JUNE 2007, PORTLAND MAINE: Drew Dumsch was named the 2007 Outstanding Environmental Science Educator of the year at a recent awards ceremony hosted by the University of Southern Maine Environmental Science Department.The department gives the award each year to an individual who has done the most for the field of Environmental Education.

Mr. Dumsch is the executive director of Ferry Beach Ecology School (FBES) in Saco, the president of Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) and is president-elect of the board of the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA). A native of Michigan, he taught at nature centers in California and Chicago before moving to Maine in 1991 to work as a naturalist and educator. He co-founded the Ecology School at Ferry Beach in 1998 and since then has expanded the schools residential program, outreach programs and publications. In 2006 the school published its 230-page teaching curriculum, The ABCs of Ecology: An Educator's Guide to Learning Outside which has been used by both national and international educators. Mr. Dumsch holds a B.A. degree from Kalamazoo College & an MA degree from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, respectively. He resides with his wife and daughter in Saco.

The Department of Environmental Science (DES) is an interdisciplinary major in the School of Applied Science, Engineering & Technology, leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The program prepares students for a variety of professional roles in the environmental field as well as preparing students for graduate academic and professional degrees. The program location in the greater Portland, Maine and New England region facilitates student opportunities to participate with urban and rural communities addressing a broad range of environmental problems and issues.