This scholarship is in memory of John Munn. John Munn served as the WSU Snohomish County Extension Naturalist for over 25 years. Retiring in 2003 as Professor Emeritus, he was well-recognized and highly regarded by: 4-H youth and leaders; colleagues; members of the community; county; and state for his dedication, passion, and life-time work in the field of natural resources and the environment. John would oftentimes say, “I am paid to do the job I love…one of sharing my passion for the environment with youth and adults. Young or old, we all want to be part of something in our lives that is good and lasting. Environmental stewardship activities provide opportunities for youth and adults to connect with that which is good, while learning about the workings of our natural world.” Throughout his career, John created experiential programs that engaged more than 125,000 youth, leaders, teachers and the public with the environment and its preservation. His vision was to engage youth with the wonder of the natural world; to help them learn and appreciate its magnificence; highlight future career possibilities; and provide them an opportunity to ‘pass on’ what they learned and valued through stewardship service activities. Part of his job also focused on collaborating with many community, county, and state leaders and organizations. For several years, he created natural resource programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Early on in his career, as a WSU Extension Naturalist, John founded and created the 4-H Natural Resources program. The program featured more than 10 different nature weekend field trips each yeah including: boating and kayaking to see orca whales; sea lions; elk and Big Horn Sheep; salmon education, tours, and enhancement; eagle float trips; mountaineering on Washington and Oregon’s major peaks; and hiking in the lowlands. John’s ultimate goal was to create natural amphitheaters in the out-of-doors for youth. The Salmon River Tour Program, introduced in 1972, is one of several programs still in existence today. Since its start, hundreds of teens have been trained as tour guides and as “Ambassadors for the Environment.” Thousands of public visitors, K-12 students, teachers, and parents have learned and benefited.
Award Requirements
The distributions from this fund shall be used to provide a scholarship to a junior or senior level undergraduate student majoring in natural resource sciences at Washington State University who was a 4-H member.