Encouraging environmental stewardship and sustainability by supporting environmental educators.
CBEEN is the regional network for environmental education in the Columbia Basin.
Our organization supports a community of engaged and effective environmental educators by connecting them to resources, information,
professional development, and networking opportunities.
Wild Voices for Kids is a curriculum-linked, place-based environmental education program engaging local mentors in the education of K-12 students on the land, history, and culture of the Columbia Basin region.
Wild Voices is a unique program in the Basin as it enables local specialists to develop programs connected to the local environment and tailored to their area of expertise and passion.
CBEEN is energized by facilitating connections, and we are excited to provide opportunities to do so at many events and workshops throughout the year.
This includes workshops, webinars, courses, and annual events such as the Inquiring Voices Sustainability Symposium, Environmental Education Leadership Clinic, and Celebrations of Environmental Education.
We are pleased to provide you with some of the best environmental education resources available!
This includes our Funding Directory, Organization Directory, Teaching Resources, Pro-D Bursaries, Job Board, Curriculum Resources, and more!
The Outdoor Learning School & Store is a charitable social enterprise offering excellent outdoor learning training, tools, resources & equipment with 100% of proceeds going back to supporting outdoor learning non-profit initiatives!
✨ Join Shuswap Band Councillor and Salmon Chief, Mark Thomas, for this 1 hour virtual Indigenous Learning Presentation.
Sign-up: outdoorlearning.com/event/4-seasons-presentations-2025-2026/
Mark Thomas is a Kinbasket descendant and member of the Shuswap Band, born in Invermere, BC. Julianne Kinbasket and Baptiste Thomas were parents to Susan Thomas, Mark’s Grandmother and his Grandfather was Harry Bell. Mark is the father of 3 adult children and has been married to a Ktunaxa Nation member for 28 years.
Mark is sitting on his second 4-year term on Council for the Shuswap Band and holds the portfolios for Aquatics, Fish, BC Hydro, Forestry, CRT, Salmon restoration, and several shared portfolios with the rest of Chief and Council, including Parks, Recreation and Culture. Mark is educated in and has worked in the natural resource management field for over 30 years, much of that time advocating for the return of our Salmon stocks. Mark has attended Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) in their Integrated Resource Management Program (IRM) and the University of Lethbridge’s Environmental Sciences Program.
In May 2023 Mark was stood up as Salmon Chief for his community. Mark advocates through public speaking engagements such as the annual Salmon Festival in Invermere or the annual, online Bringing the Salmon Home Festival event and annual ceremonial releases. Government agency education on the history of the Shuswap Band is also a keen interest of Marks, he has pushed for awareness of his communities’ rights and title which he feels has the honor to carry out the inherent responsibilities of the Shuswap Bands Peoples through stewardship and taking our place in Secwepemculew. Salmon Restoration is key in Marks view to re-establish long lost cultural, spiritual, communal, and economic losses suffered by the Band.
Mark currently sits at the Columbia River Salmon Recovery Initiative (CRSRI) Executive Working Group (EWG) as the Chair. Mark participates at the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) Negotiating Advisories Team (NAT) with the 3 Nations, Canada and BC and leads the Technical Team for the Secwepemc Nation. He also sits at the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) Board and Policy level, Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partnership (CWSP) board and on the Steering Committee for Columbia Basin Trust’s CBT Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) for the Nation. Mark has sat at the Kootenay Forestry Collaborative and leads the Band in the forestry sector, creating opportunities never present prior.
Mark has been honored to have the opportunity to serve his people on council and is very proud of the accomplishments the Band has made over his terms. Mark is excited for the Band’s future and looks forward to continuing the role of representing his people’s interest at the tables he sits at. Mark is available to discuss any of his portfolios or any relevant issue people may wish. ... See MoreSee Less
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Indigenous Learning Presentations - Outdoor Learning School & Store
outdoorlearning.com
You can sign-up for any or all of these presentations. Each one includes:2 CommentsComment on Facebook
On Feb 4, join Carolyn Roberts & Monique Gray Smith for a thought-provoking & intimate online session which will explore the ways stories are medicine. Come together to listen to the stories that have influenced the presenters' hearts and life journeys. 🫶
Sign-up: outdoorlearning.com/event/the-medicine-of-stories-2025-26/
☀ Carolyn is St̓ át̓ imc and Stó:lō woman belonging to the Thevarge family from N’Quatqua and the Kelly Family from Ch’iyáqtel and under the Indian act she is a proud member of the Squamish Nation. Carolyn is a speaker, author, Indigenous academic, and a faculty lecturer at UBC in their Teacher Education and NITEP programs. With over two decades of experience in education, Roberts has served as both an educator and administrator in the K-12 public schools, First Nation Band schools, and post-secondary institutions.
📙 Carolyn’s first book, Re-Storying Education: Decolonizing Your Practice Using a Critical Lens, quickly became a bestseller and has been influencing educators since it’s release in September, 2024. You can order this here: outdoorlearning.com/product/re-storying-education/ (100% of our proceeds support outdoor learning non-profit initiatives!) ... See MoreSee Less
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As we celebrate the season, we wanted to share a few of our favourite team photos from the past 4 seasons! ☀ ❄ 🍂 🌳 And, we want to extend our gratitude to our 17 team members, 50+ facilitators, 100+ partners, and 1000's of educators who are working so hard to support the health of people and the places on this planet we call home. 🥰🌎 ... See MoreSee Less
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🥰 We are SO excited to host Leona Prince for a virtual presentation on January 15! We invite you to join us: outdoorlearning.com/event/4-seasons-presentations-2025-2026/
🏆 Leona is an award-winning educator and is Director of Instruction for Indigenous Education in School District 91 Nechako Lakes. From a young age, she understood the power of story. She is also now the author of a few beautiful children’s books: Be a Good Ancestor, A Dance Through the Seasons and Remember Who You Are / kiskisi awîna kiya (bilingual English / Plains Cree). outdoorlearning.com/?s=leona+prince
🌳She has always had a love for traditional and contemporary stories. The two most prominent storytellers in her life were her Sakiy (Great-Aunt) Catherine Caldwell and her Stseets (Grandfather) John Barfoot. When she was a little girl, each of them would weave stories from the two cultures that she descends from. Her Aunt wove beautiful stories from her Dakelh history that spoke of creation as a people. outdoorlearning.com/2025/03/06/leona-prince/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Just confirmed! ⭐️ An Introductory Ktunaxa Language Course, starting in February, which is open to EVERYONE who wants to support language revitalization: outdoorlearning.com/event/ktunaxa-spring-2026/
🌻 Learn the sounds, words and some history of the Ktunaxa Language. This course is designed for you to garner skills that will enable you to carry Ktunaxa Language forward to your communities, classrooms, and on the Land. 🌲🗻
🦅 Indigenous languages carry connections to lands, ancestors, traditions, and contain ecological knowledge crucial for sustainable living, medicinal practices, and traditional storytelling, enriching our collective wisdom.
🪺 By supporting Indigenous language revitalization efforts, we not only preserve linguistic diversity but also uphold Indigenous Peoples’ fundamental rights to their languages and cultures.
🥰 We aim to create a welcoming space where learners can begin their journey, build connections, and develop a foundation for future learning opportunities. ... See MoreSee Less
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Too Many Requests
outdoorlearning.com
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If you haven't experienced a course with Richard Van Camp, you are in for a treat! 🥰 Sign-up to join us in February for this 4-session storytelling course.
It's open to everyone, and Richard creates such a welcoming and engaging space. He will share four of his passions with us in February: Writing, Storytelling, Reclaiming Family Medicines and Sharing Miracle Stories. ☀
outdoorlearning.com/event/indigenous-storytelling-winter-2026/ ... See MoreSee Less
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🎉Huge thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for our Annual Online Outdoor Experiences Auction! Together, we raised over $4300! 💲This is the equivalent of 14 more full day WFVK programs or 28 half day programs! 🍃
#getkidsoutside #natureconnection #columbiabasin #thankyouforyoursupport #learningoutsidetheclassroom #youareamazing #supportinglocal #kootenayrockies #giveback #HappyAdventures #couldntdoitwithoutyou ... See MoreSee Less
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♾️ EVERYONE is invited to join this FREE online introductory Michif Language Course, starting on January 5th! outdoorlearning.com/metis/
It is offered in partnership with Métis Nation British Columbia, the Rocky Mountain Métis Association and our social enterprise, The Outdoor Learning School & Store. You can find this and other Métis learning resources & opportunities here: outdoorlearning.com/metis/
Mamawii miyeutaynan - Gathering happiness in Southern Michif 🥰☀️❤️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Métis Resources & Learning Opportunities - Outdoor Learning School & Store
outdoorlearning.com
Métis Resources & Learning OpportunitiesThese are all offered, written, created, developed and/or facilitated by Métis authors, educators and artists, and offered in partnership with a variety of M...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
☃️ Celebrating the season with some of our amazing team members! cbeen.ca/contact-cbeen/ ... See MoreSee Less
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