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Anne Marie Tipton - Education Coordinator for the Tijuana River NERR, California
Name: Anne Marie Tipton
What is your expertise or focus area?
As the Education Coordinator, I get to do Junior Ranger afterschool programs, school programs, plan and run special events, and do interpretive planning.
What education, training, and experiences led you to your current job with the NERRS?
I have a B.S. in Zoology and 2.5 years of graduate coursework in Ecology from San Diego State University. I was a Girl Scout for 9 years where I got to lead younger girls in day camps. I went to summer school at the San Diego Zoo for eight years, which is why I originally wanted to be a zoologist. After doing a volunteer behavioral study on lion-tailed macaques at the Zoo, I decided to move my focus to Ecology. My background as a field biologist and ecologist helps me do my job as well as my time as a cultural interpreter at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
What are some interesting aspects of your job?
I think the most interesting part of my job is the great people (teachers, environmental educators, docents, scientists) I get to meet while doing my job. Since three-quarters of our watershed is in Mexico, I serve on the oldest bi-national coalition of environmental educators along the U.S./Mexico border. Working bi-natioanally is always interesting.
What is the most unusual or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while working with or in estuaries?
One week at the Visitor Center, we had three silvery legless lizards come inside. This weird looking sand dune resident looks like a six inch snake - but it really is a legless lizard. I was the only one on staff that had the nerve to pick them up and bring them back outside.
What is your proudest achievement in your job?
Creating and developing a unique cultural and environmental special event called Fiesta del Río. It celebrates the Tijuana Estuary and its Cultures: where Nature and Nations Meet. 2009 will be the sixth year of this event which attracts 3,000 people, mostly families.
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Last Updated on: 11-02-2009
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