It's always a good time to save money, but this year it's more urgent than ever to find ways to get to the NAAEE conference without exhausting your budget. Check out the travel bulletin board to communicate offers and needs for ride sharing and hotel rooms among conference participants. The conversation is just getting started...add your voice and cut your travel costs.

Over 800 people have registered for the 2009 NAAEE Conference. If you have not registered please note that after October 1 there will be an additional on site registration processing fee, so please access the online system before then and register. Hotel rooms are filling fast and special rates will not be available after the first week of September. Visit our lodging page http://www.naaee.org/conference/travel-hotel/accomodations for Web site links where you can reserve your rooms.

Make sure to renew your NAAEE membership if it expires before September 25, 2009, to be eligible to vote in the upcoming election for the 2010 NAAEE President, Secretary, and Board of Directors. Not a member? Join before September 25th, 2009, and cast your vote!

Information on candidates will be included with the e-ballots when voting begins on September 25th. The election will run from September 25th through October 17th.

If you require a paper ballot, please contact the office at (202) 419-0412.

Vote by October 1st
The US EPA is inviting the public to vote for their favorite submissions in the third annual Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Intergenerational Poetry, Essay, Dance, and Photography Contest. Finalists were selected in five categories: originality, creativity, use of an intergenerational team, and ability to capture a sense of wonder.

Application Deadline: September 14, 2009
Fulbright Japan is pleased to announce a fully-funded conference to be held in Portland, Oregon, on November 1-6, 2009, on the theme "Best Practices in ESD (Education for Sustainable Development)." Access the online application on the Web site. For more information please contact the Institute of International Education at 888-527-2636 or ESDteacher@iie.org

Deadline: Whatever comes first -- October 16, 2009, or when 1500 applications have been received
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) offers this grant program to schools to help them succeed on a school project. This year, basic needs will be the priority and providing the tools that educators and parent groups need through these challenging times that will make the biggest impact.

NOAA B-WET provides grants in support of locally relevant experiential learning through experiences in the K-12 environment. Funded projects will provide meaningful watershed educational experiences for students and related professional development for teachers in support of regional education and environmental priorities. Competitions for 2010 funding are now open in California, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. Please see the funding opportunity for your region for more specific information.

Check out the newly redesigned Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative (MELDI) user-friendly Web site offering an expanded list of resources, ranging from green jobs, internships, funding opportunities, and training programs to lists of upcoming environmental conference events. Feedback is welcome!

November 15-19, 2009 ~ Alberta, Canada
The Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE) is accepting applications to attend its second annual Leadership Clinic: "Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up," a team-oriented, transformative learning opportunity open to all groups that deliver environmental education in Alberta. The clinic is designed to help teams improve delivery of environmental education and optimize the action component of their programs.

Departing October 23, 2009
You are invited to join Life Member Bill Dent on a very special tour of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest, a unique ecosystem with extraordinary biodiversity. Nearly 700 species of birds have been registered there. The tour includes five days at the beautiful Guapi Assu Bird Lodge; two days in Rio with tours of Corcovado, the Tijuca Forest, Rio’s Botanic Garden, and the historic downtown; and three days in charming colonial Parati. The tour features expert bilingual guides, who will open our eyes to the diverse flora and fauna of the Atlantic Rainforest.

July 25 - August 7, 2010 ~ Costa Rica
This two-week short course is being offered by Earth Education International (Costa Rica) and Humboldt State University. Participants can receive three undergraduate or graduate credits. The course includes field site visits and local travel. It is open to students from any university worldwide and to non-students.

September 25-27, 2009 ~ Ivoryton, Connecticut
"An Arena of Issues and Solution In A Changing World; Environmental Literacy, Cultural Diversity, Leadership Training, and Model Programs that Work" are the focus this year. Enter the big top for workshops, fieldtrips, midway of exhibits, and teams of dynamic speakers with featured keynote performance by "Circus for a Fragile Planet." Family and spouse activities make this a weekend getaway, while serving your professional development needs. Details, registration material, scholarship information, and exhibit forms are available:

Open through September 26, 8:00 pm
"Building Community, One Yard At A Time" -- To raise funds in support of the Richard Haley Scholarship, the New England EE Alliance and Connecticut Outdoor and EE Association are holding an online quilt auction. A collection of small quilts has been donated from quilters throughout New England. Register to participate:

Call for Proposals Deadline: September 14, 2009
Save the date for the 2010 Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia Conference on March 19–20, 2010, at Kennesaw State University Continuing Education Center, Kennesaw, Georgia. The Call for proposals is now open >>

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. The official celebration is September 18th but groups can monitor at anytime through December 31st to be included in the 2009 results. To register or for more information visit:

The Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP) online EE courses and schedule are listed below.

Making EE Relevant for Culturally Diverse Audiences (MEER)
September 8 - November 13, 2009
10-week course designed to provide the basic knowledge and skills needed to make EE relevant to culturally diverse audiences. Through this course participants will broaden their perspective of EE to encompass interests and issues of concern to culturally diverse audiences, assess barriers to participation among culturally diverse audiences, and apply cultural competency skills in building relationships and partnerships with members of an audience they intend to work with in the future.

Applied Environmental Education Program Evaluation
September 8 - December 4, 2009
This 13-week online course is designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs. Participants have the opportunity to develop and apply skills in designing evaluation tools such as surveys, observation forms, and interview and focus group guides.

Leadership Development in Natural Resources: Strategic Planning and Implementation
September 21 - November 20, 2009
Learn how to develop successful strategic planning and implementation models, processes, and techniques. Emphasis will be placed on managing the strategic planning process to build the capacity of organizations to provide effective environmental education programs.

There are $200 scholarships available for the AEEPE course and $100 scholarships available for the MEER course! The AEEPE scholarships are offered to course participants that are state EE leaders and the MEER scholarships are offered to course participants that are community and/or state EE leaders.

The essential Earth Science Week 2009 (October 11-17) Toolkit enables students, educators, and the public to fully explore this year's theme "Understanding Climate." The latest edition of this resource is now available through the American Geological Institute (AGI). The Toolkit contains a 12-month school-activity calendar and classroom poster provided by AGI, its Member Societies and other organizations. Along with a variety of publications, reports, and resources from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This new educational science Web site offers a variety of science activities that increase science literacy, raise environmental awareness, and introduce different careers in the sciences. The site also provides the user with video clips from the PBS Rhode Island television series, interactive online activities, and downloadable instructions and data collection sheets for hands-on activities. Produced by the Catch the Science Bug Foundation and sponsored by Best Buy Children's Foundation.

This Parks Canada booklet includes stories of exhilarating experiences between Canadians from across the country and species at risk. On the companion Web site, you can read and hear stories from the booklet, and many more! Site visitors are encouraged to share their own stories of encounters in the wild.

Directed by Carole Poliquin. Produced by Carole Poliquin and Isaac Isitan.
Carried out with intelligence and humor, Homo Toxicus explores the myriad links between toxic substances and increasing health problems such as cancer, allergies, hyperactivity, and infertility. Interviews with industry scientists and independent researchers shed light on inconsistent standards used for evaluation and regulation of chemical agents. The findings are disturbing and strongly challenge us to re-evaluate the laws and procedures currently in place to safeguard our health against man-made chemicals and potential environmental pollutants. Film is appropriate for grades 10 and above.

For only $55 (professional membership rate), you get a wealth of member benefits that include the new Members-only version of EE-News, discounts on conference registration and publications, access to our membership directory for valuable networking, the ability to influence NAAEE policy through participating in Committees and Commissions, and more !

Join Online >>

Making a contribution to supporting NAAEE's work to improve the EE profession has never been easier.

This email bulletin is provided by NAAEE , with funding from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). Read the latest EETAP Bulletin >> . EETAP is funded by U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Education. The NAAEE promotes excellence in EE and serves environmental educators for the purpose of achieving environmental literacy in order for present and future generations to benefit from a safe and healthy environment and a better quality of life. Read the latest EETAP Bulletin >>

Submit an announcement for inclusion in EE-News by sending a 50-80 word description to maryo@naaee.org

Subscribe by sending a blank email to: ee-news-subscribe@naaee.org
Unsubscribe by sending a blank email to: ee-news-unsubscribe@naaee.org

NAAEE also offers the semi-annual publication, NAAEE Communicator, posted online for exclusive access by NAAEE members.

Educators and others may copy or distribute the information in EE-News for the noncommercial purpose of educational advancement.

View this newsletter online: http://www.naaee.org/news-and-events/ee-news-archives/