TEEC AND MITS: 1992 - 1998
The Early Years: 1970 - 1983 | Habitat Programs: 1984- present |MarineLab 1985 - present day
From 1993 to 2000, MRDF operated the Tugaloo Environmental Education Center (TEEC) in Oconoee County, SC. This year-round residential facility offered a new perspective on forest and freshwater ecology, local flora and fauna, regional geology, energy cycles and man's direct and indirect effects on nature, all set in the context of the region's history and culture. One TEEC program, "Coming Home," conveys strong themes of environmental interconnectedness by basing its curriculum on the award-winning novel, The Education of Little Tree.
The State of South Carolina appropriated funding in its Department of Education budget for 1200 at-risk sixth graders throughout the state to attend a three day program at TEEC during the academic year 1995-1996. The program was designed to enhance students' awareness of the importance of natural resources to their lives, and to instill a sense of stewardship towards these resources through role-playing activities. TEEC also presented workshops to Oconee County teachers from 1993 to 1996, and in 1994 received a grant from the South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation to present two 1-week workshops to South Carolina teachers. The teachers received instruction and field experience in forest and aquatic ecology, including resource management, and a curriculum supplement to use in the classroom.
Also in 1995, the first Man In The Sea program was offered to a group of Miami Dade County (Florida) teachers.