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CBP Feature for April 2026

Joshua Tree National Park was elevated to national park status in 1994 as a part of the Desert Protection Bill, having been designated the Joshua Tree National Monument since 1936. The bill added 234,000 acres which now stands at 792,623 acres, of which 591,624 is designated wilderness. Joshua Tree NP protects the unique assembly of natural resources brought together by the junction of three of California’s ecosystems: the Colorado Desert, the Mojave Desert, and the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The plant and animal diversity are unique along with some very interesting geologic features.

Joshua Tree NP provides the perfect outdoor setting to enhance classroom-based learning. You can visit on your own or have a ranger join you for an outdoor education program. All ranger-led education programs are curriculum-based (California State Education Standards, NGSS) and free of charge.
Field Trips: The Preschool and Kindergarten program is Who Lives in a National Park and explores the plants and animals who make the desert home. Early Elementary programs include Junior GeoKids and Exploring a Desert Habitat while the Upper Elementary programs include Geokids and Keys to the Past. Programs are also available for Middle and High School students and include Tune In to Tracking, Joshua Tree Monitoring, and Issues in Park Management. This brief video gives students tips on How to Prepare for Your Field Trip.

Virtual Field Trips: Educators anywhere can schedule a virtual field trip lasting 30-45 minutes. Teachers can choose from Plants and Animals, Draw JT, Geology of JT – Rocks and Minerals or Weathering and Erosion. These are offered free of charge and must be requested in advance. Virtual field trips support NGSS and are offered for all grades Preschool and Kindergarten through high school.
Guest Speakers: A ranger can visit your classroom to lead students activities relating their study of the sciences to Joshua Tree National Park! There are topics for all grade levels. Teachers should coordinate with each other to serve at least three classrooms during the ranger’s visit.

Joshua Tree NP provides curriculum resources and a number of lesson plans and activities for educators to use. The Joshua Tree NP staff also offers professional development workshops for teachers through the Desert Institute, the educational branch of the Joshua Tree NP Association. They offer a variety of field courses in natural science, cultural history, recreation, and the arts. Programs are taught by experienced instructors. Please see the Desert Institute’s website for their current schedule of classes.
The Joshua Tree NP offers children the opportunity to become a Junior Ranger. “Explore, Learn, Protect!” The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country—each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family.
Take a few minutes to learn more about the Joshua Tree National Park and all the services and experiences it offers. Spring is an amazing time to visit the desert!

News & Events for April 2026

1. Earth Day 2026: Our Power, Our Planet


Dates: April 22, 2026 with celebrations all month long. 
Location: Regional festivals throughout California
Description: This Earth Day, people of all backgrounds and generations are called to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of the only home we share. Join us on Saturday, April 18, Earth Day on April 22, and throughout 2026 to lift your voice, take action, and show your love for Planet Earth. When we stand together, our planet has a future.

Visit the CalRecycle website for a listing of events and activities taking place in April across California to celebrate Earth Day.

2. Green Schoolyard Lecture Series


Dates: April 2, 2026
Location: Virtual
Description: This lecture series, hosted by Green Schoolyards America, discusses emerging topics and provides guidance for creating and stewarding high-quality green schoolyards and schoolyard forests. Sessions feature presentations by subject-area experts including Green Schoolyards America’s staff, along with time for audience Q&A. This month, the presentation is on Schoolyard Cost Model: Comparing Traditional and Green Schoolyard Options. 

Register HERE.

3. NAAEE 2026 Call for Presentations


Dates: April 10, 2026 deadline for proposals
Location: Portland, OR, October 6-9, 2026
Description: Call for Presentations Is Open!

Get your creative juices flowing and submit your proposal for NAAEE 2026. We’re looking for compelling sessions that help us look beyond current constraints and explore what can be. Read the details in the Call for Presentations for the Annual Conference or Research Symposium. 

Proposals are due April 10, 2026.

4. The Outdoor Learning School & Store Webinar: Learning in the Garden – a Practical Workshop on Starting and Sustaining a School Garden


Date: April 14, 2026
Location: Virtual
Description: Explore how school gardens can blossom into joyful, accessible learning spaces that nurture literacy, numeracy, science, well-being, and environmental stewardship from Kindergarten through the elementary years. You’ll walk away with adaptable strategies for a wide range of climates and school contexts, plus renewed confidence, fresh inspiration, and ready-to-use ideas to bring your school garden to life. 

Register HERE (scroll down to bottom of page).

5. NSTA National Conference. Growing Together: Collective Insights for Lifelong Learning


Dates: April 15-18, 2026
Location: Anaheim
Description: NSTA brings together science and STEM educators for four days of meaningful learning, collaboration, and growth. Whether you’re sparking curiosity in the classroom, leading professional development, shaping curriculum, or driving innovation across your district, you’ll leave with practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and lasting connections to support your professional journey. Join a vibrant community of educators as we grow together —  because lifelong learning begins with collective insight. Visit the NSTA website for more information and registration.

6.  AEOE eeCourse: Climate Literacy


Dates: April 15 – June 15, 2026
Location: Virtual
Description: This rigorous online course is designed for communicators, educators, and community leaders who want to deepen their understanding of the science behind climate change and evidence-based, equitable solutions needed to address it. Participants will explore how climate systems function, how human actions influence climate, and how climate influences people and other parts of the Earth system. The course combines scientific readings, engaging videos, interactive simulations, systems thinking activities, and data visualizations to support a rich learning experience. While it does not focus on teaching strategies, it provides a strong scientific foundation to support confident, informed engagement with climate education materials. In addition to global climate science, the course incorporates California-based resources and data to ground concepts in real-world examples; while these materials are locally focused, they serve as valuable case studies that offer insights and applications relevant to participants from any region.
Click HERE for more information and registration.

7. CAELI COE Community of Practice


Date: April 30, 2026
Location: Virtual
Description: The CAELI County Office of Education Community of Practice 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. This month the topic is Success Stories and Preparing for 2026-2027. Register HERE.

8. AEOE Annual Conference: Stronger Together


Date: May 1-3, 2026
Location: SCICON, Springville, CA
Description: Join AEOE for a weekend of learning, networking, and fun at SCICON Outdoor School in Tulare County, the gateway to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks! The conference is held Friday afternoon through Sunday lunch and includes 40+ workshops, an awards ceremony, resource fair, live and silent auction, EE Certification Program presentations, evening entertainment, and more. The featured keynote speaker is Laura Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of Restoring C.A.R.E. Lodging and meals are offered onsite starting with dinner on Friday and going through lunch on Sunday. Both camping and cabin dorm accommodations are available for Friday and Saturday night. Register HERE.

CAELI Partner Portal Resources April 2026

1. NAAEE Online eeCourses and eeCredentials



Description: 
What’s an eeCourse? eeCOURSES are top-quality, competency-based courses on specific topics across the breadth of environmental education. eeCOURSES are developed by NAAEE Affiliates and endorsed by NAAEE.
Study on your own time with engaging asynchronous lessons (Some courses include synchronous elements)
Complete courses in 10-15 hours
Receive useful feedback from professional moderators
Enroll with any participating Affiliate

What’s an eeCredential? eeCOURSES can be combined to earn eeCREDENTIALS that demonstrate your mastery of key skills and content in specific areas within the field of environmental education. eeCREDENTIALS are awarded by NAAEE Affiliates.
Complete a series of 3-5 related eeCourses plus a culminating project to earn an eeCredential
Choose from standard credentials or work with your Affiliate to design your own
Earn the equivalent of one hour of graduate credit
Currently, offerings are limited, but the program is growing

Visit the NAAEE website for more information.

2. A Latine Outdoor Experience. Remembering, Resisting, and Reimaging. Olivia Aguilar


Description: A Latine Outdoors Experience: Remembering, Resisting, and Reimagining provides a much-needed narrative at a time when the absence of such a narrative is both glaring and in demand. Contributing to literature that has laid the groundwork for re-examining the relationships between communities of color and the environment, this book further illustrates how the outdoor and nature experiences of people of color in the US, specifically the Latine community, may be different than those predominantly represented in the environmental field. Olivia Aguilar collects and shares cuentos (stories) from members of the national organization, Latino Outdoors, while weaving her own narrative throughout, to provide a rich description of what being a Latine outdoors means in their own words. From spending time with familia to enjoying public spaces and creating outdoor oriented communities on social media, the memories and stories collected here show a thread of resistance and resilience throughout. Through remembering, Aguilar and the contributors in her book reclaim their narrative and reimagine the outdoor experience from the Latine perspective, ultimately charting a course towards a more inclusive environmental field. 
Available through Texas A&M University Press.

3. Somos Semillitas y Crecemos Outdoors, by Adrianna Alejo Sorondo


Description: Semillitas Outdoors is a week-long celebration of children in the outdoors, sponsored by Latino Outdoors beginning April 25 through May 3, 2026. Check out their resources.
Check out this coloring book. Coloring is a simple, fun, and beneficial activity. It can help kids improve fine motor skills while supporting the brain to focus. Somos Semillitas y Crecemos Outdoors celebrates the rich and diverse Latinx identity, various ways of connecting to nature, and regenerative engagement with the natural environment. We hope you love this unique coloring book as much as we do!

4. Seeds to Solutions: Kindergarten – Observing Our Natural World


Description: Students explore the interactions between humans and the environment. The unit begins with students observing and exploring their school surroundings, asking questions about what they see, hear, and feel. Students are introduced to key concepts through literature, exploration, and collaborative activities. Stories such as Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse guide students in making connections between the weather, plants, and human actions. Lessons also emphasize social-emotional learning, encouraging students to reflect on how exploring their environment makes them feel and how changes in their surroundings can impact their emotions. The unit culminates in an action project where students create and share a plan to improve their school environment for both people and nature. This project empowers students to see themselves as problem-solvers and stewards of their environment.

Download the Unit HERE.

5.  Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – Learning Resources


Description: Explore the wide range of educational resources available to teachers and families. Resources include How to Take a Nature Walk, Classifying Insects, Humans & Bats, Nature Search, virtual and in-person field trip options, lesson plans, and more!  NHMLA also offers educator workshops to build connections between your classroom curriculum and the museum’s collections and exhibitions.

Visit the NHMLA website for these resources and more.

6.  Audubon California – Conservation in California


Description: Spring migration is here and there are millions of birds on the move. Saving birds and their habitats are at the core of the work of Audubon California. They invite people from all of California to join them on this journey.

There are numerous Audubon Community Building projects across the state where your students can learn about birds and ways to protect them. Visit the Audubon California website to learn about these community projects, obtain bird lists, and more.