It’s been a year of financial uncertainty for nonprofits, especially those reliant on state or federal funding. But instead of competing with other organizations for a shrinking pool of resources, groups can share funding and collaborate to leverage the strengths of each.
It’s a lesson that educators in Southwest Washington have learned through experience. In November, representatives from PEI, ESD 112 and Lower Columbia Nature Network (LCNN) shared their key takeaways from a year of collaborative professional development at Washington’s Outdoor, Environmental and Sustainability Educators’ 2025 Conference sponsored by E3 Washington.
“Our focus was to talk about collaboration,” explains Emily Newman, PEI’s Lower Columbia FieldSTEM Coordinator, “how our group formed, how it grew, what we’re doing now and how we’re planning to move forward even without funding.” Newman co-presented at one of the conference breakout sessions along with Stacy Meyer, ESD 112 Science Coordinator, and Jane Tesner Kleiner, LCNN Program Manager.
The Lower Columbia Region’s strong demand for Outdoor Learning PD became clear during its inaugural year (2023–2024), when the three virtual winter sessions drew educators from across the region and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. With participants asking for continued support, the collaborative team expanded the mini-series into a full, year-long series.
“People were impressed by the Lower Columbia Nature Networks’ reach, and by the fact that so many partners were involved in Taking Learning Outside over the course of a year.”
–– Emily Newman, PEI’s Lower Columbia FieldSTEM Coordinator
From September 2024 through June 2025, the partners co-hosted Taking Learning Outside, a hands-on professional development series that brought together teachers, informal educators and community partners to explore outdoor learning practices that are both engaging and practical. Other partners included WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, Lower Columbia School Gardens and many others from across the region. ClimeTime supplied funding for substitute release time for two of the nine experiential courses designed to support educators in integrating outdoor learning into their practice.
Conference participants wanted to know how the structure worked. “We had people who are interested in starting a similar collaborative to LCNN,” says Newman. “Others were curious about how LCNN started and how all the partners collaborate and form partnerships without being competitive. People were impressed by the network’s reach, and by the fact that so many partners were involved in Taking Learning Outside over the course of a year.”
At the conference, two Taking Learning Outside partner organizations received special recognition, each nominated by their peers for their outstanding contributions. Lower Columbia School Gardens earned Partner of the Year, and April Corey of Columbia Springs received Nonformal Educator of the Year.
Newman says the group presentation effectively mirrored the year-long workshop series. “I really enjoyed collaborating on presenting rather than doing it by myself. They’re wonderful partners. I hope people took away the idea that funding is tight, but collaboration can help build the community. We don’t need to all go after the same funding sources, but we can collaboratively pursue funding together to continue outdoor learning.”
The momentum continues this year despite significant funding cuts, with a new six-session Taking Learning Outside series that kicked off on November 20th. Sessions cover topics from native plants and pollinators, to birds, vegetable gardens, and community engagement. Educators can join any or all sessions. Register here: https://sites.google.com/esd112.org/taking-learning-outside/home
