World Forestry Center Offers Unique Weeklong Study Tour
 for Teachers and Natural Resources Professionals

(Portland, Oregon) The World Forestry Center is looking for teachers and natural resource professionals to participate in an intensive week-long study tour to exchange information about utilizing best practices in forestry education. Past participants of The International Educators Institute (IEI) have called this unique educational opportunity the highlight of their professional career and have included some of the most successful classroom teachers and natural resources professionals in the US and abroad.  These participants have taken home countless new techniques and resources and made many new friends for life.  This year’s IEI will take place July 11-16, 2010. 

Applications are being accepted and are due by February 28.  Application, fee, and detailed program information can be found at www.worldforestry.org.

With a packed agenda that includes: hiking through old-growth forests; touring Mt. St. Helens; visiting with  tribal leaders and forest managers at Warm Springs; and exploring the tree tops at a canopy crane research facility,  participants return to their classrooms with new tools, new inspiration, and an active global network of colleagues and resource specialists. To date, participants have come from 32 countries and 34 states. Throughout the course, participants will utilize various methods to capture dialogue and exchange with others, including work in Best Practices Teams, personal IEI Journals, reporting, informal discussions, and pre-mid-post benchmarking.

The goals of the International Educators Institute:

• Showcase the Pacific Northwest as a case study of sustainable forestry in action,
• Create an interactive forum for classroom leaders,
• Exchange best practices in education for local applications,
• Provide a variety of perspectives to enrich understanding of local and global issues, and
• Create a growing international network of educational leaders associated with the World Forestry Center.

To qualify for selection, applicants must have:

• Experience in natural resource fields
• Current teaching responsibilities
• Demonstrated leadership skills and professional recognition
• Proficiency in English language skills