Remaining spots: 6 updated 9/3/22

After you have read all of the class details please continue to page 2 to finalize your RSVP....

ECO Guardians is our NEW adult, age 17 and older, naturalist program. Classes will be held on Saturdays at various locations in the Phoenix Metro Area. Each class will focus on a different topic pertaining to the natural history of AZ, or an important skill that naturalists should possess. No experience is required to take these classes.

This class will be held on September 24th and will be about 3.5-4 hrs long and run from 9 am-1 pm. There are 10 spots for each class in the program.

-Lunch/snacks/water

-Hat

-Sunscreen/bug repellent

We will be meeting outside so be sure to dress and plan accordingly.

Papago Park - exact meeting location will be sent in the email reminder about 5 days before the class. We will meet at a ramada and portions of the class will take place under the ramada as well as on some of the trails.

There are bathrooms on site.

PAYMENT/RSVPING:

There are 2 enrollment options, full program or a la carte. On page 2 you will be able to select if you'd like to commit to the full 8 week program, totaling 32 hours of instruction time. On page 2 you will also find the dates and topics for each of the classes.

If you are registering ala carte you will need to fill out a registration form for each class, you can find links to the forms on our website under the Guardians tab https://educatingchildrenoutdoors.com/guardians-adults If you are registering for the full program you can select that option below and this is the only registration form you need to complete.

If you want to do the 8 week payment option and missed a class(es) you may still enroll for the full program and attend the missed classes the following Fall.

Please send the payment via PayPal friends and family to ecoexplorersatl@gmail.com. RSVPs close 1 week before the class date or when we reach 10 registrations RSVPs are not counted until payment is received. No refunds issued.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Kathy Balman is the owner of Educating Children Outdoors LLC and an instructor for many of the programs including this new program. The primary mission of ECO is to get children outside and immersed in nature. Over the years ECO has had requests from ECO parents to offer adult programs. So with her 16 year old daughters encouragement she decided to start the ECO Guardians neighborhood naturalist program. Kathy is also  homeschool mom to her two children, devoted wife, blogger, fieldtripping expert, volunteer, naturalist and social media guru. Kathy is an AZ Certified Environmental Educator, USNPN Certified Phenology Leader Outdoor Wildlife Leader, Conservation Leader, Master Naturalist  (in GA and AZ), National Geographic Certified Educator, Audubon Volunteer, Native Plant Society Volunteer, Watershed Management Group Volunteer, Keep Nature Wild Ambassador and Treekeeper with Trees Atlanta. She is certified in Project Wet, Project Wild,  Project Learning Tree, Aquatic Wild, and CPR/first aid certified. She has completed over 600 hrs of professional  development training in the subjects of science and outdoor education. She is also a public speaker and has presented at conferences and webinars about environmental education. ECO was awarded the Arizona Outstanding Environmental Education Program Award in 2021.