Awardee

Dr. Pamela B. Blanchard
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Blanchard headshotDr. Pamela B. Blanchard is an associate professor at Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Education. She co-founded the LSU Coastal Roots Seedling Nursery (CR) program in 2000 to educate students and teachers on coastal issues and sustainability and to engage students in restoration projects. She is a passionate educator who empowers students from second grade through high school to become environmental stewards. Each year, students learn to manage a nursery installed at their school, grow native plants, and participate on restoration trips to a beach or forest. The CR program has grown to include 48 schools across 18 parishes in Louisiana. There are also four schools in Chile participating in the CR program. Approximately 16,000 students have participated in the program, planting nearly 130,000 native plants on more than 300 restoration trips since 2000.