Friday, Oct 19, 2007
On October 4th, over 35 New York area educators gathered hand lenses, view finders, colored pencils, and inquisitive scientific hats to kick off the 33rd season of Operation Explore (OPEX) at Gateway National Recreation Area. It's estimated that approximately 1,500 fourth through sixth grade teachers, over 2,000 parents and nearly 50,000 students have linked classroom science activities with the outdoors since the program’s beginning.
OPEX is a partnership of six agencies directly offering services to the New York City community. These are: the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York City Department of Education; National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area; Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York City Programs; New York City Department of Environmental Protection; and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
OPEX is nationally recognized and has the distinction of being New York City's largest, most comprehensive and longest running environmental education program, winning environmental education awards several times.
The time tested motto of OPEX is, “The best way to learn about the environment is to be a part of the environment.” With that in mind, the focus of this year’s workshop was built upon the use of journaling to explore nature’s ‘spheres of influence’ in students’ lives. The atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere were all discussed in relation to learning about one’s place on the planet. Teachers were able to head outdoors and practice what they will preach to their students during this OPEX year. This year’s session was led by Mark Baldwin with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Jamestown, N.Y. Information on Jamaica Bay and its watershed, central to Gateway ecology, was also covered, as well as a demonstration of hydroponics in the classroom.
“It’s great to see educators come to Gateway National Recreation Area and get excited about bringing this program to their classrooms,” said Lisa Eckert, superintendent of Gateway’s Jamaica Bay Unit. “Some of these teachers have been attending for years, but we have new teachers joining the program every year.”
Workshops are provided to prepare teachers for two trips in the New York area. One day the class explores the coastal habitats of Gateway National Recreation Area in Queens, Brooklyn or Staten Island, while the second, two night trip visits the working farm at Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education in Wappinger Falls, and a forest ecosystem at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center at Clarence Fahnestock State Park. National Park Service (NPS) rangers guide students throughout the day trips, ensuring a focused and professional educational experience. When available, scholarship funds can be furnished, and advice on locating alternative funding sources is provided. One comprehensive fee primarily covers the upstate lodging and bus costs, teacher training, and a teacher manual.
For more information about this program contact interpretive specialist John Lancos (718 354-4560, John_R_Lancos@nps.gov) or supervisory park ranger Geri Kobryn-Blatter (718-338-4311, geri_kobryn-blatter@nps.gov).
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