Maryland’s Project WILD Coordinator Honored as Outdoor Educator of the Year

February 12, 2020

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies is proud to share the news that Maryland’s Project WILD Coordinator, Kerry Wixted, received the Maryland Outdoor Educator of the Year during last week’s Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Conference in Ocean City, Maryland.

“I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than Kerry Wixted,” said Elena Takaki, Director of Project WILD with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “Beyond delivering Project WILD in Maryland, Kerry advocates for quality outdoor experiences by directly working with young people and their teachers. She is a leader in the field of conservation education, admired and respected by everyone with whom she works.”

Wixted has been Maryland’s Project WILD Coordinator for nine years. She has been instrumental in the development of the new Project WILD guide, which includes new field investigations, STEM connections, and career highlights. She is also involved in Project WILD’s first online Growing Up WILD course, to be released this fall. Wixted is actively involved in many other education initiatives, including the Maryland Master Naturalist Program and Envirothon.

The new Growing Up WILD online course will be piloted in five states, including Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, and California.  For more information about this online course, contact your Project WILD state coordinator. Project WILD is also partnering with Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow to update their WILD About Elk lesson plan, available in early 2021.

Project WILD joined the Association in 2017.  Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program that focuses on wildlife and habitat. The goal of Project WILD is to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment resulting in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment. To learn more about Project WILD, go to www.projectwild.org.

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 The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.