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Congratulation to Pitt County and ATFS
PITT COUNTY RECOGNIZED
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
The unique and productive partnership between Pitt County’s Soil and Water Conservation District, the Bray Hollow Conservancy, and A Time for Science earned a 2010 Annual Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). This award acknowledges the inventive program that has been developed among these organizations to serve environmental and science education as well as environmental protection.
Begun in 1970, the NACo’s Annual Achievement Award Program recognizes innovative county government programs. Awards are given in a number of program categories such as arts and historic preservation, children and youth, community and economic development, jails-corrections, county administration, emergency management, environmental protection, health, human services, libraries, parks and recreation, transportation and volunteers.
The introduction to the award description reads as follows: “Conservation is not a new initiative in Pitt County, North Carolina, but in today’s evolving community it has become more important than ever. Environmental education is a priority for the County of Pitt, because education is the key to conservation. Getting citizens outside and exposing them to hands-on activities is a great way to stimulate interest in environmental awareness and that is the objective of our Environmental Education Center. Pitt County and A Time for Science formed a collaboration of specialized professionals, to offer outreach education about the protection and conservation of our natural resources. Whether the students are young or old, we aim to make a difference in the way our citizens take care of our local resources. The Education Center is comprised of two hundred plus acres providing a platform to fuel the interest of visitors to learn more about the environment. With four ponds, intersecting creeks, wetlands, acres of forest, walking trails, and roaming wildlife, we have numerous education subjects at our finger tips. This setting offers a prime resource to anyone who is interested in learning more about the environment, the things we do to affect it, and the steps we can take to protect it.” The detailed submission can be found here.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. NACo’s membership totals more than 2,000 counties, representing over 80 percent of the nation’s population.