Alumnus Enjoys Helping Others Reconnect with Nature
You might say that a career in outdoor education found Eric Gehring. After graduating from The College of New Jersey with a degree in political science in 1995, Eric was looking for a new direction. That’s when his close friend and fellow TCNJ alumnus, Rick Lear ’93, stepped in.
You might say that a career in outdoor education found Eric Gehring. After graduating from The College of New Jersey with a degree in political science in 1995, Eric was looking for a new direction. That’s when his close friend and fellow TCNJ alumnus, Rick Lear ’93, stepped in.
Rick had left his accounting job to pursue a career in outdoor education with the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SBMWA) in Pennington. “Rick needed volunteers to assist with the Watershed Association’s environmental education programs for school groups, and asked me to help” Eric explained. “While I knew very little about natural history, Rick assured me that the content knowledge would come in time—what he really needed was someone with a desire and ability to work with students.”
Eric was in charge of supervising students who came to the SBMWA for field trips, but he found himself absorbing information about the environment and nature.
“Hours were spent observing the plants, rocks and animals all around me, and taking notes on what I noticed. I began searching for answers to the questions I was asking. I realized I had become the ‘lifelong learner’ the College had advocated.”
In the summer of 2001, Eric left the SBMWA to become a naturalist for Somerset County at Lord Stirling Park in the Great Swamp. He sharpened his skills as an educator and continued to explore new aspects of outdoor education, including travel to eco-destinations both nationally and internationally.
Soon after, his wife was offered a position in Wellington, FL, in Palm Beach County. This was a big move for his family, but Eric was more than excited. “As a naturalist, I was thrilled to explore new habitats and natural places.”
He found a job with the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation as its education director. The foundation seeks to develop, promote, and deliver science-based education and public outreach programs that are central to the restoration of the Everglades ecosystem and its historic River of Grass.
Eric credits the skills he gained at the College and the amazement of the children he works with for his success at his job. “I had to come up to speed on the ecology, history, and politics of the Everglades,” Eric said. “I relied upon skills gained at TCNJ to acquire this knowledge, and to learn ways to express the vital importance these wetlands play in the lives of South Floridians. … It is a thrill to take students out into the Everglades—whether hiking along a canal embankment in the warm Florida sun or waist-deep in a shady, cypress tree swamp—to help those children reconnect with nature.”
Eric and the foundation are now a part of worldwide effort to restore the Everglades. With many volunteers, the foundation has planted over 94,000 native wetland trees in the Everglades. These trees become habitat for endangered and embattled Everglades wildlife, as well as remove pollutants from the air and water.
Although Eric’s path was not clear when he graduated, he said he took a chance with the environment and he is more than satisfied where nature has taken him.
“As I searched for the path my life would take, my greatest asset has been the ability and desire to learn,” he said. “I can thank my many friends and mentors who have supported me along the way, and of course my time in TCNJ’s ‘Community of Learners,’ where that thirst for knowledge was cultivated.”
Posted on May 14, 2009
