GlobalGiving.org: Gulf Coast Bay Buddy: Conservation for Grades K-3

Bay Buddy Summer Update - 2010

Alabama Coastal Foundation — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:00:08 GMT

The Gulf Coast Bay Buddy Program (GCBBP) is well on it’s way toward becoming a bigger and better tool to educate youth of the Gulf Coast about the value of our local environment! Over the past months, we have been busy reviewing the current GCBBP, determining age appropriate content that correlates to State Department of Education Standards, designing new characters and having them illustrated by a professional illustrator, and gearing up for the new school year!

This would not be possible without the support of individuals like you!

In light of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Release, ACF has taken pause to determine the best way to incorporate related information into the program. We are working diligently with local and regional partners to identify existing pertinent resources and adapt them if necessary to better serve the Gulf Coast audience. We know that locals students have a lot of questions and concerns about what is happening in the Gulf and we want to make sure that our education initiatives help them understand the role they can play in protecting our natural resources.

After evaluating existing no-cost enrichment programs in the state, ACF has further evaluated and adapted the previously identified goals of the program. The revised goals are as follows:

The primary goal of the Gulf Coast Bay Buddy Program is to teach basic conservation principles to elementary students with an emphasis on connections between human activities and the natural world. Important components include laying a foundation for: 1) an understanding of services provided to humans by local ecosystems 2) an understanding of ways in which human activities can affect local and regional ecosystems 3) an understanding that humans have the responsibility to choose activities that do not pose negative threats to the local and regional ecosystem

These components will result in: 1) Increased personal responsibility related to environmental protection 2) Increased awareness of human connectivity to the natural environment 3) Increased stewardship of local ecosystems through responsible decision making

Secondary goals of the GCBBP include: 1) Fostering appreciation for local species through pre- and post-visit projects and activities 2) Introducing specific coastal habitats and the services they provide to humans and other animals 3) Encouraging special environmental projects for individual schools through pre-and post-visit activities, including assisting with garnering funds for these projects 4) Providing all of the above in an interesting, interactive, and age-appropriate format.

If you have any input on the revised goals or would like to get further involved in the GCBBP revision process, please email akeene@joinacf.org. Thank you again for your support of conservation education initiatives in south Alabama.

Links:

Visit our web site

Bay Buddy Project Update

Alabama Coastal Foundation — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:06:17 GMT

Thanks to your generosity, the Bay Buddy Program is getting a facelift! Over the next few months, ACF will be working with illustrator Betsy Walker and local educators to update the existing Bay Buddy Program. The updated program will include new characters based on local animal species, new presentation, new activity booklet, and pre- and post-visit materials for teachers that align content with curriculum standards. The program will continue to teach basic conservation vocabulary and principles to students in grades K-3, including areas of recycling, stormwater, and personal responsibility.

ACF will debut the updated Gulf Coast Bay Buddy Program this fall in local schools. Sponsorships are available. Contact us at info@joinacf.org or 251.990.6002 for more information.

None of this would be possible without the support of individuals like you. With your support, ACF will continue to provide quality environmental education programs and projects to citizens of Baldwin and Mobile Counties. Thank you again for your contribution and for helping us achieve our goal of improving and protection the quality of Alabama’s natural resources by identifying and solving problems through education, cooperation, and participation.

Greetings Global Giving Bay Buddy Supporters!

Bethany Kraft — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:23:53 GMT

Students are eager to showcase their knowledge!

It has been a busy fall for the Alabama Coastal Foundation and we wanted to take a few moments to update you on how your generous contribution is being utilized.

The Bay Buddy Program is in full swing for the 2009-2010 school year. ACF staff visited Castlen Elementary second grade students on October 14th, teaching basic conservation principles to over 100 students. Castlen Elementary is located in Grand Bay, so students were very familiar with recreational uses of waterways and excited about keeping them healthy. The school also has a recycling program, which students loved to talk about. They had wonderful suggestions on things to keep out of the drain, such as markers and toys- we suspect someone had to learn that lesson the hard way! Upcoming presentations at Dodge Elementary, Council Traditional School, and Eichold-Mertz are scheduled throughout November. This will bring the total number of students participating in 2009 Spring and fall to 1,600! Wow! We couldn’t have done it without you!

What’s next for Bay Buddy? We are almost out of activity booklets- can you believe we’ve had over 2,900 students participate in Bay Buddy over the past 2 years alone? We are currently working with teachers to update the program materials and booklets in time to roll out in Spring 2010. The new program updates will include: -Characters based on specific local species -Pre-and post-visit materials such as info on how to start a recycling program at home or school; species information and project ideas; and evaluation materials to measure impact. -A new and improved activity book and presentation featuring sound and eventually animation. Our future goals include developing a completely web-based program to be distributed Gulf-wide. Ambitious? Perhaps! But with your support, we are continuing to make a difference in South Alabama. Stay tuned for future updates!

Bay Buddy at Castlen Elementary

Programs Director Anna Keene leads a Bay Buddy Presentation