2024 PLT-WET-WILD Conference
May 13-17, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas
Registration Venue Additional Information Agenda
Registration
Now Open! Register at https://sfi.regfox.com/2024pltwetwild
Early Bird (until March 29 ): $600
Standard (from March 30 through May 6): $650
Included in Registration:
- Monday: Observing Tri-Program Educator Training and Group Debrief, Welcome Dinner and Keynote.
- Tuesday: AM Sessions, Awards Luncheon, PM sessions, Night Out Meet Up
- Wednesday: AM PLT Local School Engagement (PLT Coordinators and EOC only), PM sessions
- Thursday: AM sessions, PM sessions, Closing Dinner
You can select your choice of at least one Field Experience on a future date through the Whova conferencer app. Options will be available Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Since the Project WILD business meeting is on Thursday morning, we ask that WILD Coordinators choose field trip times that are not on Thursday morning.
Venue
The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio: 420 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205 Room Block Rate: $189/night plus taxes and fees (currently 18.75% combined)
There are a small number of rooms in the room block that can be reserved at the prevailing federal per diem of $143/night plus taxes and fees, with proof of government employment – please secure these rooms as soon as possible if you need to take advantage of this rate, once this small sub block is filled, there will not be additional rooms available at this rate. Proof of government employment will be required during check-in for government rate rooms.
To make a reservation online:
Book non-government rooms here.
Book government rooms here.
To reserve via phone: 1-210-224-6500, ask for the “PLT-WET-WILD Triple Coordinator Conference”
Room Rate Cut-Off Date: Monday, April 22, 2024 (Rate and space available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and may fill up before April 22 cut-off)
Additional Information
Whova Conference App
Please download this app to your smartphone or tablet to stay connected during the conference. Please be sure to sign in to Whova before the conference and edit your information so everyone can find you! You can log in with your email or the code Projects24.
If you don't have a smartphone you can still access the agenda and speaker information (and print it!) through the Whova Project WET website. You must first register and have an email associated with the conference to access this site. Please note that we are still updating agendas and speaker bios and will continue to do so as changes happen.
Nominate a State Project WILD Coordinator for the Outstanding Coordinator Award!
Each year we select a recipient for Project WILD Outstanding Coordinator. You may nominate a fellow Project WILD coordinator or yourself. You may also share this nomimation form with other collegues. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday April 5, 2024. Use this Form to submit a nomination.
Event Schedule:
2024 PLT-WET-WILD CONFERENCE - Project WET website with updated agenda.
Monday, May 13
Monday, May 13
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Triple Educator Training
Location: Navarro B
Educator training for Texas educators to get certified in all three Projects WET, WILD, and PLT.
Lunch included: 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Project WET New Coordinator Training
Location: Lantana
Speaker: Julia Beck
Training for new (and experienced) Project WET Coordinators. Engage in Project WET activities and learn how to run your Project WET program from experience Coordinators.
Lunch not included: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
5:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Opening Dinner
Location: Navarro
Speaker: Minna Paul
Welcome to the Triple Projects Conference! Join us for the parade of states, gathering of the waters, Key Note Speaker Minna Paul, and dinner with our PLT-WET-WILD friends.
Please bring a small vial of water (or just use some symbolic water from the hotel) to pour into the Gathering of the Waters vessel. This is a Project WET tradition that will be shared by all projects in the historic conference. It blends everyone at the conference together and ties us to past conferences and future conferences through the water that is carried from one conference to the next since 2000.
Tuesday, May 14
Tuesday, May 14
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast on Your Own
Breakfast is not included. Sleep in a eat a snack from the welcome bags, or grab your own breakfast from one of the surrounding restaurants or hotel. See list of restaurants for suggestions.
8:45 AM – 9:45 AM
Actions Speak Louder than Words: Earning a Seat at the Community Table, Panel and Breakouts
Location: Navarro
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
Networking Break
Location: Navarro Prefunction and Carranza
Grab some coffee and snacks, talk with new and old friends, explore exhibits and bid on silent auction items (in Caranza).
9:45 AM – 9:45 AM
Silent Auction Opens
Location: Carranza
Bid early and bid often. Items will be labeled as PLT, WET, or WILD. The proceeds from those items will go the project designated by the donor on the bid sheet.
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Actions Speak Louder Than Words (continued)
Location: Navarro
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Awards Luncheon (Meal included)
Location: Navarro
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Climate and Health: Integrating human health impacts into your climate workshops
Location: Villa
Speakers: Monica Kilpatrick, John Etgen, Anna Consolazio, Hannah Penn
Climate change is causing an increase in health-related impacts in all US regions. There is a gap in understanding what climate change is, how we can build resilient communities through local actions, and what health impacts are related to our changing climate. This project will educate youth in climate-vulnerable communities to understand the health impacts of climate change, to increase youth engagement in climate and health solutions, and through scale-up, to expand the capacity of youth to address climate change in their communities. Building on the success of Project WET's co-creation and pilot of the Climate and Health Module, this project will expand the reach of climate health education awareness and action by training the entire Project WET Network and beyond. You will receive a copy of the new Climate and Health Module that integrates with Project WET's Climate, Water, and Resilience Guide.
2:15 PM – 5:15 PM
PLT Network Meeting
Location: Camino Real
PLT Coordinators ONLY.
2:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Community Service
Join us to stuff backpacks for environmental education programing for students in the San Antonio area.
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Planning for Diverse Learning Needs
Location: Villa
Speakers: Juliann Dupuis, Elena Takaki
This interactive session will help you think of things to consider when planning for an audience with diverse learning needs during an outdoor or environmental
education activity. We will look at a sampling of Project WILD activities with the intent to make them more inclusive and discuss how to include these types of activities into lesson planning in various subjects.
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Ohio's New K-2 Field Guide-Literacy for Early Learners
Location: Camino Real
Speaker: Jen Dennison
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
Networking Break
Location: Navarro Prefunction and Carranza
Grab some coffee and snacks, talk with new and old friends, explore exhibits and bid on silent auction items (in Caranza).
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
EcoSchools US: A New & Sustainable Path Forward
Location: Zapata
Speakers: Naomi Alhadeff, Jennifer Hammonds
Join the National Wildlife Federation staff as we delve into the newly redesigned EcoSchools US program. This revitalized platform boasts a brand-new website, action cards, enhanced platform flexibility, and a streamlined certification process. Navigate the program's three main pathways: "Climate, Wildlife and Biodiversity, and Resilient and Healthy Communities” and gain insights into tracking and visualizing the impact of your efforts.
Together, we'll explore how teachers can wield the EcoSchools US framework to empower students in leading actions that contribute to building a more sustainable school and community and uncover the potential for positive change on our planet through student-led initiatives. Join teachers from all over the world who are shaping greener and more sustainable classrooms through EcoSchools US.
Furthermore, discover how EcoSchools US seamlessly complements existing educational resources, such as Project WET, WILD, and PLT education guides, enhancing the overall educational experience and reinforcing the collective commitment to environmental stewardship.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Mission Critical: Road to Recovery: Environmental Conservation Escape Room
Location: Villa
Speaker: Lori Nicholson
This is an immersive activity that allows participants to experience the environmental conservation in a new and challenging way. Throughout this physical adventure game, players solve a series of puzzles and riddles to learn about the National Wildlife Refuge System and help save species from extinction within a set time limit. LIMITED TO 25 PARTICIPANTS. You must register in advance for this!
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Welcoming the GLOBE to Your World
Location: Navarro A
Speakers: Michael Jabot, Jennifer Bourgeault, Alicia Carlson, Haley Wicklein
This session will introduce participants to The GLOBE Program (sponsored by NASA) and make connections between PLT, WET and WILD’s “Teaching Across Climate Change” and GLOBE’s protocols and learning activities. A scope and sequence model from the New Hampshire Education and Environment Team will be used to share ideas about connecting the four programs in a teacher-friendly format. Bundles of GLOBE protocol measurements (agriculture, water quality, soils, air quality, urban, weather) will also provide discussion prompts. Although presenters will come prepared with example connections, this session will also provide the space and time to make even more.
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Fun Night (Optional)
Location: Mi Tierra
This local haunt is close to the hotel; a 10-15 minute walk. Join us for food, drink, networking, and FUN!
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Bracken Cave Bat Viewing (Night 1)
Meet in Lobby at 6:30 to take the bus to Bracken Cave to view millions of bats emerge at sunset.
LIMITED SEATING. You MUST sign up in advance for this field experience.
Wednesday, May 15
Wednesday, May 15
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast on Your Own
Breakfast is not included. Sleep in a eat a snack from the welcome bags, or grab your own breakfast from one of the surrounding restaurants or hotel. See list of restaurants for suggestions.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Canyon Lake Gorge Field Experience
Meet in Lobby to head to Canyon Lake Gorge, GBRA's field site, for a unique field experience.
Capacity is limited. You MUST sign up ahead of time for this.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Project WET Network Meeting
Location: Camino Real
For Project WET Coordinators ONLY.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
San Antonio River & Mission Field Experience
Meet in the Lobby. Visit Roosevelt Park, San Juan Mission, and Confluence Park in San Antonio.
Capacity is limited. You MUST sign up ahead of time for this.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Polishing the GEMS: Improving PD through Lesson Study
Location: Villa
Speakers: Michael Kamen, Kiki Corry, Jennifer Kaszuba
High quality professional development is the hallmark of WILD, WET, and PLT. How do we push the boundaries of excellence? By facilitating the facilitators refinement of their own work! Japanese Lesson Study provides structure and strategy that is applicable in a variety of situations. Texas WILD field-tested one approach. This session will focus on the processes and tools that characterize Japanese Lesson Study while reflecting on both Texas WILD's trial and our experience during the tri-combo pre-conference workshop. Consider the challenges and benefits of implementation in your own state.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Journeys and Green Jobs: Inspiring the Next Generation
Location: Zapata
Speaker: Andrea Stay
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Networking Break
Location: Navarro Prefunction and Carranza
Grab some coffee and snacks, talk with new and old friends, explore ehibits and bid on silent auction items (in Caranza).
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Rebuilding a Facilitator Network: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Renewal
Location: Zapata
Speaker: Mary Westlund
Embark on an exploration to rebuild a facilitator network. Dive into strategies for navigating challenges, fostering renewal, and cultivating resilience within your network. Acquire valuable insights into fostering effective collaboration and adaptability essential for reshaping the current framework. Join this engaging session filled with practical tips and discussions on transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and expansion.
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
WILD, WET, and PLT What’s the Connection?
Location: Villa
Speaker: Tarneshia Evans
Explore how Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, and Aquatic WILD activities can be taught as stand-alone activities or by themselves as a larger unit. Using the lessons and activities from the various guides participants will be encouraged to explore how they align with the strands from the NAAEE's Guidelines for Excellence K-12 Environmental Education. Through small group work and hands-on invitations that support all the Projects, participants will compare and share how they conduct and facilitate workshop within their localities. You will leave this session inspired to continue to help grow the next generation of environmental stewards. This is a BYOB (bring your own books) session.
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Lunch on Your Own
Check out nearby restaurant options in the Conference Guide to Local Attractions.
1:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Advanced Training for Project WET: Thematic Trainings for New Guides
Location: Navarro
Speakers: Brian Brown, Candice Miller, Kathy Madren, Hannah Penn, Tomi Bergstrom, Jack Hilgert
This training session for Project WET Coordinators and facilitators will cover our continued efforts to support the transition to a new guidebook structure. We will go over further details on the new guides and continue to cover themed workshop agendas and ideas, specifically climate, using the new guides. There will be activity demonstrations from the new Earth Systems guide and examples of how you can localize the activities to have a greater impact with participants.
1:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Reaching Secondary Audiences with PLT's Watershed Activity Collection and Focus on Forest
Location: Zapata
Speakers: Nicole Filizetti, Ana Leirner, Jaclyn Stallard
PLT's secondary guides are like your cool older cousin-- you've heard interesting things about them, but you're not sure how to approach getting to know them better. In this session we will dig into Focus on Forests, Forests of the World and Places We Live. By engaging in some of the activities in these guides, participants will leave with the confidence to incorporate PLT's secondary curricula into their state's PD program. The session will include time to discuss how the design and implementation of a secondary workshop may differ from a standard K-8 workshop in order to meet the needs of high school educators, as well as a look at how these guides connect to important secondary standards. Come prepared for active learning, peer teaching, and much discussion. Be forewarned like your cool older cousin, these PLT guides might become your favorite!
1:15 PM – 3:15 PM
WILD - Welcome to the OUT(Outdoor Understanding for Teachers) Tour!
Location: Villa
Speakers: Catherine Dolder, Tracy Predmore, Jennifer Standlee, Kellina Gillbreth
Are you ready for it? Colorado Parks and Wildlife Education Coordinators will take the stage to share how we use Project WILD to create sustainable community engagement programs that support teacher professional development and our mission in a creative, meaningful way (to keep the crowd coming back for more!). We'll uncover how to strengthen outdoor teaching engagement and confidence in your facilitators by implementing thematic content that connects with place-based learning opportunities in both rural and urban areas. For the grand finale, apply your takeaways from this model in a facilitated connection space to design your own relevant PD workshop and make the whole place shimmer.
1:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Cooperative Learning: Exploring best practices through PLT, WET, and WILD
Location: Camino Real
Speakers: Renee Strnad, Lauren Daniel, Tanya Poole
Cooperative learning has been proven to boost individual achievement and as well as reducing achievement gaps. As Project Coordinators and Facilitators, can we recognize the difference between group work and cooperative learning? Are we utilizing and modeling cooperative learning strategies within our own workshops? This session will explore the differences between group work and cooperative learning, introduce basic cooperative learning structures, and challenge session participants to think critically about cooperative learning strategies. Session facilitators and participants will actively engage in demonstrations of cooperative learning strategies with activities pulled directly from each one of the Projects curricula. After exploring different strategies, the group will discuss how to model the best cooperative learning strategies in workshops by infusing their learning into their favorite activities.
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Networking Break
Location: Navarro Prefunction and Carranza
Grab some coffee and snacks, talk with new and old friends, explore ehibits and bid on silent auction items (in Caranza).
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM
Resilient Organizations, Building the Foundation for a Sustainable Future
Location: Navarro
The leaders of the organizations that make the homes for Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, and the North American Association for Environmental Organization discuss what it means to build a resilient, stable foundation for our environmental education work. Grab and snack and join us. Raffle drawn at end of session.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Dinner on Your Own
Check out nearby restaurant options in the Conference Guide to Local Attractions.
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Bracken Cave Bat Viewing (Night 2)
Meet in Lobby at 6:30 to take the bus to Bracken Cave to view millions of bats emerge at sunset.
LIMITED SEATING. You MUST sign up in advance for this field experience.
Thursday, May 16
Thursday, May 16
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast on Your Own
Breakfast is not included. Sleep in a eat a snack from the welcome bags, or grab your own breakfast from one of the surrounding restaurants or hotel. See list of restaurants for suggestions.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Canyon Lake Gorge Field Experience
Meet in Lobby to head to Canyon Lake Gorge, GBRA's field site, for a unique field experience.
Capacity is limited. You MUST sign up ahead of time for this.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Project WILD Network Meeting
Location: Camino Real
Open to Project WILD Coordinator ONLY.
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
San Antonio River & Mission Field Experience
Meet in the Lobby. Visit Roosevelt Park, San Juan Mission, and Confluence Park in San Anotnio.
Capacity is limitted. You MUST sign up ahead of time for this.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
USDA Forest Service: New Resources and Collaboration Opportunities
Location: Zapata
Speakers: Heidi McAllister, Rachel Bayer, Susan Cox, Jaclyn Stallard
Come learn about exciting opportunities to collaborate with the USDA Forest Service. We'll discuss various models for engaging the Forest Service in your state PLT/WILD/WET programs and then take a deep dive into three exciting new resources the Forest Service is currently developing with PLT and other partners: 1) Forests 2 Faucets Activity Collection, 2) Mobile Forest Products Exhibit, and 3) Forest Learning Lunchboxes. Session participants will have the opportunity to experience activities from each of these new resources and learn how each is designed to engage new audiences in learning about STEM, environmental careers, and the natural resources. Participants will have the opportunity to provide input on the resources and sign up to become involved in their development and launch.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Engaging Natural Resource Professionals to be Teachers
Location: Villa
Speakers: Tony Pascall, Jacey Tosh, Matt Schnabel, Ellen Powell, Chelsea York, Beth Foley
Many of us work with natural resource professionals and agencies who don't have a lot of experience in environmental education. Many of these folks are interested in doing more education, but don't know how to start or what to do when they are in front of kids.
The education coordinators for 5 Southern State Forestry agencies collaborated on a training for their staff with the goal of:
1) Answering why environmental education is important.
2) Sharing important skills for nonformal education.
3) Sharing the lessons and materials for the "what to teach" in an easy to access way.
This session will talk about our process, successes, and what we learned along the way!
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Novel Approaches to EEPD: Methods to Recruit, Retain, & Re-engage Educators
Location: Zapata
Speakers: Jack Hilgert, Jaclyn Stallard, Brittany Wray
Due to a variety of factors within the professional learning and educational landscapes, traditional EE PD models are not always the most effective tool to reach a broad base of educators.
Join Jack Hilgert, Jackie Stallard, and Brittany Wray to explore how to develop more unique PD experiences that attract or retain educators and increase state program relevancy. Thematic, outcome-driven, place-based approaches will be covered as well as in-person, blended, and virtual delivery formats. We will also demonstrate how PD events can blend PLT/WET/WILD curriculum offerings in a coherent way.
Participants will be exposed to success stories from current state programs and develop an action plan to use within their own programs. Discussion will include successful strategies to empower facilitator networks and leverage local partnerships when embracing new methods and models for EE PD delivery.
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Wild & Wonderful Wetlands making Environmental Education Easy!
Location: Navarro B
Speakers: Tomi Bergstrom, Linda Carnell
In West Virginia, less than one percent of the total area of the state is a wetland, yet they provide essential habitat for a remarkable 23% of West Virginia's plant species, and for an even higher 44% of its rare plants. Attendees of this session will learn how wetlands provide an unique venue to discuss, experience, and learn about environmental education. Join WV’s Project WET and PLT Coordinators for a joint session on their experience with the Wetland Development Grant offered through EPA and how they involved sister programs in teacher trainings around the WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands curriculum guide and various PLT curriculum guides. Coordinators will discuss how the collaboration of programs led PLT, PWET, and PWILD to meet new partners in their state, build on environmental literacy and educational standards, and reach a wider audience of formal educators and wetland partners.
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Lunch on Your Own
Check out nearby restaurant options in the Conference Guide to Local Attractions.
12:00 PM – 12:00 PM
Silent Auction Closes
Location: Carranza
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Show and Tell Presentations
Location: Navarro
14 Subsessions
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Networking Break
Location: Navarro Prefunction
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Understanding the Landscape of Environmental Education in Schools
Location: Zapata
Speakers: Ashley Hoffman, Laura Downey
Over the past few years, the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance and the Plains Environmental Education Partnership have been conducting a landscape analysis of environmental education efforts across 12 different states. Most recently, we've expanded the landscape analysis to include K-12 Schools, Teachers, and Administrators. Collectively, our regions have surveyed nearly 2000 administrators, EE leaders, classroom teachers, and nonformal educators. This project was the result of a collective desire to better understand the needs of both the environmental education providers and the schools in our regions. We can now offer tools to help meet the needs of teachers, EE leaders, students, and administrators. This session will share more about our findings, key takeaways, and the tools we have created to allow others to use this data to address their own needs.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Re-engage, Grow, and Support Your Facilitator Network
Location: Villa
Speakers: Brittany Wray, Perry Thomas
In 2020, Kentucky saw a significant decline in facilitator activity. What once was a thriving and connected community became a siloed and disconnected group. Our facilitator network is our boots on the ground for Project WET, WILD, and Learning Tree. They have connections to their community, the ability to reach more students and adults, and advance environmental literacy across our state. In this session, you'll learn about the strategies we employed to re-engage, grow, and better support our facilitator network after the pandemic. From our Facilitator Training (in-person and online) to Facilitator Reunions to our Facilitator Site and more, participants will receive an overview and menu of options to help them jumpstart or re-engage their facilitators and learn how our community of facilitators has grown.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Showcasing Green Career Opportunities with PLT and WET Partners
Location: Camino Real
Speakers: Rob Beadel, Sophia Stephenson, Ted Stevens
In 2022, the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation (PLT) and the Arkansas Environmental Education Association (Project WET) began hosting an annual Green Careers Expo. Local, state, and federal agencies, university and vocational institutions, businesses and industries, and conservation organizations are invited to participate in a one-day interactive student expo focusing on Green Career opportunities.
Area students from grades 8-12 are invited to attend this free event, learning about various professions that exist within the environmental, natural resources, and conservation fields in Arkansas. We strive to highlight both technical and professional careers--not just field positions but also administrative, accounting, IT, and communications careers that also exist within the Green Sector. Exhibitors are encouraged to be interactive through displaying "tools of the trade" and providing live demonstrations of equipment and machinery.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
PLT, WET, and WILD: One Workshop, Triple the Fun!
Location: Navarro B
Speakers: Kim Morris-Zarneke, Monica Kilpatrick, Chelsea York, Hannah Penn
Discover how the Georgia Projects (WET/WILD/PLT) have partnered together to design and implement a variety of workshops experiences for Georgia educators. The workshops range from one day joint early childhood and climate resilience trainings to a five-day professional development experience that explores forestry and natural resources management and how the two are interconnected. As a result of these efforts, we have reduce overall workload and cost, and increase interest and connectiveness with Georgia's natural resources. During the session we will share agendas, planning tips, challenges, and participants thoughts.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Closing Dinner
Location: Hidalgo
Friday, May 17
Friday, May 17
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Project WET Council Meeting
Location: La Babia
Meeting for Project WET Council Representatives.
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Honey Creek and LBJ State Park Field Experience
Meet in the Lobby
This is open to 40 people and is an add-on with registration. You must sign up to attend this field experience.