By Hugh Carola
Program Director at Hackensack Riverkeeper
Without question, environmental education (EE) has long, storied history here in New Jersey. In many ways, it began here. For example, over a century ago, the New Jersey Audubon Society created ways to study nature that didn’t involve killing study subjects. (What a concept!) Today, their field trips, programs and advocacy stretch across our state from Lorrimer Sanctuary in northern Bergen County to the Nature Center of Cape May.
Speaking of across the state, EarthShare New Jersey partners of all description are doing EE at this very moment for audiences of all ages, from pre-K classes to families, to senior citizen clubs, and everyone in between. And our nonprofit partners are always looking for new and better ways to connect people and nature because EE is one of the most effective tools for environmental advocacy; one we use quite a bit at Hackensack Riverkeeper. After all, how can we expect people to cleaner water, land preservation, and endangered species conservation without understanding them first? Because of that, EE is firmly grounded in accepted, established and peer-reviewed science. Imagine that.
In addition to presentations, courses, guided field trips and other structured EE offerings, many of us also offer opportunities for quiet appreciation, reflection, and most assuredly non-structured ways to learn from nature by being in nature. Many of our partners – nature centers, arboreta, refuges, etc. – maintain thousands of acres of habitats and hundreds of miles of trails and accessible waterfronts which, when added to state and county park systems, adds up to a wonderful array of places to explore and things to observe at your own pace. Sit for a little while beside any quiet waters as a heron silently stalks the shallows and you’ll understand what the Buddhist tradition means by “ponds of mercy”.
One way you can help young people find their way to such places is to support our Wheels For STEM program. In January, along with a good mix of other ESNJ partner reps, I attended and tabled at the annual Winter Conference conducted by ANJEE – the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education. Each of us promoted our work, our programs, and Wheels for STEM to the nearly 300 teachers and nonformal educators who attended. Like ANJEE, EarthShare NJ is made stronger by its partners, the work we share, and the people we serve – especially the children we introduce to the natural world.
Twenty-five years ago, when I started at Hackensack Riverkeeper, I had no idea where my career move would take me, or how I might ultimately find my way. As it turned out, cultivating a love of environmental education was – and is – that way.
Hugh has been Hackensack Riverkeeper’s Program Director since January 2001, and an EarthShare New Jersey trustee since 2020. He manages Riverkeeper’s Eco-Programs which serve upwards of 10,000 people each year. From May through October, Hugh conducts Eco-Cruises aboard the Robert H. Boyle II. The rest of the year, he represents Hackensack Riverkeeper in many ways at many places – including EarthShare NJ. Email Hugh at: hugh@hackensackriverkeeper.org.