It's Time For Teachers To Get Wild!

IDAHO FALLS - When most people think about the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG), hunting and fishing are usually the first things that come to mind, but to Idaho teachers IDFG is also responsible for conducting a series of quality workshops that have reached over 10,000 teachers in Idaho. These workshops train teachers to use wildlife and the outdoors as a vehicle to reach students about every conceivable academic discipline possible. The only Project WILD basic workshop to be held in the Upper Snake Region this year will be taking place in Idaho Falls on March 19 & 20. IDFG staff and Idaho teachers were involved at the ground level when Project WILD was created as a joint project of the Council for Environmental Education (CEE) and the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) over a decade ago. Many of the activities that have reached over 600,000 teachers nationwide have a strong connection to Idaho wildlife. These teachers have in turn reached nearly 39 million youth in mainly America, but also a growing number of other countries. Idaho is also the only state in the nation to develop weeklong extensions to the basic Project WILD workshop. These 3-credit summer courses are held in McCall and Island Park, Idaho. To date, they have reached over 1,000 Idaho educators. Locally, the course entitled WILD In The Yellowstone Ecosystem is in its fourth year. It is based at Harriman State Park and is open to any teacher who has completed the basic Project WILD workshop. While Project WILD was developed for educators working with students of all ages, in recent years it has gained popularity with home schooling parents, as well as scout and church youth group leaders. In the past the workshop was free; only a credit fee was collected for individuals seeking to obtain graduate credit from one of Idaho's institutions of higher learning. Because of tight budgets, this is the workshop where this will be the case. All future workshops will have a $20 materials fee, in addition to credit costs. Because workshop space is limited, registration is required. To receive a registration packet contact Regional Wildlife Conservation Educator Gregg Losinski at idfg-glosinski@idfg.state.id.us or call 208-525-7290.