In this paper we attempt to integrate environmental education, with a focus on building capacity at the level of the individual, with frameworks for resilience, with a focus on adaptive capacity at the level of the social-ecological system. Whereas previous work has focused on enhancing system-level capacity through building adaptive capacity in individuals, we suggest a wider range of processes for linking individual learning with resilience in social-ecological systems. In particular, we use activity theory as a lens to examine how environmental education programs situated within adaptive co-management practices might foster learning among youth while contributing directly to environmental quality, building and distributing multiple forms of knowledge among stakeholders, and changing adult behaviors in a local watershed. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.)