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Office of Environmental Education
All of North Carolina's EE Resources in One
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The North Carolina Environmental Education Plan
1.7: The Development Process |
This North Carolina Environmental Education Plan is the culmination of an 18 month process that began with the drafting of environmental education principles and concepts in October 1993 and continued through a statewide conference and regional meetings that concluded in March 1995. Yet the roots of this plan reach back at least to the 1973 Environmental Education Act and the resulting 1974 Master Plan for Environmental Education. Early milestones also included the formation of an Office of Environmental Education in 1990, and the 1993 North Carolina Environmental Education Act, which mandated the production of this plan.
The process leading to this point embraced an ever-widening audience of interested organizations and individuals. It began with the Environmental Education Advisory Council (EEAC), made up of professionals from the divisions of DEHNR and the Wildlife Resources Commission and a drafting committee from this group that shaped the Framework for Discussion of a North Carolina Environmental Education Plan. As this draft was taking shape, it was presented to many public and private organizations and appointed bodies for their information and feedback.
In December 1994 over 650 educators, business leaders, government officials and environmental resource professionals from across North Carolina met in Research Triangle Park to consider the draft Framework. Participants discussed each objective of the plan in special concurrent sessions, and detailed recommendations were prepared for each objective. The discussion quickly branched out across the state in seven regional environmental education meetings held in Asheville, Grantsboro, Mooresville, Wilmington, Wilson, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem during February and March 1995. Over 1,300 individuals attended the statewide conference or one of these regional meetings. Numerous others participated in the discussions by providing their ideas and recommendations directly to the Office of Environmental Education.
Following presentation to the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly in April, 1995, the momentum gained during the development and review process will be directed towards implementation. This will require collaborative and concerted efforts of all organizations and individuals who care about North Carolina. Annual progress reports and recommendations on implementation efforts will be presented to the Governor and General Assembly. |
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