the coniferous species will have to compete with these new species for a place in the forest in the future. Minnesota’s boreal forest is the biome that will probably leave Minnesota in a warmer climate and bring the plant and animal species found there with it.

Lastly, we interviewed Dr. Sue Galatowitsch, Professor of Restoration Ecology. She began studying climate change in Minnesota because she was interested to find out what would occur in this highly fragmented landscape, where much of the land has become farms or cities, in the middle of a continent. She also wanted to determine what conditions ecosystems in Minnesota would face in the future. Thus, she became involved with the first climate change projections for the state of Minnesota, which predicted a 3°C rise in temperature over the next 30 years. An overall drier climate was also predicted, which would be a climate similar to that of southern Iowa, near the Nebraska border. Based on these projections, it is very likely that the current deciduous forest biome in Minnesota will become prairie in the future. Dr. Galatowitsch stated that it is important for ecosystems to have as many species as possible to make them more resilient in the face of coming changes.

This is just a preview of what was discussed in these extremely informative and engaging interviews. All the information will be integrated into our new online classroom that we are excited to introduce along with our new curriculum resources at the 2011 Summer Institute.  Find more information and apply today on our website!

As the falling snow continues during this long winter season, it is an excellent escape to be reading observations of the changing seasons that Will recorded in his journals. Since the topic of snow has dominated what most people have been thinking, reading and hearing about for the past couple months, I thought I would share a sample of all the seasons that Will observed in Ely through the years. Also remember to enjoy this winter season because spring will come sooner than you think. Will concluded his entries in March 1972 with this thought: “I can’t believe spring is almost here. Winter seemed so long, yet so short. And time passes on…”

Fall:
October 1, 1971
In the middle of the night yesterday it was 70° and a warm, humid wind was blowing…The brilliant colors are through, but I’m not devaluing the beautiful yellow of the birch and aspen. Yesterday hard, heavy rain and wind knocked down most of the orange and red leaves (mostly maple) to the ground. The forest floor is so colorful. With the heavy moisture lately we may have a good mushroom fall if it doesn’t freeze too hard.

Winter:
January 25-27, 1977
For the past 2 days the winds have been intensely strong, day and night, with sub-zero temperatures: highs of -10°, lows of -30°. The sky has been hazy with blowing light snow from the Northwest…With proper dress, diet and a comfortable place to sleep, these arctic storms are exhilarating…The key is to be comfortable in order to relax and take in what is actually happening: the raw nature that is experienced, the sting of the wind on hands and nose, the freshness of the air, the beauty of the sky and land forms in such weather, the milky, heatless appearance of the sun, the moon’s halo in cold, windy light.

Spring:
February 22, 1977
Feeling of moisture in the air, senses are keen in picking this up after many months of dry cold…Presently, tonight, the wind blows from the South, stars shining, warm (15°) outside. Thoughts turn towards the gardens, green fields, light. The first realization that winter is almost over…you enjoyed the fight, but it is easy to give in to the longer days and the return of the sun’s heat. The blue sky, South wind, smell of moisture, altocumulus (not a cold weather cloud), the reviving of the senses, the awakening, flashbacks of youth, the sun is returning, the winter lifts, loses its strength, its grip, it will return, but never as strong for the sun is getting higher, rising more towards the east, setting toward due west, the season is progressing, Orion moves to the west. Sirius dominates the sky, Leo rising higher each night.

Summer:
July 24, 1979
Mid-summer lushness, the forest and cleared areas are like jungles…True of this time of year is the hot weather (temperatures in the 80s) and occasional thunderstorms. The lake is warm…The mid-summer nights are unsurpassed for peace and serenity. Birds singing in evening and especially in early morning…The birds seem to sing most after rains especially when the sun is just peaking through the clouds.

Check out our lesson on journalling that highlights Will's journals, as well as other Minnesotans throughout history.