EEASC Summer Conference 2016
at Congaree National Park
"Celebrating South Carolina Resources"

Pre-conference:  Monday, June 13, 2016
5:15pm - Green Steps School Training
6:30pm - "Trees in Trouble" Documentary Screening
7:30pm - Owl Prowl

Conference: Tuesday, June 14, 2016
9:00am - 4:00pm

Sessions and Features:

• Utilizing Resources at Congaree National Park
  Presented by Dr. David C. Shelley, Education Coordinator at the Old-Growth Bottomland Forest Research and Education Center at Congaree National Park. David is a proud product of the Greenville, SC public school system and has family roots in Lexington, Marion, and Sumter Counties. He has always played outside in nature, and holds geology degrees from Furman University, New Mexico State University, and the University of South Carolina. Throughout his academic education David has always maintained an interest in science outreach, and as education coordinator he has focused heavily on science communication and interpretation, climate change, K-12 education, floodplain system science, and environmental history. Outside of the science education realm, David enjoys outdoor recreation, folk music, reading, and playing a number of games with his kids.
• Dad, where's the yellow line?
  Presented by Phil Gaines, State Park Director, South Carolina State Park Service.  Phil is a native of Greenville SC and a 1981 graduate of Clemson University. He started his career as an entry level park ranger at Kings Mountain State Park in 1982. He has been Park Superintendent of three different state parks in S.C. and served in various roles in the State Park Service. He became Director of State Parks in 2005.  Phil is the currently on the Board of Directors for the National Association of State Park Directors, and the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers. He has severed as President of the Association of Southeastern State Park Directors and Past Chairman of the Board of Regents for the State Park Leadership School in Wheeling West Virginia where he still is an instructor. Phil was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of State Park Directors and the Walter Cox Award for Public Service and Leadership in Natural Resources, from Clemson University.
• Invasive Plants
  Presented by Dan Hill, Assistant Director, Kalmia Gardens of Coker College.  Hill serves on the Clemson Extension Advisory Board and is a board member of both the South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina, and he was the recipient of the 2014 South Carolina Environmental Educator of the Year Award.
• Native Animals
  Presented by Tony Mills, Naturalist and Education Director for the LowCountry Institute and host of SCETV's award-winning Coastal Kingdom, will deliver a talk on native species. Tony has been working in the field of environmental education for over two decades with emphasis on southeastern animals and plants. Before his position at the LowCountry Institute, Tony served as the outreach program coordinator for the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. He has written numerous newspaper columns and articles on local plants and animals and co-authored the book Lizards and Crocodilians of the Southeast. Research trips have taken him on excursions into the jungles of Mexico and Costa Rica to conduct studies on snakes and lizards and into the Everglades of South Florida to collect introduced pythons and endangered crocodiles. Tony's presentation will feature demonstrations with live animals plus video clips of shows featured on Coastal Kingdom.
• Boardwalk Tour
  Presented by Congaree National Park Staff
• Project Learning Tree Teaser
  Presented by Vikki Pasco, Science Lab Teacher, Catawba Trail Elementary School.  Pasco integrates Project Learning Tree (PLT), Project Wild, and Green Steps curricula into her teaching and coordinates a Trout in the Classroom project, school recycling and composting initiatives, and various experiential learning opportunities for her students. As a certified Teacher-Ranger-Teacher, she also leads field experiences for her students at Congaree National Park.  Among many other awards, Pasco has been recognized as SC Conservation Teacher of the Year and SC PLT Jerry L. Shrum Outstanding Educator of the Year. 
• Splashing into Project WET
  Presented by Lisa Perry, Science Teacher, Sneed Middle School; Lynn Pilewski, Education Program Coordinator, Greenville County Soil and Water Conservation District; and Maddi Phillips, Community Relations Coordinator, Greenville County Soil and Water Conservation District.  Perry has been recognized as the EEASC Educator of the Year; Pilewski and Philips serve as Coordinators for SC Project WET.
  
• Boxed Lunch and Refreshments Provided
• Silent Auction (Proceeds Support Grants and Scholarships)
• Networking

$30 for EEASC Members (you must log into your eeasc.org account for this option to be visible)
$50 for non-Members (includes a one-year membership)