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Fair Hill Nature Center seeks state support to expand outdoor education, cites success converting small grants into local investment
Summary
The Fair Hill Nature Center told the Eastern Shore delegation it provides outdoor environmental education to thousands of students, seeks state aided-institution status and highlighted how small regional grants helped leverage substantial private donations and capital improvements.
Laura Hannon, executive director of Fair Hill Nature Center in Cecil County, told the Eastern Shore delegation on Feb. 21 that the nonprofit provides outdoor environmental education to roughly 7,500 public‑school students annually and is seeking additional state and private support to expand programs.
Hannon described the center’s curriculum of hands-on, grade‑specific field trips — ‘‘every field trip has an engineering and design challenge’’ — and said the center supplies one day of outdoor environmental education for Cecil County elementary students over six years of their schooling. She emphasized sensory and trauma‑informed approaches for students who spent formative years sheltered by the COVID pandemic.
Hannon credited a roughly $10,500 regional council (RMC) grant that funded a volunteer coordinator; she said that investment helped the center raise approximately $80,000 in private donations and allowed upgrades including an outdoor pavilion with utilities, story trail and renovated restrooms in the state‑owned historic building.
The center has contracts with county public schools, a nine‑week summer camp program and pending grant applications to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) for ‘‘state‑aided institution’’ status, Hannon said. ‘‘Getting into that grant program would be huge for us because once you’re in, you’re awarded every year,’’ she said, urging delegates to consider the center for capital and program support.
Hannon asked delegates for help promoting business‑ready support including inclusion in capital budgets and connecting the center to MSDE and Chesapeake Bay Trust contacts. Delegates briefly discussed the center’s success in leveraging RMC funding and encouraged visits and further outreach.
Why it matters: Fair Hill provides statewide‑mandated environmental education to local students and acts as a regional asset for outdoor learning, local tourism and workforce development in conservation. Delegation members expressed support and said they would explore state‑level options and site visits.
Ending: Hannon invited delegation members to visit the center and requested support for pending grant applications and potential inclusion in the capital budget.
