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Watershed Forestry Institute for Teachers - 2026 Application

The 2026 Watershed Forestry Institute for Teachers will be in-person from Monday, July 20 - Friday, July 24 at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center in Cold Spring, NY.

Eligibility: This FREE institute is for 4-8th grade teachers and non-formal educators teaching in NYC or the upstate NYC Watersheds. Unsure if you're eligible? Contact education@nycwatershed.org.

Requirements: Participants must:
1. Attend the entire program, including 1 pre-Institute virtual orientation meeting and stay on-site for the entire 5 days and 4 nights of the Institute.
2. Develop and present an Action Plan that outlines how you plan to incorporate select WFIT content and practices into your teaching during the upcoming school year.
3. Share WFIT information with colleagues.

Pre-Institute VIRTUAL Orientation Meeting: A pre-Institute orientation meeting will be scheduled in July to introduce you to core program themes, review logistics, answer your questions and begin building community among attendees. Several dates and times will be offered to accommodate attendees' schedules.

CTLE credits: Participants who complete all program requirements will earn approximately 30 CTLE credit hours.
1.First Name:(Required.)
2.Last Name:(Required.)
3.School/Organization:(Required.)
4.Is your school Title 1?(Required.)
5.In what NYC borough or upstate town is your school/organization located?(Required.)
6.What grade(s) will you be teaching during the 2026/2027 school year?(Required.)
7.What subject(s) will you be teaching during the 2026/2027 school year?(Required.)
8.How many years have you been teaching?(Required.)
9.What other grades and/or subjects have you taught in the past?(Required.)
10.Primary Contact Information (Be sure to provide your home address and an email address you will be checking over the SUMMER)(Required.)
11.Teachers from the same school or organization are encouraged to apply. Individual teachers are also welcome. If applicable, list the name(s) of any colleague(s) who are also applying:
12.How did you find out about the Watershed Forestry Institute for Teachers?(Required.)
13.Why do you want to participate in the WFIT?(Required.)
14.Which (if any) of the programs below have you participated in? Check all that apply.
15.Our goal is to provide you with a highly useful program.  To help guide our planning, please rate your current level of familiarity with the following topics, as well as your level of interest in learning more about each one.(Required.)
My level of familiarity
My level of interest
The Water Cycle
Stream Ecology
Forest Ecology
Forest Management
Pollution, Erosion and Water Quality
Water Conservation
NYC Watershed History & Engineering
16.Do you currently teach about any of the core WFIT themes (i.e.  watersheds, the NYC water supply system, and forest ecosystems)?  If so, please describe.(Required.)
17.How do you plan to connect one or more WFIT themes (i.e. watersheds, the NYC water supply system, and forest ecosystems) to content you are teaching? (Required.)
18.How have you applied previous professional development experiences to your teaching? If applicable, include science, social studies, and/or environmental professional learning experiences you've had. (Required.)
19.What personally interests and excites you about nature? (Note: This does not need to relate directly to water or forests.)(Required.)
20.The WFIT provides an opportunity to connect and share with fellow educators over multiple days. In what ways will you uniquely contribute to our group learning experience? (e.g. specific experiences, perspectives, skills, resources, knowledge to share, etc.)(Required.)
21.TEACHER’S COMMITMENT: Please read the following statement and check the boxes below.

If selected to attend the WFIT, I agree to:(Required.)
22.OPTIONAL: What questions do you have about the WFIT at this time?