MEEA Minutes, March 10, 2015 6:00 pm

Present: Liz Petersen, Susan Flowers, Cheryl-Ann Hardy, Ethan Duke, Mary McCarthy

Ex Officio: Jan Weaver

  1. Call to Order
  2. Approve Agenda – Cheryl moved to approve the agenda, Susan seconded, agenda approved unanimously.
  3. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting – February 10, 2015 – Susan moved to approve the minutes, Ethan seconded. Mary noticed the Minutes still said “Agenda” at the top. She will change “Agenda” to “Minutes” for all future Board meetings. Jan changed “Agenda” to “Minutes” for the February meeting. The February Minutes were approved unanimously.
  4. Reports
  5. Manager’s Report (below) – Liz asked for clarification between “Manager” and “Executive Director”. Jan explained she was MEEA Manager in the past, but is Executive Director now. The “Manager’s Report” will be renamed “Executive Director’s Report” to reflect Jan’s change of title.

i.

  1. Conference Committee (Liz, Susan, who else?)–Liz stated there is not much to report at this time. Susan created a Google Doc for Board members to input ideas. Cheryl suggested contributors put their names in parentheses so everyone knows who amended the document. Jan will ask MRR this week or next week if they will be willing to present at the conference. Jan asked if the Board decided to offer a $250 honorarium to the keynote speaker. Susan moved to offer a $250 honorarium to the keynote speaker. Liz seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.
  2. Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights(COBR) (below) – Mary and Susan – Mary stated she wasn’t sure what to do with the COBR. Susan wanted to know if MEEA wanted to get people to adopt action items. Jan suggested pitching COBR to MELAB to work together on it, or ask other organizations to help move COBR along. Susan suggested once content is agreed on to have a graphic designer create a poster. Ethan stated Bill of Rights sounds Constitutional. He suggested going to Jefferson City for Conservation Day, April 2, to work with Representatives and have it written into Missouri Constitution. Jan and Ethan will work together on getting other organizations involved. Susan will discuss COBR at the next MELAB meeting. Jan stated the need for statewide language, and the need to get other groups on board.
  3. MO River Relief Grant – update from Jan: see work plan, timeline, logic model below and support letter (separate attachment) – Jan reported the MRR grant was sent this week. The money will be available in August.
  4. Certification – update from Jan: Carey Scherder and Jan met at Interface and via email to discuss direction for certification. Idea we are currently considering is Praxis style quizzes for $? covering different content and skill areas, plus a mixed online-in person workshop, plus various opportunities around the state. Need to figure out a budget so it pays for itself, and figure out the on-line piece with an accredited institution. I recommend that Carey and I keep working on this.
  1. Old Business
  2. New Business
  3. MEEA EE Grants – MEEA needs a committee to set dates and review proposals. We have the RFP and scoring sheet all ready to go and we can ask former recipients to be on the evaluation committee, but should have two board members to take the lead.
  4. Awards Committee – MEEA needs a committee to set dates and review submissions. This could be combined with the grants work for one larger committee. Also, I would like to suggest that MEEA take the initiative to seek out candidates for other award programs and put together submissions for those folks.
  5. Earth Day Fundraiser (Need board approval and if approved, feedback) – Solicit donations from Members between March 22 and April 22 (Earth Day) - thinking of a 4-22 fundraiser (get it? earth day) where we would ask members to donate between $4 and $22 (or more if they wished). A mailer with an electronic follow up. Cost ~ $0.5 per mailer, which would include self addressed envelope.
  6. Other Business
  7. Comments by Board - Susan thanked Jan for her work and dedication to MEEA.
  8. Adjourn

Executive Director’s Reports

February 2015

Missouri River Relief EPA Grant – Jan worked with Missouri River Relief to draft a grant proposal for the EPA Local Sub-Grant RFP. The main activities will be setting up a network of river communities, providing professional development centered on the river for educators from river communities, providing a “river camp” experience for high school students from river communities and directing sub-grants to river communities. MEEA would provide expertise in preparing professional development and would assist with promoting the activities.

EPA Quizzes – Jan wrote 120+ questions on the topic of energy for early elementary, upper elementary, middle school and high school students. The questions covered energy concepts, transformations, sources, economics, policy and careers. In addition, Cheryl Hardy and Jan beta-tested a game based on the quizzes with a bunch of Master Naturalists. A refined version of the game will be available for passers-by to play at Columbia’s Earth Day Festival (people passing by answer a question and advance tokens around the board).

Newsletter – Jan prepared, posted and distributed the March newsletter

Missouri Environmental Fund Paperwork – Jan completed and filed the annual paperwork for MEEA’s participation in the Missouri Environmental Fund (formerly Earth Share of Missouri). MEEA typically earns between $250 and $1000 from this workplace giving program.

Interface – Jan presented at Interface A & B (the Missouri Department of Educations Science and Math conference). Presentation was “Engineering a Greener School”, two presentations each session. For A (Elementary) there were about 8 people per session and for B about 15 (Middle School and High School) people per session.

MEEA Directory – Jan prepared and distributed a hard copy issue of the directory to members. Membership in February 2015 was 136 in February 2014 it was 94, a 44% increase. Current members include folks whose membership is no more than 3 months past due.

Environmental Behavior Style Quiz – Cheryl Hardy and Jan met to discuss moving this forward. Jan will reapply for IRB (human subjects research) approval for an online survey in March.

Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights

That every child in California, by the completion of their 14th year, have the opportunity to experience each of the activities listed within the California Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Every child should have the opportunity to:

  1. Play in a safe place
  2. Explore nature
  3. Learn to swim
  4. Go fishing
  5. Follow a trail
  6. Camp under the stars
  7. Ride a bike
  8. Go boating
  9. Connect with the past
  10. Plant a seed

Missouri River Relief – EPA Grant Documents

(3) Work Plan (8 pages single spaced)

  1. Project Summary
  2. Goals and Objectives

GOAL: Communities along the lower Missouri will become more actively involved in stewardship of the Missouri River. Objectives 1 and 3 are relevant to project evaluation. Objective 2 meets the definition of environmental education by developing knowledge and awareness of a communities awareness of their part of the Missouri River as a piece of a larger whole, shared with other communities, with wildlife and with future generations. It fosters attachment to the river and develops the skills and the disposition to take care of the river

OBJECTIVE 1. Assess communities’ current river stewardship activities and ideas and opportunities for increasing involvement in the first 6 months of the grant period by compiling a list of river communities, their activities, and contact information for individuals, organizations, schools, businesses and agencies interested in river stewardship. This is necessary to evaluate whether or not there has been a change in stewardship activities involving informed decisions and responsible action after the primary grant work is done.

OBJECTIVE 2. Provide skills, training and resources that communities can use to increase and sustain river stewardship.

Strategy 1. First, create a River Residents and Friends Network within the first 6 months of the grant period. This will increase knowledge and awareness of river issues in river communities through a quarterly newsletter. Second, in August 2016 and 2017 hold a face to face event where residents can exchange ideas and discuss strategies for addressing river issues with peers from communities along the length of the river.

Strategy 2. Develop and provide a professional development river workshop for educators along the river in June of 2016 and 2017. This will increase river knowledge and skills in educators, as well as knowledge of instructional methods for environmental education. Educators will plan for implementing lessons in their own programs and for providing professional development in their communities when they return.

Strategy 3. Develop and provide a multi-day river experience for youth who live along the river in July 2016 and 2017. This will increase their river knowledge and skills, and foster a disposition towards stewardship activities in youth.

Strategy 4. Develop a process for providing small grants to communities along the river to provide educational/stewardship activities within their communities or in partnership with other river communities.

OBJECTIVE 3. Assess communities’ river stewardship activities after providing skills, training and resources.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRIORITY:Community Project – Addressing environmental stewardship in a local formal or informal educational context, and using outdoor, place-based, experiential, service learning and/or community-focused stewardship as the primary teaching tool, but also Educational Advancement and EE Teaching Skills

ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITY:Protecting Water: A Precious, Limited Resource – These efforts ensure that drinking water is safe, and restores and maintains oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants and wildlife

  1. organization and partnerships
  2. your organization and how it meets eligibility requirement
  3. who will manage and implement your project
  4. The project will take place in communities on the banks of the Missouri River between Yankton and St. Louis, and in nearby communities with a demonstrated interest in the Missouri River.
  5. key partners for this grant (letters of commitment must be included and should state role of partner)
  6. Missouri Environmental Education Association
  7. history of receiving EE grants
  8. Local Relevance –The project will develop capacity in river communities to carry out river stewardship activities, provide training for educators from river communities to help them connect their students and other educators with the river and provide hands-on education for youth about the river so they can step into leadership roles in their communities
  9. Implementation/Delivery Method – Informed by prior research on communities’ current river stewardship activities (Objective 1), the project will 1) provide capacity development and resources for river communities by establishing a network and an event to share ideas, expertise and resources related to the river ecosystem and its culture, history, science and recreation; 2) professional development and curriculum for classroom teaches in the communities, and 3) a river youth experience to engage the next generation of community leaders in river stewardship. These activities will be extended by small grants whose purpose is to support stewardship/educational activities along the river
  10. Audience Demographics – The audience is the residents of the approximately 60 communities along the Missouri River from Yankton SD to St. Louis MO. The median community income is $43,358, but it ranges from $107,000 in Parkville MO to $30,000 in Hamburg IA. The median community poverty is 19% with a range of 4% in Chesterfield MO to 33% in Glasgow MO. Racially, the composition of communities is quite diverse with some small communities over 99% white, while many others fall below 80% and one is down to 48%. There are between 15% and 40% African Americans and Hispanics (of all races), in the larger cities of Omaha NE, Kansas City KS & MO, and St. Louis MO. Thurston County, NE has a majority Native American population. The proposed projects will directly engage adults, including educators, and high school youth in these communities, with the aim of reaching out specifically to low income and minority communities or members of communities. The community members and teachers will in turn engage families, youth and children.
  11. Costs– Total project costs are xxx with xxx in requested EPA funding and a minimum of xxx provided as match (Match rate of xxx). EPA funds will be used to support the personnel necessary to manage and coordinate the project, develop the network and support its activities, and to manage the small grants program along with associated expenses for travel and supplies. In addition, costs will include full scholarships for educators to attend the river educator workshop, “Teach the Big Muddy” and for youth to attend the river experience, “Meet the Big Muddy”. In order to develop a sustainable network and other program components, we are requesting funding for a two-year period.
  1. Detailed Project Description
  2. What:
  3. Educational Priority - Community Project – The goal of this project is to develop a sustainable network of local communities with the knowledge, skills and disposition to assume the role of river stewards along the lower Missouri. Communities will take responsibility for their own learning about river issues, be aware of the how their community is impacted by the actions of other communities and decisions of governmental entities and of the impacts their community has on others. They will be willing and able to take steps to protect the river through outdoor, place-based activities and by participating in a network of other river communities.
  4. Environmental Priority - Protecting Water: A Precious, Limited Resource – The primary environmental priority will be protection of the water quality and ecological functions of the lower Missouri River.
  5. Environmental Literacy and Behavior – There are four interconnected activities which will increase environmental literacy and behavior. The first activity is to begin development of a network of river residents and river friends along the lower Missouri. This will foster a ‘trans-river’ level of thinking, where members of the network start to see their part of the river as a piece of a larger whole and begin to understand how the actions of other affect their part of the river (its water quality, water level, wildlife diversity, etc.) and vice versa. Using this network as a starting point the second, third and fourth steps will reach out to educators, youth and groups with projects to provide more in-depth resources. A select group of educators will participate in professional development that develops their familiarity with the river, knowledge of river science and issues and their skill with environmental education strategies. A select group of youth will participate in a river experience that fosters their attachment to the river and develops their ability to be life-long stewards of the river. Community groups will have the opportunity to apply for small grants that allow them to carry out stewardship/educational activities on the river.
  6. Why: – why this project, these goals, where you are working, your audience, cite studies, sources, verify need for your project (can be submitted as separate attachment)

Because of its size, the Missouri River endures a diversity of human uses and abuses. Changes in its natural flows and habitat loss have led to an 80% drop in fish populations and have threatened the existence of key species like the pallid sturgeon, least tern, and piping plover. The river itself has been diminished, losing about 40% of its wetlands and almost all of its sandbars. Introduction of exotic fish species like Asian carp affect the food web of the river, and exotic plants replace natives in river wetlands and undermine the terrestrial food webs that support wetland bird and mammal species. Large stretches of the river or its tributaries are on the 303 (d) lists of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska for E.coli, pesticides and other problems. In the last two years, there have been six violations of the Clean Water Act by communities that failed to manage wastewater discharges or by companies that failed to have up-to-date spill management plans. In 2012 American Rivers named the Missouri as one of America’s most endangered rivers due to an outdated flood management plan. These problems are further complicated by the number of governmental entities involved in the watershed – 10 states and two Canadian provinces – and the number of purposes for which the river is managed – Eight: navigation, flood control, irrigation, fish & wildlife, water supply, water quality, recreation and hydropower. All this aside, for most river residents and friends, the most obvious problem is the amount of trash that has accumulated on the banks of the river. In over 15 years on the river, Missouri River Relief has cleaned up over 800 tons of trash along a 1,031mile stretch of the river, equivalent to 1500 lbs per river mile.