The Arkansas Environmental Education Association is seeking engaging sessions for our annual Environmental and Outdoor Education conference. We welcome a variety of topics and ideas, and especially those that support the main strands and tie into our conference theme, which celebrates our 30th anniversary:Legacy of the Land: 30 Years of Learning, Leading, and Preserving Arkansas.

 

March 6 & 7, 2026

Fairfield Bay Conference Center

Fairfield Bay, Arkansas

 

 

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

 

Environmental education is a multidisciplinary approach to educating individuals about the environment, its interconnections, and the importance of sustainable practices. Environmental education provides learners with authentic opportunities to develop critical thinking skills, communication, and collaboration - essential skills in today’s world.

 

We are seeking conference proposals from a variety of topics and formats.

 

Conference Strands:

• 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 eco-regions, 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, advocacy, networking, policy, exploring green careers in Arkansas, working with local government, etc

• Capacity Building- sustaining people & organizations, self-care and wellness, non-profit and EE provider capacity building, cultivating partnerships for increased capacity, program administration, successful boards, grant writing, fundraising, etc

 

This is a competitive proposal process.Not all proposals will be accepted.AEEA requests proposals for sessions that:

• Are solution-oriented and include concrete takeaways

• Are interactive and engage the audience

• Share new research, advances in practice, innovative ideas, or relevant case studies

• Promote involvement and accessibility in environmental education and the outdoors

• Highlight the local ecosystem of the Fairfield Bay area

 

Sessions can be in different formats:

• Informational presentation

• Show and tell presentation

• Workshop

• Field tours

Submission deadline: December 22, 2025.

 

For more information, contact AEEA Executive Director Sophia Stephenson atdirector@arkansasee.orgor 501-773-1107.