Environmental Education

Leadership Grant Grant

Bird Friendly Communities and Sustainable Solutions

Heather Hulton VanTassel has been hired by Audubon South Carolina as its Manager of Sustainable Solutions, lead its new Bird Friendly Communities program and other climate resiliency initiatives. The Atlantic Flyway is a major travel...
June 14, 2016
Fellow Story

Zavaleta editor on new "Ecosystems of California" book

Edited by Hal Mooney of Stanford University and Erika Zavaleta of UC Santa Cruz, "Ecosystems of California" has been 10 years in the making. According to Zavaleta, the original plan was for a 20-chapter volume. "In the end, the book doubled in scope with 149 contributors in total, and I think it's a better product for it," she said.
May 30, 2016
Fellow Story

Dolin's new book "Brilliant Beacons" now out

In a work rich in maritime lore and brimming with original historical detail, Eric Jay Dolin, the best-selling author of Leviathan, presents the most comprehensive history of American lighthouses ever written, telling the story of America through the prism of its beloved coastal sentinels. Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons traces the evolution of America’s lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation’s hardscrabble coastlines.
May 18, 2016
Fellow Story

Hanson publishes children's book

Bartholomew Quill is a young crow trying to figure out who and what he is. He asks the other creatures he encounters on his journey, from puffins to eagles to ravens, but learns in the end that the answer lies within. Rather than just a creation myth, it’s a legend about biodiversity and the clever and loveable crow. Tour the animal kingdom from a crow’s point of view in this whimsical mix of science and poetry. The rhyming story and beautiful illustrations of Pacific Northwest wildlife make this a fun read-aloud for the whole family.​
May 13, 2016
Fellow Story

Burlington's wild heart: Field naturalist Alicia Daniel

Last July, 1988 Fellow Alicia Daniel became Burlington’s first-ever field naturalist — a position that may be unique in the nation. By Daniel’s definition, a field naturalist is “someone who is in love with the study of the natural world.” This much is evident to anyone who has ever accompanied her on a field walk.
February 9, 2016
Fellow Story

Blackmer's work with spirituality and environment featured

Now that the effects of global climate change are showing themselves more clearly, a new group of people are arguing that the environmental movement needs to reclaim its spiritual roots in order to succeed. One of those voices belongs to Steve Blackmer, an Episcopal priest and founder of a spiritual community based in Canterbury, New Hampshire. It’s called Kairos Earth and it ties together spirituality, caring for the environment, and spending time in nature. Read more
December 31, 2015
Fellow Story

Merrick quoted in The New York Times article on nature preschools

The Natural Start Alliance, founded in 2013 in response to demand from a growing number of nature preschool providers, now counts 92 schools that deliberately put nature at the heart of their programs, and where children spend a significant portion of each day outside, according to director Christy Merrick. That’s up from 20 schools in 2008, when Patti Bailie, a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, counted them as part of her doctoral research. Read more
December 31, 2015
Fellow Story

Bowser's work with eels and citizen scientists featured on PBS

According to Science Education Specialist Chris Bowser, eels are the perfect way to get young people interested in their local environment. Bowser, who works for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Estuary Program and Reserve, in partnership with Cornell’s Water Resource Institute, coordinates the Citizen Science Hudson River Eel Project which trains students and other community member volunteers to monitor New York’s local eel populations.
December 8, 2015
Fellow Story

Ardoin delivers national keynote on environmental learning in everyday life

More than 1,000 environmental educators from around the world are in San Diego for the 44th annual North American Association for Environmental Education conference. Nicole Ardoin, a board director for the North American Association for Environmental Education, said everyone can be an environmental educator — not just classroom teachers. Read more
November 26, 2015
Fellow Story

Bringing field ecology online

If outdoor learning were a religion, Erika Zavaleta would be among its foremost acolytes. An online ecology course, she realized, could attract students who would never consider taking a class requiring live field trips. By bringing field biology to a broader range of people, Zavaleta hopes the course will help broaden racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in ecology and environmental studies. “I’m interested in making more ways for people to have an entry point to get interested in conservation, an internship at a reserve, or taking a class with a field component.”
November 25, 2015