Project WILD receives big donation

Thanks to a generous donation from The Williams Companies, Inc to Wyoming Project WILD, the newly-formed nonprofit will continue providing quality conservation and environmental education materials and professional development workshops to Wyoming educators.

Brian Taylor, Manager, Land -- Tactical Projects and Technical Services for Williams’ West Office, nominated Wyoming Project WILD through the company’s Homegrown Giving Program. Taylor, a resident of Green River with his wife and 10-year-old daughter, is a hunter education instructor and avid outdoorsman.

He saw the value of the program and went the extra mile to submit Wyoming Project WILD for the grant monies.

“This donation promotes a cause I personally believe in,” Taylor said. “It helps communities by expanding knowledge about conservation and the environment. I was happy to make the request of Williams and even happier when the request was approved. I am proud to work for a company that cares about and supports the communities where it operates.”

Project WILD is an international, interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. Project WILD helps students of any age develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment to support informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment. Since its introduction in 1983, more than one million educators in the United States have participated in Project WILD workshops.

In the fall of 2013, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department ended their sponsorship of Project WILD due to an ongoing budget crisis. Realizing that loss of the program would be a huge detriment to wildlife conservation education in Wyoming, a group of dedicated professionals have been working with the national Project WILD staff to ensure the programs’ continued existence in Wyoming, through the establishment of the non-profit organization Wyoming Project WILD.

Wyoming Project WILD is a volunteer 501 (c) 3 nonprofit that relies on donations and grants to provide educational workshops and curriculum guides about Wyoming’s wildlife.

“Project WILD activities are inquiry-based and correlated to Next Generation Science Standards, Science Technology Engineering and Math, and Core Curriculum State Standards. The activities are cross-curricular, and adaptable for grades K-12,” said Hazel Scharosch, public school teacher and co-coordinator for Wyoming Project WILD. “In order to meet the needs of educators nationwide, correlations of Project WILD K-12 materials have been developed for the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning.

These guidelines identify knowledge and skills essential for environmental literacy and articulate how environmental education fits into formal classroom settings. Project WILD activities also allow me to present place-based learning. As a teacher this curriculum is extremely valuable in my classroom.”

“Both students and educators benefit from Project WILD,” said Lucy Wold, Co-coordinator for Wyoming Project WILD. “Educators receive training in how to use the manuals, while receiving professional development credit from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board; the University of Wyoming Outreach School; and the Department of Family Services Statewide Training and Resource System.”

For more information about Wyoming Project WILD please call 307-875-3225, extension 18607.

 

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