Teachers/Educators

• Check out the Making Ripples Education Newsletters:
  • SEVENTH ISSUE - October 1, 2009 Volume 3, Issue 1 - Insects (PDF)
  • SIXTH ISSUE - January 21, 2009 Volume 2, Issue 2 - School Gardens (PDF)
  • FIFTH ISSUE - August 27, 2008 Volume 2, Issue 1 - Invasive Species (PDF)
  • FOURTH ISSUE - January 10, 2008 Volume 1, Issue 4 - Sustainability and Outdoor Education (PDF)
  • THIRD ISSUE - August 8, 2007 Volume 1, Issue 3 - Local Programs (PDF)
  • SECOND ISSUE - January 3, 2007 Volume 1, Issue 2 - Networking-Community Partnerships for Natural Resources Education (PDF)
  • FIRST ISSUE - August 23, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 1 - Introduction to the Newsletter and Our Offerings (PDF)
  
  
• Grants for Educators:
  • 2009 Round of Conservation Education Grant (PDF version) or (WORD version) is NOW OPEN!
    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 5 PM Monday October 5, 2009. 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 through Spring 2010.
  • Saturday, March 6, 2010 Learn about the Locals! "Discover Wildlife" Educator Workshop
  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.
    
    Read essays from scholarship recipients:
    

    Seth Sherry, 2009 OSU graduate, Crop and Soil Science “…real positive change regarding our natural resources and how we manage them can only really progress as far as the majority of the population wants it to go. Simple tasks such as power, fuel and water conservation have only just now taken hold on our population, after years and years of public campaigns, and we have a functioning infrastructure!”

    
    
  • 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