AmeriCorps, the federal community service agency, has named the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center as a Project Conserve site and has provided annual funding for a staff position in aid of FENCEs nature education programs.

The funds will be used to support an assistants position for Nature Education Director Tracie Hanson, who supervises and implements Project F.E.N.C.E., the nature education and natural history curriculum that now reaches nearly 10,000 students in all grade levels in six North and South Carolina counties.

Tracie has successfully grown the curriculum to such an extent that she really needs fulltime help, said FENCE Executive Director Melissa LeRoy. Were very proud to join the national network of AmeriCorps sites and grateful for the help of Senator Kay Hagan for her help in facilitating the designation.

Selected from 26 applicants for the FENCE position was Junie Michel, a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelors degree in environmental science and a masters in secondary social studies. She has taught earth science in Florida public schools through grade 12, and for the past three years has taught geography, earth science and history at the International School in Bucharest, Romania. She will assume her new duties at FENCE in early September.

For more information about Project F.E.N.C.E., visit www.fence.org.