Missouri Environmental Education News: September 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
Hey Everyone!,
This month we are excited to lift up lots of details about our upcoming Annual Conference!
This gathering is by far MEEA’s biggest Professional Development event! Formal and nonformal educators and EE supporters come together from across Missouri (and even sometimes beyond!) for hands-on sessions to put theory into practice, and network with folks from across our state.
Every year we move from region to region to try our best to get as many folks involved as possible. This year, we will be in the Central part of Missouri–Columbia and Jefferson City. We will not only explore the regional landscape and the mosaic of educational offerings in that region, but we will focus on the concept of “Place,” and how important the strategy of teaching using a place-based approach is perhaps the most effective EE strategy for connecting citizens to their environment.
**Registration is still open! See more details in the Conference & PD section of this newsletter.
AND>> we want to emphasize that our Conference always has a “pay-what-you-can” option! We all know and understand that times are challenging right now–we are all in the same boat when it comes to economic uncertainty. MEEA’s values as an organization include reaching out to all of you, and making you feel welcome and able to join us without the cost being a limitation.
In the meantime I’d personally like to thank all of the members of our Conference Planning Committee who have paved the way for fun, educational and inspirational experiences in Mid-Mo. That includes our exciting Friday afternoon field session sites/hosts (Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, Boone County Nature School and Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary) and also the folks at MDC’s Runge Conservation Nature Center for offering their fantastic facility and space in Jeff City for the full Saturday Conference. Wow, we have such wonderful partners!
Have a wonderful September, and maybe do a little Rain Dance for us down here in Dent County!
Jamin Bray, MEEA Co-Director
Feature Article–Southwest Region: 100 Hours Outdoors
James River Basin Partnership’s Challenge:
Spend 100 HOURs (or more!) outdoors this summer!
Note from Jamin: this is an article based on the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) website and their Summer 100 hrs pledge,
but it could certainly be used into the fall or any season, right?
I’m in…taking the pledge right now!
Thank you to Brooke Widmar , JRBP and MEEA Baord Member, for permission to share.
Through this program children and families in southwest Missouri are encouraged to spend at least 100 hours outdoors during summer break. Take the pledge, log your hours, and upon completion receive a small prize in the mail. All who submit will be entered to win exciting prizes including outdoor gear and experiences!
Keep scrolling to learn about 100 Hours Outdoors events with various Springfield-area partners and find tips for making the most of your time outside this summer!
Take the pledge to receive the welcome packet by email and receive periodic emails about 100 Hours Outdoor events. Must register to participate, can be removed from email list at any time. For southwest Missouri residents only.
Tracking
Start logging hours when your summer break begins! Track your hours in any way that is convenient for you, or use our official tracking sheet, download here. Submit hours by September 1st to be entered to win exciting prizes!
Lesson Resources
Annual Conference & Professional Development
MEEA’s 30th Annual Conference 2025
This Year’s Theme:
Bringin’ It Home: Place-Based Environmental Education
Registration is open–register HERE
We are Ready for a fabulous gathering EE providers!
- 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 Missouri this year!
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- Friday Activities in the Columbia area
- Field Trips 1:00-5:00pm at Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, Boone County Nature School, and Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary
- Saturday Conference 8:30am-4:30pm
- Jefferson City at the Runge Conservation Nature Center
- Friday Activities in the Columbia area
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- Young Environmental Leaders will once again be super involved!
email us with questions, comments and feedback.
Session Types:
~Traditional Presentation (1-hour presentation)
~Workshop (2-hour PD learning/training)
~Bright Spot (15-minute presentation)
~Panel Discussion (1-hour)
~Table Talk (Poster or Informational Materials About the Organization, Program, or Project; A great, low-stress opportunity for youth to participate and practice public-speaking) Conference-goers can visit the Table Talks during the first session after lunch, which is the time it is most important for tables to be staffed.
Strand Topics:
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Environmental Justice
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Missouri’s Regions
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Youth Leadership
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Diversity & Resilience
Featured…
Events
Featured Event:
MO Environmental Education Association (MEEA) Annual Conference
October 24-25
- Columbia Field Sessions Friday afternoon Oct 24
- Full Day Conference Jefferson City, Runge Conservation Nature Center
REMINDER: Pay What You Can is Available!
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Register for the conference here.
Grants
Featured Grant:
Outdoor Recreation Microgrants
River City Outdoors is awarding of one-time grants of up to $5,000 for community-focused outdoor recreation projects that benefit the Greater St. Louis bi-state region.
The grants will be awarded at the Gateway Outdoor Summit on November 15-16, 2025. Please read the eligibility and submission guidelines at https://www.rivercityoutdoors.org/micro-grants and send your application to brad@terrain-mag.com before October 24 to be considered.
Workshops & Webinars
Featured Workshop:
Discover Nature-Fishing Teacher Training
Discover Nature — Fishing (DNF) engages students in conservation and aquatic education through classroom instruction and hands-on fishing opportunities.
Branson, MO 65616
To register for this workshop, please login or create an account.
JEDIA: Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
Why Does MEEA offer a Pay-What-You-Can option for our Conference Registration?
Because…we care about ALL of our citizens and invite all to ‘Care, Understand and Act’ on the Environment!
It’s about inclusion, it’s about accessibility, it’s about all of MEEA’s values. All are welcome here, and it doesn’t depend on how much you can pay.
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, currently 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 turn! 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
to Care, Understand & Act for the Environment
Registration for the NEXT webinar meeting will open soon! Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
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- **Join us on Thursday, November 6 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM for the THIRD quarterly webinar for Young Environmental Leaders (YELers) in Missouri! For this YEL webinar, which will be recorded, the topic is “Plastics in Our Environment”
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Our Quarterly Meetings so far (April and July) on Zoom were both fantastic!
Video of the April meeting Young Environmental Leaders Webinar: Resume, Social Media, and Networking Basics
Video of the July meeting Young Environmental Leaders Webinar: Exploring Native Plants & Horticulture Careers
We intend to keep up this momentum and continue the Quartely Webinars. Each one 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 at the end of each webinar (must join the ZOOM to qualify)!
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
Missouri Green Schools Honorees
Congratulations to the 2025 Missouri Green Schools honorees! These schools are on a journey towards Whole-School Sustainability by embedding sustainability into their curriculum, their school culture, and the operations of buildings & grounds. At Level 1, a school is celebrated for their first steps: achieving buy-in from school leadership to participate, assessing their “greenness”, and setting goals. By the time a school reaches Level 3, they have established a Green Team and begun utilizing a dashboard to track their efforts and achievements. To reach Levels 4 and 5, they must document reductions in waste, water use, and energy use. You’ll notice that there are schools representing preK through high school. These schools demonstrate that even the youngest students can be actively engaged in making their school a greener and healthier place to learn!
