August 31st: Weekly Dose of Training Opportunities

S-130 WILDLAND FIRE TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT
The Maryland Forest Service, Fire Management Staff is offering the following in-person National
Wildland Coordination Group (NWCG) certified training course: S-130 – Basic Wildland Firefighter.
This course along with the pre-course/self-study courses (S-190 & L-180) are the required basic
wildland fire courses for an entry level wildland firefighter, (NWCG Firefighter Type 2 - FFT2).
Location: Kings Landing Park, Huntingtown, MD (Northern Calvert County)
Dates: October 13–16, 2026
Eligibility: Open to all DNR employees and members of any MD Fire Department

This training is required for personnel who wish to assist with prescribed burning or wildland firefighting, both in-state and out-of-state.

The nomination period closes on September 16, 2026, but registration will remain open until all seats are filled. Please share this announcement with any interested employees.

Nomination Form: submit a nomination for this course using the following Google Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZy_YCj5Nk7NBLcHOxU5p4DzQp4NuUbeuyvrJAvCCqyHiHKw/viewform

?usp=sharing&ouid=101399724755737932488

Registration: This class will be limited to 35 students. Priority to attend will be given to MD DNR

employees, cooperators, and career or volunteer Maryland Fire Rescue, and EMS personnel. You

will be notified by 9/16/26 if you offered a seat in this training course or not. If you are

accepted a registration form will be sent to you at that time.

For more information contact Shannon Wolfe at 301-331-6432 or shannon.wolfe@maryland.gov

There is no cost associated with attending this training course.

Meals and lodging are not provided.

Science Leadership Summit

From campuses to classrooms, we are gathering to advance Maryland's Blueprint for Science.

The Science Leadership Summit is a multi-site convening designed to strengthen Maryland's statewide networks between school systems and higher education faculty and staff from the University System of Maryland (USM). 

Hosted by the USM, this collaborative effort effort will establish a shared network and platform for partnership, innovation, and the exchange of best practices. Grounded in Maryland's unique geography and university system, the Science Leadership Summit will intentionally connect K-12 teachers and administrators, school system EE providers, and USM faculty, graduate students, researchers, and staff to improve science education, networking, and environmental literacy. 

Goals

• Strengthen connections among science administrators, classroom teachers, school-system environmental education providers, and higher education faculty and staff.
• Foster interdisciplinary partnerships that align university research with K-12 needs.
• Support the Blueprint for Maryland's Future by enhancing professional learning, curriculum innovation, and student college and career readiness.
• Highlight effective practices in science teaching, outreach, environmental literacy, and STEM.

Date

The Science Leadership Summit will take place Friday, October 2 - Saturday, October 3, 2026. Sessions will be held Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with additional optional activities on Saturday afternoon. 

Locations

• Bowie State University (Bowie)
• Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (Baltimore)
• UMCES Horn Point Laboratory (Cambridge)
• UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (Solomons)

Registration

A registration fee of $20 will be charged for each participant to help defray costs for food, parking, and technology services. Registration, including payment, is due by September 25th. 

Spaces are limited at each site, so secure your place by registering today. 

FREE
Safety and
Health
Educational
Seminars

Concrete Forms & Shoring

• 10/23/26, 8:45 am - 3:45 pm, Linthicum Heights

Excavation Safety

• 9/15/26, 8:45 am - 3:45 pm, Baltimore

• 9/18/26, 8:45 am - 3:45 pm, Wye Mills

OSHA 10 2-Day Class

• 11/5/26, 8:45 am - 3:45 pm and

11/6/26, 8:45 am - 12:45 pm, Baltimore

OSHA Recordkeeping

• 8/27/26, 8:45 am - 12:45 pm, Baltimore

• 11/5/26, 8:45 am - 12:45 pm, Linthicum Heights

Respirable Crystalline Silica: Construction & General

Industry

• 9/10/26, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Linthicum Heights

Scaffolding

• 10/8/26, 8:45 am - 3:45 pm, Linthicum Heights

Tree Care

• 9/24/26, 8:45 am - 12:45 pm, Wheaton

• 10/20/26, 8:45 am - 12:45 pm, Baltimore

Information about program content is

available on the MOSH website at:

http://labor.maryland.gov/labor/

mosh/

Please register online by visiting our

website at

http://labor.maryland.gov/labor/

mosh/train.shtml and clicking the

“Register” button to enroll in the de-

sired class.

Join Project WILD and Bat Conservation International for a Teach about Bats  Webinar!

• Date: Thursday, September 10^th       
• Fee: Free! 
• Time: 4 – 5 PM Eastern Time
• Target Audience: Ideal for formal & nonformal educators who teach grades 3-8. 
• Description: Join staff from Project WILD, Bat Conservation International (BCI), & CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife to learn about the importance of bats, stewardship efforts that students & teachers can take to help bats, & resources for teaching about them.
• Registration: Registration on Zoom required to attend. An on-demand recording of webinar will be available through October 2026 to anyone who registers. CLICK TO REGISTER

 

23 AUG | 11AM Go with the Flow – Explore Life in a Stream at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park 26 AUG | 7PM Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly Ecology and Conservation 28 AUG | 9AM How to Build an Island – Poplar Island Boat & Bus Tour 29 AUG | 9AM Oceanography Merit Badge Class 29 AUG | 10AM Birds and Brews, Late Summer 30 AUG | 10AM NATURE CONNECTIONS: SharkFest 30 AUG | 2:45 Leaping Look-Alikes: Blacktip and Spinner Shark Migrations 2 SEPT | 7PM Asaphid Trilobites from the Western United States, an Exceptional Window into Past Ontogenies 2 SEPT | 7PM Asaphid Trilobites from the Western United States, an Exceptional Window into Past Ontogenies 3 SEPT | 7PM The Shallowest Aquatic Subterranean Environments: The Hypotelminorheic, Macropore Springs and Other Oddities 4 SEPT | 6PM Evening Sail on the Lady Maryland 9 SEPT | 7PM Snakes of Maryland 10 SEPT | 7PM The Green Nuclear Option 11 SEPT | 10AM Fauna in the Flora – Native Animal Management at Longwood Gardens 13 SEPT | 10AM Tree Ring Printing with Sue Fierston (AM Session) 13 SEPT | 2PM Tree Ring Printing with Sue Fierston (PM Session) 13 SEPT | 9AM Fossil Hunt at Stratford Hall – NHSM Members Only 16 SEPT | 7PM The Northampton Iron Furnace 17 SEPT| 10AM Texas Quarry 17 SEPT| 7PM Shaping Baltimore’s Urban Forests: Past Insight for Present-day Ecology 18 SEPT | 10AM Hart-Miller Island Boat and Bus Tour 19 SEPT - 20 SEPT Sail Away, Sleep Away 20 SEPT | 9AM Wild Edibles: Pawpaws Down Yonder with Nick Spero 20 SEPT | 10AM Paddle the Ghost Forests of Blackwater 20 SEPT | 1PM NATURE CONNECTIONS:Life Under a Rock – What Lives On the Forest Floor? 20 SEPT | 2:45 PM ALL CAPS Mushroom Farm Founder, Filipe Martin 22 SEPT | 9:30AM Story Makers with Common Tone (ages 1-5 years) 23 SEPT | 7PM Creating Native Habitats to Support Butterflies and Moths 24 SEPT | 7PM Our Class Pet Is A Living Fossil 25 SEPT | 7AM Creek to Beak Fall 2026 – Eastern Shore Birding Paddle 25 SEPT - 27 SEPT Into the Almost Ancient Cypress Swamps: A Weekend Exploration on the Eastern Shore 27 SEPT | 11AM Go with the Flow – Explore Life in a Stream at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park 27 SEPT | 9AM  Fungi101 2 OCT - OCT 4 Shark Tagging Marine Science Expedition 18 OCT | 1PM Weave a Cattail Tote with Clare Walker 14 NOV | 4PM Mud to Music: Flute-Making with Clay 15 NOV | 1PM Lichens 101: Biology, Ecology and Diversity   Professional Development Monthly News   Self-Paced Learning   Interpretation for an International Audience (NEW) Engaging visitors from around the world requires a fundamentally different approach than connecting with domestic audiences. This course introduces a specific set of principles and techniques designed to help you cross cultural barriers effectively. You will explore best practices for interacting with international guests, adapting your programming, and helping global audiences develop a lasting intellectual and emotional connection to your site. SIGN UP HERE   Graphic Design Basics (NEW) Interpreters use exhibits, brochures, signs, websites, publications, and other visual media to tell their stories. This course is designed for interpreters who have minimal formal training in graphic design but find themselves responsible for creating or overseeing the production of nonpersonal media. Whether you are a designer or work with folks who are, this course will help you have conversations about interpretive graphic design that ensure the colors, fonts, and layout decisions are meaningful and appropriate. SIGN UP HERE Professional Development Courses   Essentials for Effective Training This course offers practical tools and strategies to help you design and deliver effective, accessible training—whether in person or online—while gaining hands-on experience with current technologies and evaluation methods. Join us online September 17–22, 2026 REGISTER HERE   Coaching Interpreters Coaching is a powerful tool for supporting interpreters. This hands-on, immersive course is designed to help you discover the difference between coaching and supervision and equip you to support and inspire others through more effective coaching techniques.   Join us online September 28 – October 1, 2026 REGISTER HERE   CIG Train-the-Trainer Course In this five-day course, you’ll learn to teach the CIG curriculum and NAI’s policies and procedures, as well as earn NAI CIG Instructor status—allowing you to teach the CIG curriculum.   Join us online October 12–16, 2026 REGISTER HERE Interpretive Planning: A Visitor Experience Approach The newest professional development opportunity from NAI offers a fresh perspective on the interpretive planning process. “Interpretive Planning: A Visitor Experience Approach” is an in-depth, 40-hour course that provides participants the tools they need to develop a comprehensive interpretive plan. Participants will explore how to create visitor-centered experiences by identifying key audiences, developing theme structures, selecting appropriate media, and applying tools like logic models and evaluation strategies. Join us online December 14–18, 2026 REGISTER HERE Sense of Place Story Intensive This workshop helps participants transform site knowledge into meaningful Sense of Place Stories they can share with visitors. Working with their own site material throughout the training, participants experience a practical process for viewing a resource through the layers of time, story, and perspective it holds. They explore places, objects, and histories through personal, cultural, historical, and natural lenses, uncovering new story possibilities, shaping ideas into concise, thematic stories, and crafting experiences that help visitors discover their own meanings and connections. Join us online January 19–20, 2027 REGISTER HERE Online Learning   Effective Climate Communications September 10, 2026   Trying to talk about climate change, but finding that facts alone don’t always land? Learn how the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) utilizes social science to promote hopeful, community-minded, solutions-focused climate communications. Kait will share NNOCCI tools and tips to help increase your confidence in communicating climate. REGISTER HERE   Interpreting the Night Sky October 15, 2026   Discover hands-on activities and resources to bring the wonder of the night sky and astronomy to your audiences, no telescope required. Find out how to connect with experts in your area, some ways to get started interpreting the night sky, and more. REGISTER HERE How Should We Grieve Amidst Climate Crisis? REGISTER TODAY Discounted Learning Opportunities with Harbinger Fall Courses    Register by August 31   ***Back to School Special*** The Harbinger Consultancy is offering a back-to-school special— all courses just $300 through August 31. Save an additional 15% with code AmericanTrails. All courses offer free learning credits in partnership with American Trails. Many courses available 'on-demand' if the live dates and times don’t work for you or for courses not currently scheduled. See more details here.   View upcoming courses:   Facilitator Training for Collaboration and Consensus Tuesdays, Sept. 22-Oct. 6, 2026 (three 2-hour sessions) Do-It-Yourself Trail User Research You Can Start Right Away Thursdays, Sept. 24-Oct. 15, 2026 (four 1-hour sessions) Creative Placemaking for Rural and Outdoor Recreation Communities: Building Places People Love Through Arts, Culture and the Outdoors Thursdays, Sept. 24-Oct 8, 2026 + optional Q&A Oct. 15 (three 2-hour sessions) Igniting Community Capital to Build Outdoor Recreation Communities: Community-Building Ways to Fund and Support Everything from Trails to Housing to Local Businesses Wednesdays, Oct. 7-Oct 21, 2026 (three 2-hour sessions) Get a sneak preview of this course by watching the recorded American Trails webinar: Community Capital Alternatives for Outdoor Recreation Challenges Tell Your Economic Story Without Hiring an Economist: Trails, Parks, Heritage Areas & Conserved Lands Tuesdays, Oct. 20 - Nov. 17, 2026. (five 1-hour sessions) Get a sneak preview of this course by watching the recorded American Trails webinar: Three Ways to Estimate the Economic Impact of Trails and Outdoor Recreation Mapping What Matters: Ripple Effects Mapping for Communities and the Organizations That Support Them Thursdays, Oct 29 and Nov. 12 and 19, 2026, 11-1 PT/2-4 ET Get a sneak preview of this course by watching the recorded American Trails webinar: Mapping What Matters: Using Ripple Effects Mapping to Reveal the Full Story of Trails Work Choose Your Own Adventure: Welcoming & Preparing Trail Users with Disabilities Date: Thursday, September 3, 2026 Time: 10:00am to 11:00am Pacific (1:00pm to 2:00pm Eastern) Cost: Free (live webinar and for 24 hours after airing) REGISTER NOW Natives at Noon Webinar Series! Sep 2     Saving Ash for Future Forests Ash trees in North America face a severe threat from the emerald ash borer (EAB), now present in 38 states. Ash species are vital to many forest ecosystems, including black ash (Fraxinus nigra), which holds cultural significance for numerous Indigenous communities. Cornell Botanic Gardens is working to conserve and restore ash to New York Forests by propagating individuals showing natural resistance to EAB. Todd Bitner, Director of Natural Areas, will highlight ash conservation efforts and ways citizen scientists can help restore ash to our forests. REGISTER FOR SEPTEMBER Oct 7     Sacred Grounds: Moving from Behavior to Action by Growing Joy  Naomi Edelson is the Senior Director of Wildlife Partnerships. The National Wildlife Federation’s Sacred Grounds program partners with faith congregations and their members to change their behavior to reduce stormwater runoff and increase wildlife habitat. Working with more than 50 DMV congregations we have helped congregations and members replace turf grass with native plants.  Our work with the congregations is guided by the approach of Community–based Social Marketing, a behavior change model.  We will share the results of the past 12 years including tactics and survey results that show starting with low barrier actions leads to further and more significant change and literally grows joy and ambassadors to extend the reach and impact. REGISTER FOR OCTOBER Nov 4    Creating Food Forests Lincoln Smith runs Forested, a 10-acre experimental food forest site in Bowie, Maryland, established in 2012. There, he and his team test food forest methods, educate aspiring forest gardeners, and host forest-to-table dining events that highlight the connections between land stewardship, ecology, and local food. His work emphasizes the value of diverse plant communities, including native species, in creating resilient systems that support both people and wildlife. Grounded in the belief that human health is deeply tied to ecosystem health, Lincoln’s approach shows how food forests can serve as models for regenerative land use, community education, and a more holistic relationship between people and the landscapes that sustain them. REGISTER FOR NOVEMBER SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT August 27, 2026 2027 Annual Grants Opportunity Now Open! Visitors enjoying the 33rd Annual Native American Festival in Vienna, Maryland. Hosted by the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians, Inc., the festival was supported by a 2025 Chesapeake Gateways event grant and celebrated Eastern Shore heritage, cultural, and resilience. Image: NPS/Cobb  Applications Open for 2027 Chesapeake Gateways Grants  The application period to apply for a 2027 Chesapeake Gateways grant is now open through November 4, 2026! Grant proposals can be for projects that link tourism with economic development ($25,000 to $50,000) or for projects that support community events ($10,000-$25,000).     To learn more about these grants and how to apply, visit our website or join us for a webinar on September 9 from 2–3 p.m. or during our office hours, which will be held from 3–4 p.m. on October 7, 14, 21, 27-29 and November 3 & 4.  Reminder: all applicants MUST be either active or aspiring members of the Chesapeake Gateways Network to be considered. You can reach out to chesapeake_info@nps.gov for clarification on your organization’s status.