In 1980, a coalition of outdoor and environmental educators established the Arizona Association for Learning in and about the Environment (AALE) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Annual conferences, initiated in 1981, continued for 19 years. In general, AALE conferences involved resource agency staff offering sessions to classroom educators, with an emphasis on conservation education. Membership and conference participation grew, peaking at over 700 members and 200 conference participants in the early 1990s.

In fall 2000, a major revisioning retreat was held and successfully attracted diverse new individuals to become active in the organizational leadership. One clear outcome of the revisioning was the certainty that for the association to be healthy and strong and most effectively advance EE in the state, it must serve the entire EE community. That is, it could continue to serve classroom teachers but should also provide professional development opportunities for environmental educators working in any context, at any level. Effectively serving the entire EE community allows the association to attract a diversity of individuals with strong leadership skills; this fosters a positive feedback loop increasing the association's effectiveness. This and other changes were significant enough to warrant a new name symbolic of the degree of change, and the membership voted in the new name Arizona Association for Environmental Education (AAEE).

Since our revisioning year, considerable progress has been made. We have engaged additional new leaders (beyond those at the revisioning retreat) who reflect diverse facets of EE. We have rewritten our bylaws and framed a new governance structure that facilitates strategic board development. We held a successful conference in September 2001 and now have a listserv for electronic communication, a new website, an on-line database in progress, and new supporters throughout the state. We have begun to utilize contacts made and have built a palpable momentum. AAEE has strong, determined leaders, working together as an effective team. They are committed to strengthening the Arizona EE network, pooling resources, and continuing to advance the capacity of the Arizona EE network.

Banner photo copyright Ron Blake