The Haywood Environmental Initiative (HEI) was formed last summer. The HEI team received an $18,000 Adopt-A-Watershed (AAW) scholarship and a $3,000 matching grant from the Pigeon River Fund to enroll in the AAW program. AAW provides professional training and educational materials for local program development. 

AAW supports the development of a community-based leadership team that will implement high quality and sustainable watershed education programs in its community. The AAW goals are to enhance K-12 education, encourage watershed and community stewardship and inspire hope.  The AAW vision includes using education as the cornerstone of a sustainable community in which we all live our lives consciously, choosing actions that ensure a healthy quality of life for current and future generations.

HEI is a cooperative effort. The team includes representatives from Haywood County Schools, Lake Logan Episcopal Center (LLEC), Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District (HSWCD) and HWA. Glenn Barnett represents LLEC and serves as the HEI team leader. The school system is represented by Steve Brown, Carol Douglas, Carla Billups, Harold Shepard and Mark Ethridge. Gail Heathman represents HSWCD and Ron Moser represents HWA. The HEI team attended an eight day AAW Leadership Institute workshop in July, 2002. The goals of HEI are to enhance environmental education at all grade levels in our public schools and encourage watershed stewardship.

AAW has curriculum units available for all grade levels that include complete teacher guides with lesson plans ready for use in the classroom. The lessons include meaningful hands-on activities that engage the students and impart an understanding of how our choices impact our community and the environment. HEI will help facilitate the introduction and use of AAW curriculum in Haywood County schools and serve as resource contacts for teachers. HEI is testing several AAW curriculum units in our schools. After a trial period and teacher feedback is evaluated, HEI will pursue funding to purchase additional units for all our public schools. The first HEI teacher workshop was completed in October 2002.

Haywood County Schools, HSWCD and HWA have a history of working together to raise public awareness and improve environmental education in Haywood County. The HEI team, using AAW curriculum and training, will take environmental education to a new level in Haywood County.