Taiji Nelson's July Update

In July, I forced myself to limit the number of volunteer days (5 in total) to focus on other projects. Throughout July, I have worked along with the PPC Director of Education, the Science Curriculum Coordinator for Pittsburgh Public Schools, and two teachers involved with the HUES program to develop and focus the curriculum, as well as streamline the program so it can be applied uniformly to our 7 schools. We have been aligning our learning goals with state standards for environmental, language arts and history standards, using this information to refine our own learning goals. As Program Coordinator for the Urban EcoSteward Program, I updated UES forms and logs, coordinated and led meetings and events, and drafted the UES Program Guide that will be used be used by other agencies to create independent UES franchises outside of the City of Pittsburgh. I also led 6 hikes through the four parks, focusing on watershed ecology, biodiversity, plant pathogens, and tree identification. Finally, I oversaw the SCA crew operating in Highland Park. I offered knowledge about environmental science; technical training and information regarding invasive species, erosion control and trail building; and assistance with physical tasks. (I fulfilled the duties of my boss when I was an SCA Crew Leader last summer!)