While gaining a sense of place, we’ll explore Denali’s boreal forest and tundra and the role wildfire plays on these ecosystems. Using hands-on activities from Project Learning Tree’s new “Nature of Fire” activity collection, we’ll dive into understanding fire ecology including the effects of climate change on interior Alaska’s fire regime, fire management in Alaska, and how to protect our homes and communities. Throughout the workshop, we’ll be immersed in outdoor teaching and learning techniques and you’ll go home with PLT’s multi-disciplinary Explore Your Environment K-8 Activity Guide as well as access to PLT’s Alaska-specific online professional development which includes fire education modules. We’ll also become familiar with the many resources available to teach fire education for K-12 in Alaska – including fire kits available for check out around the state, as well as an introduction to the online, Fire in Alaska curricula.

Explore the scenic heart of Prince William Sound by kayak and by foot to encounter glaciers and whales, sea lions and shorebirds. Share new ways to bring the natural world into your classroom while developing curriculum with other Alaska educators. Spend six days camping, kayaking, and discovering with Chugach National Forest Wilderness Manager Tim Lydon. The main purpose of the course is to inspire teachers to connect their students to nature. The human relationship to nature will be a central theme, with an emphasis on America’s public lands and our idea of wilderness. Topics will include the area’s Alaska Native history, early Euro-American activities, evolution of the Chugach National Forest, 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the local effects of global climate change. The group will also learn about the area’s flora, fauna and glaciers while base camping at one beach camp for the duration of the program. Educators from communities effected by the Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) are highly encouraged to apply and have priority during registration. First review of applications will take place March 7. 

Are you looking for authentic STEM learning experiences to engage students in science while teaching critical skills like scientific reasoning? During this professional development course, teachers will spend three of their six days in the field working directly with researchers as ‘bio-techs’ helping to make observations and collect data while learning about monitoring protocols and data gathering methods. Teachers will learn about the ecological relationships of the nearshore environment and how the oil spill and its ongoing legacy impacted those relationships and processes. While in the field, research teachers will have time to kayak, hike, and explore the wonders of Kenai Fjords National Park.

This course is presented with NPS Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center and led by Education Coordinator Jim Pfieffenberger. After our initial two days of training and marine education workshops in Seward, the remainder of the course will take place on the charter boat Dream Catcher, deep in the Kenai Fjords. The group will live aboard the 97 foot vessel Dream Catcher, a remarkable way to experience the beauty of the Kenai Fjords National Park!

Explore your environment with Project Learning Tree! The first step to feeling confident in addressing and teaching climate change issues to students is to understand our modern global system and its history of change. In this place-based workshop, you will gain insight into the context from which to view modern human impact on our climate by exploring the evidence of its historical variation within the landscapes of Denali National Park and Preserve. With a deeper understanding of our global climate, we will experience hands-on activities from Project Learning Tree that address our global climate, and the significance of forests and trees in modern day issues. Throughout the workshop, we’ll be immersed in outdoor teaching and learning techniques and you’ll go home with PLT’s multi-disciplinary Explore Your Environment K-8 Activity Guide.