Do You Know JOE?

JOE was selected as an advisory panel member of the National Forum on Children and Nature. The Forum will identify nationally significant environmental demonstration projects and environmental stewardship models.



"Over the past few decades, children have become increasingly separated from nature, with disastrous consequences for their physical, mental and spiritual health. With its unique natural resource base, JOE is ideally positioned to help reconnect children with nature, and we are proud to be working with them. Through our partnership, we will help ensure that future generations are prepared to be good stewards of our natural world when they inherit the magnificent land legacy that we are conserving today."

– Larry Selzer, President and CEO,
  The Conservation Fund



Moving Beyond Green

Educate the Next Generation

Every child given the opportunity to experience the wonders of nature comes away with a new respect for our environment. It is by engaging children when they are young that we create the next generation of committed environmentalists.

JOE is working closely with Audubon of Florida to create a state-of-the-art interpretive nature center to anchor the West Bay Preservation Area. The proposed Audubon Nature Center would seek to educate children of all ages about the wondrous beauty of West Bay by allowing them to observe, explore and learn about this incredibly diverse, delicate ecosystem.

JOE is partnering with a local environmental organization and Bay County district schools to develop an environmental education program that will include field study on JOE lands. The goal is to introduce students to the importance of ecological restoration in the region.

In the decade ahead, JOE is committed to working with environmental organizations, community leaders, parents, children and educators to ensure that we never lose our sense of wonder and respect for the majesty of nature.