Heritage Conservancy Trains a New Crop of Environmental Educators
Front row from left: Lucas Denton, Megan Myers, Mia Hibbs, and Kate Brenton, back row, from left: Chip Bosch, Tate Pronel, Michaela Yaede, Emma Craven, Andrew Cyr, Garland Lamb, and Amanda Kline
Heritage Conservancy recently hired and trained a new group of part-time educators to expand the reach of our environmental education programs in Bucks County. Our team of hourly educators help to run student outreach, including field trips, classroom programs, nature clubs, and school information nights.
“Our education team is gearing up for our busiest time of year,” says Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller, Director of Education and Community Programs at Heritage Conservancy.
“This spring we will provide after-school nature clubs, field experiences at local preserves, and many other hands-on programs to support environmental literacy across schools throughout Bucks County. Adding to and strengthening our team ensures we are ready for the busy season, including many spring community tabling events and multiple watershed-focused programs with the 400 9th-grade students at Quakertown High School.”
Shannon’s team, which includes full-time Education Programs Associates Beth Clark and Mara Strauss, coordinates school programs in addition to public tabling events. They have 30 events planned for the month of April! “We have three events on the weekend after Earth Day alone,” says Shannon.
Hourly educators play a vital role in expanding the organization’s reach. Public and school programs help connect members of our community with the natural world, sharing information on environmental issues, ecosystems, watersheds, water quality, and wildlife.
Why Environmental Education Matters
Environmental Education is a large and growing part of Heritage Conservancy’s mission. As we are in the “forever business” and land protections will extend far into the future, it is critical that the next generation values and advocates for nature.
Our school programs in Bucks County introduce kids to their local watershed and wilderness. Field trips, after-school programs, and outdoor work brings kids out of their classrooms and into the woods for hands-on learning about local ecosystems, native plants and trees, and the local pollinators and wildlife that depend on them.
Programs are structured to demonstrate the importance of conservation efforts. Many lessons include materials that kids can bring home to share with their families.
Connecting kids to nature early can create a lifelong love and respect for conservation and teach them to be both nature lovers and advocates.
Extensive research shows the numerous benefits that increase as kids spend time in nature, including:
- Enhancements in creativity and critical thinking
- Increased focus and attention, with decreased ADHD symptoms
- Better academic performance and increased engagement in learning
- Less disruptive behavior and stronger impulse control
- An increased ability to cope with stress
- Improved relationship skills
- A reduction in anger and aggressive behavior
These benefits really take root as kids have multiple opportunities to connect with nature, so multi-touch, recurring programs like our after-school nature clubs and outdoor classroom programs in Bristol Township School District have a deeper impact.
Expanding Our Reach
Our newest hires will join a seasoned team that includes 23 part-time instructors who assist Heritage Conservancy with school and community programs throughout the year. Some have been with Heritage Conservancy for over 2 years.
“Our eclectic team brings together decades of experience and a wide range of skills to help us create and provide unique educational experiences to meet the needs of our school and community partners,” says Shannon.
At a recent training at Aldie, the newest team members learned about the multifaceted work of Heritage Conservancy, including our land conservation work in the region. They enjoyed a tour of historic Aldie Mansion and learning about the historical part of our mission.
Training sessions focused on the benefits of time in nature and the many different school programs Heritage Conservancy offers to local school kids. Longtime educator Mia Hibbs taught instructors about the Enviroscape (pictured above), a particularly effective teaching tool that helps demonstrate the effects of weather, runoff, and buffer plantings in a watershed.
Shannon is excited about the upcoming programs for spring. “These hands-on opportunities really engage kids and invite them not just to understand environmental issues but to feel some power in imagining solutions for the future.”
