Educator Spotlight: Will Badger

Will Badger, a college instructor and education consultant with Akademeia Tutorial Consultancy, recently completed his NC Environmental Education Certification. “Much of my teaching involves wilderness literature and eco-criticism, and I felt that earning my certification could help me become a better naturalist and a better teacher of students at all levels.” In his personal time, Will enjoys outdoor activities from hiking and camping to prospecting.

Will says his favorite part of earning his environmental education certification was having a “formally informal” way to connect with environmental literacy during the difficult days of the pandemic. "Even when I was ensconced in my flat feeling relatively disconnected both from nature and my fellow humans, I could look forward to learning online about salamander identification and habitats...it was a wonderful release. Actually, that lifeline may be only my second-favorite part of certification. My favorite was meeting a diverse cohort of fellow environmental educators, in person and online!”

When asked about a certification experience that stood out for him, Will says his favorite lesson was part of the It’s Our Water workshop coordinated through the Division of Water Resources in the Department of Environmental Quality. “The workshop not only offered several useful classroom activities and strategies, but also had an in-stream component that helped me to get to know one of my local waterways. I've always loved playing in creeks, and this module felt like educative play.

For his community partnership project, Will began a nature journaling group. “I founded a group called Triangle Nature Journalling (yep, it used the British spelling with two L's -- I did grad school in the UK, and that usage slipped in without my noticing). We had a small but hardy cohort of journalers, who met at Umstead Park to wander, chat, and write and draw our encounters with nature.” Will says although the group meeting decreased as the pandemic restrictions eased, most of the members are still journaling. “Even if the group was just a way for us to make it through a trying time by connecting to nature, our thoughts, and one another, it was worth it.”

Will says the program changed his approach to teaching, especially the Methods of Teaching Environmental Education workshop. “I appreciated the dedication and creativity of my methods workshop facilitators. They helped me to see state and national standards not as a kind of externally imposed straitjacket, but as a common language that could be used to access funding and promote wider participation in environmental education programs. I plan to take this perspective forward in my teaching, now understanding that standards are a tool that needn't negatively impact pedagogical creativity.”

Will says that the program changed how he views environmental issues in many ways. “There are so many changes that I couldn't possibly express them all here. Perhaps the most important is a central tenet of environmental education that I encountered in my Basics of Environmental Education course several years ago: as environmental educators we are to share our passion for the environment and not any political take or bias. This is a liberating approach since it means that we can ideally connect to people of all backgrounds and help them engage with nature and the environment in life-changing and community-changing -- perhaps ultimately, planet-changing ways. Rather than offer our  audiences/students/colleagues solutions to environmental problems, we teach them how to educate themselves and think critically, so that they can develop solutions.”

Educator Spotlight: Jenifer Jay

Jenifer Jay, a Human Resource Specialist with the USDA Forest Service, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Jenifer was enrolled in the Central Carolinas Master Naturalist Program in Charlotte, which she says launched her into pursuing her Environmental Education Certification. “I volunteered at the McDowell Nature Preserve and presented environmental education programs during their summer day camps for elementary school children and also provided Smokey Bear programs including celebrating Smokey Bear's birthday!” In her free time, Jenifer and her husband enjoy walking, traveling, and spending time with all six of their grandchildren. They also spend a considerable amount of time spoiling their two dogs and three cats.

Jenifer says the program experience that stood out for her was her visit to Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve. “This visit stands out for me because of the longleaf pine forest. The longleaf pine ecosystem is fascinating to me because of the diversity of species and the important role fire plays in preserving the ecosystem.”

Jenifer says her favorite part of the certification program was her community partnership project, “A Day in the Forest.”  Students from a local middle school came out to visit the Uwharrie Ranger District in Troy, NC for the day. They went on a two- and half-mile hike through the forest with forest personnel including a forestry technician, a forester, two archeologists, and a wildlife biologist. The hike included identifying and measuring trees; locating and identifying artifacts at an archeological site; and locating and identifying minerals found along the trail such as quartz. They searched for mollusks in a creek and then had a special surprise at the end of the trail by meeting and greeting Woodsy the Owl! “I gave a presentation on “Leave No Trace” principles and were shown how a fire torch is used by one of the firefighters for a prescribed burn! It certainly was a day to be remembered and our purpose was to engage and connect the students with the national forest and educate them on the different career paths they may want to begin charting towards a career in natural resources.”  The program was featured in the local paper, the Montgomery Herald.

When asked if the program changed her approach to teaching, Jenifer says she felt better prepared to teach. “As I progressed through the program, I noticed I was better prepared when I would present a program. My program outline was clearly defined, and I was adding more experimental exercises to my programs engaging students more through hands-on experiences.”

She says the program also changed the way she views environmental issues. “I have been more concerned about environmental issues but most importantly, through the program, it has allowed me to be cognizant about my own attitudes and behaviors toward the environment. I am more empathetic towards people who are passionate about their environmental concerns. I also learned how to navigate through some tough questions that may arise in certain topics and be ready to address those questions.” 

A Day in the Forest at Uwharrie Ranger District

Source: Montgomery Herald Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Twenty sixth-graders from a local middle school learned about forest service careers and hiked with staff on the Uwharrie National Forest January 19. 

Wheatmore Middle School students and staff with Woodsie

Student Advocate Ashley Albertson, of Wheatmore Middle School in Trinity, called Uwharrie National Forest District Ranger Susan Miller this past fall to ask if some of her sixth-graders could come out to the Forest and “get off the pavement.” 

Albertson’s goal was to take the students out to not only have a fun day outdoors, but also to get to meet with Forest staff and learn about what different forest service jobs are really like. She wants her students of all ages to stay motivated to finish high school and learn more about careers that may not be your typical 9-5 office jobs. 

“That doesn’t work for everyone,” said Albertson, a statement which many people in the forest service can agree with. Many staff joke about “being ADD” and find they are more suited to hands on, outdoors work. So Uwharrie staff were happy to join the kids for a hike, connect them to the forest and hopefully inspire some in the next generation to be stewards of their public lands.

The Wheatmore Middle School students, three teachers, Alberston and nine Uwharrie staff hiked the 2.3-mile, long loop of the Denson’s Creek Trail. The trailhead is located behind the Uwharrie office on 789 Biscoe Rd. Throughout the hike, the group stopped for short discussions of the history, plants, timber and fire related information along the trail, giving the students an idea of what each department’s job duties might look like. Two archaeologists discussed evidence ofgold mining, the remains of settlers’ homes and Native American history in the area. The district biologist, fire engine captain and district ranger talked about timber stand management, the longleaf pine and the importance of implementing regular prescribed fires in our ecosystem. At the end of the hike, Woodsy Owl surprised the group, and our HR specialist discussed the importance of Woodsy Owl’s Leave No Trace message. 

After the hike, the group moved to the Forest’s work center, where the engine captain and a senior wildland firefighter showed kids the fire engine, some of our firefighting tools and how we safely conduct prescribed burns or respond to wildfires by burning a pile of leaves as an example. The firefighters put the leaf burn out using the engine’s hose and water supply. Next, the group met with the recreation staff, looked at different recreation and maintenance tools, and learned from staff about maintaining campgrounds and trails and working with visitors.

Finally, the group returned to the district office to receive goodie bags and check out some Native American artifacts, quartz crystals found on the forest, and our taxidermied fox squirrel and red cockaded woodpecker. Both the squirrel and the woodpecker are part of the longleaf pine forest habitat, their presence or lack thereof indicating the presence of good longleaf pine habitat. In the office, the kids met with our law enforcement officer, learning about safety in the forest, as well as visitor services and support services staff in order to learn about the kinds of jobs you can get involving both working with the public and managing internal and financial affairs. Many federal and state forest service jobs are in offices and are essential to keeping the forest operations running smoothly. Even those who may not want to be outside all day can apply their skills to jobs in the industry.

Suzanne Miller and Jenifer Jay

Additional info: For North Carolina National Forests HR specialist, and one of the A Day in the Forest event organizers, Jenifer Jay, creating and implementing the project went toward the completion of her North Carolina Environmental Educator’s License. She hopes to use her license to bring more educational opportunities, including programs such as A Day in the Forest, to people of all ages.