Date: 8/13/2025
Subject: Continuing education opportunities
From: Tuula A Westlake
“August slipped away into a moment in time, ‘cause it was never mine.” – Taylor Swift
August Monarch Conservation Webinar Series
Stay connected with the latest monarch conservation topics by attending free monthly webinars. This series is a unique opportunity to hear from experts across various interdisciplinary fields related to monarchs, other pollinators, their habitats, and the threats and pressures that make conservation urgent. Bring your questions and get ready to discover how you can get involved to protect monarchs. All webinars are one hour long and occur at 1:00 PM Central Time. Please note that scheduled webinars are subject to change. All past webinars are available to view Sign up once (with only 1 ticket) and attend the webinars that you are interested in. No need to sign up each month.
Sign up: https://monarchjointventure.org/events/monarch-conservation-webinar-series
• August 26: Building a framework for a national native seed strategy in Canada and incorporating a two-eyed seeing approach into the Southern Ontario Seed Strategy, presented by Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) and Carolinian Canada Coalition (CCC)
• September 23: Farming for Monarchs: How Monarch Habitat and Agriculture Can Coexist, presented by Monarch Joint Venture Habitat Program Staff
• October 28: Native Gardens and Climate-Resilient Landscaping, presented by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones
• November 18: Community-Driven Conservation: How Alternare A.C. Protects Monarch Habitats presented by Karen Vega and Guadalupe Del Rio, Altenare
• December 16: Climate change effects on the timing of monarch life history events presented by Dylan MacArthur-Waltz, PhD Candidate in the Yang Lab at UC Davis
September 19 - 20 Arkansas Dark Sky festival
Registration is now open for the 4th-ever Arkansas Dark Sky festival. Constellation tours, Telescope views (including a larger 24"), games, walks, and presentations. Headliner Drs. Carmen Merrick and Jennifer Penne: Connecting with Nature: why it is good for you, your community, and the Planet. Camp on site or stay nearby, but come and release yourself to wander among the stars and connect with nature. Register here: https://darkskyarkansas.org/darkskyfestival/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet&utm_campaign=February%20DS%20News
Thursday, August 21 at 1 pm, Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution Webinar
Environment for the Americas World Migratory Bird Day webinar series continues on Aug 21st with a session on plastic pollution. Join a panel of experts to learn how plastic impacts migratory birds, the solutions underway, and actions you can take. Let’s build a community that protects birds, their habitats, and our waterways. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7WE5Cs6dSM-ScPN0LKDQ0g#/registration
Saturday, August 23, 9AM-4:30PM 2025 Annual OCF (The Ozark Chinquapin Foundation) Meeting at DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Bismarck, AR Cost: $70 (Includes lunch and dinner) Join us in our mission to restore the blight resistant Ozark chinquapin to its native range. Stay informed with the latest research, discoveries, and milestones as we work towards one of today’s most inspiring conservation success stories. Register at: https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/2025-meeting-registration/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLQ0TRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHueu8P23q0xTS1m_FNiaZo1dH20hcRFomCmH1rsin8lc_7wjkCNuLQbAzL-I_aem_OTYOtn47LWKp5E9YuN6mfg
LEARN WHEN IT IS MOST CONVENIENT
NCAMN Continuing Education Presentations https://arkansasmasternaturalists.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=250502&module_id=523380
Virginia Master Naturalists Continuing Education Webinars Continuing Education Webinar Series - Virginia Master Naturalists
Missouri River Observatory: https://www.youtube.com/@moriverbirdobs
Eric Fuselier has videos on a range of topics and you can watch them here: https://www.nature-talks.net/videos.html
Our Nature: Conversations about the relationship between nature, spirituality, and well-being. ournaturepodcast.simplecast.com
Riveted by Raptors: A Look at Migration. From red-tails to broad-wings, kestrels to Cooper’s Hawks, take a lightning-speed tour through the common raptors you might see during autumn raptor migration. Led by our expert teacher Dr. Kevin McGowan, this highlight is a part of our popular webinar “Riveted by Raptors.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBmDyEIk0sg&t=561s
Are Monarch Butterflies Really In Trouble? Adam Haritan explains controversies provides documentation along the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQnEcGgCRt0
Ozarks by lidar: 7 neat geologic features. Explore the Ozark landscape as revealed by lidar. With these laser-measured elevation data, we can look beyond vegetation and land use to highlight sinkholes, plateaus, bedrock layering, escarpments, cut-off meanders, lost hills, and some mysterious patterns of natural mounds. Join us on this tour of geologic highlights from southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma; a great way to explore the region when you can't get outdoors!https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JJMrFu2o6Ik
FREE OPEN-SOURCE COURSES
U of A Arkansas Water Sustainability Agriculture, Home and Garden, Research
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/environment-nature/water/sustainability.aspx
U of A Research and Extension Monthly Gardening tips: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82998458572?pwd=KVdmblGKYXbaoxqSV6x71btCbimwrA.1
OpenLearn (Open University): https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
"Introduction to Environmental Science"
"Environmental Challenges"
MIT OpenCourseWare: https://ocw.mit.edu/
"Introduction to Environmental Studies"
"Introduction to Ecology"
YouTube Channels:
"CrashCourse" (offers a series on ecology and environmental science)
"National Geographic" (features a variety of educational videos on nature and conservation)
iNaturalist: "iNaturalist Learning" (provides tutorials on using iNaturalist for species identification and fieldwork)
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "Bird Academy" (offers free online courses and webinars on bird identification and behavior)