Still looking for something fun for the kids this summer? Join Discovery Southeast in Outdoor Explorers! There are spots still availbale in all seesions. Check out the Outdoor Explorers section on te website for more information and call 463-1500 to sign up!

Come join Discovery Southeast for another Discovery Day on Thursday, April 22nd! Think on the sunny side of spring and take a hike out at the end of North Douglas. We will learn about birds, terrestrial mammals, forest succession, and marine life if it should happen to swim by. We will meet at Harborview Elementary at 9am for pickup. Transportation will be provided. We will drop off the kids at 3pm at Harborview so make sure to pack a lunch! So jump into spring with a fun hike! To sign up, please call 463-1500 or email oceaned@discoverysoutheast.org.

The annual Discovery Southeast Auction this past weekend was a huge success thanks to everyone who attended! We had about 350 people come out to support Discovery and it was a night full of music, great food, and amazing auction items. Thank you again to everyone's support of Discovery Southeast and nature education!

    Earlier this year, some Alaskans who filed online for their Permanent Fund Dividend reported difficulties in making donations through the PFD Charitable Contributions Program, also known as "Pick.Click.Give."

   The PFD Division is committed to ensuring all online PFD applicants this year have an opportunity to Pick.Click.Give. and we are pleased to let you know that you'll get a second chance to make donations between April 5 and May 31, 2010. This option is available to all Alaskans who filed online whether or not they were successful in donating when they filed.

   Pick.Click.Give. provides a safe and secure way for Alaskans to donate a portion of their PFD to their favorite Alaska cause. The program is in its second year and has already made a significant contribution to improving the lives of Alaskans in need of housing, food support, emergency services, and more.

   Search the list of eligible nonprofit organizations for those that focus on the cause most important to you here: http://www.pickclickgive.org/pfd. You will NOT be able to make contributions from that site.

   Thank you for your patience as we worked to provide this second chance to donate. We hope you will mark your calendar and return to the PFD website www.pfd.alaska.gov on April 5th to make your contribution and encourage others to take advantage of this special opportunity. Alaska's nonprofits often give Alaskans a second chance - for a home, for a meal, for a better life - now you have a second chance to make their impact even bigger.

Don't know what to do over spring break? Come join Discovery Southeast on Friday March, 26th for another Discovery Day up at Eaglecrest! We will be snowshoeing from 10am to 2pm. Snowshoes will be provided by Discovery Southeast! In the afternoon from 1pm to 3pm, we will have a backcountry skills session with Juneau Mountain Rescue and Eaglecrest Ski Patrol for all of you who can ski the west side of the mountain. To sign up or for more information, call our office at 463-1500. We can't wait to see you all!

21st ANNUAL AUCTION - DINNER - FUNDRAISER
Saturday, April 3rd from 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Centennial Hall
Dinner catered by Abby's Kitchen
Silent and Outcry Auctions
Are You Smarter Than A Naturalist???

TICKET PRICES.......BUY EARLY AND SAVE
Available at Hearhtside Books, Rainy Retreat Books, Observatory Bookstore
Advance Adult $25, at the door $35
Advance Family $60, at the door $70
Five and under FREE
6-12 year olds $10, Students $15

Don't forget to get your Backcountry Film Festival tickets! The shows are Tuesday, February 23rd and Wednesday, February 24th. The show is at 7pm and doors open at 6:30 at the Goldtown Nickelodeon. Come and check out some great winter films! Contact the Goldtown Nickelodeon or call our office at 463-1500 for more information and tickets.

February is time for another Discovery Day up at Eaglecrest! On Monday, February 15th, the Juneau school district has the day off from classes and Discovery Southeast would like to welcome everyone to join us on a snowshoe hike! We will be talking about tracking, snow crystals, and avalanche predictions. It will be a fun-filled day and a chance to make the most of your holiday! Snowshoes and snacks will be provided. We will meet at the Eaglecrest lodge at 10am and we will go until about 3pm. To sign your child up, call us at 463-1500. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

The EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., announce a poetry, essay, photo and dance contest. Entries must be from a team of two or more persons, a young person and an older person. The creative work should express the "Sense of Wonder" that your team feels for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes. We want you to share this love of nature with a child and others around you. When we teach our eyes and ears and senses to focus on the wonders of nature, we open ourselves to the wonders around us.

Contestants will work across generations to share through one of these distinct mediums their own interactions with and reflections on the wonders of nature.

Dance video entries are not limited to the moving body. You can use live performers and/ or capture movement and change visible in nature: birds landing, trees shaking in a storm, a river flowing...

Experienced and first time dancers and video makers are encouraged to participate.

For more information and how to enter, check out http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/index.htm.

Environmental Literacy included in Obama's new Education Budget: Historic First

We just logged a major victory for No Child Left Inside, perhaps our most significant.  President Obama’s budget that was released yesterday includes environmental literacy in the U.S. Department of Education budget for the very first time.  We now have the Obama administration officially on our side, and better yet, in their budget.

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have made innovation and student achievement a major platform of the Obama Administration and as a result have included environmental literacy in a new program. The proposed budget includes a new $1.0 billion for Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education program designed to improve instruction to support college- and career readiness standards, in part through the use of technology to deliver high-quality content. The new program includes 3 components:

• Literacy: $450 million, an increase of $36.7 million, to consolidate 7 existing Elementary and Secondary Education Act programs into a new program that would help States and local education authorities improve literacy skills by supporting professional development and improved instructional materials.
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): $300 million, an increase of $119.5 million, or 66 percent, to expand the Federal investment in improved teaching and learning of STEM disciplines, especially in high-need schools and school systems, and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers.
• A Well-Rounded Education: $265 million, an increase of $38.9 million, or 17 percent, to consolidate 7 current authorities and expand support for the subjects important to a complete curriculum, including: history, the arts, foreign languages, environmental literacy, and economic and financial literacy.

What does it mean?  In the short term, it means that we can expect President Obama’s education bill (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, formerly known as No Child Left Behind) to include language from the No Child Left Inside Act, which will help force the hand of Congress, where we already have 87 House cosponsors and 17 Senate cosponsors. We still have a great deal of work to do, and we will continue to count on you to take action and stay involved. In the meantime, congratulations to all of you—you made this happen!

While this is a only one step in the process, it is a big one.  Thank YOU!