In an inspiring culmination to a storied career, local educator Jaymee Squires has been named the 2024 recipient of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education's Retiring Environmental Educator of the Year Award. This accolade underscores Jaymee's profound influence and unwavering dedication to the field of education in Eagle County.

Jaymee accepting her award at the CAEE Conference in Denver, September 2024

Jaymee’s journey began in upstate New York, where she developed a passion for environmental science, culminating in a B.A. from Binghamton University. Her career took flight as a naturalist at the Vail Nature Center where she first made connections with Kim Langmaid, founder of Gore Range Natural Science School, now Walking Mountains. After attending Teton Science School’s residency program in environmental education, Jaymee became one of the first educators at Gore Range Natural Science School. She then took her teaching skills into the classroom where she taught middle school science at Eagle County Charter Academy. After a number of years in the classroom, Jaymee started her beautiful family when she had her children, Jessie and Colter. While raising her young kids, she continued to teach while earning her M.S. in Education from the University of Phoenix. 

In 2009, Jaymee rejoined the staff at Walking Mountains as Director of the Foley Graduate Fellowship Program. This innovative fellowship program, in partnership with the University of Northern Colorado, combines intensive full-time environmental education teaching in the field alongside master’s level coursework in environmental science education. The program provides developing teachers with unmatched practical learning experience, free tuition, housing in the Frechette Educator Community at Walking Mountains’ Avon Campus, and a paid stipend. As the Program’s Director, Jaymee has been the heart and soul of the fellowship program and has dedicated her career to mentoring the next generation of environmental education leaders. She taught most of the programs’ classes and mentored 14 cohorts of Graduate Fellows while giving the program and the field of environmental education a level of professionalism that will remain her legacy.

Celebrating graduation with the Foley Graduate Fellowship Class of 2022.

Walking Mountains Foley Graduate Fellows work to reach every Eagle County School District student in kindergarten through eighth grade at least once per school year. The Fellows apply environmental education teaching knowledge and theory to the programs that they teach and use their teaching experiences as fodder for class discussion. Each Fellow conducts an Action Research Project where they examine a specific aspect of their personal pedagogical practice.

In addition to her work for the graduate program, Jaymee is an exceptional and passionate writer who has been integral in the creation of this Curious Nature column. Dating back to 2010, Jaymee has written over 100 Curious Nature articles and served as editor of this column for over a decade. 

Foley Graduate Fellows learn about local Eagle County geology during staff training with Jaymee Squires.

Jaymee retired from her position at Walking Mountains in August 2024, but she isn’t slowing down. One of many passions Jaymee plans to pursue in her retirement is the completion and publication of her first book, a passionate and inspiring memoir sharing her many stories of environmental activism, creativity, and motherhood. She is also a budding entrepreneur with a booming seamstress business.

Please join Walking Mountains and Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education in celebrating Jaymee’s career dedicated to sharing a love of science and appreciation for our local lands with students of all ages.