ICEC 
The call for nominations for ICEC ExCom is now open! ICEC is looking for individuals interested in joining the leadership of ICEC. ExCom is a volunteer board of directors working together with members and partners to provide opportunities for Iowa’s conservation and environmental educators to learn, build relationships, and creatively collaborate. Nominees must be members … Read more Nominations open for ICEC Executive Committee
September 13-19, 2020 is Iowa Prairie Heritage Week! Iowa’s landscape was once covered by vast rolling hills of prairie. An estimated 85% of the land was prairie grass and flowers when European settlers first arrived. Since that time the Iowa landscape has changed drastically and today only 1/10 of 1% of our native prairie remains. … Read more Celebrate Iowa’s Prairie Heritage
ICEC is the host organization for the 2021 Midwest Environmental Education Conference. The conference will be based at Luther College in Decorah on July 26-29, 2021. Please add the dates to your calendar, bookmark the conference website, and start making plans to attend! Check back often for updates. Exploring Community: Land, People, Water is our … Read more 2021 MEEC Call for Presentations
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is now accepting submissions for the 2020 NACD and NACD Auxiliary Poster and Photo Contest. The annual poster contest is open to students K-12 and celebrates the 2020 Stewardship theme “Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators?” The photo contest is open to all amateur photographers who … Read more Poster and Photo Contest Alert
“Many of the events of the annual cycle recur year after year in a regular order. A year-to-year record of this order is a record of the rates at which solar energy flows to and through living things. They are the arteries of the land. By tracing their response to the sun, phenology may eventually … Read more Classroom Phenology Notebook
Dear ICEC members and friends, The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black men and women have once again laid bare the underlying currents of racism and inequity in our communities. Systemic racism is, by its nature, pervasive. Christian Cooper’s experience while birdwatching in New York City is yet … Read more ExCom commits to learning, working for change to do better
Celebrate National Catfish Day (annually on June 25) by learning more about Iowa’s most abundant and widely distributed sport fish. Catfish are opportunistic bottom feeders that are active at night. They eat all types of living or dead animal and plant material and are most often attracted to odoriferous or “smelly” morsels of food. They … Read more Celebrate Iowa’s Catfish
Wildlife is everywhere – even on your school grounds, in your yard, a ballfield, or city park! Wildlife scientists and urban biologists study wildlife to learn how they live and interact with the environment. These scientists may focus on one wildlife species or a group of species during their studies. They record observations made with … Read more Urban Nature Search
Greetings Friends of Conservation / Environmental Education, It sure is difficult to plan ahead these days, but the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) is gearing up for our turn to host the Midwest Environmental Education Conference (MEEC) in 2021! We are so excited to announce that MEEC will be held July 26-29, 2021 at Luther … Read more Save the date! Midwest EE Conference 2021
April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate with a study of nature poetry! Start by reading nature poems. Depending on the age and level of students make a study of the mechanics of poetry and how to write different kinds of poetry. Check out the list of books tagged ‘environmental writers‘ in our book database to … Read more Nature Poetry
At Winter Workshop 2020, incoming ExCom Chair Lilly Jensen presents outgoing ExCom Chair Mary Bulger the ‘Geode Award’ for her service. The Geode Award is made and donated by ICEC member Mike Krebill. Thanks for your dedication to ICEC and conservation education in Iowa.
Outdoor experiences in nature increase students’ problem solving abilities and motivation to learn in social studies, science, language arts, and math. Conducting field investigations help students become systems thinkers, learn the skills of scientific inquiry, and understand that science doesn’t only happen in a laboratory or classroom. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies developed … Read more Resources to help with field investigations