Tag: Children

Celebrating National Pollinator Week

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
On June 19, 2018, more than 50 people gathered in Asheville, North Carolina to experience pollinators and native plants. They were celebrating National Pollinator Week. Buncombe County Extension Master Gardeners and the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station organized the event. Asheville GreenWorks, Bee City USA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others…  More 

BioBlitz in Macon County

by Stephanie Laseter, R8-SRS Liaison  • 
On May 25th, fourth graders from South Macon Elementary School in Macon County, North Carolina, went beyond the playground to tally species right in their own school grounds. The BioBlitz was organized by Jason Love, site manager for the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, and Jennifer Love, Macon County STEM coordinator, with help…  More 

Children Learn about Weather and Climate

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
A partnership between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station has led to the development of a second educational module for Cherokee youth. The first module focused on culturally significant plants, and was completed in 2015. The most recent module introduces children to climate, weather, and climate change.…  More 

Can Urban Forest Settings Influence How Well Children with Autism Manage?

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
In late July, USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the four recipients of the 2016 USDA Forest Service’s National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge grants. One of the four, the winning proposal from Georgia State University (GSU), investigates the impact of natural environments such as urban and community forests on symptom expression in children with…  More 

Teaching Cherokee Indian Youth about Culturally Important Plants

by Julia Kirschman, Bent Creek Experimental Forest  • 
The U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) recently partnered to develop learning modules for children attending EBCI’s Snowbird Youth Center in Robbinsville, North Carolina. The youth center is part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cherokee. The plant module is the first learning module developed, and…  More 

Coweeta Hosts Young Scientists’ Presentations

by Randy Fowler, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory  • 
On November 20, for the second year in a row,  5th grade students from Mountain View Intermediate School in Macon County, North Carolina, visited the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (Coweeta) in nearby Otto to tour the facilities and learn about some of the exciting research taking place at the outdoor…  More 

U.S. Forest Service & the University of Texas at San Antonio

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Delivery  • 
A recent agreement between the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will provide funding to support the newly established Educating Youth in Environmental Science Program (EYES). SRS is contributing $24,000 towards the program, which will provide environmental learning opportunities for children in San Antonio, Texas. Ultimately, the…  More 

SRS Sponsors Awards for Future Scientists

by Patty Matteson, SRS Science Delivery  • 
Potential future Forest Service scientists participated in this year’s Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, where the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Integrating Human and Natural Systems unit sponsored the  Integrating the Social and Physical/Biological Sciences awards group. More than 700 students took part in this year’s fair. The science fair is a good cross section…  More 

Forest Service Funded Outdoor Classroom Recognized by Tennessee Wildlife Federation

by Patty Matteson, SRS Science Delivery  • 
Just steps away from their school, 1,400 students and their teachers at Carpenters Elementary can hunt for crayfish, listen to birds sing, identify trees, and gather plants. Helping children learn about the forest and the importance of natural areas is the premise behind the development of a 16-acre outdoor classroom next to the school in…  More 

Project Learning Tree Greenworks!

by Patty Matteson, adapted from materials provided by Annie Hermansen-Báez  • 
Project Learning Tree (PLT) recently awarded the Littlewood Elementary School in Gainesville, Florida, a GreenWorks! grant to develop an outdoor classroom that includes elements to attract and learn about birds. GreenWorks! is the service-learning component of PLT that provides grants to PLT-trained educators for students to implement environmental improvement projects. By blending community service with the academic…  More