Chris graduated from Iowa State University in 2005 with B.S. in Animal Ecology and a minor in Forestry. Soon after graduation, he joined the Pheasants Forever team as a Farm Bill Biologist in Northeast Missouri. It was during that time that Chris got involved with LEP by attending his first Educator Training at the 2007 National Workshop and the newly opened Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, WI. From there, Chris attended both 2007 and 2008 Pheasant Fests where he helped in the Youth Village.

After nearly three years with PF, Chris moved on taking a job as Natural Resources Manager with Des Moines County Conservation back in his hometown. Wanting to stay involved and wanting to see Leopold’s Land Ethic expand throughout Iowa, Chris agreed without hesitation to serve as Iowa’s State LEP Coordinator.

“Leopold has been my hero from the moment I first read ASCA. I took special pride in being from the same town as he was. Now, being in a position to grow LEP in Iowa…well, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be involved with,” said Chris.

Chris will be working hard to grow LEP in Iowa beginning with helping to host a Facilitator’s Workshop at the beautiful Hole N’ The Wall Lodge in Akron, IA from Feb. 20 through Feb. 22.

The house located on the field station site is a renovated stone home that is off the grid. The electric power comes from Solar Panels and a propane backup is available when needed.

The facility is used to do research projects ranging from water quality to bat population density. The event started on Friday afternoon with a round of introductions.

After dinner, Janine Kohn, National Education Specialist and Cheryl Riley, Vice President of Education, filled us in on upcoming projects and ideas being discussed at the National Headquarters.

The evening ended with everyone gathered around the campfire, which was masterfully created by Marc Hirrel.

Saturday morning, Marc was up early to make coffee and revive the fire. There was a chill in the air and Marc’s work made us all feel warm.

After a fantastic breakfast, we all headed to the classroom learn about the new goods.

Christine Jacobsen introduced us to the new GPS Curriculum. LEP is very involved with the No Child Left Inside Program that recently passed by Congress. It is hoped that by using technology, we might be able to get children away from the computer and outside. Geo caching is a fun way to get kids outside while providing a fun and competitive activity.

Teams were formed and we all received GPS units along with a pad that had corresponding letters for identification. We were then instructed to go into the surrounding areas and find three interesting or unusual objects. When found an object, we would then ask a question about the object and take a Way-Point reading and go on to the next object. In all, we had three Way-Point readings.

Back to the set meeting place and swap GPS units. Then we would call up the Way-Points on the GPS unit we traded for and head out to find the objects. Most of us found the objects and some didn’t. But the whole idea is to get the children outside and this exercise will surely do it.

So a big thank you to Christine for a job well done. After lunch, we learned about the new Non-Formal LEP Activities. We were trained on all of them and since this was a pilot project, we gave some suggestions to be implemented in the final version.

Dinner was a Dutch-Oven affair created by Luann Waters. It was quite a feast that even drew a couple of Skunks who were looking for handouts.

Sunday we had wonderful casserole made with eggs spinach, corn and who knows what else was thrown in? Thanks Celeste!!!

Sunday morning was spent learning ways to receive funding and listing our goals for the coming year. It was then time to get things cleaned up and head out. It was a wonderful time spent with passionate folks who really want to make a difference in the world.

Christine Jacobsen - Nebraska State Coordinator

Christine Jacobsen is a conservation and environmental educator with over 10 years experience teaching workshops and youth and community groups with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, in Omaha, Nebraska. She has been state coordinator of LEP in Nebraska since 2000 and trained in LEP in 1999.

A native of Iowa, Christine has a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She has done public relations assignments, educator workshops on conservation education, started nature day camps, planned school gardens, and chaired community events, often combining information about Aldo Leopold and his philosophies in the process.

Currently, Christine is heading up the Metro Omaha Resources for Exploring Nature; a community forum to promote the importance of outdoor play.

Professional memberships include: Groundwater Foundation, North American Association for Environmental Education, Pheasants Forever, Nebraska Association for Environment Education

How are you using LEP?

I use LEP in several different facets; small group programming, teacher trainings, community events, and nature night sessions. The biggest LEP project I am working on right now is editing the new GPS curriculum.

What are your goals for the coming year?

My primary goal for this next year is to see the GPS curriculum printed and out in circulation.

Why is LEP important?

It’s nice to have a classic piece of literature that helps get individuals and communities outside. In addition to the literacy component of these activities, it’s a great set of ethics based curriculum.

Anne Lewis - South Dakota State Coordinator

In addition to the Leopold Education Project, Anne is the state coordinator for Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and administrates the 319 Information and Education Project for the state of South Dakota, 319 being that section of the Clean Water Act which addresses non-point source pollution. Anne is the current president of Environment Education Connections of South Dakota, the environmental education association for the state.

Anne graduated from the George Washington University where she studied education and is currently working on her Master’s in Natural Science and Environmental Education at Hamline University in Minneapolis. She lives in Pierre with her husband and a rapidly emptying nest which, when full, contains three sons.

How are you using LEP?

I use the LEP as part of our teacher training program to equip educators to teach about the environment. LEP activities also are used in outreaches to students and youth and will shape our programming for our new outdoor investigation program.

What are your goals for the coming year?

During 2009, I would like to see our outdoor outreach program successfully piloted. My goals are also to develop the facilitator network, and train at least 20 educators in the LEP.

Why is LEP important?

The LEP is important because it builds a land ethic, challenging people to think about our responsibility for flora, fauna, water and soil. The issues and concerns Aldo Leopold wrote about in the 1930′s and 40′s are relevant to today.

Celeste Prussia - Missouri State Coordinator

Celeste Prussia is an outdoor girl born, raised, and schooled in New England where she maintained close contact with the woods, fields, wetlands, and hills of that region. She graduated magna cum laude with a BS in environmental biology at Eastern Connecticut State University and achieved her MS in botany from the University of Rhode Island by studying the ecology and chemistry of lichens. Celeste directed the forest education program of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and served as vice president and president of the Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Education Association. She spent the next ten years directing the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center for the Missouri Botanical Garden during which time she helped establish the Missouri Environmental Education Association and served as its first full-term president. Celeste became an LEP facilitator in 1997 and has helped deliver facilitator training in other states. In 2003 she joined Missouri State University to manage the Bull Shoals Field Station and now lives happily ever after with her husband, labs, and horses at Possum Ranch in southwestern Missouri.

How long have you been a coordinator?

I have been co-coordinating LEP in Missouri for 2 years and am taking the reins in 2009 as the state coordinator.

How are you using LEP?

I use LEP lessons and ASCA with adult audiences who wish to explore their personal land ethic and in college classes to help students to “see the land”. The new activities will help me expand to younger and family audiences.

What are your primary goals for the coming year?

Two primary goals include the statewide expansion of LEP in MO – particularly in light of the new activities and LEP-GIS units coming on line – and locally, to include LEP in our summer youth environmental leadership program.

Why do you think LEP is important and how would you like to see people get involved?

LEP has helped me personally to consider, reflect, and revisit my own relationships with the land community around me toward the goal of being a more gentle and tolerant land community member. If LEP has worked for me in that capacity, then I believe it can serve other people too. I love the idea of using ASCA as a reading focus for a social community and the Ohio project can serve as a useful model of how this can be done in other areas. I’d like to see more of these endeavors.

Tony Esposito - North Carolina State Coordinator

I make my living working in the media business. Because of my love of nature, I decided to volunteer and became involved with the National Wildlife Federation.

I first became a Habitat Steward and then shortly there after trained to become a Host. As a Habitat Steward you give talks to groups and help people create wildlife habitats in their yards as part of the Backyard Habitat program. As a NWF Host, I hold workshops to train people interested in becoming Habitat Stewards.

At first I volunteered in North Carolina with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. I worked with seven schools in creating their habitats and was part of the team that created the 2000th Schoolyard Habitat at Park Road Montessori School in Charlotte NC.

I have since moved to South Carolina and volunteer with the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

While training to become a Habitat Steward I had read A Sand County Almanac and loved it. During the Steward training I would highly recommend reading A Sand County Almanac.

When I heard about the Leopold Project I knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to add a new element to the habitat programs I work with. Aldo Leopold had such a wonderful view of nature especially how deeply man and nature are connected.

I signed up for both the Educators and the Facilitators Workshop in Atlanta Georgia.

The State Facilitators position came open and I jumped at the opportunity.

Terry Bedford - Texas State Coordinator

Terry Bedford works at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas as an education specialist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Terry has a B. S. in geology, M. S. in wildlife science (both from Texas A&M University), and 8 years experience as a secondary science teacher teaching earth science, physical science, biology, chemistry and physics. She has been the Texas State Coordinator for Leopold Education Project since 2006.

How are you using LEP?

I use LEP with school and youth groups visiting the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, campers attending the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Wildlife Conservation Camp, and teachers participating in the various environmental education workshops that I facilitate.

What are your goals for the coming year?

My goals are to increase awareness of the Leopold Education Project in Texas by continuing to conduct workshops and assisting those who are already trained in LEP to use the curriculum and/or present their own workshops.

Why is LEP important?

LEP is important because it introduces, establishes, or reinforces the ideals of good land ethics and stewardship, through activities based on Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac.

Debbie Ruff - Illinois State Coordinator

How long have you been a coordinator?

I was first trained in LEP when the project was being field tested in Illinois by Land Use Council 16. I have been the Illinois LEP Coordinator since 2002.

How are you using LEP?

I use LEP as one way to introduce awareness of your surroundings. By either reading an essay or by just a few key quotes, I introduce even the youngest students to Leopold and his writings. We then use all our senses to discover new things in our surroundings, regardless of whether we are inside or outdoors.

What are your primary goals for the coming year?

My primary goal is to continue introducing students of all ages to the wonders of the natural world.

I think LEP is important because it is a great way to get students to look beyond the end of their noses and to use all of their senses.

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