Tamara Palmer Named Northern California Environmental Educator of the Year!
One of the exciting and inspirational moments of the Northern Fall Conference comes when the Environmental Educator of the Year is announced. Please take a moment to meet Tamara Palmer, a field instructor at Camp Campbell Outdoor Science School in Boulder Creek.		Here's Tamara at the 2003 Northern Fall Conference with a couple of other EE-er of the Year winners: L-R: Dan Webster, Tamara Palmer, Savannah Brown, and Pete Devine (Dan and Savvy won in 2001)

Tamara grew up in a burgeoning suburbia of Southern California, but spent weekends at her parents’ farm running barefoot, climbing trees, and helping her sister catch animals. She never wanted to teach until a friend persuaded her to join an ROP (Regional Occupational Program) class that trained cabin leaders for Camp Nawakwa in the San Bernardino Mountains. Tamara participated in the ROP class for three years before studying Graphic Design with a Recreation minor in college where she decided that wanted to teach after all (but just art!). A trip to Humboldt convinced her to finish school there, settle in, and teach.  Humboldt was so different from the Southern California Scene… and she loved it! Nature, small community, big beautiful trees, huge ocean, heaps of rain and wild rivers were new and refreshing realities. 

Her first taste of Outdoor Education was at Mendocino Woodlands (and a sub job at CYO Caritas Creek) as a naturalist. Tamara then obtained a professional clear credential, multiple subjects, from HSU the next year and discovered how tough it is to get a teaching job in Humboldt County!  She found a part time position at a private elementary school, Equinox, and taught there for four years.  She also volunteered with LEAP (Leadership Education Adventure Program) which led to her involvement with AEE (Association for Experiential Education).  “I saw AEE as a way for me to stay connected to my OE roots (I didn’t know about AEOE then)”  An experience volunteering for the 1997 AEE International conference in Tahoe was the beginning of her future as conference volunteer extraordinaire!

She worked at a challenge course for two years and spent summers (teachers never really do stop working, do they?) with Arcata Parks and Rec., as recreation leader, co-director, and director of the Arts camp. Leaving Humboldt was a hard decision and she still consider it her true home because it is where she recognized her true self. However, she heard about an outdoor school near Santa Cruz that hired credentialed teachers for a 9 month program “with benefits of all things - an actual ‘adult’ job”. With a new job she relocated to mid-state don’t get her started on the whole “Northern” California debate!). 

At CCOSS Tamara soon found out about the AEOE Fall Campout in Yosemite. “That was five years ago and I’ve been back every fall!”  She “volunteered” for the 2001 conference and presented her first workshop.  “Conference coordinating is always a learning process!”  Now she plans to stick to soliciting and gathering donations for the conferences, including our 50th year this spring, “hint: …any good ideas for donations?” 

Tamara also works at a climbing gym in Santa Cruz on weekends which keeps her connected to climbing. When not teaching Tamara can sometimes be found in her little un-insulated cabin heated by a wood stove and a kitten (Baxt Mau).  While typing up the details of her life, Tamara takes the time to comment on “the rain plopping on the roof and rushing down an ephemeral stream behind the redwoods off my deck.... sheer bliss!”

“Many thanks go out to all those who have supported and helped me along my path, I very much appreciate the honor of Northern Section Environmental Educator of the Year.  It left me flustered and kind of speechless when it was awarded to me.”