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Bordering the Kentucky River just outside of Lexington is Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, a 734-acre natural area complete with trails, woodlands, streams, meadows, and a team of devoted staff dedicated to making visitors feel welcome and engaged. From classes exploring on field trips to families stopping by for weekend hikes, visitors to Raven Run find that there is something for everyone, and one visit is almost never enough.


“Although there are so many memorable moments from working with so many members of the public,” says Jennifer Hubbard-Sánchez, Recreation Manager, “some of our favorites are the kids who come out on school field trips and then come back shortly after with their parents because they want show off what they have learned.”


Open year-round, the nature sanctuary is an ideal classroom no matter the season. And it is a popular one—in the fall of 2019 alone, Raven Run hosted more than 500 youth from Fayette County Public Schools for school day programs.


Activities and workshops for these kinds of field trips are developed in alignment with Kentucky Academic Standards. “We have designed programs on fossils, Kentucky history, and habitats and adaptations that were implemented with groups of several different ages,” Hubbard-Sánchez says. “Our programs’ content can be adapted to fit the needs of teachers as we understand the need to structure field trips around the Standards.”


To make visits accessible to as many students as possible, Raven Run offers transportation grants through the Friends of Raven Run to cover the cost of school busses for Fayette County Public School groups.


Students stay engaged during lessons at Raven Run through a mix of indoor learning, outdoor experiences, and hikes. Scout groups and other community organizations also frequent the sanctuary for an array of activities, from wildflower walks to invasive species removal workshops. “It’s exciting to see people come to a program and leave with new knowledge that they’re excited about,” says Park Naturalist Anna Wiker. “Seeing people’s mindsets change about a preconceived notion they may have about a certain animal, snake, or spider is always satisfying to experience.”


And, Hubbard-Sánchez says,“seeing the magic of little kids tagging monarchs in late summer and watching them fly away is a special moment a lot of us remember.”


No visitor leaves Raven Run without having witnessed the staff’s palpable enthusiasm for their work. “Every day I learn something new about the land, whether it’s about the history of the preserve or a neat fact about an animal that lives here,” says Recreation Leader Phoebe Kingsley. “You never know who will stop by for a program or a hike, and seeing a kid’s face light up when they see a unique creature for the first time is always so exciting and sweet.”


Seth Paddick, Recreation Specialist, says he and his fellow staff are motivated by having the opportunity “to take part in conserving a natural area for people to enjoy and learn about the importance of the natural world.” And, Kingsley adds, “not everyone can say that they get to hike at work!”

Belonging to the city of Lexington and funded through tax dollars, Raven Run is a welcome retreat from city life for more than 60,000 visitors each year. “We may be a nature sanctuary, but we also work for the public,” Hubbard-Sánchez says. “We welcome new ideas and feedback from all members of the public on how we can improve Raven Run for everyone!”


  • Feb 13, 2020
  • 2 min read

Jackie Gallimore is the Lower School Science Teacher at Sayre School in Lexington and has worked around the country at several environmental education centers and museums. She is a facilitator of Project Wet, Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, and Project Underground and is a Certified Professional Environmental Educator.


​1. If you could be any animal, which would you be? A dolphin


2. What is the top destination on your would-love-to-visit list? Amazon Rainforest


3. If you could visit another period in time for a year, what time would you return to? The early 1800’s


4. What is your favorite place to visit in Kentucky? Mammoth Cave


5. Who inspires you? Many people! Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg and Brene Brown come to mind.


6. What’s the last book you read? Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams


7. Who would you most like to swap places with for a day? A remote field biologist


8. If you could choose a superpower, what would it be? Flight


9. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Moss green


10. What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Swedish salty black licorice – do not recommend!


11. What do you find most energizing about environmental education? Sharing the outdoors with young people who appreciate it


12. What was your first job? Bagger at Kroger


13. What is something you saw recently that made you smile? PreK students planting their first seeds


14. What is something—big or small—that you think you’re really bad at? Singing


15. What is something—big or small—that you’re really good at? Organization


16. If you had to pick one age to be permanently, what age would you be? 33


17. What fictional place would you most like to visit? Hogwarts, of course!


18. What kind of art do you enjoy most? Contemporary watercolor and anything made of felt!


19. What is one hobby you’d love to get into? Photography


20. What is your favorite aspect of being a member of KAEE? Learning and friendships at conferences

  • Feb 6, 2020
  • 2 min read

Join the 2020 ee360 Community EE Fellowship Program, NAAEE's ongoing initiative to support leadership and innovation in environmental education across the country! Comprised of a diverse and inspiring cadre of educators and community leaders working to address environmental issues at the local, state, and national level, the program is a part of ee360, an ambitious five-year effort to promote environmental education and prepare skilled leaders who are actively increasing environmental literacy for everyone.


The ee360 Community EE Fellowship provides an opportunity for innovative and creative environmental educators of all ages from across the United States to network and learn together while they make a difference in their respective communities. Fellows across North America work in communities of color, low-income urban neighborhoods, impoverished rural regions, and across multi-state regions to mitigate the impacts of environmental degradation on communities by helping them become more resilient to the pressing challenges.


​The nine-month fellowship will provide ee360 Community EE Fellows with opportunities to learn, network, and share through face-to-face training, online professional development, and technical assistance. The fellowship will also lay a strong foundation for continued professional growth after the program ends.


Benefits of Becoming a Fellow

​Each Fellow accepted into the program will receive training and individualized support for their work, including the following:

  • Professional development and leadership training with a focus on environmental education, effective partnerships, participatory planning strategies, community engagement, leadership, strategic communications, fundraising, project planning, and evaluation

  • An enhanced professional network of ee360 Community EE Fellows and leaders in environmental education, conservation, community resilience, and other disciplines

  • Increased access to relevant practices and resources through NAAEE’s professional development opportunities on eePRO

  • Full financial support to attend a five-day Leadership Institute June 28-July 3, 2020 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV

  • $1,200 scholarship to attend the 2020 Annual NAAEE conference in Tucson, AZ

  • Technical assistance in planning and implementing an EE Action Project

  • Access to competitive mini-grant funds for implementing an EE Action Project

  • Individual and organizational recognition through ee360 and NAAEE

Learn more and apply at naaee.org/ee360Fellow. Applications are due February 14, 2020.

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