News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2011

Soil and Water Education Specialist Receives
State Environmental Education Award 
 

Jody Chamberlain, Williams SWCD (nominator), Bill Grimes, Defiance SWCD (award recipient), Jen Dennison, Ohio Project WILD Coordinator, division of Wildlife (click image to enlarge)

COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife (DOW) and the Council for Environmental Education (CEE) have awarded Bill Grimes, education specialist for the Defiance Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), with their “Ohio Project WILD Facilitator of the Year Award.” This annual award is given to a volunteer Project WILD facilitator who the DOW and CEE believe has contributed significantly to Ohio’s Project WILD program.

Grimes, a 6-year employee of the Defiance SWCD, was described in his award nomination as “going above and beyond to teach children and adults about wildlife, nature, our environment, conservation and so much more.”

Among his many accomplishments, Grimes has served for the last six years as a volunteer facilitator of Project WILD, a supplemental curriculum that uses wildlife to teach basic classroom concepts.  Grimes hosts educator workshops throughout the year and promotes the Project WILD curriculum in a myriad of other conservation and environmental education settings.  He regularly collaborates with the other SWCD educators in NW Ohio on educator trainings and programs, including the annual Black Swamp Extravaganza held in Perrysburg every June.

Grimes helped develop the Penney Nature Center in Defiance County, where he frequently hosts scout groups and students on nature trekking where they use their sensory skills to learn and appreciate wildlife and the surrounding natural areas.

Grimes is a retired elementary school teacher of 30 years from the Tinora School District.  In addition to his employment with the Defiance SWCD, he is an adjunct professor with Defiance College where he has successfully introduced Project WILD within the teacher preparation programs, both graduate and undergraduate.  He has conducted similar courses at Northwest State Community College, Bowling Green State University, and Owens Community College within their Early Childhood Education programs.

Grimes graduated from Grover Hill High School in Paulding County and received a B.S. in Education from The Ohio State University in 1972. He received his Masters in Education from Defiance College.  He and his wife, Margaret, reside in Defiance, Ohio where they enjoy spending time with their son Eric and granddaughter Avery.

For more information about Project WILD and other educational programs and materials at ODNR, visit ohioprojectwild.com or wildohio.com.

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