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| Verna Gates/Executive Director |
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| The Fresh Air Family program was founded by Verna Gates www.vernagates.com long time president of the Birmingham Wildflower Society. With her love of the great outdoors, she has always wanted to share its beauty and majesty with others, especially young people.
She also studies Alabama wildflowers and teaches ethnobotany as a visiting professor at Miles College. As a plant lore expert, she has appeared on NBC NightSide, National Public Radio in Canada, Voice of America, Pulse of the Planet, FOX 6 News and many more. For her conservation work, she has been named Alabama Conservationist of the Year by the Alabama Environmental Council, an Alabama Treasure by the Huntsville Times, and One of Alabama's Unforgettable Faces by the Alabama Bureau of Tourism.
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Born and raised in the South, Kim Waites has had a life long love affair with the outdoors. Beginning with creek forts and building cities from the saw dust of her grandfather's wood shop, her imagination knew no bounds when outside. Kim majored in History and minored in English at the University of Alabama and attained an undergraduate studies degree in 2008. Little did she know that her encounter with Verna Gates on one of Fresh Air Family's famed medicinal and edible herb hikes would lead her into a full time job position where she can live the ultimate dream, getting paid to do what you love to do. Her knowledge of the outdoors has enabled her to not only coordinate but also lead hikes in the beautiful state of Alabama. Her current certification in CPR, Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder credits her as a dependable hike leader and one you can feel safe with on the trails. Her favorite places to hike in Alabama are the Sipsey Wilderness and the Pinhoti Trail.
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| Kim Waites/Wilderness Guide |
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Ashley Hulsey Coutch is the Supervising Teacher for Fresh Air Family’s 21st Century Learning Grant at St. Barnabas School. This is her third year working with the school and she loves it. She is also a freelance storyteller and leads hikes and storytelling programs including the new “Story Strolls” at the Botanical Gardens. Ashley grew up in the creeks of Alabama, and prefers to spend as much time there as possible in her adult years as well. Coming from a family of biologists and naturalists she learned trees, birds, herpes, all the cool stuff, very early in life. She carries on the work of her parents with the children she has contact with by teaching appreciation of the natural world. She recently helped to develop “Gross Out Camp” getting more kids dirty and wet and happy. She has worked in various environmental education programs including: The Environmental Schools in Maine and New Hampshire, Spence’s Farm in Chapel Hill North Carolina, Camp McDowell and the Cahaba River Society in Alabama and lastly and now, The Fresh Air Family. A storyteller and singer song-writer for children and adults, she writes original songs such as “Snakey Little Creek”, and original stories such as “The Popcorn Baby”, the latter of which she is working on turning into a children’s book. She has a B.A. in English from UAB and completed several years of graduate work in the M.F.A. program in creative writing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She also completed graduate work in the elementary education program at UAB. When she is not outdoors with kids, she loves traveling and fishing with her husband and “herping” with her sister.
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| Ashley Hulsey Coutch Environmental Educator |
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| Carl Sloan/Environmental Educator |
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| BIO: Carl Sloan was born in Swindon, England, grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and graduated from Middle Tennessee State Universitywith a B.S. in Science, and a M.S. in Biology. After working as a naturalist in Tennessee State Parks, he moved to Franklin County, Alabama to manage the Bear Creek Environmental Education Center in 1981. In 2000, he moved to Birmingham, AL where he lives with his wife, Tina. He currently teaches Biology at Jefferson State Community College, works as a naturalist at Ruffner Mountain, and supervises an After School Care program for Fresh Air Family. His current interests include the study of lichens, bryophytes, and fossils. He is a member of the Sierra Club, Friends of Shades Creek, and the Alabama Paleontological Society and is an instructor at the annual Audubon Mountain Workshop in Mentone, Alabama.
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Charles Rose is President of Shoals Environmental Alliance, a Shoals Audubon Society board member and active with Shoals Wildflower Society. He is the coordinator and a hike leader for the annual Spring Nature Outings series in the Muscle Shoals area. Charles also leads outings for Alabama Outdoors, Fresh Air Family, Shoals Audubon Society, Shoals Wildflower Society & Wild South. A professional musician, Charles earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Murray State University. As a trombonist, pianist & arranger, he has been a part of the Muscle Shoals, AL, & Nashville, TN, recording scenes since 1971. He is Music Director and Arranger for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame's biennial induction shows and a long-time member of the Muscle Shoals Horns.
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| Charles Rose/Wilderness Guide |
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| Alan Gurganus/Environmental Educator |
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| Alan Gurganus is an Alabama native with a B.S. in Bioethics and Environmental Studies from the University of Alabama and a M.A. in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. He has taught environmental education at McDowell Environmental Center and the McWane Science Center. While pursuing his master's degree in Colorado,
Alan volunteered with the Prison Dharma Network--helping to
reduce recidivism through contemplative practice--and lived on the
streets of Denver with the Zen Peacemaker's Street Retreat. Alan's
experiences as an environmental educator
along with his experiences working with the incarcerated and homeless
has contributed to his passion for economic, environmental and social
sustainability. He has continued this pursuit through volunteer work as a
board member with the Green Resource Center for Alabama and Catalyst of
Birmingham. His research includes "A Sustainable Approach to Addressing Issues of Energy and Poverty in the Southeastern Unites States" and "Energy Consesrvation as a Pathway to Peace."
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Hi! My name is Paul Nurre and I come to you from Albuquerque, New Mexico where I earned a Master’s Degree from the University of New Mexico in Elementary Education. I taught fourth and fifth grades for six years in the Albuquerque Public Schools system. I love teaching and am thrilled that I have had the chance to find my passion. While at APS, I earned National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. Before becoming a full time teacher I was a substitute teacher in both public and private elementary and middle schools. I have three terrific children, Chris , Jim, and Katie and am fortunate to be able to be a stay-at home Dad for eleven years as we followed my wife’s finance career. I hold a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and spent seven years in healthcare management. When not teaching for Fresh Air Family, I enjoy golfing, being outdoors gardening, and woodworking.
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| Paul Nurre/Environmental Educator |
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| Kim Knowles/Event Coordinator |
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| Kimberly Wright-Knowles grew up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama swimming and fishing in the Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Coming from a family of avid gardeners it wasn’t until recently she developed a love for getting her hands in the dirt and gardening with her five children. She is currently a volunteer with Alabama 4H and the Junior Master Gardner program. Before becoming a home educator to her children, Kim was a Jane of all trades serving as PTA president for a local private school for two years and running her own business designing and manufacturing handbags and nursery accessories for children’s boutiques throughout the Unites States. She hopes to share her love for the Gulf Coast and it’s rich biodiversity with individuals and families, especially those in the special needs community.
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