The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today that registration is open for WETSHOP 2014, a coastal awareness workshop for science, history and social studies teachers. The workshop is scheduled for July 6 through 11, 2014 at LDWF’s Marine Fisheries Lab on Grand Isle.
The focus of this six-day workshop is to provide teachers with an in-depth look at issues related to wetland ecology and coastal land loss in Louisiana. Participating teachers will accrue 55 hours of instruction covering a wide variety of topics including wetland ecology, fisheries management and coastal restoration. Teachers will also spend a portion of each day in the field learning about maritime forests, barrier island beach ecology, coastal restoration projects, bird life, marsh and swamp habitats, and marine organisms.
All participating teachers will receive GLE-correlated wetland lessons and many other educational resources from numerous sponsoring agencies and organizations. Lodging and meals are provided once participants reach the workshop site. Upon completion of the workshop, each participant will receive a $250 stipend. An additional stipend is available during the academic year upon completion of a wetland stewardship project.
WETSHOP is sponsored by LDWF with grant funding provided by the Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP). In addition to this funding, WETSHOP is a collaborative effort with partners that provide experts in the field for presentations and educational materials. These agencies/organizations include: BTNEP, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Louisiana Nature Conservancy, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, Coastal Planning Protection and Restoration Act and Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
Teachers interested in WETSHOP 2014 can contact LDWF Biologist Supervisor Angela Capello at 318-748-6914 or acapello@wlf.la.gov.