|
Hackensack Riverkeeper’s Carola Receives Outstanding Environmental Educator Award By Captain Bill Sheehan 
One of Hackensack Riverkeeper’s own was honored at the annual Awards Banquet of the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Enducation (ANJEE). On January 7, Captain Hugh Carola, Hackensack Riverkeeper’s program director, received ANJEE’s 2004 Outstanding Environmental Educator Award for his work as a nonformal educator. I had the distinct pleasure of introducing him to the attendees -- and seeing his face when I told him about the award a few days earlier. “Let me just say that I’m glad Bill was doing the driving when he told me,” Hugh said. Each year, ANJEE recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions in the field of environmental education. Hugh was one of four people honored this year for his outreach to the general public. Angelina Rispoli, a teacher and resident of Old Tappan, nominated Hugh after having worked closely with him on the New Jersey Catholic Coalition for Environmental Justice. Needless to say, Hackensack Riverkeeper supported his nomination wholeheartedly. “Writing a letter of support on Hughie’s behalf was the easy part,” said Lisa Kelly, Hackensack Riverkeeper’s Development Director. “The difficult part was keeping it a secret, but we did it.” The awards banquet was the highlight of ANJEE’s Annual Conference, which is held each year at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. This year’s theme was “Diversity: The Nature of New Jersey.” Well over 300 people, representing virtually every facet of environmental education - formal educators, nonformal educators, resource providers, etc. - attended the event and its many workshops and seminars. While at the conference, Hugh and I presented a workshop called “Alert the Media: An Essential Primer for Environmental Educators.” We enjoyed sharing what we’ve learned about publicity and engaging journalists over the years. It made me stop and think about the power all of us have to inform, educate and lead the way. In accepting his award from ANJEE President Rebecca Lesko, Hughie brought that point home for me when he said, “People sometimes wonder why it is that New Jersey has the most pro-environment Congressional delegation, and some folks wonder why it is that every county in our state - from rural Hunterdon to urban Hudson - has a voter-approved open space trust fund. Why is it? Look around the room at all the people here tonight - you’re the reasons why!” If you ask me, they picked the right guy for the award. Congratulations, Capt. Hughie! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANJEE was established in 1985 to provide a networking
forum for New Jersey’s environmental educators. Its members include elementary,
middle, high school and university faculty members; staffers from nature
centers, zoos, museums; civic groups, youth groups, government agencies and
environmental organizations. ANJEE provides numerous opportunities for members
to become involved in projects and programs throughout the year. For more information, visit them on the Web at: www.ANJEE.net. |