Announcing EENC’s 2025 Mini-Grant Awardees

Map of all mini-grant awardees to date, with orange pins representing the 2025 awardees.

---

Now in its 7th year, we are excited to continue our successful mini-grant program in supporting the teachers, non-formal educators, government employees, students, and volunteers we work with across North Carolina.

This year, EENC is thrilled to award mini-grants to 10 individuals and organizations totaling over $2,000 in funds distributed this year. These funds offer direct, supplementary funding to member educators, schools, and organizations to support their environmental education efforts by allowing them to implement new projects, build infrastructure, purchase needed supplies, pursue professional development, and more.

Over the years, we have been amazed at the ingenuity, passion, and curiosity that each of our mini-grant awardees brings to this program, and that could not be more true for this year’s batch of recipients. From outreach kits to informational kiosks, classroom supplies to program development, the breadth of this year’s projects is a reminder of the many forms that environmental education can take.

---

This year’s mini-grant program is sponsored in part by the Glass Foundation, an Asheville, North Carolina based organization who strives to help Western North Carolina thrive as a whole community educationally, environmentally, and culturally and offer a distinctive quality of lifestrives to help Western North Carolina thrive as a whole community educationally, environmentally, and culturally and offer a distinctive quality of life. We thank them for their generous support of EENC’s Mini-Grant program!

---

Our mini-grant awardees will be hard at work through the year carrying out their funded projects – read about their plans below, then check back in December to see what they accomplished!

Awardees

Listed alphabetically by first name. 

Abbie Joines 

• Intern, Alleghany 4-H

• EENC Student Member

• Project Title: InvestiGATORS

“Alleghany 4-H wishes to host a summer education program where 20 youth ages 6-10 will be introduced to “ally the alligator” who is looking for a wetland to call home. Youth complete missions (educational activities) where they learn about wetland identification, hydrology, wetland plant and animal species, and environmental benefits of wetlands. Investigation skills, critical-thinking, and wetland knowledge will be put to the test when participants visit a wetland area at Alleghany Veterans Park and determine whether or not the area could be a suitable habitat for “ally the alligator” to call home.  Educational “missions” that youth will complete include activities from the Project WET: The Wonders of Wetlands curriculum guide and educational materials created by 4-H volunteers. Youth will use their investigative skills to explore types of wetland species, plant venus fly traps while learning about wetland vegetation, learn about hydrology by engaging in a stream scavenger hunt with educational signage, and create nature journals to record wetland observations. Participants will also meet adults with environmental science careers that will give them insight for their mission.”

April Nelson

• 5th Grade Science Teacher, Catawba County Schools

• EENC New to EE Member

• Project Title: Haw River Ecosystems Field Trip

“Taking 5th & 6th graders to Haw River State Park for an Educational Field Trip about Ecosystems, I’ll positively impact our community, helping students understand the interconnectedness of the plants and animals (including humans) in which they live. The park's diverse hands-on lessons provide opportunities to explore the wetlands, discover microorganisms, learn about bats, and understand food webs, all while immersed in nature. Our virtual learners truly NEED this opportunity because it gives them an experience with friends in an organized and safe environment. Our virtual learners come from all 16 elementary schools in our district and so represent rural and suburban populations. By providing parents with a wholesome, affordable, and educational field trip, we will help students and families learn that the environment in which they live should be handled with care and responsibility.”

Ben Regester

• Wake County Program Coordinator, Piedmont Wildlife Center

• EENC Organizational Membership 

• Project Title: High-quality Education with High-quality Materials

“At Piedmont Wildlife Center (PWC), we are always thinking of ways to improve our programming. Our camp leadership team is comprised of four individuals who are relatively new to the organization. We are evaluating our current systems and searching for ways to improve for our campers, counselors, and broader community. By upgrading and expanding our supplies, our counselors will feel more supported to achieve their goals, and our campers will gain more from our programming. Many of our counselors are brand new to the field of EE, and equipping them with high-quality materials will support their growth in the field.”

Cassie Wyatt

• Environmental Education Fellow, Gaston County Natural Resources

• EENC New to EE Member

• Project Title: Scat Identification Replicas

“Becoming familiar with wildlife nurtures a connection and is often a gateway to students becoming passionate about the environment in general. People usually don’t love or care for what they don’t understand or haven’t been exposed to. By using these replica pieces, students will familiarize themselves with the signs of local wildlife they can find in their backyard, fostering a connection to nature. My plan for this project is to inspire students to love and appreciate nature in an area where construction and habitat degradation is rampant. Our area is in the top 10 fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation. I want to give students an appreciation for the natural world in hopes that they can inspire others and fight for the things they care about in their community.”

Desirae Balsamo

• Earth and Environmental Science Teacher, Hanes Magnet Middle School

• EENC Professional Member

• Project Title: Save the Sea Turtles: A Teacher's Quest to Bring Estuarine Conservation to Western NC

“This year, I have been accepted to participate in the Coastal Conservation Course with the NC Aquarium at Ft. Fisher in July. This ecologically based workshop takes place on Ft. Fisher where we will collect data for current citizen science projects, record and monitor boils and sea turtle nests with patrols, monitor coastal habitats, and work with conservation partners in an action-packed 24/7 field experience. I will take my experience and use what I learned to create a conceptual framework to guide my Earth and Environmental Science and 8th-grade science curriculum for the next school year and beyond. This will also help to fulfill some of the requirements for the environmental education certification I am seeking to complete this coming year.”

Haley Bock

• Project Manager, Piedmont Conservation Council

• EENC New to EE Member

• Project Title: PCC Community Awareness & Outreach Kit

“We want to create a branded outreach kit to increase visibility and engagement at public events across PCC’s 10-county region. This kit will include a logo banner, tablecloth, brochures, and interactive giveaways like stickers and seed packets to support environmental learning. These tools will help PCC promote our mission, educate the public, and connect with new partners. PCC helps communities turn environmental ideas into action by offering free project support, grant writing, and technical guidance. However, many educators and local groups don’t know we exist. This project meets a key need: increasing awareness of a regional resource that promotes conservation, environmental education, and sustainable community development. It supports the fundamentals of environmental education by fostering partnerships, promoting stewardship, and building public knowledge.”

Kim Brown

• Town of Elon Recreation and Parks Director, Town of Elon

• EENC Professional Member

• Project Title: Environmental Information Kiosk

"The project will be a kiosk located at our trailhead at Beth Schmidt Park. The trail is a 1/2 mile loop wooded trail. The intention is to have a Koski where we can present topics for visitors the learn about. Some of the topics will include plant ID, tree ID, and climate change. We would also like to create a park where you are able to be present outdoors, but can also educate yourself about the environment.  Our goal is to create information to spark interest in learning about the environment. The kiosk will be a 24-hour information station that serves the public. The data from the project may be difficult to measure, but we will include a question box for those who want to learn more. We will also be able to create more environmental programs on topics suggested by visitors. The Town of Elon is always looking to for ways to expose people to new projects and programs. Our goal is to have the kiosk built and installed this summer for visitor use." 

Margot Lester

• Interpretive Naturalist, The Word Factory

• EENC Professional Member

• Project Title: The Vultures of Bluestem

“This project serves mourners, visitors who come to hike or bird, and staff and volunteers who work the preserve and assist with burials. Information will be added to the packet given to family members planning services and their guests. To benefit recreational visitors, content will be posted on the website (with accessible formatting and alt text) and a poster at our outdoor information kiosk. To ensure maximum accessibility and inclusivity, I will include indigenous and other historical perspectives, and make the interpretive content available in Spanish and via audio recording. Bluestem will share the content via social media tiles (again with image descriptions) on its platforms. I'll create training for staff and trail and burial crew volunteers to help them engage with visitors. The training will cover the poster content and allow volunteers to create their own 2-minute interpretive presentations (three key talking points from the poster and a personal comment). Finally, I’ll pitch an in-studio conversation about the vultures of Bluestem for International Vulture Awareness Day to WHUP (Hillsborough) and WCHL (Carrboro-Chapel Hill) to maximize audience reach.”

Sharon Bippus

• Nonformal Educator/Project WILD Facilitator

• EENC Professional Member

• Project Title: Reusable Resources

“Last September, I became a Project WILD facilitator, and since then I have assisted other facilitators with WILD workshops. However, my first solo experience as a facilitator is approaching. I am currently in contact with a professor at Winston-Salem State University, and she wants me to conduct a Project WILD workshop for teachers and pre-service teachers this summer. Since I will be working alone, I will be responsible for providing the appropriate materials on my own. In addition, I am currently making plans to start my own nature-based educational business. Because of my background teaching ESL (English as a Second Language), one of my main goals in creating this business is to provide ESL students with an alternative way of practicing their English. I plan to offer my own unique lessons outdoors and provide activities that utilize information and vocabulary about nature. In order to this, I will need the appropriate supplies to create engaging lessons.”

Mikey Woodie

• Environmental Educator, Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District 

• EENC Professional Member

• Project Title: Water Works: Modeling with Structures

“The project will benefit students and families in Wilkes County and across the state by providing a unique and interactive learning opportunity beyond that of a standard curriculum. We aim to reach students and families participating in our environmental education programming in classrooms, at local and state events, and as a part of our District-led field trips to the Edwin McGee Natural Resource Center. We will ensure that diverse audiences are reached by engaging in adaptable and differentiated teaching customized for each unique group of learners. The project will be accessible through direct interaction with the structure kit as part of our overall stream table educational program. We believe that understanding local waterway issues and infrastructure interaction with our waterways will increase environmental awareness and inform decisions that affect the environment.”

---