Welcome our new President: Toni Bruner

Environmental

Education

Association of

Alabama

www.eeaa.us

SPRING 2016

EEAA News Inside this Issue

President’s Message

Conference Highlights

BEEP Awards

New Board Members

Georgia-Alabama Land

Trust

Environmental Studies

Center Open House

EEAA PD Fund

Camp McDowell

Education Events

Legacy’s Educator

Excursions

Legacy’s Mountains to

the Gulf

Alabama Water

Watch

EEAA Board

President:

Toni Bruner

Vice-President:

Kimberly Murray

Treasurer:

Shirley Farrell

Secretary:

Kim Hall

Welcome our new President: Toni Bruner

Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life! Isn't that how the

saying goes? For me these words couldn't be any truer.

You see I'm blessed to have a job in one of the most diverse states in the nation

working alongside some of Alabama's brightest educators.

My life has taken me down many roads. As a young girl I spent most of my sum-

mers at Fort Toulouse in Wetumpka, AL where my father worked. It was there

among the riverside, Spanish Moss and singing birds that I developed my love for

nature. Come lunchtime Dad and I would wonder to the waters’ edge to dip a

pole. Those were some of the best days of my life.

When I was thirteen I went to work for my uncle in his salon and before I knew it

fourteen years had passed. Nevertheless, I had not lost my love for the outdoors,

just my way. As circumstances would have it Mother Nature wasn't done with me. I took a part time position with Legacy

Partners in Environmental Education,

which was supposed to be temporary.

I found myself assisting the Educations

Manger Marijean Hadley and man did I

love it! She taught me so much and

helped rekindle by passion for

protecting our environment. I decided

to go back to school, got my degree

and have been traveling the world in

my pursuits to better educate myself

and others about our amazing planet.

As if that wasn't enough I now have

the opportunity to serve you as EEAA

President. I am humbled by your trust

and confidence and look forward to

our future.

We are going to have an amazing

2016!

Toni Bruner

EEAA News

2016 Conference Highlights

This year’s annual conference was held in Camp McDowell’s newest addition, Bethany Village.

Participants enjoyed lodges and meeting spaces with beautiful views, as well as delicious food and

quality fellowship with other environmental educators from all over the state.

Some participants came in early for the Environmental

Education in the Classroom preconference workshop.

Shirley Farrell with the Alabama State Department of

Education spent the day modeling ways to use school

yards as ee field trip locations and research labs.

Participants left this workshop with EE activities which are

aligned to College and Career Readiness Standards and an EE

kit filled with classroom resources

Maggie Johnston, Director of McDowell Environmental

Center led an Environmental Educator Provider Round

Table as a preconference activity. This informal group

discussion focused on environmental programming,

resource coordination and collaboration, problem solving

and other topics of interest to participants.

Doug Carpenter Hall Home to our speakers, auctions, and dining.

Conference Speakers

Fred Hunter of Absolutely Alabama delivered our welcome

address; sharing stories of the path that led him to his career with

Absolutely Alabama. Fred shared with conference participants his

experiences involving the people, places, and things that make the

state of Alabama unique and special.

The keynotes was delivered by beloved nonfiction author for

kids, Heather Montgomery. She took participants on an

exciting journey of discovery, and taught us how to set our

students up to make discoveries of their own. In Heather’s

own words, “Appreciate,

understand, protect –

these are the words we

strive for in environmental

education. So, we build our lessons meticulously. We plot.

We plan. We prepare. Those are the verbs – the actions –

of the educator. But, what verbs are learners experiencing in

most Alabama educational settings? Right now, we have a rare

opportunity. We can lead our state away from “recall,

memorize, define” and towards deeper learning. Now is the

time. Alabama is the place. Let’s set them up to DISCOVER!”

Participants also enjoyed

presentations from Dave

Holloway’s Radical

Raptors and Olivia Ries

and her family who found-

ed the group One More

Generation. Olivia and her

brother Carter are helping

people all over the world

understand ways to con-

serve and protect for the

future.

The Secret Canyon Hike took participants into a

secluded sandstone canyon where they got to explore

the beauty of Bankhead National Forest as well as

Camp McDowell.

Adding the “A” in STEAM, other

participants

participated in a Folk Art From Nature program where they learned

of several natural art projects they can create with their students

back in their classrooms or outdoor classrooms.

EEAA News

Conference Field Trips

Fun on the Farm

Angela Underwood, AL Dept. Conservation,

Coastal Section

Educators from around the state had the opportunity to

have a little “fun on the farm” during the recent EEAA con-

ference at Camp McDowell. Ali Pap, director of the

McDowell Farm School, toured participants around the farm

while teaching them about the unique curriculum that offers

hands-on education focused on food, sustainability and the surrounding ecosystem. During a three

day program, students learn where their food comes from as they plant and harvest crops and tend

to the daily maintenance of farm animals, including chickens, pigs, rabbits, and goats. Additionally,

students get the opportunity to take what they have harvested and cook healthy dishes in the new

Rogers Teaching Kitchen. The farm school’s philosophy on education is “rooted in experiential learning”. Students better un-

derstand how their food grows and the resources it takes to provide sustainable food options when

they get their hands in the dirt, collect warm eggs from the coop,

and work with their classmates on projects around the farm.

It was a treat for conference par-

ticipants to experience this

unique approach to environmen-

tal education in Alabama. Many of

the educators took back great

ideas for backyard gardening with

their students. And I know that I, like many others, am ready to

go back and get my hands dirty at the McDowell Farm School.

Linda Munoz, award winning glass artist, conducted an

on-site field trip during the EEAA conference at Camp

McDowell. Attendees viewed a recently completed panel

featuring Waldo, the Camp pig and began a panel of a tulip

poplar blossom to adorn one of Camp McDowell's building.

Participants also created a small mosaic tile to take home. The enthusiastic group's art celebrated nature with

butterflies, beach scenes, dragonflies and more!

McDowell Environmental Center staff led psrticipants

across the swinging bridge and gave a presentation on geol-

ogy and conservation in the Down to Earth Class. Partici-

pants learned about coal mining and reclamation process

that takes place when mining is completed.

Jimmy Stiles led a group on a hunt McDowell's trails for

elusive salamanders, including the rare and protected

Green Salamander.

Photo by Eric Soehren

In order from left to right, Stan Arington from Auburn High School received the award for

Best Environmental Education School Course or School Curriculum for his Aquacul-

ture Science program.

Margaret Sedlecky from the Weeks Bay National Estuary Reserve received the award for

Best Environmental Educator for her contributions to K-12 education in Baldwin County.

Audrey Parker received the award for Best School Project for the outdoor classroom at

West Point Elementary School.

Dave Brotherton received the Jeffery Scott Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award for

his lifetime contribution to environmental education in the state of Alabama. Earthscope, the

Environmental Education Department of Huntsville City Schools, has been one of his outlets for

providing meaningful environmental education opportunities for Alabama children and citizens.

Linda Munoz received the award for Best Environmental Education Community

Project for her Conservation Through Art project.

EEAA News

BEEP Award winners were recognized at the

annual conference

EEAA’s Newest Board Members

Susan Caplow

Susan is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies with

the University of Montevallo

Schelly Corry

Schelly is the Executive Director of the Cook Museum of

Natural Science in Decatur, Alabama.

Mona Dominguez

Mona is the Volunteer Monitor Coordinator and the Program Co-

ordinator with Alabama Water Watch/Alabama 4-H (at Auburn

University)

Mandy Pearson

Mandy is a naturalist with Cheaha State Park (Alabama State

Parks)

Margaret Sedlecky

Margaret is the Education Coordinator/Science Resource Teacher

with the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and

Baldwin Co. Board of Education

EEAA News

Launching a New EE Institute to Celebrate Two Decades of Southeastern Conservation

“It’s not a society of tree huggers…not a government

conspiracy to swindle property…it is a private conservation

initiative mutually beneficial for the property holders and for

the environment,” wrote Louis Spivak in his V3 article

entitled, This Land is Your Land. “Since its establishment in

1994, the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust has grown from a

seed of conservation into an oak, safeguarding thousands of

unadulterated acres for future generations…this organization

has empowered individuals to be environmentally active

citizens, teaching us that anyone can be a conservationist

whether you own 25 acres or 25, 000.” According to Rand Wentworth of the Land trust Alliance, “Conserving

significant wildlife habitat, prime farming soils, productive forests, and

freshwater ecosystems with almost 800 voluntary conservation

easements from private landowners totaling 304,000 acres makes the

Georgia-Alabama Land Trust family the largest accredited nonprofit

easement holder in the Southeast.” The Georgia-Alabama Land Trust recently hired Renee Simmons Raney,

who has been active in EE for the past two decades (nine years as EEAA

Region 6 Director, twelve years directing EE for the JSU Field Schools

and ten years directing EE for the Anniston Museum of Natural History),

to serve as Director of Conservation and to develop their new

Conservation Education Institute. Renee is developing programs which

will include a new WILD CHILD series, Conservationist-in-Training courses for families and youth, her

internationally acclaimed Nature Observation through Fairy Houses workshops, outdoor classroom events,

educational outreach, partnership field programs, teacher workshops, environmental arts, and a natural heritage

storytelling series. “Expanding our public outreach activities will provide quality educational experiences while benefitting our land

protection mission. Our new Conservation Education Institute, under the talented hands and unique vision of

Renee Raney, will provide effective EE opportunities to thousands of individuals across the Southeast,” says

Katherine Eddins, Executive Director of the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust. According to Renee, “EE experiences connect people with nature in powerful, personal and tangible ways. I

believe that an appreciation of our natural resources and environmental heritage is critical to our mission of

protecting land and creating a healthier landscape.

By partnering with diverse groups and private landowners to

provide EE to people of all ages, we increase the comprehension

of the value of natural resources and people are more likely to

take steps to protect these fragile resources.”

Allies to this new endeavor include organizations such as Legacy:

Partners in EE, EEAA, Alabama and Georgia State Parks, Alabama

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Alabama

Clean Water Partnership, Georgia’s McIntosh Preserve, National

Fish and Wildlife Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends

of the Talladega National Forest, private land resources, and

diverse others.

EEAA News

EEAA News

Page 13

Page 13

EEAA News

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EEAA News

EEAA News

Our Living

Streams

Workshop

Participants

Educators use a

kick net at the

Cahaba

Environmental

Center to collect

aquatic critters for

a biomonitoring

activity

Stay Connected on Facebook!

EEAA has a Facebook page that you can

like and you can also contact EEAA

through that page.

The Tennessee Valley Environmental Ed-

ucators (TVEE) have a Facebook group that you can join, and the Mobile Bay En-

vironmental Educators (MBEE) have a

Facebook page that you can like.

Page 17

Welcome our new President: Toni Bruner

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