PFI Workshops

PFI workshops on Earth and Environmental Science themes for K-12 educators, which were historically funded by the USDA Forest Service. The USDA Forest Service has been a wonderful partner for the Pisgah Forest Institute, but that partnership is coming to an end. The 2010 workshop season will be the last season funded by the USDA Forest Service. In fact, the funding for the 2010 season was a result of savings by the PFI staff from the 2008-2009 grant cycle. As a result, PFI must institute participant fees that will be used to offset some of our operating costs.

• All workshops require a $50 registration fee to hold your space, once submitted this fee is no longer refundable.

• When you arrive for registration on the first day of the summer workshops:
• A 6-day workshop will cost $50.
• A 3-day workshop will cost $25.

Registration includes room and board, instructional and classroom materials, and a great experience with other dedicated educators.

Our workshops are based at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina, which provides access to its facilities, computer labs, science labs, and multi-media classrooms. Participants in our workshops spend much of their time outdoors, in Pisgah National Forest as well as other locations, to complete their hands-on inquiry into local ecosystems. Participants will experience the rich diversity of flora and fauna of the southern Appalachian region that is supported by its geological base, and will also examine human effects on the local environment.

PFI brings in regional experts to describe the beauty, the diversity, and the interactions that create the dynamic landscape that is all around us, no matter where we live.  PFI strives to provide participants with a well-rounded learning experience that presents the issues in a scientific manner that enhances the knowledge base of participants.

One major goal of our workshops is to provide participants with outdoor opportunities that are complete learning experiences.  We try to provide our participants with opportunities to increase their own knowledge as well as receiving materials for use in their classrooms. We hope that a PFI workshop will serve as a starting point for educators to use their own unique skills to develop and enhance their lessons, instructional materials, and the manner in which they relate the environment to their students.