What Does CBEEN Do?

CBEEN has been involved in planning and implementing a number of programs to help promote environmental education and provide support to educators. Here are some of our programs to date:

Who we are, what we do, and why...

 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TODAY?Environmental education (EE) is a long-term investment in the general health and well being of individuals, communities, and the planet itself.

Effective environmental education initiatives produce environmentally literate citizens, creating communities where people are inspired by the wonders of the natural world, understand the importance of properly functioning ecosystems, recognize the impact their lifestyles have on the environment and, ideally, become motivated to act as environmental stewards and live sustainable, healthy lives.

Many would argue that EE has always been important, but today the need for it is critical. With rising public concern about issues such as climate change, water conservation, and air pollution (amongst many others), there appears to be widespread acknowledgement of the urgent need for effective environmental education initiatives that will teach individuals and communities how to MITIGATE their impact on the environment and ADAPT to a world that will change drastically within our lifetimes.

The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) acts as a single regionally based organization that supports, encourages, and implements environmental education initiatives and fosters environmental stewardship and sustainability throughout the Canadian Columbia Basin.

WHY THE COLUMBIA BASIN?
Geographically, the Canadian Columbia Basin stretches from the eastern edge of the Okanagan to the Alberta border, and from Valemount in the north to the United States border. The individual communities within this region are not only physically linked through the same drainage system, but their citizens’ past and future are intertwined historically, socially, economically, and environmentally.

In 2001, educators from around the Basin recognized that they shared not only geographical and cultural links but also a common interest in environmental education. The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network was born out of this shared sense of identity, and from the common desire to support and promote EE on a Basin-wide scale.

WHY A NETWORK?
Many hands make light work. The purpose of the network is to share news, ideas, inspiration, and the workload that is associated with coordinating EE initiatives throughout the Canadian Columbia Basin.
Initially, CBEEN was created as an opportunity for Basin educators to periodically see one another face-to-face to share ideas and inspiration. Today, the network provides over 100 members with information sharing tools such as a website, an on-line resource library, a members database, and a quarterly newsletter; workshops and other networking opportunities; bursaries towards professional development; teaching materials; volunteer and employment opportunities; and membership within a community of educators that share a common vision of environmental stewardship for the Columbia Basin.

Strategic Planning

 During the Autumn of 2006, CBEEN's members met in Golden, Kimberley, and Nelson to help the network formulate a brand new five-year strategic plan for 2007-2011. The plan is currently being reviewed by the Board of Directors and will be presented during CBEEN's 2007 AGM in Nelson on April 21.

Co-Administration of the Columbia Basin Trust's Environmental Initiatives Program

 Since 2006, CBEEN has been assisting the Columbia Basin Trust with the co-administration of their Environmental Initiatives Program. This program provides close to $300k annually to environmental education initiatives throughout the Columbia Basin. CBEEN members have played an integral role in this program by forming the committee which reviews proposals and makes funding recommendations.

Your Water, Your Future – a Basin-wide Teaching Kit for Water Stewardship in the Columbia Basin

In late 2005, CBEEN proudly launched a teaching kit designed specifically for local educators! Focusing on water stewardship, ”Your Water, Your Future” contains lesson plans for students in k-11 and all the materials required to carry them out, including a large three-dimensional model of the Canadian Columbia Basin, games, videos of local First Nations’ activities, songs, crafts, and other equipment. Lesson plans are carefully designed to fit the BC Sciences and Social Studies curricula, and include teacher backgrounders, black line masters, and evaluation tools. For 2007, kits have been separated into Primary, Intermediate and Senior editions, and free in-class lessons and pro-d workshops are being offered throughout the Columbia Basin. Teachers in School Districts #5, 6, 8, 10, 19, and 20 may access the kits at anytime through their School District Resource Centres. To learn more about the kits and the Fall 2007 promotion program, click on the Basin Water Curriculum link (here or at top left).

“Springing into the Magic of Environmental Education” Workshop

 This workshop, held in Kaslo from April 21 – 23, 2004, celebrated environmental educators from throughout the Columbia Basin. The focus this year was old growth forests, and the workshop included guest speakers on grizzly bear biology, old growth forest ecology, and Mountain caribou. As well, the workshop incorporated outdoor and classroom-based forest education activities, nature journaling, and Earth day activities. This workshop was designed to celebrate regional environmental educators, through build capacity, and provide them with an opportunity to network and share ideas. The “Capacity-building” Subcommittee of CBEEN developed this workshop.

Fire Ecology Workshop for Educators and Community Leaders

 There has been increased interest in the topic of fire ecology throughout BC as a result of the forest fires of 2003. The Fire Ecology Workshop delivered in the fall of 2004, provided information and teaching materials on fire ecology to educators and community leaders throughout the Columbia Basin. Participants of the workshop learned how fire works, the implications of fire suppression, and how they could best educate others on what they had learned. The workshops were held in Edgewater, Cranbrook, and Nelson. They included a field-trip to a fire site.

The “Capacity-building” Subcommittee of CBEEN initiated this project.