John Heusinkveld, assistant director for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Treehaven Education and Conference Center near Tomahawk, was recently recognized for his significant contributions to the field of environmental education by the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Educators (WAEE).

WAEE is a statewide association located on the UWSP campus with a mission of promoting responsible environmental action through education in the classroom and community. Heusinkveld was presented the WAEE Award for his significant contributions to the field of environmental education having statewide, regional, national or international impact.

"I am honored to have received this recognition, and it is really a tribute to the environmental education program at UWSP and at the campus Treehaven field station," said Heusinkveld. "The support for environmental education by the campus and the College of Natural Resources (CNR) has offered me an opportunity to pursue this environmentally based work."

Heusinkveld has worked in the environmental education/natural resource field in some capacity for 20 years, 11 of those years as an administrator. He has received grants from the EPA and other sources and acted as mentor to numerous staff during his career. In his work he has taught thousands of people from grade school to college, rural and inner city populations, as well as with Native Americans. John also worked in protecting one of Wisconsin�s designated Wild Rivers, the Pike River in Northeast Wisconsin. In addition, he has engaged in a variety of fisheries research with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and often teaches a section of Water 380 for the CNR summer session at Treehaven.

Prior to his labor in Wisconsin, he worked on native prairies in Iowa and spent a number of years working with birds of prey as an educator and rehabilitator, and with disabled youth in Iowa. He also was an environmental/earth science teacher in New Hampshire.

He earned his bachelor�s degree in environmental geography from the University of Iowa and his master�s in human and community resources in 1998 from UWSP. "I consider myself a pretty lucky fellow to have had the privilege of working with such talented and dedicated people at UWSP, in the state of Wisconsin and throughout my career."

He has a daughter, Julianna, and resides on site at Treehaven.