Educator Spotlight: Erin Harrison

Erin Harrison, a former AmeriCorps member currently working as a Water Conservation and Efficiency Analyst for the City of Durham, recently completed her N.C. Environmental Education Certification.

In addition to providing water use assessment for residents and maintaining the water supply status, Harrison educates school groups and other organizations about water conservation and water and wastewater treatment processes.

When asked about the certification experience, Harrison said she is a big fan of the wildlife-specific experiences and programming. “I learned about owls, spiders, beetles, reptiles, black bears and many more. It is always super interesting and I can really see the passion educators have for sharing their knowledge of something they really love.”

For her community partnership project Harrison planned and installed a Kids in Parks TRACK Trail at Eno River State Park. The .5-mile loop trail is a part of the network of family-friendly outdoor TRACK Trail adventures provided by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The Eno trail includes four self-guided brochures including Animal Athletes, Nature's Hide and Seek, Need for Trees and Birds of the Piedmont. These brochures were carefully curated to fit Eno River State Park and its specific flora and fauna and visitor demographics. The brochures are placed at the trail head along with interpretive signage. Harrison says the Track Trail gave the community a new, interactive way to experience and enjoy their park and it gave park rangers a way to provide an educational experience for larger groups.

Harrison says participating in the program changed her approach to teaching others. “My approach now involves ways to ensure that participants feel invested and have ownership of their resources. I also realize that teaching others actually means that you have to let them teach themselves. Ideas that come from your participants will actually stick. I have to remember to let them be a part of the inquiry because I can learn just as much from them as they learn from me.”

Harrison says she now has an understanding about the wide array of perspectives that exist when it comes to environmental issues. “It’s important to be aware that not everyone is coming from the same place, background or knowledge-base as you when they think about the environment. Being able to respect those differences is crucial to wider support of environmental causes."


Learn more about Eno River State Park on their website at http://www.ncparks.gov/eno-river-state-park

Information about the Conservation Trust for North Carolina's AmeriCorps Program, visit their site at http://www.ctnc.org/connect/ctnc-americorps/

The N.C. Environmental Education Certification Program is offered by the Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. To learn more about the program, visit the office's website at www.eenorthcarolina.org