The Michigan Alliance
for Environmental and Outdoor Education recently honored several Michigan
educators for their work in bringing science and nature to students in the
classroom and to the public through creative workshops and other outlets.

Taking home the
alliance’s two most prestigious awards were Pete Stobie, formerly of the
Kalamazoo Nature Center, and Lisa Appel, formerly of the Cranbrook Institute of
Science. Unfortunately, both have recently moved on, relocating out of state in
new job positions.

Outdoor Educator of the Year

Stobie, who recently
relocated to Pennsylvania, was on hand to receive the Julian W. Smith Outdoor
Educator of the Year Award when the MAEOE gathered Oct. 10 in Sault Ste. Marie.
A graduate of Northern Michigan University, Stobie spent 19 years as a
certified heritage interpreter and, eventually, education director at the
Kalamazoo Nature Center.

An entertaining
educator, Stobie also had received numerous past awards from the National
Association of Interpretation. Stobie said he was honored to win an award named
for Julian Smith, a longtime professor at Michigan State University who,
according to Frailey, “enabled Michigan to become the undisputed leader in the
development and implementation of outdoor education in the 1950s and
‘60s.”    

Environmental Educator of the Year

Lisa Appel, who
recently relocated to Oregon where she serves as the environmental outreach
manager for the port of Portland, picked up the William B. Stapp Environmental
Educator of the Year Award. Appel, like Stapp, was instrumental in the
development of aquatic education programs for youth.

While at Cranbrook,
Appel assisted or led the development and coordination of the Rouge River Water
Festival, the “Water on the Go” outreach program and a monthly online
newsletter “Freshwater Forum.” She served on the board of directors of both the
Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education and the Michigan
Nature Association. Appel graduated from the University of Michigan, where
Stapp served as a longtime faculty member. Stapp’s name is internationally
linked to the development and advancement of environmental education.

During the Sault Ste.
Marie event, the alliance also honored several other Michigan educators as
follows:
 

Recognition Awards

·  Mike Reed, of the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, for
25 years of service providing environmental education in the metro Detroit
area. Reed’s work on Belle Isle, and in Detroit-area schools, has left a
positive impact on thousands of K-12 students and their families.

·  William Hodges, science teacher at Holt High
School, for his long-serving dedication to use the outdoors as a classroom and
creative methods to keep his students engaged in science. From raising salmon
and lake sturgeon in his classroom to monitoring turtles and wildlife on school
grounds, Hodges always has students involved in hands-on learning.

Appreciation Awards

·  Ed Shaw, at the DNR’s Carl T. Johnson Hunt and
Fish Center in Cadillac – for his elevation of outdoor education programming in
the Cadillac area, as well as at other statewide sites including the Boardman
River weir in Traverse City. Shaw recently developed an Outdoor Skills Academy,
providing a welcoming way for novice outdoorsmen and women to gain confidence
in their skills.

·  Cheri Leach, the co-founder and CEO of Raven
Hill Discovery Center near East Jordan, Michigan – for the development of a
popular, multidisciplinary program connecting nature education to art and
history. Leach, a Michigan certified teacher for the past 46 years, and her
programs at Raven Hill connect residents of the northwest Lower Peninsula to
high-quality science programs, using the outdoors for her classroom.

·  Brian Cressman, a freelance herpetologist and
educator – for his consistent contributions to Oakland County Parks over the
past six years. Cressman has been instrumental in educating Oakland County
Parks visitors about native Michigan snakes, particularly Michigan’s only
venomous snake, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake.

 

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