to detailed descriptions of the five conference strands

8:30AM – 5:00PM MARCH 20 (SNOWDATE MARCH 21)
CHEWONKI, WISCASSET, MAINE
Register online: http://www.meeassociation.org/registration.html Deadline: March 16
Join leaders and practitioners from education, communities and businesses. We all share the goal of
enhancing the relationships among people, nature, and communities. Whether you are in education, land
conservation, outdoor recreation, youth development, outdoor education, environmental justice, resilient
communities, community food security, or another community sector, coming together deepens the
impact of all our work.
Following up on last fall’s Better Together Summit, the conference features five strands:
o
Healthy Communities:
Connecting People and Nature
o
Climate Change: Communities Taking
Their Knowledge to Action
o
Protecting Our Natural Resources
o
Bringing Formal and Non-formal
Educators Together
o
Empowering Maine’s Next Generation
of Nature Leaders
In three sessions in succession, every strand will
o
Share case studies and success stories from a
diverse group of leaders and practitioners
(10:10am-11:40am)
o
Explore the essential skills and resources
needed to improve our practice (1:20pm2:50pm)
o
Chart our paths to collaborative action
(3:00pm-4:00pm)
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
8:15
Registration, morning treats, networking, and exhibits begin
9:00
Welcome, overview, introducing the Five Strands
10:10
Session A: Models, Case Studies, Success Stories (90 minutes)
11:45
Lunch, MEEA Awards
1:20
Session B: Skill Builders (90 minutes)
3:00
Session C: Collaborative Action Planning
4:00
Threading the Strands Together
5:00
Depart
Presenters, organizations, partnerships and programs sharing models and studies include:
ƒ Aaron Megquir, Friends of Baxter
State Park
ƒ Adrian Ayson, MEEA, NEEEA
ƒ Anna Marie Klein Christie, Ripple
Effect George Conant, South
Portland Middle School
ƒ Carl Costanzi, Maine Outdoor
Coalition
ƒ Carly Segal, Chewonki
ƒ Carol Leone, Teens to Trail
ƒ Cultivating Communities
ƒ Elissa Koskela, Signs of the Season
ƒ Eric Topper, Maine Audubon Society
ƒ Erica Beck Spencer, Full Option
Science System
ƒ Gayle Bodge, Gulf of Maine Research
Institute
ƒ Jenny Galasso, PowerHouse
ƒ Jessica Decke, UMaine-4-H
Tanglewood Camp
ƒ Kaitlyn Bernard, Appalachian
Mountain Club
ƒ Karen Arno Maine Audubon Society
ƒ Karen Marysdaughter, 350.org Maine
ƒ Lake Smart
ƒ Lebanon and Hanson Schools
ƒ Linda Woodard, Maine Audubon
Society
ƒ Lisa Packard, Chewonki
ƒ Maine Forest Service
ƒ Matt Dubell, Cathance River
Education Alliance
ƒ Meg Edstrom Jones, Ecology School
ƒ Melissa Prescott, Telstar Freshman
Academy
ƒ Mish Morgenstern, Happier Outside
ƒ Molly Auclair, Gulf of Maine
Research Institute
ƒ The Nature Conservancy
ƒ Olivia Griset, MEEA
ƒ Outdoor Rx, AMC
ƒ Pat Carson, Western Foothill
Landtrust
ƒ Pat Maloney, Project Learning Tree
ƒ Paige Steele, Friends of Acadia
ƒ Robert Taylor, Project Learning Tree
ƒ Ruth Kermish-Allen, Maine
Mathematics and Science Alliance
ƒ Ryan Le Shane, UMaine/4-H
Blueberry Cove
ƒ Ryder Scott, UMaine-4-H Camps and
Learning Centers
ƒ Sandy Sherry, Hall Elementary School
ƒ Sheila Sullivan, School Ground
Greening Coalition
ƒ Sue Kistenmacher, Project Learning Tree
ƒ Tamara Whitmore, Friends of the
Cobbossee Watershed
ƒ Wynne Wirth, Reiche Elementary
School
STRAND DESCRIPTIONS
Empowering Maine’s Next Generation of Nature Leaders
How can collaborative action help us empower Maine’s next generation nature leaders?
Imagine a Maine where:
ƒ every child has opportunities to experience nature;
children are empowered to transform their natural
experiences into action
ƒ our youth know how to think critically about
complex natural issues
ƒ youth are supported in creating the change they
want to see in their own communities
Let’s empower Maine youth to advance from
nature engagement to community action. In our first
session, meet a panel of outstanding Maine youth
leaders who will share their perspectives on making
the transformation from engagement to action in their
schools and communities. These leaders will give us
their insight into the support systems that assisted
them in their development to leadership. Joining them
are the mentors from the programs that have guided
them into becoming leaders.
In the skill-building session, we will look at researchbased strategies that educators tan use to assist
students to create the change they want to see in their
own communities. We will learn from case studies of
exemplary Maine nature youth leadership programs.
Participants will engage in a systems thinking process in
which they will collaborate to create a mental model to
envision how to better enable youth leadership
development in their school or organization.
We will conclude with a collaborative action session
to identify and pursue next steps in developing Maine’s
next-generation nature leaders. We will begin the
process of creating a new state-wide network for
supporting youth nature-based leadership development
in Maine.
Strand leader: Olivia Griset, MEEA
Formal and Non-formal Educators Together: Teaching By The Village
How can collaboration between non-formal providers and K-12 educators achieve the goal of environmentally
engaged and informed students, educators and schools?
Do you work in a non-formal organization and want to
bring public school children to your venue? Or do you
work in a classroom and want to get students outside
to explore the great outdoors while also preparing
your students for the state science tests? Let's come
together to dig into this formal/non-formal education
relationship to learn about the effective traits of longterm collaboration..
We have gathered a wide variety of partners to
inspire and challenge us to do a better job of meeting
each others' needs. The right collaboration can
become a win-win for everyone involved and
strengthen both a school's mission as well as make the
non-formal venue a much more sustainable operation.
Some of our panel presenters include an outdoor
leadership education organization and their long-term
relationship with a middle school in South Portland; a
greening coalition and how they work with schools to
green their schoolyards while also supporting
educators.
During the skill-building section we will dig deeper
into what it means to foster a successful collaboration.
We will explore the commonalities between the
collaborations of the panel as well as look at the
obstacles and how to overcome them. All who
participate will leave with new ideas about how to
improve these partnerships and how to ultimately
impact as many children's lives as possible.
We will look at how a successful long-term
collaboration is creating a school culture of engagement
and ecological awareness among students, teachers and
families.
In all these examples, we will get to ask, what are the
details of the partnership? How often do students get
to participate in activities with the non-formal
organization? How did the partnership start? How has
the partnership grown over the years?
Strand leader: Erica Beck Spencer, Full Option Science
Systems
Climate Change: Communities Taking Their Knowledge to Action
What if climate change education was no longer about the obvious – drive less, recycle more, buy local – but
instead focused on creating innovative solutions to mitigate impacts and adapt to changing ecosystems?
Join us as we explore some exemplars of climate
change education programs: place-based, deeply
rooted in science, and focus on empowering action.
Engage in the climate issues you are most passionate
about through a design process to create innovative,
personalized action plans for change. Collaborate with
your peers to reflect and develop ideas to incorporate
into your new approach to climate change education.
Among the climate change focused programs we will
look at are: Project Learning Tree, Signs of the Season,
PowerHouse (GMRI), and 350.org Maine.
The skill builders session will feature a “Knowledge to
Action” exercise combining best practices from systems
thinking, design processes, and community based social
marketing – to foster positive behaviors.
Strand leader: Gayle Bodge, Gulf of Maine Research
Institute
Healthy Communities: Connecting People and Nature
What if we joined forces with those working for public health and community well-being, in order to nurture
healthy communities for all?
Envision a Maine where healthy human communities
are sustained by healthy natural communities; where
we recognize that the health of both are connected;
where our decision making-- in households and
workplaces and communities -- is guided by that
awareness. Imagine environmental education helping
communities to navigate the way to health and
wellness. We will highlight examples of successful
partnerships across sectors including conservation,
health, recreation, tourism, education and more.
These models will frame our discussion around
identifying and working with new partners to develop
innovative strategies for instilling awareness that leads
to action.
Among the programs and organizations we will be
featuring are Outdoor Rx from AM, Cultivating
Communities, Western Foothill Landtrust and the Great
Maine Outdoor Weekend.
In the skill builders session we will be trying out and
inventing some resources and tools that challenge us,
when we develop programs, to consider all aspects of
what makes a healthy, sustainable community.
Strand leaders: Matt Dubel, Cathance River Education
Alliance and Linda Woodard, Maine Audubon Society
Protecting Our Natural Resources
How do we best motivate people to engage in positive environmental behaviors?
Maine has many organizations whose mission is to
protect our valuable natural resources: land trusts,
water protection groups, wildlife organizations, soil
and water conservation districts and those that serve
to protect our natural resource ecosystems as a
whole. Join us as we explore the factors that influence
positive conservation actions. We will weigh strategies
to influence adult actions today while maintaining our
long-term investment of building environmental
literacy in future generations.
Among the case studies we will be featuring are three
significant programs and agencies: LakeSmart, Maine
and The Nature Conservancy.
The skill builders session will sample some proven
strategies that promote positive environmental practices
and behaviors at the community level.
Strand leader: Tamara Whitmore, Friends of the
Cobbossee Watershed
Register online: http://www.meeassociation.org/registration.html
$80 registration through March 16.
Registration includes all conference activities, lunch and refreshments
Inquiries? Email conference@meeassociation.org