Peace River Environmental Education Network

PREEN is partnership of businesses, government agencies, educators, citizens, and nonprofit organizations who have joined together as an information sharing network to forge cooperation and foster relationships regarding the environmental integrity of the Peace River Watershed.

PREEN Quarterly Meetings

The Lakes Education/Action Drive (LEAD) has organized quarterly meetings of PREEN since 2005. To receive information on PREEN's quarterly meetings, please contact Johnna Martinez at 863/221-5323, lakeseducation@hotmail.com.

MISSION: To create and sustain collaborative educational processes that will contribute to awareness of and concern about the environmental integrity of the Peace River Watershed.

GOAL: To develop knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivation, and commitment so that individuals and groups will work collectively toward solutions to current environmental problems and for the prevention of new ones.

Partners have included such groups as:

  • Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP has sponsored PREEN since its inception.)

  • Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

  • Southwest Florida Water Management District

  • Royal Rangers

  • Polk County Natural Resources

  • City of Ft. Meade

  • Lakes Education/Action Drive (LE/AD)

  • Department of Environmental Protection

  • U.S. Agri-Chemicals Corporation

  • Polk County Extension Agency

  • Polk County Planning Division

  • Keep Polk County Beautiful

  • Florida Yards and Neighborhoods

  • Ridge and Lake Region Audubon Chapters

  • Polk County Environmental Lands Program

  • Florida Native Plant Society

If you live, work, or play in the Peace River Watershed, you are a link in PREEN

PREEN History

In 1999, the Charlotte Harbor Education Center (CHEC) received a grant from Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) to complete a study of eight municipalities within three counties in the Upper Peace River Valley. Information was gathered and reviewed and recommendations for public environmental education outreach strategies were developed and published, including potential partnerships and funding sources. In 2000, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) provided initial funding for CHEC to develop a network of partners and CHNEP continued this financial support. These three organizations have been foundational in the development of PREEN and continue to be valuable partners for a variety of environmental education efforts. In 2006, PREEN hosted a conference sponsored by CHNEP: Keeping the Peace: Translating Management Plans into Action: October 5, 2006: Report

Your involvement in PREEN will:

  • Help maintain a key networking strategy that will enable a flow of information between PREEN partners as well as other interested persons.

  • Keep you informed of a variety of issues, events, programs, and environmental education sites in the Peace River Watershed.

  • Allow you to meet and help solicit participation from citizens; environmental educators; state, county, and local agency representatives as well as industry representatives.

  • Help maintain a voice for the environment including the link between economic sustainability and environmental integrity.