The New York Geographic Alliance is pleased to announce that we are partnering again with theFriends of the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, NY to present a great professional development opportunity for teachers and informal educators - Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative Workshop - Stream Testing. We worked with the Rogers Center for a very successful workshop in June. They have a great facility bordering the Chenango River, an important tributary of the Susquehanna River.

This new workshop will be held on Saturday October 5th at the Rogers Center from 9 AM until 3 PM. There is no cost to attend, and we can reimburse teachers and informal educators for their travel expenses (upon request). Lunch and breakfast refreshments will be served.

Those teachers who complete the workshop's requirements can request help in funding environmental workshops. The NYGA wants students outdoors, and this might remove one barrier preventing YOU for getting your students out of the classroom and into a natural setting.

The program will include lessons on watersheds, especially as it applies to the Susquehanna Basin, on a variety of topics. They are appropriate for most grade levels. We also will be demonstrating our Aquanaut Kits, which are used to test water quality. The data will be uploaded to the FieldScope website, where it can be compared with data from other parts of the watershed.

Materials will be given to all participants, including training manuals and digital copies of lessons on USB drives. We encourage participants to try out the lessons and activities with their students. Stipends will be paid to teachers who can demonstrate how  they will use our watershed lessons with their students. We can also help you to defer travel costs (i.e. mileage, tolls).