ISSUE:

With more and more children being raised in cities and towns with little understanding and appreciation for nature, is there a program that can assist teachers in helping children understand the dynamics of forests?

FACTS:

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award winning, environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators working with students in grades K-12.

PLT uses the forest as a “window”into the natural world, helping young people gain awareness and knowledge of the world around them, as well as their place within it.

PLT began in West Virginia in August 1979.

PLT provides more than 175 interdisciplinary, instructional activities for use in environmental education programs.

PLT provides workshops and in-service programs for teachers, foresters, youth group leaders, resource managers and others.

In West Virginia, nearly 300 people have been certified as workshop leaders and more than 5,000 teachers and youth group leaders have attended the local workshop training.

Nationally, PLT is sponsored by the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and the Western Regional Environmental Educational Council (WREEC).

In West Virginia PLT is sponsored by the West Virginia Forestry Association and the West Virginia Division of Forestry, with support coming from the West Virginia Conservation Education Council and U.S. Forest Service – State and Private Forestry.

To find out more about the PLT program, call the phone number on the back of this booklet or visit the national PLT website at www.plt.org.