The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has developed an adaptable curriculum to bring invasive species education to middle and high school students, teaching our children to become the next generation of environmental stewards. In addition to honing plant identification skills and ecological literacy, the lesson plan gives students the opportunity to collect observations in the field and create a scientific poster showing their findings, the same exact way that ecological professionals do.
LIISMA offers training for educators interested in bringing this curriculum to their classrooms, and house the materials needed for it. Contact us to learn more and schedule a training.
Seek and iNaturalist are two wonderful free smartphone apps that help budding ecologists learn about the world around them. Take a photo of any species–plant, animal, fungus– and these apps identify the species for you. Use them to explore the nature in your backyard or around your school property. Not only are the apps fun to use, but the data collected is extremely helpful to LIISMA for detecting newly arrived invasive species and acting quickly to prevent their establishment.
Check out the five-part video tutorial on Seek and iNaturalist linked here, or contact us to learn more and schedule a training.
