Frostburg, Md. (October 28, 2010) – The UMCES Appalachian Laboratory is accepting nominations for its 2011 Richard A. Johnson Environmental Education Award, which annually recognizes an area leader for their outstanding contributions to environmental education.
The award honors the memory of Richard A. Johnson, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the Allegany County area. He passed away in 1990 leaving a legacy of a caring and dedicated physician and naturalist. The Laboratory honors his memory through its promotion of environmental education and the people who excel in its practice. A monetary award also supports the recipient’s further environmental education activities.
The Johnson Environmental Education award has three objectives. It honors those who mentor and inspire our citizens and future leaders in environmental science and stewardship; it recognizes excellence in environmental education and in research and public service that support environmental education; and it enhances environmental education opportunities for students of all ages. The recipient will be honored in an April ceremony and will receive a plaque and monetary award to advance environmental education efforts of his/her choice.
The nomination process is simple and only requires a brief, 200-word letter or email and a short in-person conversation about the nominee. Nomination letters or emails must be received by November 5, 2010 and should be sent to Paulette Orndorff or UMCES, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg MD 21532. The short in-person conversations (15 minutes) will be scheduled November 30, 2010 and December 1, 2010 between 5:00 and 7:30pm. For more information, please contact Ms. Orndorff at 301-689-7102 or visit http://www.umces.edu/al.
In 2010, the Laboratory selected Maryland Park Service’s Sarah Milbourne for her strong personal and professional commitment to environmental education throughout her western Maryland community. During her tenure at Rocky Gap, Sarah reintroduced an outdoor education program that reaches more than 2,000 fifth and sixth grade students and has created a school field trip program that engages more than 2,500 students. In addition to her personal projects, Sarah’s seasonal staff provides daily programs to the public, annually reaching more than 25,000 visitors with interpretive programs.
Ranger Milbourne received a $2,000 award that went to the Rocky Gap Volunteer Team who utilized that money to support local Scout Ben Brown in his Eagle Scout project. Under Ben’s leadership, the Volunteer Team and park staff helped construct an addition on to the existing park aviary for a newly acquired bald eagle. The eagle is undergoing training and will become part of Ranger Milbourne’s environmental education efforts with the Scales and Tales program.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized alongside those who have helped lead the region’s environmental conservation movement over the last thirty years,” said Ms. Milbourne. “It’s also great to know that the award has helped Rocky Gap State Park reach more people about the need to leave a sustanable environment to following generations.”
Past recipients of the Richard A. Johnson Environmental Education Award include: former Times-News columnist Ken Hodgdon (1991); Frostburg State University Professor Emeritus Don Emerson (1991); retired teacher Nan Livingston (1992); retired teacher Charles Strauss Sr. (1993); former Appalachian Laboratory Director Kent Fuller (1996); Department of Natural Resources project manager Bernard Zlomek (2001); Hickory Environmental Education Center coordinator Joseph Winters (2002); former Frostburg State University Biology Department Head Melvin Brown (2003); Beall High School Environmental Educator Kenneth Baxter (2004); Allegany High School Ecology Club mentor Alan Hammond (2005); Route 40 Elementary School Principal Patrick Delaney (2006); Garrett College Professor Kevin Dodge (2007); Maryland Park Service’s Jeffrey Ruark (2007); George’s Creek Watershed Association founder Robert Miller (2009); and, Maryland Park Service’s Sarah Milbourne (2010).
Founded in 1961, the Appalachian Laboratory is a center for research on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, including how these ecosystems function within the larger context of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and how human activity may influence these ecosystems and effect ecosystem health and sustainability on local, regional and global scales. It is part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the University System of Maryland’s environmental research institution. UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world through five research centers – Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park.
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Contact: Dr. Cat Stylinski, 301-689-7272