Welcome to NACEE

Our Mission: To facilitate and promote conservation and environment education for all Nebraska.

Our Vision: To foster an environmentally literate citizenry in Nebraska and serve as a leader in conservation and environment education.

NACEE is a coalition of Nebraska organizations and individuals with an interest in conservation and environment education.

2009 Annual NACEE Conference

Location, Location, Location: Exploring Nature in Your Neighborhood

May 28-30, 2009
Holiday Inn Convention Center, Kearney, Nebraska

Join the Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environment Education in Kearney, Nebraska as we explore all service learning has to offer and Nebraska’s amazing natural history. The 2009 NACEE Conference is sure to inspire you with new environmental education resources, programs and events, concurrent sessions, field trips, and round-table discussions. Come. Explore Nature. Be inspired!

Download a conference brochure which includes conference schedule and registration form (PDF).

For more information, contact Andrea Faas at andrea.faas@nebraska.gov.

Conference scholarships are available to pre-service and in-service educators. Download a Scholarship Application Form (PDF).

Environment Educator of the Year Nominations Now Being Accepted

Nebraska is full of dedicated environmental educators in both the formal and non-formal setting. The goal of the NACEE Environment Educator of the Year Award is to reconize a Nebraska educator who has done an outstanding job of teaching about Nebraska, the environment, and ecology. Know someone who fits this description? Nominate them for the 2009 NACEE Environment Educator of the Year Award! Click here for the Nomination Form (PDF).

Environmental Education Connections Newsletter

The Winter/Spring 2009 edition of "Environmental Education Connections" is now available in PDF format. Use the link below to download and learn about environment education news, workshops, events, and conferences in Nebraska.

>Download (PDF)

2008 NACEE Conference a Success!

Conference 08 The 2008 Annual NACEE Conference was held October 24-25, 2008 at Ponca State Park in Ponca, Nebraska. The conference included keynote speakers Nancy Rosenow of the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation speaking on the need for nature based early childhood education and Vicki Richmond of Missouri River Relief presenting a new program to use GPS technology to track trash along the Missouri River. Field trips included hiking through Ponca State Park and a Missouri River boat ride with Gerald Mestal of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Missouri River Research team.

Photos:

Top: Chris Thody of the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership view the Missouri River from a scenic overlook at Ponca State Park during the 2008 NACEE Annual Conference.

Bottom: Vicki Richmond of Missouri River Relif presents on a new program to track trash along the Missouri River using GPS technology.

Sharla Hanzlik Named 2008 NACEE Educator of the Year

Educator 08 Sharla Hanzlik of Niobrara Public Schools was named the 2008 NACEE Environmental Educator of the Year. Sharla has incorporated environmental education into her high school classroom using service learning projects including projects on Nebraska's invasive species.

Know an educator who deserves to be nominated? Click here for the 2009 Nomination Form (PDF).

Photo:

Lindsay Rogers (left) presents the 2008 NACEE Educator of the Year Award to Sharla Hanzlik (right).

2009 NACEE Board Elected

A new NACEE Board of Directors was named at the Annual Conference. In addition to retaining several key board members, a few new faces have been added. Andrea Cade of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will take the reigns as President. Harry Heafer will be the President-Elect. For a complete list of NACEE board members, please visit the About NACEE page.

Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines

In early August 2008, the NACEE board voted to adopt the national Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning. These guidelines, established by the North American Association for Environmental Education, provide students, parents, educators, policy makers, and the public a set of common, voluntary guidelines for environmental education. The guidelines support state and local environmental education efforts by:

Setting expectations for performance and achievement in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades;
Suggesting a framework for effective and comprehensive environmental education programs and curricula;
Demonstrating how environmental education can be used to meet standards set by the traditional disciplines and to give students opportunities to synthesize knowledge and experience across disciplines; and
Defining the aims of environmental education.

To view the Guidelines, visit http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/guidelines-for-excellence/

"No Child Left Inside” Legislation

What is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2007?

The No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 (H.R. 3036 and S. 1981) is a bill aimed at increasing the awareness and funding for environmental education. The bill, introduced by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), would provide much needed funding for states to train teachers in environmental concepts and issues, offer environmental education curriculum and field trips for students, and build capacity within states for increases in both quality and quantity of environmental education curriculums.

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NAAEE

Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environment Education is the Nebraska state affiliate for the North American Association for Environmental Education. NAAEE is the professional association for environmental education. NAAEE members promote professional excellence in non-formal organizations, K-12 classrooms, universities (both instructors and students), government agencies, and corporate settings throughout North America and in over 55 other countries. While NAAEE strives to promote environmental education across the country, NACEE strives to promote environment education across Nebraska. Visit the NAAEE website here.

Nebraska Environmental Education Master Plan Now Available

In 2005, Nebraska’s conservation and education community completed the state’s first Environmental Education Master Plan – a historic achievement. The Master Plan was developed from input received from over 185 Nebraskans who attended more than a dozen public input meetings, participated in personal interviews, and completed surveys. The planning process spanned nearly four years and was coordinated by the Nebraska Alliance of Conservation and Environment Education (NACEE). The resulting Master Plan provides a visionary and far-reaching blueprint for Nebraska that can be used by organizations, agencies, policy makers, and the public to better focus and coordinate environmental education efforts.

Environmental Literacy Survey Released

Literacy Survey The Nebraska Conservation and Environment Literacy and Awareness Survey has been released and is now available for download in PDF format. The survey was conducted by the Bureau of Sociological Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and funded through the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program.

Both the complete Literacy Survey and the Executive Summary (a 4-page overview of the survey results) are available for download. A comparison of the survey results to national surveys is also available. To download the documents, click on the links below (requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader):

For more information about the survey, please contact us.