The Land as Teacher Summit: Learning and Stewarding in Right Relation

“We are not owners of the land—we are stewards. The land truly is our teacher.”  - Participant, Land as Teacher Summit

The Accokeek Foundation organized the Land as Teacher Summit – Learning and Stewarding in Right Relation this month to bring together over 100 passionate and committed educators, youth leaders, policymakers, and cultural and environmental stewards in Southern Maryland. 

Over 100 educators, youth leaders, policymakers, and cultural and environmental stewards gathered at the Land as Teacher Summit in August 2025.

Together, attendees explored powerful truths about the region’s history and ecosystems — centering the resilience and cultural legacy of the Piscataway people and the deep, interconnected histories of Black and Indigenous communities in Southern Maryland. 

The morning session of the summit offered grounding presentations that rooted participants in the history, culture, and environmental significance of the region, including Piscataway history in Southern Maryland, Black and Indigenous history at Chapman State Park, and Stewarding in Right Relation–an Indigenous approach to environmental conservation.

In the afternoon, attendees participated in hands-on environmental education workshops. Teachers from Prince George’s and Charles County public schools participated in interactive learning activities designed by the Accokeek Foundation education team, while other participants explored the land more deeply through a University of Maryland Landscape Design Studio session on clay mapping and soil composition.

Jana VanderGoot, associate professor of architecture at the University of Maryland, shows a Summit participant how to test soil.

An Acokeek Foundation educator leads a demonstration of activities used in Land Echoes and Wild Rice school programming at the Accokeek Foundation.

The summit culminated in an Emerging Leaders Panel, in which six Indigenous and Afro-indigenous youth shared their experiences navigating the public school system, their communities and identities, and their vision for a future based in Indigenous values of respect and reciprocity.

The Land as Teacher Summit was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors – The Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Network for Landscape Conservation – and by the dedication of our partners, staff, and presenters.

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Want to discover more about what it means to learn and steward in “Right Relation” with the land?  

Check out our Teacher Resource Guide, a great starting point for teachers and lifelong learners looking to broaden their understanding of Southern Maryland. 

Or, learn through action and sign up for an upcoming shoreline cleanup or invasive plant removal session at Piscataway Park.

There are many opportunities for the public to volunteer at Piscataway Park this fall! Learn more here.