International Paper Environmental Education Award Previous Recipients

2006: Laura M. Patterson was honored for her innovative response to the Cerro Grande Fire in Los Alamos, New Mexico. After leading students and fellow teachers to restore and improve the fire-damaged Quemazon Nature Trail, Ms. Patterson wrote an interdisciplinary, field-based fire ecology curriculum, later adopted by other schools in northern New Mexico and recognized nationally.

2005: Mike Town established an interdisciplinary study program called Pathfinder for 10th and 11th grade students with learning disabilities and developed an Advanced Placement Environmental Science program. Graduation rates of Pathfinder students doubled from previous rates and students in the advanced placementprogram have achieved a pass rate in the mid-to-high 80% range on the nationwide test.

2004: Melanie Phelps and Joyce Webb of Colorado spearheaded “On the Rivers,” an environmental training program to provide teachers with direct experience with the Colorado, Green and Yampa rivers. The educators have led dozens of teachers to deserts, wilderness and white water rapids to conduct environmental research, and study water use and forestry management issues while learning about the balance between environmental protection and economic growth.

2003: Gene Eidson of South Carolina established the 1,150 acre Phinizy Swamp Nature Park on reclaimed historic swamplands along the Savannah River. The site houses facilities for environmental education programs that involve 200 teachers and 10,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students annually.

2002: Harlan Kredit, a high school teacher at Lynden Christian School in Lynden, Washington, developed an environmental education program focused on watershed restoration through student and community involvement. For the past 23 years, over 2,000 of Kredit's students have been involved in the Salmon Restoration project and revegetation of riparian zones. Additionally, his students completed stream surveys that form the basis for streamside restoration by local planning agencies.

2001: Keith Etheridge, a fifth grade teacher at Murphy Elementary School in East Lansing, Michigan, received the 2001 Gene Cartledge Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. Etheridge created the a comprehensive program that integrates environmental educationin the elementary school curriculum. The Murphy Model involves students in the resolution of challenging business and environment issues.

2001: Lita Weingart, a Connecticut teacher, created a program that brings senior citizens and second grade students together to explore environmental issues and build lasting friendships. In the 1997-98 school year, the group took part in a comprehensive study of Long Island Sound that earned national recognition.

1999: Kim Waltmire, Colchester, Connecticut, created a program that brings together her students and senior citizens to study important environmental issues. In 1998, the students and seniors studied issues on Long Island Sound and learned how a clean environment is vital to a healthy economy.

1998: Gracelynn Johnson, Camden, New Jersey, developed and directs a hands-on curriculum to teach students about environmental practices that blend sound stewardship of natural resources with responsible economic growth. During studies of the nearby Cooper River, Johnson's students learned why healthy waterways support healthy economies.

1997: Gary Nakamura, Redding, California, a forest specialist for the University of California. Gary has created innovative programs that give urban youth and teachers from across the state the opportunity to learn first-hand about how forest ecosystems work. Through these programs, more than 15,000 children and 500 teachers have visited forests and learned more about natural resource management.

The IP Environmental Education Award was formerly the Gene Cartledge Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. The last award was given in 2007.