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CAELI Partner Portal Resources December 2025

1. CNRA Educational Portal


Looking for resources to help expand your understanding of the natural world around you? Check out these learning tools below from across CNRA’s departments, bringing nature, culture, science, and learning for all! Topics included are conservation, biodiversity, forestry and fire, oceans, science and environment, tribal, water, energy, and fish and wildlife. Visit the educational portal HERE.

2. Monterey Bay Aquarium Free Science Curriculum

Want to make science meaningful and relevant for your students? Check out the inquiry-based curriculum from the Monterey Bay Aquarium that will engage your students with hands-on learning and supports Next Generation Science Standards through classroom or field experiences. Topics include plastic in the water column, schoolyard quadrat investigations, shark anatomy, dishplan tide pool, and much more! Sort by grade level, by exhibit or a combination of both. To view the lessons, visit their website HERE.

3. BEETLES: Lead Outdoor Science Experiences


Better Environmental Education Teaching, Learning and Expertise Sharing (BEETLES) provides three types of resources for teaching science outdoors. Check out the instructor support materials where you will find handouts and reading materials to increase your understanding of teaching and learning science outdoors. Visit the BEETLES website HERE.

4. Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Program for Teachers and Educators




It’s that time of year for western monarch butterflies to migrate and overwinter in forested groves along the coast of California. We know from butterfly counts that their population numbers are drastically down. How can you help? Pollinators are an accessible and easy-to-understand gateway to the larger natural world. You can explore the role of pollinators in virtually any landscape and share the ecology of these fascinating animals with youth and community groups of any age and any background. Learn to identify the common groups of pollinators in your region, contribute to grassroots science, and become a community leader by sharing the pollinator conservation message. You can learn about invertebrates, pollinators, and contribute to meaningful data collection. Visit the Xerces Society website HERE.

5. In the Americas with David Yetman


If you are interested in expanding your geological knowledge of the Sierra Nevada, check out these two videos that feature host David Yetman. 

California’s Sierra Nevada is the largest and highest mountain range in the continental US. Both episodes feature renowned tectonic specialist Eldridge Moores.
Episode #205 – Ice, Rock, and Water: The Sierra Nevada
Episode #304 – Sierra Nevada and the Making of California

CPB Feature for December 2025

Audubon Center at Debs Park is a community hub located in Montecito Heights, less than five miles from downtown Los Angeles. Nestled within the 282-acre Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, the center has inspired a love of nature in over a quarter of a million residents of Los Angeles. With sweeping views of northeast LA to downtown LA and more than 140 species of birds within the park, the center is an oasis of nature for urban communities. In its holistic, people-focused, approach to conservation work, the Audubon Center at Debs Park serves as a community hub for environmental justice and advocacy work in Los Angeles and across the Audubon network. The center’s mission is to inspire people to experience, understand and care for the local natural world.
Habitat restoration is one of the center’s core tenets as it not only provides habitat for birds, but also increases green spaces for urban communities that may not otherwise experience California native flora and fauna. Through the efforts of staff and volunteers, one can see how these conservation efforts have restored the landscape of Debs Park, bringing with it fresh scents and experiences.
In addition to restoring habitat for birds and other wildlife at Debs Park and along the LA River, the center’s primary goal is restoring the connection between people and the land in Los Angeles. As the first center that the National Audubon Society built within an urban environment to specifically engage the Latino community, the Audubon Center at Debs Park has played an important role in building a more diverse and inclusive conservation movement in Los Angeles and beyond. Whether it’s watching a movie outdoors underneath the Los Angeles night sky or beginner birders taking their first hike up the hills with rented binoculars in tow, the center’s belief is that everyone has not only the right to be in nature, but to know that they belong.

One of the other pillars of the center is community engagement, connecting birds, plants, and people together. Numerous events are held on a weekly basis, ranging from community habitat restorations to festivals celebrating winter. The center is honored to collaborate with the many wonderful community-based organizations and individuals in Northeast LA and to share their vision in green access and equity through community events and more.
Not only is the center supported by volunteers and community partners, but it is also bolstered through interns and program participants. In fostering the next generation of environmental stewards, the center runs the Audubon Youth Leaders program, where high school students learn habitat restoration, environmental advocacy, and community engagement. The center also hosts numerous interns from other organizations and programs, such as HIRE LA and California’s College for All Corps. In their time at the center, they will learn workplace skills, conservation skills, engagement skills, and more to help them be eco-conscious and confident in the ever-changing world.
The Audubon Center at Debs Park offers two types of field trips. The Self-guided field trips are not led by an Audubon Naturalist. Instead, they lend tools to groups to enhance their day in the park. The tools include binoculars, field guides to bird and native plants, and even art supplies. These are free as long as they are reserved in advance. The Audubon-led field trips are paid programs consisting of a guided tour and educational nature activities lasting about two hours. An Audubon Naturalist guides students on a nature walk followed by an engaging STEM nature activity that teaches them how ornithologists work with birds and nature. The programs are best suited for 3rd to 4th grade students but they can be scaled up or down depending on the group.

The center offers free community events year-round for students and the whole family. They offer beginner-focused bird walks, habitat restoration volunteer opportunities, festivals, community movie nights in the outdoors, music performances, and workshops and seminars. Visit the Audubon Center at Debs Park website for a list of the most common feathery friends you might expect to see at the park.

News & Events for December 2025

1. AEOE Virtual EE Career Fair


Date: December 2, 2025
Location:  Virtual
Description: Calling all job seekers and employers! Join AEOE for a virtual environmental education career fair. Site leaders will be grouped into breakout rooms, where they will make a pitch for their organization/worksite, share any current or upcoming employment opportunities, and end with Q&A. Job seekers will choose several rooms to attend. Interviews will not be conducted during the event, but if you make a connection you can exchange contact information and plan to follow up. Find your next dream job in environmental and outdoor education! Register HERE.

2. CAELI Quarterly Meeting


Date: December 3, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description: We invite you to our next virtual statewide gathering which is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and collaborate with environmental education leaders across California. Register HERE to attend the meeting. Existing CAELI members do not need to register.

3. Green Schoolyards America Lecture: Green Schoolyards for Life-long Physical Activity


Dates: December 4, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description: Dr. Marci Raney, a living schoolyard researcher and advocate, will share her research and perspective on how children’s long-term physical activity and health is impacted and improved by exposure to living, green schoolyards that foster safe risk and play. This session will also include “myth-busting” about physical education standards and the “rules” that limit children’s ability to participate in a robust physically engaging environment. Register HERE.

4. CAELI District Community of Practice


Dates: December 5, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description: CAELI invites district office staff from across California to join the District Environmental Literacy Community of Practice (CoP). The District CoP brings together professionals committed to integrating sustainability principles into district operations, instruction, and culture. Through collaboration, shared learning, and resource exchange, members work toward districtwide innovation and systems-level change. Register HERE.

5. NAAEE eePro Webinar: Inspiring Curiosity and Critical Thinking Through Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws


Dates: December 9, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description: Join award-winning author, artist, and educator John Muir Laws for a lively and hands-on 1.5 hour workshop exploring how nature journaling can spark curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. This engaging, cross-curricular approach helps learners of all ages build observation skills, deepen their connection to the natural world, and see science and art in new ways. You’ll leave this session inspired, energized, and ready to bring the power of nature journaling into your own programs. Register HERE.

6. Natural Start Alliance & NAAEE Webinar.  Flourishing in Winter: Guidance for Cold-weather Play


Dates: December 9, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description: As interest in outdoor play continues to grow, early childhood educators are increasingly asking—how do we safely and meaningfully support outdoor play through the colder months? In this webinar you’ll have the opportunity to hear from Emily Johnson, early childhood educator and researcher, and hear real-world insights and tips from this new guide. Discover the benefits of cold-weather play for young children; how to cultivate positive attitudes among educators and families; communication strategies for engaging parents and caregivers; dressing for success: tips for warmth, comfort, and safety, and a collection of play ideas and activities to enrich your winter curriculum. Whether you’re new to outdoor education or a seasoned nature-based teacher, this session will leave you equipped and inspired to embrace the wonder and vitality of winter learning. Register HERE.

7. CAELI COE Community of Practice


Date: December 11, 2025
Location: Virtual
Description:  CAELI invites County Office of Education (COE) leaders in any role who are champions of environmental literacy and advocates for vulnerable and marginalized students and communities from across California to join the COE Environmental Literacy Community of Practice (CoP).  The CoP provides a space for COE staff to connect with each other to share best practices and resources for advancing environmental literacy and sustainability in their county region. Visit the CAELI website for more information. 

8. CAELI CBP Community of Practice


Date: January 20, 2026
Location: Virtual
Description: The Community-Based Partner (CBP) virtual Community of Practice brings program leaders and staff from environmental education organizations together to engage in collaborative learning and build capacity. Join colleagues from around the state to share resources, explore best practices, and build connections to strengthen our respective organizations and increase our collective impact. Register HERE.