An Australian National Botanic Gardens Ranger and a young Eastern quoll expert were named Environmental Educators of the Year earlier this month, by the ACT Chapter of The Australian Association of Environmental Education.

Vivienne Pearce OAM was named ACT’s Environmental Educator of the Year, for her passionate advocacy work in furthering First Nations Knowledge and Caring for Country.

Across her roles within the ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations’ Reconciliation Action Plan, as a Ranger at the National Botanic Gardens, and in the Conservation Council’s First Nations Subcommittee, Ms Pearce has volunteered countless hours as an environmental educator in the ACT and at a national level.

Belinda Wilson was crowned ACT Emerging Environmental Educator of the Year, on the heels of completing her PhD through ANU’s Fenner School of Environment and Society, investigating the reintroduction of the Eastern quoll in the ACT.

Since moving to Canberra, Ms Wilson has delivered conservation and cultural knowledge for Mulligans Flat and Jerrabomberra Wetlands, educating people from all walks of life.

Her work includes education activities such as Hollow Homes, Bird Quest, kids night walks, Bug and Waterbug Detectives, and talking to the community at the National Folk Festival, National Science Week, Tidbinbilla Open Day, and World Wetlands Day events.

The coordinator for flying-fox monitoring at Commonwealth Park as a voluntary member of the Australasian Bat Society, she is also working with the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust to find ways to change perceptions about bats, including focussing on their roles as pollinators and insectivores.

To learn more about the work of ACT’s environmental educators visit enviroedact.blogspot.com

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