Hello WILD ones, This year is shaping up to be another fantastic year for Project WILD in Florida. The Project WILD office is receiving numerous requests for workshops and already more than 300 people have attended a Project WILD workshop in Florida in 2023. This momentum and growth in visibility of Project WILD would not be possible without the dedication and time commitment from our many volunteers across the state. I cannot overstate your importance, nor thank you enough for contributing your time to ensuring Florida carries on with leading this program. (Now in it's 40th year, can you believe it?) Speaking of visibility, check out some of the short stories below to see where Project WILD is breaking some new ground in 2023. There is one small change in store for this year. In an effort to conserve more of my time to devote to Project WILD and workshops the Florida Project WILD Facebook page is going away, sort of. Florida Project WILD will merge with Kids and Conservation by FWC & FYCCN. Now you will find content for kids, parents and teachers, and have access to a wealth of resources, all in one place! You can take an advance peek here. This will not impact the Facilitator Group page. We have a wonderful intern who is curating the Kids and Conservation page and doing an awesome job of it to ensure a good balance of resources for all of our page viewers. It's a great time to be WILD! Gina Long
Project WILD Coordinator
850-404-6089
Gina.Long@myfwc.com
Thanks to a tremendous effort from the Project WILD assistant Jamie, both Project WILD and Aquatic WILD Correlations to Florida Standards have been updated to reflect Florida's Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST). The 2023 updates reflect changes to the Mathematics and English Language Arts Standards replaced by BEST. Both correlations guides have received a refresh to simpler to read and follow formatting which will allow seamless continuous updating in the future. Check them out here! 
 Visitors to the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network (FYCCN) display inside the big red barn at the Florida State Fair in Tampa got to explore a Project WILD activity. The activity adapted for this offering was 'Color Crazy' and the kids loved it. Kids created a creature to blend into provided backgrounds and learned about different types of camouflage while parents learned about what opportunities are offered through FYCCN to keep kids and families active and learning outdoor skills. Many thanks to Keaton Fish, Candice Wade, and Stacey Lamborn (pictured) for bringing a WILD activity to this event that reached more than 100,000 people! |
 | | If you have attended Project WILD workshops and are interested in leading your own workshop, then we're ready for you. The next Project WILD Facilitator Training (also known as Train the Trainer) is scheduled for April 17th through 21st 2023. This will be a virtual training and require 1-2 hours of participation daily during the week. Being a a Project WILD Facilitator means: - Recognition as a leader in Florida’s environmental education community;
- Professional development opportunities, including an invitation to the annual facilitator awards recognition weekend - Call of the WILD;
- Support from, and networking with, other volunteer facilitators;
- Access to the latest environmental education curricula and the most current information about Florida wildlife;
- Incentive awards;
- Personal and professional pride and satisfaction in your accomplishments; The ability to reach children through training educators who work directly with students
Interested in attending the April 2023, Train the Trainer? Inactive facilitators also are encouraged to attend and reactivate! For an application, please contact: Gina.Long@MyFWC.com |
 Project WILD education has applications beyond the traditional classroom. In February, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff from around the state gathered for a Project WILD workshop in Ocala. Staff were trained in how to relate lessons from Project WILD to work done by biologists, land managers and even Law Enforcement Officers within the agency. Training included a mix of lessons right out of the Project WILD and Aquatic WILD guides as well as some time to interact with lessons that had been transformed to table top activities. The more than 20 staff members who were in attendance now have the resources they need to continue providing impactful outreach relating to Florida's Fish and Wildlife! |
Saturday April 1st 2023 8:30 AMSpring League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF) ConferenceThere are several ways to get involved with the LEEF Spring Conference. Join online seminars on April 1st or in-person field trip events in various locations on April 2nd. Get involved. Monday April 17th - 21st 2023Virtual Project WILD Facilitator TrainingWeek-long virtual Project WILD Facilitator training. If you are ready to take on leading workshops email Gina.Long@MyFWC.com for an application and more details. Saturday April 22nd 2023 8:30 AMAquatic WILD Workshop, MicanopyVisit the scenic and beautiful Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center for a free Aquatic WILD workshop including a unique aquatic field experience. Get more information or register to attend here. Monday May 1st through Sunday May 7th Screen Free WeekJoin the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network partners and camps in celebrating time away from electronics and screens. Play and explore outdoors or give back to your community. How you participate is up to you!
Recent Quotes from Workshop Participants: "Awesome workshop! Thank you for all of the resources :)" "Class was educational and interesting. I feel myself and my organization will strongly benefit from today's teachings!" "This was a very helpful workshop, and I am glad I was able to learn and meet with other teachers and persons willing to inspire young people by utilizing nature." "Great workshop and great resources" "The workshop was really amazing. Really loved the aspect of incorporating the site into the activities. All the activities were very thought out and planned well. Thank you." "Great hands-on practice and excellent networking."
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