The Junior Ecologist Program

The purpose of this paper is to describe the Junior Ecologist Program (JEP), an informal science education program that I am developing for implementation at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. The design of JEP is a synthesis of my Master of Environmental Studies education, which is at the intersection of landuse, natural science and public education. JEP is based on ethnographic and human development research and is being designed as an outreach program to the Eastwick community. At present, the Refuge is disconnected from the community. Creating a program that targets adolescents in the neighborhood can serve as a mechanism to attract local residents into the building while allowing the Refuge to become part of the community.