DNR Seeks Volunteers to Educate Students about Maryland’s Environment and the Chesapeake Bay
DNR Offers Volunteer Training Workshop on January 29

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Annapolis, Md. — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking enthusiastic adults to become TEAM (Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland) volunteers. TEAM DNR is a volunteer program committed to educating elementary and middle school students about the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland environmental issues through hands-on presentations in classrooms around the state.

“TEAM volunteers directly influence the lives of our children as they learn to become stewards of our natural world,” said Amy Henry, Conservation Education Specialist at DNR. “Through interactive activities the volunteers introduce students to Maryland’s diverse natural resources and help foster connections to their environment.”

TEAM volunteers provide an important link between DNR, schools and students. Since 1998, TEAM DNR volunteers have delivered 1,000 classroom programs and inspired more than 30,000 students in Maryland. Currently, TEAM offers schools-free classroom programs on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, streams, oyster reefs, horseshoe crabs, and Chesapeake watermen.

Interested TEAM volunteers are encouraged to attend a training session on Friday, January 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the first floor conference room of the Tawes State Office Building (580 Taylor Ave.) in Annapolis. Participants will be trained on three of the four classroom programs. DNR will provide snacks and beverages, but participants are asked to bring their own lunch. To register for this workshop, contact Amy Henry at 410-260-8828 or ahenry@dnr.state.md.us.

While no prior teaching experience is necessary, volunteers should enjoy working with children. For more information, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/education/teamdnr.

To help ensure that all Maryland children have an opportunity to experience and connect with nature, last spring Governor Martin O’Malley established Maryland’s Partnership for Children in Nature, a coalition of state, local, private and non-profit partners charged with promoting the well-being of youth by accelerating environmental learning, connecting communities to parks and public lands and expanding opportunities for structured and unstructured outdoor time in nature for both play and learning.

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January 6, 2009

Contact: Kara Turner 410-260-8018 katurner@dnr.state.md.us

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov.