K-12 teachers from the Champaign area spent Two days "in the field," learning about environmental education as part of a partnership between the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Parkland College, the Champaign/Ford Counties Regional Office of Education and Earth Partners.

It's really not a new idea for a park district or forest preserve to sponsor an environmental education workshop for K-12 teachers. It is novel, however, to coordinate such an effort among four separate agencies—a college, a county-wide office of education, a farm bureau and a forest preserve district. Plus, include training on the Internet, requiring access to a large number of computer terminals.

Yet this unlikely combination of outdoor experiences and Internet training proved to be very complementary, educating 34 teachers from Champaign County in such varied experiences as collecting insects to accessing prairie information from the Internet.

The four partner agencies included Parkland College, the Champaign/Ford Counties Regional Office of Education, Earth Partners (an agency of the Farm Bureau), and the Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD). Held in late -June of 1998, the workshop was funded through

a Dwight D. Elsenhower Professional Development Grant for $30,000 from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and was tided "Integrating Internet and Hands-on Training: Using Local Field Sites and Our Ecosystem to Transform Science Education." The objective of the workshop was to teach teachers how to incorporate technology and hands-on field experiences into their science curriculum using the Internet, computer-aided image technology, morion video, as well as wetlands, woodland and other natural settings.

A demonstrated local need for the combined computer and outdoor training for teachers came from a survey of local classroom teachers commissioned by the CCFPD in March of 1997 and conducted by the University of Illinois (see reference footnote on page 13). The survey found that 85 percent of the 221 respondents had no previous training in environmental education and that 85 percent had never utilized the natural areas of the CCFPD for class purposes.

The most common reason given for not using the natural environment was the lack of familiarity of possible uses. Additionally, the survey indicated a tremendous demand for environmental education training, classroom science kits and other instructional supplies, and Internet access for up-to-the-minute information pertaining to the environment.

Ultimately, the four-day workshop included:
• field experiences with activities in prairie, wetland, grassland, woodland, river, savanna and marsh ecosystems;

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Among their field experiences/ teachers observe amphibians and reptiles near water's edge and identified birds in the waterfowl management area.

• instruction on the Internet and available software, held at the Parkland College Computer Lab;

• instruction and tour of the Illinois Natural History Biodiversity display with teaching manual;

• CDs, videotapes, maps and posters;

• ecosystem/biodiversity resource kit;

• activity guide for sites in the CCFPD;

• environmental education manuals;

• Illinois Landcover Adas with CD, map, and poster of Illinois;

• Leopold Environmental Education Manual, literature book and video; and

• a stipend of $200.

Certainly one of the unique features of the program was the great amount of hands-on experiences provided to the participants. One entire day was devoted to exploring the Internet and several software programs containing environmental programs. This was followed by two days in the field where the teachers gathered water samples to study aquatic life, observed amphibians and reptiles near water's edge, identified birds in the waterfowl management area, learned animal tracking techniques, and located common and rare plants in the prairie and forest areas.

Microscopes, binoculars, and magnifying glasses were made available in order to provide a closer look at the many organisms ranging from zooplankton to Great Blue Herons. All activities were conducted with the specific goal of how each activity could be used with a school group to teach a specific environmental concept such as predation, food webs and symbiosis. The final day of the workshop required teachers to become students as they entered the classroom to hear guest speakers from University of Illinois and the Illinois Natural History Survey present information about research and practical methods in conducting environmental education.

To conclude the workshop, teachers were provided additional time on the computers to further explore Internet sites and evaluate computer software they would be given as part of their instructional kits. These instructional kits, worth approximately $325, were given to each teacher and contained laboratory supplies, posters, identification guides, activity packets, computer software, extensive lists of web sites, a video, slides, numerous books and magazines, workbooks and other instructional guides. It was the intent of the workshop that these kits were to be used by the participating teachers at their home schools to provide in-service training to the colleagues of these participants. The Forest Preserve District Environmental Education staff and Earth Partners staff would provide ongoing support to these teachers throughout the following school year.

The 34 teachers completing the workshop have provided in-service training to another 54 teachers. When all of these teachers incorporate features from their workshop into their classes, they will have affected more than 3,100 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in 22 different schools!

At the end of the workshop the teachers were asked to provide a detailed evaluation of the week's activities. Perhaps the two questions which were most telling on the usefulness of the workshop were these:
• Do you feel that you will incorporate the Internet and computer resources into your classroom activities?

• Do you feel that you will incorporate field activities into your classroom?

The response to both questions was 34 "yes" and 0 "no." Some of the teachers' comments were:

• "The information is very relevant to the needs of our students and the world today."

• "...a. very practical and useful investment of time and money."

• "I didn't realize that Champaign County had so many great resources and talented people."

• "Excellent...highly recommended to all disciplines, not just science teachers."

• "/ was delighted and impressed with the cooperation of all partners involved. "

Because of the cooperation of all partners, the workshop was a success. But the four agencies were in turn dependent on several other agencies which each provided a piece of the workshop program. These agencies included:

• University of Illinois

• Pheasants Forever

• Grand Prairie Friends

• Illinois Department of Natural Resources

• Illinois Natural History Survey

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• Illinois State Geological Survey

• Missouri Department of Conservation

• The Nature Conservancy

• University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service

This was no doubt a unique experience for all these groups, working together for the common goal of providing local teachers a professional development experience that would help them bring students in closer contact with the natural world.

By working together, the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Parkland College, Earth Partners and the local Regional Office of Education were able to provide a highly successful environmental education workshop to 34 local teachers. The response of the teachers to the four-day workshop was overwhelming approval and encouragement to the organizers to repeat the offering in the following year. Those teachers previously unable to attend because of group size limitations would be able to participate in future workshops. Even more good news: the "partners" received another grant from the Dwight D. Elsenhower foundation to repeat the workshop and build on the experiences of last summer! 

Reference
Smith-Sebasto, Nicholas, assistant professor, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, UIUC, "Environmental Education and the Champaign County Forest Preverve District: An Exploration of the Needs and Perceptions of Champaign County In-Service K-12 Public School Teachers, "March, 1997.

Acknowledgments
For drafting the Elsenhower Grant and working together in the administration of the program, our utmost appreciation to Anita Broeren, director or development, Poland College: Roger Kirkwood, director or natural resources, Champaign County Fores! Preserve District and, Robbie Berg, Forth Fanners, Champaign County Farm Bureau. Thanks also to Parkland College instructors Heidi Lousier and Wendy Grethen tor providing much of the field activities and computer experiences. Our appreciation to many, many others not specifically mentioned who also hod a role in last summer's success, we thank each and every one. And! last but not least, thanks to the participants, who have encouraged alt or us to try another workshop.

EARl CREUTZBURG
is professor of Biology at Parkland College in Champaign and a commissioner for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District.

KRISTINA DUPPS
is coordinator of environmental education at the Champaign County Forest Preserve District.

The Champaign County Forest Preserve District received an Outstanding Program Award for "Getting Your Feet Wet, Teaching in the Environment' from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association at the IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference in Chicago this past January.

Benefits of the Partnership The 34 teachers who completed this environmental education workshop have provided in-service training to another 54 teachers. When all of these teachers incorporate features from their workshop into their classes, they will have affected more than 3,100 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in 22 different schools!

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