In the course of its work, Nurture Nature Center has created a variety of reports, guidebooks, illustrated handouts, and other educational materials that are available to the public for use. The following is a list of some of those materials. Please feel free to read and use them.

For links to video presentations, click here. Our webinars can be found here. 

Art
Perspectives: Art on Environment Guidebook 2015  – With support from the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (2014), Perspectives began as a small project of the Nurture Nature Center, designed to explore how community members could engage with artists and scientists to create art that promoted understanding of environmental issues. This gorgeous 2015 Guidebook tells the story of that beginning, and describes the second Perspectives project held in 2015. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Perspectives: Art on Environment Guidebook 2016 – Perspectives continued in 2016 as a project designed to harness the power of art to explore important environmental issues, promote awareness and understanding, and inspire action. The project engages artists, scientists, researchers and community members in a collaboration that fosters an exchange of experiences and ideas and strengthens personal, professional and community ties. This Guidebook shows the outcome of that collaboration in 2016. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Community
Easton Matters Public Report – With the generous support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Nurture Nature Center conducted a community needs assessment of the Easton community from 2014 to 2016. This project, called Easton Matters, served as a means to learn about and better understand the local community and the issues that matter most to residents. The findings are presented here: Easton Matters Final Evaluation Report. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

From Risk to Resiliency: Better Communities Through Science Learning about Local Environmental Risks – This guide, made possible by an award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), describes the approach that Nurture Nature Center takes in preparing public programming that focuses on community dialogue. This approach draws on principles of appreciative inquiry, public hazards education, deliberative democracy and public engagement in science. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Social Science Research
They had the facts, why didn’t they act? Understanding and improving public response to National Weather Service’s coastal flood forecasts – This report describes a study completed by Nurture Nature Center and East Carolina University that investigated how coastal residents, emergency personnel, and broadcast meteorologists understand and use National Weather Service coastal flood and storm surge forecast and warning tools. Of specific attention was the use of emergency briefing packages that are issued by NWS Weather Forecast Offices during extreme weather events. The study was funded by NOAA (NJ Sea Grant Consortium under the Coastal Storm Awareness Program). See a fact sheet about the study here: They had the facts, why didn’t they act? Fact Sheet. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Flood Risk and Uncertainty: Assessing National Weather Service Flood Forecast and Warning Tools – This is Nurture Nature Center’s final report about the findings of its riverine flooding coastal study funded by NOAA. The study was designed to produce practical recommendations about ways the National Weather Service can modify its products to improve public response to flood forecasts and to advance social science understanding of what motivates the public to respond to flood warnings. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Teacher/Educator Resources
Living Local Mural
Living Local Mural Guidebook – This guidebook, funded through an environmental education grant of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, accompanies the Living Local Mural, created for Nurture Nature Center by Tom Maxfield. That beautiful 14.5’ x 5’ mural showcases a range of local environments from an urban downtown to a rural stream, and features over 80 environmental talking points which are highlighted in this guidebook. The mural provides a comprehensive view of the local environment, including rural, suburban and urban scenes, reflecting typical land use throughout the Lehigh Valley. The work,  along with the accompanying educational materials, encourages reflection and consideration of how existing environmental conditions affect future health and welfare of the community. More about the mural here. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.
Living Local Mural Coloring Pages
Living Local Mural Worksheets (5 Total) – these worksheets accompany the guidebook:
– Adopt a Character
– Food Travels
– Consumption – Energy and Material Use
– Water
– City Life and Sustainability

Focus on Floods Materials:
This is a series of handouts created by Nurture Nature Center under our first grant from NOAA:
– Check Your River Level
– Have a Plan
– Sign Up for Flood Alerts
– Share the News About Weather Alerts
– Follow Evacuation Requests
– Turn Around, Don’t Drown

Floods Happen. Lessen the Loss: A Coloring Workbook for Flood Education and Awareness – Loss of life and property to flooding is the most common, yet preventable, natural disaster in the United States. This coloring workbook,  which forms part of our NOAA funded focus on floods project, was created to increase the understanding of flooding and flood safety for students, educators, and others. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here. For more Focus on Floods resources, visit our Focus on Floods website: http://focusonfloods.org

Be SMART When It Storms – This is an additional series of educational handouts that Nurture Nature Center created under a grant from NOAA that promote preparedness and safety during extreme weather events.
– Know More Than the Hurricane Path
– Get Prepared and Help Your Community
– Know the Impacts
– Have a Plan

Nature Journaling:
Building Teacher’s Notebook: STEM-Learning through Science-based Nature Journaling – Introduction to the use of nature journaling for science learning for Middle- and High School Teachers. This guide, supported by an environmental education grant to Nurture Nature Center from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, lays out explicit examples of using nature journaling as a tool for STEM learning and provides details about expectations, assessment and outcomes. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Science on a Sphere Classroom Posters and Worksheets
Habitats of the World Classroom Poster

The following is a series of worksheets prepared by Tom Maxfield for the Nurture Nature Center with support from an environmental education grant of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, to help extend the content delivered on our Science on a Sphere into the classroom setting.
Habitats of the World (about the different ecoregions and the flora and fauna that exist there)
World Wide Weather (about what creates weather)
Food Reimagined (about agriculture and food production systems)
What Powers the Earth? (about all the forms and uses of energy)
Frozen Earth (about the polar regions and how the impact climate)

Urban Garden
The following series of worksheets was prepared by the Nurture Nature Center for its urban recycle garden program.
Attracting Pollinators Fact Sheet
Composting Fact Sheet
Kitchen Composting Fact Sheet
Terrarium Fact Sheet
Seed Saving Fact Sheet
Conserving Water Fact Sheet
Shade Gardening Fact Sheet
Growing Vertically Fact Sheet
Raised Bed Gardening Fact Sheet
Straw Bale Gardening Fact Sheet
Urban Garden Containers Fact Sheet

Food
Assessment Report: Lehigh Valley Local Food Economy – This report was prepared by Nurture Nature Center’s Buy Fresh Buy Local of the Greater Lehigh Valley (BFBLGLV) program, with support from a grant by HUD. The report provides an objective assessment of the Lehigh Valley’s local food economy, including the resources, production, infrastructure, stakeholders, and economics involved in this system. It identifies a number of challenges and opportunities facing the food system. To view guidebook, click here; to open downloadable pdf of guidebook, click here.

Report: Institutional Wholesale Markets for Local Produce in the Greater Lehigh Valley

Summary Sheet: Institutional Wholesale Markets for Local Produce in the Greater Lehigh Valley