EMS TRANSMISSION 10/25/2005

Information Bulletin No. 2006-009

 

To:              All Field Officials

 

From:          Director

 

Subject:       Bureau of Land Management Electronic Fieldtrip: Fire’s Role in Ecosystems: A Hot Topic!

 

It is my pleasure to inform you of an exciting opportunity for local schools to learn about the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The latest in BLM’s Share the Adventure! series is available on the internet as an electronic fieldtrip entitled “Fire’s Role in Ecosystems: A Hot Topic!” Produced by the Environmental Education and Volunteers Group in conjunction with the National Interagency Fire Center and Distance Learning Integrators, this web-based program will premiere on October 31, 2005, and features three segments:

 

·        A “virtual visit” focusing on the role of wildland fire in ecosystems;

·        An “Ask the Experts” session in which BLM fire specialists answer student questions online; and

·        A student journal, which allows educators to assess student learning.

 

Links to background information and other references are also provided. The fieldtrip is available for viewing at www.efieldtrips.org .

 

Through this electronic fieldtrip, students will learn about the natural role of fire in healthy ecosystems, fire regimes across the country, and about some of the risks and benefits of wildland fire. They will also come to understand and appreciate some of the many challenges that land managers face in their efforts to protect people and ecosystem health.

 

Please inform your local schools of this wonderful, free opportunity and provide them with the necessary information so they can participate.  In particular, remind teachers of the “Ask the Experts” session on November 14-16, which will allow students to have their questions answered by BLM fire experts.  Information on the fieldtrip is available on the BLM Environmental Education website at www.blm.gov/education. States are encouraged to provide a link to this page from State education websites.  To assist you in promoting the program, a colorful advertising flyer, in pdf format, is also attached.

 

I strongly encourage you to solicit as much participation in this e-fieldtrip as possible. Should you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact Mary Tisdale, Group Manager, BLM Environmental Education & Volunteers Group, at (202) 452-0365.

 

 

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