professional development/Learning
The National Wildlife Federation and adaptation partners offer formal and non-formal educators both virtual and in-person professional development/professional learning (PD/PL) opportunities and support focused on the RiSC curriculum, learning resources, and programming. Continuing Education Credits and stipends may be available and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Below is a list of upcoming RiSC PD/PL offerings.
Join WCS's 45 hour P-credit course exploring Urban Ecology and Urban Planning, Monday, August 17- Saturday, August 22, 2026, 8:00am - 4:30pm each day. Through this course educators will dig into the historical design and long-lasting impacts of urban planning within New York City, examine urban development decisions from colonial to modern times and discuss the equity issues that can arise from urban planning and decision making. In addition to classroom and aquarium grounds explorations covering topics including woodlands ecosystem ecology, water cycles, carbon cycles, and species adaptation to urbanization, one full day of the course will be a walking and learning tour of Lower Manhattan.
Part of an afternoon will be spent on site at Coney Island Creek Park with the RiSC program.
NWF session: August 20, 2026, 3:00pm-4:15pm
Come and learn about NWF's Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) habitat restoration initiative at Coney Island Creek Park during an in-person Professional Learning Day on site. We'll introduce educators to the ecology of the estuary, the climate impacts that the area is facing, and the nature-based solutions being implemented by students, teachers, and community volunteers at the site to combat erosion, sand migration and coastal flooding. We'll hear from a Brooklyn College plant ecologist about a monitoring project they are conducting for NWF at the planting site. Teachers will also get to do some seining to discover firsthand some of the species that inhabit the Creek.
More information and registration here.
CTLE credits available. This course has a fee.
August 22, 2026, Jones Forest
Current RiSC Houston schools will meet to identify priorities for their campus resiliency projects. Teachers will see examples of rain gardens and pocket prairies at Jones Forest. Local partner, Galveston Bay Foundation, will engage teachers in watershed activities that help students understand the connectivity of watersheds and how their actions impact the health of their watershed and the ecosystem of Galveston Bay. Activities include watershed mapping and water quality testing. NWF will lead teachers in activities designed to increase their understanding of the importance of biodiversity in maintaining a healthy watershed. Teachers will participate in a biodiversity audit and practice using iNaturalist as a way to document project biodiversity over time. Teams will practice how to measure a site so they are better prepared to design their projects.
Six hours of Continuing Professional Education hours will be provided. This PL is not open to the public.
September 12, 2026, Mercer Botanic Garden
Current RiSC Houston schools will meet for a second time to finalize plans for the school year. Teams will participate in a tour of Mercer Botanic Gardens to identify native plants. Local partner, TBG Partners (landscape architects), will introduce teachers to the different types of resilience projects with a focus on prairies and rain gardens. To help students understand the steps in building a functioning rain garden, TBG Partners will engage teachers in how to build a model rain garden. Teachers will learn the fundamentals of the design process including how to conduct a campus site assessment and the build requirements for different resilience projects. Teams will begin drafting budgets and identifying community and student involvement. Six hours of Continuing Professional Education hours will be provided.
This PL is not open to the public.
The Houston, TX RiSC program is a two-year program that engages students, teachers, and community members in place-based coastal resilience education using a watershed focus to connect urban audiences to local waterways and to foster a greater understanding of the implications of stormwater runoff to water quality. The program's long term goal is to position communities better to advance locally informed coastal resilience solutions that integrate scientific and community knowledge.
judith V.
“I thought I knew about every [climate science] resource available. I was wrong! I learned so many new things yesterday, and your engagement techniques with the group were wonderful.”
clare c.
“I loved the workshop yesterday. . I learned a lot and had a lot of fun! I thought the four corners activity was such a great intro activity. Can't wait to bring that to my own work.”
pablo H.
“I learned so much from [NWF’s] Solarpunk workshop. I’m already reading “What if We Get it Right” and considering how action is the antidote to anxiety. Project Drawdown has also been such an interesting resource that feels very shareable for students.”
josette b.
"I have learned different terminologies that I can bring back to my class. I am so excited to come up with an activity about sea level rise. I am more aware of climate change."