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Enhance Your Story with NASA Data - Chesapeake Region

A colorful satellite image of the Chesapeake Bay area including green forests, white beaches, and sediment swirls in the waterWelcome, NAI Region 2!

This resource list has been curated for you as part of the 2026 “250 Forward Together” NAI Region 2 Virtual Spring Workshop.

Presentation Slides (large file size due to embedded animations)

Community

  • Register for NASA Earth to Sky and sign up for our mailing lists to join a global community of interpreters using tools like NASA science in their programs and products: https://earthtosky.org/join
  • Register for our upcoming virtual events and webinars, Speaking of Space, Science in Your Pocket, and Community Conversations
  • Hot off the press! Earth to Sky now has materials to help you run your trainings for seasonals.
  • Ask us for help: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Science Learning Resources

Interactive Data ToolsColorful satellite images of landforms spell out the acronym NAI

Map of sea level rise in Ocean City shows low-lying coastal areas flooded in pale blue

Details

This selection of videos can be used to introduce communicating climate change into a seasonal or developmental training setting for early to mid-career interpreters and place-based informal science educators. Each video, while worth a full watch has also been time coded for brevity and use in a limited training session. Along with the time codes we have provided a list of discussion topics, questions, and techniques to accompany each clip.

Topics Covered:

  • The basic science of climate change thru the carbon cycle.
  • How we know that the current climate crisis is caused by humans.
  • Wise practices for communication of climate change.
  • How climate science can provide solutions.
  • Why hope is so important in climate change messaging.

 

The Carbon Crisis in 90 Seconds - Presented by Dr. Peter Griffith, NASA

 For a deeper dive watch Dr. Griffith's full presentation on the carbon cycle.

Carbon - Watch the full video - it's only 90 seconds!

We often take the term “climate change” for granted. But do we understand the crisis at its most basic level?

Group Discussion Prior to Viewing

  • Ask your participants to jot down in as few words as possible a description of what climate change is. You can even be creative and make this an interpretive writing exercise: limit their characters, create a haiku, etc.

Group Discussion After Viewing

  • How did they do? Popcorn some answers, look for revelations or agreements with how Dr. Griffith presented the metaphor.
  • Do your participants feel comfortable explaining the basics of GCC to an audience in under a minute?

Deeper dive?

 

 Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future - Presented by Dr. Kate Marvel, NASA


We Understand Why - Start at 0:50-10:00

A concern many interpreters have is how to engage with climate deniers. Especially those who seem to have done some research into the most common/popular arguments that there are non-human causes for the rise in observed temperatures.

Group Discussion Before Viewing

  • Poll your participants. How do they feel about engaging with climate deniers? What are their expectations/fears/questions? Do any of them have stories to share about past experiences?

Group Discussion After Viewing

  • Did the use of the graphs make the anthropogenic claim clearer?
  • How might these visuals be deployed in the field? In a program/rove/as support for an engagement with a climate denier?

 

Speaking of Climate Change - Presented by Todd Cullings, NPS


Snowmelt and the 7 Climate Change Communicators -  Start at 53:49-1:32:04

How do we do it? We want to talk about the impacts of climate change on our resource. We might be mandated to talk about it in our programs or roves. We may even have an audience eager to hear about it. But we just don’t know where to start. Ranger Todd breaks down the basics of climate change communications wise practices in a fun and memorable way using some familiar faces from a Disney classic.

This is a lengthy clip but one that is perfect for group work.

  • Divide up your participants into 7 groups and assign one of the “7 communicators” to each. Have them watch their assigned clip, summarize the segment into a few sentences or bullet points, reflect on their reaction to it, and present to the larger group.

Group Discussion After Viewing & Report Outs

  • Vote with your feet. Post images of each communicator around your training space and ask your participants to move to the dwarf that: Which of the seven most resonated with you? Which are you most eager to watch on your own? Which do you think you would struggle the most to implement? Which do you think will be most effective here at our resource?
  • Popcorn answer from their seat. Do you already practice any of these techniques or utilize these tips? How has that worked for you in the past? Did this presentation help put that experience into focus and give a “name” to your practice?
  • Roleplay. Pair share some ideas and examples of one of the communicators in practice. Give your participants a few minutes to jot down some ideas to workshop with a partner and give it a try through roleplay.

Timestamps for the Seven Climate Change Communicators

  1. 54:26 Lane
  2. 57:12 Micro Messenger
  3. 1:02:54 Hopeful
  4. 1:07:02 Doubtful
  5. 1:11:57 Big R
  6. 1:18:12 Wordy
  7. 1:27:52 Doc Norm

Deeper dive?

 

NASA Earth: Our Role in Climate Resilience - Presented by Ayia Lindquist, NASA


Science Supported Decision Making -  Start at 11:38-22:54

How can we be effective moving forward? What changes will really make a difference? Productive solutions-based messaging can help provide hope, confidence, and inspire meaningful action in our audiences. Ayia provides real-work examples of how NASA science has influenced and been implemented in local decision making to help communities employ solutions to mitigate the impacts of our changing climate.  

Group Discussion After Viewing

  • Which of the examples shared were most compelling to you?
  • What are the common threads in all these examples? Are there any overlaps with our local resource/community/region?
  • How might you employ examples from elsewhere into your messaging and connect it to our resource and back home where your audience is from?

 

Exploring the Science of Emotion: Applying Insights from Behavioral Science - Presented by Heidi Zamzow, ETS Community


Hope and Human Behavior -  Start at 27:06-36:52

If our audiences walk away from our programs informed but uninspired, or worse depressed with the current climate situation then what was the point of our presentation? How do we provoke the desired action we hope our audiences will take? How do we help them maintain the inspiration our site and their visit provides to them? Heidi talks about the power of hope to inspire, sustain, and maintain us for the work ahead.

Group Discussion After Viewing

This is an excellent time for some quiet reflection and journaling for your participants.

  • How do you find the motivation to continue this work, day after day?
  • What gives you hope and sustains you when communicating about the impacts of climate change?
  • What are some ideas you have for integrating a message of hope into your programming?

 

Details

 PACE OCI 2024090620240906 PACE validation in California

                                                                            An image of phytoplankton communities off the coast of southern California from the NASA PACE mission.

The story of oceans is the story of life. Oceans define our home planet, covering the majority of Earth’s surface and driving the water cycle that dominates our land and atmosphere. Data collected by NASA’s Earth-observing instruments help scientists understand how Earth’s ocean supports a vast diversity of life and the role it plays in influencing global temperature, weather patterns, climate, and food supply. 

This Earth to Sky Virtual Course will explore the story of our oceans. This is a professional development opportunity for place-based interpreters and informal educators.

What is an Earth to Sky Course?

Our workshops provide you with a fantastic opportunity to connect with NASA ocean science, scientists, and data and then synthesize this information with cutting edge science interpretation strategies. 

In addition to class time, you will work on your own each week, and meet with your coach in a small group for support. During the course, you will develop an action plan for a science interpretation product or program that you can implement at your home site.

We ask that you bring your own experience, expertise, and ocean story with you. An Earth to Sky course nurtures the robust sharing of ideas, experiences, and aspirations for science interpretation. We invite all of our participants to engage fully in the course and our community of practice.

Details: 

  • Pre-assignments will take approximately 4 hours to complete.
  • This course will be completed over three weeks. 
  • Registration is free.  
  • The course will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. An account is not required to participate.

Schedule:

  • Course dates: April 21st - May 7th, 2026
  • The course will be hosted online via Teams and meet for 2.5 hours every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 5 pm EDT / 2 pm PDT / 11 am HST /7 am ChST. In addition, there will be required small-group and individual off-line work on Wednesday of each week (approximately 1.5-2 hours, start times to be determined by each group).

Apply HERE!

All applicants must register for our community before submitting an application.

Questions or comments can be directed to the course coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We hope to see you online soon! 

 

“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean” Arthur C. Clarke, Nature 8 March 1990

 

Details
A group photo of participants standing in front of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Education Center.

When you think about national park and public land astronomy programs, you might picture remote locations far from city lights. But a recent NASA Earth to Sky training, funded by NASA’s Science Activation Program, challenges that assumption, demonstrating how urban parks, wildlife refuges, museums, and green spaces can be incredible venues for connecting communities with space science. Programs facilitated in urban spaces can reach people where they already live, work, and recreate. This creates opportunities for ongoing engagement as urban astronomy program participants can discover that the skies above their neighborhoods hold the same wonders as remote locations.

Learn more about the outcomes of this course in NASA's Science Activation story.

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A group of course participants stands in front of a dramatic Idaho mountain vista.

NASA’s Earth to Sky Idaho Presents:

ADAPT! A Climate Action Workshop for Educators

October 22–24, 2025 | Boise, Idaho

The NASA Earth to Sky Idaho team is hosting its fourth annual climate education workshop—and this year, we’re focusing fully on climate action. Based on feedback from past participants, we’ve designed a hands-on, place-based experience to help educators bring local climate solutions into their teaching.

Over three days, participants will engage in a mix of site visits, pedagogy sessions, and interactive presentations with NASA scientists, local experts, and community leaders. We’ll explore Idaho-specific climate actions grounded in the realities of energy, land use, water, and transportation—using Boise as our living classroom. While site visits will be local, the ideas and strategies are adaptable statewide. Educators from all regions of Idaho are encouraged to apply.

  • This free course is hosted by Earth to Sky Idaho in collaboration with NASA, the National Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • No tuition fee.
  • Travel and lodging support available.

What’s Expected

  • This workshop will require 4 hours of pre-work which will go toward your 2 PD credits .
  • Participants will design a lesson or program that culminates in their audience creating a climate action plan. We’ll provide a flexible template and support you in adapting it to your setting.
  • We ask that you join us for all three days of in-person time. The workshop is from 9:00-4:30. 

What’s Included

  • Funding support to offset the cost of attendance, with stipends for eligible educators. Details collected through the application.
  • 2 free PD credits through NNU, BSU, or UofI.
  • Food during the workshop. 

Who Should Apply?

We’re looking for formal and informal educators and communicators who want to bring climate action to their audiences. Whether you work in a classroom, museum, park, nonprofit, or 4-H club, this workshop is designed to meet you where you are.

Interested in applying? Please complete the application by Wednesday, September 10th. 

Download our course flyer here.

Questions? Email our program coordinators at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Details

2023 1025 ETS NM ABQ GDM 1 LandsatMapETS New Mexico Course, 2023It’s been said that every map contains a story and every good story includes a map. Whether you use Apple Maps, Google Maps, MapQuest, or a good old-fashioned paper map, we can all agree that we’d be lost without them. But maps can do much more than just help you get from point A to point B. Maps can be powerful interpretive programming tools, and NASA makes some incredible maps! 

At Earth to Sky, we use maps to connect the wonder of science with the power of place. Recently, our intern Brigitte created this brand-new guide to making natural-color maps from NASA’s Landsat Mission images. Follow the steps below to create your own map or watch the tutorial from our Science in Your Pocket webinar on May 16th, 2025 “A View from Space: Making Your Own Landsat Map”!

Download existing maps on the Earth to Sky Landsat story page.

Software

For this tutorial, you will need two free open-source softwares: Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) and GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP).

If you or your organization have a license to Photoshop, you can try the Photoshop version of the tutorial.

Workflow

Follow the 5 steps below to create a map of your own. This process will take around 2 hours the first time.

 

Step 1: Downloading the Data

This tutorial will retrieve Landsat data from USGS Earth Explorer. First, you will need to make a free profile and set up your account. After making sure you are logged in, follow “Part 1: Downloading the Data” from NASA Landsat’s Creating a Landsat Image tutorial.  In Step 7, after clicking “Product Options,” you can select which individual files rather than the entire package. For natural-color, we want bandcombo B2 (blue) B3, (green), and B4 (red).  The files are all GeoTiffs (Tagged Image File Format), which means they include georeferencing data.

 screenshot showing the download button on EarthExplorer screenshot showing "Product Options" button on EarthExplorer screenshot showing B2, B3, and B4 download buttons

 

Step 2: Mosaicking – QGIS

  • Open QGIS
  • “New Project” (icon at upper left)
  • The goal of this step is to make three mosaics, one for each color. You will do the following steps three times (once for B2, once for B3, once for B4). 
    • “Layer” → “Add Layer” → “Add Raster Layer…” → Next to “Raster dataset(s)”, click the “Browser” icon. → select all images (of one bandcombo, i.e. select all B2 tiff) → Click “Add” then once they pop up in the background you may click “Close”

    • You can reorder the layers front to back by dragging them up or down in the lower left “Layer” panel. If one image has clouds or the seam is very visible, etc. you may be able to cover it up with another image
    • Double click each file name (in the lower left “Layer” panel) and set “Contrast Enhancement” to “No Enhancement” then click “OK.”

 

    • To get the entire image centered, click “View” → “Zoom Full”. This will ensure all the images are aligned when we open them later on.

    • “Project” → “Import/Export” → “Export Map to Image” → set “Resolution” to 500 dpi → “Save” → name the file (ex. B2), select the location, and select .tif
      • The resolution depends on your map area, computer storage capacity, and desired outcome. Feel free to mess around with the resolution a bit.

  

Now, you should have three mosaics saved as .tif files, one for each bandcombo (B4, B3, B2).

NOTE: QGIS may save xml files into your folder for each individual file. You can ignore these. 

 

Step 3: Merging Channels – GIMP

The goal of this step is to combine the three mosaics you just made into one mosaic that is RGB.

  • Open GIMP
  • “File” → “Open” → select your B2, B3, and B4 mosaics → “Open” → wait for all three images to load, this may take a moment and there may be other windows to pop up, but they should automatically close)
  • At the top area, you should see three tabs (one for each of your mosaics). One by one, go to each image (by clicking on it in the tabs) and click “Image” → “Mode” → “Grayscale”. Make sure you do this for all three.

  • Now combine the three mosaics into one full-color mosaic.“Colors” → “Components” → “Compose” and wait for a smaller window to pop up.

  • Assign each bandcombo mosaic to the color using the dropdown buttons (red is B4, green is B3, blue is B2) → “OK”

Wait for a new file to open (it will still look all black, should not be bright colors yet)

 

Step 4: Adjusting Color – GIMP

The goal of this step is to adjust the contrast and colors to create our full natural-color map.

  • “Colors” → “Levels…” → The window that pops up will have a graph for the input levels, we want to manually adjust the input level high and lows (light and dark) by moving the arrows right below the “Input Levels” graph (see images below). The goal is to lie on either end of the spikes on the histogram. Mess around with these levels until the contrast on your map allows you to see more details → “OK”

 

  •  “Colors” → “Curves…” → A small window will pop up that will allow you to manually adjust rgb curves and the total curve. Adjust the first point of each curve to sit between the start of the graph and the first major histogram spike. You can toggle between each color (red, green, blue, total) with the dropdown menu next to “Channel”. On the “Value” channel, add a point to the histogram to smoothen out the colors by clicking on the histogram. You can move this point up and down to adjust the brightness. Again, mess around with these graphs until you are happy with how your map looks.

 

  • File → Save → this will save your work as a xcf file format
  • File → Export → you may choose to save it as a png, jpg, etc.

 

Step 5: Crop & Add Annotations

Time to finalize your map! 

Cropping: select the crop icon in the upper left hand toolkit, then click and drag on your map where you want to crop

   

 

Annotations you may want to include:

  • Name of your region
  • Observing satellite (Landsat 8/9)
  • Data acquisition date
  • North arrow
  • Scale bar

Here's an example!

   

 

Made by Brigitte Montminy
Screenshot 2025 05 29 at 2.58.21 PM

Brigitte Montminy was a Climate Interpretation Intern working with Earth to Sky from August 2024 to May 2025. With a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics and a Master’s degree in Climate & Society from the Columbia Climate School, she is a science nerd with a specific love for maps. From mapping Jupiter’s polar clouds to Earth’s beauties, Brigitte is a fan of all types of maps. She is also currently working as a Climate Media Specialist at The YEARS Project, putting out a weekly newsletter and action toolkit.

 

Resources:

 

 

Details

2023 1025 ETS NM ABQ GDM 1 LandsatMapETS New Mexico Course, 2023It’s been said that every map contains a story and every good story includes a map. Whether you use Apple Maps, Google Maps, MapQuest, or a good old-fashioned paper map, we can all agree that we’d be lost without them. But maps can do much more than just help you get from point A to point B. Maps can be powerful interpretive programming tools, and NASA makes some incredible maps!

At Earth to Sky, we use maps to connect the wonder of science with the power of place. Recently, our intern Brigitte created this brand-new guide to making natural-color maps from NASA’s Landsat Mission images. Follow the steps below to create your own map or watch the tutorial from our Science in Your Pocket webinar on May 16th, 2025 “A View from Space: Making Your Own Landsat Map”!

Download existing maps on the Earth to Sky Landsat story page.

Software

For this tutorial, you will need Adobe Photoshop. If you or your organization have a license to Photoshop, this is the tutorial for you!

If you do not have access to Photoshop, feel free to check out the other version of this tutorial that uses free, open-source softwares QGIS and GIMP.

 

Step 1: Downloading the Data

This tutorial will retrieve Landsat data from USGS Earth Explorer. First, you will need to make a free profile and set up your account. After making sure you are logged in, follow “Part 1: Downloading the Data” from NASA Landsat’s Creating a Landsat Image tutorial.  In Step 7, after clicking “Product Options,” you can select which individual files rather than the entire package. For natural-color, we want bandcombo B2 (blue) B3, (green), and B4 (red).  The files are all GeoTiffs (Tagged Image File Format), which means they include georeferencing data.

 screenshot showing the download button on EarthExplorer screenshot showing "Product Options" button on EarthExplorer screenshot showing B2, B3, and B4 download buttons

 

Step 2: Merging Channels

  • Open Adobe Photoshop
  • You will now combine bandcombos for each individual image set. Choose one data set to start with. 
  • File, Open, select the files for one image set ending with B2.TIF, B3.TIF, and B4.TIF files from the correct folder. (On a Mac, hold the command button to select multiple files. On a PC, use the control button.) Three tabs should be open in the Photoshop window. They will all be in greyscale and will look quite dark.
  • While looking at one image (does not matter which of the three), click “Channels” in the lower right module, or use the Window menu to select “Channels.” There will only be one channel labeled “Grey” so far. Now click the hamburger icon (horizontal lines) to the right of the Channels tab. Select “Merge Channels.”
  • A pop-up will appear. Change the mode from “Multichannel” to “RGB Color” and leave “Channels: 3.” Select “OK”
  • Now you will assign each of the three images to a color band. For making a natural-color mosaic with Landsat 8/9 images, the bands 2, 3, and 4 correspond to colors Blue, Green, and Red respectively. See above for more detailed background on this. Click the dropdown next to “Red” and select the B4 file. Select the B3 file for blue and the B2 file for red. Click “OK”
  • The pop-up will disappear and you will be left with just one tab of one combined image. Save this as a tif, naming it after the image set (or path/row, date, etc.) and RGB (ex. “set1_rgb.tif” or “12_31_rgb.tif”)

Repeat this for each set of images you downloaded.

 

Step 3: Mosaicking

In Photoshop, we will now merge the RGB files into one larger mosaic. Under “File” and “Automate” select the “Photomerge” button. Select “Browse” to choose the RGB files from the previous step (i.e. one file for each image set you chose). Leave “Blend Images Together” selected and Layout as “Auto”. Click “OK” and watch the magic happen! 

When the process is complete, you will be left with a mosaic of all your images. However, it will still look very dark. You will fix that next. 

 

Step 4: Adjusting Color

Follow “Part 2: Natural-color Image” from the Creating a Landsat Image tutorial. Ignore Step 1 as you’ve already done that!

 

Step 5: Crop & Add Annotations

Time to finalize your map! Crop to your desired rectangular size. 

Annotations you may want to include:

  • Name of your region
  • Observing satellite (Landsat 8/9)
  • Data acquisition date
  • North arrow
  • Scale bar
    • Landsat 8/9 data in bands 2, 3, and 4 have a scale of 1 pixel = 30 meters. Scale this up as you see fit for the scope of your region. For instance, you might look at the scale bar of your region in Google Maps and decide that 10 miles would be a good scale bar. Thus you need a scale bar 536 pixels long (convert 10 miles to meters, then divide by 30). Create a new layer and label it “Scale Bar.” Use the Rectangular Marquee tool to draw a box of any size. Under the Select menu, select “Transform Selection.” In the options area that will appear at the top of the screen, unselect the chain-link between the W (width) and H (height) fields so that you can change each dimension of your box independently. Then enter “536 px” in the W field, and “30 px” in the H field. Select the check mark at right to finalize the changes to your rectangular box. Next, set the foreground color to white, and use the Paint Bucket tool to fill your rectangular selection with white. Use the Move tool to drag your scale bar to the lower right corner. Use the Horizontal Type tool to label your scale bar “10 mi”.
    • Try to place your scale bar and labels over areas of your map that have less texture to make them more readable. If that’s not possible, you can add a translucent gray box behind the labels to make them stand out better.

Here's an example!

 

Made by Brigitte MontminyScreenshot 2025 05 29 at 2.58.21 PM

Brigitte Montminy was a Climate Interpretation Intern working with Earth to Sky from August 2024 to May 2025. With a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics and a Master’s degree in Climate & Society from the Columbia Climate School, she is a science nerd with a specific love for maps. From mapping Jupiter’s polar clouds to Earth’s beauties, Brigitte is a fan of all types of maps. She is also currently working as a Climate Media Specialist at The YEARS Project, putting out a weekly newsletter and action toolkit.

 

Resources:

 

 

Details
Rivers of Stars and Stories Logo

Tuesday, August 5th-Thursday, August 7th, 2025

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Please Save-the-Date for an upcoming Earth to Sky night sky and space science professional development opportunity for interpreters, communicators, and non-formal educators in the Upper Midwest!

This course is hosted by Earth to Sky (ETS), funded by NASA, and offered in collaboration with the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Interested in collaborating with the planning team for this course? Please contact Brandi Stewart, ETS Space Science Coordinator, at the contact information below.

About the Course

Join us for a three day workshop tailored for those who want to share the night sky with their audience. This collaborative training will provide nonformal educators and interpreters with tools, resources, and connections to enhance night sky programs. This course is ideal for beginners and seasoned night sky communicators, whether you’re just starting to facilitate stargazing programs or looking to enhance your astronomy interpretation skills. Participants will explore methods for effective space science programming while integrating regional perspectives to deepen audience connection to the night skies. 

Through hands-on activities, expert presentations, and collaborative sessions, participants will gain confidence in orienting visitors to the night sky, techniques for astronomy programming without specialized equipment, and strategies for engaging all audiences in urban and rural settings. 

You’ll become part of the growing Earth to Sky community of practice of over 2200 communicators and scientists from a variety of organizations that integrate NASA science into their place-based programming. Most importantly, you’ll gain practical resources for your interpretive toolbox and an actionable plan for creating memorable experiences under the stars for your visitors. 

Resource Fair Opportunity

During this workshop, we will host a resource fair for participants to engage one-on-one with local resources to enhance their night sky programming. We are looking for organizations that can speak to nocturnal wildlife, dark sky initiatives, light pollution, astronomical photography, amateur telescope hosts, citizen science, or creative arts. Participants are also encouraged to be presenters at the resource fair! If you are interested in learning more, please contact Brandi Stewart.

Target Audienceusfws ocabridge sunsetlogansauer usfwsjpg medium

Frontline interpretive staff, non-formal educators, public lands interns, tour operators, science communicators, and interpretive managers from the private or public sector interested in collaborating with others to communicate about night skies and space science. No prior experience with night sky programming is necessary! We encourage anyone who is interested in astronomy communication to apply!

 

The application period has closed.

For questions, comments, or concerns, please contact at Brandi Stewart, ETS Space Science Coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photo credit: Logan Sauer/USFWS

  1. Common Ground for Climate Communication: A Pacific Northwest Course
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