RIDGELY, MD – Adkins Arboretum and ShoreRivers have received a Chesapeake Bay Trust Environmental Education Planning grant to develop a sustainable partnership that will advance organizational capacity to provide meaningful watershed education experiences (MWEEs) for students in grades Pre-k through 12. The partnership will provide ShoreRivers with a beautiful site at which to facilitate programs while providing the Arboretum with additional environmental educators. As part of the planning process, the organizations will work together to delineate roles and responsibilities, engage county science supervisors and design a “Where Land and Water Meet” curriculum.
The new curriculum will consist of two programs each for elementary, middle and high school, with pre- and post-field trip activities and professional development. A portion of each program will highlight climate change science, problems and solutions. All programs will be aligned with Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards and will reflect the missions of both organizations.
Currently, Adkins Arboretum and ShoreRivers serve students in Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Kent, Talbot, Dorchester, and Anne Arundel counties. Funding from Chesapeake Bay Trust will allow the organizations to strengthen their relationships within these counties and beyond to serve a wider and more diverse audience. Schools will be able to participate in “Where Land and Water Meet” field experiences beginning in 2022; professional development opportunities for teachers will be available by the following summer.
Located in Caroline County, Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve that strives to engage all people in conservation, appreciation and enjoyment of the Chesapeake region’s native landscapes through education, recreation, art and community events. The Arboretum has facilitated school, preschool, homeschool, summer camp and scout programs for nearly twenty years, and youth program participation has grown from around 500 students in 2007 to approximately 1,800 in 2019.
ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration and education. With a central office in Easton, the organization has been an active provider of MWEE-based programming since 2013, including student action projects, professional development and outdoor field experiences on school campuses and at local nature centers.
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Adkins Arboretum