03.10.10

Exceptional Educator Reception to Benefit Jaime Escalante

Sierra Nevada Journeys invites you to join us March 16, 2010, to honor local exceptional educators and Jaime Escalante, the Los Angeles math teacher who was the subject of the famous movie “Stand and Deliver.” Jaime was diagnosed with cancer and is receiving treatment in Reno. Funds raised at the reception will go toward his medical expenses. For more information, see the invitation and press release.

Continue Reading 02.24.10

Nevada GreenPrint is Introduced

The environmental literacy plan draft for the state of Nevada is available for your perusal! It was introduced this morning (2/24) by our own esteemed Executive Director Jonathan Mueller and the equally esteemed Allison Brody from UNLV’s Public Lands Institute at the Our Places Tell Stories Conference in Las Vegas. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION and CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF… The Nevada GreenPrint, Draft, January 2010!

Continue Reading 10.07.09

2010 ROEE Conference Registration

Registration for the 2010 ROEE conference is available online!  For more details, click here!

Continue Reading 08.30.09

Blue GrassRoots Roundup

Blue Grass Roots RoundUp Has Been Cancelled

Sierra Nevada Journeys and Nevada Outdoor School regret to inform you that our 2nd Annual Blue GrassRoots Roundup has been cancelled.  The event was scheduled for October 3, 2009 at The River School.  Please stay tuned for future outdoor education celebrations.

 

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at info@sierranevadajourneys.org or 775-355-1688

Continue Reading 02.17.09

Showcasing the Power of Collaboration

Nonprofit partnership between SNJ and Sierra Health Foundation expands outdoor educational opportunities at Plumas County camp.

An exciting new partnership between Sierra Health Foundation and Sierra Nevada Journeys will provide state-of-the-art experiential education opportunities for students in California and Nevada. The joint venture – centered at Sierra Health’s Grizzly Creek Ranch camp in the Eastern Sierra – will empower students and special-needs groups to explore the natural world, develop leadership skills, and learn about green and renewable technologies.

The partnership showcases the power of collaboration with two organizations that are passionate about transforming education for this generation of students. In a time of increasing educational focus on standards, these out-of-school experiences re-energize the instructional system and provide math and literacy education through the lens of science and the outdoors.

The partnership is supported by a $223,000 grant from Sierra Health Foundation that will enable Sierra Nevada Journeys to build organizational capacity as it moves into full-time management of the camp facility, which is expected to begin in January 2010. Existing user groups will continue to be served with camp programming, although they will notice an improvement in the quality and breadth of that programming.

“Sierra Health Foundation is excited about the opportunity to combine youth development, science education and environmental stewardship in a program that promotes health and well-being by fostering an active lifestyle and appreciation of the outdoors,” said Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet Hewitt.

“This partnership is powerful for expanding kids’ opportunities to learn about and appreciate our beautiful natural areas,” added Sierra Nevada Journeys Executive Director Jonathan Mueller. “It empowers students and participants to learn about the incredible natural community around them so they can better relate to it, understand it, and want to conserve it for future generations.”

Ninety-four percent of students who participated in Sierra Nevada Journeys programs at Grizzly Creek Ranch in 2008 reported that “science is more fun than expected.” After taking part in four days of engaging instruction, 88 percent of those students could identify one or more of their personal values and day-to-day choices they made that related to the environment.

The programs are designed to engage students in a variety of hands-on, kinesthetic activities that make learning fun. Students at the camp can “unplug” from the indoors and plug into the outdoors. Not only will those students want to conserve those outdoor places for future generations, they may grow up to be the next generation of scientists who will tackle some of our world’s most pressing environmental issues.

One local teacher said her “students were constantly engaged, participating and learning … [in] a well-managed, positive learning environment that ties in fun, standards and teamwork.”

“I got to be outdoors with my friends, which is fun. I wish this time could last longer” said Chelsea, a 5th-grade student participating in an overnight field-study. Another student, Desi, reported, “I forgot about TV after the first hour.”

Camp programs will resume the week of April 27, 2009, and continue through October. Media and others are welcome to visit to see programs in action. Please schedule visits with the below-listed contacts.

***

Grizzly Creek Ranch is a project of Sierra Health Foundation. Located in Plumas County, the camp was designed to provide challenge and leadership opportunities in an environment that is modern, fully accessible, safe and fun. The camp was founded with a mission to improve the health, independence and life skills of children.
Sierra Health Foundation is a private philanthropy investing in and serving as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships and programs that improve health and quality of life in Northern California through convening, educating and strategic grantmaking. For more information about Sierra Health and its programs, visit www.sierrahealth.org.

Sierra Nevada Journeys, a Nevada and California nonprofit corporation, is a leading provider of experiential education in the western United States. The organization offers outdoor, leadership and science education to students in a variety of formats, from residential programming to in-school lessons and after-school programs. Founded in 2006, it empowers more than 3,000 students each year through its programs. More information on the partnership and on SNJ is available at www.sierranevadajourneys.org.

Katy Pasini
kpasini@sierrahealth.org
(916) 922-4755 x3304

Jonathan Mueller
jonathan@sierranevadajourneys.org
(775) 560-3345

Continue Reading 02.12.09

SNJ 2008 wrap-up

2008 has been an extraordinary year in which we witnessed extensive program and organizational successes. Over the course of the year, SNJ:

• Served 3,100 students, delivering nearly 48,000 student educational hours in a range of residential and in-school programming. One-third of those students were on their school’s Free & Reduced Lunch program.
• Expanded residential programs to serve more than 800 students and our in-school programs to reach out to 2,300 students who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to participate in these life-changing programs
• Gave out $45,000 in scholarships to under served students and classes who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend our programs
• Started a “Don’t Fuel the Fire” student community service project at our residential programs that clears forest ground-fuels in order to prevent costly and damaging wildfires.
• Guided students to begin planning community gardens at their schools, as a way of bringing the community together and providing nutritious snacks and extracurricular learning opportunities
• Started a new “Multiplier Initiative” by providing professional development opportunities to teachers who can then extend those opportunities to their own students. We worked with more than 200 teachers this year who in turn will reach over 4,000 students
• Built to 8 full-time staff, including four AmeriCorps VISTA (with contributions from an additional 7 seasonal staff for SNJ’s residential programs)
• Worked with 155 volunteers with 14,600 hours of service contributed
• Provided an all-staff professional development trip to the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference held in Kansas in October
• Witnessed a budget that grew from $80,000 in our first year to more than $300,000 this year.

Continue Reading 02.08.09

SNJ has a teacher newsletter

SNJ is excited to now be offering a Teacher Newsletter. In each issue, we will showcase new grants for teachers to apply for, upcoming events for our students, and information about new conferences and workshops for you!

Want to be added to our newsletter mailing list? Email us at info@www.sierranevadajourneys.org and we will make sure you get on our list!

Continue Reading 02.08.09

SNJ supports “No Child Left Inside”

The Path to Environmental Literacy – No Child Left Inside

Nevada is joining the national movement to change the face of education through the No Child Left Inside Act. SNJ, along with many others, is working to put together Nevada’s Environmental Literacy Master Plan.

For more information and/or to provide feedback, contact us at info@www.sierranevadajourneys.org

Continue Reading 02.05.09

SNJ Joins No Child Left Inside

The Path to Environmental Literacy

Nevada is joining the national movement to change the face of education through the No Child Left Inside Act. SNJ, along with many others, is working to put together Nevada’s Environmental Literacy Master Plan.

For more information and/or to provide feedback, contact us at info@www.sierranevadajourneys.org

Continue Reading