Lauren Greene

What Does she do? I am currently a science teacher (Earth Science & Biology) at Green Hope High School in Cary.  When I started the program, I was getting ready to move to NC to earn a Masters of Education in Science Education at NCSU.

Favorite part of earning her certification.  I loved having the excuse to visit lots of different environmental education facilities across the state.

Certification experience that stands out. Completing the certification was filled with memorable experiences.  It is hard to choose one that stands out the most.  My favorite one was enjoying an entire day exploring the NC Zoo for the first time.

Her community partnership project.  For my community project, I helped improve the wetlands on my school's campus. AP Environmental Science students and myself created a new trail.  With some help, I created an informational sign about the wildlife in our wetlands. I also created some identifying markers for the most common trees and shrubs.

Karan Barber

What does she do?  Currently, I am the Summer Camp Director at Carolina Raptor Centers Kids for Conservation Summer Camps, pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Education from Queens University of Charlotte.  Environmental Education Consultant for BarneysAlmanac.com
Favorite part of earning her certification.  My favorite part of earning my certification was the fantastic educational material I received from my many workshops. I enjoyed the interaction with equally passionate participants from the environmental community including park rangers, NCWRC staff, teachers, and other environmental educators.

Certification experience that stands out for her.  I have many favorite certification experiences, but the most surreal are my Southern Appalachian Naturalist Courses from the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont.  This was a proverbial return to my roots as I attend a weeklong camp there in the seventies with my elementary school. 
Her community partnership project: My project entailed painting vertebrate fauna tracks and signs along the railing in front of the raptor mews. A native tree leaf was added adjacent to the corresponding species. A key to the tracks and leaves will be available in the visitor services center of Carolina Raptor Center.

Emily Vasquez

What does she do? I just graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (K-6).  I plan to teach at an elementary school in NC.

Favorite part of earning her certification. My favorite part of earning my certification was being outdoors while also getting to experience teaching outside and watching young learners engaged in science.

Certification experience that stands out for her. The certification experience that stands out to me the most is all the hiking and time spent at parks or rivers that I did with a great group of teaching friends.  This was a fantastic experience from going geocaching to catching frogs, toads, and salamanders to wearing waders for the first time to fishing to seeing and holding turtles to gaining less of a fear for snakes to climbing huge rocks.

Her community partnership project.  For my community partnership project, my 2nd grade class (that I was a student teacher for) read with a 1st grade class.  A 2nd grader was paired with a 1st grader, and they each read a science related book.  There were four books given out, and an activity went with each.  The books were donated to the school so that the teachers can use them and the science activities in the upcoming years.

Congratulations Emily!

Amanda Jo Phillips

Winston-Salem, NC (Davidson County)

What does she do?  I just graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and plan to teach in NC public schools.

Favorite part of earning her certification: I did this with a group of girls from my University. Having people to share my experiences with was wonderful. We did everything together including climbing mountains and facing a lot of fears (or should I say previous misconceptions!) 

Certification experience stands out for her:  All of the hands-on experiences with animals. I held salamanders, snakes, bugs, sting rays, fish, frogs, and I am sure there are some I've forgotten. I also learned about Geocaching which is now a hobby I do in my free time!

Her Community Action Partnership Project: My community partnership was adding tree tags to my school's nature trail. I found it important that the students realize how many different trees were there. I identified and tagged 10 trees and left the teachers plenty of lessons to use that are directly associated with the tagged trees.

CONGRATULATIONS, AMANDA JO!

Bennet George Jefferson

Danbury, NC (Stokes County)
What does he do? I like to call myself the Nature Coach, but my official title for NCDENR is Assistant Park Ranger here at Hanging Rock State Park and one of the Master Educators for Leave no Trace. I spend most of my time at the park making sure our visitors enjoy thier stay and make them fall in love with our park and make a connection with Nature. I started my career in 1985 teaching Automotive Service Professionals about the environmental impact that chemicals have on air and water. We offer monthly workshops here for Teachers and Non Formal educators in Project Wet,Leopold Education Project, Wonders of Wetlands to name a few.

Favorite part of earning his certification? My favorite part of the program was all of the travel that I got to do and the people I met. The classes were so diverse, from in-service college students to park rangers and teachers from all over the state !

Certification experience that stands out for him. The teaching requirement was one of the best opportunities for me to apply what I had learned in the previous weeks workshops. One of my first classes was with large cub scout group and we had a great time playing Oh Deer and Whats That Habitat?

His Action Partnership? For my community project I studied the impact of Campfire Debri and ways we could help reduce it. One example is Campfire Impacts and the chance of bringing into the park invasive threats from non native firewood. The large amount of ash and debris that are removed and collected weekly then stored onsite and this creates large piles.

My research including visiting the site where the ashes from the campsite are dumped and discovered decades of ashes in huge pile. My assessment was that if I could work with the Park Personnel the Sauratown Mountain friends groups and the volunteer camp hosts on the how to communicate to the parks guest ways to be more environmentally aware and offer alternatives such as a community fire circle and communicating not to burn nothing but local firewood. My idea/plan was to train Park Staff, Friends Group Members and Camp Hosts to deliver a presentation that would show some of the impacts and how to implement a program to educate the New Hikers and Campers on recreational and outdoor ethics. The efforts focused on reducing litter, campfire debris and trail erosion. My knowledge of the Leave No Trace principals was a great tool in communicating these challenges.
CONGRATULATIONS, GEORGE!

Cindy Lincoln

Raleigh, NC (Wake County)
What does she do? I spend most of my time working as a nature instructor at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center in Raleigh. I also do free-lance writing and landscape design/horticultural consulting.

Favorite part of earning her certification? Of course, it was great to travel to different parts of the state, visit EE centers that I had never been to and meet other educators. But, I really enjoyed getting all the resource materials and refer often to the many teaching guides, manuals, binders and notes that I collected during the certification process.

Certification experience that stands out for her? The Leopold Education Project workshop was one of my favorites. As part of our homework assignment for the course, I did one of the lessons with my 12 year old niece, Shelby, at a 100 year old family cabin in Northern Minnesota. The setting couldn’t have been more perfect for teaching one of Leopold’s land ethic lessons.

Her Community Partnership Project? I wrote and created training material for specific gardening tasks needed to maintain a typical community garden. The implementation and use of this training material will be carried out by my project partner, Interfaith Food Shuttle (IFFS) in their community garden program.
CONGRATULATIONS, CINDY!

Katie Kovach

Durham, NC (Durham County)
What does she do? I am a Laboratory Manager for a plant evolutionary ecology laboratory in the Biology Department at Duke University. I mentor undergraduate and high school students, and manage many of the day to day activities in our lab. I am also an informal educator in Durham county with community gardens and local non-profit groups.

Favorite part of earning her certification? My favorite part of the certification was meeting people from other backgrounds and teaching experiences. It was fascinating and encouraging to be able to connect with many people from different occupations, counties, even states. I made valuable friendships and professional acquaintances through the workshops I took for this certification.

Certification experience that stands out? I loved having a extra motivation to explore North Carolina and get outside of the Piedmont where I spend most of my time. I made it out to Mt. Mitchell as part of my certification, and I wish I had had a week to spend up there!

Her Action Partnership? I put together an online field guide for the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association in Durham county North Carolina. That guide can be found here:  http://fieldguides.eol.org/fieldguide-view.php?guidekey=249 My objectives for the field guide were: 1. To have a user friendly and field friendly version of the species lists that are currently available on the ECWA website. 2. To have an online interface where people involved with ECWA can update the species list and get detailed information on species they are interested in. I used the category designations from the ECWA website, so that it would be applicable to land management activities. When people print and save copies of the guide in pdf form, they can specify which species from the guide they wish to include. I have also made myself available to the group for an introduction on how to use the guide.

Congratulations, Katie!

Andrea Walter

Columbus, NC (Polk County)
What does she do? I am a 5th grade teacher at Polk Central Elementary School.
Favorite part of earning her certification? My favorite part was attending the Earth Partnership for Schools program at the N.C. Botanical Garden with three colleagues from my school.
Certification experience that stands out? Watching baby turtles emerge and go into the ocean.
Her Action Partnership? My action partnership was to create a nature trail for our elementary school. I have learned so much as the project continued to evolve and new challenges presented themselves.
CONGRATULATIONS, Andrea!

*Photo above: Andrea is front of a brush pile after removing the dead and dying trees from the trail. Photo to the right is of the flip-top bench tables that she put in the first phase of the trail project.

Kim Shuping

Granite Quarry, NC (Rowan County)
What does she do? Kim is a 6th Grade teacher at Erwin Middle School.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Kim especially enjoyed the outdoor learning experiences and awesome staff of the six Pisgah Forest Institute workshops that she attended at Brevard College. She appreciated the outstanding leadership roles of Kevin Fischer and Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert, and the amazing van driver, Ms. Doris.
Certification experience that stands out? One of her many favorite outdoor experiences was the PFI Forest Ecology Workshop. The forest hikes were educational, breathtaking, adventurous, and fun – a common description of all her PFI workshops!
Her Action Partnership? Kim's Action Partnership was to restore a nature trail at a local elementary school. This project consisted of clearing an existing trail, improving bridges and creating an outdoor classroom with the installation of an observation deck and benches. A special thanks to the United Way, local Girl Scouts and family and friends for the success and completion of this outdoor classroom setting.
CONGRATULATIONS, Kim!

Darcia Harris

Asheville, NC (Buncombe County)
What does she do? Dacia works as a full-time environmental educator at Asheville High School and as a part-time science adjunct at both Shaw University Asheville CAPE and ABTech Community College.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Darcia's favorite part of the EE experience was getting a chance to learn more about the state and meet other formal and nonformal educators across North Carolina. The diversity as you move from West to East is amazing, and she enjoyed experiencing every bit of it.
Certification experience that stands out? Darcia's favorite outdoor experience was by far the Marine Mammal Institute through the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher and N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. Folks from all across North Carolina were together studying the effects of climate change on marine mammals by heading out and getting our hands wet and dirty. The camaraderie led this to be one of the greatest experiences of her life.
Her Action Partnership? As a part of her action partnership, Darcia was able to have the museum bring research to herstudents who had never had a chance to partake in a museum-based learning experience. Her students then took that experience, expounded on it and shared it with the public during an open house event and a community display at The Health Adventure in downtown Asheville. It was above and beyond an AWESOME experience!
CONGRATULATIONS, DACIA!

Susan Parker

Ahoskie, NC (Hertford County)
What does she do? Susan is a second grade teacher at Buckland Elementary School.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Susan enjoyed discovering the natural beauty of our state, and being proud that North Carolinians offer such knowledgeable, dedicated training in the field.
Certification experience that stands out? "The best outdoor experience was spending time in the mountains during the Pisgah Mountain Institute. We don't even have hills where I live, so the views, the forests, the streams were like heaven to me."

Her Action Partnership? For Susan's Action Partnership she completed an outdoor classroom for her school which includes a tracking station, butterfly garden, trails and bridges, a pond, and a weather/outdoor calendar center. She partnered with Ranger Jane from Merchants Millpond State Park to guide every student in her class to become certified junior rangers this year. They plan to repeat the process every year.
CONGRATULATIONS, SUSAN!

Reama Pearson

(Burke County)
What does she do? Reama is a Seasonal Interpretive Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Favorite part of earning her certification? Reama enjoyed visiting and learning about other regions in the state. The workshops she attended offered a wealth of knowledge, social networking and hands on experiences.
Certification experience that stands out? "It was actually the first workshop I attended on the coast at Shackleford Banks Island. I got to see the wild horses, study marine animals, spot dolphins swimming alongside the boat and fish from the deck. It was wonderful!"
Her Action Partnership? For Reama's Action Partnership she helped a special needs group home with MR clients to implement "Go Green" changes in their facility by setting up recycling bins.
CONGRATULATIONS, REAMA!

Christina Livingstone

Durham, NC (Durham County)
What does she do? Christina teaches Language Arts at Brogden Middle School
Favorite part of earning her certification? Christing enjoyed visiting all the different locations for her site visits.
Certification experience that stands out? "I threw my tent and sleeping bag in the back of my car and spent a few weeks over the summer traveling from one wonderful state park to another, hiking and kayaking and falling asleep to the sound of frogs."
Her Action Partnership? For Christina's Action Partnership she created visual instructional support for a bilingual NC Catch Workshop and is looking forward to taking a group of students fishing.

CONGRATULATIONS, CHRISTINA!

Barb Smelser

Charlotte, NC (Mecklenburg County)
What does she do? Barb is a volunteer preschool educator at Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary
Favorite part of earning her certification? Barb enjoyed traveling to different parks across the state.

Certification experience that stands out? "I enjoyed many great outdoor learning experiences, so picking just one is difficult. That said, the Forest Ecology Workshop at the Pisgah Forest Institute was a most wonderful and memorable experience."
Her Action Partnership? For Barb's Action Partnership she created a storm drain education and marketing project in her 210 home Charlotte development. The project was called, "Only RAIN Goes Down the Storm Drain."
CONGRATULATIONS, BARB!

Sharon Malone

Raleigh, NC (Wake County)
What does she do? Sharon is a full time student at NC A&T University
Favorite part of earning her certification? Sharon enjoyed traveling across NC to visit many counties that she never would have visited. She had the privilege to go to workshops from the Outerbanks to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Certification experience that stands out? "My favorite outdoor experience was at a PLT workshop where we learned the parts of a tree. I received my degree in Landscape Gardening and this was an experience that truly made the information real and easier to remember."
Her Action Partnership? For Sharon's Action Partnership she used her skills from her degree in Landscape Gardening to design and implement a vegetable and flower garden at a local Homeless Women’s shelter.
CONGRATULATIONS, SHARON!

Jessica Gilmore

Salisbury, NC (Rowan County)
What does she do? Jessica is a senior in Environmental Studies Major at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC
Favorite part of earning her certification? Jessica enjoyed meeting and connecting with educators from North and South Carolina—some outdoor educators and some traditional—makes for a great learning environment
Certification experience that stands out? The Partnership component of certification was a great experience. It helped me hone some interpersonal skills and it led to experience writing grant proposals and planning events.
Her Action Partnership? For Jessica's Action Partnership she developed a new EE program—TREK (Targeting Recreation and Environmental Knowledge) In October of 2009, she approached both the Center for the Environment and Horizon’s Unlimited in Salisbury to partner in creating an outreach project to use on the Center’s preserve to promote local Citizen Science. She researched materials, cost, and potential target audiences as well as created a logo for the project. She wrote, and was awarded, two grant proposals to fund the creation of nine TREK backpacks: three outfitted for bird watching, three outfitted for insect observation, and three outfitted for the study of trees and plants. have also helped develop a plan for participants to use the packs—including a check out and evaluation system—and organized an event in April to promote pack use.
CONGRATULATIONS, JESSICA!

Chris Cabral

Winterville, NC (Pitt County)
What does he do? - Chris is a Park Ranger at Goose Creek State Park, Washington, NC
Favorite part of earning his certification? Chris enjoyed traveling to the different locations throughout the state for EELE’s and outdoor experience’s.
Certification experience that stands out? "Although I’m not the greatest kayaker," says Chris, "I’d have to say the Kayak Leader Training at Singletary Lake and Lumber River was a very hands on, educational experience."

His Action Partnership? For his Action Partnership, Chris, along with two superb master gardeners from Beaufort County, help from the NC Agricultural Extension, the park staff and numerous volunteers, created a beautiful native butterfly garden near the visitor center parking lot of Goose Creek State Park. This laborious task involved completely removing an overgrown existing garden including pine trees and other shrubs. The 1700 sq.ft garden was then tilled and the soil was prepared for planting. "Donations of native plants from local gardeners and businesses really made this garden a special project," says Chris. Another neat feature was the placement of 25 tree cookies used as a trail through the garden. An outline of a butterfly was engraved into each cookie. "This required lots of skilled volunteer labor and gave the garden a personal touch."
CONGRATULATIONS, CHRIS!

Adam DeWitte

Brevard, NC (Transylvania County)
What does he do? Adam is the Director of Education for the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association.
Favorite part of earning his certification? "My favorite part of earning the certification was playing outside," says Adam.
Certification experience that stands out? Adam's favorite outdoor experience was kayaking down a small confluence off the Congaree River and paddling right through the Congaree Swamp National Monument. "We spent all day birdwatching, swimming and photographing wildlife," he recalls.
His Action Partnership? For his Action Partnership, Adam designed and built a sensory trail with the Autism Society of NC to help teach children with autism about the natural world.
CONGRATULATIONS, ADAM!

Kim Aichele

Huntersville, NC (Mecklenburg County)
What does she do? Kim is a 4th/5th grade science teacher at Children's Community School in Davidson, NC.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Kim enjoyed attending workshops with other educators, specifically the neotropical migratory bird class at Reedy Creek nature center. She is an avid birder and loves the challenge of identifying birds.


Certification experience that stands out? Kim's favorite outdoor experience was visiting Cowans Ford National Wildlife Refuge as part of a Museum of Natural Sciences grant program. "We identified birds, frogs, and found salamanders and eggs as well as many macro invertebrates," says Kim. "We also identified many programs our students could be involved in at Latta."
Her Action Partnership? Kim's project involved labeling storm drains and educating her neighborhood as to the importance of keeping everything out of the storm drains except rainwater.
CONGRATULATIONS, KIM!

Matt Mutel

Burnsville, NC (Yancey County)
What does he do? Matt works at Mount Mitchell State Park as a lead resource management ranger. He is also an active member of the Children and Nature Network in which he works to recruit youth to get children outside through the Natural Leaders Network.

Favorite part of earning his certification? Matt says that while completing the Certification program, he really enjoyed networking with fellow educators at all of the workshops. "We all learned so much from each other and have become good friends in many cases," says Matt.
Certification experience that stands out? Something that stood out to Matt were the many outdoor activities during the certification program, including the numerous lessons that he taught during Take A Child Outside Week.
His Action Partnership? Matt's Action Parnership started as a day-long trail building project with the Outdoors program at UNC - Asheville. This partnership has lived on and will result in a full day of tree planting this year!
CONGRATULATIONS, MATT!

Christel Walter

Mill Spring, NC (Polk County)
What does she do? Besides working on her EE Certification, Christel recently graduated from the Biltmore Forest School (Woodland Steward Series, Summer 2009) and is a master gardener. Her woodland is under the Forest Stewardship Program, an incentive program aimed at keeping native vegetation thriving and aliens at bay. Christel is also a volunteer with the Pacolet Area Conservancy (a land trust) and chair of its education committee. This group brings programs and creates opportunities to teach environmental awareness and conservation values to school children and youth groups.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Christel liked that the Certification Program reinforced the values she grew up with in her native Germany. "Knowing that there are many like-minded individuals who are concerned about the natural world and our place in it," says Christel. "The young people I have met and their commitment to make this world a place where all can live in harmony especially impressed me."
Certification experience that stands out? What stands out to Christel was attending the EENC Conference "Renewing a Sense of Wonder" and being in the Long Leaf Pine Forest at Fort Bragg. "The seedlings I received are doing well here in the foothills of Western NC. They are a reminder of the importance of stewardship as we try to preserve what is left of our diverse flora and fauna," she says.
Her Action Partnership? Christel laid out a system of trails and supervised a chain saw gang as they built a hiking trail on an 85-acre tract of land protected by the Pacolet Area Conservancy. This trail has just been included in the guide for the NC Birding Trail - Mountain Region!
CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTEL!

Rich Bowerman

Hendersonville, NC (Henderson County)
What does he do? Rich works at the Mountain Trail Outdoor School located in the mountains of western North Carolina. He just completed his sixth season (third year) as the Program Coordinator and Instructor at MTOS and loves it! "As I am fond of telling people," says Rich, "I spend all day, every day outside teaching middle school (mostly) students environmental science and outdoor adventure."
Favorite part of earning his certification? Rich's favorite part of earning his certification was attending two, week-long workshops: Earth & Environmental Science for Middle/High School Educators through the Pisgah Forest Institute and Investigating Your Environment through the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources. He found both of these workshops to be extremely well-supported; offer first-rate instruction; and facilitate wonderful networking opportunities. "Mostly," says Rich, "they are just plain fun!"
Certification experience that stands out? Rich's favorite outdoor experience while earning his certification came at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education during a stream water quality sampling. "We caught a very large hellbender salamander and that threw our lesson plan out the window as we all struggled to land and examine the beast! This was a true “teachable moment” just like it happens with students. Great to be stomping around a stream on a summer afternoon looking at slimy creatures!"
His Action Partnership? For his action partnership, Rich developed a tree identification dichotomous key for the North Carolina Museum of Forestry in Whiteville and for Halyburton Park in Wilmington, North Carolina.
CONGRATULATIONS, RICH!

Sandy Riddle Bisdee

Durham, NC (Durham County)
What does she do? Sandy works for the Center for Education, Imagination and the Natural World where she serves as the Director for Children's Programs, the College Intern Coordinator and Organic Gardener.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Sandy's favorite part of earning her certification was the Environmental Education Learning Experiences (EELEs) offered by the State Parks.
Certification experience that stands out? "I enjoyed seeing the lovely, ribbon-like leeches, five inches long, in the headwaters of the Haw River," says Sandy.
Her Action Partnership? Sandy led a creek and trail restoration in the New Hope Creek Preserve.
CONGRATULATIONS, SANDY!

Sunmi Lee

Daejeon Metropolitan City, South Korea
What does she do? Sunmi works for the Korea Forest Service.
Favorite part of earning her certification? While earning her certification, Sunmi enjoyed getting to attend diverse workshops offered by different environmental education centers.
Certification experience that stands out? Sunmi says that what really stood out to her was attending so many state parks and discovering how different each one was from the next. "Each park has wonderful natural resources and unique programs," says Sunmi. "It was a surprise!"
Her Action Partnership? Sunmi worked with Jesse Perry from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences to install plant identification signs at the garden of the Korean Baptist Church in Raleigh.
CONGRATULATIONS, SUNMI!

Victoria Fields

High Point, NC (Davidson County)
What does she do? Victoria works as the Marina Operator for the City of High Point Parks and Recreation Department at Oak Hollow Lake. She is also am the Coordinator for the High Point Parks and Recreation Youth Education Program.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Victoria enjoyed visiting and learning about natural areas and parks systems across the state. "I have been inspired by teachers and students alike," says Victoria. "Their enthusiasm is contagious. It has renewed my love for the natural world and it has taught me that we all have a responsibility for its care and preservation."
Certification experience that stands out? Victoria's favorite outdoor experience was the Nocturnal Workshop held at Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center. She got quite a thrill being out in the wild at night, sighting, listening, tracking and even capturing a few photos of animals. "Being part of this magical and sometimes scary world was an experience that I will never forget," she says.
Her Action Partnership? She partnered with other groups to erect a Dog Waste Station at the City’s Oak Hollow Campground along with educational signs and cards about the importance of protecting the City’s Drinking Water. She hopes to expand the Dog Waste Stations to all park areas around the lake.
CONGRATULATIONS, VICTORIA!

Sarah Phillips

Beaufort, NC (Carteret County)
What does she do? Sarah is a Coastal Outreach Specialist with the North Carolina Coastal Federation.
Favorite part of earning her certification? While earning her EE Certification, Sarah enjoyed meeting and talking with other NC educators that have similar goals regarding the environment. "Many educators working on their EE certification are really trying to get students and adults to love the environment as much as they do!"
Certification experience that stands out? Sarah's favorite outdoor experience was the Leopold Education Project in Greensboro. She enjoys the creative side of education and really liked learning to appreciate the environment in non-formal ways.
Her Action Partnership? She organized and led two youth groups to create oyster shell bags that were placed along an island's eroding shoreline in the White Oak River in Carteret County. These oyster shells provide habitat for native oysters in the river and also protect the island from erosion from storms and boat wake.
CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH!

Staci Clark

Kannapolis, NC (Cabarrus County)
What does she do? Staci is an Environmental Educator with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.
Favorite part of earning her certification? She enjoyed cooperating with Central Piedmont Community College as a partner organization to make a visual difference in the nature preserve.

Certification experience that stands out? Backpacking through the Pisgah National Forest
Her Action Partnership? Staci's project was to cooridinate and create a graphic design for a nature center logo, interpretive signs, light post banners, and exhibit signs to enhance information available for nature center guests.
CONGRATULATIONS, STACI!!!

John Sutton

Hickory, NC (Catawba County)
What does he do? John Sutton is the primary park ranger at Bakers Mountain Park for Catawba County Parks where his duties allow him to lead guided interpretive walks, host a variety of educational workshops and participate in outreach programs in schools and with special interest groups.


Favorite part of earning his certification? John's favorite part of earning his EE certification was the advanced dragonfly workshop with Scott Hartley and the avian point counts and community hikes with Tim Johnson and Alan Rogers of South Mountains State Park. John found the most valuable and useful part of his certification experience to be the plethora of activities available through PLT and Project Wild.
His Action Partnership? John's action partnership was to work with scouts and citizens to construct an interpretive trail system with signs and a kiosk as well as to remove invasive species and replace them with native species. He also created wildlife feeding stations for birds, butterflies and mammals. John attempted to place some of the stations and signs on the ADA trail. Even though his work is completed for my certification, John says that his action partnership project will continue to grow with the help of eagle scouts and hopefully with others that will set the goal for achieving their EE certification.
CONGRATULATIONS JOHN!!!

Katie Bender

Salisbury, NC (Rowan County)
What does she do? Katie just graduated from Catawba College and is currently job searching.
Favorite part of earning her certification? One of Katie's favorite things about earning her certificate was meeting new people and learning about what they do as well as learning new things with familiar friends. Fulfilling the various requirements also allowed her to learn many things about the people and places in North Carolina.
Her Action Partnership? Katie carried out her Action Partnership in conjunction with the Land Trust for Central North Carolina where she updated their display to better communicate information, accomplishments, and events to others.
CONGRATULATIONS, KATIE!!!

Charlotte Fletcher

Charlotte, NC (Mecklenberg County)
What does she do? Charlotte is an Instructional Assistant at Park Road Montessori, a public elementary school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system. She teaches a mixed 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade class. Her responsibilities include leading a small group of students each day in a "green hour." This often means taking a nature walk along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which is connected to the school property, or working in the classroom garden.

Favorite part of earning her certification? Her favorite part of working on her Environmental Education Certification was learning so many things she could use during these "green hours" and getting to know the wonderful natural resources of her city that, despite being a Charlotte native, she'd never experienced.
Her Action Partnership? Charlotte's Action Partnership included working with volunteers to develop hiking trails, remove invasive plants, label plants, make a map and put up signage for RibbonWalk Nature Preserve, a 155-acre urban forest located 4 miles from Charlotte's Center City.
CONGRATULATIONS CHARLOTTE!!!

Pamela Bowman

Statesville, NC (Iredell County)
What does she do? Pamela is a teacher at North Iredell High School. She primarily teaches biology.
Favorite part of earning her certification? Her favorite part of earning her EE Certification was the Becoming an Outdoor Woman workshop that was offered by the Wildlife Resources Commission. "I love to camp," says Pamela, "and that workshop provided me with so many more skills to make camping more enjoyable."
Her Action Partnership? Pamela's Action Partnership involved designing and placing interpretive signs in Riverbend Park (Catawba County). The signs are meant to educate the public about invasive species and the park's forest restoration project.
CONGRATULATIONS PAMELA!!!

Daniel Schewlakow

Raleigh, NC (Wake County)

What does he do: Daniel is a Park Ranger at William B. Umstead State Park.

Favorite part of earning his certification: His favorite park of earning his EE certification was traveling to all of the different areas of the state where trainings were held and meeting lots of other environmental educators.

His Action Partnership: For his action partnership, Daniel built and renovated a picnic area so that people would have a place to enjoy the outdoors.
CONGRATULATIONS, DANIEL!

Michelle Glass

Teachey, NC (Duplin County)

What does she do? Michelle teaches fourth grade at Richlands Elementary School in Onlow County.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Her favorite part of earning her EE Certification has been the hands-on workshops and getting to know others who share her passion for the environment.

Her Action Partnership: Michelle started a recycling program at her school as her Action Partnership. She and her students work hard every day to ensure that recycleable materials are not thrown in the trash!

CONGRATULATIONS, MICHELLE!

Whitney Sorge

Oxford, NC (Granville County)

What does she do? Whitney works as a State Park Ranger at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in Henderson, NC.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Her favorite part of earning her EE certification was building a chimney swift tower for her action partnership. She really enjoyed working with the staff at Hemlock Bluffs and learned a lot of construction techniques. She also says that it was fun working with the high school students who were taking an AP environmental science class.

Certification experience that stands out: Whitney's chimney swift tower stands out! It was constructed out of cedar and stands about 11 feet tall. She's hoping that Hemlock Bluffs sees chimney swifts nesting in the coming year.

CONGRATULATIONS, WHITNEY!

Kristen Brigner

Raleigh, NC (Wake County)

What does she do? Kristen is a Park Ranger at William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC in Wake County.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Her favorite part of earning her EE Certificate was getting to visit other State Parks in NC and participating in various outdoor activities.

Certification experience that stands out: Kristen's favorite outdoor experience during the certification process was going out to Bear Island at Hammocks Beach State Park during the sea turtle nesting period, even though she did not get to see any actually hatch.

Her Action Partnership: Kristen's project was with Duke University's Nicholas School of Environmental Studies Master's program. She and other volunteers renovated a cultural cemetary on a newly acquired piece of park property. The volunteers cleaned up the site and built a split rail fence around the cemetary.

CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTEN!

Nicolette Cagle

Durham, NC (Durham County)

What does she do? Nicki is earning her Ph.D. in Ecology at Duke University.
She has spent the last four years studying the snakes of the tallgrass prairie in Illinois, and loves sharing her research with middle and high school classes.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Nicki really enjoyed meeting other enthusiastic environmental educators and exploring North Carolina’s diverse natural areas.

Certification experience that stands out: One of her favorite outdoor experiences while earning her certification was taking an interpretive boat cruise through the pristine salt marshes of Capers Island, South Carolina. Pulling fascinating sea creatures from the marsh with sampling nets, and eating raw oysters, was a big thrill!

Her Action Partnership: Nicki, along with a crew of hardworking volunteers, designed and constructed a footbridge for a new trail at Occoneechee Mountain State Park.

CONGRATULATIONS, NICKI!

Andrea Talley

Wilmington, NC (New Hanover County)

What does she do? Andrea heads up the Adventure Pathways program for the City of Wilmington. She plans and leads outdoor recreation programs, such as canoeing, kayaking, backpacking and day-hiking.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Meeting and building relationships with other environmental educators in North Carolina, as well as visiting different State Parks and parts of the state.

Certification experience that stands out: Andrea enjoyed and learned a lot from the Amphibian Days and Nights Workshop taught by Mike Dunn with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Trudging through wetlands, finding tadpoles, frogs, newts, and salamanders, and observing their night-time mating habits was an experience to remember!

Her Action Partnership: Andrea partnered with local Girl Scouts working on their silver award to design and build a carnivorous plant garden in Halyburton Park. The bog showcases some of the plants that would normally flourish in a fire-sustained ecosystem.

CONGRATULATIONS, ANDREA!

Betty Anderson

Cary, NC (Wake County)

What does she do? Betty works at William B. Umstead State Park, Raleigh, NC as an Office Assistant at the Visitor Center. She takes care of reservations for park facilities (shelters, group camps, auditorium, classroom, park educational programs). A big portion of her time is spent talking to park visitors, especially on the weekends (her days off are during the week) answering questions about the park trails, cultural history, and identifying flora and fauna that they have observed in the park.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Betty enjoyed observing and learning from so many knowledgeable educators in various areas of North Carolina and their willingness to share their expertise not only in workshops, but also by phone or email and meeting other individuals who share her enthusiasm for the wonderful diversity of nature in our state.

Certification experience that stands out: The two-day workshop, “Wonders of Wetlands” at Howell Woods. The presenters knew their subject and had a good balance of indoor and outdoor activities on site and off site including hikes, canoeing and visiting a planned wetland.

Her Action Partnership: Renovating Camp Craggy, a boy scout camp built in 1923, in William B. Umstead State Park. This included removing debris, clearing the council ring area and hiking path to the site, and placing a plaque with the history of the camp at the stone steps leading to the council ring. Park programs with a hike to the site and history of the camp will be presented for the public on a regular basis.

CONGRATULATIONS, BETTY!

Sandra Payne Fambrough

Washington, NC (Beaufort County)

What does she do? Sandra is a park ranger at Goose Creek State Park.

Favorite part of earning her certification: She most enjoyed the diversity of the learning experiences and meeting various people with common interests and goals. Sandra adds that "the Environmental Education Certification experience is one that has enhanced my personal knowledge and has strengthened my professional skills as an environmental educator."

Certification experience that stands out: In reflecting on the many workshops, the Aquatic Wild program at Blue Jay Point really stands out to Sandra because of the variety of hands-on activities.

Her Action Partnership: For her Action Partnership, Sandra credits her many partnering teams in blazing a new trail that now connects all of the previously existing trails at Goose Creek State Park.

CONGRATULATIONS, SANDRA!

Gary Gilliam

High Point, NC (Guilford County)

What does he do? Gary is the Marina Manager at High Point City Lake Park. He is also the Program Manager for H.P. Parks and Recreation’s Youth Education Program.

Favorite part of earning his certification: Gary says that one of the best parts of earning his EE Certification has been meeting the great people who teach the classes and networking with the participants.

Certification experience that stands out: When Gary decided to do the homework assignment for a N.C. CATCH class, he ended up creating a Teach-A-Kid-To-Fish Day based on the activities provided at his Park. The response was overwhelming and he ended up doing two that Spring. "The smiles on the faces of the kids and their parents made all of the time, effort and expense of earning my EE Certification worthwhile." says Gary. His park now does two of these events annually and has added many more nature/environmental education programs, but the sense of accomplishment and of filling a need for young people and of seeing them learn while enjoying the outdoors has sustained Gary's efforts since that first day.

His Action Partnership: There was an area behind the Park Marina where little would grow and that had become an eyesore, so for his Action Partnership, Gary enlisted help from the local Wild Birds Unlimited, local butterfly and bird societies and Parks Maintenance to plant a beautiful and educational butterfly/hummingbird garden.

CONGRATULATIONS, GARY!

Emma Thomas

Yorktown, VA (York County)
(Originally from Durham, NC)

What does she do? Emma works at an environmental consulting firm called EEI (Engineering & Environment, Inc.) in Fort Eustis, VA. Her title is “Environmental Management Systems Coordinator” and she helps train and inform people on the army base (as well as Langley Air Force Base and the naval base in Norfolk, VA) about ISO 14001, which is an international standard for the environment. They are in the process of implementing a greening initiative by encouraging personnel on base to reduce water usage, plant native plants, and recycle furniture and electronic equipment. Since she only work 4 days a week, she also volunteers in the education department at Nauticus Aquarium in the National Maritime Center in Norfolk, VA.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Her favorite part of earning the EE Certification was learning a TON of fun new activities to do with people of all ages and exchanging ideas with other people in the program.

Certification experience that stands out: One of her favorite outdoor experiences while earning the certification was taking a Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation course that traveled to Trinidad! The group tagged and measured nesting leatherback sea turtle mothers and even found hatchlings!

Her Action Partnership: For her Action Partnership, Emma helped install a trap to collect fouling community organisms at the Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC and created a lesson and fact cards about some of the organisms in the local area.

CONGRATULATIONS, EMMA!

Jonathan Marchal

Asheville, NC (Buncombe County)

What does he do? Jonathan works as the Youth Programs Coordinator at the North Carolina Arboretum. He plans, coordinates and implements the Arboretum's youth programs including a 10-week Summer Day Camp and 11 on-site field trips for school groups on topics such as woodland and aquatic ecology, wildlife management, botany, environmental stewardship and wilderness skills.

Favorite part of earning his certification: His favorite part of earning his certification was getting a chance to meet other individuals in the field and getting to know the resources available to environmental educators.

Certification experience that stands out: Jonathan would have to say that his favorite outdoor experience while earning the EE certification was during Project Aquatic WILD which he took at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. After reviewing the curriculum the group headed to the creek to do some macroinvertebrate studies and also found a hellbender. "What a great end to a very useful workshop," says Jonathan.

His Action Partnership: He created a tree identification trail for North Cove Elementary in McDowell County.

CONGRATULATIONS, JONATHAN!

Susan Ashley

Nebo, NC (McDowell County)

What does she do? Susan is employed at Lake James State Park as the lead Interpretive and Educational Ranger.

Favorite part of earning her certification: Susan found earning her EE Certification to be an enriching experience. She was able to meet old and make new acquaintances within the park system as well as professionals from other agencies across the state, many with whom she still corresponds. This training
also allowed her to visit various parks, obtain valuable educational information and gain a greater scope of divisional operations, all of which she found particularly rewarding.



Certification experience that stands out: Her most memorable experience during the training was attending the Primer at Carolina Beach. In one week she learned so much about the coastal area's plants and animals as well as wetland conservation. She also enjoyed assisting in presenting the Lake James EELE.

Her Action Partnership: Susan worked with the local Order of the Arrow honor group with Boy Scouts of America. They constructed several sturdy and beautiful benches along the lake shore for elderly and handicapped individuals to use. Susan says, "by enhancing our knowledge and meshing it with established ideals, we as new Environmental Educators will be able to continue to successfully communicate the State Parks' commitment to conserving North Carolina's natural resources."

CONGRATULATIONS, SUSAN!

Jayme Bednarczyk

Wake Forest, NC (Wake County)

What does she do? Nonformal educator, volunteers with Wake County Master Gardeners and the JC Raulston Arboretum, works with 4-H camps ages 5-12, the Speakers Bureau and creates plant databases for WaterWise gardens and rain gardens.

Favorite Part of earning her certification: Being given the tools and confidence to easily work with children of all ages and meeting amazing educators.

Certification experience that stands out: The Project Design and Evaluation workshop offered by NOAA and working with hummingbirds at Weymouth Woods.

Her Action Partnership: Developed a "community awareness rain garden" to be used as an outdoor classroom for community residents, teachers and students. The garden is centrally located and wheelchair accessible. Jayme partnered with the Town of Wake Forest, Master Gardener Volunteers, Boy Scout Den 885 and the Wake Forest Garden Club. The photo above shows Jayme (in red) leading an interactive water quality game for the Scouts and their parents. The Scouts earned their Conservation Badges through this project.

CONGRATULATIONS, JAYME!

Michael Crouse

Millers Creek, NC (Wilkes County)

What does he do? Educational Ranger at Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest. Teaches pre-K through college students from area schools as well as adults.

Favorite part of earning his certification: Visiting all of the EE sites that the program has you explore.

Certification experience that stands out: The IYE's conducted by the NC Forest Service. They are so interesting and hands on with various after hours extras. They are really worth a lot to the program.



His Action Partnership: Applied for a Lowes Hardware Grant for Outdoor Classrooms and received $35,000 for implementing five classrooms which were constructed at Rendexvous Mountain Educational State Forest.

CONGRATULATIONS, MICHAEL!

Ann Walter-Fromson, Ph.D.

Greensboro, NC (Guilford County)

What does she do? Psychology professor at Greensboro College

Favorite part of earning her certification: Visiting state parks for the EELEs

Favorite outdoor experience while earning her certification: Hunting for salamander and frog eggs and larvae as part of the Amphibian Days and Nights workshop that was sponsored by the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and taught by Mike Dunn.

Her Action Partnership: Ann coordinated the design and development of 5 fiberglass-embedded interactive interpretive trail signs focused on Piedmont forest communities for the Evergreen Trail at Price Park in Greensboro.

CONGRATULATIONS, ANN!