Our Director & Assistant Director of Education recently had the honor of speaking at the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance conference. Their skills, knowledge, & passion for environmental education made this an incredible opportunity for them to share all the ways they are experts in their field. We continue to be astounded by their incredible expertise and want to take a moment to express our gratitude that they are part of our team and maybe even brag a bit!

Curtis Carman, Director of Education, offered a presentation on “Identifying Barriers to Program Participation and Cultivating Partnerships”. His incredible dedication and knowledge around our SEED program was an inspiration to us and an opportunity to help other attendees grow their own impact and participation. Our SEED Program allows our education team to work with Title I schools at little to no cost to the school and gives kids that may not get to interact with the environment & nature often an opportunity to immerse themselves in nature and engage with it. Curtis saw the cost and location barrier to getting students in the park and worked tirelessly to set up partnerships with schools, gather funding, and identify ways to overcome location barriers, such as covering the cost of bussing classes out to The Parklands. Curtis’s hard work, passion, and knowledge made him a fantastic speaker at the SEEA Conference making a way for other organizations to connect to their communities more effectively!

Erin Kinnetz, Assistant Director of Education, lead an interactive Animal Track and Sign program in which she taught participants how to identify signs of wildlife in the area AND share that knowledge with children or students. Few people at The Parklands have better animal identification skills than Erin, and her enthusiasm for passing this craft to the next generation is inspirational to all who have the opportunity to experience it. All of the families and classes that interact with Erin walk away more conscious and discerning in the ways animals leave behind clues and with a new love for engaging in the natural world. Her expertise and appreciation for nature in all of its many facets was truly enlightening and motivational to all of the participants.

The Parklands is so grateful to have Curtis, Erin, and all of their team as incredible members of our organization and resources for future generations of Louisville! We are so lucky to have team members with such a keen sense of ecology and appreciation for the natural environment. Congratulations to Curtis and Erin for their incredible presentations (and for making us look good)!