EE Conference

Environmental & Outdoor Education Conference

blue and orange pipevine swallowtail butterfly

Connecting Health and Nature: Building a Sustainable Future

March 7 & 8, 2024
Arkansas Tech University, Russellville

About the Conference

AEEA’s Environmental and Outdoor Education Conference is a gathering that brings together classroom teachers, non-formal educators, higher education students, Master Naturalists, and conservation professionals from around Arkansas. This professional learning event consists of hands-on workshops, field tours, concurrent presentations, and networking opportunities.

For the 2025 conference, we are changing things up a bit. The conference date will move to early March, and it will be held over a Friday and Saturday. Registration options will include one day or both days. The conference theme focuses on the connection between a healthy environment and healthy people. Mark your calendars now!

In addition to hands-on learning, exhibitors feature available resources and programs, and the silent auction showcases Arkansas-made goods, education resources, and sustainability-focused products. The silent auction funds the AEEA mini-grant program. The conference brings together diverse attendees in some of the most beautiful locations that Arkansas has to offer.

If you have never attended an AEEA conference, you can view highlights from previous years below.

2025 Conference Sessions

Connecting Health and Nature: Building a Sustainable Future

Session details and agenda cominng soon.

Sessions topics will cover a range of topics:

Education in Practice – planning and implementing successful environmental education programs, K-12 education, STEM, green and healthy schools, climate education, reports on new and relevant research, etc
Naturalists in Action – exploring the wonders of Arkansas ecoregions, citizen (community) science programs in Arkansas, etc
Outdoors and EE Programs – outdoor recreation and environmental education, health and the outdoors, teaching in outdoor settings, access to the outdoors, etc
Community Engagement – cultivating community partnerships, engaging with underserved communities in environmental education, exploring green careers in Arkansas, etc
Capacity Building – developing professional skills as an educator, program administration, grant writing, etc

Sessions will be in a variety of formats:

Slide presentation: 30 – 60 minutes of presenting information and answering questions.
Round table discussion: small group discussions on a specific topics for 30 – 60 minutes.
Show and tell presentation: during a one-hour time slot, multiple organizations would have a staffed table in the same room. The purpose of this type of format is to talk in small groups, or to an individual, in-depth about a specific program. This is different from an exhibitor space which can be unstaffed and is more general about an organization.
Workshop: a 2-3 hour hands-on session exploring a specific topic. Workshops will have a limited number of participants.
Field tours: a 2-3 hour session learning about the local, natural region. Field tours have a limited number of participants.

Registration Coming Soon!

Conference Details - Check the sections below often as more details will be added in the coming weeks.

Lodging

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Russellville is holding a block of rooms for AEEA conference attendees for Thursday, March 6 – Saturday, March 8. The rate is $110/night. Conference attendees are responsible for booking their own rooms.

1. Use the AEEA Group Booking Link

2. Select the nights you want to stay.

3. Click view prices. At this window you will see AEEA listed with the room rate.

Issues with booking a room should be directed to Dusti Yarber, General Manager, at 479-264-7363.

Additional hotels are close to the ATU campus.

Conference Attire

Curious what to wear to an environmental and outdoor education conference? This is a professional, yet casual event. Wear what is appropriate for your organization in the early spring. The main thing is to be comfortable. We will have little, if any, control over the indoor temperature and no control over the outdoor temperature. Some sessions will be outdoors, so wear weather appropriate clothing, and if you plan on participating in a field tour, wear close-toed shoes and bring a hat.

Sched - app for program schedule, details, and communication

Sched is an event management app for mobile devices and computers. Attendees can see session descriptions, presenter bios, and event sponors. They can also plan out their own schedule in advance of the event and easily share contact information with other participants.

Once you have registered for the conference, you will receive an invitation to join the event on Sched. This app is free to use. It facilitates communication between our planning team and attendees and as well as between attendees.

More information is coming soon.

Share Table

We all end up with extra resources, posters, books, and materials we no longer need, but they are still in good condition. We have an answer – bring these items to the conference and add them to the Share Table! This could be office supplies, reference books, posters, etc. Organizational branded materials go on your exhibit table (if you have one). This is for other materials and resources you no longer want. The Share Table will be with the Exhibitor area. This is an opportunity to reduce and reuse – take what you need and use what you take.

Registration Cancellation

All participant cancellations require notice submitted in writing at least one day prior to the event. Submit notice via email to director@arkansasee.org. Registration funds will be refunded according to the following schedule. Cancellations due to emergencies will be evaluated case by case.

Refund of 75% of registration fee if notice is given by February 26.
After February 26 registration can be transferred to another person. Please give as much notice as possible.
No refunds are given for no-shows

Refunds will be processed after the conference.