"The Nature of Water" - A Science-Based Creative Learning Initiative at the Ashokan Center

I'm not sure where to register so I can vote!! I like the idea though. I'm only at Ashokan one weekend a year but it is a beloved place which is well sited for educational scientific work about water. Penny

Think that y'all have a great place to do this kind of work and a ready made population to share it with. Did a bit of this work at Glen Echo Park , as part of my approach to "no Child Left Inside" . as noted in this report > http://spanishballroomspirit.org/files/20080909/MINNEHAHA__Upgrade_sm.pdf .. Spend many years trying to make this connection to kids from the city who had no idea the importance of water in thier world. Curious thought, the last time I was at Ashokan there was no animals . Will try to get my friends to realize the value of this program and vote , as well .

Think that y'all have a great place to do this kind of work and a ready made population to share it with. Did a bit of this work at Glen Echo Park , as part of my approach to "no Child Left Inside" . as noted in this report > http://spanishballroomspirit.org/files/20080909/MINNEHAHA__Upgrade_sm.pdf .. Spend many years trying to make this connection to kids from the city who had no idea the importance of water in thier world. Curious thought, the last time I was at Ashokan there was no animals . Will try to get my friends to realize the value of this program and vote , as well .

Think that y'all have a great place to do this kind of work and a ready made population to share it with. Did a bit of this work at Glen Echo Park , as part of my approach to "no Child Left Inside" . as noted in this report > http://spanishballroomspirit.org/files/20080909/MINNEHAHA__Upgrade_sm.pdf .. Spend many years trying to make this connection to kids from the city who had no idea the importance of water in thier world. Curious thought, the last time I was at Ashokan there was no animals . Will try to get my friends to realize the value of this program and vote , as well .

Think that y'all have a great place to do this kind of work and a ready made population to share it with. Did a bit of this work at Glen Echo Park , as part of my approach to "no Child Left Inside" . as noted in this report > http://spanishballroomspirit.org/files/20080909/MINNEHAHA__Upgrade_sm.pdf .. Spend many years trying to make this connection to kids from the city who had no idea the importance of water in thier world. Curious thought, the last time I was at Ashokan there was no animals . Will try to get my friends to realize the value of this program and vote , as well .

This seems like such a great idea. Most kids think that water just comes from "the faucet". What a great program to teach them more about where our water comes from but also, how to conserve and protect the precious water that we do have. Great work and I hope this project gets this grant and many others.

Thanks for your words of support Tom. If this program gets funded, we have the potential to connect the student-scientists collecting this water quality data with citizen-scientists collecting the same data. This data will then be shared with water resource managers such as DEP and DEC and other organizations in the area focused on water issues. It is crucial for data collection measures and solid education to take place at the Ashokan Center, as the water releases and increasing frequency of storms are impacting the watershed in unknown ways. If students know that they are contributing to authentic research to help solve difficult environmental problems, they will be empowered on many levels. Stay in touch!

This is fabulous..I do hope that the ratio of area students is comparable to those from NYC as the DEP seems to ignore this in their granting to CCE for the upper Esopus. All 'Children' with interest should be considered. I am in the process of Mapping the Route 32 corridor in the Town of Ulster. In this process I have put together a video based on a PP presentation. This is to be shown on Woodstock Public TV as well as You Tube etc. People like Riverkeeper, Mountainkeeper and Scenic Hudson have it as well as many officials in Ulster County however it is something I feel very comfortable giving any school teacher to show in the class room. The video is primarily on the biodiversity of our area. If you are interested please feel free to call me or e-mail me and we can do something about getting a copy to you. You may also like "Liquid Assets" produced for the education of all in the value of Wetlands. It is very well done --Some upper grades are viewing it but I can't see why younger people wouldn't 'Get It' ... Great work Nora Paul Budziak , Town of Ulster, NY 845 336-4502 AEINora@AOL.com

The Ashokan Center has a history of educating people, especially youth, about place and nature. They have shown their ability to change and grow and are uniquely situated to reach a broad and varied audience with their programs.

We strongly support the opportunity for creative learning of basic science especially when it allows us to engage more deeply with our natural environment. For decades Ashokan has touched so many of our youth. \

The Ashokan Center is a wonderful resource for education in the environment and the arts. Located in a rural area of the Catskill Mountains, it offers opportunities for learning that aren't available anywhere else. And it's run by great, enthusiastic and committed people!