 | arizona association for Environmental Education |
The AAEE 2024 Annual Conference
| The 2024 Annual In-Person Conference in Tucson, AZ September 13 at Pima Community College East Campus (Tucson) and September 14 in Patagonia, Arizona We are Resilient: eePathways to Restoring, Reconnecting, & Regenerating |
AAEE is pleased to serve as your professional association for environmental education, outdoor education, sustainability education, and more. The benefit of joining us for our conference always comes down to one thing - dedicated time spent in the field with colleagues and friends where everyone can share ideas and learn from each other. We hope you will join us!
AND..YOU ASKED AND WE DELIVERED!
Many people reached out and have asked if we could rotate the conference between northern and southern Arizona. This year we are hosting it in Tucson so we hope if you were unable to make the drive north in previous years, you'll consider that now!
JOIN US - Registration is now OPEN!
Read through the details and find the registration link at the bottom of this page.
Be sure your membership is up to date before your register. Check your membership status here.
Program and Organizational AND University or Corporate Team Membership include memberships for an unlimited number of staff or volunteers. Be sure to add all staff members to your membership bundle so they are offered the membership rate when they register.
EARLY-BIRD DEADLINE EXTENDED to August 16, 2024 at 11:59 pm AZ Time:
- Member - $300.00
- Non-member - $380.00
- Student Rate (15 tickets available) - $100 plus the cost of a student membership ($35)
- We have 10 scholarships available for other interested participants. See details below.
- Arizona Master Naturalist Members (10 tickets available) - $180. Must be an ACTIVE AZ Master Naturalist.
Conference Rate starting on August 17, 2024 at 12:00 am AZ time
- Member - $330.00
- Non-member - $410.00
CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER (Friday) -
Dr. Rodrigo Sierra Corona Executive Director, Borderlands Restoration Network
| Dr. Sierra Corona is a conservation scientist and the Executive Director of Borderlands Restoration Network in Patagonia, Arizona. He is passionate about Arizona's Borderlands and the unique ecological systems found across political boundaries and is a strong supporter of environmental education for people of all ages. |
CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER (Saturday) -
Noël Fletcher - Wildlife Biologist (Ret.) & Co-chair of AZ Envirothon
| Noël is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired wildlife biologist. She was born and raised on a horse farm in Pennsylvania and received her Wildlife degree from University of Idaho. She worked for the Forest Service for 39 years in Idaho, California, and Arizona. Her main responsibilities were balancing what people wanted with what wildlife needed. The diverse demands of uses for public lands with equally diverse wildlife species and habitats presented many opportunities for negotiating and finding creative solutions. Noël will share her experience with Arizona Envirothon and how to get young people involved, Future Farmers of America (FFA), and Forest Service Career outreach. My motto is, "Crash the Party!" |
We have over 40 conference sessions planned as well as networking and career building opportunities. By participating in the full event, including workshops scheduled for Saturday afternoon, you will be eligible for up to 20 continuing education units.
The conference fee covers two full days of professional development including field trip fees and four meals. Please know we are offering this event at cost. If you need assistance with the registration fee, see the section below on Scholarships.
FIELD TRIPS AND WORKSHOPS
Pre-Conference Workshops will be held on Thursday afternoon, September 12 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
- Project Learning Tree Train the Trainer
- NAAEE's Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education
All workshops are $50/person. Let us know if you need assistance.
Register for PRE CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
REGISTER for Project Learning Tree
REGISTER for AAEE Guidelines for Excellence
Field trips are included as part of the conference experience. They will take place on Saturday morning, September 14, from 9:00 am - noon in Patagonia, Arizona. There is no additional cost to register for these experiences but we ask that you let us know what you prefer with your conference registration. Each trip is limited to 25 people.
- Borderlands Restoration Network Wildlife Preserve, Watershed and Native Plant Programs
- Borderlands Earth Care Center (BECC): Tour Borderlands Restoration Network's New Education Center
- Take a trip with a ranger to Patagonia State Park. Kayaking may be available!
- Visit Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve
On both Thursday and Friday evening we will offer informal opportunities to meet up for dinner on your own in Tucson starting at 6pm.
CONFERENCE SHARE FAIR
Work for an organization and want to showcase your projects, resources, and opportunities? Register as a share fair participant! We have 15 spaces available for the Share Fair. Each registration costs $320 and comes with one free registration for a team member. Email profdev@arizonaee.org for the registration code. The share fair will be held at lunch time on Friday.
TRAVEL & LODGING ACCOMMODATIONS
There are numerous hotels and home rentals in Tucson. Prices range from $80/night - $200/night. Book your reservations soon because the hotels will fill up quickly given the time of year.
NOTE Day one of the Conference takes place in Tucson at Pima Community College's East Campus. Day 2 takes place in Patagonia, Arizona, approximately ONE HOUR from Tucson/Pima Community College. The Field Trips on Day 2 start at 9am, so there should be plenty of time to get there before they begin.
We will be offering a light breakfast before the field trips begin, if you'd like to join us, plan to arrive at 8am.
Here is a list of area hotels you may find useful.
There are also many opportunities to camp in the area. Check out HipCamp for options that are below $100.
Several people have asked about carpooling options, we've created a Slack Channel for you to talk to each other and find connections! You can join Slack for free and post on the channel "#aaee-ride-share" on our Public Slack Workspace linked below. If you don't want to use Slack, you can post a Get-Give Ride and contact method on this spreadsheet.
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
We've made available scholarships for enrolled students (15 available) and others who may need assistance (10 available). Please know we are continuously seeking funding to offset fees because we know these prices may be out of reach.
- Student Rate (15 tickets available) - $100 plus the cost of a student membership ($35). Email profdev@arizonaee.org using your ".edu" email address (or let us know if you are a high school student). First come, first served. We will send you a registration code after you join us as a student member.
- Scholarships available by application. Discounts of $100 or $50 available for 10 applicants. Apply now
- Volunteer and receive a $20 refund for helping at the conference. Register to Volunteer!
Hosting an event like this is very expensive in 2024, but we believe it to be critically important to elevating the work we do and assisting people in finding and locating new opportunities. If you'd like to assist us with finding conference sponsors, email us at profdev@arizonaee.org. OR if you have some extra funds to contribute, consider making a donation HERE. Thanks for all you do!
CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
AAEE offers flexible packages for sponsors looking to advertise and reach our community of environmental education leaders and practitioners. We are happy to adjust these opportunities to meet your business or organization's goals and needs. Review our sponsorship packet for more details. If your organization needs to be invoiced for paying for a portion of the conference rather than be listed as a sponsor, email profdev@arizonaee.org and we can send you an invoice instead.
2024 CONFERENCE SPONSORS
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CHOLLA SPONSOR
| PALO VERDE SPONSOR
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