Earth Tracks Newsletter Fall 2025
- Misha Smith
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
News
Highlights included:
A keynote presentation and workshops with Billy Almon, an Astrobiofuturist and former Disney Imagineer. Billy provided an inspiring message of resilience applicable to both students and educators. His hands-on lessons focused on biomimicry to inspire problem-solving using nature as a guide.
Environmental Education field excursions included a trip to Bogus Basin with leaders from MOSS and PLT, and birding and paddling at Esther Simplot Park.
A workshop was held for informal STEM educators to build connections and support across the state.
An IdEEA-hosted HappEE Hour for all IdEEA members was well attended.
Hikes and Hops at the Foothills Learning Center: Back to School Edition
The Fall 2025 Hikes + Hops event was a Teachers Night Out with Environmental Education sponsored by the Idaho Environmental Education Association. Education partners such as Bogus Basin, Boise Urban Garden School, Project Learning Tree, and more were on site to entice teachers with their offerings for the school year. Beverages were supplied by Alliteration Ales, the team behind the OldSpeak pub in Garden City. The event included a guided hike by Foothills Learning Center staff and plenty of opportunities to connect and share ideas with educators around the Treasure Valley.
Professional Workshops
20% member discount on all of our Courses & Certifications using this coupon code: CERT20
5% member discount on all of our Resources, Tools & Kits using this coupon code: 5%partner
Cornell Civic Ecology Lab: We’re excited to invite you to the next run of Urban Environmental Education, a 4-week global online course from Cornell’s Civic Ecology Lab (Sept 15–Oct 12, 2025). You’ll design a practical project for your educational program and your city, connect with a worldwide cohort, and earn a Cornell University certificate.
Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2026 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences at global field sites in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu
Resources
IdEEA Educator Grants: Do you have an Environmental Education project or program that could use financial assistance? IdEEA is awarding four $500 awards to Idaho formal and informal educators to boost their environmental education work! Applications accepted until October 3rd. Projects must be completed by the end of the 25-26 school year. Apply now!
EPA Grants: EPA seeks grant applications from eligible applicants to support environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship and help provide people with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment. This grant program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques. Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 and $3.5 million in grant funding per year, supporting more than 3,950 grants.
Idaho Power Solar 4R Schools Program educates students about renewable energy by placing solar installations on school property, along with a data monitoring system and a curriculum package. Energy generated by these small-scale solar-electric systems helps participating schools offset a portion of their electricity use. Applications are accepted anytime but reviewed on March 1 and October 1 each year. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions on approximately April 15 or November 15.
Give Earth A Chance (GEAC) is a free cooperative board game created by a graduate student at Oregon State University as an open resource for educators, advocates, and communities working on climate action. GEAC transforms the climate crisis from an abstract issue into a shared challenge where collaboration is the only path to survival. GEAC is offered free to everyone under a Creative Commons license. The complete game can be downloaded through OER Commons and MERLOT, two trusted global repositories for open educational resources.
Upcoming Events
The UI McCall Outdoor Science School has availability for Residential and Outreach Programs in Spring 2026! Contact Beth K. to chat about availability and program options: ekochevar@uidaho.edu
The 2025–2026 World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest is now open! Middle and high school students are invited to create a 60-second video on Energy, Economics, or Wetlands for a chance to win up to $1,200 in cash prizes. Submissions are due March 4, 2026—learn more and access free classroom resources at ➡️ https://www.worldof8billion.org/
Registration is now open for the NAAEE 2025 Conference (November 3–6) and Research Symposium (October 30), hosted online by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Join NAAEE and educators worldwide in exploring how we use environmental education to move “Forward Together” to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement. With more than 200 engaging sessions and keynotes, we’ll delve into how education can inspire action, build environmental stewardship, and create healthier, more resilient communities.
The George Masa Foundation is proud to announce the Second Annual Youth Conservation Photo Contest—an opportunity for young photographers to show how they see and care for the natural world. If you’re a middle or high school student (ages 11–18), this is your chance to share your best work. Winning photos will receive cash prizes and be featured on our website and social media. Submission deadline: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 (11:59 PM ET)
IdEEA Updates
ICYMI: Top stories from the IdEEA blog
Member Post Earth to Sky Adapt
September Youth Led Environmental Education
IdEEA is looking for guest writers for blog posts. Do you have an interesting project or idea you’d like to highlight? Contact us at communications@idahoee.org to share your ideas with our community!
Climate curriculum available: We have units for grades 5-12 based on the Idaho Climate-Economy Impacts Assessment and tied to the Idaho Science Standards for a place-based discussion of climate variability relevant to Idaho’s students. See the full list of lessons at https://www.idahoee.org/climate-curriculum.
Support EE in Idaho by becoming an IdEEA member today!
Our membership rates have increased to $25 in 2025 with increased member benefits. Stay current with all our updates: subscribe to this newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have an interest in supporting our mission more fully but don’t have the capacity to be on the board, join one of our committees! Any active members are eligible to meet with a committee to help with specific events and projects. Let us know you’re interested by emailing communications@idahoee.org under the subject “Committees” and we’ll connect you to the correct Committee Chair.
About this newsletter - We bring you the latest Environmental Education resources, events, and opportunities from around Idaho four times per year. You can be a part of this process by sharing resources, events, jobs, etc. with communications@idahoee.org under the subject “Newsletter.”
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