About the Coalition
Camping in the Adirondacks... Visiting the zoo... Studying pond life... Walking a nature trail... Canoeing in the Boundary Waters... Fly fishing in Montana...
Some of the ways people experience and learn about the outdoors and the environment... Some of the ways they can reconnect with nature and get back in touch with their essential selves, their "inner wildness." These are the kinds of activities and opportunities that the Coalition supports and promotes.
The Coalition Defined
The Coalition is a non-profit network of outdoor and environmental education centers, nature centers, conservation and recreation organizations, outdoor education and experiential education associations, institutions of higher learning, public and private schools, fish and wildlife agencies, and businesses that share a mission - the support and furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.
Goals include personal growth and moral development; team building and cooperation; outdoor knowledge and skill development; environmental awareness, education, and enrichment.
Coalition History
The Coalition was established in 1987 at the State University of New York at Cortland by a group of outdoor educators from around the country. Founders believed the Coalition would fill a need in the outdoor education community for an organization that "would unite outdoor associations, institutions, businesses, and agencies to better serve both professionals and consumers in the outdoors."