Environmental Education: Lessons learned from working out West

by Charlotte Terry

At the top of O'Neil Pass in Olympic National Park! 

Hello everyone! My name is Charlotte Terry and I am a recent member of the DC EcoWomen community. After growing up in the Washington D.C. metro area, I worked for two and a half years as an environmental educator in seasonal jobs out West. In these roles, I got to work in beautiful places with amazing people. In specific, I had the opportunity to teach and learn about environmental stewardship and leadership development. I am excited to share my story with the hope to give folks some information and inspiration to pursue work in environmental education. 

In my words, environmental education connects people to the environment through inquiry-based learning. It combines curiosity with knowledge to instill love of the environment and environmental stewardship. I often tell people that my goal is to combine my two passions: 1)  community building, and 2) the environment. I love how environmental education is so different from traditional classroom settings, allowing learners to use kinetic and experiential learning to explore their curiosities and build connections between peers.

I found my love for the natural environment in college. I grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and I did not grow up in an “outdoorsy family.” My experiences started and stopped at Girl Scout camping trips and hiking at Gulf Branch Nature Center. Not to say that these were not amazing outdoor experiences, but I was very daunted by spending time outside. Also, I did not know anything about career paths in the outdoor industry. Most of my time in high school was spent as a part of the marching band, one of the first places where I felt I had found “my people” and true community. I loved the mentors I had and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself. 

When I started as a freshman at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, I was looking for a strong community and I became a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a gender inclusive service fraternity. As a Brother, I volunteered at local nonprofits and farms in the Harrisonburg community. 

One in particular was called Avalon Acres, which is run by an older couple named Solly and Lorinda. They live on seven acres of land where they have their house, sheep, and gardens. They use organic farming methods and have reintroduced native species to their land. While on the farm one day, a friend made the observation that she saw me studying the environment after she saw how much I loved spending time outside learning from Solly and Lorinda. I reached out to a Geography professor with James Madison University, and after learning more about the major and learning opportunities, changed my course of study. 

Due to delays from the Covid-19 pandemic, I ended up “graduating” in May of 2022, and immediately hopped on a plane to study abroad. I spent two months in Kenya as a part of the East African Field School. I had the opportunity to go on safaris, study human environment interactions, learn (very beginner) Swahili, and lived with Kenyan families. It was an amazing chance to learn through experiential methods, beyond what I could gain in the classroom. 

After returning from Kenya, I drove across the country to Colorado to start a job as a Program Instructor for Stone Canyon Outdoor EdVentures, a residential outdoor education program. This was my first formal role teaching and while exhausting, it was very rewarding. A day in the life would consist of setting up in the morning, teaching lessons like Forest Ecology, Orienteering, Archery, and High Ropes, and the day would end with a barn dance or campfire in the evenings. Time with friends was spent rock climbing, hiking, camping, watching movies, and knitting.

After two seasons in Colorado, I wanted a change of pace, so I headed to Jackson, Wyoming for training with Wilderness Adventures. I led two three week-long courses in Hawaii for high school students. We split time between Kona and Kauii, camping, surfing, kayaking, and scuba diving. That fall I led backpacking and camping courses for school groups in Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, Lake Tahoe, and beyond. 

Teaching about the importance of fecal sample collection in Yellowstone National Park

That winter, I moved to Missoula, Montana to be a Yellowstone Field Educator for Ecology Project International. I led field ecology courses for high school students from around the country. We spent time in the park every day hiking, conducting field research on bison populations, using telemetry (finding animals using GPS tracking data) to conduct demographic surveys and collect fecal samples. We even spent a morning observing wolves. These courses were amazing opportunities to conduct citizen science with students who were excited to be there, to learn about the natural world, and to explore the park.

I had always wanted to lead backpacking courses, so I spent the summer of 2024 working for the YMCA of Greater Seattle in their BOLD & GOLD leadership development program. I took groups of middle school and high school participants on 8-15 day backpacking trips where we taught them about leadership development, conflict resolution, and building intentional community. Along with teaching students soft skills, we taught them how to cook in the backcountry, put together and light stoves, set up tents, and lead their peers using maps and compasses. The courses were a great way for participants to expand their comfort zones and build their confidence as leaders.

Working in the outdoor education and recreation industry, I have often been paired in male and female identifying leadership teams. As a female leader, it has been assumed, by some, that I would fulfill the more “feminine” aspects of the job, like emotional care and support of participants, instead of building fires, leading the group with a map and compass, or doing any of the other “harder” aspects of the job. While I have advocated for myself and my female identifying participants, encouraging them to speak up and fulfill the roles they are confident in, I believe we need systemic change so that women do not constantly have to advocate for themselves. That is one of the reasons why I am so grateful for spaces such as DC EcoWomen that support women in the environmental field and create space for women to find community with each other.

After spending the fall travelling in South America with my partner, I have come back to the Washington, D.C. area to look for a full time job. I am currently looking for positions in community engagement and outreach, youth development, or environmental education with local governments and environmental nonprofits. I would love to connect with other women environmental leaders in the D.C. metro area, as I am very interested in learning about your career journey in the green sector. I would also welcome advice and insights regarding potential opportunities in the area. 

If you, or anyone you know, are considering seasonal work or a career in environmental education, I would love to share my insights with you! Feel free to connect with me via LinkedIn or email me at charlottec.terry@gmail.com.