Register NOW NHEE 2025 Conference Poster

Conference Host Sponsor

We are beyond grateful to Tin Mountain Conservation Center, our conference host, who is generously donating the space.

Learn more about Tin Mountain Conservation Center.

2025 Schedule

9:00-9:30 – Registration, coffee, breakfast snacks, networking
9:30-10:15 – Welcome, NAAEE Advocacy Update, Annual Meeting, and EE of the Year Award
10:15-10:30 – Break
10:30-11:30 – Morning Workshop
11:30-11:45 – Break
11:45-12:30 – Guided Discussions: In this self-selected, small-group format, participants will explore specific themes such as integrating nature walks into the curriculum, organizing field trips, enhancing preschool education, or working with adult audiences. (Discussion topics will be finalized based on attendee input.)
12:30-1:30 – Lunch & Networking
1:30-2:30 – Afternoon Workshop
2:30-3:45 – Keynote Panel Discussion & Closing

NHEE Board Vice President and Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dr. R. Laurence Davis (Larry), will moderate a discussion about the many ways and places people can connect with nature. Panelists have expertise in leading community/participatory science in a variety of settings, using scavenger hunts to deepen community connections, and connecting people to nature through recreation.

Dr. R. Laurence Davis (Larry), NHEE Board Vice President and Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Larry received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Earth Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis and his PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of Rochester. Growing up, his family was active in the outdoors. But it was the experience, at age 5, of finding a beryl crystal at an old mine in Maine that led him, eventually, to geology. In 1970, he became the Head of Nature Programs at Camp Pemigewassett (“Pemi”) in Wentworth, NH, stepping into the huge shoes of his predecessor who retired after his 42nd year. Last summer (2019) he completed his 50th year in that position. While he has stepped down from running the program at Pemi, he will remain active as a teacher. He is also Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Haven where he was part of an interdisciplinary program offering B.S. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Sciences. In 2018, the New England Environmental Alliance presented him with their Non-formal Educator Award. He is retired from university teaching and lives in Concord and Wentworth. He enjoys traveling, photography, “collecting” waterfalls, and making music (he is a flautist). He also continues his academic research in Karst Hydrology (groundwater in cavernous areas) at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

Georgia Murray, Staff Scientist, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

Georgia Murray is a Staff Scientist with the Appalachian Mountain Club since 2000. Previously she has conducted biogeochemical research for the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Ecosystem Center at Toolik, Alaska a Long-term Ecological Research site and worked at the University of Washington maintaining a long-term small watershed monitoring site within Olympic National Park. Georgia currently oversees Appalachian Mountain Club’s ambient air pollution program in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service including mountain-based monitoring of cloud, rain, and stream water chemistry in Wilderness areas in the White Mountain National Forest. She also leads AMC’s plant phenology monitoring work using Nature’s Notebook, which incorporates community science, and conducts mountain climate research.

Donna J. Kuethe, Retired Recreation Director, Town of Moultonborough

Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP, served as the Recreation Director for the Town of Moultonborough, NH for 41 years, retiring in 2020. In that role she was the first full time director, taking the department from a part time seasonal program with limited staff and resources, to a well-respected year-round agency reaching residents and visitors of all ages. She spearheaded growth in programming, capital facilities and community initiatives. She currently is the Project Manager for Operation Resiliency Response (formerly Operation Recreation Response) for the national non-profit, ActivEnviro. She is the initiator of ORR – an ActivEnviro Initiative that proposes a multi-tiered approach for Parks and Recreation Agencies to be prepared for, respond to and create resilient re-building from disasters. She was the lead author for comprehensive ORR Manual, Preparedness for Natural Disasters in Your Community: A Guide for Parks and Recreation Agencies. Donna served as the Executive Director for GP RED (now ActivEnviro) from 2019-2023, leading, organizing and implementing a variety of initiatives, and convenings. As a Recreation Professional Donna has been very involved in the profession through the New Hampshire and National Recreation and Park Associations as well as other professional organizations. She has been recognized as a tireless advocate, educator, leader and organizer for public recreation at the local, state, regional and national level. She has served in many leadership positions at the state, regional and national level and continues to do so after retirement. She served on the committees that created the statewide HEAL Initiative (Healthy Eating Active Living) as well as the Children in Nature Initiative, serving on that committee from 2007 until 2020. She represented NHRPA on the Open Project Selection Process Committee (Land and Water Conservation Fund) for over 20 years and was involved in updates to the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Management Plan (SCORP) during that time. Donna was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administrators in 2019, which limits its membership to 125 members nationally. Donna has a wide variety of experience and a fierce passion for the power and impact of parks and recreation. Participating in international study tours, and volunteer work on international and national humanitarian projects with the non-profit, Every Child is Ours, has fostered a global vision of the importance of parks and recreation. In addition, Donna has written articles and presented at many regional, state and national conferences including NRPA, NIRSA, and the ActivEnviro National Think Tank, on a wide variety of topics including but not limited to – Emergency Preparedness, Professionalism in Parks and Recreation, Personal and Professional Resiliency, Social Equity and Revenue Projections, Adapting to Climate Change, Aquatics Risk Management, the Power of Parks and Recreation and many other topics.

Tanya O’Dee, Library Director, Somersworth Public Library

Tanya O’Dee is the director and children’s librarian at the Somersworth Public Library. Tanya earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Wildlife Management, and a Master’s in Education with an environmental science focus. She has spent the past two decades working as an educator in various settings. As a public-school teacher, she prioritized connecting the school curriculum with the local environment, as well as instilling an appreciation for nature in her students. In her transition to a public library in an urban environment, Tanya’s goal is to create engaging programs that encourage the community to get outside and find nature where they are.

2025 Workshops

Puppetry in the Wild by Rachael Beikmohamadi and Tracy Jones, Beaver Brook Association – Join us for an imaginative workshop to bolster your confidence in using puppetry to support your environmental education goals. You don’t have to be a performer to use puppets in learning and you don’t need a proper theater to go for it!

Orienteering In Your Space by Mikayla Moss, Navigation Games – Orienteering is a map navigation activity that develops skills important for environmental education. In this workshop, you will navigate outdoors in teams, build skills, and adapt the activities to work with your programs’ spaces and communities.

Monitoring the Health of Ash and Hemlock Trees by Abigail Long, Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Katie Brodeur, Seacoast Science Center – Ash and hemlock trees are under immediate threat by the rapid spread of forest pests in the Northeast. In this workshop, experience fieldwork protocols and learning resources that focus on monitoring the health of these keystone species.

From Tik-Tok to Table-Top: Educating our Community at Their Level of Ability and Interest by Mike Dufilho and Nora Dufilho, Tin Mountain Conservation Center – Join TMCC to examine how we meet participants “Where They Are” in our work with our local memory care center, the construction of our new accessible trail, and our adjustment to how HS students interface with knowledge and information sharing.

Community Programming Rooted in Place by Polly Mahoney and Amy Carter, Tamworth Library – Tamworth librarians share their version of nature education; using what is on hand right outside the library doors in the midst of a busy town center. This highly successful program has grown to serve 40-60 local children and adults weekly.

Active Games to Cultivate Informed and Joyfully Engaged Ecological Belonging by Edith Pucci Couchman, Evolving Beauty – Try some active, often arts-infused games about the creatures of the Northeastern Forestlands. Consider why and how such NGSS-aligned games (from the newly published book Circling the Sun, Racing the Wind) could be helpful to students aged 3 – 12.

Nature Studies for every classroom- Project Learning Tree by Jennifer Scarinza, NH Project Learning Tree – Come learn how you can easily incorporate more nature study activities into your classroom! PLT’s award-winning preK-beyond12 curriculum advances environmental literacy, stewardship and career pathways. Come ready to be outside and get hands-on!

Beyond our Scale: Tips and Tools to Explore Insect Habitats by Sara Burrell and Bridget Burns, The Caterpillar Lab – Join The Caterpillar Lab for a demonstration showcasing early spring insects and a discussion about the tools and techniques we can use to find, care for, and share these animals with learners including collection, handling, and digital microscopy.

Pricing

Registration fee includes breakfast snacks, coffee, tea, keynote, concurrent sessions, and lunch.

Member – $60 (For NHEE members or employees of organizational members)
Not Yet Member – $90 (Includes a one-year individual membership to NHEE)
Student – $35 (For members/youths under 25, includes a one-year student membership)
Scholarship – $35 (Limited availability; contact info@nhee.org for details)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. All registrations are final, and refunds will not be issued unless NHEE cancels the event.