Katie Salz
The vision of Tree Hill Nature Center is to, “promote environmental stewardship through hands-on educational programs and low-cost access to natural spaces.” Let’s unpack these ideas a bit, and explore the kind of education that helps to promote environmental stewardship.
Environmental stewardship is about using and protecting natural resources through conservation and sustainability. This is predicated on the age old tenet of protecting resources to ensure they are available for future generations. As our understanding of environmental science, ecology, and the connectedness of Earth’s systems have broadened, natural resources are, increasingly, appreciated for their intrinsic value. Together these ideas inform all aspects of our culture around natural resources, from federal protection laws to community festivals.
The educational programs at Tree Hill work to develop environmental stewardship in its guests, both youth and adult. Duval County has a STEAM program, which focuses on bringing ‘Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics to students in struggling schools across the District. As a partner of this program, Tree Hill provides a field trip to 3rd grade students which compliments their in-class learning. An Animal Encounter program probes deeper into the distinctions of mammals versus reptiles and native vs. non-native with live examples of each type. The second portion of the field trip is a guided trail walk, a first time visit to the woods for many students. Students are awed by the real life examples of their curriculum; asking questions, proposing hypotheses, and letting their imaginations free as they explore. It’s a wonderful sight to see in children who are finding themselves torn, younger and younger, between childhood and teenager.
The programs at Tree Hill are built on the principles of Environmental Education, which is a way in which people learn about the environment. In 1977 the first ever conference on Environmental Education was held in Tblisi, Georgia. The guiding principles of Environmental Education, the criterion for programs, and the educational objectives were established at Tblisi, but over time definitions of Environmental Education have been offered by different organizations. The North American Association for Environmental Education defines it as, “EE is a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and its associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action.” The goal is an informed and motivated citizenry to positively impact the environment. The more a person understands something, the more likely they are to have a vested interest in it: to care about it, share it, and work to protect it.
You don’t have to be a student to visit Tree Hill. It’s open 8am-4:30pm Monday-Saturday, and you can find out more at their website, www.treehill.org.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]At Tree Hill Nature Center they encourage everyone to learn about their natural resources, and here are a few ways to get started:
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Borrow a field guide from the library and explore Tree Hill’s ecosystems
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Purchase a one day or annual pass to explore Florida’s great state parks
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Go on a guided kayak or canoe trip on the St. John’s River or on our amazing intracoastal waterways
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Join an outdoor club or meetup group
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