{"id":1040,"date":"2017-06-28T21:26:08","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T21:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/?p=1040"},"modified":"2017-06-28T21:26:08","modified_gmt":"2017-06-28T21:26:08","slug":"longtime-r-b-winter-educator-looks-back-on-memorable-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/?p=1040","title":{"rendered":"Longtime R.B. Winter educator looks back on memorable career"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Longtime R.B. Winter State Park outdoor educator Maryann Halladay Bierly has advice for those concerned about the addictive dangers of technology on a younger generation already losing touch with their natural surroundings.<\/p>\n

Be a mentor.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting people outdoors to explore and really get out of their comfort zone requires someone to lead them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be someone who can identify every bird call or rattle off the names of every tree you come to \u2014 it can be a parent or a grandparent or an uncle or even an older brother or sister. It needs to be someone who has a vested interest, who can engage the child and help them take a moment to really look at what is around them. You can find nature in the middle of New York City if you take the time to look.\u201d
\nBeing an outdoors mentor has been at the core of Bierly\u2019s 36-year career at R.B. Winter State Park \u2014 a tenure that will come to a close at her June 23 retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the past 14 or so years, our family has been blessed to attend the homeschool educational programs held by Maryann,\u201d said Melissa Dillman, of Middleburg. \u201cShe has a way of engaging children to learn all aspects of nature through games, projects, films, crafts and walks. Her clear passion for all things nature is infectious. As a parent, I\u2019ve learned as much as my four children have.\u201d<\/p>\n

An appreciation for the outdoors was developed early for Maryann.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole family was into hunting, fishing, camping and gardening. It was my dad\u2019s life, and since I was an only child, it became my life. I found I was happiest in the outdoors,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen in college, my outdoors experiences broadened \u2014 it went beyond the hook-and-bullet culture of central Pa. into a new realm of backpacking, caving and canoeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelors degree in biology, she worked a few jobs before taking a seasonal position with R.B. Winter State Park in May of 1981. In Sept. of 1996 after the educational center was completed and dedicated, she was hired full-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started out more as programming for the campground, but it evolved quite a lot over time. Before long, I was in charge of festivals. We did our first snow festival in 1997 as a way to get people out to the park in the dead of winter,\u201d she said. \u201cOther parks had success with similar programs based on snowmobiling or sledding events. But it usually catered to the dog sledders or cross country skiers \u2014 we wanted a program that was more family friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside of developing numerous festivals and special events at the park, Maryann said she loved connecting with kids in both public school and homeschool activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic school programs were always fun \u2014 it was nice to have kids come out to the park who may not have much outdoor experience. They\u2019d come out with preconceived notions that there were crocodiles in the lake and a bear behind every tree. We\u2019d do our best to calm those fears and inspire their outdoor passion,\u201d she said. \u201cThose kids would go home and tell their parents about our park, and we started seeing more families come out. It was a great advertisement for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creativity and flexibility were two reasons she especially enjoyed her programs for homeschool families.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a full-time employee, I learned to love the homeschool community\u2019s ability to come out to programs in January when the wind was blowing and the snow was flying when public schools couldn\u2019t make it out,\u201d she said. \u201cPlus, it was much easier to reschedule an event with homeschoolers who can be much more flexible in scheduling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her longstanding bonds with numerous families will stay with her well beyond retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to know some families very well. I was just invited to a graduation party from a young man who I\u2019ve gotten to know and have a good bond with his family. I can say that about many of our homeschool families,\u201d she said. \u201cIt really means a lot to know that I was one of the mentors that helped touch their children\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

One event that Maryann said was especially memorable at R.B. Winter State Park was when she planning programming for kids from 48 states and five Canadian provinces who were visiting the region for the national Envirothon competition in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were some of the most impressive kids I\u2019ve ever met. They were extremely humble and wanted to learn,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a nightmare to plan, but turned out to be one of the most interesting moments of my life. Those kids helped inspire us that there is hope out there for the future of our environment and natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

After retirement, Maryann plans to spend more time with her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of gardens, and will take more time to enjoy them, do some reading on the front porch, play with the cats and savor the time with my grandson and the rest of the family,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to shift some things to have more freedom, get more time to travel and I want to spend some time with my mom while she is still healthy and we can really enjoy time together.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for her final piece of advice for the families and students she inspired?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a quote from a poster that hangs on a wall at my home from a poem,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2018Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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