EDUCATION ACTION PLAN

I Goals    II Recommendations/Guidelines    III Program Providers    IV Websites    V Funding Sources

Draft  for Public Comment

Recommendations/Guidelines 
for Environmental Education Initiatives 
in the Housatonic River Watershed

I. Vision and Goals
The vast social and material investment now underway to clean up and restore the Housatonic River and watershed will need to be protected and perpetuated. Responsible future stewardship of the watershed will depend on successful educational programs that realize a holistic vision for the river.

This vision recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence within our watershed community and foresees:

A. A network of ecologically sound and scenic stream corridors protects the river. The network links protected lands throughout the watershed, forming a "conservation safety net" for clean water, biodiversity and accessible quiet sports. Public water supplies are pure and safe. Streams and ponds are fishable and swimmable. Riparian greenways and instream flows are protected. Wildlife abounds. 

B. Municipalities, businesses, and other student and adult communities are environmentally literate. They understand their "watershed address" and the ecological footprint they leave on that address. They behave responsibly toward the watershed system to assure that it is sustainable. The economy is in harmony with the environment. Quality of life is high.

To achieve this vision, the goals of educational programs are:

A. Increase overall public understanding and awareness of the river and its watershed to promote responsible practices for its protection:

1. Offer a meaningful experience on or about the Housatonic River to every student in the Housatonic watershed
2. Provide every resident and visitor the opportunity to increase his/her understanding and awareness of the river and its watershed
3. Provide every public official adequate information to make appropriate river/watershed stewardship decisions.

B. Build a comprehensive river education curriculum encompassing programs for students and the general public, including families, adults, residents and visitors to the watershed.

C. Provide an integral educational component in all river programs, projects and events.

II. Recommendations/Guidelines
A. Form a Berkshire region-wide Environmental Education Network Partnership (BEEP) of formal and other environmental educators. This school-based network should provide the resources, training and assistance that classroom teachers need to bring environmental education into the classroom and to bring students and teachers outside into the environment.

Institute an education coordinator to:

1. Assist individual teachers in gaining access to expertise and services offered by local environmental education providers.
2. Introduce local environmental education providers to expertise and services offered by schoolteachers and programs.
3. Provide assistance in environmental education grant research and grant writing to individual teachers and programs of benefit to students.
4. Coordinate individual programs and prevent duplication of resources.
5. Create and maintain a list-serve or other means of enabling environmental educators/providers to communicate with one another.

B. Facilitate the development of environmental/river curriculums identifying existing local and national river education programs and develop new programs as needed.  Emphasize the educational benefit of using the local environment (natural and built) as an integrating context for teaching sciences and other subjects.  Design these programs to be compatible with the Massachusetts State Education Frameworks, currently under revision, for each grade level in math, science, history, social studies, technology, health and physical education. Tailor individual programs to appropriate age levels according to the Massachusetts State Education Frameworks. Develop a strategy to introduce and incorporate these programs into comprehensive K-12 and adult curriculums for public, private and home schools. Make programs available to school and community organizations. 

Environmental/river curriculum components may include: 
1. What is a watershed?
2. The water cycle
3. Wildlife, flora and fauna identification and interrelationships 
4. Human history and cultural influences (Native American, early industrial, etc.)
5. River and watershed ecology, geology, archaeology, etc.
6. River safety
7. The river and human health
8. Water quality (physical, chemical and biological indices)
9. Water Quantity (instream flow, water conservation, etc.)
10. Fluvial morphology (how river channels form and change over time, why rivers look and act the way they do)
11. Functions and values of naturally vegetated riparian areas (flood control, storm water damage, pollution prevention, public and private water supplies, groundwater, fisheries, the protection of wildlife habitat and movement, etc.)
12. Point and non-point sources of pollution
13. PCB contamination
14. Watershed management
15. GIS mapping 
16. Laws and Regulations

C. Foster the creation of new and innovative school-based and community-wide programs, including water quality monitoring and testing programs, annual conferences, and river awards. Facilitate specific educational and service initiatives proposed by schools and other environmental, recreational and civic groups, including boys/girls clubs, scouting groups and especially Eagle Scout projects. 

Most initiatives and programs are presently underway in one or more capacities. 
Details about specific providers are available upon request. 
(See Section III: List of individual providers with existing, developing or potential programs.) 

Specific school-based and community-wide educational initiatives and programs may include:
1. Special Teacher Award granted to individual educators to recognize or support individual work or to provide a stipend for program development. 

2. University-level Chair, stipend or research grants awarded to faculty or student research assistants for private research or program development 

3. Programs encouraging student observation or participation in actual river  protection/restoration/enhancement activities 

4. River-Friendly User Awards recognizing public service for cleanup and monitoring activities, sports and recreational accomplishments in paddling, etc., wise industrial use innovations, and other river uses 

5. Annual collaborative river education conference patterned after the 1999 HRR Education Conference 

6. Speaker's Bureau Resource and Data Bank 

7. Internet component to provide watershed ecology and other educational materials.  New sites, as well as links to existing materials. Outreach to existing initiatives, water quality monitoring, trails/recreation, etc.

8. Teacher training programs (classroom and in-the-field)

9. Student-to-student data sharing capabilities and programs

10. River recreation skills development (boating, angling)

11. In-the-field programs and clubs for women, children and special needs individuals 

12. Kids on the River programs providing each student in the watershed a meaningful experience with the river

13. Naturalist-led canoe trips for students and adults 

14. Naturalist-led river awareness walks for students and adults 

15. Project WET, Project WILD, and other school-based programs 

16. River safety programs 

17. GIS mapping instruction and problem solving, for both students and adults 

18. Water quality education, monitoring and testing programs 

19. Fisheries and aquatic life programs 

20. Native and invasive plant species programs 

21. Rare and endangered plants and animals programs 

22. Human health programs 

23. Point and non-point source pollution programs 

24. Stream team programs (planning and data collection training) 

25. Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) and other educational programs for municipal officials 

26. PCB contamination programs 

27. Agricultural demonstration programs 

28. Vegetative conservation buffer programs 

29. Waste reduction and disposal, hazardous waste, composting 

30. Natural resource appreciation, "special place" and scenic interpretive programs 

31. River greenway and trail design, construction and management programs 

32. Adopt-a-Stream programs 

33. Vernal pool certification

34. Lakes and ponds programs (ice skating and fishing, environmentally responsible lakeshore property maintenance, aquatic nuisance species control/prevention, etc.) 

35. Human and natural history of the Housatonic River programs 

36. Renewable energy and hydroelectric power programs 

37. River-related art programs (HRWA)

38. Emergency educational fund to address emerging special issues on an issue-by-issue basis.

39. Other programs related to the core river/watershed curriculum

D. Facilitate the protection of open space that is critical to the river and watershed

1. Outreach programs which provide an educational forum and materials for the long term protection of open space

2. Municipal open space planning projects in which watershed protection is a critical component

3. Joint or regional open space planning projects

E. Facilitate the publication and distribution of river user guides and other publications. 

River guides and journals may include:
1. River Manuals/Guides. General user guides focusing on safe and appropriate river use and general interpretations of the watershed environment. Separate guides for adults and children, including maps, games, plant and wildlife inventories, safety tips, weather explanations, etc. 

2. Annual reports, exhibits and slide shows compiling scientific measurements of water quality and volume, flora and fauna prosperity, special events, etc. Displayed in several locations throughout the year. 

3. River newspapers and journals including essays, articles, and stories about the Housatonic River and watershed. 

4. Sights and Sounds: annual journal compiling anecdotal observances of special events and first appearances ("big night" annual amphibian migration, peepers, ice outs, weather events, special wildlife sighting, etc.) 

5. Living History Journal, a compilation of oral and written historical accounts of life on the Housatonic River

6. Reprinted or reproduced history of the Housatonic River 

7. River photo contest for children and adults, with entries displayed on a website page

8. "The River Flows": sponsored "river cams" showing special places and activities on the river in "real time"

F. Facilitate the development and installation of universal signage to identify each roadway boundary (signifying that one is entering the Housatonic River watershed), roadway stream crossings, chronic dumping site alerts, and storm drains that empty into the Housatonic River or its tributaries.

Universal signage systems may identify:
1. Each major roadway watershed boundary crossing, signifying that one is entering the Housatonic River watershed
2. Each roadway stream crossing, signifying the name of the stream and that it is part of the Housatonic River watershed 
3. Each storm drain that empties into the Housatonic River or tributary
4. Appropriate river use etiquette at each public access site
5. Chronic dumping site alerts
6. Remediated cleanup sites 
7. Fish consumption advisories 

Other signage systems may include:
1. Access (greenway trails, historic trails, canoe launches)
2. Self-guided stations for interpretive nature or historic trails

G. Facilitate the production of educational facilities and deliverables.
Educational facilities and deliverables may include:
1. Housatonic River Library 

2. Computer center for information dissemination and research, including maintenance of an Environmental Education Home Page and an Environmental Educational Network/Collaborative Home Page

3. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping center operated by school students for educational use

4. Purchase, rental, storage and transport of canoes, fishing gear, safety and other field equipment for Kids on the River, In-the-Outdoors, water testing, and other adult and student educational programs 

5. Water quality testing laboratory for educational use

6. River-related exhibits and hands-on activities designed to travel to other sites and events 

7. Educational materials and kits designed to travel to schools and events 

8. Mobile River Education Van 

9. River Education Center 

Facilitate the development of a River Education Resource Center. The Center could offer riverside programs and house educational facilities such as a library, research lab, computer center, and water testing laboratory. The Center could be an interpretive center for visitors and provide storage for canoes, safety gear, traveling educational displays, stream team equipment, and other products and equipment. 
Individual age- and site-specific educational programs, products and facilities could be located at individual schools and other sites in the watershed. (Programs presently being developed at Silvio O. Conte Community School, Bartholomew's Cobble/Mt. Everett High School, Nessacus Middle School, Massachusetts Audubon Society/Berkshire Sanctuaries and elsewhere are models for a decentralized network of environmental education sites.) A central River Resource Center at a selected location on the Housatonic River could coordinate and assist these smaller, individual programs; prevent duplication of resources where appropriate; and provide visibility.

III. Key to providers of existing, developing or potential programs
Non-classroom Educators and Education Providers
Appalachian Mountain Club (Ruth Dinerman)
Anglers (Chris Windram, etc.)
Appalachian Trail Conference (J. T. Horn)
Berkshire Botanical Gardens and other Garden Clubs (John Parker, 
     Berkshire Botanical Garden; Mark Baer, Laurel Hill Society; 
     Tommie Bailey, East New Lenox Road Garden Club; Sue Dunlaevy, 
     Susan Dana, Lenox Garden Club)
Berkshire Grown (Amy Cotler)
Berkshire Litchfield Environment Council (Betty Vigneron)
Berkshire League of Sportsmen and Sportsmen's Clubs (Mark Jester, Dan Miraglia)
Berkshire Museum (Kim Jensen)
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (Tad Ames, George Wislocki)
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (Nat Karns, Tom Matuszko, Amy Pfeufer)
Berkshire Sculling Association, Berkshire Rowing and Sculling Society (Christopher King)
Berkshire South Community Center (Kathleen Bailer)
Berkshire Scenic Railway (John Herbert)
Berkshire Science Resources (Linda Taylor)
Local Conservation Commissions (Caleb Mitchell, Pittsfield; Dalton; Hinsdale; 
     Lee; Lenox; Stockbridge; Will Brinker, Great Barrington; Sheffield, etc.)
Center for Ecological Technology (Ruth Dinerman, Nancy Nylen, Laura Dubester)
Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College (Norman Parker)
Commercial Outfitters (Arcadian Shop, Appalachian Mountain Gear, Mama's Earth)
Cooperative Opportunities for Learning & Teaching (John Coster)
Canyon Ranch (Katie Keator, Bob Mills)
Crane and Company (Sam Smith)
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (Allison Lassoe)
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 
     (J. Lyn Cutler, Bill Prendergast,  Mark Schleeweis)
Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture (Richard Hubbard)
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (George Darey, Jennifer Kearsley)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (Suzanne K. Condon)
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (Melissa Griffiths)
Northern Berkshire Community Partnership for Service Learning (Rachel Wells,
    Deb Coyne, Jeneen Mucci)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Bryan Olson, Susan Svirsky)
Education for Sustainability, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Walter Bickford)
Flying Cloud Institute (Jane Burke)
Friends of Mohawk State Forest (Bob Leverett)
Great Barrington Housatonic River Walk (Rachel Fletcher)
Gould Farm (Robert Rausch)
University of Massachusetts GIS Mapping Program (Scott Jackson, Kevin McGarigal)
Historical Societies (Susan Eisley, Berkshire County Historical Society; 
     Local Historical Societies; Ed Kirby; David McAllester; Bernie Drew)
Hoosic River Watershed Association (Lauren Stevens)
Housatonic River Initiative (Tim Gray)
Housatonic River Restoration (Rachel Fletcher)
Housatonic Valley Association (Dennis Regan, Carolyn Sibner)
Local landscapers, botanists and horticulturalists (Marconica, Golden Bough, 
     Frank Lowenstein, Pam Weatherbee, Joseph Strauch, etc.)
Local Land Trusts (Anthony Barnaba, Great Barrington Land Conservancy; 
     Ursula Cliff, Egremont Land Trust; Suzanne Hoppenstedt, Monterey Land Trust; 
     Tim Gray, Lee Land Trust; Kathy Orlando, Sheffield Land Trust; 
     Leslie Reed-Evans, Williamstown Rural Land Foundation; Tom Stokes, Stockbridge Land Trust, etc.)
Local trails and greenway developers (Openspace Management)
Massachusetts Audubon Society/Berkshire Sanctuaries (Rene Laubach; 
     Gayle Tardif-Raser, Outreach Educator; Laura Tate Beltran, Education Coordinator)
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (Shep Evans)
Massachusetts Community Water Watch (Jamie Konkoski, Meg Gray)
Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (Tim Simmons)
Massachusetts Watershed Initiative (Tom O'Brien, Housatonic Watershed Team Leader)
Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 
     (Jerry Schoen)
Naturalists (Laura Beltran, Tim Flanagan, Rene Laubach, Frank Lowenstein, 
     Don Reid, Charles W.G. Smith, Judith Spencer, Lauren Stevens, Joseph Strauch, 
     Gayle Tardif-Raser, Tom Tyning, Pamela Weatherbee, ,Jane Winn, etc.)
New England Wild Flower Society (Greg Lowenberg)
National Park Service (Charlie Tracy)
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (Bruce Philbrick)
Orion Society (Meagan Ledendecker)
Paddlers (Court McDermott, Phillip May, Mike Gaffney)
PCB Repositories (Local Libraries, Simon's Rock, etc.)
Project WET, Project WILD
American Red Cross
Massachusetts Riverways (Russ Cohen, Rachel Calabro, Amy Singler)
Railroad Street Youth Project (Amanda Root)
Schoolhouse Garden, Nature's Turn (Judy Isacoff)
Second Nature (Walter Bickford)
HVA Stream Teams (Shep Evans, Carolyn Sibner)
Trout Unlimited (Gene Chague)
The Nature Conservancy (Henry Barbour, Frank Lowenstein, Erika Levasseur)
The Trustees of Reservations/Bartholomew's Cobble (Steve McMahon; 
     Don Reid, Regional Ecologist)
Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Program, 
     University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Will Snyder)
WERO Wetland Circuit Riders, MA DEP (Terry Plantier-Eucker, Susan Gillan)
Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA Camps and Center (Eric Grimes)

Formal Classroom Educators and Districts
Adams Memorial Middle School (Ron Namislo)
Berkshire Community College (Tim Flanagan, Erik Guttormsen, John Lambert, 
     Lowell Rheinheimer, Tom Tyning, Barbara Viniar, Charles Weinstein)
Bryant Elementary School (Amy Rutstein)
Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College (Norman Parker)
Conte Community School (Elizabeth Neale, Chris Siry, Donna Bell)
Cornwall Consolidated School (Lynn Meehan)
Crosby School (Meagan Ledendecker)
Herberg at Egremont School (Lynne Nilan)
Hancock Elementry School (Valerie Kohn)
Highland Elementary School (Brendan Dillon)
Herberg Middle School at Crosby (Brenda Burbank)
Hibbard Alternative School (Dianne Renton)
Housatonic Elementary School (Maureen Hammel)
L. H. Kellogg School (Alan Lovejoy, Eileen Rogers)
Lee Central School (Paula J.T. Duhon)
Lee High School (Tim Hickey)
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (Susan Denault, Frances Jones-Sneed, 
     Sharon Thomas, Dean Randy Hansiss.)
Mount Everett School (Jane Burke, Mary Edwards, Bill Gillooly, Elizabeth McGraw)
Mountain Road School (Kathleen Bailer)
Nessacus Middle School (Debbie White)
Richmond Consolidated School (Lois Lenehan)
Rudolf Steiner School (Rick Schrum)
St. Joseph's Central High School (Stephen Antil, Nancy Lay)
St. Mark Middle School (Vincent Pesce)
Searles Middle School (Todd Covert, Sally Kusek, Ray Shepardson)
Simon's Rock College of Bard (Robert Schmidt, Don Roeder)
Taconic High Tech Academy (Bill Bowers, Barbara Malkas)
Undermountain Elementary School (Donna Leep, Carol Ide, Christine Kelly, Deb Ramsey)
Williams Elementary School (Nancy Childs, Christopher Keller)

School Districts
CBRSD: Central Berkshire Regional School District (Richard Burke)
SBRSD: Southern Berkshire Regional School District (William Cooper, Jane Burke)

IV. Assorted Website Addresses
Appalachian Mountain Club   www.amcberkshire.org;  www.outdoors.org/conservation 
Appalachian Trail Conference   www.atconf.org 
Berkshire Community College   www.cc.berkshire.org 
Berkshire Grown   www.berkshiregrown.com 
Berkshire Museum   www.berkshiremuseum.org
Berkshire Natural Resources Council   www.bnrc.net  
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission   www.berkshireplanning.org 
Berkshire Sculling Association, Berkshire Rowing and Sculling Society 
     www.berkshiresculling.com
Center for Ecological Technology   www.cetonline.org
Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College    www.williams.edu/CES/ 
Arcadian Shop   www.arcadian.com
Appalachaian Mountain Gear   www.amggear.com 
Canyon Ranch   www.canyonranch.com/lenox
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management   www.state.ma.us/dem
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection   www.state.ma.us/dep 
Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture   www.massdfa.org 
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife   www.state.ma.us/dfwele 
Massachusetts Department of Public Health   www.state.ma.us/dph 
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs   www.state.ma.us/envir
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (GE/PCB site)   www.epa.gov/region01/ge 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Surf Your Watershed/Housatonic) 
     www.epa.gov/surf2/hucs/01100005 
Great Barrington River Walk   www.gbriverwalk.org 
Gould Farm  www.gouldfarm.org 
University of Massachusetts GIS Mapping Program   http://maps.library.umass.edu  
Berkshire County Historical Society   www.berkshirehistory.org 
Hoosic River Watershed Association   http://gemini.berkshire.net/~hoorwa  
Housatonic River Initiative   www.housatonic-river.com  
Housatonic River Restoration   www.restorehousatonic.com  
Housatonic Valley Association   www.hvathewatershedgroup.org  
Sheffield Land Trust   www.sheffieldland.org  
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition   www.massland.org/pages/neartrust/mainlist  
Massachusetts Audubon Society/Berkshire Sanctuaries   www.massaudubon.org 
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions   www.maccweb.org  
Massachusetts Community Water Watch   www.waterwatchonline.org
Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program   www.abi.org 
Massachusetts Watershed Initiative  www.state.ma.us/envir/mwi/watersheds.htm 
Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership  www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp  
New England Wild Flower Society  www.newfs.org  
National Park Service  www.nps.gov  
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service  www.nrcs.usda.gov  
Orion Society   www.orionsociety.org;   www.oriononline.org  
Project WET   www.projectwet.org/splash.html
Project WILD   www.projectwild.org
American Red Cross    www.redcross.org 
Massachusetts Riverways    www.state.ma.us/dfwele/river
Second Nature   www.secondnature.org
Simons Rock College   www.simons-rock.edu 
Trout Unlimited   www.tu.org 
The Nature Conservancy Berkshire Taconic Landscape Program   http://nature.org/berkshire 
The Trustees of Reservations/Bartholomew's Cobble   www.thetrustees.org
US Geological Survey    www.usgs.gov 

V. Potential Funding Sources
A. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
B. Massachusetts Endowment for the Humanities
C. Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) 
D. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management Greenways and Trails Program
E. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
F. Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture
G. Massachusetts Watershed Initiative
G Riverways Programs, Mass. Dept of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement
H. Massachusetts Cultural Council (3-year project support grant) and local Cultural Councils
I. Massachusetts Environmental Trust
J. Berkshire Environmental Fund
K. Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) General and Technical Assistance Funds
L. Berkshire Environmental Endowment of BTCF
M. Housatonic River Restoration
N. Local funds with BTCF (Janet's Fund, Eagle Fund, SEE Fund, 
     Richmond Fund for Excellence in Education, Berkshire Hills Technology Fund, 
     Oppenheimer Fund) 
O. Other local funds (The Berkshire Foundation)
P. Private foundations (Cricket Foundation, Fields Pond Foundation, 
     New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, Norcross Foundation, Sweet Water Trust, etc.)
Q. Local community organizations (Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.)
R. Local garden clubs (Lenox Garden Club, etc.)
S. Area schools and Parent Teacher Associations
T. Area corporations, businesses and banks
U. Volunteer in-kind contributions

Please send your comments on the Education Action Plan to:
Housatonic River Restoration, Inc.
PO Box 472
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Telephone: (413) 528-3391
Fax Number: (413) 528-5224 
Email: river@restorehousatonic.com
 

This project is funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and a
"Communities Connected by Water" grant from the 
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.