Missouri Environmental Education News: June 2025
Welcome to the lastest edition of MEEA's Newsletter
Table of Contents
- Feature Article
- Lesson Resources
- Annual Conference & Professional Development
- Featured Events, Grants, Workshops & Webinars
- JEDIA: Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
- Young Environmental Leaders
- Green Schools Corner
- Missouri Nature Phenomena This Month
- News from the Field
Dear Friends,
As I write this, two things are tugging at my mind. First, that high quality environmental education is vital for a future with healthy people and healthy ecosystems. Second, that high quality environmental education provides learners with repeated exposure to outdoor experiences that awaken a visceral sense of appreciation for the natural world…and give students the opportunity to take positive action.
I have never doubted the science behind admonitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions lest we are in for a wild ride that no one wants. I’ve also been aware for a long time that climate change is already happening, not just in faraway places but in my own backyard. I’ve noticed the gradual changes to bud and bloom times of my favorite flowers and have experienced the intense localized flooding caused by increasingly extreme rainfall events. Even so, I was shook hard when witnessing the scale of calamity wrought by the May 16 tornado in St. Louis last month. I grieve the loss of human life, the damage to thousands of homes and businesses – especially in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of North City, and the destruction of so many mature trees that were homes to so much biodiversity.
As extreme events become more common, it’s more important than ever that we, as environmental educators, support a joyful connection with nature. Events like tornadoes, floods, and extreme heat days here in Missouri are destructive and scary. But nature also nurtures and creates, and environmental educators are uniquely positioned to illuminate this. We’re also uniquely positioned to help learners see nature’s endless ingenuity, and how deep looking can nurture inspiring solutions. (Biomimicry, anyone?!)
Deep looking isn’t likely to occur without providing multiple rich experiences, which is one reason why “multiple touches” are so important. In the past week, I’ve had two out-of-the-blue conversations with folks who are also thinking about that. They noted that over the course of multiple experiences, the students who express boredom or disdain will shift pretty rapidly to being enthusiastic participants immersed in the activities. The need for longer or stacked EE experiences is borne out in the research as well, yet much of the EE that students experience can be defined as a “one off.” That’s where collaboration comes in—when we work together across organizations and programs, even one-time experiences can become part of a meaningful, sustained journey for learners.
In this season of both uncertainty and possibility, let’s continue doing what environmental educators do best: planting seeds of curiosity, compassion, and action. Whether you’re guiding a single lesson or shaping a yearlong program, your work matters — and it adds up. At MEEA, we’re committed to helping connect the dots — between educators, organizations, and opportunities — so that thoughtful, layered, and collaborative efforts aren’t just ideas, but the foundation of how environmental education expands and thrives across Missouri. Together, we can help learners make sense of a changing world and imagine a better one.
Lesli Moylan, MEEA Co-Director
Feature Article–A St Louis Region Case Study: MEEA Mini- Grants Support EE Projects
Loyola Academy Enrichment Program
A MEEA Environmental Educator Grant Report Submitted by
Tori Green, Program Director
Friends of the Rainforest
Note: this Feature is a Report Submission that shows the positive value of a “mini-grant” that was funded in part through MEEA back in Fall of 2024. For this particular project, Friends of the Rainforest (FOTR) submitted the following idea:
“Friends of the Rainforest is partnering with Loyola Academy to bring a 10 week, 2x weekly enrichment camp that will benefit students of color between the ages of 6th-8th grade. Students will spend this time learning about both tropical and Midwestern concepts of biodiversity and ecology. Throughout this camp, students will also explore learning through hands on activities such as art projects, building terrariums, weather simulation stations, and will expand their knowledge on environmental equity, cultural appreciation, and career options in conservation and environmentalism.”
Tori’s responses to the project’s achievements:
- What audience did you reach?
My audience was 8 students from Loyola Academy. Loyola is a school [in St Louis] for black boys in grades 5-8. All of the student’s family’s must qualify for the Federal Free Lunch Program in order to attend the school. Loyola is a nonprofit organization that offers tuition on a sliding scale.
- How is your audience different in its knowledge, attitudes or behavior (personal, economic, civic) in a specific area as a result of your efforts?
Many of the students were unfamiliar with concepts and importance of biodiversity and how ecosystems function. The students also gained a greater understanding of biomes and the similarities and great differences among the primary life zones found on earth. Additionally, the students learned about environmental injustices and how they disproportionately affect people of vulnerable demographics. This sparked many conversations and allowed the students to reflect on their personal circumstances as well as how to overcome and come to terms with these types of challenges. The students demonstrated a more serious approach to the overarching lessons and how concepts were connected.
- How do you know they are different?
Our program had the highest enrollment of all of the enrichment being offered through that semester. Two surveys were conducted through the duration of the enrichment program. These surveys indicated that the students developed a greater appreciation of the outdoors and felt more comfortable spending time in parks, wooded areas, etc. We also had many discussions on cultural appreciation (vs. appropriation), and a final survey indicated that the students enjoyed the hands -on activities, felt more connected to the natural world. There were many kids who initially did not feel excited about going outdoors or perceived outdoor activities as “dirty” or “boring.” Their attitudes about outdoor spaces changed quite a bit, to the point that students who insisted they would never touch insects or enjoy being in the woods were actively hiking with enthusiasm, getting into a creek during our lesson on aquatic biodiversity, touching and identifying macroinvertebrates, and demonstration a passion for water quality and scientific activism.
The students demonstrated a more serious approach to our lessons and activities as the semester progressed. The feedback received from the Dean and other teachers was overwhelmingly positive. At the conclusion of camp, there were four students who said that after this experience they would consider hobbies or even a career in the outdoors.
- What would you do again?
Yes; in fact we are wrapping up a second enrichment camp now.
- What would you change?
I would try to take the students on more field trips, ensure that I provide enough activities to match the curious nature of middle schoolers, and find additional ways in which to measure impact.
Interested in applying for our Fall 2025 mini-grant opportunity?
Visit our website at: meea.org/educator-resources/environmental-education-grants
Goals of the Project
“Through this program, FOTR [Friends of the Rainforest] hopes to see growth in the students’ understanding of basic ecology concepts and the importance of conservation and preservation of biodiversity. We hope to instill a sense of hope amidst the growing threat of climate change and the challenging political climate of our current era. The goal is to build and maintain excitement for the natural world and encourage more interest in outdoor spaces and environmental activism.” – Tori Green
About Friends of the Rainforest
Friends of the Rainforest is a small non-profit located in St. Louis, MO. We are committed to our mission of educating and inspiring children and adults to take action to protect, support, and expand the Rainforest.
Thanks Tori and the entire team at FOTR
for all you do!!
Lesson Resources
Check out all of the wonderful educational resources from Friends of the Rainforest
Annual Conference & Professional Development
MEEA’s 30th Annual Conference 2025
This Year’s Theme:
Bringin’ It Home: Place-Based Environmental Education
Calls for Presentations will be coming soon! Be thinking about your EE “Place” and how you could share it’s story…
What we know so far:
- Mark Your Calendars!…Friday-Saturday October 24-25, 2025
- Our Keynote Speaker is confirmed! We are so excited and grateful to announce and welcome:
- Ragan Webb, K-5 Science Coordinator with the Boone County Nature School, Columbia Public School District
- Our conference will be in Central MO
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- Friday Activities in the Columbia area (venues TBD)
- Saturday Conference in Jefferson City at the Runge Conservation Nature Center mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/runge-conservation-nature-center
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- Young Environmental Leaders will once again be super involved!
email us with questions, comments and feedback.
Upcoming PD Opportunity!
Combined Project Wild AND Project Wet Workshop
Details and links to register: Project Wild and Wet
Project Wild and Project Wet Educator Workshop Registration
When: Tuesday, July 8, 2025– 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Featured…
Events
Featured Event:
Community Happy Hour With Climate Generation
climategen.org/events/community-happy-hour-with-climate-generation-at-ltd-brewery
Please join Climate Generation to connect, hear about our work, enjoy a beverage, and have fun with climate bingo at our community happy hour! We will be at
Monday, June 30th
Event time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Grants
Explore the Ozarks Fund
The Explore the Ozarks Fund is dedicated to creating and providing access to experiential conservation education opportunities for K-12 students in the Ozarks.
**Applications are considered on a rolling basis.
Workshops & Webinars
Featured Workshop:
6th-8th Grade: Nature Unhooked Teacher Workshop
Wildwood, MO 63038
JEDIA: Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
Environmental Justice: Why We Should Teach it and How to Get Started
Key Takeaways
- Teaching about environmental justice is about making sure everyone has access to healthy food, clean air and water, and safe homes.
- More and more aspiring educators are learning about environmental justice and using their campus chapters to host events where environmental science majors share knowledge with their peers.
As a future educator, you will help develop the next generation of informed citizens. Perhaps most urgent of all, you will have the opportunity to teach students about environmental justice. People of Color and low-income communities often suffer the harshest consequences of pollution and climate change. Environmental justice is about making sure everyone has access to healthy food, clean air and water, and safe homes.
Many public schools have worked to raise environmental awareness and teach students to be conscientious stewards of Earth. Some districts have incorporated school gardens into their lessons, and many teach about recycling and conservation. But few districts have prioritized teaching about the climate crisis and environmental justice.
That’s doing students a disservice, says Oregon social studies teacher Tim Swinehart. “They already hear and know a lot about the climate crisis, and it is really irresponsible for us to just leave them hanging,” he says.
Aspiring educators like Madison O’Brien agree. She’s a senior at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, and is working on her K–8 certification.
Northern Arizona University student Madison O’Brien is committed to teaching about environmental justice.
“I’m 1,000 percent going to be incorporating environ- mental justice in my teaching practices,” she says. Her goal is to foster students’ empathy for those who are most deeply affected by climate change and to make her classroom a safe space where students can ask questions and research the issues together.
“The younger we are, it feels like we care a lot more about climate change because it’s our future and our students’ future,” she says.
Young Environmental Leaders-Membership for the Future
Who are MEEA Young Environmental Leaders?
Our newest and fastest-growing membership group!
Some of our YEL members making a difference at our Annual Conference
Description (a note from Co-Director Jamin Bray):
A couple of years ago, both Lesli and I started the process of creating a membership focus on Missouri’s youth. We both have GenZ kids, and understand their desire to have a voice about the future: their Planet, their health, their freedom, and their ability to thrive. That’s how the Young Environmental Leaders (AKA “YELers”) membership was born. Since then we have recruited bright and energetic youth, ages 16-26, to not only empower them to support our Mission, but also voice their brilliant ideas for how to take action. We expanded the reach statewide with support from the NAAEE and ee360 in the past year, and since MEEA launched the YEL membership, this cohort has grown to more than 40 members.
We are so grateful to the first group of YELers who joined us in person and virtually to create a strategy for a group with a solid purpose. So now it’s your urn! No matter your passion or skills, you all have a say in the future to Care, Understand, and Act for the environment.
So now, we are ready to dive in, expand and move forward with even more experiences! We would love to get you onboard as a member!
How to get involved:
Want to become a “YELer?”
Join as an individual: MEEA Individual Membership options
Join as a Group (for example Science or other school club): MEEA Non-profit Organizational Membership options
Opportunities & Resources for YELers
Opportunities to Care, Understrand & Act for the Environment
Register here for the NEXT (July) meeting this year!
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- **Join us on Thursday, JULY 24 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM for the SECOND quarterly webinar for Young Environmental Leaders (YELers) in Missouri! For this SECOND YEL webinar, which will be recorded, the topic is “Native Plants and Horticulture Careers”
- Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
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Our first Quarterly Meeting (April) on Zoom was fantastic!
Video of the meeting Young Environmental Leaders Webinar: Resume, Social Media, and Networking Basics
Each month will feature:
- Guest speaker(s) on a particular topic relevant to Missouri’s Youth, with green career advisement included as much as we are able
- Information on MEEA projects we need your help with and can provide some funding compensation for
- YELers’ iNaturalist Collection — shoutouts and prizes each month!
Resources
- Jobs boards to check out:
- Green 2.0. https://greentwopointzero.org/careers/?mc_cid=369600201d&mc_eid=8b092c2079
- Missouri Department of Natural Resources (currently LOTS of seasonal positions!) https://hiretrue-prod.com/hiretrue/
- Support for job seekers:
- Green 2.0 recently launched a LinkedIn group for job seekers to network and support one another in the environmental sector. This is a space to connect, share job opportunities, and exchange resources. Join the group HERE.
Green Schools Corner
REMINDER!
2025-2026 Green Schools Quest Theme Announced & Registration Opened
- Next year’s Green Schools Quest will be all about water!
- Join us in the 2025-2026 school year as we explore water conservation & protection, Indigenous Knowledge of water, sources of water on your school campus, how to audit and reduce your school’s water usage, and environmental justice issues around water in Missouri and Illinois’ histories.
- Though your Green Schools Quest projects do not have to focus on the theme of the year, our free professional development offerings will center around water and its many intricacies.
It’s never too early to register for the Green Schools Quest!
Nature Phenomena This Month
News from the Field
International News
Kids care deeply about our planet, so adults need to start listening
“I wish adults knew that I really care about the environment and want to help, but I sometimes feel like my ideas don’t matter because I’m just a kid.”
This is what a nine-year-old respondent told us when we asked how they feel about the environment.
In today’s current political climate, many adults seem resigned to climate catastrophe and even dabble in climate change denialism. However, our survey of 1,000 youth aged eight to 14 from Canada and the United States found that children care deeply about the planet and are ready to take action.
The findings from our report were produced as part of an ongoing study with the Humanity in Motion Society, a Canadian non-profit organization focused on engaging youth as key stakeholders in advancing environmental stewardship.
Almost 90 per cent of the kids we spoke to recognize climate change as a real and urgent problem, Read More Here
Missouri News
CFM Advocacy Group Formed
A Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) Advocacy group has been formed in response to increased threats on MO natural resources.
“As you are aware, conservation faces a critical moment. Unprecedented and fast-moving threats are emerging from the U.S. Congress, White House, and federal agencies—ranging from budget reconciliations and Executive Orders to agency directives. These developments pose serious risks to our natural resources.
In response, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) has formed the Advocacy Action Team (AAT) to monitor, assess, and address these threats, and to serve as a central voice for conservation advocacy in Missouri.” see the CFM resolotion here: Conservation%20Federation of Missouri #2025-6 2025 Resolution