Dear Willow Bend Members and Community,

It is with a mix of emotions that I share with you some significant news. After nine incredible years of serving as the Executive Director of Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, I have made the difficult decision to step down from my role to embark on a new journey of entrepreneurship.

This decade has been nothing short of amazing. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to lead such a remarkable organization dedicated to environmental education and love of the great outdoors. From the moment I first stepped through the doors of Willow Bend, I knew I had found my passion and purpose. The work we have accomplished together has been deeply fulfilling, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have served this incredible community.

During my tenure at Willow Bend, we have achieved numerous milestones and successes together. From increasing our budget and expanding our programs to forging new partnerships and gaining invaluable support from our community, each achievement has been a testament to the dedication and hard work of our staff, volunteers, and supporters. Together, we have made a tangible impact on environmental education efforts in our region, and I am incredibly proud of what I have accomplished.

As I prepare to transition into this new chapter of my life, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support, dedication, and friendship over the years. While this may mark the end of my time as Executive Director, it is by no means goodbye. I am committed to staying connected with Willow Bend and the wonderful community we have built together. I look forward to staying in touch, supporting the organization in any way I can, and look forward to volunteering my time and expertise in the future.

What’s next for me? Returning to my roots…Many years ago, I began my professional journey as an animal behaviorist and dog trainer. Now, I am excited to transition back, dedicating myself full-time to this passion. Currently, I manage my own establishment, Moran’s Professional Pet Care and Training, alongside overseeing a non-profit horse therapy initiative named Horses Heroes and Hope. I am genuinely thrilled to refocus my efforts, allowing myself to thrive without spreading myself thin.

As I embark on this new adventure, I am filled with excitement and optimism for what lies ahead. While I may be leaving my role at Willow Bend, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have cherished will stay with me always. Additionally, I’m not venturing too far, and I eagerly anticipate crossing paths with many of you in various capacities.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your Executive Director. Together, we have truly made a difference, and I’ve witnessed it firsthand. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this remarkable organization.

With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,

Moran Henn
Executive Director (until June 2024)
Willow Bend Environmental Education Center

Dear Willow Bend  Members, Partners, And Community Members,

I hope this message finds you well. Today, we have significant news to share regarding a transition in our leadership team.

After nearly a decade of dedicated service as our Executive Director, Moran Henn has chosen to step down from her position to pursue a new business venture.

Moran has been instrumental in guiding Willow Bend through numerous achievements and milestones, and we are immensely grateful for her tireless commitment to our mission. Under Moran’s leadership, Willow Bend has flourished, expanding its reach and impact in the community. Her passion, dedication, and visionary leadership have left an indelible mark on our organization, and we are deeply grateful for her invaluable contributions over the years.

While we will miss Moran’s leadership and presence, we are excited to see her embark on this new chapter of her journey. Moran’s message to the community can be found here, where she shares her reflections on her time at Willow Bend.

As we bid farewell to Moran, we want to express our deepest gratitude for her exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to our mission. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and look forward to seeing her continued success.

In light of Moran’s decision, we have formed a transition committee, to ensure a smooth transition. Willow Bend is committed to maintaining continuity and excellence in our programs and operations during this period of change.

As part of our transition plan, we are pleased to announce that Melissa Eckstrom, our current Program and Operations Director, will step into the role of Interim Executive Director after Moran’s departure in late June. Melissa’s deep understanding of Willow Bend’s mission and operations, coupled with her leadership skills, make her an excellent choice for this interim role. A search for an ED will begin towards the end of the year and a celebration party prior to Moran’s departure will be announced in the next few weeks. We will be posting updates on our website, social media and newsletter. So, stay tuned.

We recognize the significance of transparent communication throughout this transition phase. Your continued support and dedication to Willow Bend Environmental Education Center are deeply valued. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@willowbendcenter.org or call our office at (928) 779-1745.

Warm regards,

The Transition Team

Benny Aja – CNRCD Chair

Tabi Bolton – CNRCD/Willow Bend Liaison

Jana Steling – Board President

Andi Rogers – Board Vice President

Congratulations to all the talented winners of our Youth Puppet Design and Scriptwriting Contest!

A huge round of applause to our 1st place winners! Wren N. of the puppet design category & Landon W. of the script writing category, your creativity and vision have earned you both a Bookmans gift certificate! But that’s not all – the Willow Bend team will be bringing your puppet design and script to life, and it will be featured in our shows during ArtX week in May! Get ready to see your creation take center stage and inspire audiences.

And let’s hear it for our Runner-ups! Natalie C. of the puppet design category & Ivan K. of the script writing category, your hard work has earned you a Bookmans gift certificate too! Plus, your puppet will be proudly displayed at the Flagstaff library, showcasing your talent to the community.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest! We can’t wait to see you in May! See show times below:

Nature Tales ARTx Art +Ideas Experience Arizona festival Showtimes:

• 5/22 (Wednesday) – 10:30AM at the Flagstaff East Public Library

• 5/25 (Saturday) – 10:30AM at the Downtown Public Library

• 5/25 (Saturday) 3:00PM at Heritage Square

All events are free and open to the public.

Press Release

Annual Water Ethics – Winners!

Flagstaff, AZ- February, 22^nd, 2024. The Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership (a branch of the Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council), and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center are excited to announce this year’s winners of the 4th Grade Water Ethic Contest. The annual contest was open to all 4th grade classes throughout Coconino County, including cities, towns, and tribal communities.

The contest creates a fun and rewarding opportunity to introduce children to the concept of ethical water use, including conserving, rainwater harvesting, and water reuse. It also provides an opportunity for the classrooms to discuss where our water comes from and the importance of healthy watersheds, clean waterways, and water for all living things and uses. Participating students demonstrate the principle of responsible water use through both artwork and essays.

This year we added another category, an overall contest winner!

Best Overall Art & Essay

Jarvis W. (Grand Canyon School) – Teacher: Caroyln Harmon

Artwork

1^st Place – Luke H. (Grand Canyon School) – Teacher: Caroyln Harmon

2^nd Place – Josiah P. Grand Canyon School) – Teacher: Caroyln Harmon

3^rd Place – Delia C. Grand Canyon School) – Teacher: Caroyln Harmon

Essays

1^st Place – Dhara A. (West Sedona) – Kelly Cadigan

2^nd Place – Connie P. (Grand Canyon School) – Caroyln Harmon

3^rd Place – Alex C. (Marshall Elementary) – Itzel Valenzuela

Winning students and their teachers will be recognized with certificates, a class party, and Water Saver Superhero Toolkits that include rain gauges, water conservation coloring books, playing cards, reusable water bottles, and a reusable bag and other fun prizes like stickers and magnets. Winning submissions will be displayed at the Coconino Center for the Arts during the Youth Art Exhibition.

Next year’s contest is right around the corner so keep an eye out for the contest in August 2024.

Overall contest winner-Jarvis W. (Grand Canyon School).

We are excited to add a new member to our team! Through an NAU Americorps grant, we are looking for a dedicated individual interested in gaining experience in the environmental education field, specifically for our climate science and resiliency focus.

Willow Bend offers a supportive, inclusive and positive environment. Join our team of friendly and knowledgeable staff, wonderful board members, and awesome volunteers. We offer a semi-flexible work schedule (some Saturdays and afternoons required), professional development opportunities, and many other perks.

Arizona Climate Resilience Corps AmeriCorps

Duties include developing and enhancing climate curriculum, delivering in-class programs, leading field trips, organizing engaging activities and events, participating in networking and skill building events and more!

TO APPLY: Please apply through this: https://in.nau.edu/center-for-service-and-volunteerism/apply-americorps/ . 

Select the Environmental Literacy Corps (ELC). Position is open until filled.

Please contact Moran Henn at (928) 699-6109 or e-mail moran@willowbendcenter.org if you have any questions.

February, 2023: Programs Galore!

Hi friends! We started off our jam-packed, fun-filled February by partnering with Lowell Observatory to host a Science Science themed “Earth and Planetary Science”, in celebration of Pluto’s discovery 93 years ago. This was our first Science Science theme of its kind and what a blast it was! Families learned about why planets are different colors, how planets rotate around the sun, constellations, moon cycles, and more!

This month, we taught 7 different subjects in the classroom, which included climate, weather and renewable energy; recycling, waste and earthworms and even a program on environmental education. Despite five+ snow days this month, kindergarteners up to college students received nearly 50 lessons from us this February. We are finally, and gratefully, reaching numbers we saw during pre-pandemic times, woohoo! Thank you to the following schools for having us: MEMS, Kinsey, DeMiguel, FJA, Sechrist, Cromer, Knoles and NAU!

Thanks to our board member, Jillian Worssam, her and our team have created an all-new weather program. Kinsey Kindergarteners were the first to receive the lesson this month, and it went great! Students learned about the sun, what it does, how shadows and how plants are affected by the sun’s light and warmth.

Outside of the classroom, we hosted a field trip to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for Kinsey 4th Graders who received our 3-part waste program just a week prior. Part of this program includes visiting the MRF so that students can see what they learned in person, in action! Did you know 52-60 tons of recycling goes through the MRF every day?

On top of our busy teaching schedule, our team member Ash took a couple days to help facilitate the Southern Arizona KidWind Challenge & Celebration in Eloy, AZ. Students competed in building and testing their own wind turbines and sail cars. The winner not only received tickets to the DiamondBacks game, but is also going to showcase their structure in the STEM dugout! Speaking of, Willow Bend and the Flagstaff Sustainability Office are hosting our own Northern Arizona Youth Climate Summit here in Flagstaff in April! Students will compete three ways: building a wind turbine, building a solar structure or creating a local climate action plan. We’re excited to see what creative creations and solutions 4th-12th grade students come up with!

That’s all for now, stay tuned for next month’s blog post!

-The Willow Bend Team

January, 2023: Beginning a Busy Year!

This past month, the Willow Bend Team used their winter break free time to update programs, and clean and organize our building to ring in the new year! Thanks to our team member, Melissa, our earthworm program is now updated. She partnered with eSigns.com to create new magnetic visuals for our Wildlife and Earthworm/Composting programs. This upgrade will benefit students through engaged education and hands-on participation. Who knew magnetic car signs would make such great teaching tools?

We started off the year with a handful of  in-classroom programs. Kinsey 4th graders received a 3-part waste lesson, Cromer 4th grade a 3-part climate lesson and Kinsey kindergarteners explored earthworms and the concept of composting. Not so bad for navigating three snow days already!

As far as our community events, our Science Saturday themed, “Winter Science” was a great success. Families who joined learned about snow melt through our ground water and topography models, identified animal tracks in snow, used microscopes to observe details in the natural world, and got crafty by making their own unique snowflake cut-outs to take home. On the 21st, community members joined us for an adult workshop where local expert, Geoffrey Gross, taught them about the basics of wildlife tracking through a fun, interactive presentation and guided hike around Sawmill Park.

Thank you community members, teachers and students, for a great start to the year! Keep an eye out soon for February’s blog update.

-The Willow Bend Team

The Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership (a branch of the Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council), and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center are excited to announce this year’s winners of the 4th Grade Water Ethic Contest. The annual contest was open to all 4th grade classes throughout Coconino County, including cities, towns, and tribal communities.

The contest creates a fun and rewarding opportunity to introduce children to the concept of ethical water use, including conserving, rainwater harvesting, and water reuse. It also provides an opportunity for the classrooms to discuss where our water comes from and the importance of healthy watersheds, clean waterways, and water for all living things and uses. Participating students demonstrate the principle of responsible water use through both artwork and essays.

Contest winners are:

ESSAY:

1st place essay award: Quinn W. (Mountain School)

2nd place essay award: Taylor P. (Sechrist Elementary)

3rd place essay award: Resse W. (Sechrist Elementary)

ARTWORK:

1st place artwork: Audrey S. (Kinsey Elementary)

2nd place artwork: Yareli M. (Grand Canyon School)

3rd place artwork: Da’Mare T. (Kinsey Elementary)

Winning students and their teachers will be recognized with certificates, a class party, and Water Saver Superhero Toolkits that include rain gauges, water conservation coloring books, playing cards, reusable water bottles, and a reusable bag and other fun prizes like stickers and magnets. In addition, this year the winning submissions will be displayed at the Coconino Center for the Arts during the Youth Art Exhibition.

Winners, and other selected 4th grader’s submissions are utilized for promoting water stewardship throughout Northern Arizona. Posters are created for classrooms, events, presentations, and are developed into bathroom water awareness signs. The bathroom signs have grown in popularity and can be seen at several public places such as the Grand Canyon South Rim Visitor’s Center, City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, City of Sedona, Northern Arizona University, Marshall Elementary, Grand Canyon School, and many more places throughout the community are in the process of obtaining the bathroom posters.

Next year’s contest is right around the corner so keep an eye out for the contest in August 2023.

On this GivingTuesday, November 29, individuals, families, businesses, sponsors, and friends have the opportunity to support causes that are important to them and make a difference!

DONATE TODAY!

GivingTuesday’s idea is simple: Create a collective impact of giving! Over the past few years, this idea has grown into a global movement that generates millions in charitable giving.

We know there are many worthy causes out there, today, and every day. Please consider supporting environmental education for this year’s GivingTuesday and our Year-End appeal. Help us reach our fundraising goal of $9,000.

Donations will go directly towards:

1. Supporting free Science Saturday events
2. Creating new and improved much needed teacher check-out kits
3. Development of a new community guided tour
4. Improvements to Willow Bend’s outdoor spaces
5. Brining more live wildlife events and Leave No Trace educational programs to Willow Bend.