Central Valley
Serving Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties

Region 7 Activities

reg7lg.jpg: Region VII logo (large)

Central Valley CREEC - Activities

Region 7 serves: Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties



Progress to date, Region 7 has:



  • Established a Regional Advisory Committee: over 30 science education leaders, formal and nonformal educators, government agencies, business and industry meet monthly. (Contact one of the regional coordinators if you are interested in becoming a part of our advisory committee).




  • Created a regional website, identified more than 50 Providers of programs and activities for education (most are offered at no charge), compiled a database of nearly 600 Resources, maintaining a Calendar of Events, activities, and Professional Development opportunities..




  • Established an email listserve to email updates and late breaking news to Teachers and Providers regarding Grant Announcements, Funding possibilities, and Employment Offers..




  • Taken a balanced approach to Environmental Education backed by sound scientific principles that includes and builds on the interests of all shareholders. Region VII promotes agricultural education and understanding through such programs as the Madera Pizza Farm, Ag in the Classroom, the CSUF Center for Irrigation Technology, and coalition building through efforts such as the Central Valley Water Education Center (CVWEC) that provides public forums that bring agricultural, urban, and environmental water interests together..




  • Developed the annual “Evenings with CREEC”, a series of four Professional Development workshops each spring that enable teachers to earn university credits while they learn about local issues such as groundwater, recycling and solid waste, wastewater, storm water runoff and flood control, air quality, Project WILD and Project WILD - Aquatic..




  • Sponsored numerous teacher workshops through the Chaffee Zoological Gardens, the San Joaquin River Parkway, the GLOBE Program, the US Forest Service, the California Dept. Of Fish & Game, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, CSU Fresno, and the Fresno Pacific University. (See the website calendar for archive of past events and some images).




  • For the 4th year in a row, is one of the sponsors for the “Teach the River” Symposium, presented by the San Joaquin River Parkway and the California Dept. of Fish and Game..




  • Hosted one of 12 state-wide “Listening Sessions” during Spring 2001 to enable our region’s representatives from community groups, environmental organizations, government agencies, business and industry, agriculture, and formal and nonformal education to collaborate and establish a common vision for the California Plan for Environmental Education..




  • Facilitated a regional "CA EE State Plan" rollout event May 2002 to celebrate the release of the new plan.

    Future Projects and Plans:



  • Identify procedures, methods and resources, and sponsor workshops to help the Providers (and teachers) in Region 7 align their curriculum and activities with the California Science Standards..




  • Assist educators in accessing resources that meet the Language Arts Standards in California and enable them to teach literacy through environmental education, scientific literature, and service learning projects..




  • Partnership with NASA’s Journal of Earth System Science Education (JESSE) to provide peer-reviewed evaluation and assessment of programs and resources to insure the highest possible quality and standards..




  • Continue to sponsor activities and projects that incorporate the use of new technologies for environmental studies and resource management such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, image processing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). (e.g. GLOBE: http://www.globe.gov).




  • Help individual schools and school districts strengthen ties to the community through formation of partnerships with business and industry to enhance educational outreach (e.g. parent support groups, after school student-parent educational activities, etc)..




  • Foster connections between local business and industry, government agencies, community groups, and the schools to provide service learning opportunities for students..




  • Develop a mechanism and means for students to report their successes to the community and to receive public recognition for their efforts and their sponsors support..




  • Generate sufficient financial support to eventually retain the services of a full-time Coordinator. (Note: Region VII’s two coordinators are currently contracted for one day per week, but donate many additional hours of their personal time)..




  • Continue development of the Region VII website into a valuable source of information and as a tool to be used by all the citizens of our communities..




    • If you have any questions, would like to become a sponsor, or have resources or services you would like added to our website and database, please contact us:.

      Dr. Michael Coburn, Coordinator
      FUSD Science Department
      3132 E. Fairmont, IMC, Bldg. 5
      Fresno, CA 93726
      Tel: (559) 248-7181 x82499
      Fax: (559) 227-5404
      Cell (559) 351-6776

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