Abstract
NY 4-H and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mapping Projects
Track: Teaching with GIS Across the Curriculum
Authors: Susan Hoskins
Geospatial science and technology are fast growing sectors of the economy and educational landscape. Cornell University Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development has, for the past several years, considered it a vital component of its Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Program. Geospatial science skills taught to youth in the non-formal education setting have increased the capacity for young people to consider geospatial sciences as education goals, careers and as useful tools in their daily lives.
A successful mechanism for engaging youth in geospatial science with a focus on community map making has been accomplished through a new and effective partnership between 4-H and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In New York, 4-H clubs have worked with staff from two National Wildlife Refuges, Montezuma NWR in New York's Finger Lakes region and Target Rock NWR on Long Island, to map essential refuge resources.