The Bay Backpack e-Newsletter is a great opportunity to see what events, professional development opportunities, and funding sources are available to environmental educators around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. New this time around is a section titled “Schools in the News” where we have shared the recently announced Green Ribbon School winners! Subscribe to the e-Newsletter by visiting baybackpack.com and navigating to the bottom of the homepage.

Whether you’re enticed by the strong community feel, the chance to get out in the great outdoors or simply want something fun to do with the family on a Sunday afternoon, The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Geocaching has all you need to know about one of our favorite activities. Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which players use GPS technology to search for geocaches which contain small knick-knacks and often log books so that Geocachers can see who else is finding the hidden treasures!

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina AmeriCorps program seeks to reconnect people with the outdoors and to develop future leaders in conservation. CTNC AmeriCorps members will develop service projects that help remove barriers to environmental education throughout North Carolina, as well as help expand the diversity of backgrounds among conservation leaders in the state.

National Environmental Education Week will be held April 23rd-29th and is the nation’s largest annual celebration of environmental education. The event brings together educators, students, government agencies, businesses, communities, nonprofit organizations, and others to inspire environmental learning and encourage stewardship of our essential resources: land, air, and water.

Join us for a five-day professional learning adventure on the Chesapeake Bay or one of its tributaries in summer 2018. CBF is offering more than 30 courses that will explore the mountains of Virginia, the rivers of Pennsylvania, the islands of the Bay, and many places in between. Learn how to integrate the environment into your classroom and to help your students achieve environmental literacy success.

From April 27th-30th, join the National Aquarium in celebrating biodiversity by taking the City Nature Challenge! Citizen Scientists from all around the world will be participating in the event and sharing observations of biodiversity.

RESET is a volunteer organization of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals whose mission is to motivate children to discover and explore the worlds of science and math, and to encourage them to consider educational and career choices in related fields.

The Professional Leadership Institute at Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, DE is hosting a menu of activities and trainings tied to leadership, fund development, administration, birding and much more! Read on to see all opportunities…

From July 10-14 and from August 7-11, The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve-Maryland (CBNERR) will be holding its annual Teen Paddles where teens will paddle the scenic Patuxent River, doing citizen science and building leadership skills through team activities.

Teachers on the Estuary-Data Edition, a professional development opportunity offered by the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve-MD and the NOAA Environmental Training Center, is a middle and high school level course designed to support teachers’ understanding of the environment using technology and scientific instrumentation to enhance local, participant-driven field experiences and authentic research.