What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Center for Environment & Society at Washington College

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Chestertown, MD
Center for Environment & Society at Washington College

Center of Excellence at Washington College
Providing innovative approaches to understand people’s place in their environment through experiential learning.

06/17/2026

A huge thank you to the 48 Washington College students who donated their remaining dining dollars at the end of the semester, bringing the total donation to the Kent County Community Food Pantry to $11,519.50.

Pictured above are Caroline Derringer, local food systems Intern, and Laura Chamberlin, Associate Director of civic engagement, delivering food and snacks for the food pantry’s Backpack Program. The program provides supplemental food to elementary school students throughout Kent County during the summer months.

06/16/2026

Spring Semester Student Spotlight: Alex Lougue 📍🚨📕

Last semester, Alex served as a GIS Analyst Intern with . During his internship, he partnered with the Kent County Department of Planning, Housing, and Zoning (DPHZ) to develop an interactive Road Maintenance Dashboard Application for the Department of Public Works County Roads Division.

Alex also played a key role in creating a new GIS sidewalk layer for Kent County. Using a tablet and field data collection tools, he gathered, organized, and mapped detailed spatial data for sidewalks throughout the incorporated towns, helping to improve the County’s infrastructure planning and management efforts.

Thank you for all of your hard work, Alex! We hope you have a wonderful summer!

06/09/2026

This past semester, students and staff spent time making a safe and welcoming place for our bat friends! If you didn’t know, Bat houses can provide a safe space for local bat populations to shelter and raise their young. Did you know that a single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour!? 🦇🏡🦟

Two new bat houses were built, decorated, and installed - ready for our newest guests!

Stay tuned for more bat events for students and community members in the upcoming semester!

06/03/2026

Meet our final Spring Intern of the semester, Dajana Ramirez Andrade ’29!

Dajana is a double major in Data Science and Mathematics, with minors in GIS and Economics at Washington College.

During her GIS Analyst Internship, Dajana worked on mapping, spatial analysis, and dashboards for community and environmental projects using ArcGIS.

"I really enjoyed attending guest speaker talks with my supervisor. This experience is helping me build skills I can apply to data science, engineering, and geospatial work."

Looking ahead, Dajana hopes to pursue a career in engineering and data science, applying mathematics and machine learning to solve real-world problems. She also plans to attend graduate school to continue learning and growing in the field.

We hope you have a wonderful summer, Dajana! We look forward to seeing you back on campus this fall 🎒📍📚

06/02/2026

On Friday, May 22, we opened the doors to our newest MuSE exhibit, inviting visitors to explore Indigenous and African American history on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The exhibit highlights how evolving natural and social landscapes have supported thriving communities, enduring self-determination, and rich cultural traditions across generations.

If you missed the opening, there’s still plenty of time to visit this summer! The exhibit is open every Saturday from 10am-1pm.

📸 Thank you to Felipe Tassara ’25 for capturing these photos from the event!

05/27/2026

Out of the classroom and into the field with McDonogh School!🐦🌾📚

Earlier this month, we welcomed students studying Advanced Biology, Environmental Science, and Genetics to our River and Field Campus for a day of hands-on learning.

Students kicked off the day with Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory at Washington College, where they learned about migratory birds, walked through mist nets, and discovered how our staff collects and uses field data for research. They then joined Natural Lands Project at Washington College to explore how prescribed burns shape ecosystems and even collected their own vegetation data in the field.

05/26/2026

— introducing our newest team member, Meghan Lewton! 🌿📍🐢

Meghan graduated from Virginia Tech in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Conservation and recently completed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate from Penn State in 2025.

“Hi everyone! I am so excited to start working as a Junior Geospatial Analyst!

I grew up spending every second I could outside. From the moment I could breathe (yes, breathe, not even walk) my parents fostered a deep appreciation for nature and a love of the outdoors in me. I went on my first camping trip when I was only a few months old!

As I got older, my passion for wildlife continued to grow, leading me to pursue a degree in Wildlife Conservation. After graduating from Virginia Tech in 2023, I moved all over the country studying different species — mice, tortoises, snakes, alligators, geese, ducks, turtles, fish… you name it.

I moved to Chestertown in March 2025 to work for Sultana Education Foundation, and through various connections, I discovered the Washington College Geospatial Innovation Program at Washington College. I am incredibly grateful and excited to begin my career in the GIS field and look forward to doing meaningful work for the local community.”

Welcome to the team, Meghan! 👏

05/21/2026

Meet our third Spring Intern Spotlight: Rose Cullen ’29 🌱🔥

Rose is one of our Habitat Restoration interns with Natural Lands Project at Washington College this semester. She especially enjoyed learning about and participating in hands-on prescribed burns (swipe to see her in action!!)

Thank you for all your hard work this semester, Rose! We look forward to seeing you around SG Hall next semester as you and the Chesapeake Semester cohort embark on the experience of a lifetime!

05/20/2026

This Friday, we invite everyone to stop by and experience our newest exhibit at MuSE: A Community Museum!

Step into Indigenous and African American history on the Eastern Shore, and explore how evolving natural and social landscapes have supported thriving communities, enduring self-determination, and rich cultural traditions across generations.

MuSE is located right next door to Sultana Education Foundation. Just a short walk from the Chestertown Tea Party Kick-Off Street Party and Wilmer Park!

05/19/2026

This past month, Maya Betley, Sustainable Food Systems Technician, and Lindsey Leone, Sustainable Food Systems intern, planted in the eight raised garden beds behind Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall using seeds from the Maryland Cultural Foodways Project 🌱 Swipe to see what they planted and learn the significance behind each crop!

What’s growing in your garden this year? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Address

485 South Cross Street
Chestertown, MD
21620

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+14108108405

Website

https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/ces/index.php

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