The George Masa Foundation is proud to announce the Second Annual Youth Conservation Photo Contest—an opportunity for young photographers to show how they see and care for the natural world.

If you’re a middle or high school student (ages 11–18), this is your chance to share your best work. Winning photos will receive cash prizes and be featured on our website and social media.

Submission deadline: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 (11:59 PM ET)

Contest Categories

• Wildlife – Wild animals in their natural environment (no pets or domestic animals).

• Landscape – Mountains, forests, skies, and scenic outdoor places.

• Water – Rivers, lakes, waterfalls, streams, and oceans.

• Changing Environments – Images that capture shifts in natural or human landscapes.

• Conservation in Action – People or communities engaged in protecting the environment.

  
  

How to Enter

1. Upload your photo(s) and complete the entry form.

2. You will need a Gmail account to enter.

Click here to Enter Contest and for all of the details.

George Masa’s photographs helped inspire the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail. Today, his legacy continues by encouraging young people to use photography to celebrate, protect, and connect with the natural world.

This fall, I had the pleasure of visiting a StoryWalk® Trail at Distant Hill Gardens in Walpole, NH. On or about the first of each month, the Walpole Town Library installs a new children’s book along the trail, turning the woods into an outdoor reading adventure. As their website explains:

“The book trail consists of laminated pages of each book posted along the trail, with a fun thing for the kiddos to do as they move from page to page.”

What struck me most was that these “fun things for the kiddos” truly bring joy to all ages. On my visit, our group ranged in age from our 40s to 90s, and everyone was drawn into the magic. I watched two 90-year-olds twirl like leaves blowing in the wind, laughing as they searched excitedly for a special leaf to complete one of the prompts. It was a beautiful reminder that storytelling and play are ageless.

StoryWalks® and the Seasons

StoryWalks® often highlight the current season, adding another layer of connection to place. For example, Beaver Brook Association in Milford, NH, is currently featuring Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley on their Burns Farm Loop—a playful book that captures the quirks and colors of autumn.

A Vermont Innovation that Went Global

The StoryWalk® Project was created in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Since then, it has grown far beyond Vermont. Today, StoryWalks® exist across the United States and in 13 countries worldwide, including Germany, Canada, Bermuda, Pakistan, and South Korea!

StoryWalk® is a registered service mark of Ms. Ferguson and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. To learn more about guidelines for creating one, check out the official StoryWalk® FAQ.

StoryWalks® in New Hampshire & Vermont

In addition to Distant Hill Gardens, here are just a few organizations in our region that host StoryWalks®:

• Aaron Cutler Memorial Library, Litchfield, NH

• Groton Free Public Library, Groton, VT

• Squam Lakes Association, Holderness, NH

• Montpelier Public Library, Iron Horse River Trail, Montpelier, VT

• Beaver Brook Association, Milford, NH

• Abbott Library, Sunapee, NH

• Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT

• Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH

Do you know of other StoryWalks® happening in Vermont or New Hampshire? We’d love to add them to this list! Please email  thenetworkVT@gmail.com.

Want to Start a StoryWalk®?

If you’re in Vermont, you can borrow a StoryWalk® from the state collection. If you’re outside Vermont, it’s easy to create your own: laminate the pages of a children’s book, mount them on wooden stakes, and install them along a trail or outdoor path. Just be sure to review the StoryWalk® guidelines to do it properly.

For questions about the StoryWalk® Project, email storywalk@kellogghubbard.org.

Written by Leigh Ann Reynolds, VEEN Coordinator & NHEE Administrator

Empower your students to be problem-solvers for the planet! The World of 8 Billion student video contest challenges middle and high school students to create a 60-second video that presents a sustainable solution to one of this year’s topics: Energy, Economics, or Wetlands.

This project encourages students to research, think critically, and communicate their ideas for tackling urgent global challenges. Winners can earn up to $1,200 in cash prizes, and teachers are eligible for classroom grants. To make participation easy, we provide topic overviews, lesson plans, and step-by-step guides. Submissions are due March 4, 2026. Learn more and get your students started ➡️ https://www.worldof8billion.org/

#WorldOf8Billion #StudentVoices #GlobalGoals #STEM

World of 8 Billion Contest Flyer 

• Digital Flyer

• Printable Flyer

Plainfield, VT — The natural world is not separate from us—we are woven into it. As climate disruption accelerates and the boundaries between human and nonhuman systems blur, new ways of seeing, thinking, and relating are needed. Living Systems, a three-part author series hosted by Cutler Memorial Library, invites the community to explore ecology not only as science, but as lived experience, cultural memory, and ethical challenge.

Each event features a contemporary author whose work engages deeply with questions of interconnection—between people and place, species and systems, knowledge and responsibility. Through essays, reporting, storytelling, and critical inquiry, these writers challenge audiences to reflect on how we live now—and how we might live otherwise.

Event Schedule:

Zoë Schlanger — Tuesday, September 23 at 6 PM (Live Remote Q&A)

Journalist for The Atlantic and author of The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, Schlanger will explore the surprising ways plants perceive and respond to the world. Participants can ask questions and engage in a conversation that will challenge assumptions about the plant kingdom.

Ethan Tapper — Tuesday, September 30 at 6 PM (In-Person)

Forester and author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, Tapper will share insights into the delicate, often surprising relationships between humans and forests, highlighting the challenges and rewards of caring for these vital ecosystems.

Bryan Pfeiffer — Tuesday, October 7 at 6 PM (In-Person)

Naturalist Bryan Pfeiffer, known for his Vermont radio program For the Birds, will present his 21-year search for the elusive Elfin Bog Butterfly—the first confirmed sighting in the state. Blending natural history, personal narrative, and reflections on the human condition, Pfeiffer’s talk celebrates curiosity, discovery, and our connection to the living world.

Together, these conversations will explore what it means to listen to the living world, to learn from it, and to imagine futures that move beyond extraction toward relationship.

This series is free and open to all. Events are hosted at the Plainfield Town Hall and Opera House and are presented in collaboration with the Plainfield Conservation Commission, made possible by a grant from the Echo Center.

Contact:

Angela Ogle, Director, Cutler Memorial Library

802.454.8504, angela.m.ogle@cutlerlibrary.org, cutlerlibrary.org

“Conserving and restoring habitat is critical to protecting species native to the Lake Champlain Basin,” said Dr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “This funding opportunity can support a variety of habitat conservation projects that will provide long-term benefits for fish and wildlife populations, improve water quality, and strengthen the Basin’s resilience to flooding and other challenges.”

Approximately $600,000 in funding is available to support awarded projects. Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded in the small grants category, and grants between $50,001-$175,000 will be awarded in the large grants category. Eligible organizations may submit one proposal per grant category.

The awarded projects will advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, and in partnership with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Proposals are due at 5:00 PM EST on October 30, 2025. An informational webinar covering healthy ecosystems (large and small), clean water, and aquatic invasive species (AIS) grants will be offered on September 9, 2025 at 12:00PM (register for the Zoom webinar at this link

). Please note that clean water and AIS grant opportunities have been, or will be, released under a separate Request for Proposals, but the informational webinar will cover all of the above grant categories. Awarded clean water projects are targeted to begin work in May 2026 and must be completed by March 2028.

More information, including grant guidelines and applications, is available on the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at lcbp.org/grants.   

The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/.

Non-formal environmental educators are invited to share their perspectives on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in non-formal environmental education. This survey is intended for participants, over the age of 18, who work in non-formal settings conducting environmental education programs in the United States of America. This may include zoos, aquariums, science centers, nature centers, parks, or other out-of-school settings. 

Your insights are crucial to this timely exploration and will help shape the future of environmental education. 

 Click Here to Take the Survey

Or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6XWoOzGGPLRTkrQ

 Survey Duration: Approximately 15 minutes

 Deadline: Please complete the survey by Sep 30, 2025

Thank you for contributing to a deeper understanding of how AI can support non-formal environmental education!

Post Contact:

Yue Li 李 悦

Assistant Professor 

Environmental Education

School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences
University of Florida

EPA Region 1 is offering community-based organizations the opportunity to borrow PurpleAir sensors as part of an air sensor loan program. These units are user-friendly, Wi-Fi-enabled, stationary sensors that collect particulate matter (PM) data, specifically PM_2.5, and can transmit the data wirelessly to an online map, where you can observe the amount of PM in the air in real-time. Take a look at this map to see all of the registered PurpleAir units in action! 

The loan program can be a useful community education tool since it provides a uniform framework for investigating outdoor air quality, which can empower community members to reduce emissions of and exposure to harmful PM pollution where they live, work, and play.  

For more information about the loan program and how to apply, please refer to the Program Plan, which is attached to this email. Additionally, EPA Region 1 hosted an information session in January 2025 about participating in the loan program.The information session covered information included in the Program Plan. If you would like to view the recorded information session, please email coombs.michelle@epa.gov.

Applications are required in order to be considered for a loan. EPA offers two (2) rounds of open application periods. The first deadline for submitting applications was April 1^st, 2025. The next deadline for submitting applications is October 1, 2025.  To request an application, please email coombs.michelle@epa.gov. 

Post Contact:

Michelle Coombs

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 1

Laboratory Services and Applied Science Division

Field Services Branch 1 – Air Monitoring Team

11 Technology Drive (Mail Code: LFSB)

North Chelmsford, MA 01863-2431

coombs.michelle@epa.gov | (617) 918-8665

The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in coordination with NEIWPCC, seeks proposals for projects that highlight the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution, or that support additional interpretive goals of the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP). 

Pre-proposals may fall into one of two categories: CVNHP Special Program or CVNHP Core Grant Program. 

CVNHP Special Program projects will interpret, highlight, and support marking the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2027. This grant category will prioritize multi-jurisdictional or regional projects. Funding requests between $10,000 and $40,000 will be considered in this category. 

CVNHP Core Grant Program projects may fall under one of five subcategories: 

• Making of Nations Interpretive Theme Grants: Projects will interpret the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2027, or other concepts, innovations, or movements that have had lasting regional, national, or global effects. Funding requests of up to $10,000 will be considered. 

• Conservation and Community Interpretive Theme Grants: Projects will support the “Biosphere in Your Backyard” campaign developed by the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network. Projects should emphasize natural heritage and human interaction with the landscape in the Lake Champlain Basin and Adirondack Park. Funding requests of up to $10,000 will be considered. 

• Local Heritage Grants: This category supports educational endeavors that involve youth in the exploration of their community’s cultural and natural heritage, as well as the creation of new interpretations using contemporary perspectives or technology. Funding requests of up to $5,000 will be considered for local projects, and up to $10,000 for regional, multi-jurisdictional projects. 

• Collections Grants: This category supports the inventory, conservation, and interpretation of museum and library collections. Facility improvement projects are eligible for funding within this category. Funding requests of up to $10,000 will be considered. 

• Internship Grants: This funding opportunity supports internships that provide experience in historical or natural interpretation or artifact curation, cataloguing, and display, with exposure to museum or historic site management during the tourism season. Funding requests of up to $10,000 will be considered. 

“The 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution provides a significant opportunity to interpret the way our region shaped—and was shaped by—this period in history,” said Dr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director of the CVNHP and LCBP. “We also look forward to supporting a wide variety of interpretive and educational efforts through the Core Grant Program.” 

This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC by the U.S. National Park Service on behalf of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Proposals should offer a scope that supports work in the U.S. portion of the Lake Champlain Basin and the Adirondack Park. All awards are subject to funding availability. 

The CVNHP was established by the U.S. Congress in 2006 to recognize the importance of the historical, cultural, and recreational resources of the region and to assist efforts to preserve, protect, and interpret those resources. The National Heritage Area also works to enhance the quality of the tourism economy and to encourage working partnerships among state, provincial, and local governments and non-profit organizations in New York, Québec, and Vermont. 

Proposals are due on at 5:00 p.m. on October 20, 2025. A subset of applicants will be invited to submit full proposals in November 2025. Projects are targeted to begin work in December 2026 and must be completed by March 2028. The proposal guidelines, list of eligible entities, submission requirements, and an electronic submission application link are available on the CVNHP website at https://champlainvalleynhp.org/resources/grants/. 

The 16^th annual CVNHP International Summit will be held in Plattsburgh, New York on September 22, 2025. While attendance is not required, the summit hosts a Foundant primer and offers networking opportunities to develop competitive projects for this funding opportunity. Please register at this link. 

For more information about the CVNHP Request for Pre-proposals, please contact CVNHP Assistant Director Jim Brangan at jbrangan@lcbp.org. 

The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/. 

The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in coordination with NEIWPCC, has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs. This opportunity will support development of Artist-in-Residence programs in 2026 that recruit artists to use scientific data, cultural trends, or historical facts to interpret natural resources in the Lake Champlain Basin. 

Grants of up to $40,000 will be awarded, with a total of approximately $80,000 in funding available. The LCBP anticipates granting multiple awards from this opportunity to support work in New York and Vermont. A subsequent RFP will be issued later this fall to solicit proposals for work in Quebec. 

The projects awarded from this opportunity will support artists to inspire and inform citizens about the lake environment, cultural heritage, or social concerns using a variety of creative media. They will continue the goals of current Artist-in-Residence programs supported by the LCBP.  

Current Artists in Residence are working to share untold stories of the Lake Champlain Basin and its cultural heritage. 

Burlington City Arts led a public art residency and apprenticeship program to support the creation of a mural exploring the environmental, cultural, and industrial history of the Burlington Waterfront Barge Canal. The project highlighted the site’s transformation from an industrial hub and EPA Superfund site to a reclaimed natural ecosystem, incorporating scientific data and historical perspectives.  

John Brown Lives! in Lake Placid, New York, is collaborating with the folk music duo Magpie on the Waterways to Freedom residency program. The program will be offered to three regional schools and engage students in the region’s complex and interconnected freedom history. 

“We are excited to see the culmination of these artists’ work across the Lake Champlain watershed,” said Dr. Eric Howe, Director of the LCBP. “By engaging multiple modes of inquiry—scientific, cultural, and historical—artists in residence continue to bring awareness to yet untold stories of people and ecosystems within our region. Their outreach bolsters broad efforts to inform the public and inspire residents and visitors alike to take action for Lake Champlain.”  

Applicants will submit full proposals that will be evaluated through a competitive selection process. Grant award recipients will be selected from the pool of full proposals. 

Proposals are due at 5:00 PM on October 13, 2025. Projects are targeted to begin work in February 2026 and must be completed by December 2026. The proposal guidelines, list of eligible entities, submission requirements, and an electronic submission application link are available on the LCBP website at lcbp.org/grants. 

For more information about this Request for Proposals, please contact Jim Brangan of the Lake Champlain Basin Program at (802) 372-3213 or jbrangan@lcbp.org. 

The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/. 

Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2026 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences at global field sites in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu

Earth Expeditions can build toward the Global Field Program (GFP), a master's degree that combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities so that students can complete the GFP master's part-time from anywhere in the United States or abroad. Applications are now being accepted until January 15. Courses begin in May 2026.http://GFP.MiamiOH.edu

Project Dragonfly also offers the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) master's degree that combines web instruction from Miami University with face-to-face experiential learning and field study through several AIP sites in the U.S. Applications for Miami's 2026 cohorts are now being accepted until February 15, with place-based experiences provided at zoos and botanical gardens in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Jacksonville, New York, San Diego, and St. Louis.http://AIP.MiamiOH.edu

In addition to our master's degree programs, Project Dragonfly's core online and AIP web+ graduate courses may be taken on a stand-alone basis for professional development and lifelong learning.https://miamioh.edu/cas/graduate-studies/project-dragonfly/professional-development-courses/index.html