28th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, February 21-23, 2003
Abstracts

Community Involvement through Environmental Education

Kathy August
Bureau of Land Management, Red Rock National Conservation Area, Nevada

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Friends of Red Rock, Red Rock Interpretative Association, volunteers, and college interns have developed an education program to coincide with the Mojave Max Emergence contest. A Mojave Max educational program and training guide was developed. Volunteers were trained, and presented the information in classrooms of Clark County. The educational module creative methods to teach the children included dressing up a student like a tortoise. Teachers volunteering for the project were eligible for one college credit. The project was reviewed, and evaluated by the participants. More than 4,800 students from 37 schools were reached through this project. This project was grant funded through Friends of Red Rock. The Mojave Max Emergence Contest enabled this education program to get off the ground. Successful partnerships were developed, educational goals were initiated, and the framework for a Mojave Desert classroom education program was established.