Pathways Fall 2012.pdf

8/14/2019 Pathways Fall 2012.pdf

1/12

www.nysoea.org 6 0 7 . 5 9 1 . 6 4 2 2

Cover Photograph by Gabriella Carvaja

PathwaysOfcial Publication of the New York State Outdoor Education Association Fall 2012
http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/


2/12

2 Pathways Fall 2012

GIVING MORE TO THE CAUSE RISE UP ANDVOLUNTEER YOUR TALENTS!

by Tim Stanley

I am honored to be serving as the President of

NYSOEA and following in the footsteps of a longsuccession of volunteer Board members who have

worked to keep alive the mission of the organization. Simply put, there has

never been any substitute for getting kids outside and learning in a real life

environment. But our mission is becoming ever more relevant; to combat a

variety of childhood disorders and to engage children in thinking critically

about the world around them, it is imperative to get them outdoors. At the

conference each year I am astounded by the achievements and good work of our

membership. Each one of us has contributed to a better world by connecting not

only children but older people to the outdoors through a variety of citizen science

programs, adult lectures, school programs and so many other programs. We have

changed and continue to change the world in positive ways.

The 2012 Conference at Brookhaven National Lab was spectacular. The title,

Outdoor Education has always been GREENand an effective way to teach

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) reverberated in presentations

and activities throughout the event. NYSOEA is fortunate to have such talent

to bring together a conference of this caliber. A highlight of the weekend was

the STEM Expo represented by various Long Island organizations. It engaged

attendees to travel from table to table seeing how the concept of STEM is

effectively and naturally woven into outdoor education. Thank you to the

2012 Conference committee and all the volunteers who made this an event

to be remembered. I invite our membership to plan on attending next years

conference to be held in Albany, NY, October 24-27.

As President, I want to recognize everyones professional achievements and thank

you for being a part of this organization. I know that after a weekend together

I feel energized and excited about my career, filled with ideas and enthusiasm.

A professional organization such as ours is composed of a variety of people

who share a common vision and a common goal. We are stronger united than

divided. I encourage each of you to continue to support NYSOEA by volunteering

your talents, leading a workshop, or through financial contributions. I look

forward to my time serving all of you, for whom I have the utmost respect.

2 of 12 Pathways Fall 2011

NYSOEA EXECUTIVE BOARD

President

Tim Stanley

VP Administration

John Garesch

VP Communication

Nirmal Merchant

VP Human Resources

GayLynne Samsonoff

VP Program

Jolene Thompson

Secretary

Meaghan Boice-Green

Treasurer

Elizabeth Van Acker

Office

Darleen Lieber

REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Eastern - Amanda Ackers &

Natalie Rider

Metro - Jessica Kratz

Northern - Gary Griz Caudle

Western - Lauren Makeyenko

Central - Benette Whitmore, Ph.D Beth Folta, Ph.D

2012 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Mary Miller

Eric Powers

Jolene Thompson

PATHWAYS

Jessica Kratz (Editor)Richard Parisio (Poetry Editor)

Frank Knight (Member)

Matt Fraher (Layout)

Nicole Gatherer (Teacher)

Jonathan Duda (Marketing Manager)

Snapper Petta (Member)

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

INVITATION FOR ARTICLES AND NEWS.The PATHWAYS team is always eager to hear from members and publish

the articles that they have authored or news or event announcements

that they would like to share with fellow members. We invite you to send

your submission for our next issue. Simply send us the text with any

supporting material -- pictures, newspaper clippings, and more. We can

receive it in any of the ways listed below.


3/12

3Pathways Fall 2012

EDITORS CORNER: WHO WE THINK WE AREBy Jessica R. Kratz

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

As I sat alone inside a command bus in Midland

Beach, Staten Island during the the noreaster that

followed superstorm Sandy, securing a relief stagingarea amidst wind and snow, I picked up a familiar and

comforting volume of Robert Frosts poems. As I began

to read, I heard a park ranger announce over the radio that

a tree fell down across the street from the garage he was

guarding overnight. Coincidentally, the page I opened to

featured the poem, On a Tree Fallen Across the Road (To

Hear Us Talk).

The first stanza of the poem reads:

The tree the tempest with a crash of wood

Throws down in front of us is not to bar

Our passage to our journeys end for good,

But just to ask us who we think we are

There is so much to think about after the storms, and I

have been blessed with the solitude and time to think

about them. A lot of people are asking, What is the point

of all of this? I think this is something we may each have

to decide for ourselves, but one possible answer is literally

staring me in the face on the top of a Verizon trailer, to

reconnect your life. Unplug from some of the digital

distractions and dissonant noise, and reconnect with the

people and the things you truly care about. A few days

without electricity led to some family time doing yard work

and some wonderful boiled or grilled meals by lantern or

candlelight. Granted, I live a few blocks away from the

coast and was more inconvenienced than devastated, but

even among those that have lost a great deal, there is far

more gratitude than griping, and plenty of blessings that

have been counted. Especially after the one hour concert

aired on ABC, people reached out to check in on things,

providing an opportunity to reconnect with people that I

should never have lost contact with in the first place. And

people offering help: neighbors helping neighbors, people

helping from a distance, and people coming in from out oftown to lend a hand. So many gifts coming from this once-

in-a generation gut check: and just like last one, in the days

following the September 11th terrorist attack, brings with it

clarity, urgency, and a sense of purpose.

But how does this relate to outdoor education and to

NYSOEA? There is an urgent need for the work we

do: people need to connect with nature before will work

towards conserving and protecting it. People also need to

understand the importance of tidal wetlands and other

coastal ecosystems in reducing storm surge. And the

activities and field experiences we as outdoor educators

provide help people understand basic hydrology and how

water flows through the areas they live. And NYSOEA

is a community committed to providing knowledge

and experiences, and it is committed to serving its

members. And small gestures can go a long way. Several

NYSOEA members reached out to me to see how things

were and offering help. It is hard to admit needing help, but

with long and irregular work shifts and sporadic computer

and e-mail access, I was offered editing help and content

solicitation that moved this issue forward.

And in between the two storms, as if there was not enough

excitement, there was a presidential election. In President

Obamas election speech, he said, We are greater than the

sum of our individual ambitions... And in these dark hours,

we have come together: greater, stronger, more determined.

Thanks to all of you, for all that you do.


4/12


By Jill Eisenstein, Board Member of the Great Swamp

Reprinted with Permission from Friends of the Great Swamp

Rodents are not usually welcome. Who wants a mouse in

the pantry or a rat in the basement? But the largest rodent

in North America has moved into the neighborhood and

may be the perfect one to welcome. Beavers now populate

the Great Swamp, located in eastern Putnam and Dutchess

Counties, in rising numbers, are changing the landscape and

the water, and are protected by the government. Perhaps its

time to meet these new neighbors and begin to understand

them.

If beavers are like other rodents, why in the world are they

the NYS mammal, and featured on so many seals and coins

from hundreds of years ago? Why are they protected?

THE BEAVERS RETURN TO THE GREAT SWAMP

http://frogs-ny.org

To help us understand these things, FrOGS (Friends of the

Great Swamp) invited Tim Stanley, Program Coordinator at

Sharpe Environmental Education Center, Certied Master

Naturalist, and president-elect of New York State Outdoor

Education Association, to speak at our annual (public)

meeting about beavers. He raised a few eyebrows, drew some

smiles, and presented us with facts to ponder.

Known to Native Americans as the sacred center of

the land, beavers (Castor canadensis) were and are

the best wetland engineers in nature. At one time they

were numerous in North America--experts estimate the

population at 60 million. But beginning in the 1600s these

semi-aquatic mammals were trapped to near extinction. Not

only did the outer guard hair make beautiful coats, warm,

dense and lustrous, but apparently the felt-like inner fur

made exceptionally warm hats, and the castor produced in

Photo courtesy of NationalGeographic.com
http://frogs-ny.org/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_9/Geographic.comhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_9/Geographic.comhttp://frogs-ny.org/http://frogs-ny.org/


5/12

5Pathways Fall 2012

The Beavers Return to the Great Swamp continued...

a gland near their rear was all the rage for Europeanperfumes. By 1903 in New York State, there was just one

beaver colony left, tucked away in the Adirondacks.

Now, after a hundred years, and aided by government

protection, beaver colonies abound in the Adirondack Park.

And about 10 years ago they began to make their return to

the Great Swamp.

If youve had one flood your yard or put a dam across

your neighborhood culvert, you may wonder why they are

protected. Well, according to Stanley, they were in this area

long before our subdivisions, and when they returned, theyjust started doing all they know how to do: find flowing

water, cut down trees, build a dam, and make a pond. Fast

workers, they can fell a 10-30 foot tree in 6 minutes. Only

humans alter their environment more readily, rapidly and

extensively. But because they were extirpated from the Great

Swamp before we moved in, we were not privy to the facts

of what beaver impoundments might do and where. We may

have located our dwellings differently.

Like all ecosystem engineers, beavers do disturb the

natural environment. As the water slows behind a beaver

dam, it spreads further out into the surrounding forest orbottomland... sometimes drowning trees in the process.

Some of us find it unsettling to see reverse succession taking

place--instead of the maple and ash canopy closing in, it

opens up. A few trees such as the silver maple have special

adaptations for living in standing water, but only for several

months at a time, and in some places in the Great Swamp,

where dead trees have been drowned by beaver ponds,

swamp is becoming marsh. Without the tree canopy, the

water gets warmed by the sun. Certain groups of organisms,

especially invertebrates and sh, that require cooler or

faster moving water with more dissolved oxygen may be

eliminated. In the warmer, slower-moving water, sediments

and pollutants have time to settle out, a cleaning though

not scrubbing, process. Collector and predator invertebrates

become dominant at the bottom.

When beavers leave an area, their abandoned ponds and

marshes may eventually become wet meadows, then

shrubs, then forest again if they do not return to that s

ame area. But these changes take place gradually, not in

one human lifetime.

So why should we welcome these new neighbors? Besidesthe cleaner water from sediment settlement, almost half

of endangered and threatened species in North America

rely upon the rich biodiversity of freshwater wetlands, and

studies show that beaver engineering increases species

richness (one measure of biodiversity) in their active

impoundments.

An active beaver pond attracts and supports increased

numbers of Pileated Woodpeckers, Mallards, Wood Ducks,

Belted Kingshers, Great Blue Herons, Green-backed Herons,

American Bitterns, Hooded Mergansers, swallows, and

others, plus increased numbers of Ruffed Grouse, WildTurkey and American Woodcock in the uplands nearby. The

ponds attract a large number of migrating birds. While few

beaver ponds seem good for salamanders (attracted fish eat

their eggs), many support increased populations of certain

types of frogs, such as Green, Northern Cricket, Pickerel,

aquatic turtles, such as Painted and Snapping, American

Toads and some kinds of fish. And the endangered bog turtle

seems to thrive in abandoned beaver areas (see the FrOGS

website for more about this).

Unfortunately, the ecosystem to which the beavers have

returned is not balanced, so the current population in theGreat Swamp seems to have few limits besides food supply.

Although otter, mink, fox, owl and bobcat may take an

occasional beaver kit, it may be years before coyote, bear and

other predators strike a natural food chain balance.

So, difficult as change is for some of us, the Great Swamp

landscape we saw when we moved to this area 10 or more

years ago has been changed by these new neighbors.

If there is a pattern to beaver populations, we are just

beginning to witness it. What is the time frame between

active populations, abandonment, resettlement? Which

plant and animal species will decline and which will thrive

in the changing ecosystem? What will happen if beavers

natural predators return? What will our children and future

generations, long-time neighbors of the beavers, see?

One thing is certain. Beavers in the Great Swamp have

brought us new learning opportunities, the ability to

appreciate being observers of the changing cycles of nature

and participants in a vast and dynamic natural world -- one

that is not entirely in our control.


6/12


RAMBLINGS

FROM

REDH

ILL

bySnapperPetta

As a ten year-old kid, the rst mountain

I ever hiked in the Catskills was Mount

Tremper. Accompanied by my Dad, sister,

an uncle and assorted cousins, this

mountain was the big attraction when

the trout werent being cooperative in the

fabled Esopus River. In the days before

tubing became a major activity in thevalley, you either went fishing or hiked the

hills. Wed come to do both.

My rst trip up this medium-sized

mountain has always stayed with me.

I distinctly remember learning about

the rattlesnake population that still

inhabits the area. We were all warned

about sticking our hands in places we

couldnt see, especially around the springs

and old quarry, so as not to surprise an

unsuspecting serpent. Along the way wemet the Ranger who crawled caterpillar-

like each day to the summit in his

ancient Army surplus Jeep. Meeting again

when we eventually reached the top, he

invited us into the cozy confines of the

tiny tower cab where he pointed out the

many regional features which can only be

viewed from above the trees. Long before

Id ever heard of a topographic map, the

landscape told me all I needed to know

THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF NOSTALGIA

about its profile. Mountains, streams, ravines, steep slopes

and more all revealed themselves in one breathtaking sight,

leaving an indelible image in my impressionable mind.

Leap forward a half century and I was back at the trailhead

from that maiden hike. I had agreed to serve as the

steward of the fire tower atop Mount Tremper. Romantic

reminiscences of my first foray to this site played into my

initial decision to volunteer for the program. My plan was to

stay through the weekend; hiking in on Friday and coming

out when my duties were finished late Sunday afternoon.

Although this past summer was incredibly dry, the water

sources on the mountain have always been reliable. Because

of that I gave no thought to the possibility that these, or my

body, might fail me. This proved to be a profound mistake.

If youve not hiked in the Catskills its important to realize

that theres little time to warm up before you begin

ascending heavenward. Most trails are a less than subtle

lesson in geology. Echoing what the old time woodsmen

said was the hallmark of being in the Catskills, you know

youre there when the soil is three parts rock to one part dirt

Gaining over two thousand feet of elevation in just under

3 miles, the trail on Mount Tremper embodies both these

characteristics: rocky and steep. Trudging uphill, lacking

water, finding none, feeling faint protests from my back and

realizing that my life is on the downward slope of my own

personal mountain, a thought began to nag at me. What

was I doing? Why was I here? It was time to face facts. It

was time to turn around and head out. Arriving home and

explaining my circumstances, my ever perceptive wife said,

I guess nostalgia only goes so far.

This morning on the way into work I was listening to the

latest offering from the Zac Brown Band. The tenth track is

entitled, Day that I Die and in the song is this insightful

line: as time goes by its funny how time makes you

realize; were running out of it. Maybe it was because of my

recently aborted outing but the lyric hit me in a way I wasnt

prepared for. Have I been wasting my time trying to relive or

somehow revive old memories instead of striving to create

new ones?

With any luck, based on family history, I have another

twenty or so years left on this planet. While none of us trulyknows the time of our impending exit, should I be fortunate

enough to be blessed with that allotment of time, it will be

gone all too soon. For that reason Im challenging myself to

dwell not in past memories but in future adventures. Be they

big or small, we all need new challenges to set our sights

upon. Creating the next two decades of my life may well be

the best adventure Ill ever encounter; that is my hope. And,

should you accept this challenge, my wish for you as well.

Until next time, may all your rambles lead you to new and

exciting places.

Photos courtesy of Aaron Bennett


7/12

7Pathways Fall 2012

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County has a

new program taking the spotlight. Their Marine Meadows

Program, based out of Southold, aims to restore eelgrass

along the Long Island shores with the help of students and

other community members. Eelgrass use to be so abundantthat Native Americans insulated their houses with it. Todays

scarcity of eelgrass means that even sea creatures cant find

enough of it. It may not seem like a big deal, but actually we

all need eelgrass.

I rst became involved with Marine Meadows when Kimberly

Barbour came to one of my sustainability classes. She gave

a quick talk on eelgrass. Who knew that so many creatures

use it? Humans like eelgrass because it prevents erosion and

acts as a barrier between shore and water. Sea creatures likeeelgrass because it provides essential habitats. Her project

wants to restore eelgrass around Long Island shores. Toward

that end, she showed my class how to weave eelgrass

into burlap discs. Divers ultimately plant a lot of discs in

particular sites, restoring eelgrass meadows.

I found the hands-on aspect of restoration very fullling,

and taking action felt great. After the workshop, I contacted

Kimberly and interned with Marine Meadows. Receiving

college credit over the summer also felt great. I helped make

and plant around 5,000 burlap discs. I also met a lot of

interesting people in my community.

Marine Meadows encourages local communities to help

restore these meadows. Kimberly sets up workshops and

welcomes everyone. School kids and retirees learn how

to weave eelgrass into the discs. Boy Scouts earned their

community service points by helping. Everyone benefits. The

community learns about eelgrass, and Marine Meadows gets

discs to plant. The fish are happy too.

To learn more about the Marine Meadows program, visit

http://ccesuffolk.org/marine-meadows-program/

RESTORING THE EEL GRASS MEADOWS TO THE LONG ISLAND SHORES:A STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE

By Gabriella Carvajal

Photos provided by Gabriella Carvajal
http://ccesuffolk.org/marine-meadows-program/http://ccesuffolk.org/marine-meadows-program/


8/12


Beth Folta

Beth is an assistant professor and the program

coordinator for the Natural History & Interpretation

Program(undergraduate program)/Environmental

Interpretation (graduate program) at the SUNY-College

of Environmental Science and Forestry. She has a Ph.D.

in Science Education and an M.S. in Outdoor Recreation

from NC State University. She relocated to New York two

years ago from North Carolina where she is a certied

environmental educator. Before joining the academic

world, she worked as a Wildlife Educator, NPS Interpretive

Park Ranger, director of a nature camp, and a kayak

guide. She now enjoys working with undergraduate andgraduate students exploring a variety of research topics

in interpretation and environmental education, including

citizen science applications and the use of technology in

getting people outdoors.

WELCOME OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Jolene Thompson

Jolene attended her rst NYSOEA conference in 2010 in

Buffalo and was inspired to become more deeply involved

with the organization. Since that time she has worked as a

co-chair for the 2012 conference on Long Island, and now as

the VP of Programs.

Jolene fell in love with environmental education while lead-

ing park-based eld trips and public programs as an SCA

member at Scenic Hudson. After moving to Long Island,

she became an Environmental Education Assistant with

the NYSDEC, where she teaches in-school and scout EE

programs, facilitate teacher workshops, and participate incommunity events. Her work in schools has taught her the

importance of connecting environmental education with the

current education system, and motivated her to complete a

Masters in Arts in Teaching degree in 7-12th grade biology

at Stony Brook University. She hopes to use her experiences

and education to bridge the gap between the outdoors and

classroom learning.


9/12

9Pathways Fall 2012

GayLynne Samsonoff

GayLynne Samsonoff, EdM, MUP is excited to serve as the

current Vice President of Human Resources for NYSOEA and

will continue its legacy of community bridge-building and

fostering an appreciation for our living environment. She has

served on the Executive Board in North Carolina (2009) as

the Education Chair & Massachusetts (2010-March 2012) as

the 2012 Annual Conference Co-Chair both are NAAEE state

affiliates.

Having grown up in San Antonio, TX with a creek in her

backyard her connection to the outdoors was ever present.

Growing up knowledgeable of her Chickasaw ancestry, herconnection to mother earth was instinctive. As an adult, she

has been very nomadic: living in Cuernavaca, Mexico; Roch-

ester, NY; Tokyo, Japan; Sunnyvale, CA; Buffalo, NY; Durham,

NC; and Lynn, MA. She now resides in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Brooklyn, NY. GayLynne earned her BS in Urban & Regional

Planning in 2001 at the University of Texas San Marcos with

a concentration on highway greenway beautification. She

also earned a Masters in Educational Leadership & Policy

in 2007 and a Masters in Urban Planning in 2008 from the

University of Buffalo with a concentration on S.T.E.M. play-

ground curricula and place-based educational greenspaces.

GayLynne has worked on Environmental Literacy Plans (ELP)

in both North Carolina and Massachusetts and will con-

tinue that effort in New York State. She has been working

directly with NYSOEAs ELP Co-Chairs: Mary Leou & Beth

Shiner Klein since May of this year and will be the Executive

Board Liaison for the NYSOEA ELP Committee. She invites

members to contact the committee by emailing elp@nysoea.

orgfor more information or to become part of the growing

number of individuals involved in supporting this effort.

Since 2001, GayLynne has lived outside of Texas working

with non-prots as a community bridge-builder and found

her passion for Environmental Education. Living in Western

New York for most of the years outside of Texas, she has

grown deep roots in New York State and being part of the

NYSOEA Board has been a goal for many years. Now living

in Bedford-Stuyvesant since April 2012, she has been able

to see the diversity of outdoor environments that New York

State has to offer. Her goal as the VP of Human Resources

for NYSOEA is to strengthen member connections and to

promote outdoor education in New York State.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


10/12


We would like to thank you for your interest and support

in the work of the Environmental Literacy Committee of

NYSOEA. We have made a lot of progress over the past 4

years since the committee was established. In fact, in some

ways, we are further along than most states across the

country in that we have a working draft. To see the latestversion on the NYSOEA website, please click here.

We will be updating the ELP by January 2013 to include a

higher education section and to incorporate suggestions and

comments we have received from all of you. Please continue

to send us your ideas!

ELP Committee accomplishments thus far

We have cultivated a coalition of organizations that are

involved in working with us on getting the NYSELP adopted.

We have partnered with The New York State Sustainability

Education Working Group to include higher education in our

ELP (currently underway). For more information, please see

the attached Call to Action document.

We have reached out to NYSED and while they are not ready

to endorse the ELP, they have provided us with feedback on

the latest draft and encouraged us to continue our work on

the ELP.

We have reached out to the Green Ribbon School leaders inNYS and hope we can work with them as they develop the

Green Ribbon School criteria, which include environmental

literacy as one of their goals. For more information, please

click here

The Steering Committee members are working on a

brochure to promote environmental literacy in NYS and

the work of the committee which includes: fundraising, and

broadening the coalition to include stakeholders from a

variety of constituents.

We have also launched an effort to collect profiles of schools

that are engaged in environmental literacy. Please see the

attached request.

Heres how you can help1. Collect proles from your region and send to us so we

can build a portfolio of projects/programs that exemplify

environmental literacy at work.

2. Get your organization, or other organizations to join the

NYS Environmental Coalition by signing upon the NYSOEA

website.

3. Be ambassadors for environmental literacy in your

community. Help schools connect with environmental

groups and find resources to help them launch

environmental projects/partnerships etc.

4. Assist with fundraising or grant writing to support the

work of the committee. (As you know, all this has been

accomplished on volunteer time.)

We look forward to working with you...if you have ideas or

suggestions please contact us at: [email protected]

We wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season and lookforward to hearing from you.

Mary Leou and Beth Klein,

Co-Chairs Environmental Literacy Committee

Dear ELP Committee Members and Supporters,

October 24th

27th

, 2013 Where will you be??
http://nysoea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/EL_Plan.pdfhttp://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/GreenRibbonSchools.htmlhttp://nysoea.org/environmental-literacy/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://nysoea.org/environmental-literacy/http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/GreenRibbonSchools.htmlhttp://nysoea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/EL_Plan.pdf


11/12

11Pathways Fall 2012

As a new member of the Outdoor Education community,

I found the 2012 NYSOEA Conference to be a wonderful

experience that both connected me with other leaders in

my field and expanded my knowledge of the environmental

issues that unite us in a common cause. The keynote

speakers and workshops not only supplied the information

to help expand my knowledge base, but also provided me

with the tools I need to incorporate this information into my

everyday teaching methods.

I enjoyed every aspect of the weekend, from hands-on

workshops and the STEM Expo to the live and silent

auctions. I felt that every activity offered at the conference

helped me to bond with the other members of the

organization. Even the time I spent around the dinner table

simply discussing comical issues that sometimes arise when

teaching children will be useful as I now have new strategies

for dealing with these situations that can be difficult or

frustrating.

It is so important in our field to keep our energy levels high

so we can captivate our audience. I always find that one

of the best ways to reenergize is to surround myself with

like-minded people. The 2012 NYSOEA conference allowed

me to spend personal and meaningful time with so many

knowledgeable educators with the same outlook on life as

I have. This conference also emphasized the importance of

positive affirmation in the workplace. The keynote speakers

and leaders of this conference did a great job of reinforcing

just how important our jobs as outdoor educators are and

explaining how critical of a role we play in creating a better

world for our youth. This is another important aspect of

staying energized in the workplace.

I learned so much at this conference, met so many

inspirational people, and had a fun time while doing it! The

NYSOEA conference is unique in that it is most likely the

only conference where you will find a recipient of an award,

in this case the marvelous Steve Stanne, bring out a guitar

and begin a conference-wide sing-along. You would rarely

find professionals of such diverse and effective talents in

any other field of work! As Outdoor Educators, not only

do we provide the stepping-stones necessary for people to

develop a love for the natural world, but we also know the

importance of having fun while learning! This is only one of

many reasons why I love this career and thoroughly enjoy

the company of the people that Outdoor Education attracts!

Megan Hoffman is an Environmental Educator/Management

Assistant at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Cornwall, NY

A YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FORAY INTONETWORKING AND COMMUNITY BUILDINGWritten By Megan Hoffman

ADVERTISING IN PATHWAYSPATHWAYS welcomes advertisements which will be

of interest to the membership of NYSOEA. If you have

a product, service, equipment, resource, program, etc.that you would like to share with our membership via

an advertisement, we can receive it through any of the

following ways.

Email: [email protected]

Fax: (607) 753-5982

Mail: Darleen M. Lieber

Ref: Pathways Advertisement / Article

E-334 Park Center, SUNY Cortland RPLS Dept.

PO Box 2000 Cortland, NY 13045

Materials should be typed. Please include a short

biographical section about the author of the article.

References cited in the article should be listed at the end

of the article, APA style.

(ISSN 1077-5100) PATHWAYS is published four times a

year by the New York State Outdoor Education Association

and is emailed to NYSOEA members. Opinions expressed

by contributors are theirs solely and not necessarily

those of the Editorial Board of PATHWAYS or of NYSOEA.

Advertisements included in pathways should not be

interpreted as endorsement of the product(s) by NYSOEA.

NYSOEA 45th

2013 Annual Conference

October 24th

27th

, 2013
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


12/12

Non-Prot

U.S. PostageP A I DCortland, NY

Permit No. 14

New York State Outdoor Education Association

c/o Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure StudiesP.O. Box 2000

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York 13045

NYSOEAisaprofessionalorganizationthatpromotesinterdisciplinarylife-longlearningin,for,andabouttheoutdoors

andseekstoinspireappreciationoftheenvironmentbyallpeople.

Pathways

CHECKOUTOURWEBSITE!

WWW.NYSOEA.ORG
http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/http://www.nysoea.org/

Documents

Pathways Fall 2012.pdf