Outdoor Learning Partnership

Purpose

Governor Wes Moore established the Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership (OLP) by Executive Order (EO) on April 22, 2024, tasking OLP with empowering all of Maryland's youth to grow as environmental stewards that access, conserve, and restore our natural resources to ensure a climate-ready Maryland.

Overview

Co-chaired by the Secretary of Natural Resources or their designee and the State Superintendent of Schools or their designee, OLP consists of members representing state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, Local Education Agencies, Parent-Teacher and youth-based organizations, and other stakeholders.

OLP’s diverse partnership builds on previous work of Project Green Classrooms (PGC) and the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature. Background information on these initiatives can be found on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources PGC Website.

In accordance with the EO, the responsibilities of OLP include:

1. Conduct a review of current environmental and climate change education efforts in Maryland;

2. Foster collaboration, coordinate resources, and deliver recommendations to decision makers in order to equitably ensure that:

   1. Every Maryland student has access to environmental and climate education;

   2. Maryland’s students have the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the growing green workforce;

   3. Maryland’s youth spend time outdoors engaging with nature;

   4. Maryland’s Local Education Agencies lessen the environmental impact of their school buildings and grounds on their local watersheds; and

   5. Maryland’s teachers have the funds, training, and support necessary to implement curriculum to support student achievement of the Environmental Literacy Standards, the Maryland Health Education Standards, Social Studies Standards, and other State standards of education as they relate to environmental literacy;

3. Engage with networks to ensure that environmental education is equitably implemented and sustainably funded across Maryland;

4. Support state leadership in the implementation and tracking of relevant Chesapeake Bay Program priorities; and

5. Report to and advise the Governor on the status of the Partnership’s work and provide an annual report by January 30th on the prior year’s progress.
   

Five Working Groups

OLP’s work is organized in the following five working groups:

Each of the five OLP working groups is a vital contributor to collaboratively fulfilling OLP’s responsibility to support the implementation of actions, coordinate resources, make recommendations to decision makers, and monitor progress towards state initiatives.

The Environmental and Climate Literacy working group focuses on ensuring that every Maryland Student has access to environmental and climate education and that Maryland’s teachers have the funds, training, to support student achievement of Maryland State standards as they relate to environmental literacy.

The College and Green Careers working group focuses on the development of students’ knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the growing green workforce and supporting Maryland’s teachers in these efforts.

The Access to Nature working group focuses on Maryland’s youth spending time outdoors engaging with the natural world.

The School Sustainability working group focuses on ensuring that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) lessen the environmental impact of their school buildings and grounds.

The Networks working group focuses on maintaining effective communication and facilitating collaboration between OLP’s members as well as the networks and groups vital to our work within and beyond Maryland.

Outdoor Learning Partnership Participation

To fulfill the responsibilities of OLP, the partnership seeks the following representatives as members:

• Three representatives of non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental education;

• One representative of a Parent Teacher Organization;

• Two representatives of local governments who have demonstrated leadership in sustainable development practices;

• Two representatives (teacher or principal) from an outdoor school, Maryland Green School, Maryland Green Ribbon School, or a school with a focus on environmental education;

• One Local Education Agency (LEA) environmental literacy supervisor or coordinator;

• One LEA sustainability supervisor or coordinator;

• One school Superintendent;

• One environmental education teacher;

• Two representatives of youth-based organizations; and

• Two representatives of the business community with demonstrated leadership in supporting green or sustainable workforce

To serve on the OLP as one of the above-listed representatives, please complete the OLP Member Application Form, which opened on August 12, 2024, and closed on September 12, 2024.

OLP Member Application Form

Meetings

All OLP meetings are open to the public, in compliance with Maryland’s Open Meetings Act.

Reports

OLP reports to and advises the Governor on the status of the Partnership’s work in an annual report each year by January 30th.

Archived reports of OLP’s predecessors, PGC and CIN, can be found on DNR’s PGC Annual Reports and Recommendations webpage.

MSDE Contact:

Zachary Carey
Director of Science, Office of Teaching and Learning
Office: (410) 767-0348
zachary.carey@maryland.gov

Payton Hesse
Environmental Literacy Specialist, Office of Teaching and Learning
Office: (410) 767-0348
payton.hesse@maryland.gov

DNR Contact:

Stephanie Tuckfield
Director of Conservation, Education and Stewardship
Office: (410) 260-8775
stephanie.tuckfield1@maryland.gov

Olivia Wisner
Watershed Education Specialist
Office: (410) 260-8809
olivia.wisner1@maryland.gov