Conference Workshops

Workshops are ticketed events, for which advanced registration is required by April 12. Workshops are conference events, and as such, participation in them is limited to those registered for the conference. Except if otherwise noted, transportation from the convention center to Workshops located offsite of the convention center will be via carpooling. For such offsite workshops, we will forward the names and email addresses of all those who sign up for a workshop to the workshop organizer prior to the conference, who will contact each participant in advance to set up a time for a brief meeting to provide directions and work out the details of who will be driving If you signed up for a workshop and if you have not heard from the workshop leader by April 13, we advise you to contact him/her (email listed in info given below) to confirm your attendance and the logistical details. Also, if you had registered for a workshop, but then realize you will not be able to attend, please promptly notifiy the workshop leader so that they know who to expect and can offer your spot to someone else in the event the workshop has filled up and there is a waiting list.

 

Workshop 1: Creating, Sustaining, and Integrating Outdoor and Living Classrooms for Student Purpose, Engagement, and Ecological Success

Date and time: Friday 17 April, 9:30 am to 2 pm

Location:  Meet at the Leahy Institute of Environment at the College at Saint Michaels.

Instructors: Kristyn Chilich, Director of the Leahy Institute for the Environment, and Declan McCabe, Professor of Biology at the College at Saint Michael's.

Description: We will share the Leah Institute for the Environement's programming, staff, and sstudent structure for developing and maintaining the Outdoor and Living Classrooms of the College at Saint Michael's. While for decades field biologists have readily utilized whatever is around them as a teaching tool, the Institute's underlying educational theory and structure have enabled thses classrooms to be truly interdisciplinary and centered on student leadership development and engagement. This approach ha had a marked impact on the increase of biological health of the campus. Surveys of such indicators have served courses across disciplines from biology to philosophy to art and design. Tentative agenda:
   9:30–10:00 am — learn about the Institute and its intentional pedagogy and design to center student leadership and learning, expand experiential envornmental education, and position the college as an ecological steward.
   10:00-noon — Tour of 3 largest classrooms: The Natural Area, The Farm, and The Teaching Gardens. Meet the professional staff supporting these learning sites and view examples of teaching tools.
   Noon–1:00 pm — Lunch in the College Dining Hall featuring the Campus Farm-grown greens.
   1:00-2:00 pm — Elective deep-dive sessions exploring the natural history of each classroom.

For more information, contact Declan McCabe at dmccabe@smcvt.edu

Limit of 150 participants.

Cost per person: $20.00 for the lunch. Attendees will need to pay the the workshop leaders directly upon arrival at the Institute.

 

Workshop 2: An Introduction to QGIS, an Open-Source GIS Application

Date and time: Friday 17 April, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Location:  At the conference venue. Room TBD.

Instructors: Larry Spencer, Biology Department, Plymouth University

Description: QGIS is an open-source GIS application that runs under the Mac OS, Windows OS, and Linux OS. It emulates many of the functions of professional gis programs but is free to the user. This workshop is meant to show what can be done with an open-source GIS program with particular emphasis on the uses that might be made in environmental applications. It is important to realize that the session is only to demonstrate (with hands on for the attendees) what can be done with the application. Participants will be asked to load QGIS on the computers before the workshop starts. I will provide the files that will be used with the workshop.

For more information, contact Larry Spencer at lts@plymouth.edu

Limited to 15 participants.

No Fee

Additional 2026 NENHC workshops will be listed here as they are confirmed.