2015
Environmental Education
Association of Alabama
EEAA Annual Conference
Alabama’s Biodiversity: It’s in our Hands!
March 19-21, 2015
Alabama 4H Center, Columbiana, Alabama
Conference Program
2015 EEAA Conference Schedule
Thursday, March 19, 2015
9:00 – 3:00
10:00 – 4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
Preconference Workshop – Environmental Education in the
Classroom Location = Classroom 1
Preconference Workshop – Leopold Education Project Curriculum
Workshop Locations = Classroom 2
Registration: Environmental Science Center Lobby
Dinner: Dining Hall
Welcome by Tim Gels, President of EEAA Auditorium
Opening Address, America’s Amazon film presented by Dr. Tina MillerWay, Dauphin Island Sea Lab; Janet Orr, Hoover High School; Lynn
Rabren, New Point Media; and Ben Raines, Weeks Bay Foundation
Friday, March 20, 2015
8:00
Breakfast
8:45
Field Trips with boxed lunches
Silent Auction begins! Location = Classroom 2
Closes Sat. 10:45 am
1:45
2:00
Welcome and Updates – Tim Gels Auditorium
Key Note: Scot Duncan – Alabama’s Biodiversity Auditorium
3:15
Concurrent Sessions I
Alabama 4H Junior
Naturalist Program – Doyle
Keasel and Mona Dominquez
of Alabama Cooperative
Extension Service 4H and
Youth Development
Location: Auditorium
Nature Observation
through Fairy Houses
– Renee S. Morrison of
Jacksonville State
University Field Schools
Location: Seminar
Room B
4:30
Concurrent Sessions II
Alabama Master Naturalist
A Biodiversity Blitz –
Program – Doyle Keasel of
Joan Turner of Dauphin
Alabama Cooperative
Island Sea Lab
Extension System 4H and
Location: Seminar
Youth Development
Room B
Locations: Auditorium
Hop to it Alabama: the use
of herp based citizen
science programs for
informal science education
– David Laurencio of AU
Museum of Natural History
Location: Seminar Room A
Alabama’s Stream Diversity
– Dr. Bill Deutsch of Global
Water Watch
Location: Seminar Room A
Leafing the Old and
Becoming Rooted in the New:
EE and the New K-12 Science
Framework – Michal Robinson,
Dr. Sandy Ledwell, & Ms.
Brenda Terry Science
Curriculum Specialist of
Alabama State Department of
Education
Location: Classroom 1
What’s in a Biome? – Julie
Danley, President of Alabama
Environmental Council Board of
Directors
Location: Classroom 1
6:00
Dinner: Dining hall
7:30
BEEP Awards and Enviro-Auction!!! : Auditorium
The EEAA Live Auction is a lively, fun-filled annual event. Bring your
checkbook (credit cards can be accepted)!!! Proceeds go to the
Professional Development Funds (PDF). EEAA members can apply for PDF
to attend workshops.
2015 EEAA Conference Schedule
Saturday, March 21, 2015
7:30
Breakfast
8:45
Concurrent Sessions III – 2 hour sessions
Southern Herbal Folk
Medicine – Darryl
Patton of The
Southern Herbalist
Location: Auditorium
Awaken Your Senses – How
Sensory Awareness Can Lay the
Foundation for Conservation –
Kim Hall and Lindsay Fiskars of
the Cahaba Environmental Center
Location: Seminar Room B
The “Bear” Necessities –
Amy Hollar and Kate Gibbs
of Birmingham Zoo Inc.
Location: Seminar
Room A
Lichens as Ecosystems:
Tardigrades and Other
Creatures – J. Kevin England
of Russellville High School
Location: Classroom 1
Protecting the Black
Warrior River and its
Diversity of Life – Nelson
Brooke, Black Warrior
Riverkeeper
Location: Seminar
Room A
Closing Luncheon : Dinning Hall
Announcement of new EEAA board!
Hands-on Activities for a
Very Popular Planet – JiJi
Avery Davis, Jennifer Williams,
& Almir Smajic of the
University of Montevallo
Location: Classroom 1
10:45
Silent Auction Closes
10:45
Concurrent Sessions IV
What We Learn
Matters! – Kathleen
Kirkpatrick of U.S.
Green Building Council
Alabama Chapter
Location: Auditorium
12:00
Recycling is Fun! – Julie Danley,
President of Alabama
Environmental Council Board of
Directors
Location: Seminar Room B
Field Trip Options For Friday Morning
 Creating Outdoor Classrooms with Native Plants: During this trip, you’ll travel to Jemison,
Alabama for a walking tour of Petals from the Past and learn about native plants and their benefits
in school gardens. You can learn more about this destination at their website:
https://petalsfromthepast.com/.
 Pioneer Village Tour: If you chose this trip, you’ll be ferried across Lay Lake on a pontoon boat
for a tour of the 4H Center’s Pioneer Village. Trip is easy to moderate due to the amount of walking.
 Oak Mountain State Park Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: The Alabama Wildlife Center is
“Alabama’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility and annually receives almost 1,800 birds
from over 100 different species,” according to its website. The trip is considered easy to moderate
due to some uphill hiking. Here’s the AWC’s website info:
http://www.alapark.com/oakmountain/AlabamaWildlifeRehabilitationCenter/.
 The Science of Glass: You’ll stay on site for this “trip” as Linda Munoz and Kay Stone share
information on the science of glass and some different ways to teach it in your classroom. You will
also create a unique piece of art.
Presentation Descriptions
Friday, March 20, 2015
3:15 - 4:15 Concurrent Sessions I
Alabama 4H Junior Naturalist Program: Doyle Keasel and Mona Dominquez of Alabama Cooperative Extension Service
4H and Youth Development.
Come learn about the Alabama 4-H Junior Naturalist Program. This program consists of modules with activities that
focus on teaching youth about our natural resources. During the presentation you will see the modules and learn
how to bring them to your students. The current modules focus on Alabama’s water quality, mammals, birds,
insects, and trees.
Alabama’s Stream Diversity: Dr. Bill Deutsch of Global Water Watch.
This session will present the basics about stream critters…their biodiversity, ecology and usefulness in determining
water quality. A hands-on exercise called Macro Mania will be used to simulate a stream biological assessment in
the classroom. Use of this new, bilingual version for formal and non-formal environmental education will be
discussed.
Hop to it Alabama: the use of herp based citizen science programs for informal science education. David
Laurencio of AU Museum of Natural History.
Frogs and lizards and snakes, Oh My! Join us for an exploration of how two herp centered citizen science programs,
Frog Watch USA and the Alabama Herp Atlas Project, can be incorporated into environmental educational settings
to teach about amphibians and reptiles while collecting real data.
Leafing the Old and Becoming Rooted in the New: EE and the New K-12 Science Framework. Michal Robinson, Dr.
Sandy Ledwell, & Brenda Terry, science curriculum specialists with the Alabama State Department of Education.
Participants will be presented with an overview of the new framework for K—12 science education and experience
practices and crosscutting concepts that deepen student understanding of disciplinary core ideas learned in
Earth/Environmental Science through lessons on Alabama’s Biodiversity.
4:30-5:30 Concurrent Sessions II
A Biodiversity Blitz: Joan Turner of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Join the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on a trek outside! Let’s toss down our quadrats and grab our magnifying glasses
and help conduct a BioBlitz. Participants will record the types of animals found and then calculate biodiversity using
the Shannon-Weiner index exploring the concepts of species richness and evenness.
Nature Observation through Fairy Houses: Renee S. Morrison of Jacksonville State University Field Schools.
Fairy Houses are tiny constructed homes made from twigs, tree bark, dry grasses, little pebbles, dried shells,
naturally shed feathers, dried seaweed, pine cones and nuts. These enchanting habitats are built by children,
families, gardeners and nature lovers reflecting their creativity, joy and pride. The simple challenge of creating a
home for a fairy gives children a unique activity that encourages them to go outside and connect with the natural
world, nurturing care and respect for the environment. While children are fully engaged with building a fairy house
they are stimulated in many ways – creating, observing, collecting, exercising, communicating and imagining – all
while having lots of fun.
Alabama Master Naturalist Program: Doyle Keasel of Alabama Cooperative Extension System 4H and Youth
Development.
Come and be introduced to the Alabama Master Naturalist (AMN) Program designed for Alabama’s adults. This
program requires 40 hours of classroom/field work as well as volunteer service to become a certified naturalist. Join
us for this program and see if it is something that you would like to do.
What is in a Biome? Julie Danley, President of The Alabama Environmental Council Board of Directors.
Each participant will make a Montessori hands-on lesson to take back for use in their own classrooms, either a 5
Kingdoms box lesson or Eco-systems of Alabama floor lesson. Each participant will also receive a folder with black
line masters of all maps and worksheets, instructions for all project ideas, and presentation outlines of the yearlong
study. There will be a drawing to win a door prize.
Presentation Descriptions
Saturday, March 21, 2015
8:45 – 10:30 Concurrent Sessions III 2 hour sessions
Southern Herbal Folk Medicine: Darryl Patton of the Southern Herbalist.
This program is designed to lead participants on a journey into the history, identification and uses of Southern Folk
Medicine as it relates to the history and culture of the South. Based upon the teachings of the famous herbalist, A.L.
"Tommie Bass", participants will learn the fascinating story of herbal medicine and how it shaped Southern culture.
Led by Tommie's apprentice, Darryl Patton, a sampling of plants used in Southern Folk Medicine will be
demonstrated and their uses explained. Participants will be allowed the opportunity to ask questions related to home
remedies they may remember their parents and grandparents utilizing as well as take a short "herb walk" to see
many of these plants in their natural environment.
Awaken Your Senses- How Sensory Awareness Can Lay the Foundation for Conservation: Kim Hall and Lindsay
Fiskars of the Cahaba Environmental Center.
In order to realize “It’s In our Hands” we must actually feel it in our hands. We must let the dirt slide through our
fingertips. We must hear the alarm call of a Black-capped Chickadee. We must smell the bitter notes of Sassafras
root. In Awaken Your Senses, we will hone our 5 senses through games, activities, and challenges as we begin to
develop a deeper sense of place and stronger land ethic.
The “Bear” Necessities: Amy Hollar and Kate Gibbs of The Birmingham Zoo.
The Birmingham Zoo is about more than just animals. Come see our top 10 strategies, or “bear necessities” for
teaching Alabama’s biodiversity and conservation of Alabama’s resources without leaving your classroom.
Lichens as Ecosystems: Tardigrades and Other Creatures: J. Kevin England of Russellville High School.
Lichens are mysterious organisms that have fascinated people for years. Not a plant, not a fungus, but a surprisingly
sophisticated combination of the two. Spend the morning delving into the enchanting world of lichens as we learn
their basic ecology, identification, and natural history during this lab and field-based workshop.
10:45 – 11:45 Concurrent Sessions IV
Hands-on Activities for a Very Popular Planet: JiJi Avery Davis, Jennifer Williams & Almir Smajic of The University of
Montevallo.
Discover lively, interdisciplinary activities that help elementary students understand the human ecological footprint
and the challenges of sharing finite resources as demand grows. Engage in role-playing, concept mapping and
problem-solving challenges. Receive a CD-ROM of lesson plans and background materials.
Recycling is Fun! Julie Danley, President of The Alabama Environmental Council Board of Directors.
Participate in hands-on recycled craft projects that are guaranteed to “kick-start” a successful program. Make
recycled rockets, highlighting our state’s own “Rocket City,” and showing how simple everyday items can be used to
teach such valuable lessons in a fun and exciting way.
What we Learn Matters! Kathleen Kirkpatrick of U.S. Green Building Council, Alabama Chapter.
Where We Learn Matters! Find out how to benefit from the Center for Green School’s programs, from off-the-shelf
projects to comprehensive facility evaluations. USGBC Alabama can help you and your students improve the places
we live, learn, and play. The best news is these projects also help schools save money!
Protecting the Black Warrior River and its Diversity of Life: Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior River Keeper.
Nelson Brooke has been the Black Warrior River keeper since 2004, working to protect the river from pollution
threats. Nelson will be showing pictures of the river, highlighting its beauty, aquatic critters, and pollution issues that
threaten drinking water and places commonly used for swimming, boating, recreation, and fishing.
“America’s Amazon”
presented by Dr. Tina
Miller-Way, Janet Ort, Lynn
Rabren, and Ben Raines
Opening Presenters
“America’s Amazon” paints a visually stunning documentary portrait of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta,
one of the continent’s most diverse biological treasures. Through compelling descriptions of this
rich river system’s origins, history, and connections to plants, animals and man, viewers gain a
deeper understanding of what is at stake as the population living around the Delta grows. And
yet, few Alabamians know of the Delta, appreciate this biodiversity hotspot found in our state nor
understand its critical ecological importance to the health of Mobile Bay and Alabama’s coastal
ocean. As we will only conserve what we love and love what we understand, it is important that
the environmental education community is aware of this film and the resources that can be used to
help educate Alabamians about the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Join us for vignettes from the film and
discussion of a teaching guide that has been developed to accompany the film.
Dr. R. Scot Duncan
Keynote Speaker
Dr. R. Scot Duncan is an Associate Professor of Biology and Urban
Environmental Studies at Birmingham-Southern College.
Originally from Pensacola, Florida, Scot received a BS in Biology
from Eckerd College in 1993, a MS from University of Florida in
Zoology in 1997, and a PhD from UF in Zoology in 2001. His
research on ecology and conservation biology has taken him to
Costa Rica, Panama, Uganda, Florida, and Alabama. Scot took a
position at BSC in 2002 and teaches courses in conservation,
ecology, and environmental studies. He and his students are
currently studying the ecology of endangered species and
threatened ecosystems, including the Ketona dolomite glades,
montane Longleaf Pine woodlands, and the Watercress Darter.
Scot is the author of Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising
Biodiversity. Written for the layperson, the book interweaves the
disciplines of ecology, evolution, and geology into an explanation
of why Alabama is home to more species than any other state east
of the Mississippi River. Southern Wonder was published in
November 2013 by the University of Alabama Press, and the
foreword was written by Alabama native and distinguished
scientist, Dr. Edward O. Wilson. Southern Wonder won the
Southern Environmental Law Center’s 2014 Phil Reed
Environmental Writing Award.
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