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!
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