Educational Volunteer Opportunities

at Cedar Ridge Preserve

The Audubon Society, with its 2020 Vision, has committed to building a national network of 1,000 community nature centers across the U.S. These Audubon Education Centers will focus on local ecology and feature hands-on, science-based programs. All of these programs will be aligned with local, state, and federal education standards to maximize their appeal and effectiveness. Also, there will be an emphasis placed on reaching underserved youth.

Today most children grow up in urban areas without much contact with the natural world. It is more challenging than ever for kids to connect with nature. Studies show that incorporating environmental education into curricula enhances critical thinking skills and leads to a greater understanding of the sciences. Additionally, 96% of parents and 95% of all adults support environmental education for children in schools. Since 1999, Audubon Texas has helped facilitate outdoor learning experiences for more than 100,000 young people in our Audubon Education Centers and across the state of Texas.

It is the direct experience of nature at an early age that helps children make sense of the world in which they live and take an active role in caring for it. Simply put, your efforts to help today’s young people appreciate and understand our natural world are what can help ensure its survival.

How would you like to participate in this wonderful and rewarding process? You not only get to share your love and enthusiasm of nature with others, but you get to learn more in the process. And don’t worry about not being an expert on everything; ongoing training programs will teach you what you need to know as well as techniques for getting it across to others in a fun and exciting way.

Training will begin in November 2003. Initially, sessions will be approximately weekly for a variety of topics. Continuing education will continue year-round, since there will always be more for all of us to learn.

If you would like to know more about the volunteer program, please contact K.C. Rudy, Audubon Regional Director of Education, at krudy@audubon.org or at (972) 754-1755.

If you are definitely ready to hit the trails (or at least begin training), email K.C. Rudy with the following information (or fill out, tear off, and send to him at 1226 N. Cedar Ridge Dr., Duncanville, TX 75116). Thank you for your interest.

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Cedar Ridge Preserve Volunteer Registration

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Name Phone number

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Address (street, city, ZIP) Email address

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Areas of Interest / Experience