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Environmental Education Alliance E-News Conference Update EditionSeptember, 2022 |
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Can you believe it’s already September and the EEA 30th Anniversary Conference & Research Symposium is almost here? We’re convening this year’s event in conjunction with the 10th Annual SEEA Conference and will be joined by educators and practitioners from all over the Southeast. The program lineup is incredible and we cannot wait to share in the excitement, learning, and community with you! |
Don’t miss out! If you haven’t registered yet, make today the day. |
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“Early bird” rates have flown the coop and scholarships have already been given out - but there is still one great way to save costs when registering … Here’s the secret: Join EEA for $30 (or join for free using this discount code: eeacovid19). Then enter your email address in the member portal, click to request a password, and log in. Return to the Conference Registration page and select the members-only Hardship rate of $175 which includes full conference and 6 gourmet meals. You just saved $105!
Add optional field trips for Thursday and workshops for Saturday. Conference-goers get 50% off the Monarchs Across Georgia Workshop or 30% off ATEEG Core Course 1. Details below. Use discount code 09947 for best rates at Unicoi Lodge and Cabins. Book your room at Unicoi State Park right away, before the discount room block is released sometime around 9/9! Nights immediately before and after the conference are also offered at the EEA discount rate. Stay after the Conference to hike or visit Oktoberfest in nearby Helen! From roughing it to glamping, a variety of campsites are available also at Unicoi State Park!
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PROGRAM |
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Sched The SCHED online conference platform makes it easy to keep track of the program, see who else is coming, and save paper. Start today by creating your profile, posting a picture, selecting Conference sessions you’d like to attend, and saving them in the app (desktop or phone) or transferring them to your electronic calendar. Field trips and workshops are already posted - concurrent sessions coming soon! Check back often to see the latest. |
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THURSDAY SEP 29 |
Research Symposium |
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If ‘research’ makes you think of indecipherable jargon and inscrutable data charts hiding behind paywalls, this Research Symposium (all day Thursday) will be a revelation! Come discover how recent findings are translated into best practices for environmental educators and how to ‘make the case’ for outdoor learning based on evidence. Every conference-goer is encouraged to attend part of the Symposium. Thank a researcher! In addition, the following field trips and workshops are offered on Thursday: |
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Field Trips |
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List of Morning Field Trips and Workshops GA Adopt a Stream Chemical Monitoring Project Learning Tree at Smithgall Woods Anna Ruby Fall Geology Unicoi State Park Birding Walk Sautee Nacoochee Center Tour: Exploring Culture and Environment Unicoi Lodge Adventure Activities
Featured Morning Field Trip Sautee Nacoochee Center Tour: Exploring Local Culture and Environment
Once the site of the Nacoochee Institute, a private school, the Sautee Nacoochee Center has been a thriving center of culture in the community for 40 years. Our tour of the campus will include the Folk Pottery Museum and art galleries that offer local juried art. You'll enjoy a hands-on experience making a decorative “face jug” and learn about the history of the center and its Environmental Heritage program. List of Afternoon Field Trips and Workshops Georgia Project WET: Climate , Water and Resilience Natural Science Illustration (tentative) Sautee Nacoochee Center Tour: Healing Environments Using Native Plants Unicoi Lodge Adventure Activities
Featured Afternoon Field Trip Sautee Nacoochee Center Tour: Healing Environments Using Native Plants
Explore the relationship between personal health and nature. Visit two gardens, the Native Peace Garden and a private garden, the “Nature Gallery,” that provide spaces for peaceful reflection. Plant selections on both sites are primarily native to northeast Georgia. Enjoy the refreshment of connecting to woodland gardens while learning the stories of these special places. How to Add Field Trips to Conference Registration If you have not yet registered for the Conference, simply select optional Thursday field trips or workshops from the menu before you check out. If you have already registered for the Conference but missed out on signing up for field trips and workshops, no worries! Just send a note to Conference@eealliance.org. We’ll add your selections and email an invoice for the balance due (if any). |
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FRIDAY SEP 30 |
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Presentations, hands-on sessions and mini-workshops are the heart of the EEA/SEEA Conference experience. The program has been curated to include a variety of practical and inspirational sessions and to meet the needs of everyone from students and newly-minted educators to seasoned veterans. Concurrent sessions take place all day Friday and until noon on Saturday, with plenty of breaks for meeting new people, sharing meals with friends, telling stories, roasting marshmallows, and exploring nature. |
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SATURDAY OCT 1 |
The Conference’s concurrent sessions and closing Keynote Address come to an end on Saturday at noon. You can check-out anytime you like, but you don’t have to leave! Not yet, anyway. Add an all-day workshop on Saturday, October 1st for a deeper dive into environmental education and outdoor learning. And spend the night Saturday to enjoy OktoberFest in Helen and fall color in the North Georgia mountains. (EEA Conference discount 09947 applies to lodging before and after Conference dates - but book rooms asap! Our lodging block is about to be released). |
Saturday Workshops |
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Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG) Educator Workshop Discover ways to lead students from learning to problem-solving to environmental stewardship! Experience EEA’s acclaimed Monarch Across Georgia workshop and discover ways of teaching about monarch butterfly biology and ecology, engaging students in community science (including Journey North, Project Monarch Health, Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, Monarch Watch tagging) and empowering kids to design and create pollinator gardens that restore wildlife habitat and meet criteria for certification.
Monarchs and More: An Inquiry and Arthropod-Based Curriculum is the basis for the workshop’s monarch studies and schoolyard ecology explorations. Curricula are divided into grade-level lessons for K-2, 3-5, and middle school, with a strong interdisciplinary approach incorporating concepts and skills in science, math, reading, writing, art, & social studies.
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How to register for the MAG workshop: |
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ATEEG Core Course 1 Make this the year you get certified as an environmental educator in EEA’s nationally-accredited ATEEG program, recognized all over the country! A new ATEEG cohort starts at Unicoi on October 1 with a convenient new hybrid format. Instead of each core course requiring a three-day in-person workshop and overnight accommodations, the hybrid format requires only a one-day in- person workshop for each core course, and adds self-paced online learning modules as well as an occasional live online session. In addition to the three core courses, candidates for certification must complete 30 hours of professional development and an assessed independent study project, whether they take the hybrid or original core courses, or a mix of the two formats.
Conference-goers get a 30% discount off the price of the ATEEG Workshop at Unicoi, which covers Part 1 of Core Course 1. (Part 2 of Core Course 1 is online and available for a separate fee). Hope you will consider taking advantage of this opportunity to start your journey to becoming a Certified Environmental Educator.
How to register for ATEEG Core Course 1 Part 1 Workshop: If you are not yet signed up for the EEA / SEEA Conference but plan to attend, simply select ATEEG Core Course 1 Part 1 Workshop from the Saturday Workshop menu at the time you register for the Conference. (Workshop options do not pop up until the registration category and number of tickets are selected). Cost of this workshop as a Conference add-on is just $70.
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If you have already registered for the Conference and missed signing up for a Saturday workshop, there is not a way to edit your form. Instead, please email ATEEG@eealliance.org and we will add you to the event and bill you for $70.
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JOIN THE EEA TEAM! |
Volunteer Volunteers are needed to help plan and prepare for the Conference, and to assist with logistics on-site. Can you lend a hand? Helping out with the Conference is a great way meet people, have fun, and prepare for Board service. If interested, please email: info@eealliance.org. |
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Sponsor EEA welcomes Conference sponsors, whose contributions help keep costs low and make it possible to offer scholarships. Thank you to Soil3, Lowe Engineers, The Outdoor Learning Store and Little Otter Skin Care: our heroes! Apply here to become a sponsor and contribute in any amount that is personally meaningful. |
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Nominate Do you know a teacher, school, or outdoor learning provider who shouldreceive an award for outstanding work in the field? Perhaps your own efforts inspire others and deserve to be recognized? Please nominate yourself or a teacher, professor, administrator or organization to be honored for their work in environmental education and outdoor learning. Deadline has been extended, by submit your nomination today. |
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Bring an Item for the Auction Silent Auction proceeds will fund scholarships to next year’s Conference for both EEA and SEEA members. Please bring something to be auctioned Friday. Gift certificates, goody baskets, EE lesson kits, outdoor equipment, native plants, and use of vacation homes in the south of France are always popular! Complete this form to let EEA Conference organizers know what items to expect. Your contributions could keep us from having to do fundraisers with buzzards. . . Don’t make us put on the buzzard suit! |
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The Conference will bring people together from eight southeastern states to further our common goal of engaging every child in environmental and outdoor learning. Through our collective efforts to create more equitable access to nature-based learning and promote evidence-based practices, we can bring the world one step closer to a place where people and nature thrive. Thank you for all you do! We look forward to seeing you at the Conference ~ Safe travels! |
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