Caw Caw Employee Named Marine Educator of the Year

Two employees of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) were recently awarded for excellence in their fields. Environmental Education Coordinator Beth Burkett was awarded as Marine Educator of the Year from the South Carolina Marine Educators Association, and Whirlin’ Waters Manager Kevin Rowland was awarded with a Safety Award from the World Waterpark Association.
CCPRC Environmental Educator Burkett works throughout various locations but is based out of Caw Caw Interpretive Center in West Ashley. Burkett was honored as Marine Educator of the Year at the South Carolina Marine Educators Association(SCMEA) annual conference on Oct. 24 in Greenville. The SCMEA Marine Educator of the Year award recognizes the state’s most outstanding marine educator. During her award presentation, Burkett’s accomplishments as an innovator, a state leader and a mentor in the field of marine education were highlighted.
Burkett earned a degree in Biology from Erskine College and has been working for CCPRC as an environmental educator since 2000, teaching children about coastal ecosystems of all kinds. Via various Charleston County Parks that feature different ecosystems, Burkett is able to teach children about cypress-tupelo swamps, brackish marches, freshwater marshes and ponds, salt marshes, dunes, intertidal areas, maritime forests, and nearly every other habitat in the Lowcountry. Burkett has coordinated education with tens of thousands of students from organizations ranging from schools to after school programs, day care centers, camps and more, all while meeting state and national educational standards.
The SCMEA was formed in 1988 as a non-profit educational organization and is a chapter of the National Marine Educators Association. For more information SCMEA, visit www.scmarineed.org.
Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark Manager  was honored with the World Waterpark Association’s (WWA) Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award on Oct. 21 in Palm Springs, Calif. This award is presented to an individual or organization for significant contributions to guest and employee safety in the water attractions industry. Rowland, who began his career with CCPRC as a lifeguard 17 years ago, was honored for innovative and effective safety training and awareness for capturing and sharing videos featuring real-life waterpark rescue situations.
 For more information on CCPRC, visit www.CharlestonCountyParks.com or call 843-795-4386.