About the Authors

Eldon D. Enger

Eldon D. Enger is a professor of biology at Delta College, a community college near Saginaw, Michigan. He received his B.A. and M.S. degrees from the University of Michigan. Professor Enger has over 30 years of teaching experience, during which he has taught biology, zoology, environmental science, and several other courses. He has been very active in curriculum and course development. Recent activities include the development of a learning community course in stream ecology, which involves students in two weekend activities including canoeing and camping, and a plant identification course that incorporates weekend field activities with backpacking and camping. In addition, he was involved in the development of an environmental regulations course and an environmental technician curriculum.

Professor Enger is an advocate for variety in teaching methodology. He feels that if students are provided with varied experiences, they are more likely to learn. In addition to the standard textbook assignments, lectures, and laboratory activities, his classes are likely to include writing assignments, student presentation of lecture material, debates by students on controversial issues, field experiences, individual student projects, and discussions of local examples and relevant current events. Textbooks are very valuable for presenting content, especially if they contain accurate, informative drawings and visual examples. Lectures are best used to help students see themes and make connections, and laboratory activities provide important hands-on activities.

Professor Enger has been a Fulbright Exchange Teacher to Australia and Scotland, received the Bergstein Award for Teaching Excellence and the Scholarly Achievement Award from Delta College, and participated as a volunteer in an Earthwatch Research Program in Costa Rica, studying the behavior of a bird known as the long-tailed manakin. He has also visited Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Fiji, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Morocco, many areas in Europe, and much of the United States. During these travels he has spent considerable time visiting coral reefs, ocean coasts, mangrove swamps, alpine tundra, prairies, tropical rainforests, cloud forests, deserts, temperate rainforests, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, and many other special ecosystems. This extensive experience provides the background to look at environmental issues from a broad perspective.

Professor Enger is married, has two college-aged sons, and enjoys a variety of outdoor pursuits such as cross-country skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, camping and gardening. Other interests include reading a wide variety of periodicals, beekeeping, singing in a church choir, and preserving garden produce.

Bradley F. Smith

Bradley F. Smith is the Dean of Huxley College of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Prior to assuming the position as Dean in 1994, he served as the first Director of the Office of Environmental Education for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. from 1991 to 1994. Dean Smith also served as the Acting President of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation in Washington, D.C. and as a Special Assistant to the EPA Administrator.

Before moving to Washington, D.C., Dean Smith was a professor of political science and environmental studies for fifteen years, and the executive director of an environmental education center and nature refuge for five years.

Dean Smith has considerable international experience. He was a Fulbright Exchange Teacher to England and worked as a research associate for Environment Canada in New Brunswick, Canada. He is a frequent speaker on environmental issues worldwide and serves on the International Scholars Program for the U.S. Information Agency. He also served as a U.S. representative on the Tri-Lateral Commission on environmental education with Canada and Mexico. In 1995, he was awarded a NATO Fellowship to study the environmental problems associated with the closure of former Soviet military bases in Eastern Europe. Dean Smith is an Adjunct Professor at Far Eastern State University in Vladivostok, Russia and is a member of the Russian Academy of Transport. He also serves as a commissioner for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Nationally, Dean Smith serves as a member/advisor for many environmental organizations' boards of directors, advisory councils, and executive committees, including President Clinton's Council for Sustainable Development (Education Task Force).

Dean Smith holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political Science and Public Administration and a Ph.D. from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.

Dean Smith lives with his wife Daria, daughter Morgan, son Ian, and English setter Skye, along Puget Sound south of Bellingham. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast.