With summer upon us, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery has some great upcoming outreach opportunities!
With summer upon us, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery has some great upcoming outreach opportunities!

On Sat, June 6th, 2009 the 23rd Annual Catch a Rainbow Kids Fishing Derby will be held.  Designed as a fun-filled way to get kids outdoors and connected to fishing, the derby is a great family event, and through generous community support, every participant is also treated to great prizes, food, fun and much, much more!

The event begins at 9am CST with the following schedule per age group with registration beginning at 8am CST.  Ages 1 through 4 will fish at the Kiddie Pool area while all other age groups will fish at the hatchery creek.

Ages 1 – 4: -- 9am – 12noon CST
Ages 5 – 6: -- 9:00am – 10:00am CST
Ages 7 – 8: -- 10:15am – 11:15am CST
Ages 9 – 10: --11:30am – 12:30pm CST
Ages 11 – 12: --12:45pm – 1:45pm CST
Ages 13 – 15: -- 2:00pm – 3:00pm CST

Fishing assistance is available, and all participants need to bring their own tackle.

Along with the derby, Wolf Creek NFH will also be hosting five wonderful training events in June!

Are you looking for some new, fun and exciting hands-on environmental education activities to use in your classroom, with your Scout troop, 4-H group, etc?  If you’ve answered “YES!” then here is a GREAT class for you!   Join Danielle Hutchins, a facilitator with the Life Adventure Center in Versailles, KY, as she leads you through a variety filled day of awesome and fun EE activities as part of the Awesome Outdoor Adventure Sampler Workshop!  Learn all about skunk target practice (how an animal defends itself), check out a new way to take an interactive hike, make a sound map, explore concrete poetry, learn some awesome teambuilding activities and practice your animal ears as you enjoy a day of great learning!  Participants will walk away with plenty of new ideas and a variety of materials to take back to their site to use, so don’t miss out!  The date for the workshop is Friday, June 12th, 2009 from 9:00am – 3:30pm CST, and the cost for registration is $25, which includes all programming, materials, lunch and snacks.  Registration is requested and can be done by contacting Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist Amanda Patrick at 270-343-3797 or via email:  Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov

Elizabeth Robb-Schmitz, Environmental Education Specialist for the Kentucky Division for Air Quality, will be at the hatchery on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 from 9:00am CST – 3:00pm CST to lead a Clean Air for Kentucky Curriculum Workshop.  The workshop will be a fun day of environmental education learning as Elizabeth presents a new curriculum program centered on the importance of clean air, including ways to help clean up the air and keep it clean!  This class is open to anyone looking to gain experience in the area of environmental education and will prove to be a great day for both formal and non-formal educators.  So whether you are a teacher, 4-H leader, Boy/Girl Scout volunteer, etc., this event is sure to be a great way to learn more about ways to teach your youth about the importance of clean air!  Age level for the materials is geared towards 4th through 12th  but those who work with other age levels are also welcome.  Cost for the workshop is $10.00 (which includes lunch and all learning materials).  

On Friday, June 26th, 2009, the hatchery will serve as host for a Project Learning Tree/Project Flying WILD workshop.  Project Learning Tree® is an award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in PreK-grade 12. PLT, a program of the American Forest Foundation, is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad.   PLT continues to set the standard for environmental education excellence.   Flying WILD, a program of the Council for Environmental Education, introduces students to bird conservation through standards-based classroom activities and environmental stewardship projects.  This class is open to anyone looking to gain experience in the area of environmental education.  A fun-filled day of hands on learning, it is a great training opportunity for teachers, Girl/Boy Scout leaders, 4-H volunteers, etc.  Teachers in attendance will gain 8 hours of professional development and also program guidance in core content areas and national standards.  The class will begin at 9:00am CST and will conclude at 5:00pm CST, and registration fees are $35 per person, which includes books for both PLT and Flying WILD, programming, lunch and snacks.

Monday, June 29th, 2009, from 10:00am CST until 3:00pm CST, will be a workshop sure to help many teachers who might be looking for creative ways to use the outdoors to reach their students as the hatchery serves as host for an Environmental Education and Special Education: A Natural Connection workshop.  Join facilitator and classroom teacher Lauren Dowell on a journey towards proficiency through Environmental Education (EE).  EE offers students a way to connect to Core Content for Assessment that is tangible, real and fun.  This session will provide the classroom teacher with materials and methods to reach the seemingly unreachable.   If you have a desire to motivate, inspire and encourage your most reluctant learners, join us!  Core Content correlations will be provided with examples of ORQs at each level.   This session is ideal for the elementary, middle or secondary school teacher that works with reluctant learners.  Methods for working with special needs children in environmental education situations will be clearly outlined.  To register for this event, please contact Amanda Patrick at 270-343-3797 or via email:  Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov  Cost per person to register is $10, which includes all programming, materials, snacks and lunch.

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery is also partnering with Dimensions Educational Research Foundation to present a first ever workshop for Kentucky:  Nature Explore Classrooms:  Devoted to reconnecting young children with nature!   Research shows that today’s children would benefit greatly from spending more time outdoors and making deeper connections to the natural world.  Getting children outside, however, is just the first step.  While children learn a great deal exploring their natural surroundings, deeper learning involves interpreting what they see, touch and smell, as well as synthesizing this information to construct meaning.  Supportive adults can help children develop well-functioning observation skills, visual memory, and the ability to learn math, science, and literacy concepts from their interactions with nature.

Dimensions Educational Research Foundation has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to develop a series of workshops for preschool and elementary educators, as well as those working with children in nature centers, parks, and other public settings that involve the natural world.  Based on years of Dimensions Foundation Research and field-testing, these workshops provide resources and inspiration to help educators more effectively reach all learners while also re-connecting children with the wonders of nature.

The workshop will take place on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 from 8:30am CST through 3:30pm CST.  Pre-registration is required, and the cost per person is $45, which includes all programming, materials, lunch and snacks.  

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery is proud to sponsor educational workshops and events that help the public learn more about our incredible natural and cultural heritage.  For information on these or other programs at the hatchery, including how to register and/or how you can be involved as a volunteer, please contact Amanda Patrick, Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist, at 270-343-3797 or via email:  Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov