Mission

PFI Mission Statement

To create, develop, and implement an environmental science program, including conservation education, that instructs a diverse audience of educators and strives to incorporate earth and environmental science themes by bringing the natural world into the classroom. PFI strives to provide educators with both a knowledge base and methods to teach their students.

PFI Goal and Objectives

The goal of PFI is to create, develop, and implement a “teach the teacher” environmental science and conservation education program, utilizing the forest as a laboratory. This goal is met through the following objectives:

• To offer workshops to educators on the themes of environmental science, conservation education, and forests
• To improve the knowledge base of participants and their familiarity with material  regarding environmental science
• To encourage exploration of the outdoor, natural environment, especially by the students of our participants
• To consider human dependence and human effects on the environment
• To provide an immersion into understanding natural resources
• To share knowledge learned through age-appropriate teaching techniques
• To ensure coursework is aligned with the appropriate science standards and accrediting agency requirements.      

The Pisgah Forest Institute has identified a need to develop a comprehensive program to allow teachers to develop knowledge and techniques in environmental science to bring natural environments into the classroom.  The program will address two essential factors:

1) Natural resource immersion - exploring the interaction of humans and natural ecosystems through environmental science

2) The ability to share this knowledge - through lesson plans, activities, lab modules, and other teaching techniques.