Nov. 17, 2008 — Educators from across the territory got hands-on lessons Monday about how effectively to teach students the importance of wetlands.
"After this workshop we hope all the teachers will be excited about taking kids to the wetlands, and be able to take the students out on their own, without a guide," said Carol Cramer-Burke, program director for the St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA).
SEA hosted the "train the trainer" workshop at the National Park Service headquarters in Christiansted.
The workshop featured a variety of hands-on activities, demonstrations, and wetland teaching and interpretation techniques from the book Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers' Resource Book, which they went through chapter by chapter. The book has "copycat" pages that may be copied and given to students. It has experiments, crossword puzzles, games, activities and more geared for students ages 8 to 14.
Workshop participants had fun working in breakaway groups, getting prepped for the activities and presentations they chose. Laughter filed the room as a trio of teachers rapped and danced to the "Wetland Rap." Others had more serious experiments and demonstrations, such as a group using beakers to explain water conservation. One group did a comedy skit about wildlife in the mangroves.
"This workshop has been very informative," said Jessica Dickman, teacher at All Saints Cathedral on St. Thomas. "I can't wait to use it in class."
Renata Platenberg, a biologist with the St. Thomas Department of Parks and Natural Resources' Division of Fish and Wildlife, gave a presentation about V.I. wetlands. She spoke about the four different types of wetlands in the territory: guts, salt ponds, fresh-water ponds and mangroves.
The workshops and book make up part of the outreach and education components of the West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, an effort by the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB).
The project seeks to raise awareness of the importance and value of threatened wetland ecosystems and their wildlife with the West Indian Whistling-Duck, a former resident of the territory's wetlands. The duck is now scarce from the combined effects of wetlands habitat loss and predation.
"I now have a greater appreciation for what's on my island," said Zahra O'Reilly, a teacher of gifted and talented students at Ricardo Richards Elementary School.
On Tuesday participants will visit wetlands at Southgate Pond and Great Pond, where they will learn how to guide a wetlands field trip and identify common resident and migratory birds.
"This is a beginning of a process," said participant Jamie Irving, manager of the V.I. Environmental Resource Station on St. John. "This is a good balance between information and hands on — it's a nice mix."
More than 60 educators, natural-resource professionals and interpretive guides from St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and Panama have registered to take part in the workshops, according to Cramer-Burke.
"I really liked reconnecting with nature," said Helena Stevens, literacy coach from Ricardo Richards.
Leading the workshop were Michele Kading, head interpreter at Oak Hammock Marsh in Canada, and Lisa Sorenson, an ecologist from Boston University.
"We provide materials, activities, ideas and inspiration," Sorenson said. "We share the message of wetland conservation, showing its value in flood control, coastal protection and the source of fresh water."
The workshop will take place again Thursday and Friday. For more information about SEA, call 773-1989 or visit stxenvironmental.org.
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