Each year, NBVA offers one classroom teacher, specialist or school administrator a scholarship to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at Hog Island Audubon Camp, in coastal Maine. The scholarship covers tuition, room, board and transportation. Hog Island Audubon Camp has offered environmental education programs for adults, teens, families and conservation leaders since 1936.

Application Deadline: February 21, 2025 
Scholarship Annoucement: March 5, 2025
Educator’s Week: August 10-15, 2025

Criteria for Scholarship 

APPLICANT MUST be a public classroom teacher, specialist or school administrator in the NVBA chapter territory. Counties: all of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford; and portions of Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper, Rappahannock and Spotsylvania.  Independent cities: Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, Manassas and Manassas Park. 

SELECTION is based on outreach involvement and potential benefit to students resulting from the applicant attending the program. 

Narrative for online application (see form below)

Explain how a session at Hog Island Audubon Camp will benefit you and your school. Include your ideas on how you might fulfill scholarship post-camp requirement no. 2, below, and how that program could be sustained beyond one year.

Scholarship Post-Camp Requirements 

  1. Scholarship recipients are expected to write a brief account, no more than three paragraphs, about their Hog Island experience for inclusion in a Fall 2025 NVBA newsletter. Photos from camp are welcomed but not required.

  2. Develop a new (or enhance an existing) conservation-themed program for students based on your Hog Island experience. Programs should be completed within the school year following camp and include an outdoor learning component. NVBA is willing to assist with programs. 

  3. Submit a report on your conservation-themed program to Northern Virginia Bird Alliance by July 1, 2026.

Letters of Recommendation 

Please submit two letters of recommendation. One must be from your school’s principal or assistant principal. Send the letters of recommendation by email to youtheducation@nvbirdalliance.org, or by mail to:

Northern Virginia Bird Alliance
Attn: Youth Education
11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Suite 100
Reston, VA 20190

Due Date

NVBA must receive your application and letters of recommendation no later than February 21, 2025, for you to be eligible for NVBA’s Hog Island scholarship. 

Application Form