The
Bird Education Network (BEN) was created following the February 2007
National Gathering, hosted by CEE. BEN is a CEE initiative that seeks
to creat a network of bird education professionals.
Bird
educators must "present a case for birds" - stressing the importance of
birds, bird-connections to a broader natural world, and our roles
through birds as stewards of our planet. Ultimately, BEN seeks to
connect bird educators at all levels to be more effective.
A
BEN Committee has been established to provide advice and guidance for
this important initiative, to advance "bird conservation through
education."
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 The Big Sit!
A Teaching Opportunity
The Big Sit! is an annual noncompetitive birding event in October hosted by Bird Watcher's Digest and founded by the New Haven (Connecticut) Bird Club.
The
Big Sit! is like a Big Day or a bird-a-thon in that the object is to
tally as many bird species as can be seen or heard within 24 hours. The
big difference is the intensity of the event. The Big Sit! is
mellow, easy-going, and great as a teaching experience. It has been
dubbed "birding's most sedentary event."
The simplicity of the
concept makes The Big Sit! extremely appealing. Find a good spot for
bird watching, and identify birds from inside a 17-foot-diameter circle
for up to 24 hours. It's that simple.
It's great for families,
park/refuge visitors, and casual participants to learn about birds and
bird conservation. It's ideal for using "down time" for discussion, a
teaching opportunity: how to use binoculars, how to go through a field
guide, parts of a bird, etc.
Some bird clubs, nature centers,
and bird observatories even use The Big Sit! as a fund-raising
opportunity, not unlike a bird-a-thon.
The Big Sit! is
scheduled for Sunday, 12 October, and is sponsored by Swarovski Optik,
Alpen Optics, and Wild Bird Centers of America.
You can find details and register (it's free) for your own local site by CLICKING HERE.
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NCLI Passes House
In
a bipartisan vote of 293 to 109, the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act
(H.R. 3036) passed the House of Representatives on September 18th. The
implications for bird-associated environmental education and
instruction could be huge.
Designed to help states provide high-quality
outdoor and environmental instruction for students, NCLI includes the potential
for new spending on environmental education (including an initial $14 million in
teacher training) and would provide incentives to states to develop
environmental literacy plans.
The Senate companion bill (S. 1981) did not
move since its introduction, so action will have to await the next Congress.
Still, NCLI will have what amounts to an attention-getting head start.
Now is a good time to thank those members of the House who voted for NCLI.
You can find more details here:
www.NCLICoalition.org
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