Nebraska Bird Partnership

The Education Workgroup is in the final phase of one major project, Project BEAK, and in the initial phase of another, development of a Pocket Guide for Nebraska Birds. Contact the Coordinator if you want to get involved with any of the projects below.

Project BEAK
Project BEAK is the just-released interactive, web-based curriculum that targets the 5th-8th grade level, but can educate anyone about Nebraska's birds, their adaptations, and conservation.  The work of developing the curriculum and designing the website is complete; now the Workgroup will be focusing on marketing the website to educators, resource professionals, and the public.

Listen to a broadcast about Project BEAK from Playa Country Radio.

Planned actions related to Project BEAK include:

• Send information to the Educational Service Units (ESU) across the state for distribution to the individual teachers.  Materials will be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the Nebraska Department of Education or the ESU's.
• Promote Project BEAK on the Nebraska Project WILD Website and the NACEE website.
• Promote website at workshops and conferences such as the Nebraska Association of Science Teachers (NATS), Teacher's Night Out, Nebraska 4-H, and Project WILD workshops.
• Offer Bird Diversity and Education workshops to highlight the website and offer a more in-depth experience with the birds of Nebraska (offering field trips etc).  Two workshops will be targeted at 5th-8th grade teachers and non-formal educators, and two workshops will be targeted for the general public, resource professionals and landowners, which will include an added focus on bird habitats and conservation issues. One Educator and one Public workshop will take place in eastern Nebraska, and one of each in western Nebraska.
• Produce news releases to announce the availability of the website and to announce each of the four workshops planned. In addition, publicize announcements and events in the NACEE newsletter which is released 3 times per year.
• Evaluate effectiveness of website.  Prepare materials, such as questionnaires and surveys, for on-going evaluation from formal and non-formal educators that use the website. Revise and update based on evaluation feedback.

Pocket Guide to Nebraska Birds
Production of a pocket guide to priority bird species containing photographs, range maps, and a brief life history description is just beginning, with a target completion of spring of 2010.  The pocket guide will be a great resource for conservation organizations to distribute to interested/participating landowners, and will also be used as an incentive for school teachers to utilize and evaluate the curriculum.

The action steps required for completion of the pocket guide are still being refined, but the primary action step is to write species descriptions, targeted at the 5th grade level but also suitable for the general public.