The future of fishing depends upon two things: that kids catch the passion for the sport, and that there are clean, healthy waters for them to fish 20 or 30 years from now. The Future Fisherman Foundation is committed not only to recruiting and retaining anglers, but to the stewardship of our lakes, streams and seas. That's why we have partnered with Recycled Fish.
Recycled Fish is the national non-profit organization of "anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship, both on and off the water, because our lifestyle runs downstream." In other words, they talk about on-the-water ethics like catch and release, selective harvest and cleaning up trash at our lakes, but they also talk about everyday stewardship - the stuff we put on our lawns or whether we have a low-flow showerhead - because, honestly, these things have just as much to do with the future of our fisheries as what we do on the water.
"We're proud to stand with the Future Fisherman Foundation," says executive director Teeg Stouffer. "The way they bring fishing into the classroom will have powerful effects on not just our sport, but on our environment and our culture. Kids need to be outdoors for their very development, and there is no activity better than fishing to undo the effects of 'nature deficit disorder.' Part of what they learn needs to be the mechanics of the sport, but we're so proud that F3 is also teaching the stewardship side of fishing as well."
To learn more about Recycled Fish, visit their website, www.recycledfish.org, where you'll find a variety of excellent resources you can use in your programs.
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New Educational Resource Available
Project F.I.S.H. ID Cards are hot off the press! These are excellent for teaching fish anatomy and habitat. Order your set online at www.projectfish.org or call Mark Stephens at 517-432-2700.
Environmental Education Week
Plan now to get your students involved! Last month the theme of EE Week 2010 was announced: Be Water and Energy Wise. The response from educators around the country has been tremendous. Join hundreds of schools and organizations nationwide that have already registered to participate in EE Week, April 11-17, 2010 by registering today.
In addition to EE Week's library of resources and curricula on water and energy, they have developed a new resource page for educators on The Water-Energy Connection. In the United States, generating power consumes 3 percent of our nation's water annually, and 13 percent of the energy produced in this country each year is used to treat, transport and heat our water. Conserving water saves energy and vice versa. The water-energy connection is complex but provides an excellent opportunity to get students thinking about the interrelatedness of ecological and environmental concerns.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide
The Schoolyard Habitat program helps teachers and students create wildlife habitat on school grounds. This guide provides the basic steps needed to restore or create wildlife habitat. The process incorporates critical thinking and decision-making skills while challenging students in reading, writing, science, math and language arts. Learn more.
Wildlife Forever State Fish Art Contest
Students in grades 4-12 can enter this fish art contest and win prizes and gear. Teachers, you will like the free lesson plans that teach conservation messages about the species in each state. Check out the website for contest information and deadlines. Visit http://www.statefishart.com/ .
Grants To Consider
Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Searching for funding for your outdoor classroom, schoolyard garden or school greening project? Lowe's will donate $5 million to public schools and public-school parent teacher groups at more than 1,000 different public schools per school year. For info, go to http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/ .
National Education Association Foundation Green Grants
The NEA Foundation, in partnership with Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning, offers Green Grants for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching green concepts and to support projects that integrate green-related topics with various standards-based content areas. Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000. Visit http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/nea-foundation-green-grants/ .
NOAA Environmental Literacy Projects
NOAA's Office of Education requests applications for environmental literacy projects in K-12 education. Funded projects will be 1-5 years in duration and will promote changes in K-12 education to expand the amount of Earth System Science taught in the classroom. Info: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html.
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants
These grants are designed to fund one-time-only, service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus-that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially, to be considered in the grant making process. Information at http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/mini-grant.html.
Toshiba America Foundation Grants for 7-12 Math and Science Teachers
Toshiba America Foundation grants support innovative projects designed by math and science teachers to make their classrooms more exciting and successful for students. Any 7-12 teacher in a public or private school in the U.S. is eligible. Proposed projects must advance the teacher's science and math teaching units. Proposals are reviewed in February and August. TAF offers similar grants for teachers of grades K-6 with a deadline in October. Visit http://www.toshiba.com/tafpub/upload/page/100045/25964_Executive.pdf.
Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental issues. Grants range from $250 to $2,500. Projects must promote understanding of environmental issues, focus on hands-on activities, involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18, promote interaction and cooperation within a group, help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills, include adult supervision and commit to follow-up communication with the Foundation. Grant cycles also in June, September and December. Info: http://www.captainplanetfoundation.org/default.aspx?pid=3&tab=apply.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge for Grades 6-8
The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is a sustainability challenge where students form teams, work with a teacher/mentor to identify an environmental issue in their community, research it, develop a plan, collect data, analyze that data and share the results they've found so far. Teams may be made up of two to three students, each of whom is a U.S. resident enrolled in a public, private, parochial or home school in the U.S, under the supervision of an adult. Go to http://wecanchange.com/.
DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit website, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals choose projects to fund. Info at http://www.DonorsChoose.org.
Youth Fishing Programs More Important Than Ever
First the bad news. According to a new study designed and analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Stanford University researchers, today's young people (ages 8-18) devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). This is an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes a day over the past five years, an increase driven in large part by ready access to mobile devices like cell phones and iPods. Young people now spend more time listening to music, playing games and watching TV on their cell phones (49 minutes daily) than they spend talking on them (33 minutes). About half of heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades (mostly Cs or lower), compared to about a quarter of light users.
One result of this is the fact that America's kids spend only 4 to 7 minutes outside each day. That's barely enough time to bait a hook and make one cast.
Now the good news. Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, enhances imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression and boosts classroom performance. In addition, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment.
Why are we sharing all this? Just to reinforce the fact that your decision to work with F3's youth fishing programs is important to all of us, and particularly to our kids. The time, effort and money you devote to working with youngsters is substantial we know, but the return on your investment is great indeed. Thanks for all you do.
Fun Fishing Activity
If you're planning to take your kids fishing where catfish may be caught, you can ramp up the fun factor by letting them make their own special bait beforehand. All you need is some hot dogs (the cheapest varieties are best), some minced garlic (available in most "everything's a dollar" type stores), some packets of unsweetened strawberry Kool-Aid, some zip-seal plastic bags, and some plastic knifes and spoons. Allow the kids to cut the hot dogs in small pieces and place a few in a zip-seal bag. They then should add a tablespoon or so of minced garlic, about half a packet of Kool-Aid and enough water to fill the bag halfway. Let the hot dogs marinate an hour or so and they'll take on the flavor of the garlic and the color of the Kool-Aid, both of which catfish love. Let the youngsters add a chunk to a hook, throw it out and it's whiskerfish-catching time!
Donations
The Foundation wants to thank the following donors who are helping us keep our mission alive through their generous support:
* Tru-Turn Inc. for their memorial donation in memory of Charlie Yow
* The Clayton Welter Family for their memorial donation in memory of Fred Welter
* Eddie and Jo Alice Smith Family Foundation
* Alexander & Townsend
* GoodSearch
Coming Soon
We have lots of good things to report in upcoming newsletters-new partnerships, new programs and much much more. Be sure you don't miss a single issue!
Contact Us
Future Fisherman Foundation
www.futurefisherman.org
Media Contact
Keith Sutton
Executive Director
ksutton@futurefisherman.org
(703) 402-3623
Teresa Rodriguez
Director of Education
trodriguez@futurefisherman.org
(703) 402-0004
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