2009 EE Awards

Environmental Educators of the Year 2009 Go back

Please join the Idaho Environmental Education Association in recognizing and celebrating two of Idaho’s most outstanding environmental educators for 2009. Nominated by their peers, these successful individuals have made significant contributions to Idaho’s students and the environmental education community. We think you’ll agree!

2009 Idaho Professional Environmental Educator of the Year

Dr. Dick McCloskey joined the Boise State University faculty in 1973 in the biology department and retired just last year after a distinguished academic career. Dr. McCloskey is well known to IdEEA’s Board of Directors and membership, serving 12 years as a member of the Board. Prior to formation of IdEEA in 1997, Dick served for a total of 10 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Idaho Society for Energy and Environmental Education (ISEEE). He is a Life Member of both IdEEA and ISEEE. He has also been very active in the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).

Over the years, he has served on innumerable committees for these organizations and organized numerous workshops. Dick took responsibility for arranging the continuing education credits for teachers. Dick’s record of teaching and administrative contributions to environmental education sets him apart for this award.

2009 Idaho Secondary Environmental Educator of the Year

Dick Jordan is currently the Environmental Science teacher at Timberline High School in Boise. His wealth of knowledge and experience, passion for sharing this knowledge with students, and vast array of environmental and educational efforts demonstrate his commitment to outstanding environmental education in Idaho. As an educator with the Boise School District, Dick has not only written the curriculum and introduced the first Environmental Science class in the district, but he has been the driving force behind the addition of AP Environmental Science in the districts science curriculum.

Because of Dick’s strong desire to instill an appreciation for the outdoors in his students, he began an ecology club called TREE (Teens Restoring Earth’s Environment). Since its inception in 1990, this club has expanded into an environmental social network which is committed to helping establish and support K-12 ecology clubs. Under Dick’s leadership, the TREE Club is also responsible for the creation of numerous campaigns and initiatives. “Outside Day” gets kids of all ages outside and reconnected to nature and learning from outdoor experiences. “Walk the Talk” reduces our individual and collective carbon footprints in our own homes and communities. Students participating in “Croak Campaign” identify frog populations in southeast Boise and study the frogs closely to determine species and learn about their breeding habitats. Congratulations, Dick!

TREE website: www.treetrunk.org

Dick Jordan