“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” —Baba Dioum
We are blessed to live on a part of planet Earth still rich in natural beauty, a place still populated by many animals and plants native to the region. Today it is clear that we can not take this legacy for granted. The global-scale scale threats of climate change, persistent toxins, and invasive exotic species know no boundaries. Locally, human activities are leading to an increasingly fragmented forested landscape.
While it is too late to prevent some of the damaging change underway, BEEC works toward fostering ecological literacy and love for the natural world, and toward maintaining resilience in our region’s natural communities. Our long-term vision is of a day when humans are wiser, and again live harmoniously on a planet rich in nature.
Toward that vision we provide opportunities for:
- Children to grow up loving and playing in nature
- Students in our region’s schools to develop ecological literacy
- Teachers to meet their standard requirements with robust place-based curriculum
- All residents to enhance their understanding of and appreciation for the natural world
- Community members to contribute to protecting and enhancing our natural world
- Towns and other groups to identify, learn about, and protect their most important natural features and landscapes.