Tracey Ritchie

What do you do?
I am a doctoral student working with Dr. Martha Monroe at the University of Florida. My research focuses on systems thinking in environmental education. I hope that my research will be beneficial to the field of EE to help improve student understanding of complex environmental issues. When not drowning in school work I like to come back to NC as often and I can to visit with friends and my nephew.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
There were so many pieces of this program that I really enjoyed! The workshops were a great way to meet and share ideas with so many environmental educators throughout the state. I also really liked the community action project because I chose to do something completely unrelated to what I do in my everyday job. It gave me the chance to work with a new audience and explore a different side of EE!

What certification experience stands out for you?
I really enjoyed visiting all the different EE centers from the mountains to the coast. NC is such a beautiful state with so many natural wonders. I had just moved to the state when I enrolled in the program and the site visits were a great excuse to get out and explore what NC had to offer! One of my favorite memories was finding spotted salamanders at Agape.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?
I worked with Baby Gator, the daycare center on the UF campus, to help them incorporate EE lessons into their healthy living program. I facilitated lessons at the center and also created a resource guide to help them establish a gardening program and outdoor lessons for their new natural playscape area. The teachers were very receptive to learn how to better incorporate their outside spaces into their lessons, they just didn't know where to start. The students were also very excited to go outside, explore and expand their creativity!

Ben Marchman

What do you do? 
I have been working in the environmental education field for about six years now and currently I work part-time as an instructor at Muddy Sneakers in Brevard NC. I also do contract work for the Nature Conservancy designing environmental assessments/inventories and stream mitigation practices for private landowners, as well for public lands and National Forests. My hobbies include mountain biking, reading and nature sketching, trail running, bird watching, exploring, fly fishing, rock climbing, and backpacking with my wife and dog Thula.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
I really enjoyed the conferences and workshops. I felt that networking at these events and learning different teaching practices at the workshops enabled me to network with other employees who have the same interests in my field.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
I loved the Aldo Leopold Workshop. His views and ideas have always been an constant reminder of how to be a "real conservationist" for me. I also could relate more to the workshop because my current thesis in grad school is focused on place- based education and Aldo Leopold drew in many place-based environmental practices and teachings in his writings as well.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I designed a 24 hour Bio-Blitz, an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, for Chimney Rock State Park. This allowed the community to be invited to participate in data collecting as well as learning alongside Chimney Rock State Park staff and members/volunteers of local conservation organizations (including Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, and even a retired photographer from National Geographic!!!). After the study the participants were handed data sheets and directions of Bio-Blitz "How to dos" in the hopes that they would go home and do their own studies in their own backyards, local parks, or even school yards.

Kaitlyn Hopkins

What do you do? 
I teach second grade at an elementary school in Randolph County. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and traveling.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
I really enjoyed being in the out of doors and learning ways to get students outside and learning.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
My experience in Peru was very eye opening to me and a life experience I will never forget!

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? For my community partnership, my group and I installed a weather station at the elementary school where we were student teaching. We taught the students and staff how to use the weather instruments we installed and how to collect data.

Kellie Lewis

What do you do?
I develop, schedule and teach environmental education programs to school groups, Pre-K through college. I teach public environmental programs, including Boy and Girl Scouts. I organize public events and maintain the living collection. I do outreach programs for schools and public. I serve on several boards and community organizations. With my few hours of free time I like to throw the ball with my dog, Nellie. We love to travel. Although I haven't had time to do much, I enjoy SCUBA diving, skiing, reading and cooking.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
I love the outdoor programs (Criteria II). I enjoyed them so much, that I didn't realize I could get EE credits for it. I loved participating in fun activities that I didn't have to schedule and lead! I also live in an area where there aren't many environmental educators, this program introduced me to lots of folks that I would have never met otherwise.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
I really enjoyed the Leopold Education Project. As an educator you struggle with the Two Hats. There is a balance between what is environmentally beneficial and what humans need to survive. Aldo Leopold really had a grasp of this concept, rather than pushing an extreme view. I had a lot of aha moments in this program.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I developed a small pocket park with signage and an amphitheater. I have seen more people coming to the space. It's also a great teaching space. The next part of the project is going to be promoting the space by possibly bringing in musicians or speakers to utilize the amphitheater and promoting the space as a great place to eat lunch and walk your dog, or just hang out for a while.

Luke Appling

What do you do?
Park Ranger as profession Spare time: hiking, fishing, reading, gardening, beekeeping, brewer, cooking and being a dad.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
I really enjoyed the aquatic classes.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
The wide array of people and professions enrolled in the EE certification.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I created an annual art contest with the local high school using themes from Grandfather Mountain State Park. This gave the students and their families an opportunity to explore public lands and enjoy the ecological gem in their backyards. Many had no idea that the State Park existed before the project.

Colleen Bowers

Colleen with George Townson, a regular park visitor and a dedicated volunteer 

What do you do?
I am a Park Ranger at Carvers Creek State Park and I am in charge of Interpretation & Education at the park.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
I have learned how great and dedicated my community is! It has been wonderful working with the community on this project. When I told them I had a deadline, they came out to help me as often as they could so I could meet my deadline!

What certification experience stands out for you? 
I really loved going to visit different parks and experiencing the different ecosystems.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I installed a pollinator garden at the park office. The community has already been coming to ask questions about it and why it is there and I have been able to teach them about the pollinators.

Erin Lineberger

What do I do? I am an AmeriCorps volunteer with the NC Arboretum where I work as a citizen science assistant. I also recently worked as an environmental educator doing field trips at the US National Whitewater center. At both places, being on track to receiving my certification was an impressive addition to my resume. I am also a graduate student in the Master's of Environmental Education program at Montreat College, where this certification counts as credits towards my degree. My hobbies include wilderness trips, paddling of all varieties, reading, and cooking.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? My favorite part of this certification was really the workshops. These gave me an opportunity to network with other environmental educators, but also gave me amazing curriculum to help me get started as an environmental educator.

What certification experience stands out for you? One of my favorite certification experiences was my dendrology lab at NC State University. We spent at least four hours a week outside learning to identify 180 North Carolina tree species. Classes like these that counted towards Criteria II really gave me the necessary foundation to being a knowledgeable educator.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? I partnered with the NC State Park Scholarship program (a year after graduating) to pilot an annual wilderness retreat. The retreat included five days of backpacking in Shenandoah National Park, and covered environmental education topics such as the origin of National Parks, current issues faced by National Parks, Leave No Trace principles, and outdoor skills. The retreat simultaneously served the community by contributing to several fundamental pillars of the Park program such as character development. The students reported experiencing a great degree of personal development due to team building, problem solving, contact with nature, and reflection. The retreat also served the community by providing a context for scholars to bond across classes.

Michael T. Walker

Michael at Raven Rock State Park's new Kids in Parks track trail 

What do you do?
I am a park ranger at Raven Rock State Park in Harnett County. I have been working with North Carolina State Parks since 2012. I am the lead natural resource ranger as well as the volunteer coordinator for the park.



What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
My favorite part of earning my environmental education certification was meeting a wide range of educators from across the state and learning from them. I learned a lot from listening to other educators who have tried different ideas and we all shared experiences that can help one another reach more people through environmental education. Traveling around for different workshops and meeting the wide range of educators has taught me how to be a better environmental educator.

What certification experience stands out for you?
The certification experience that stands out for me has to be my community partnership project where we had a grand opening for our TRACK Trail. For the grand opening we had a great turnout and had great support from the community. A representative from Kids in Parks, along with the Friends of Raven Rock State Park and many park visitors were also in attendance. After a ribbon cutting ceremony, I took all of the kids on a hike using some of the materials for the TRACK Trail. I had a blast doing the hike with all of the energy from the kids in attendance and they were so excited to be there.

Tell us more about your community partnership project and how it affected the community? 

Kids in Parks Track Trail Hike

My community partnership project was working with Kids in Parks, which is an initiative funded through the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Through this partnership, we created a TRACK Trail sign and 4 different brochures that were to be used on the sign. The goal of the TRACK Trail is to get kids outdoors and active. Once kids finish the brochure, they log their hike in on the Kids in Parks website and receive a free prize in the mail. The TRACK Trail at Raven Rock State Park is just one of many across the state and the country. We opened the trail with a grand opening ceremony and an inaugural hike led by me.

Jane Fitzgerald

What do you do? 
I'm the Education Coordinator for Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District. It's my job to work with school groups and community members to help educate about the wise use of our natural resources.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
My favorite part of earning my certificate was being able to meet some really great people and traveling to regions of the state I don't normally get to visit.

What certification experience stands out for you?
Taking a trip to the coast for a workshop and exploring the dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park and touching the stingrays at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?
I created an educational summer camp for students who just finished 6th grade. Students are exposed to different topics like soils, alternative energy, aquatics, forestry and wildlife by getting hands on experiences outside. The camp has affected the community by helping to create environmentally aware citizens and allowing students to gain respect and to become sensitive to the natural world through greater knowledge of themselves and their environment.

Greg Lewis

What do you do?
At the moment I am on disability with severe arthritis in my lower back. I am a Natural Resources Consultant providing pro-bono natural resource and land management consulting. I have been invited to continue teaching where I completed my teaching credits and I am a volunteer at the Museum of Natural Sciences. I have just begun working with a non-profit organization that provides service learning opportunities for underserved and at-risk youth. I also attend EE workshops as often as possible and when I can. My main goal is to pass along the knowledge and skills acquired through natural resources schooling and EE workshops.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
Attending all of the great workshops and meeting people with the same interests and goals that I have.The multi-day workshops are by far the best as they allow you time to get to know others in the workshops and network with others in the EE program. Coastal Field Biology at Fort Caswell, Advanced Air Quality in Maggie Valley and Amped up Amphibians at New Bern and Cliffs of the Neuse are examples of the multi-day workshops that I enjoyed the most.Getting in the dirt, mud, water and hiking in the woods and mountains are the experiences I enjoyed the most. It is a great way to learn!

What certification experience stands out for you? 
The Coastal Field Biology workshop at Fort Caswell with Jenny Fuller was the best with Advanced Air Quality and Amped up Amphibians right behind.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
Rehabbing the Outdoor Classroom at Lead Mine Elementary School and creating a tree trail with tree ID. I also researched and provided the Common core and essential standards correlations for the teachers to use with PLT activities.

Jason Murvine

What do you do?
I am a state park ranger who does just about everything. We educate everyone from kids to adults on a variety of topics. I love to educate park visitors on ethnobotany.




What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
My community action partnership. Building the dugout was lots of fun. And we use it for programs in paddling the lake.

What certification experience stands out for you?
Getting to experience the animals from all over the state and traveling to those locations.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?
I built a dugout canoe. It is 24 feet long and is made of tulip poplar. We had such a great interest in the project that we have been featured in festivals, newspapers, state park publications, and even radio interviews. Its great to educate the local community on what great resources they have in their backyard.

Bill Stanley

What do you do?
I am a park ranger at Dismal Swamp State Park, and I give programs to the general public, scout groups, and school groups. Among the many other duties I have as a ranger, I enjoy developing new programs to bring in more visitors.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
My favorite part was going to all the classes and meeting new people and getting the new ideas from others and the books that were provided. Also I was not a "crafty" person but learning simple craft ideas that will greatly increase the enjoyment of the program.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
Just learning throughout the certification how to give better programs and see the responses in the kids. When you have kids coming back to the park weeks later still talking about what they learned, you now you made an impact in their life.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I worked with a local boy scout to earn his eagle award by building wood duck boxes and placing them on the pond and swamp at Carvers Creek State Park. I created a tri-fold informational brochure on the ducks, an educational program and had a story published in the newsletter. When we built the boxes, we had two scout troops, Carvers Creek staff, and other community volunteers come to help. Now that the project is done hopefully wood ducks will move in and the visitors can see the ducks up-close and hopefully learn about the need for their conservation and habitat preservation.

Aerin Benavides

Aerin (far right) during a field course she organized for
 UNCG students to Peru

What do you do?
I am pursuing my doctorate in science education, specializing in Environmental Education. I am also a licensed instructor for WOW! the Wonder of Wetlands.





What was your favorite part of earning your certification?
The workshops were great, and exploring new places in North Carolina. My favorite part is meeting other environmental educators.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
The certification experience that stands out is being able to organize an event, the community partnership project.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
The community partner ship project helped student teachers teach outdoors, and increased the knowledge base of the local environment for the students at the school where we conducted the project.

Jamie Cameron

What do you do? I am a park ranger at Lake James State Park. A significant portion of my duties consist of providing I&E (interpretation and education) programs for groups of all ages and sizes, both in the park and as outreach. During the course of a typical day, I might be found clearing trails, eradicating invasive plant species, making traffic stops and giving a program on skunks.

What was your favorite part of earning your EE Certification? What was My favorite part of earning my certification was meeting my fellow EE candidates and learning from and being inspired by them. I found we are an incredibly diverse group of folks who are all bound by the common goal of revealing the wonders of nature to the people we meet.

What certification experience stands out for you? Attending the Methods of EE class was a great way to set a baseline for the rest of the certification process. It was during that instruction that earning my certification became a goal and not a chore.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? I was a team member for the development and construction of the Holly Discovery Trail at Lake James State Park. We worked with area teachers, the park’s Friends group and other state agencies to create a self-guided hike around a .75-mile loop trail. Along the trail are 18 stations that encourage hikers to utilize all of their senses as they experience nature. The trail is the first of its kind for North Carolina State Parks.

Dee Smith

What do you do?
I am the Big Sweep Coordinator and Program Associate working for Carteret County Cooperative Extension, a partnership with NC State and Carteret County. I do environmental education and assist others in my office with various types of programing. Currently my main focus is on composting and vermicomposting and recycling, litter awareness, and healthy environments as part of Big Sweep.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
The teaching, my passion is in Environmental Ed and I want kids to learn to appreciate the natural world but being knowledgeable on environmental issues.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
Participating in various EELEs (Environmental Education Learning Experiences offered by NC State Parks)

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?
I worked with Hammocks Beach State Park and the NC Coastal Federation to restore the coastline on Jones Island which is part of Hammocks Beach State Park). I supervised a group of boy scouts in the planting of native vegetation. Not only was it a teaching opportunity to the scouts but also restoring a natural habitat.

Dylan Joyce

What do you do? 

I am a seasonal environmental educator at Haw River State Park. We work predominately with school groups from grades 1-12, teaching classes about local wildlife, wetland ecology, bat ecology, soils, animal adaptations among others. Throughout the whole year we work with around 4000 students.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 

My favorite part of working on this certification was definitely the variety of educational workshops I attended. Visiting different locations throughout the state to attend workshops and learning about a variety of different environmental processes was a great experience.

What certification experience stands out for you? 

All of my teaching experiences are the most memorable because I have gotten to see children get excited about nature and the outdoors and feel that I have hopefully made a difference in how they view the environment around them.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 

My project was adding educational signage to the 9 holes of the disc golf course at Haw River State Park as well as installing tee pads for the holes. The course is designed to educate users of all ages about the local ecosystem through recreation as well and teach users about the sport of disc golf. This was a collaboration with myself, Kids in Parks and a Boy Scout. My project has engaged the community by providing a new recreational experience at the local state park and hopefully will gain more attention and more usage. There are many local communities that can benefit from access to a new recreational and educational activity for families and all ages.

Joe Judge

What do you do?

I like to spend time outdoors, fishing, hiking, etc. I am attempting to change careers; from corporate america to parks and recreation. Obtaining this certification is one large step toward that goal.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 

I enjoyed all the different people I met. They are from all backgrounds and will use their certifications in many different ways; however, we are all like minded, and that gives me a sense of esprit de corps.

What certification experience stands out for you?

My favorite experience was the Mountain Trek given through the Museum. This was truly and adventure. It was non stop for 2 days and I loved every minute of it. The scope of topics covered was amazing. I really got a kick out of being with like minded people doing what we all love.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?

My project was to create an outdoor classroom with a creek walk and a few exhibit areas along the trail. This area will allow the teachers of my chosen school to have access to a stream and woods that opens ups a huge range of topic possibilities. It also gives the students a safe place to explore during recess or after school.

Phyllis Hoffman Demko

What do you do?

In late 2012 I retired from university and school administration. I wanted to learn about the environment and to help others, especially children, develop an appreciation of the magical world around us. I am a regular volunteer/docent for the Discovery Room at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and I have volunteered to assist with programs at Prairie Ridge Ecostation and camps at local parks. I will continue going to workshops and consulting resource people and materials in order to keep learning about ecosystems and the characteristics of animals and plants.


What was your favorite part of earning your certification? I loved the workshops. Most of them were taught by very competent and interesting instructors who demonstrated their love of their subject.

What certification experience stands out for you? My weekends at Tremont are very special to me. I started the Naturalist Skills certification there, when I intended to move to that area. I am grateful that I was able to transfer most of the Tremont hours to the NC program. As I have only two more weekend courses to complete for the Tremont certification, I will surely get that done in the next year -- primarily because the learning experience is so wonderful.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I led a group of community volunteers in erecting a platform for an osprey nest at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, NC. So far, an osprey has been checking it out, but one has not nested there yet. Should an osprey pair come to live there, I will develop a public program about ospreys.

Marc Mahan

What do you do? 

I have worked for county parks, state parks, and national parks. They all have their differences and own ways of doing things but they are unified in their ability to positively connect people with the environment. My wife and I travel as much as we can. We have hiked, canoed, and paraglided everywhere from New Zealand to Morocco to good ol' North Carolina.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 

My favorite part of earning my certification was having a legitimate excuse to visit state parks all across the state in order to attend EE workshops. Along the way, I had the pleasure to meet instructors that inspired me to learn and participants that challenged me to engage in new environmental related hobbies.

What certification experience stands out for you? 

A certification experience that stands out to me was a Birding Basics workshop lead by Brian Bockhahn, one of the many great North Carolina State Park Rangers. Prior to the workshop, I thought I was aware of birds but, sadly, this was not the case. As Brian skillfully pointed out various birds, their songs, and their habits, a whole new world opened up before me. My life hasn't been the same since.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 

At a local elementary school in Apex, I taught an after school program on the importance of weather and how to recognize and measure its many elements. I built and put into place a permanent weather station so that the students can check and record the daily temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover. The students will participate in a national citizen project that collects precipitation information.

Sara Marschhauser

What do you do? I am the conservation coordinator at Piedmont Wildlife Center. I conduct research with box turtles on our property. I also teach at-school programs, field trips, and more with our live animals. In my free-time I love to bird and love exploring parks around NC.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? The workshops offered were amazing. I am consistently using the information I learned from the EE workshops.

What certification experience stands out for you?

I think my project was the most rewarding part of the program. I worked for 6+ months to coordinate the BioBlitz, and to see it from planning to implementation to results was a great experience. I gained managerial experience and made a lot of great connections!

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community?

I coordinated a BioBlitz at Piedmont Wildlife Center in Durham. I was able to recruit over 50 volunteers including the help of many professionals. Most of these professionals I connected with through the EE program. We had over 200 participants come out and enjoy all the educational benefits of nature hikes, citizen science projects, and wildlife ambassador programs. It was such a wonderful experience to see families get together and reap the benefits of nature while educating them about the rich biodiversity of North Carolina!

Dana Buchbinder

What do you do? 
My career combines formal environmental science training with effective science communication. By implementing creative outreach initiatives, including “citizen science” projects, I seek to engage new audiences in human health and the environment.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 
I liked teaching elementary-age kids at the public library about leaves, plants, and phenology.

What certification experience stands out for you? 
Leaving my office building in full rain gear with a bucket and measuring tape to tromp around in the nearest stream in a storm. Much more exciting than computer work!

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 
I designed and led a series of lessons for K-12 participants to learn about air quality and climate change through citizen science projects and science experiments, working with professional scientists to enhance their outreach efforts. I worked with other environmental educators to develop citizen science tools and programs. I presented environmental education tools and lessons to other environmental professionals.

Dana is the Program Support Specialist for the US Environmental Protection Agency at RTP in NC. She assists in all aspects of piloting US EPA’s Air, Climate & Energy (ACE) Research Program under direct supervision of the ACE National Program Director. Her responsibilities include leading the ACE outreach initiative, planning workshops, and writing science features for EPA Science Matters newsletter (38,000 subscribers) in addition to teaching weekly middle school science programs.

Renee Evans

What does she do?

I am a park ranger at Hammocks Beach State Park, located in Swansboro, working for North Carolina State Parks since 2009. I am the lead Interpretation & Education ranger as well as the Volunteer Coordinator for the park. I develop and lead various programs throughout the year for schools as well as for the general public.

Her favorite part of earning EE certification?

I enjoyed traveling the state to the various workshops and EE Centers, meeting people from the different work forces, and then learning from them about different methods to teach in my own programs. The state is quite diverse and being able to learn about all the cultures and histories is quite beneficial for one's own foundation. The wide-range of resources in this state that is offered to people needs to be taken advantage of!

What experience stands out for her?

My community partnership activity has been a project in which I have been involved with since Day 1. Being from Wisconsin I haven't really seen many dolphins until I moved here. When one washed ashore on Bear Island in 2010 I knew I wanted to be a part of the story of this animal and to bring the story to life. Working with the various agencies as well as with some local students has been a learned experience for me... for everyone! The friendships I have made along the way is priceless. I'm looking forward to the day in which I can bring this dolphin exhibit to life at the state park!

What was her community partnership and how did it affect on the community?

The reconstruction of a dolphin skeleton. This skeleton will be the highlight of the proposed exhibit which will be located in the Visitor Center at Hammocks Beach State Park. People will be able learn about the dolphin species as well as about "Maggie" (the dolphin) and how she came to be at the park. During the reconstruction phase, which will be completed inside the Visitor Center, people will be encouraged to observe the process and learn from the volunteers and park staff. It's not every day you get to see the skeleton of an animal be put together like a puzzle! The community will benefit from the exhibit through future programming and other educational experiences at the park.

Erin Ratliff

What do you do?

I currently work as Curriculum Coordinator for a medical residency program in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to this I served as an Environmental Program Coordinator for a local YMCA conference center, an Education Intern in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, and lead instructor at an academic summer camp which focused on the natural sciences. I have over a decade of experience in outdoor education, and though I have recently transitioned to an alternate career path, EE will always have my heart. I truly believe that the experiences and skills I gained from this work will benefit me professionally and personally for the rest of my life.

Workshop at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education (Erin last on right)

What was your favorite part of earning your certification?

I loved traveling to various parts of our state, exploring areas I might not have visited otherwise. North Carolina has so much to offer in natural beauty, resources, and public lands. We are very blessed. I wish this certification was required for every NC resident so that people, young and old, would be encouraged to get out and discover the hidden gems that lie in our own backyard.

What certification experience stands out for you?

Last spring, several friends accompanied me on one of my EE excursions- a workshop on aquatic sampling in the Outer Banks. Despite it raining throughout the whole activity, we had a blast "being kids" and playing in the sound, looking for critters that we don't normally see in the high country. We made some great memories and one of my friends was even inspired to pursue EE certification on her own!

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect your community?

Earlier this year I organized a fundraiser for a local non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center, Wild For Life. The benefit included live music, a silent auction, and a "meet-and-greet" with their educational birds of prey. We raised nearly $3000 which will go to support life-saving rehabilitation services for injured or orphaned wildlife, and life-changing educational programs for youth and adults in our community. I am looking forward to staying involved with this organization for years to come.

Archery at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly

Leading a hike at Nature Camp in George Washington National Forest

           

Sound Sampling at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

Trent Stanforth

What do you do? 

I am a part-time non-formal educator at Annie Louise Wilkerson, M.D. Nature Preserve Park on behalf of the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources.

What was your favorite part of earning your certification? 

I enjoyed getting to meet NC Park Rangers that hosted and participated in various programs, along with getting introduced to other EE participants that were working on fulfilling their certification.

What certification experience stands out for you? 

There were many experiences that stand out in my mind, but the one that stands out the most was the first time I taught something to someone. It was during my PLT workshop in 2010 where I taught a school teacher the difference between xylem and phloem while discussing tree dichotomy.

What was your community partnership project and how did it affect the community? 

My partnership involved the construction of a turtle basking platform and a brochure for Wilkerson Nature Preserve. It helps out the community in understanding that ponds can house various types of turtles as well as the difference between local turtle species.