Ann Walter-Fromson was recently recognized at a ceremony held by the Office of Environmental Education and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Durham on November 17, 2006 for completing her North Carolina Environmental Education certification, which she has been working toward for the past three years.

     According to the North Carolina Environmental Education Plan, environmental education “is an active process that increases awareness, knowledge, and skills that result in understanding, commitment, informed decisions and constructive action to ensure stewardship of the all interdependent parts of the earth’s environment.”

    The certification process involves completing seven 10-hour
instructional workshops (four of the workshops are specified), participating in 50 hours of environmental education experiences in the out-of-doors, engaging in 30 hours of activities that provide awareness and knowledge of additional environmental education resources and facilities, teaching three distinct lessons for a total of 30 hours, and completing an action partnership in the community. All activities are documented on specific forms and submitted to the Office of Environmental Education; the portfolio of documentation is reviewed periodically. Ann received a certificate when the final portfolio review was completed.

     For her action partnership, Ann coordinated the design and development of five interactive interpretive trail signs focused on Piedmont forest communities for the Evergreen Trail at Price Park in Greensboro. You can see a brief description of the signs if you click the link for "Walking Trails" at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library web page at:

http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/Departments/Library/branches/KCEFB/

    There is also a brief profile. of Ann (as a newly certified EE) at the EE North Carolina web site at,

http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/certification/certified.htm.

     Ann is a board member for our T.Gilbert Pearson Audubon chapter, serving as Program Chair. In addition she is currently working on a Procedures Manual.

     Congratulations Ann!