Educator Spotlight: Hayden Lindsey

Hayden Lindsey, a homeschool teacher in Wake County, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. 

Hayden has been a homeschool teacher for 16 years and a scout leader for her daughter’s American Heritage Girl Scout troop for five years. “I enjoy hiking, camping and visiting national parks. I am a follower of Christ and enjoy writing nature-related devotionals tied to the national parks my family has visited. I will be teaching outdoor skills for New Life Camp’s homeschool program next school year.” 

Hayden says her favorite part of the program is meeting teachers from many different backgrounds and practicing teaching techniques with them. “I have been teaching science and nature/outdoor-related topics to kids for many years in different homeschool and scouting contexts, but I had not interacted much with other informal educators and traditional classroom teachers who teach similar topics. It was encouraging and inspiring to learn from these new voices.” 

When asked what experience stands out to her from the program, Hayden says it was the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Got Elk? Educator Trek. “The weekend at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park allowed me to connect with other environmental educators and to experience the rutting season when elk are active at the park. The time spent outdoors in creation was restorative and observing majestic elk up close was awe inspiring. The facilitators and rangers who planned this trek created a fun and educational experience, and I am thankful I got to be a part of the trip for my certification.”

For her community partnership project, Hayden created a weekend full of environmental education activities for her American Heritage Girl (AHG) Scout Troop at Blue Jay County Park in Raleigh. “I planned activities for three levels of scouts to complete their nature and wildlife  badge in one weekend. I incorporated Project WILD activities into the weekend, which was a great supplement to our badgework. The girls especially enjoyed the Dire Diet game we played, addressing the effect of pesticides on the food chain. The second part of my project involved correlating Project WILD curriculum activities with AHG badgework. I documented each AHG badge that touched on wildlife and conservation, linking badge requirements with specific activities in four Project WILD guides. This process was time consuming, but it helped me plan activities for my own scouts and improved my familiarity with the Project WILD guides. I hope this work will be useful to other AHG leaders as well.”

Hayden says the program changed her approach to teaching. “I have gained so many valuable resources for teaching about nature and outdoor skills through the workshops and outdoor experiences I’ve done through the certification program. The activities in the Project WILD, Project WET and Project Learning Tree guides are very valuable. I have also learned from the facilitators in these workshops, as well as through tips on "classroom" management for teaching kids outdoors from other teachers and participants in the programs I attended. I hope to get my scouts outdoors more, not just on camping trips/outdoor events, but at regular troop meetings as well.”

The program also changed the way she thinks about environmental issues. “It was helpful to hear about how we should tailor how we communicate about environmental issues to children's age levels. Younger children may not be able to handle harsh environmental realities at the level high school students can. The emphasis on communicating environmental information without attempting to promote our own agenda was also pertinent.”

Educator Spotlight: Abby Weinshenker

Abby Weinshenker, the Resource Education Coordinator for the Cabarrus Soil and Water Conservation District, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. In addition to completing her certification, the NC Wildlife Federation awarded Abby  “Environmental Educator of the Year” for the 2026 Governor’s Achievement Awards.

Abby says this role gives her the opportunity to connect the community to the importance of natural resources. “I create and lead educational programs, support conservation initiatives and inspire people of all ages to care for the environment. Outside of work, I love scuba diving, getting lost in a good book
and spending time with my pets."

Abby says her favorite part of earning her certification was taking the workshops. “They helped me feel more confident when I teach.” Her favorite experience was taking the Methods of Teaching Environmental Education at Stevens Creek Nature Center and Preserve in Mecklenburg County. “I learned a lot of new techniques and terminology related to environmental education. This is the class that I credit for my confidence boost and for the methods to teach environmental education.”

For her community partnership project, Abby started the first annual Creek Week for Cabarrus County. “It was a challenging process that required extensive planning, coordination and collaboration with multiple partners, but the effort paid off and the event was a success. We’re now in the midst of planning our second annual Creek Week, building on what we learned to make it even better.”

Abby says the program changed her approach to teaching. "Taking the Methods workshop allowed me to become a more confident public speaker, but when I took “Accessible by Nature” through Environmental Educators of North Carolina, I changed my approach to education entirely. I learned several techniques to be more inclusive for all learners, and I highly recommend everyone take that course.”

When asked if the program changed the way she views environmental issues, Abby says her opinion on issues hasn’t changed but her communication about those issues has changed. “I learned to scale the heaviness of the topic amongst different age ranges and not to let my own opinions seep into the topic when I’m talking about it. We need to give learners the facts and let them form their own opinions on issue.”

Educator Spotlight: Sarah Downing

Sarah Downing, a retired archivist, volunteer and Virginia Master Naturalist, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification.

Sarah retired from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in 2025 and credits the certification program with helping her start an “encore”  post-retirement career. “In the first year I took the basic training to become a Virginia Master Naturalist. Through that program, I started volunteering at the Joseph S.J. Tanner Environmental Education Center adjacent to the John H. Kerr Dam. I greet visitors, answer questions and ensure they have a positive experience at the center. After working a public-facing job for 30 years, greeting the guest is something I enjoy doing and that I do well.” In her personal time, Sarah enjoys birding, swimming and foraging for mushrooms.

Sarah says her favorite part of the program was visiting environmental education centers. “There were many in the Asheville area where I enrolled in the certification program. But I would also visit sites on road trips. I travelled to Cedar Key Florida, and I went to several environmental education centers in South Carolina and Georgia. I also loved gaining credits for outdoor experiences. In Asheville, there were so many opportunities! Asheville Botanical Gardens, Blue Ridge Audubon Society, Holmes Educational State Forest and The North Carolina Arboretum.”

When asked what certification experience stood out for her, Sarah says it was earning her teaching hours. “Unlike many in the program, I was not a teacher, park ranger, museum person, etc. I was an archivist! Earning my teaching hours was a challenge, however, I was able to do a week-long internship with the Forest Floor Wilderness Program which was one of the best things I have ever experienced. We met for five days at Feathered Friends Camp with 6 and 7-year-olds, and we were outside the entire time under the trees and within earshot of the creek. I learned about nature mentoring and how to use discovery, storytelling and game playing as methods to introduce youngsters to an out-of-doors setting and how to learn about nature. At the beginning of each day before driving to camp, the facilitators and helpers would meet and practice gratitude and share any important information. Sometimes someone would read an inspirational poem. At the end of each session, we would rejoin and debrief. I was working with some of the most inspiring people I have ever met.”

For her community partnership project Sarah created a NatureFest event at the Joseph S.J. Tanner Center at John H. Kerr Reservoir which is operated by rangers with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This project allowed the US Army Corps of Engineers to host an event with limited staff. Sarah partnered with the Virginia Master Gardeners, Virginia Master Naturalists, Kerr Lake Butterfly Trail, Mecklenburg County Virginia Beekeepers Association, Virginia State Parks and Kerr Lake Recreation Area to make the event possible. “Each group had one or more educational stations and families, campers, seniors, home schoolers and passers-by attended and visited the stations. One of the outcomes of NatureFest was to invite people to the Joseph S.J. Tanner Environmental Education Center and to increase awareness of it in the community.  The educational stations were designed to create dialog and resources for visitors to learn more. Crafts and activities gave visitors a chance to take home something to remind them of the event.  NatureFest strives to be a “soft approach” to getting people more interested in the natural environment.”

Sarah says the certification program served as a springboard for learning how to meet people where they are and provide a safe, inclusive and welcoming space. “The program was a wonderful experience for me as a life-long learner.”