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, 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 is to invite people to the Joseph S.J. Tanner Environmental Education Center and to increase awareness of it in the community.  The educational stations are designed to create dialog and resources for visitors to learn more.  Crafts and activities will give 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.”