The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) has finalized its plans for one of the area’s premier adult environmental education programs. Primarily located at CBEC’s Education building in Grasonville, Legacy Institute for the Environment (LIFE) is an environmental education program for Maryland adults offered by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC). Through education and volunteerism, LIFE stewards learn about the environment of the Chesapeake Bay and share that knowledge to contribute continually to the protection of the environment for future generations.
Legacy Institute for the Environment (LIFE) is an environmental education program for Maryland adults offered by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC). LIFE’s purpose is to create a sense community among adults wishing to enhance their knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay environment and to strengthen civic engagement through volunteerism.
The mission of LIFE is to recruit and inspire adult learners though CBEC’s annual LIFE Institute. By offering in-depth learning experiences, LIFE participants expand their knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay environment to become more well-informed citizens and share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the outdoors through volunteerism in concert with CBEC’s mission.
LIFE was originated at CBEC in 2004 in partnership with the University of Maryland Center on Aging. From 2005 to 2009, CBEC was joined by the Adkins Arboretum and Pickering Creek Audubon Center in co-sponsoring LIFE. In 2011, sponsorship of LIFE became solely managed by CBEC.
To date, over 150 LIFE graduates have emerged from the program. Grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United Way and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have supported these classes.
Join like-minded people on a mission to create a legacy of protecting the environment for future generations. Participants attend fascinating educational sessions and participate in site visits guided by expert scientists, environmental educators, and professional consultants.
Maryland residents interested in learning more about the environment and desiring to volunteer time and talent can become Legacy Stewards at CBEC and assist with environmental education, research, restoration, and stewardship.
Classes meet Wednesdays, 10 am to 3 pm, September 21 through October 26, 2022.
Through both classroom and not-too-strenuous “hands-on, feet-wet” activities, participants learn about everything Chesapeake, including:
- Geography/geology/natural history of the Bay
- Human influence on the Bay
- Climate change and health of the Bay
- Plant and insect life at CBEC
- Aquatic life of the Bay
- Birding at CBEC and beyond
- Animal life at CBEC
- Volunteering for the environment
Cost – $150 + 20 hours volunteering at CBEC
To register – bayrestoration.org/LIFE/ Questions? Email Anne & Dave Brunson, CBEC Volunteer Coordinators, [email protected]
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