During the 46th annual NAAEE Conference, attendee Kathy B. initiated a digital community board on Whova for favorite nature or environmental-based board games. Photos of stacks upon stacks of board games were shared, and a clear EE favorite was declared. Find your match below, and game on! 

For those who prefer digital games, check out "Rated EE for Environmental Education".

For the Forager: Wildcraft 

(Recommended by Kathy B.)

Wildcraft has a lot of plants in it that can be found all over the USA. We are in AZ and have found the game to be very helpful even for our dry, arid ecosystem. -Kathy B.

Learn about the medicinal uses of herbs in this 1-4 player cooperative board game.

For the Camper: Trekking The National Parks  

(Recommended by Kathy B.)

Get to Yosemite first in this wholesome 2-6 player game created by National Parks enthusiasts.

For the Studio Ghibli Fan: Kodama

(Recommended by Janice L.)

Win by keeping your tree spirit friends the happiest in this 2-5 player game.

For the Naturalist: On the Origin of Species 

(Recommended by Roberta B.)

I really like it. The art is gorgeous and you see and collect species that Darwin described on the Voyage of the Beagle. Plays pretty quickly with two, haven't had the chance to try with more players. -Roberta B.

Discover new species in this beautiful 18th century-designed 2-4 player strategy game.

For the Animal Lover: Endangered

(Recommended by Janice L.)

Work as a zoologist, philanthropist, TV wildlife host, lobbyist, or environmental lawyer to protect endangered species in this 2020-released 1-5 player cooperative game.

For the Birder: Wingspan

(Recommended by Kathy B., Roberta B., Ami D., and Julie W.)

Appreciate exquisite bird species in this 1-5 player habitat building game. Also consider Elizabeth Hargrave’s newest game, Mariposas, about butterfly migration!

For the Gardener: Photosynthesis

(Recommended by Kristie W.)

Sow crops and create a thriving forest in this 2-4 player strategy game.

For the Fisher: Freshwater Fly

(Recommended by Julie W.)

Enjoy manual game pieces, improve your fish identification skills, and hurt no worms in this 1-4 player dice-drafting game. 

For the Sci-Fi Fan: Terraforming Mars 

(Recommended by Henry E. and Julie W.)

Intimidating to start, but I’ve enjoyed it a lot. -Henry E.

Sustain life in the 2400s through resource sharing in this 1-5 player card-led strategy game.

Please share your favorite environment- and conservation-related games in the comments below the post!

Interested in more resources like these? We will continue to share select gems on eePRO, but the majority of content is safely stored in our conference platform app, Whova. Anyone who has registered for the #NAAEE2020 conference has access to these recordings and community boards until September 2021. If you haven’t registered, you can do so at conference.naaee.org/register.