Apr 1, 2021
Anna Le loves to watch students see a salmon in the wild for the first time, igniting a spark of wonder she hopes will stick with them into the future. As an outdoor educator, Le ponders how we can get people to develop a reciprocal relationship with the natural world and support BIPOC and underserved students to feel comfortable and fired up on nature. Le shares what it's like to become an outdoorswoman as an adult, and how we can best foster these experiences for teenagers.
4:00 "This is what I want to do the rest of my life... is connect with people on the water, have these beautiful conversations, and also show students and people their first salmon. That was the best part of my job."
5:00 Notable aquariums: Long Beach, and Newport
8:30 Quality of gear DOES influence how well we're able to enjoy cold water days
9:00 Fly-fishing and the flow state
10:00 Wal-Mart fishing poles with a hot dog on the hook
11:00 Conservation job perks: Steelheading might count as a 'work day'
13:00 SalmonWatch brings middle-schoolers out to the forest to show them the life cycle of a salmon
15:00 Bridging urban culture with the natural world (that mulch isn't going to ruin your shoes!)
19:00 Legislation in Oregon that lets every kid go to outdoor school
24:00 Meaningful outdoors education in older kids is sometimes as simple as planting the seed of something new... a subject matter, a lifestyle... it's a ripple effect
29:00 Blunders when you're new to the outdoors scene: Rolling up to a park you've wanted to visit and realizing all the campsites have been booked for months (psst... it was a success anyway!)
32:00 When you're building competency in a new field, it's a journey of research and asking for help
34:00 Artemis course: Go Confident in the Wild
37:00 Tips for teaching in the Zoom Age
39:00 Find Anna on Insta, @anna_venturing
42:00 Extension officers for the win
44:00 That moment in spring when you FINALLY know what your next seasonal job is... high five!