For 28 years, the Willow Bend Environmental Education Center  in Flagstaff has addressed the need for environmental awareness and stewardship in northern Arizona.  

Willow Bend improves the quality of life in northern Arizona by helping them to understand the natural world around them, and giving them the resources to make mindful choices about how they interact with their environment.

They benefit the community by providing a beautiful space teaching future stewards of the land, promoting sustainable alternatives, and providing life-long opportunities for learning. Each year the center reaches over 17,000 Flagstaff community residents.

Currently Willow bend offers 43 classroom programs on environmental science, geography, and social studies. They also offer fieldtrips to a Discovery Room. Exhibits include information and hands-on activities about recycling, alternative building, bio-fuel, energy conservation, climate change, sustainable agriculture, and water conservation.

Tours at the Materials Recovery Facility (Flagstaff recycling plant) teach community members about the environmental and economic benefits of recycling verses sending trash to the landfill, because place-based, experiential education that engages students in learning about their environment.
The center works to “walk the talk” by demonstrating sustainable practices. For example, to maximize solar energy, a passive solar straw bale building has three trombe walls and six large windows orientated to the south. Occasionally (less than 6 days per winter), they need to use the small wood-burning stove to supplement the heat in the building. There is no air conditioning or central heat in the building, and because of the sustainable design of the building, they are not needed.

All of the lights are compact florescent bulbs, though they are used only when people are in the building at night since it is naturally lit during the day. Office equipment is Energy Star rated. The center reduces its environmental impact by composting, using recycled paper, printing double-sided, buying locally produced items, reusing and recycling.

This year the center is expanding its water-harvesting system to capture additional run-off from the roof. With the help of several local partners, they installed cold frames to grow vegetables year-round and put in a low-water “three-sisters” garden of squash/beans/corn.

Discussions are being held with Southwest Wind Power and Coconino County on the installation of a wind generator that would power the parking lot lights in the park and a photovoltaic system to power the building.

Over the past 28 years, Willow Bend has contributed to the growing ethic of environmental stewardship in northern Arizona. Center staff are dedicated to educating all ages in the community, through Classroom Programming, Field Trips, Teacher Training Sessions, Family Science Events, Community Events, and Adult Education Programs (new for fiscal year 2006/2007).

Willow Bend served 17,456 people during the fiscal year 2005-2006. Activities included the following:

 • 537 classroom programs in Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Williams, Parks, Fredonia, Moccasin, and Leupp;

• 27 field trips to the Materials Recovery Facility (Flagstaff recycling facility);

• 55 Willow Bend field trips;

• 21 Community events;

 • 13 Family Science events;

 • 7 Teacher Trainings; and

• 15 Adult Education Programs (July 2006-March 2007)