The Earth to Sky Academy brings together teams of experienced interpreters and climate communication leaders who have a strong commitment to furthering climate literacy within their respective regions. The incoming regional leaders will develop and offer regional Earth to Sky courses and nurture their own regional community of practice.

In a decade of rising fires and falling water lines on the Colorado Plateau, interpreters and informal educators are the front lines of communicating climate science and engaging the public in ways that inspire action and hope. Presented in partnership with Grand Canyon National Park and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, this course was designed to deepen participants' understanding of the connections between climate and culture and expand their climate communication and interpretation skills. 

This three-day workshop, hosted by the regional team based at South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, brought together teams of Native informal educators from across the South Central region. Participants heard from NASA climate science experts, explored science and educational resources, collaborated and network with colleagues, and developed youth outreach activities on climate science to be implemented in their communities.

In our three day, interactive "Recharge!" workshop, we dove into a local climate impact of critical importance to Idahoans: water scarcity. Through conversations and presentations with hydrologists, geoscientists, and environmental humanities researchers, we explored how water scarcity impacts Idahoans, how we might adapt, and how to welcome emotions and storytelling into science spaces.

Shifts in the climate are bringing more severe droughts to the American West, altering the meaning of conservation itself as natural resource managers across the world are facing a future in which some resources cannot be saved. This course explored the science and interpretation of global climate change through the lens of ecosystems at Joshua Tree National Park.

Research shows that water-related impacts will be at the forefront of Idahoans' experience with climate change. This four-part webinar series equips educators to help students and audiences understand the local connections between water and climate – and, equally important, to combat increasingly common feelings of helplessness and climate anxiety as we navigate local climate impacts. Join Idaho's Earth to Sky team as we explore innovative responses to water scarcity and speak with researchers on how to effectively have climate change conversations with your audience and students.

Earth to Sky's Upper Delaware River Watershed (UDRW) Regional Team developed and led this online Earth to Sky course held in Spring 2021.

The course focused on effective communication and consensus building, drawing upon the resources of NASA/Goddard, including data visualization and expert speakers from NASA and regional organizations, institutions and agencies. Content was tailored to climate issues particular to the UDRW region. Topics focused on the science of climate change, moving from a global overview to a regional perspective, and included practical science sessions addressing forests, water, agriculture, health and climate justice issues in the Upper Delaware River Watershed.

Ignite was a 4-part interactive webinar series that explored the science of wildland fire in the context of global environmental change. It also provided strategies to communicate the significance of Idaho’s changing fire regimes with audiences. This series was developed and presented by the Earth to Sky Idaho Region – a partnership between NASA, the National Park Service, City of Boise, and the University of Idaho Confluence Lab.

The Earth to Sky Coastal Alaska Regional Team presented a series of four webinars to explain the NASA Earth to Sky program, explore climate science, and build community in the field of climate change communication.

Participants discussed climate science with specialists from various agencies and institutions, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service (NPS), and others.

Topics included climate and earth science; weather & climate; glacial change research; satellite imagery to illustrate changes on the landscape; climate change impacts on fisheries, oceans, subsistence, & economics; climate science communication skills; and communicating with courage and hope.

Earth to Sky partnered with the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve) to provide this two-day pre-conference virtual workshop, November 5-6, 2020. The workshop was offered in association with the National Association for Interpretation's annual conference.

The highly interactive workshop emphasized experiential learning in a collegial, resource-rich environment with peers and scientists. Below you will find the preliminary assignments and archived presentations from the workshop.