Many activities of FMWAS educate the public about the importance of preserving wildlife and the environments that support all living things. The Education Committee sponsors the following activities in coordination with other committees.
We hope these activities enable individuals to promote a healthy and sustainable future for people, birds, and other wildlife in Northwest Florida.
Our partnership with the Escambia County School System provides environmental education to 3rd and 5th graders when they visit the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center (RHEC). Our membership also financially supports efforts to provide Audubon Adventures environmental kits to area public school classrooms, private schools, and homeschool groups.
These resources introduce young people in grades 3-5 to the world of nature with a colorful magazine, online features, and interactive games and puzzles plus activities, guidance, and resources for educators. Area teachers can look at the program selections at the link below and contact the Education Chair, Jan Lloyd, at lloydjanet06@gmail.com about receiving this educational material.
To learn more about Audubon Adventures and our involvement, go to the navigation tab Education, sub-tab Audubon Adventures: https://fmwaudubon.org/education/audubon-adventures/.
We present educational programs to the local Garden Club and other organizations that request information on local birds and wildlife.
Twice a year, in October and March, FMWAS offers a Beginning Birding Class that includes classroom instruction as well as field trips to reinforce the students’ new knowledge. See more information in the Calendar for the upcoming class.
FMWAS has participated in presenting classes on birds for the University of West Florida’s Leisure Learning series.
Our society has supported Chapter Leader Lucy Duncan’s efforts to assist a local high school team that competed in the National Science Olympiad, winning first place in the Florida State competition in 2010.
FMWAS has annually presented awards to students in the Junior and Senior Divisions at the West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair for research that promotes understanding and preservation of the environment that supports all living things. The winners receive a certificate of merit, a classic book on conservation, an FMWAS t-shirt, and a one-year membership in our local chapter, the National Audubon Society and Audubon Florida.
FMWAS participates annually in the Christmas Bird Counts and the Great Backyard Bird Counts, the citizen science projects sponsored by the National Audubon Society. We would like to encourage FMWAS members and other interested persons to contact the chapter about participating in these programs. We would like to encourage local teachers to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count with their students: http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count and http://www.birdcount.org/
The Francis M. Weston Audubon Society is a non-profit IRS 501 [c] [3] corporation and is registered as an exempt charitable organization under Chapter 496 of Florida statues.
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