Criteria II

Outdoor Instructor-led Experiences - 50 Hours

Total of 50 hours of structured outdoor experiences with a maximum of 20 hours per experience.

To qualify as Criteria II, at least 50 percent of the entire event must be spent outdoors in an active or hands-on way. The intent of Criteria II is to introduce environmental educators to skills and outdoor experiences that affect the learner vividly and demand use of all senses. The candidate should participate in a variety of outdoor experiences that are led by qualified instructors (i.e., park rangers, guides, teachers, facilitators, professors). The N.C. Office of Environmental Education provides a calendar of statewide events that may qualify for this component, but participants are not limited to opportunities posted on our calendar or the NC-EE listserv. Contact the EE Certification Managers if clarification is needed. Some examples of Criteria II:

• Organized nature hikes led by environmental education professional(s) at parks, forests, zoos, aquariums, and other Environmental Education Centers.
  • Most local, state and national park systems have an online calendar of events with a list of educational programs. For example, Wake County Parks & Recreation has a search function for park programs.

• Many Master Naturalist courses can count as Criteria II experiences. N.C. programs include: 

  NC Master Naturalists (Chatham, Durham, and Orange Counties)
  Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist
  Central Carolinas Master Naturalist 
  Blue Ridge Master Naturalist

• N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Educators of Excellence Institutes
• The NC Museum of Natural Sciences also provides a series of self-guided Criteria IIs that can be done on your own time and at your location.
• Many nonprofit environmental groups and land conservancies host outings and trips that may quality.
• Independent study projects under the direction of an environmental education professional. This may also include self-directed community and citizen science activities if they are done as part of an organized observation or data collection effort by an agency or organization (must pre-approved by the certification program managers).
• University/college courses such as ecology, forestry, etc., which include an outdoor lab. (To receive credit, college labs must be reviewed by the certification program managers based on course description, syllabus, and proof of completion. Please note that there is a 10 credit-hour limit on university/college courses used to fulfill certification requirements.)

Although some workshops may qualify for both Criteria I: Workshops, and Criteria II: Environmental Education Experiences in the Outdoors, you may apply each workshop towards only one category. To submit documentation, please complete one EE Form per experience. If the EE Form is not signed, please attach a copy of the workshop certificate or some other type of documentation.