Julia Steed Mawson
In 1977, Julia Steed Mawson joined UNH Cooperative Extension and served as the Director of the Visitor Center at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. For more than a decade she shared her creativity, enthusiasm and knowledge with the Sea Grant Program, Marine Docents, college interns, and school children. She co-authored marine education books, was a founding member of the Gulf of Maine Marine Educators and spent a lot of time in tide pools. In 1991 she moved inland to direct the Pine Island 4-H Environmental Education Center in Manchester and focus on the needs of urban youth and families. She continues to bring an environmental focus to 4-H programs in Hillsborough County and an inclusive focus to the environmental education community in New Hampshire.
Her most recent accomplishment includes coordinating the NH Common Ground Garden Program where she has built partnerships between the Massabesic Audubon center, the Manchester Housing Authority, Latin American Center of Manchester, Girls, Inc of Manchester and many others. Her students (many of whom are at risk youth) plan and plant gardens and grow food for themselves and local food pantries. By doing so, they connect with the earth and each other, enhance their own nutritional health and work toward improving the health of their community and the planet. Julia’s work broadens what it means to be an environmental educator and serves as a reminder of the importance and unique gifts that each living being brings to the table.
Nominations