By Staff Writer
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) recognized Audrey Peterman with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation, Education and Justice at their annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 7. The NAAEE is the professional association and champion for environmental education, working with professionals around the world to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement to create a more equitable and sustainable future.
Presenting the Award, Executive Director Judy Braus recounted that she was the head of Education for the National Audubon Society when she met Audrey in the 1990s.
“She was just this amazing force for good, so engaging and inclusive; so focused on positive change and ensuring that everyone had access to our parks, to high quality education and to our public lands,” she recalled. “Audrey grew up in Jamaica and when she came to New York, she thought the cities was all there was in the US. When she and her husband Frank discovered these places of beauty and nature in the National Park System, she went absolutely wild.”
She recounted how the Petermans saw so few Americans of color in the national parks that they resolved to help make a difference. She cited the Presidential Memorandum that they helped secure in 2017 as part of the Next100 Coalition, in which President Obama required the federal agencies managing the parks and forests to actively take steps to invite all communities, with a particular focus on those who have not been included before.
Coincidentally, the Award comes just after Mrs. Peterman successfully organized a Transformational Tour of National Parks introducing the spectacular Grand Canyon National Park to influencers from the Black Community. A Tour of Washington, DC late October introduced them to the Historic Sites where Frederick Douglass, Mary McLeod Bethune and Carter G. Woodson lived. They also visited the Benjamin Banneker Boundary Stones placed by the African American genius who laid out the boundaries of the Capital City in 1792. The resulting documentary, “Color In the Canyon,” and a social media campaign including billboards in New York City’s Time Square, are available on their website at www.delnsb.com.
The conference erupted in applause when Director Braus read Mrs. Peterman’s message:
“I thank you more than words can say for recognizing our efforts. I believe that environmental educators are among the most important people on Earth. WHAT could be more vital than to teach people to love and care for the firmament upon which we live out our lives? There could hardly be a more pleasurable way to do the challenging work than to uplift our National Parks which are our LIVING LABS.
Thank You. Bless you! One Love! Keep Steady and Carry On!”
The Petermans say it will be more important than ever for everyone to become knowledgeable about the publicly-owned lands system if we are to protect them for future generation.
