12th Annual SEEA Conference & Research Symposium

"The backyard garden can be a place a great educational opportunity, but biophobia can lead to decreased backyard biodiversity. To counteract biophobia, personalized ecologies can be explored. Personalized ecologies are simply direct interactions with individuals of other species (Gaston et al., 2023). Understanding people’s personalized ecologies, even in their own backyard, can help create strategies to increase biodiversity (Gaston et al., 2023; Sanders et al., 2018). However, the actual impact that exploring these ecologies has on biodiversity has not been well documented (Gaston et al., 2023).

Often while gardening, organic disturbances such as “weeds” and reptiles will be encountered. These disturbances (“garden surprises”) can sometimes be unwelcome and illicit various negative responses from the gardener depending on their previous lived experiences, normative beliefs, or education. Many gardeners also have stories to accompany their experiences that help illustrate the epistemology of their responses. Quite often these stories contain some sort of misconception about “weeds” or reptiles that lead to their removal from the backyard garden, inherently decreasing its biodiversity. Understanding these epistemologies and normative beliefs can be useful in future gardener education.

The purpose of the study is to explore the personalized ecologies of backyard gardeners and their responses to garden surprises. This information can be used to understand how their epistemological foundations guide their responses to garden surprises. Participants were members of the Master Gardeners program in Mississippi. Researchers developed an educational intervention about flora and herpetofauna that might be found in gardens of Mississippi. Participants were given an initial survey to assess their comfort with and understanding of these types of garden surprises as well as a follow-up survey to find if their views of garden surprises had changed as a result of the intervention. Participants were also given an option to conduct a live interview with the researchers.

This qualitative study utilizes a pragmatic philosophical approach to find if educational interventions can correct misconceptions that may be present among backyard gardeners. Research questions include:
· What inherent biases do Master Gardeners have in relation to unwanted surprises in the garden?
· How does education about venomous/non-venomous snakes and their usefulness impact the perspective about unwanted garden surprises?
· How does education about weeds and their usefulness impact the perspective about unwanted garden surprises?


In total, 70 participants responded to the initial survey, 46 responded to the post-survey, and 20 requested the follow-up interview. Preliminary qualitative results indicate that the educational intervention had an effect on the participants’ garden surprise responses. Misinformation about these garden surprises was prevalent. Place-based knowledge and normative beliefs play a large role in these misconceptions. Biophobia was a common thread and often manifested as fear of reptiles in their gardens or fear of the impact that unwanted plants could have on their garden. Further analysis of the data can lead to a deeper understanding of the link between misconception or misinformation and biophobia. This information can be used to create educational materials for gardening groups to increase awareness of these creatures' garden values."

Instilling HOPE through EE

This interactive workshop will consider research about the anxieties, distress and disengagement that can result when students (and educators) learn about environmental problems. The need for "HOPE" (a project-based learning framework) will be presented as an essential basis for change, rather than merely a feeling.

Workshop participants will:
- explore physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature;
- use technology to measure positive impacts on the earth;
- recognize environmental heroes from various cultures;
- observe the resilience of nature;
- consider the potential of human empathy and ingenuity; and
- try instructional strategies intended to help students gain skills, experience, and confidence by solving bite-sized local problems

The focus will be on maximizing the mental health benefits of nature, instilling authentic hope, and engaging students in meaningful and effective problem-solving.

Depression and anxiety can be common reactions to environmental education, affecting both students and educators. Fear does not inspire or motivate students to make a difference in the world: instead, it can result in hopelessness and disengagement. The proposed workshop will share highlights from an eeCourse in development.

Overcoming Obstacles to Outdoor Learning SEEA’s eeLandscape Analysis - and particularly the School Survey - revealed a number of barriers that limit opportunities for students to experience the benefits of outdoor learning. Despite research documenting the academic gains, real world connections to curriculum, physical and mental health benefits, problem-solving skills, self-efficacy, and nature connection that can result from outdoor learning, few classes regularly spend time outside the classroom walls. And those classes that do venture over the threshold often miss out on opportunities for enriching and empowering student-directed learning. This workshop will focus on methods and models for overcoming obstacles to outdoor learning. Building on survey findings and research, workshop participants will explore instructional strategies and approaches that have been effective in getting students outside more frequently, and for more meaningful real-world learning experiences and nature connections.

With federal and traditional funding sources shifting rapidly, many of us are finding ourselves in unfamiliar, unstable territory. How do we build a sustainable future when the old funding models are no longer reliable? This session will dig into strategies for cultivating individual donors, writing and managing grants, building foundation relationships, and thinking strategically about where your next dollars can come from. You'll leave with real-world examples, templates for your own fundraising strategy, and tips you can immediately put into action—whether you’re an all-volunteer organization or part of a larger team.  Change can be tough, but it can also spark new ideas, new partnerships, and new opportunities.