were conferences:
- ANCA - the Association for Nature Center Administrators
- CINC - the NH Children in Nature Coalition
- LTA - the Land Trust Alliance Rally
- NAAEE - North American Association for Environmental Education
- NHSTA - the NH Science Teachers Association
As well as wonderful workshops & regional partnerships:
- In Arizona - with Arizona Alliance for Environmental Education, Be Outdoors Arizona, Audubon Arizona, the Environmental Education Exchange, Pima County Parks & Recreation, Saguaro National Park and Together Green.
- In Pennsylvania - working the Heritage Conservancy, the Skippack Historical Society, and community volunteers as part of a Route 113 corridor project (with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation).
- In Oregon - presenting in tandem with Cait Goodwin, coordinator of the Oregon Coast Quests program.
Upcoming Events:
Stories: Connecting
People & Places_
Georgia River Network
Jeckyll Island, GA
2/19
Two Day Community Questing Workshop
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Brecksville, OH
3/3-4
Two Day Questing Workshop for teachers
Cuyohoga Valley National Park
Brecksville, OH
3/5-6
Settlement Quest Workshop
Hartford, VT
5/7 - 8
Project Preservation
Dartmouth College
Krakow, Poland
6/14-24
Ag-tourism Quest Workshop
Baltow, Poland
6/25-27
Four Day Civil War Quest
Antioch New England Institute
Keene, NH
7/6-9
Wellborn Ecology Fund Retreat
Whole Communities
7/24-3010/27-28
Whole Thinking Retreat
Whole Communities
Fayston, VT
8/20-26
Field Notes
Heres a taste of a few of the Quests we created:
In Pennsylvania, the _Indenhofen Farmstead Quest_ moves chronologically,
telling the story of the brothers and their historic homestead:
c. 1710 - 1725
This multi-purpose structure, built of Locatong stone,
Served as much more than a single family home:
the brothers, their wives, and der kinder inhabited this space;
and for the German Reformed Church this was a house of grace.
In 1714 - after the road from Wide Marsh was laid
this home became a public house where travelers stayed.
Ich habe hunger and Ich habe durst
Folks stopped by to quench their hunger and thirst.
Peer in the window that is on your right.
The Indenhofens kitchen will be in sight.
In Arizona, Quest for the Whispering Rocks shares some of the geology of
the Sonoran Desert: moving up a wash, listening to (and letting) the stones
talk:
Look at your compass. East up the arroyo you go. Before a bend, on your
right, red rock will show. Step up close to the rock and you will spot a
bunch of little, white polka dots!
Red rock whispers:
I have seen so many changes here
over many, many million of years.
Way back when, I was mud on the shore of a lake.
Aquatic creatures dug into me, homes theyd make.
As the lake dried up, the iron in me rusted red.
I hardened to RED rock; creature trails turned WHITE instead.
In New Hampshire, Upper Valley Jewish Community teens created a Dartmouth
College Quest as a service project. The Quest visits a famous Doctors
reading room. The text is written (we hope!) in a style quite fitting:
At the far side,
take the stairs down.
The Doctors Room
will soon be found.
His room is there.
Its lovely and quiet.
Youll want to explore it
But 1st you must find it!
The Doctors first name?
__ __ __ __ (__)__ __
Letters
"I take kids out all of the time and am very intimate and emotionally
attached with nature. But what you did really slapped me in the face. It
flipped a whole bunch of switches I never would have considered. I am
extremely excited by this approach!"-from Arizona
"Questing...what an amazing project! Talk about all of the places we've
passed each and every day of our lives, cruising on by, so unaware of the
many treasures these sites have to share with us, impart to us. Maybe its a
park; or perhaps an old home or farm. Yes, these places in our lives are a
part of who we are, and as we stop to learn and listen, we create a powerful
sense of place, one that forever links us to that place and to each other."
With a heart as wide as the world, a spirit that is infectious with zeal,
zest and a passion for helping to foster this sense of place and a knowledge
base to help design the most amazing Quest ever, Steve is truly an
impeccable facilitator, teacher, leader and person. When you work with him,
you walk away with all the tools needed to make an awesome adventure come
alive. You even learn new aspects of the story you tell - no matter how long
you may have worked at or explored the very site you seek to design a Quest
for." -from Kentucky
"What I loved the best about the process is how you can sit down with total
strangers, start to swap stories, and discover that you once crossed each
other on the streetor share some deep belief. All it takes is talking and
asking questions. This is such a simple but profound process."
- from Pennsylvania
Links
Wildlife Action Grants Available_
This New Hampshire Fish and Game Department program provides mini-grants of
$300-$600. The deadline for proposals is February 1, 2010. For a proposal
packet, write to Marilyn Wyzga, marilyn.wyzga@wildlife.nh.gov; or (603)
271-3211.
Heart & Soul Photo Contest
If you could capture the authenticity, character and spirit of your town in
a photograph, what would it look like? Check out the Orton Family
Foundations first Heart & Soul Photo Contest! Find out more about how
to enter and upload your images to the Community Heart & Soul Photo Contest
Group on Flickr. http://www.orton.org/page/heart_and_soul_photo_contest
Community Matters 10
Conference in Denver, Colorado, October 5th through 7th, 2010. More
information.http://www.communitymatters.org
National Wildlife Federation
Has officially launched its new Eco-Schools USA Program this month and are
asking for your help in spreading the word.
http://www.nwf.org/ecoschools/index.cfm
0 comments:
Post a Comment