GLADE: Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems

09/20/2026

09/04/2026

Great opportunity!

The American Birding Association (ABA) makes birding better by providing knowledge, sharing experiences, and building community.

08/02/2026

It is no exaggeration to say that GLADE inspires a new generation of conservation leaders! See a few screenshots from Carter Stoelzel’s conservation journey at the University of Saskatchewan! Carter attended GLADE in 2019.

08/01/2026

Great opportunity to leverage your GLADE experience into something even greater!

Registration for the 2027 Young Birder of the Year Program opens tomorrow, Aug. 1, 2026!

The program is open to young birders between the ages of 10–18, and provides opportunities for birding, connecting with other young birders, and learning from experienced mentors in the fields of conservation, art, photography, and beyond. We hope you (and your friends) will join us! Register here: https://www.aba.org/young-birder-of-the-year-registration/

In this photo:

Conservation & Community Leadership: Alejandro Williams Viveros presents to community members about his nestbox construction and monitoring project in Quindio, Colombia.

07/29/2026

July 28th is World Nature Conservation Day! Founded in 1997 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, July 28th has been observed as a day to work together to protect our planet’s natural resources.

At Missouri Stream Team, volunteers work hard to protect our streams year-round with activities such as litter pickups, volunteer water quality monitoring, storm drain stenciling, tree planting and more. Today is the perfect day to go out and do your part in protecting our steams.

Make sure to fill out an activity report as well to share the good you are doing and to help secure funding and supplies for future activities!

Photo credit: Anna Do ST #6800

07/12/2026

Popular story! So proud of GLADE, Greater Ozarks Audubon chapter’s flagship educational gift to Missouri Youth and the Great Outdoors !

A weeklong summer camp inspires the next generation of naturalists, putting students in the field with educators and experts. The Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems, or GLADE, is the flagship educational program of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society.

Read it: https://sgfcitizen.org/springfield-culture/outdoors/glade-missouri-nature-education/

07/07/2026

07/06/2026

“A tall, thin young man comes up and extends his hand. It’s Kendall Slaughter, assistant director of GLADE. He looks to be only in his 20s. He knows we’re here to get the story of GLADE.
“What’s going on out here?” I ask him.
“We’re getting kids out in nature,” he explains. “It’s experiential, place-based learning. The kids are studying prairies today, but they get a variety of other experiences — something different every day — water quality monitoring, macroinvertebrates, bird banding, fire management. But they’re also developing leadership skills.”

Upon graduation, GLADE students are not left to fend for themselves. Instead, they are absorbed into an expansive network of formal and non-formal educators and conservation professionals — people to get advice from, or to help them find jobs.”

Discover the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE) program, where students explore nature, develop leadership skills, and make a difference.

06/15/2026

A couple days have passed since the new Class of GLADE Alumni returned to their homes. However, I have a few more photos from a week of new friends with common interests, nature exploration, and inspiring conservation advocates!
Stay engaged with GLADE page to see what is next for this group of promising teens!