Richard Louv is speaking at the The Catoctin Forest Alliance conference

The Catoctin Forest Alliance (CFA) is offering a one day conference at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, MD on May 4, 2012 from 8:30am until 4:30pm.  The focus of the meeting will be to raise awareness of the importance of connecting our children to nature for their health and well being as well as for the future health of the environment.

Our keynote speaker will be Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods. Founding chairman of the Children & Nature Network

Additional featured speakers at the conference include:

•   Gary Hedges Science Specialist for Maryland Dept. of Education
•   Coreen Weilminster  Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education President
•   Julie Dieguez Coordinator of the Maryland No Child Left Inside Coalition
•   Britt Slattery DNR Director of Conservation and Education
•   Mel Poole Superintendent, Catoctin Mountain Park
•   Nita Settina Superintendent, Maryland State Parks
•   Joe Richardson Owner, Bar-T Mountainside

Come to the conference to light your environmental education (EE) fire, hear about how teachers are bringing environmental literacy into their classes and get ideas for bringing your children closer to nature.  Experts from throughout our region will share their knowledge.  Teachers will be sharing their success stories.  This is an opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of environmental literacy.  Connecting our children with nature is not only beneficial for their own health and well being; it is critical to the health of the environment.  Our children are the future stewards of the land and they won’t be able to care about and protect the environment unless they know and understand it.

Fees (light morning refreshments and lunch included):

General admission   $35

CFA members  $30

Students   $15