The Midwest Environmental Education Conference (MEEC), "Leave No Child Inside," hosted by the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education (WAEE) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), will be held Thursday � Saturday, October 18-20, at the Country Springs Hotel and Convention Center in Stevens Point.

The conference is expected to attract over 300 formal and non-formal educators, parents and community members throughout the Midwest. Conference organizers are seeking donations from business and community groups to help more teachers attend this important conference. There are over 100 Wisconsin teachers on a waiting list for scholarships to cover conference and substitute teacher reimbursement costs. Eighty-five teachers have already received scholarships through donations from Wisconsin River Academy and Plum Creek.

According to MEEC organizers, the conference goal is to provide attendees with the methods and tools to engage youth in outdoor educational and recreational adventures. Sessions, workshops and field trips will explore themes based on the best-selling book, "Last Child in the Woods, Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder," written by author and conference keynote speaker Richard Louv. The keynote will be open to the public thanks to a generous donation by the Natural Resources Foundation. Details will be announced at a later date.

If you are interested in becoming a conference sponsor or providing teacher scholarships contact Sterling Strathe, MEEC Co-chair, at sstrathe@uwsp.edu or (715) 346-2633. For more information on the MEEC or WAEE visit www.uwsp.edu/cnr/waee.

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tm/vc/MEEC teacher scholarships