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JOIN THE PROJECT!
Does your organization want to participate in the Landscape Analysis Project?
Create a profile for your organization to put it on the map!
By adding your organization and its programs to this project, you will help increase visibility of Minnesota's environmental programs and organizations on a broader scale, facilitate advocacy opportunities, and help us address gaps or challenges that exist in our field. You will also be included in future opportunities to better connect nature-based programs and environmental education organizations throughout Minnesota.
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To join the Minnesota Landscape Analysis Project, please fill out this form: https://genthrive.org/contact-us/
and select "I'd like to include the organization in the database." After filling out the form, your organization will be sent a unique code via email to create your profile.
About the Minnesota Landscape Analysis Project
GOAL: To identify gaps and remove barriers that prevent access to environmental education and outdoor opportunities in Minnesota
The Minnesota Landscape Analysis Project aims to enable organizations, government units, and schools to focus their efforts where it matters most with the ultimate goal of ensuring that every Minnesotan has equitable access to environmental education and outdoor opportunities. Funded by EcoRise and Jeffers Foundation, the project includes a comprehensive study of the environmental education already happening on the ground, enabling the identification of gaps and barriers to access that prevent successful implementation statewide. This work will result in recommendations and outlining next steps for increasing access to outdoor programs and environmental literacy efforts based on an inventory of model programs and initiatives happening nationwide.
PHASE I: Comprehensive state-wide survey
The landscape analysis project will begin with a comprehensive state-wide survey of existing opportunities and a compilation of spatial data that is relevant to identifying gaps and barriers. Starting in 2024, the Landscape Analysis Project, an annual survey will be conducted to identify where environmental education and outdoor opportunities are currently occurring across the state with the goal of identifying needs and opportunities. The project will result in three tools: a field trends dashboard, a gaps, barriers, and opportunities map, and findings and recommendations. (January 2024 - September 2024)
FIELD TRENDS DASHBOARD
The field trends dashboard will be an interactive tool that educators and stakeholders can use to identify environmental education providers and programs in their area.
EQUITY GAPS & OPPORTUNITIES MAP
The equity gaps and opportunities map will allow users to research the current programs available and who they are serving as well as the demographics of people served.
FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS
This analysis will equip the organizations with the resources they need to address gaps, allocate resources more effectively, and increase access to outdoor opportunities.
PHASE II: State-wide Symposium
After the initial survey is conducted, results will be translated into usable maps that can be evaluated and translated into recommendations. At that stage, the MN LAP will coordinate a state-wide symposium to bring together all organizations, local leaders, educators, and other interested parties to discuss next steps and set state-wide goals. The symposium will be conducted every other year in order to track progress, update goals, and identify additional opportunities. (Anticipated for Spring 2025)
PHASE III: Regional Collaborations
In order to make lasting change, regional collaborations will be formed to ensure that environmental groups and organizations are able to coordinate effectively together to address local gaps in access to opportunities. The regions will be determined by geography and information and feedback gathered from the state-wide symposium. (Anticipated to launch in summer/fall 2025)
PHASE IV: Outdoor Opportunities Map
In a later phase, the information will be used to develop a state-wide map of environmental education and outdoor opportunities to allow educators, families, and groups to easily identify opportunities available. (Anticipated in 2025)
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One of the target users of the landscape analysis project is the Minnesota’s Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBR) partners. COBR is an initiative of the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet, involving multiple state agencies and other organizations dedicated to getting children and families outdoors. This initiative and its partners are well-positioned to take action on the landscape analysis results in an impactful way.
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
FOCUS GROUP:
The Landscape Analysis Project started with a Focus Group in April of 2023 that helped direct the types of questions in the state-wide survey and the types of geographic information collected for the analysis. The Focus Group will also help provide feedback on the tools that are developed. If you are interested in joining the Focus Group, please contact us at maeeinfo@gmail.com with "Landscape Analysis Project" in the subject line.
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SURVEY:
The survey for the Landscape Analysis Project will be launched in March of 2024. Please help us gather comprehensive information by taking the survey and sharing the survey link with as many organizations as possible.
ABOUT THE MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS PARTNERSHIP:
The Minnesota Landscape Analysis Partnership (MLAP) is composed of organizations with complimentary missions and similar goals to grow an environmental stewardship ethic in Minnesota through direct experiences with nature and the outdoors and to provide access to environmental education and outdoor experiences for all Minnesotans.
Building widespread environmental stewardship through equitable access to the outdoors and environmental programming takes time, expertise, and coordination. The Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (MAEE), the Minnesota Children and Nature Connection (MnCNC) and Wilderness Inquiry are partnering together in coordination with the Gen:Thrive Program at EcoRise to dedicate that time, expertise, and coordination to conducting a landscape analysis of environmental education efforts in Minnesota.
