Since 2012, Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institutes and Field Courses have been changing the way students learn about, and educators teach about, climate change.

Here some highlights and resources from our past Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institutes and Field Courses from 2012 to 2023. For current field course highlights jump here.

 

2012 & 2013 G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institutes

These summer professional development opportunities were selected for support by the nationwide Parks Climate Change Challenge Grant Institutes to train teachers to help students answer the questions, based on the G-WOW model for climate literacy:

✿Does climate change exist?
✿How does it impact our world and us?
✿What can we do about climate change?

Click here to see an Institute agenda and learn more about what we learned at these cool summer climate change professional development opportunities.

A special “thank you” and “miigwech” to the National Parks Foundation-Parks Climate Challenge for providing funding for this Institute!

 

2014 G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institute

Funded through a Wisconsin Coastal Management grant to outreach education on how climate change may affect coastal communities the 2014 G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institute expanded on experiential climate change learning in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Apostle Islands, and neighboring tribal communities of Bad River and Red Cliff. See what we learned at the Institute!  2014 G-WOW Changing Climate Institute Agenda

 

2015 G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institute

 

 

2016 “Hear the Water Speak” Climate Institute

In 2016 funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative provided a special focus on climate change and water. Click here to learn more.

Despite severe flooding and storms, the 2016 G-WOW “Hear the Water Speak” Institute provided climate change professional development training to 28 educators and community leaders.  This year’s Institute had a special focus on climate change and “nibi” (Ojibwe for “water”) and aquatic environments.  The four-day professional development institute was held July 18-21 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, in Ashland WI and attracted participants from across the county and Canada, including five First Nations tribal elders. Take a look at the climate change learning experiences we shared at the 2016 G-WOW Hear the Water Speak Institute. 

This year’s Institute was professionally filmed and will be used to create a training video to help others to develop G-WOW institutes within their communities and posted on the G-WOW website under the “Resources” tab. The G-WOW web-based curriculum (www.g-wow.org ) was expanded to include a new curriculum unit on water and climate change.

2018 Field Courses

2018 University of Wisconsin Global Health “Exploring Ecology, Culture, and Health in the Wisconsin Lake Superior Region” Field Course

This 8-day field course challenged students to reflect on their current assumptions and worldviews of health and wellness and be changed by new ideas, viewpoints, and perspectives through a field immersion in the culture, communities, and landscapes of Wisconsin’s Lake Superior Region. They were introduced to Ojibwe cultural knowledge and community-academic partnerships with Wisconsin First Nations tribes, to explore ways they can take what they learned and apply for future engagement with First Nations communities and in their own culture. Field course learning locations include Bad River and Red Cliff tribal communities, Ashland, Bayfield, and Iron Counties, and Madeline Island. Field course co-directors:  Dr. Heidi Busse-UW Madison and Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension. See what we learned in this field course: 2018 UW Madison Exploring Ecology, Culture and Health Field Course

2018 Carroll University “Ojibwe Culture and Ecology” Field Course

This cultural immersion experience integrates western science and traditional knowledge of the Lake Superior Ojibwe people to explore the inter-relationships between tribal sovereignty, culture, and sustainability of natural resources.  Learning sessions include introduction to tribal sovereignty, Ojibwe language, impacts of cultural trauma, a wild rice cultural tour, experiencing how fire is being introduced as cultural tool in the management of

Stockton Island, participating in the Sandy Lake Memorial ceremonies, attending the Voigt Task Force meeting of Ojibwe tribal leaders, learning from tribal elders and natural resource experts, can culturally based service learning activities. Field course co-directors:  Dr. Aaron Routhe-Carroll University and Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension.

2018 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Student “Natural Resources, Culture, and Climate Change” Field Course

Based on the G-WOW climate change model that integrates western climate science with traditional ecological knowledge of the Lake Superior Ojibwe, UWSP natural resource majors evaluated place-based evidence of a changing climate within the Wisconsin’s Chequamegon Bay region. This workshop is designed to expand climate change literacy by integrating climate science with place-based economic and cultural perspectives that resonate with learners and engage them in climate change mitigation or adaptive decision-making. UWSP students gained an understanding of climate impacts and needed adaptations in integrated natural resources management, decision-making, and developing culturally relevant climate responses.

This field course was supported by a grant from Sea Grant. Field course co-directors:  Cathy Techtmann- UW Extension Drs. Shiba Karr, Cady Sartini, and Holly Petrillo-UW Stevens Point College of Natural Resources.

2019 Field Courses

2019 Carroll University “Ojibwe Culture and Ecology” Field Course

Carroll University offers this 5-day field course that integrates Ojibwe and indigenous ecological knowledge and culture to build a greater understanding of the environment and culture. This experiential course was conducted at field locations in tribal communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota in partnership with UW-Extension, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Bad River and Red Cliff Tribes of the Lake Superior Ojibwe. Field course co-directors:  Dr. Aaron Routhe-Carroll University and Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension. Checkout  what  we  learned: 2019 Carroll University Culture and Ecology Field Course Agenda.

 

2019 UW-Stevens Point “Lake Superior Natural Resources, Culture and Climate” Field Course

This field course integrates traditional ecological knowledge of the Lake Superior Ojibwe and place-based observation, with “western” science to examine climate change impacts and adaptation strategies. This course takes a watershed scale approach with field experiences from Madeline Island to Iron County’s Saxon Harbor. Field course co-directors are Dr. Cady Sartini-UW Stevens Point and Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension. Partners include the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Bad River and Red Cliff Tribes of the Lake Superior Ojibwe, and Iron County, WI. Here’s the agenda for this innovative field course: 2019 UWSP Student Lake Superior Natural Resources-Culture and Climate Change Field Course Agenda

2022 Culture and Ecology Field Courses

2022 Maawanji’iding gekinoo’amaagejig (Gathering of Teachers) Climate Change Teach-In

This “teach-in” was designed to develop confidence and competency to teach about climate change by integrating Ojibwe traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with STEM– no matter what grade or discipline. Classroom teachers, informal educators, community youth educators attended from all disciplines, many serving tribal youth in the Ojibwe Ceded Territory of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Sessions were held at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and featured hands-on activities to apply climate vulnerability research that integrates TEK, applying climate adaptation strategies at school/community level, and incorporating culture into teaching STEM and climate change..

See the 2022 Gathering of Teachers Teach-In Agenda for the educational sessions we offered and the Climate Teach-In-Presenter Bios.

View a Teach-In video presentation on integrating traditional ecological knowledge and place-based evidence of climate change with scientific ecological knowledge to promote culturally relevant climate action and read the Climate Teach-In Evaluation

Climate Strong! is a partnership with the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, 1854 Treaty Authority, and Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, funded through a NOAA Climate Resiliency Grant.

 

 

2022 Carroll University Ojibwe Culture and Ecology Course Agenda.

 

 

2023 Culture and Ecology Field Courses

2023-Carroll University Ojibwe Culture and Ecology Field Course

2023 UWSP Lake Superior Climate, Culture and Ecology Field Course Agenda