The Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library
Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture
Educational Resources & Social Issues
- Attitudes Toward Water Resources (I); bibliography of 192 citations from the AGRICOLA database; covers January 1988 - December 1993; and Attitudes Towards Water Resources (II); seventy-seven citations on the topic from the AGRICOLA database; May 1990 - September 1995. These documents were developed by the NAL Water Quality Information Center (WQIC).
- BLM Learning Landscapes "is produced and maintained by the Environmental Education and Volunteers Group of the Bureau of Land Management (commonly called BLM). It presents learning opportunities associated with the 261 million acres of public lands that BLM manages for all Americans." The site has "information for students, teachers and adult learners to use both in the classroom, in informal outdoor settings, or in "virtual" classrooms."
- U. S. EPA's Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP) "supplements and complements the traditional environmental protection approach by focusing on the health of an ecosystem and the behavior of humans that live in the ecosystem's boundaries, instead of concentrating on a medium or particular problem." The Web site includes access to an extensive collection of case studies CBEP Case Studies.
- The Directory of Environmental Programs "functions as a clearing house for environmental program information in institutions of higher education." Users might include students bound for environmental programs, faculty members of current programs interested in improving those programs and business organizations looking for programs suitable for training opportunities.
- Educating Young People About Water "guides and water curricula database provide assistance for developing a community-based, youth water education program. These resources target youth and link educators to key community members to build partnerships to meet common water education goals.
- Farm*A*Syst and Home*A*Syst provide information on pollution prevention for farms and homes. Resources include newsletters and slide training programs on topics such as protecting drinking water wells, petroleum storage and farm-related legal issues.
- The Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) promotes and provides sustainable-development and environmental education through several international programs: European Blue Flag (beaches and marina education); European Eco-Schools (classroom outreach in primary and secondary education); Young Reporters for the Environment (environmental journalism in secondary schools); and Learning About the Forest (forestry education in primary and secondary schools).
- Give Water a Hand. Join young people from around the country who are learning about water in their communities and what they -- and you! -- can do to Give Water A Hand.
- Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment.
- The Inventory of Watershed Training Courses, from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U. S. EPA), provides one-page summaries of 180 watershed-related training courses sponsored by federal and state agencies and the private sector.
- The Forest Service's Just for Kids page highlights Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.
- U. S. EPA's Monitoring Water Quality Web site "addresses methods and tools to monitor, assess, and report on the health of America's water resources..." Contains information on volunteer monitoring, including issues of the Volunteer Monitor, a newsletter which "facilitates the exchange of ideas, monitoring methods, and practical advice among volunteer environmental monitoring groups across the nation."
- NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) is a University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System project using innovative techniques to teach local officials about the sources and impacts of nonpoint source pollution, how different land uses affect water quality, and what towns can do to protect water quality. NEMO publications can be ordered online, or downloaded directly.
- The mission of the Office of Environmental Education in the U. S. EPA is "to advance and support education efforts that develop an environmentally conscious and responsible public and inspire personal responsibility in caring for the environment." The Web site contains information on grants and recognition programs and educator training.
- Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge (SEEK) is Minnesota's Interactive Directory of Environmental Education Resources.
- The U.S. EPA has developed the Student Center, an educational center with information about environmental issues, fun activities, news and fact sheets, and resource about internships, grants, scholarships, and funds for environmental education students. See also EPA's Educational Resources For Students/Youth.
- NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary program has developed Sustainable Seas, an education activities page. Students learn about the seas and the study/exploration of underwater resources through a series of individual classroom activities. Teacher's guide and discussion book are also available.
- T.E.A.C.H. Great Lakes "offers a variety of topics and educational information for both teachers and students."
- Tidbits for Teachers and Students provides conservation education materials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for K-12 teachers.
- Videocassettes can be a useful resource for water quality education. WQIC has compiled a listing of 89 water-related videocassettes in the National Agricultural Library.
- Water Science for Schools, from the U.S. Geological Survey, offers "information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge."
- The Watershed Game helps children learn what a watershed is, how watershed effect water quality, and how watershed are managed. The Watershed Game is hosted by the Bell Museum of Natural History.
- Who Will Pay for On-Farm Environmental Improvements in the 21st Century? can help you learn more about the complexities involved with agricultural production that must be both economically viable and environmentally friendly. Information sources in this guide focus on policies and programs related to agriculture and the environment. You'll also find items that examine how these broad policies interface with production factors and issues of environmental stewardship to influence farm-level decisions.
- The World Resources Institute Education Center contains environmental education information on a range of subjects including sustainable development, biodiversity, and social and environmental stewardship in business. Contains an extensive list of Internet resources.
Return to the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library.
Last update: March 9, 2004
The URL of this page is http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/edu.html
J. R. Makuch /USDA-ARS-NAL-WQIC / jmakuch@nalusda.gov
Stuart Gagnon /USDA-ARS-NAL-WQIC / sgagnon@nalusda.gov
