CENTRAL SECTION OFFICERS 1996/97
President: Sherman Lundy, Burlinton Middle School, Burlington, Iowa 52601.
Phone: 319-752-2895 Email: lundy@chaos.k12.ames.ia.us
First Vice President: David Malone, Department of Geography and Geology, Normal, IL 61611.
Phone: 309-438-2692 Email: dhmalon@ilstu.edu
Second Vice President: Robert W. Baker, Department of Plant & Earth Sciences, University of Wisconsin, (nominee) River Valls, Wisconsin 54022.
Phone: 414-425-3139 FAX: 715-425-3785 Email: robert.w.baker@uwrf.edu
Secretary/Treasurer: Samuel F. Huffman, Department of Plant and Earth Sciences, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022.
Phone: 715-425-3139 FAX: 715-425-3785 Email: samuel.huffman@uwrf.edu
CENTRAL SECTION ANNUAL MEETING
The Central Section of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers 1997 Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with the North Central Section of the Geological Society of America May 1-2, 1997 in Madison, Wisconsin. A copy of the preregistration form is enclosed. Meeting registrants are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements. The meeting center is the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governors Club. Other hotels include:
1. Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club
One West Dayton Street, Madison WI 53703
608-257-6000; $79/room
2. Inn on the Park
22 S. Carroll Street, Madison WI 53703
608-257-8811; $79/room
3. Lowell Hall (residential facility operated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension Conference Center)
610 Langdon Street, Madison WI 53703
608-256-2514; $46-$52 (1 or 2 persons)
4. The Madison Inn
601 Langdon Street, Madison WI 53703
608-257-4391; $52/1 person; $60/2 persons
5. University Inn
441 N Frances Street, Madison WI 53703
608-257-4881; $72/room
The NAGT Annual Meeting is May 2, 12:00 in the Concourse Hotel. The cost is $10.00 and preregistration is required. Agenda items include: recognition of State and Central Section OEST's for 1997; election of officers; encouragement of K-12 teacher application for OEST awards and state level counselor-selection and duties.
NAGT PROGRAMS AT MADISON
David H. Malone, Nick Van Wyck and Skip Nelson will host a Pre-meeting Field Trip on April 30 entitled " Field Guide For Field Trip Leaders to the Baraboo District, Wisconsin". Classical and seldom visited localities in the Baraboo-Devil's Lake area will be examined as opportunities for instruction. One day, departing 8:00 am. Cost $45.00. Contact Dave Malone, Dept of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4400, Normal IL 61790. Phone 309-438-2292 or dhmalone@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
Dave Malone will also moderate the symposium "Importance of Field Trips in Undergraduate Education". The symposium is scheduled Friday morning, May 2. Sixteen abstracts have been solicited or volunteered. Hope to see a large number of members at the session.
Robert W. Baker and Samuel F. Huffman will moderate the "2nd Undergraduate Research Symposium".
The Central Section of NAGT will share the billing with the Tri-State Field Conference this coming fall. Skip Nelson and Dave Malone will lead a trip to the LaSalle, Illinois area. They will focus on Paleozoic (Ordovician and Pennsylvanian) and Pleistocene stratigraphy. The trip is planned for October 3-5, 1997. Additional details will be provided in the Septembers newsletter.
2nd VICE PRESIDENT NOMINEE
Due to personal reasons, our 2nd Vice President elect, George Smith of Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin, had to withdraw his nomination. Dr. Robert W. Baker, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, has graciously agreed to be nominated as the 2nd Vice President of the CS-NAGT for 1997-98. In order to maintain a progression of leadership within the section, both Sherman Lundy and David Malone have agreed to stay in their posts for an additional year.
BALLOT - CENTRAL SECTION NAGT - SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT (1997-1998) - VOTE FOR ONE.
o Robert W. Baker
Department of Plant & Earth Sciences
University of Wisconsin
River Falls WI 54022
o (Write-In)
Please print or type
Please return ballot to: Samuel F. Huffman
Secretary/Treasurer/CS/NAGT
Plant & Earth Science
University of Wisconsin
410 S Third Street
River Falls WI 54022
RESPONSE TO FALL QUESTIONNAIRE
While only 7 questionnaires were returned, the responses were unanimous. The results of the questionnaire will be presented to the membership at the annual meeting for endorsement. If endorsed, the following actions will be taken during the coming year.
1. The Central Section of NAGT will hold their annual meeting in conjunction with the North Central Section of GSA.
2. The Central Section of NAGT will offer a fall field trip in conjunction with Tri-State or the Great Lakes Section of SEPM.
3. Two oversite counselors, the Past President and most recent OEST winner, will be appointed to solicit and select an OEST from that state.
4. The length of term for counselors will be 2 years.
5. The responsibility of the state counselors shall be:
a. Solicit OEST nominations from their state.
b. Select an OEST from the nominations.
c. Present the state award at a meeting of the OEST's peers
d. Provide a vitae for the state winner to the Central Section Secretary. The Central Section OEST will be chosen from the 4 state winners by the Executive Committee (Section President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and Secretary).
6. The 4 state winners will be presented a $50.00 award from the Central Section's treasury.
NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS
Americans agree that our students urgently need better science education. But what should they be expected to know and be able to do? Can the same expectations be applied across our diverse society? These and other fundamental issues are addressed in "National Science Education Standards"--a landmark development effort that reflects the contributions of thousands of teachers, scientists, science educators, and other experts across the country.
"National Science Education Standards" offers a coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate and reflect the principles that learning science is an inquiry-based process, that science in schools should reflect the intellectual traditions of contemporary science, and that all Americans have a role in science education.
ISBN: 0-309-05326-9; 1995, 272 pages, 8 x 10.5, index, paperbound
Single copy:$19.95; 2-9 copies: $16.50 ea; 10+ copies: $13.95 ea
Order electronically via Internet at: http://www.nap.edu
REPORT FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,
DENVER, OCTOBER 1996
The NAGT Executive Committee, NAGT Council, NAGT Past Presidents, and the NAGT-United States Geological Survey Cooperative Summer Field Training Program met in Denver, Colorado in conjunction with the national meeting of the Geological Society of America. The meetings spanned three days. The council meeting is the primary national meeting of our organization. It is an opportunity for section presidents to share the activities and concerns of the 11 regional sections. This year the message was mostly a positive feeling that strong sections were doing well and some others were being rejuvenated.
The national budget is received and approved at our fall Executive Committee Meeting each year. This year concern was expressed that our low memberships fees need to be adjusted. Currently, members get our outstanding Journal of Geoscience Education along with the other privileges offered by the organization. JGE costs $28.12 to print and mail each year for each subscription. The average membership dues of $25.00 obviously do not even pay for the Journal costs. Fortunately, we do have income from some projects. The greatest single source of income, aside from dues, is our Introductory Geology Lab Manual produced jointly with AGI. NAGT sponsors many national projects, returns $2.50 per member to the sections, and supports the mission of other organizations like the American Geological Institute. It is clear that dues must be raised to sustain all these efforts. The dues increase will be studied and a new dues schedule voted on at the spring Executive Committee Meeting.
A new program to give free NAGT memberships to undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants was initiated last year with a generous gift from Tom Hendrix. This program will be more widely advertised this year. It is meant to reward outstanding TA's with a gift of our Journal and opportunities to be a part of NAGT.
Our upcoming "Award Winning Earth Science Workshop" is slated for the April meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in New Orleans. It is being organized by Lynn Howard and assisted by Phil Astwood. The course will be taught by some of our Outstanding Earth Science Teacher award winners from across the country.
If you have not yet taken advantage of our Distinguished Speakers Program, you should! Barb Tewksbury administers the NSF-NAGT funded speaker's bureau. The speakers are experts in innovative teaching and curriculum design. Another NSF-NAGT collaboration supports short courses and a summer workshop with the same goal of improving teaching.
Your national organization actively participates in AGI, AAAS, and many other science advocacy groups. WE provide board members, planning and advertising, and financial support. Frankly, we are often stretched thin. We strongly urge you to contact a national officer if you are willing to volunteer (no NAGT officer is salaried) to represent NAGT on national projects.
The NAGT/US Geological Survey Cooperative Summer Field Training Program placed 66 students in internships with the USGS and State Surveys in 1996. The interns and their employers have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the work and workers. So far only 54 positions have been identified for the summer of 1997. It appears that while the USGS has been very pleased with the students, they tend to reserve positions for universities in their local areas.
WETLANDS RESERVE PROGRAM RE-0PENS
(KEEPING CURRENT, UW-EXTENSION, VOLUME 5, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARY 1997)
Approximately 10,000 acres of high-quality wetlands have been restored in Wisconsin through the federal Wetlands Reserve Program since it was first opened in 1993. Over the next l6 years, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service expects to restore an additional 20,000 acres of previously drained and cropped Wisconsin agricultural lands.
The voluntary Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is set up the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. It offers landowners financial incentives to restore and maintain wetlands with permanent or long-term easements. To date, all contracts in Wisconsin are for permanent easements to maintain the wetlands indefinitely.
Beginning October 1, 1996 and continuing indefinitely, landowners can apply for the program at any time; they no longer need to wait for limited annual sign-up periods. This allows landowners more flexibility with fewer time constraints. NRCS will evaluate the applications periodically throughout the year.
To be eligible for WRP, land must be restorable and provide significant wetland and wildlife habitat. Applications are ranked to select the highest quality wetlands for restoration. The program offers landowners three options:
1. Payment for permanent easement plus cost-sharing for the restoration.
2. Payment for 30-year easement plus cost-sharing for restoration.
3. Cost-sharing for restoration only with a 10-year easement agreement.
In addition, landowners who have wetlands that are already restored through other programs can apply for a permanent or a 30-year easement and payment. The easements are applied to the deed and protect the wetland from future development in the WRP.
NRCS will work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the sate DNR and non-profit groups such as the Wisconsin Waterfowl association, to develop selection criteria. NRCS will also coordinate the WRP with other restoration projects being carried out on private lands by non-profit organizations.
For more information about the Wetlands Reserve, contact any USDA Service Center or NRCS office.