Government : Benton County Conservation Wins Award for Excellence in Environmental Education

The Iowa Association of Naturalists (IAN) and the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) are proud to award Benton County Conservation and Iowa Education Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired with an IAN/ICEC Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. The award is the Sylvan Runkel Environmental Education School Award for Outstanding Whole-School Environmental Education Program. The IAN/ICEC Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education are awarded annually to recognize incredible contributions to the advancement of environmental literacy in Iowa.

The honor of the Sylvan Runkel Environmental Education School Award goes to Iowa Education Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Benton County Conservation for their collaborative Conservation Field Days and virtual Programs. The field days have attempted to expand the students' knowledge of the outdoors, things they can do in nature and how they can enjoy it safely. With the ongoing pandemic, the program had to shift gears and adapt with virtual based programming which included topics such as Iowa prairies. Some highlights from past programs include feeling and holding animal pelts and mammal skulls along with wild edibles hikes, canoeing at Rodgers Park, cooking food with solar ovens, among other programs.

Benton County Conservation joins a long history of outstanding environmental educators in the state of Iowa. The environmental education award is named in honor of Sylvan Runkel. Runkel co-authored four seminal books on Iowa plants and natural history. He was insightful educator who believed strongly in the value or direct experience with the environment.

Congratulations to Benton County Conservation! Thank you for your outstanding efforts on behalf of environmental education in Iowa.