Educator Spotlight: Lindsey Purvis

Lindsey Purvis recently completed her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification. Purvis works with N.C. State Parks, formerly at Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve and currently at William B. Umstead State Park.  Purvis has maintenance duties including trail upkeep and special projects. She staffs the visitor's center, teaches environmental programs and leads educational hikes for the public.

Purvis said that attending workshops and getting valuable resources to take back to the park, such as program ideas, lesson plans and increased knowledge of citizen science projects was her favorite part of the certification.

When asked about an experience that stands out for her, Purvis mentions a workshop at Raven Rock State Park. “The herpetology workshops were my favorite. I had one day for herps at Raven Rock State Park where we learned about the various snakes, lizards, turtles and frogs in North Carolina. The educators had 21 more different herp species that we then had to identify through our notes and ID books. It was awesome and very hands-on! They really went the extra mile and you could tell they all loved their jobs.”

For her community partnership project, Purvis built a wildlife garden at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve which is in her hometown of Southern Pines. The garden includes bird feeders for hummingbirds and year-round, migrating species and a variety of native plants to provide habitat and nectar for pollinators. “It brought together the community by way of the various volunteers and donations received towards completing the project from individuals and businesses. The garden will continue to grow outside of the Weymouth Woods museum which is being renovated and will give park visitors a close-up view of the native wildlife of the Sandhills to foster a more intimate experience with nature.”

When asked how participating in the certification program changed her approach to teaching, Purvis said that it influenced her teaching techniques and approach. “I learned a lot about teaching techniques in terms of little things I didn’t think about before which can be as simple as not wearing sunglasses during outdoor presentations because eye contact is important. And how the teachable moment is better than a strict schedule for hiking. It was also useful to be reminded you should “dip-stick” with your group to know what they are learning and whether you should adjust your approach to keeping them engaged. I learned that there are citizen science projects and way to get involved in any natural history subject you could want to teach! The EE resources out there are boundless and I’m thrilled that the certification program exposed me to so many of them by offering diverse workshops in locations all across the state.”

Purvis feels that education is a much more valuable tool for helping to address environmental issues than people realize. “Even when you’re not outright changing a person’s behavior by telling them about the effects of X and Y on the environment, you’re changing their attitude towards nature by giving them a positive educational experience. What feels like a simple lesson to you might inspire a child to pursue a career in the natural sciences – you never know if that future environmental scientist, ecologist or engineer may go on to do great things for the world. Those special moments in teaching matter. Going the extra mile as an educator to excite your audience matters.”

For more information about Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, visit their website . To learn more about William B. Umstead State Park, visit their website. To find out more about the NC Environmental Education Certification Program visit the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs website.