Teachers/Educators

Check out the Making Ripples Education Newsletters:
Grants for Educators:
- Conservation Education Grant (PDF version) or (WORD version) , Benton SWCD Conservation Education Grant for funding major or minor efforts in Natural Resources Education. If you want to engage students in the study of natural resources, we want to help you fulfill your DREAMS! The deadline for application submission is Friday, September 26, 2008. Contact Heath Keirstead (hkeirstead@bentonswcd.org or 541-753-7208) if you have questions.
Workshops for Natural Resource Educators - Save The Date for these workshops tentatively scheduled for Fall 2008 through Spring 2010. Check our Calendar Page for details as they become available
Scholarships:
- Natural Resources Scholarships - Benton Soil and Water Conservation District offers $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing degrees in natural resources. Qualified applicants must have graduated from a Benton County high school OR the family or student must have lived in Benton County, Oregon for purposes other than attending college for at least one year prior to the application deadline.
  Applications are available in the spring. For more information, contact Benton SWCD at 753-7208 or email office@bentonswcd.org.
- Ben Meadows Scholarships - Ben Meadows has $2500 Scholarships for college juniors and seniors studying Natural Resources! Visit their website for details at: www.benmeadows.com/scholarships/
Lessons and Class materials:
- Soil Studies
  - Teacher's Guide (PDF) 23 pages
  - Influence of soil texture table (PDF)
  - Soil Texture Flow Chart (version 1)(PDF)
  - Soil Texture Flow Chart (version 2)(PDF)
  - Soil Texture Flow Chart website
- Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates
  - Lesson Plan (PDF)
  - Stream Invertebrate Illustrations(PDF)
  - Stream Invertebrates graph(PDF)
- Invasive Species
  - Weed BINGO cards(PDF)
Ecology Field Cards for the Willamette Valley, Oregon
- $40/set includes Educator's Guide that:
  - is benchmarked to Oregon Educational Science Standards
  - addresses biodiversity, interaction of species, carrying capacity, food webs, limiting factors and competition
  - includes locations for use, pages to copy, key terms, glossary
- Three sets are available:
  - Set 1 - Douglas-fir Forests
  - Set 2 - Oak Woodlands
  - Set 3 - Riparian Bottomland Forests
- Ecology Field Cards:
  - can be used to increase you knowledge of local native species
  - contain fifty graphically rich 4" x 6" cards
  - include information on common plants, fungi, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians
  - are durably laminated for field use by youth and adults
- Great gift for naturalists or educators!!! -- Purchase Ecology Field Card Sets including a copy of the educator's guide for $40 at Benton County OSU Extension Office, 1849 NW 9th Street, Corvallis OR 97330-2144, phone: 541-766-6750. Click to download an order form. Add $5 for shipping. View Ecology Field Cards web page

Activities

See the Calendar/Events pages for information on local activities and events.

Educational Items

See the Buy/Rent/Borrow pages for information on educational items available for educational use and projects.

Conservation Education Links

Institute for Applied Ecology - a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to conservation research, ecological education and native seed use.
OSU Extension Learning Resources
Agriculture in the Classroom
For the Sake of the Salmon - Teacher Resources
Communities by Choice - Sustainability Resources for Teachers
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Curriculum Resources and Activities
Soil Biology Primer - USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service – Soil Quality Institute
Earth to Kids - Environmental Defense Fund
Watershed Education Resources - Global Rivers Environmental Education Network
Oregon Forestry Education Program (Project Learning Tree) - Environmental Education Links