Program Information

     The Program involves a team of 15 Basin Educators located throughout Wisconsin in areas coinciding with the state's major river and Great Lakes basins. Staff at UW-Extension's Environmental Resources Center provide statewide support for program evaluation and development of regional and statewide educational materials.The program coordinates with the educational efforts of governmental agencies and/or citizen organizations.

Basin Educators provide expertise in:

• Natural resources issues
• Group process and facilitation
• Organizational capacity building
• Adult education principles
• Educational program design/implementation
  

 

Basin Educators do the Following:

• Develop, Deliver and Evaluate Educational Programs and Materials.
  Working in partnerships to identify and address statewide educational needs and local natural resource issues, Basin Educators develop, deliver at the local level, and evaluate educational programs and materials that include presentations, workshops, publications, and websites.

• Engage People in Natural Resource Issues.
  Basin Educators convene and work with agencies, organizations, communities and individuals to identify, prioritize and address natural resource issues.

• Support Organizational Development.
  Basin Educators help groups form and strengthen their capacity to address natural resource issues.
  
  
• Design and Conduct Participatory Group Processes.
  Basin Educators apply facilitation skills to help groups ensure equal participation, clarify issues, and find common ground.
  
  
• Provide Access to Sound Science that Supports Informed Decision Making.
  Basin Educators promote the concept of ecosystem management as a foundation for problem-solving at the watershed and landscape scale.
  
  
• Connect to the University of Wisconsin System.
  Basin Educators link our local communities and organizations to the people, information, and resources of the UW System.

The Basin Education Program works primarily with adult audiences but may incorporate other educational activities as part of a specific community-based initiative. The program seeks coordination with educational efforts by governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

 

Contact: Ken Genskow
Wisconsin Basin Education Initiative Director
kgenskow@wisc.edu
608/262-8756