ANBE's Future: What's on the Horizon?

The Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE) is envisioning a future home in Northern Baltimore County, Maryland. It will be a protected, accessible landscape where educators, children, families, and the natural world grow together.

This future campus, the Center for Nature-Based Education, is being thoughtfully imagined as a place where teacher learning, community connection, and ecological stewardship come together on conserved land. While this space does not yet exist, the vision is rooted in years of practice, partnership, and deep listening to educators, families, children, and the land.

A Future Home for Educators

At the heart of this vision is a commitment to educators.

ANBE plans to create a professional learning hub where teachers, caregivers, and school leaders can deepen their practice through hands-on training, reflection, and shared inquiry. A lab forest school is envisioned as part of the campus, offering educators the opportunity to learn alongside children in real, living learning environments.

This future site will support learning around:

• Nature-based and outdoor teaching practices
  

• Inclusive and accessible design
  

• Place-based learning, environmental literacy, and stewardship
  

• Care and relationship in nature-based learning and play
  

Rooted in Community

This vision is grounded in the belief that educators need support, and their growth is strongest when it happens in relationship with the community.

ANBE imagines a campus that welcomes families, neighbors, and partners through children’s programs, shared gardens, accessible trails, nature play spaces, and seasonal gatherings. These community experiences are not separate from educator learning. They are an essential part of how teachers practice, reflect, and grow.

A Landscape Designed for Care

The land itself is central to this vision.

ANBE is seeking a site with forest, field, and stream habitats, where restoration, conservation, and accessibility are woven into every path and gathering space from the start. This future campus will prioritize universal design so that every child, regardless of ability, can experience belonging in nature.

Our Why

When educators learn in living, inclusive landscapes, the impact reaches far beyond a single site. Teachers carry these practices into classrooms, childcare programs, and communities across the region, creating ripple effects that support children, families, and ecosystems for generations to come.

This future campus is not just a place. It is an investment in:

• Educators

• Children

• Community

• The land
  
  

Help Us Bring This Vision to Life

This vision will become a reality through partnership, generosity, and shared stewardship.

ANBE is currently seeking:

• Land partners and conservation-minded landowners

• Philanthropic and funding partners

• Community champions and collaborators

• Educators who want to help shape what comes next

If you believe in accessible, nature-based education and the power of place-based learning, we invite you to be part of what’s emerging.

Be Part of What’s Growing

This future campus will take shape through shared vision, collaboration, and care. Whether you are a landowner, educator, funder, conservation partner, or community member, there are many ways to help bring this vision to life.

We invite you to:

• Explore partnership opportunities or land stewardship possibilities

• Support the vision through philanthropic giving

• Share ideas, expertise, or resources that can help shape what’s ahead

• Stay connected as this work unfolds
  
  

Contact Us
Abby Gierke, Grants and Development Specialist, abby@anbe.org
Monica Wiedel-Lubinski, Founding Executive Director, director@anbe.org
Phone: 443.233.0707

If you are interested in learning more or would like to be part of our next chapter, we would love to hear from you.

Together, we can create a place where educators grow, children belong, and the land is cared for, now and for generations to come. Won't you join us?