PENNSYLVANIA – Recently honored for her lifelong commitment to environmental education, Heidi McAllister, assistant director for Conservation at the Forest Service, was recognized by the North American Association for Environmental Education when she was presented with the Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Award.

Having dedicated her career to public service,  McAllister has served the field of environmental education for more than 30 years through roles at both the Peace Corps and with the Forest Service. Her passion for environmental education has earned the respect of colleagues from a variety of sectors, and she has helped to seed a variety of groundbreaking efforts, including Discover the Forest/Descubre el Bosque, Every Kid Outdoors and Moon Trees. “With over three decades of transformative leadership in this field, Heidi exemplifies the dedication, innovation and impact that this award seeks to recognize,” said Judy Braus, Executive Director of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

This award was presented as part of the annual North American Association for Environmental Education international conference, held early November, in Pittsburg, Pa. The conference, entitled Building Bridges, attracted over 1,100 participants. And it provided a unique way to bridge gaps across sectors, cultures and disciplines through the hundreds of conference sessions, interactive workshops and other various networking opportunities.

The Forest Service had a strong showing at the conference, which began with a plenary address from Forest Service Associate Chief Angela Coleman. Her well received remarks highlighted the importance of environmental education in achieving the Forest Service mission awhile also demonstrating her deep commitment to education and to ensuring that all people feel heard, welcome and valued. Associate Chief Coleman said, “We cannot create a more resilient, sustainable future for all of us, without strong education that meets people where they are.”

Through the different sessions, one-on-one conversations and an exhibit booth, the Forest Service engaged with attendees so that we could build bridges in support of all of our collective efforts. Session highlights included a Forest Service panel discussing environmental education and workforce development connections, the Discover the Forest educational campaign and last but not least the soil and water tents, which showed how science, art, inquiry and data can all be combined to increase student engagement.  

In addition, the conference served as the official launch of the Forests, Water, and People activity collection set, developed by the Forest Service and in partnership with Project Learning Tree. And Forest Service staff in attendance were able to share about the importance of our mission and the integral role that environmental education can play in achieving it.