Presentation slides used for the meeting featuring different discussion topics EENC hosted its Annual Organization Leadership Meeting this week, bringing together staff from the Organizational Members for conversation and collaboration. This year's conversation started with participants sharing their Roses, Thorns, and Buds for their programs and organizations this year. We heard stories of celebration around taking on new positions and programs, as well as stories of resilience and return after the impacts of Helene and budget roadblocks. While there were also tales of struggle around turnover and transitions with staff, and limitations on the Americorps program budgeting as well as state budgeting, we also learned that there are so many exciting new programs coming up in 2026 for all of the participants! Attendees shared challenges and success around staff recruitment and retention: How often to hire seasonal staff? How to keep staff engaged and committed to the organization? What are some successful ways everyone has built connection in their teams? We also learned about some of the amazing partnerships that are happening across the state, bringing new audiences to each location and/or taking that organization's programs to the communities. Some partners included the TEACCH Autism Program from Chapel Hill, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the NC State Extension offices, and shared contracts with private companies for property use and programming in order to gain additional income. The final "Hot Topic" included shared updates from the NAAEE Conference, and specifically the conversations around AI and EE: ethics, best practices, and how to use it. There will be more details coming from the NAAEE Affiliate Network after the new year, and in the meantime, EENC is planning a webinar presentation on this topic. We want to hear from you! Are you working for an EE organziation that could use some collaboration and feedback from likeminded or mission aligned organizations? Please consider joining EENC at the Organizational Membership Level , and be part of the conversation!

From left to right: Lisa Rider, Melanie Buckingham, Susan Sachs, and Sarah Goldsmith | Credit: Keith Bamberger For years, EENC has had the pleasure and opportunity to recognize and award individuals nominated by their peers, and this year is no exception. These awards are meant to recognize members, organizations, partners, and leaders who exemplify service, creativity, ingenuity, and contribution to the field of environmental education. On Saturday, September 20, 2025, the Environmental Educators of North Carolina held their annual awards ceremony during their conference at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina. The awards ceremony was moderated by Will Freund, EENC Board President, and included a panel discussion with all of the award winners. This year, EENC presented four awards to the following individuals. Credit: Keith Bamberger Outstanding Newcomer - Sarah Goldsmith Outstanding Newcomer recognizes an EENC member of five years or less who has made significant contributions to EENC during their short time with EENC. This person really shows what it means to be a rising star in the field of environmental education. Through her work with Wake County Parks, Sarah has developed and led over 100 unique programs annually for homeschool groups, schools, dementia care homes, and outreach organizations, reaching more than 3,000 students each year. She brings environmental education to life in both formal and non-formal settings, from leading summer camps and bilingual “Tiny Tots” nature programs to launching the county’s first Sensory Programming initiative for adults with differing abilities.  As a Project WET Facilitator and part-time educator at the Agape Center for Environmental Education, she also provides training and inspiration for fellow educators. She creates very engaging and unique, accessible educational materials, including grab-and-go Discovery Backpacks that help with environmental literacy for park visitors of all ages. Her passion for inclusivity and community engagement is shown in her partnerships with groups like Activate Good, South Wake Conservationists, 4-H, and the Wake County Animal Shelter, where she founded and continues to lead the “Tails and Trails” dog adoption event promoting responsible pet care and adoption. Currently working on her Certified Park and Recreation Professional certification as well as becoming a certified wildlife rehabilitator for opossums.  She is a frequent contributor to NC Recreation & Park Association’s Recre8 and NRPA magazines. Sarah has quickly become a leader in her field, known for her high energy, collaboration, and dedication to creating a more environmentally aware and inclusive community all around the triangle! Outstanding Practitioner - Melanie Buckingham Outstanding Practitioner recognizes a member of EENC who works regularly as an environmental educator, lending their skills to the growing body of environmental education as a profession. This individual has made significant contributions to EENC through statewide participation, leadership in their region, and being an advocate for high quality education through how they teach, live, and do. Credit: Keith Bamberger This person is an amazing environmental educator and has helped not only me but everyone lucky enough to visit Kathleen Clay Edwards’ Library in Greensboro, North Carolina. She has brought so many classes to her branch and has always been a great source of information. She has encouraged so many people to pursue their EE certification and follow their passions for the field of environmental education. I don’t think I could be doing this without her support. EENC Board President, Will Freund, moderates a panel discussion with the award recipients. Exceptional Environmental Education Program - Coastal Carolina Riverwatch The Exceptional EE Program award recognizes a program, organization, or center that brings environmental education to the public in great, new, and/or exceptional ways. Credit: Keith Bamberger This award was accepted by Lisa Rider, Executive Director of Coastal Carolina Riverwatch. This is a grassroots nonprofit organization working to protect the quality of water and quality of life in coastal North Carolina. Their mission is centered on supporting clean water through community science, education, and advocacy. They serve the White Oak River Basin, including the Crystal Coast and New River regions, where they engage residents, students, and decision-makers in efforts to address pressing water quality concerns. A core part of their work focuses on making environmental education accessible, relevant, and grounded in local issues. Through their educator resources, they provide free, standards-aligned materials that support North Carolina Essential Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. These include downloadable lesson plans, interactive Google Classroom activities, and opportunities for classroom visits. Their educational programming covers topics such as landforms, watersheds, harmful algal blooms, pollution sources, and sea level rise. These resources are designed to help teachers incorporate local environmental topics into their curriculum and to engage students in meaningful, science-based learning experiences. In addition to resources for teachers, they offer in-class demonstrations such as the EnviroScape watershed model. These hands-on experiences help students visualize the connections between land use and water quality. Their staff are available to visit classrooms and community groups to talk about environmental issues and solutions that matter to coastal North Carolinians. By bringing science and advocacy into educational spaces, CCRW empowers the next generation with the tools and knowledge they need to protect their local environment. Environmental Educator of the Year - Susan Sachs EE of the Year recognizes an educator who stands out among environmental educators as a professional who exemplifies excellence in EE and lends credibility to the field. Through valuable contributions and professionalism, the environmental educator is regarded as an ideal example that other EE practitioners should strive to emulate. Credit: Keith Bamberger It is hard to find a science educator in Western North Carolina who has not learned to be a better science educator from Susan Sachs, either directly or through one of her many employees, partners, or others she has mentored over decades at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Each day she works to improve public awareness, developing materials and training for educators, and helps create both a scientifically literate public, as well as a connection to the Southern Appalachians and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Susan has played a pivotal role in helping educators incorporate culturally responsive teaching and place-based education tied to the unique ecology and history of the Smokies. This is beyond just Purchase Knob but is true for the entire park, and has moved into the NPS through the capillary action or engaging learning and teaching.  As much as every other accomplishment and accolade, Susan Sachs's more significant contribution to EENC and the environmental education community is as a mentor. By leading by example and working with school-aged students, teachers, interns, Americorp members, seasonal, temporary, and full-time NPS employees, and all others who come through her door, she has created a healthy educational ecosystem in the park and throughout the southeast. She works directly with or through her staff, hundreds of teachers and educators each year, and likely tens of thousands of students. And she has been doing this for two and a half decades. She quietly shares methods of teaching complex ecological systems and climate science into engaging, hands-on learning experiences. In closing, EENC is honored to be able to award and recognize those who are exemplary examples of the field of environmental education in North Carolina and across the region. If you know someone you would like to nominate for an award in the future, nominations for next year's awards will open in July 2026. We cannot give out these awards if those in our community do not nominate them. A special thank you to craftsman and educator Jonathan Marchal for creating such beautiful awards for EENC for so many years. We deeply appreciate your work. Credit: Keith Bamberger

NOTE: This blog post is time-sensitive and may not be applicable at the time of reading. A huge THANK YOU to several members of the EE community for helping bring all of this information together. Questions, comments, and concerns can be directed to Will Freund, EENC Board President, will@eenc.org . MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 UPDATE : At the end of June, the North Carolina General Assembly appointed a conferee committee of House and Senate members to work out the differences between their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year. Since that time, we have not received any concrete updates on the status of funding for the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education. That being said, we have received a statement from the Office of EE that we wanted to share. We wanted to provide you with an update on the status of the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs in the state budget. The General Assembly has passed a mini budget that does not include eliminating or moving the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. The General Assembly is currently stalled on the budget process, and we do not know when or if the full budget will be approved. Thank you for all the support that the Office has received from educators across the state. The Office continues to be a part of the conversation because of the advocacy that you all, as a community, have done. Thank you for speaking up to protect such an integral part of the environmental education community here in North Carolina. That does not mean that our work is done yet. Until the final bill is passed and signed by Gov. Stein, there is still a chance that we will need to call upon you again to call your representatives and advocate for funding for the Office. Stay tuned for more updates in the future. FRIDAY, JUNE 20 UPDATE : Over 40 organizations have now signed the letter in support of funding for the Office of Environmental Education. Thank you! Your voices, both individually and at an organizational level, are and will make a difference. We are getting reports that the NC General Assembly and the budget negotiations are at a stalemate, and will be put on pause until after the July 4th holiday break. Although the NC House's version of the budget did include funding for the Office of EE, the NC Senate still needs to align its version of the budget for it to be voted on and sent to Governor Stein. With that, EENC will hold off on sending the signed organizational letters until deliberation resumes and representatives are in their offices to receive and respond to our messages. If you have not done so yet, and have the capacity to do so, we encourage you to reach out to your NC House representatives and THANK them for ensuring funding for the Office of EE. We asked them to act, they did, and now we need to thank them for listening to us. Here is the link to the spreadsheet  again, if you need it, with contact information for your representatives in the NC General Assembly.  If you want more updates in your email on this issue, we encourage you to sign up for the NC-EE listserv , where members of our community have shared more updates. This list is open to anyone with an interest in environmental education in North Carolina. It is moderated by the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. Posts for environmental education and workshops, job opportunities, new resources, programs, and environmental education conferences and events are welcome. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 UPDATE: EENC has launched an organizational sign-on letter advocating for financial support of the Office of EE that will be sent to members of the NC Senate. After so many individuals have spoken up, we want to make sure that the organizations in North Carolina have a chance to make their voices heard! If your organization would like to participate in this important effort to advocate for funding for the Office of EE, please follow the link below to fill out the  Google Form  and add your organization to the list of signatories. Although we appreciate the support of individuals, please note that we are collecting signatures from  organizational signatures only  for this effort. The deadline to add your organization to this letter is next   Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 . You can read the full text of the letter by  clicking here . Sign the Letter! WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 UPDATE : Tuesday afternoon, the House put forth a revised budget that reinstates "...all functions, powers, and operations" of the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs under the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources . You can  read all about it here  on page 316. This is really good news, but our work is not done! 1.  We need to THANK the representatives that made this happen . Advocacy must go both ways... the representatives heard the concerns and took a positive action for our EE community - so we need to  show our appreciation before Thursday afternoon . Wednesday and Thursday: Call/Email (or both!) all the people you reached out to and express your sincere thanks for reinstating the Office of Environmental Education in the budget.  Here is the link to the spreadsheet  again if you need it.  Didn't feel comfortable calling and expressing your concerns or didn't have time earlier this week to make a call or send an email? Consider taking a few moments to express your thank you for their support! 2. Remember, the Office of EE is NOT in the Senate budget, so  we will need to come out in force again to let our state senators know why they should support the office . Keep an out for the next call to action that will probably occur for the first week of June. The House/Senate will most likely put forth consensus members for each chamber that will iron out any details before voting on a final budget appropriations bill to be signed by the Governor. By law, this must occur by June 15 .  WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 UPDATE: This is an update and call for action on the state budget funding situation concerning the removal of funding for the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs from the currently proposed North Carolina House budget  set to be voted on the week of May 19th . We need you to speak up for the Office of EE and show how important and impactful their work is in your work, your community, and around the state. Why is this important?  Environmental education empowers students to understand and address the pressing environmental challenges of our time. The Office of Environmental Education manages our state's EE Certification program, provides an email Listserv resource, hosts an environmental education job board, the Lunchtime Discovery series, the annual Nonformal Educators meeting in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction, maintains a website that serves as a clearinghouse for all the programs and EE opportunities across the state, and much more. It’s a small investment with a massive impact. Eliminating this office would undermine decades of progress in fostering an informed and engaged citizenry. The Office of Environmental Education is a critical partner for EENC and so many other organizations and individuals across the state and throughout the region. We need YOU as someone who cares about the future of environmental education and the importance of the work that the Office of EE does, to speak up and contact your elected officials to tell them to ensure funding for this Office now and in the future.  Below, you will find a list of links to documents, committees, and the budget related to the upcoming NC House and Senate deliberations. These committees will be meeting early next week (starting Monday, May 19) to start budget negotiations. The key committees are linked below. The next few days will be a critical timeframe for hearing from constituents, LIKE YOU! We have heard from a legislative liaison, and this is what they had to share: It is urgent that people actively reach out to the legislative members of the committees we have mentioned below, because if they hear from hundreds of people, the issue will have to be taken up for discussion in committee.  It is also imperative that people reach out to the Speaker of the House, Representative Destin Hall , and the President Pro Tem, Senator Phil Berger . All Documents:   North Carolina General Assembly (HOUSE) - Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources House Standing Committee   Budget: https://webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewDocSiteFile/99061   Committees: House Committee on Appropriations - https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/6     Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget Standing - https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/SenateStanding/136     Senate Committee on Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources - https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/SenateStanding/145   House Appropriations Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources - https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/12  - FOCUS ON COMMITTEE CHAIRS If you aren't certain who your representative is,   visit this website and enter your address . Just be certain you have NC HOUSE selected. Know who your representative is, but not their contact information? Check out this spreadsheet with contact information for the four key committees that people need to reach out to, and also the Speaker of the House and the House Pro Tem. EENC has created   this email template  you can use for your communications. We have faced this challenge before - in 2011 and in 2017 - and work from the EE Community and supporters saved this vital office, and we can do it again! For more context, you can read our previous blog post related to this issue: Unless: Your Voice Can Make A Difference for EE in North Carolina .

EarthShare NC's Nonprofit Members represent the breadth of work needed to take care of the people and natural treasures that make North Carolina home. EENC was recently accepted as a member of EarthShare NC , a collaborative community of nonprofits, businesses, and individuals dedicated to fostering a sustainable future for generations to come. In welcoming EENC, Heather Beard, Executive Director of EarthShare NC, shared: "I am proud to welcome the Environmental Educators of North Carolina as the newest member of EarthShare NC's coalition of nonprofits. Collectively, EarthShare NC organizations work across the full spectrum of environmental causes that are critical to protecting the health and sustainability of communities throughout North Carolina. EENC's work to build a network of educators who inspire future stewards of our state's environment brings a vital and fundamental component to our coalition's mission of building a sustainable future." In addition to connecting corporations and nonprofits, EarthShare NC sponsors the annual NC Climate Week ,   happening Monday 9/29 to Friday 10/3, is a week of learning and action-focused sessions designed to help individuals and businesses adopt practical and accessible climate solutions. EarthShare North Carolina is bringing together leaders from communities, businesses, governments, nonprofits, and education to help us move from climate concern to climate ACTION.  The event offers four days of free  virtual Climate Action Workshops for individuals, businesses, adn cross sector collaboration, free consultations from experts, and an in-person Summit in Greensboro.  You’ll be amazed at the list of speakers  bringing their wisdom to the virtual Workshops and Summit including speakers from SAS, IBM, Lenovo and many more. The keynote is by Assistant Secretary for Energy and Infrastructure Jennifer R. F. Mundt. All the information you need is on the website: www.ncclimateweek.org . Get a ticket to the Summit (special pricing for government/nonprofit workers and students) and register for all the free Climate Action Workshops you can attend. Climate transformation for NC will take ALL of us!

After a thorough review and in-depth thought process, the Environmental Educators of North Carolina is thrilled to share our newest Strategic Plan as we chart our course as an organization for the next three years. The world we live in now is not the same one we had three years ago, and so we must continue to learn, adapt, and grow to serve our statewide community of environmental educators, community leaders, naturalists, teachers, researchers, students, and so many more.  Through our mission to build connections, provide professional development, and promote excellence for North Carolina's community of environmental educators,  our three-year plan will focus on four main goals, or what we call watersheds. Each of these watersheds independently addresses areas of our daily operations, development, programs, and communications that work together to see our vision come to fruition. A vision that individuals across all NC communities are empowered by their knowledge, skills, convictions, and abilities to inspire a just and sustainable world, and the Environmental Educators of North Carolina is successful. The four watersheds of our strategic plan are as follows: Advancing EE - Strengthen environmental education through equitable access, culturally responsive professional development, and advocacy that reflects diverse community needs. Developing Community - Build a supportive, knowledge-rich community that is inclusive, equitable, and responsive to diverse needs and perspectives. Fostering Partnerships - Develop equitable partnerships that enhance our reach, resources, and impact, ensuring shared power dynamics and a focus on diversity and inclusion Building Internal Capacity - Strengthen the internal structure to ensure sustainability, growth, and a positive, inclusive, and equitable work environment. We encourage you to follow the link below to explore the full document, which outlines specific goals for each of the watersheds described above. This document was created with input from both staff and board members, with a clear vision of where EENC aims to be a national model, creating a stronger sense of belonging for educators from all walks of life, where varied skills and experiences are celebrated. If you have any questions regarding this document or our process of producing it, please reach out to Board President Will Freund at will@eenc.org .

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.”

NOTE: This blog post is referencing a time-sensitive issue. Please read our most recent post with up-to-date information. Our state’s nationally recognized Office of Environmental Education — a vital, one-of-a-kind resource that supports thousands of teachers, students, and citizens every year — is on the chopping block in the proposed state budget. Environmental education empowers students to understand and address the pressing environmental challenges of our time. The Office of Environmental Education manages our state's EE Certification program, provides a list-serv resource, the Lunchtime Discovery series, the annual Nonformal Educators meeting in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction, maintains a website that serves as a clearinghouse for all the programs and EE opportunities across the state, and much more. It’s a small investment with a massive impact. Eliminating this office would undermine decades of progress in fostering an informed and engaged citizenry. Right now, the NC House is forming their budget proposal. When approved, members of the House and Senate will come together to negotiate a final budget proposal, which is then sent to the Governor for approval. If funding for the OEE is not in the House budget, there is little room for negotiation, and it could be much more difficult (or too late) to save this vital resource for our state. If you have benefited in any way from the OEE or the programs they provide and promote, this is a call to action and share your story.   Please consider reaching out to members of the committees below and share your stories of how the OEE benefits you, your students, and your community -- especially if any members on these committees are your Representative. Phone calls are the best, but emails are good as well (copy their legislative assistant). House Appropriations Committee https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/6  House Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources  https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/12 House Finance Committee  https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/24 If you aren't certain who your representative is, visit this web site and enter your address . Just be certain you have NC HOUSE selected. We have faced this challenge before - in 2011 and in 2017 - and work from the EE Community and supporters saved this vital office and we can do it again!

The Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) is thrilled to announce that the Glass Foundation , based in Asheville, North Carolina, will support our 2025 mini-grant program. The Glass Foundation is based in Asheville, NC and was created in 2000 by Kenneth E. and Nancy J. Glass. The Foundation strives to help Western North Carolina thrive as a whole community educationally, environmentally, and culturally and offer a distinctive quality of life.  We recognize that in the field of environmental education, sometimes a little bit goes a long way in making a difference for the teachers, non-formal educators, government employees, students, and volunteers we work with.  Open to all dues-paying members of EENC, the goal of this mini-grant is to provide support to promote excellence in environmental education across North Carolina. Although applications for the 2025 round of funding are closed, we will open applications again in early 2026, and we encourage you to apply if you are interested.   Now in its 7th year, this mini-grant program has supported dozens of projects across the state, from pollentaor gardens to distance learning equipment, and so much more. We invite you to explore an interactive map of previous mini-grant recipients  that will also be updated with the 2025 recipients once they are announced. Each year, we look forward to seeing the creativity and passion that our grantees bring forth in their communities. We are better together, and this program plays an important role in building hope through strength from mountains to sea. In Community,  Will Freund EENC Board President

The EENC members in the West have shown remarkable resilience post Hurricane Helene. Though there have been setbacks, environmental education programs continue to thrive, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and education. Environmental educators are still here, adapting to new circumstances and finding creative ways to engage communities in the wake of such challenges. There is a strong desire to make it work, with educators and organizations all working together to overcome obstacles and ensure that environmental education remains a priority. There is also an ongoing effort to connect with others, building networks and partnerships for a more sustainable and informed future. Here are some updates from a few of our members in Western North Carolina. WNC Nature Center The Nature Center has been able to host satellite events as they rebuild their campus. They have scheduled events such as a Howl-O-Ween costume contest and a night time Wolf Howl, where adults are welcomed to the Nature Center after hours to learn about Red and Gray Wolves of North America! They will also be hosting a Critter Check-Up  on December 7th where your plush animals can be brought to the Nature Center to receive its yearly check-up! The NC Arboretum  The Arboretum has welcomed guests back! On October 28, the arboretum opened their Formal Gardens, Bonsai Exhibit Garden, Education Center, and Baker Exhibit Center. They will also be putting on their famous Winter Lights ! Starting November 15th through December 31, you'll be able to walk through a bright winter wonderland! RiverLink Being in Asheville’s River Arts District, RiverLink was hit particularly hard, losing many of their educational supplies and their fleet of vehicles. Since Hurricane Helene, RiverLink has been busy hosting river clean ups and educating the community on ways to mitigate rain runoff. With schools now open, they are getting back youth-focused events, placing priority on rebuilding relationships to rivers.  Each of these organizations still have serious needs to be met. We’d like to give a special shout out to our members who are educators at Chimney Rock State Park , Grandfather Mountain , and Buncombe County Soil and Water  who are working tirelessly within their communities to stay connected while they rebuild. Please consider taking a look at all of these websites to see how we can continue to support them.

A special guest post from Life Member Mir Youngquist-Thurow. My name is Mir Youngquist-Thurow. I’m currently the Environmental Education Director at the Agapé Center for Environmental Education in Harnett County, where I’ve been playing with kids in the woods for 28 years! (Retirement is just around the corner; Krista Roa will be taking over as the next ACE Ed Director. Rock on!) I’m a Life Member of EENC, having joined in 1997 shortly after arriving in North Carolina. I got started in EE my Junior year of college when I was privileged to take part in an internship as a naturalist at St. Croix State Park in northern Minnesota. That was when I discovered that I could pursue my career as an educator outdoors! What a revelation! I’ve been enjoying this field of work (play?) for 41 years. Environmental Education is important because, as research has shown time and time again, everyone is healthier by having a connection to nature. Nurturing awareness and appreciation of our environment is vital to leading to caring individuals who make responsible decisions concerning our world. I learned about EENC when I attended an event held by OEE at a hotel in Raleigh, and attended my first conference at The Wake County Office Park in Raleigh in 1997. From there, I became involved by helping with News Notes. Recognizing what a valuable organization EENC is for professionals, I joined the Board and served in the following positions: 1998-1999 – Communications Chair (and Membership) 1999-2003 – Secretary 2010-2015 – Central Section Co-Chair 2016-present – Historian Environmental Education is alive and well in the Central Section. Besides the Agapé Center for Environmental Education, there are state, county, and city agencies offering EE opportunities throughout this vibrant section. EENC has been valuable to my career in North Carolina through the many friends/contacts that I’ve made through being involved on the Board, attending conferences, Central Section events, and events throughout this diverse state. NC is the place to be! I am Mir Youngquist-Thurow and I am EENC because… well…what I said above.

In 2023, EENC received a grant from the Triangle Community Foundation with a focus on Environmental Resilience, using the Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence from NAAEE that were still in development. EENC put together a team of experts that included: Renee Strnad, Jonathan Navarro, Keith Bamberger, Mariah Amter, K.C. Busch, Dana Haine, Sarah Yelton, and EENC's Programming Lead Michelle Pearce. This team designed the pilot workshop and it's materials in under a month, and then piloted the program in December of 2023 in Raleigh for nearly 20 educators from the Triangle area. It was facilitated by Michelle and Renee, who are already NAAEE Guidelines Facilitators. NAAEE developed  Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence  (2024)—the newest member of NAAEE’s Guidelines for Excellence series to serve a broad range of individuals and organizations interested in using education, in its different forms and in varying settings, as a tool for working with communities to find just climate solutions.  We know that climate education can play a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of climate change, its causes, impacts, and potential solutions. We also know we need to go beyond learning about climate change and build individual and collective capacity for effective climate action and justice. Effective climate action and justice depends on the ability to identify and critique alternative solutions and courses of action, select and plan appropriate action-taking and participate in individual and collective climate action. These Guidelines focus on how to design and implement effective climate education programs that truly empower just action. Many of you have been following along with the journey of the Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence workshops since the pilot workshop last December. Spring of 2024 an online adaptation of the workshp was created by another team of North Carolina educators, again lead by Michelle Pearce: Audrey Vaughn, Chehala Adriananjason, and Rae Cohn. This team used the resources developmed by the initial think group, and added connections to accessible and inclusive online learning. The online workshop was held just this month. An essential part of NAAEE's dissemination plan for all of the Guidelines for Excellence publications is to offer hands-on workshops so participants have an opportunity to truly dig into the Guidelines and understand how they can be used in their own programs. To facilitate the development of these workshops, they create a bank of lesson plans, handouts, and PowerPoints that members of the NAAEE Guidelines Trainers' Bureau can easily adapt. Because these guidelines have not yet been published, these resources have not been created yet. But now NAAEE is putting together their own team, and EENC is part of it! From Bora Simmons with the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education: "When I decided to pull together a small team to help develop these workshop materials, I immediately thought of Michelle Pearce and EENC. EENC has been one of our strongest and most active dissemination partners, offering workshops on the Guidelines for Excellence and training trainers throughout the year. As usual, Michelle went above and beyond when, along with Renee Strnad, she offered to design and pilot test an Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence workshop using a near final draft. We'll be able to build off of that great work as we develop these new workshop materials." EENC is so thrilled and honored to be part of this team, and to do this work. We're looking forward to sharing more updates about this project at the Annual Conference in September.

This year, EENC has taken on a membership growth challenge, the Road to 100, to fill in geographic gaps in our membership and have member representation in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties by the end of the year.  In alignment with our core belief in equity and inclusion in the environmental education field, EENC team is always striving to build a membership base that accurately reflects and represents North Carolina’s population, and to bring our membership benefits and network to as many environmental educators across the state as possible.  Last year’s Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance’s Landscape Analysis revealed what many of us working on the ground already know: despite our state’s many strengths in environmental education, major geographic gaps in service and support for educators remain – especially in “rural areas, areas with the highest social vulnerability index, and areas with the lowest income” (SEEA).  The Goals: By December 31st, 2024, We Aim to See… Reporting members in all 100 counties;  Membership growth in counties with only 1-5 initial members.  How To Help Us Get There:  Prospective or Website members: now’s the time to join! By becoming an EENC member during the Road to 100, you not only gain access to all of our membership benefits, but help us build a statewide membership network where your voice is heard. No matter what county you work in, we want YOU to be represented in EENC’s member community. Remember, having a login to the website doesn't mean you have a Membership with EENC. And if you’re the first person in your county to become a member, you’ll receive an Honorary Membership to gift – details below!  Members in all counties: tell us where you work! To update your EENC profile with the relevant information, log into your EENC account, then navigate to the Member Area > My Account and fill in the “County Where You Work” section.* If you haven’t yet, also fill out the other profile sections while you’re at it! Current Members in counties with 1-5 reporting members: help spread the word! As one of only a handful of members in your county, you can serve as an EENC ambassador within your community to help grow local membership representation. Make sure your co-workers, partner organizations, participants, etc. know about EENC and the benefits of membership.  The first new member to join EENC in each not-yet represented county will win an Honorary Membership for them to gift to a co-worker or community partner of their choice. Because we don’t just want one new member in unrepresented counties – we want to set off a snowball effect of membership growth! The EENC team will contact each first new member directly to coordinate the Honorary membership gifting process. We still need members from the following counties: Anson Ashe Beaufort Bertie Bladen Camden Caswell Cherokee Clay Currituck Davidson Gates Graham Greene Hertford Jones Lee Martin Mitchell Montgomery Northampton Pasquotank Perquimans Vance Warren Washington Wayne Wilson Yadkin We can't wait to see the county where you do your amazing EE work added to the Road to 100!