Project WILD reaches one million teachers

Wildlife agencies across the country are celebrating the fact that one million educators have gone wild!

State wildlife agencies are the primary sponsors of Project WILD, an education program established in 1983 that teaches children about wildlife and wildlife conservation. In 2006, the agencies achieved a remarkable milestone — one million educators across the United States have completed the Project WILD training since the program began.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) was one of the first agencies in the country to get involved in Project WILD and has offered the training since 1983. Since that time, more than 12,000 educators in Utah have completed the training.

"Research conducted on a national level shows that educators trained in Project WILD reach an average of 88 students per year, so thousands and thousands of students in Utah are learning about wildlife and wildlife conservation through Project WILD lessons every year," says Diana Vos, Project WILD coordinator for the DWR. "Project WILD materials capitalize on the natural interest children and adults have in wildlife, providing exciting hands-on activities that enhance student learning in all subject and skill areas."

To expand the program's effectiveness in Utah, Vos trains groups of volunteer Project WILD trainers called facilitators. "It's estimated that this nationwide network of Project WILD facilitators has presented between 66,000 and 100,000 educator workshops in the past 23 years," Vos says.

In addition to traditional schools and universities, facilitators host trainings at nature and community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, zoos, museums, aquariums, outdoor schools, and even 4-H and scout facilities.

Educators who complete Utah's 10-hour Project WILD training receive a copy of the award-winning Project WILD curricula and a wealth of additional supplemental materials.

"Educators leave the training with a renewed appreciation for wildlife and are excited about how they'll be able to share that appreciation with the kids in their classrooms," Vos says. "Many of the teachers have told me that the training was much more than what they had expected, and they wish they had taken it sooner."

Vos says at a time when educators are working hard to comply with the mandates of the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act, Project WILD offers activities and materials that incorporate proven effective educational practices.

"Project WILD makes learning relevant to students, incorporates problem-based learning, uses multiple contexts to teach concepts and engages students with real world examples," Vos says. "Since 1983, more than 40 studies have been conducted on Project WILD activities, materials and its professional development offerings. Findings from these studies have been very positive."

Vos says Utah's goal is to have "'No child left unWILD!'"

Established in 1983, Project WILD is the nation's longest standing wildlife education program and is distributed nationwide by the Council for Environmental Education (CEE) through partnerships with state wildlife agencies. CEE is a national non-profit environmental education organization, founded in 1970 and based in Houston, Texas.

Project WILD was honored at the White House in 1991 as one of the first recipients of the Gold Medal of Education and Communication in the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Award program.

You can learn more about Utah's Project WILD program and its professional development trainings by visiting wildlife.utah.gov/projectwild