July 21, 2021 News
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Happy Summer!

We all hope your summer is going great! There are still openings and time to register for some upcoming events! Take a look!

Janice Elvidge
Executive Director
Upcoming Events
Investigating Ice Age Floods
Inquiry & Discovery of the National Geologic Trail & Beyond
Hybrid Live Educators Training

Friday August 13, 2021
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Pacific Time
FREE

Virtual and In-Person
In-person will be at the REACH Museum in Richland, WA
Only 10 in-person tickets remain!

Join educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in NGSS-aligned investigations into the phenomena that transformed Northwest landscapes and the practices scientists have used to unlock the mysteries of the Ice Age Floods. 

We will introduce you to the new Ice Age Floods Educator's Guide produced by the National Park Service and written by Rick Reynolds, Engaging Every Student.

Includes:
Washington Teachers
6.5 Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the live training: either in-person or online.  Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal
Oregon Teachers
Certificates of Completion for 6.5 PDUs will be awarded.
Idaho Teachers and Most Educators
An option for 1 graduate credit may soon be available from the Univ. of Idaho; stay tuned for details. Some states accept University of Idaho professional development credit. Be sure to check with your state.
Investigating Crayfish
+ Freshwater Ecosystems

 Science Educators Hybrid Live Training
Thursday August 12, 2021
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Pacific Time
FREE

Virtual and In Person
In-person will be at the REACH Museum in Richland, WA

Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems, will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile's Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers.

Professional Development
Idaho Teachers
Option for 1 credit from Univ. of Idaho: Course Title: Crayfish Investigations TRM. Participants must complete additional homework.
Questions? Contact JEkins@uidaho.edu
Oregon Teachers
Certificates of Completion will be awarded.
Washington Teachers
Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the training: live online training, 3-4 hours of homework including the on demand virtual training, a little pre-reading and creating and submitting a plan for participating in the crayfish project OR a two page research paper.    

Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal
NAME-CaNOE 2021
Virtual Conference

August 17-20, 2021
The Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators and the Canadian Network for Ocean Education invite educators, researchers, students, and resource professionals from the Pacific Northwest and across Canada to meet, learn, share, and socialize at the 2021 NAME/CaNOE virtual summer conference, which will be held online August 17-20, 2021.

Special Opportunity
Sky Exploration
Astronomy Training for Formal and Informal Educators
August 4-6, 2021
Spokane Conservation District
Spokane Valley, Washington
Regular Registration Closes July 28th
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is pleased to bring astronomers from Dark Ranger Telescope Tours, Bryce Canyon, Utah, for this multi-day and night training opportunity for educators.

Learn about how to use telescopes through hands-on night and day time sessions, the different types of telescopes, how to find your way around the sky, science of the sky, cultural heritage related to the night sky, things like the effects of light pollution on nocturnal animals, and much more! 

Class will be held during the day and at night! Daytime class will start mid to late morning. We will take a dinner break and then get back together for our night sky viewing.

Join us for this special training!

Professional Development
Washington Teachers
Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the live training: either in-person or online.  Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal
Oregon Teachers
Certificates of Completion will be awarded.
Idaho Teachers and Most Educators
An option for 1 graduate credit is pending from the Univ. of Idaho; stay tuned for details. Some states accept University of Idaho professional development credit. Be sure to check with your state. Cost is the current University of Idaho PD fee.

Register Early and Save!
Registration includes:
Lunch, 1 group dinner and snacks, as well as all class materials and instruction. 
The River Mile Network Opportunities
Join the Crayfish Study and Contribute Valuable Data!

The River Mile Network under the supervision of Dr. Eric Larson, University of Illinois, is pleased announce that our new online data collection forms are ready for use!


Data from this project will help inform researchers about the species distribution throughout the Columbia River Watershed and beyond. 

The project leaders are especially interested in locating and identifying species below Dry Falls in Eastern Washington AND in the Okanogan River region. They believe there is an undescribed species of crayfish in those places which have not been documented (geolocated and photographed for identification). You and your students may be the first to record new species of crayfish!

Join the study by completing the on-demand virtual crayfish training. For those in Washington, Oregon or Idaho, once you have completed the virtual on demand training you can be added your state permit. The permit allows for year-round data collection.

Without the research permit data may be collected May 1 to October 31 in Washington with a valid state fishing license and in waters open to crayfish fishing.  

Anything you can do to help researchers will be of benefit!
Volunteer Opportunities with The River Mile Network

There are a number of volunteer opportunities to help The River Mile Network. As the network continues to grow it is getting harder for a few people to make everything happen.

  • Crayfish Conference Chair
  • Washington State Coordinator
  • Watershed Facilitators
  • Development Assistant--Finance
  • Development Assistant--Online Library
  • Newsletter Editor

In addition, we are looking for persons or groups that are willing to test new materials.

If you are interested in helping The River Mile in any of the above opportunities, please email us!
Learn more about Watershed Facilitators and signup for the Introductory Webinar on June 22, 2021 at 2:00PM Pacific Time.
Did You Miss It?
Lake Roosevelt Forum
Salmon Reintroduction Webinar


Did you miss the Salmon Reintroduction Webinar last month? Well here is your chance to watch the recording!
Save the Dates!
The River Mile Community Gathering
Wednesday August 25, 2021
3:30 to 4:30 PM Pacific Time
Enjoy your summer and join us again in August!

Presenter:
Christopher A. Taylor
Lead Scientist and Curator of Crustaceans

"Illinois Natural History Survey"

The North American crayfish fauna is the richest in the World. When coupled with their significant ecosystem impacts, the conservation of this unique fauna should be of upmost importance. This keynote talk will provide a primer for subsequent presentations on crayfish conservation and ecology.
News to Know
Join the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Community for Access to Free Learning Tools and Engage Students in a STEM!

Are you excited to get your students engaged in hands on project based learning? Join the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision community in this effort! Students will work in teams of 2-4 students along with their coach (educators and adults over the age of 18) to guide their innovative thinking toward solutions 10 or more years in the future. All students will receive entry gifts and can win prizes for honorable mentions, regional and national recognition.
The River Mile Website
Join the Community

Visit therivermile.org, click on "joinTRM" and complete the network registration form.

Community Groups
Once you log in you can request membership in community groups. Don't see a group you think would be valuable? Send the suggestion to the webmaster.

Resources

Have an upcoming event
you'd like us to promote?
Our network partners are always on the move. If you would like to see your next event in our quarterly newsletter, please email us at Newsletter Submissions

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