Annual Conference

The MAEOE Annual Conference, Maryland’s largest environmental education event, attracts over 500 educators each February for a dynamic mix of workshops, discussions, networking, exhibits, and resource sharing.

Registration Details

February 19-22, 2026 at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson, MD

Plans are still underway! Check back soon for more details as they become available. For more information, email conference administrators.

Conference SCHED

Rooted in Nature:

Using the Outdoors to Empower Action and Understanding

Join educators, environmental professionals, and community leaders for a weekend of learning, collaboration, and inspiration. The MAEOE Conference begins Friday evening and continues with a full day of workshops, presentations, and networking on Saturday, February 21. Sessions focus on environmental education, sustainability, and equity, and are designed for both formal and non-formal educators, with alignment to NGSS and environmental literacy standards. The weekend concludes with hands-on field experiences on Sunday, offering opportunities to explore outdoor learning in action. Celebrate, connect, and grow with Maryland’s environmental education community.

Attendees:

District-level professionals (including, administrators, principals, curriculum specialists, and environmental literacy liaisons, facilities directors, energy, sustainability, transportation, food management leaders)
Environmental, Educational and Sustainability, Service Providers
Maryland Middle and High School Students

Conference Schedule

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Join us for a day of learning, sharing, and collaboration as we move towards a more sustainable future for our schools and communities! Thursday will feature presentations on high-impact sustainability topics that can significantly reduce environmental footprints and improve ecological health. Be a part of driving large-scale environmental change and ensuring a sustainable future.

Friday, February 20, 2026

Time: 8:30 AM – 4:45 PM

Join us for Green School Friday, where we’ll look ahead to the next 25 years of sustainability in education. The day will feature inspiring sessions on climate action, green careers, youth leadership, stewardship, and high-quality professional development.

Conference Sessions

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Connect with fellow educators, professionals, students, higher education faculty dedicated to environmental education and sustainability. Engage in workshops and presentations from diverse environmental leaders across the state from varying disciplines.

Field Experiences

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Attendees will engage in an off-site excursion that highlights environmental education or sustainability in action. Sunday field experiences offer immersive, place-based learning that focuses on exploration and connection rather than formal instruction.

Downloadable Schedules

Support MAEOE's Annual Conference

Contribute Financially

Donations and sponsorships help us continue to provide this landmark event, year after year. Contact Laura Collard at director@maeoe.org. or go to our Donations page.

Donate to the Silent Auction

Your donated gifts or gift cards provide $$ for scholarships for first-time attendees. Last year, thanks to contributions like yours, we were able to award scholarships to 45 attendees! For questions or more information, contact us at conference@maeoe.org.

2026 Conference Fees

Conference Hotel

Hotel Information

SHERATON BALTIMORE NORTH HOTEL

903 Dulaney Valley Rd,

Towson, MD 21204

Reserve Your Room Early to Insure the MAEOE Conference Rate:

Book your reservation online using the link above.
Group dates are between February 18th - 23rd, 2026.
Make sure to use the MAEOE conference 2026 Bonvoy page.

Cutoff date for making reservations is January 19, 2026

Hotel Pricing:

Traditional Doubles are $119.00 plus taxes per night
Traditional King is $119.00 plus taxes per night

*Hotel room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes (currently 15.5%) in effect at the time of check-out*

MAEOE 2026 Conference Scholarship Application

Conference Scholarship Application

This scholarship is available for first time conference attendees, teachers, and environmental educators who lead their school's green clubs or teams, are working on Green School applications, or supporting sustainable school efforts! This year MAEOE has added conference scholarships to assist high school seniors and college students interested in environmental science education and careers, classroom teachers, and for those beginning as outdoor center educators (1-2 years experience) attending their 1st annual conference.

The scholarship covers registration only, first consideration is given to Friday evening and Saturday, requests maybe be made for Thursday and Friday and are subject to availability of funds.

Scholarships are scored based on your answers and will be awarded on a rolling basis, so please apply early!

Application

Robert Finton Outdoor Educator of the Year Award

The MAEOE Robert Finton Outdoor Educator of the Year Award is presented annually at the MAEOE Conference and recognizes an individual who demonstrates leadership and innovation in environmental and outdoor education. The award honors Bob Finton, an innovator who personified enthusiasm, innovation and excellence in the field of environmental education.

Criteria

Recognition should be given to an individual who is a non-formal practitioner of outdoor education and works “in the trenches” as Bob did.

The nominee can be a representative, either paid or unpaid, of a Maryland outdoor education center, non-profit organization, service organization, resource agency, education-related business, or other organization whose mission is environmental education. (Classroom teachers are not eligible for this award.)

The nominee should demonstrate innovation and excellence in environmental education programming. Examples could include:

Development of a program that reaches new audiences or underserved populations

Work in a program that promotes or increases conservation practices

Programming that develops and supports a positive stewardship ethic

The nominee may not be a sitting member of the MAEOE Board of Trustees

A highly successful ground-breaking environmental education effort

Innovation in developing new interpretive or instructional methods

Keynote Speaker Parker McMullen Bushman

We are so excited to welcome Parker McMullen Bushman to the 2026 MAEOE Conference!

Listed by Outside Magazine as one of the 20 Most Influential People in the Outdoor Industry, Parker is a dynamic speaker and facilitator who engages organizations in new thinking around what it means to be a diversity change agent and create dynamic organizational change.

More Information

Meet Parker McMullen Bushman, CEO and Founder of Ecoinclusive Strategies, and Co- founder of Inclusive Guide.

Parker’s background in the non-profit leadership, conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation fields spans over 24+ years. Parker has a passion for equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces. Parker tackles these complex issues by addressing them through head-on activism and education. Parker has a Master of Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, with a focus in Interpretation and Environmental Education. They lead several committees that focus on diversity in environmental fields as well as a presenter and trainer on diversity issues.

They also sit on the board of the National Association for Interpretation and The Next 100 Coalition and formerly served on the board for Environmental Learning for Kids.

Parker will be speaking on Saturday, February 21 as our lunchtime Keynote. She also will be facilitating our DEIJA Community Meeting. Look for timings on the Schedule-at-a-Glance.

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