The Peterson Young Naturalist Program (PYNP) has been Loudoun Wildlife’s premier Nature-Based Learning (NBL) program – and our only formal education offering – since 2010. Named for famed ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson, the PYNP is a partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools that equips teachers and students to meet curriculum objectives using their schoolyards as outdoor classrooms. Students document their observations in nature journals throughout the school year, with awards presented each spring (to those participating in this portion of PYNP).
Our teacher professional development for the Peterson program provides literacy, science, math, and social-emotional learning outcomes that make a difference inside and outside the classroom. Teachers also love the program because it’s not an “extra” — it’s integrated into classroom curriculum and aligns with Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL).
In the 2024/25 school year, Loudoun Wildlife introduced 113 teachers — representing nearly 8,000 students — to the benefits of outdoor learning through the Peterson Program, and we’re on track to far surpass those numbers in the 2025/26 school year. Why? Because more teachers, parents, and students are understanding — and embracing — the proven power of Nature-Based Learning in their classrooms.
Many of those teachers and students work and learn at Title 1 schools in Loudoun County, where 40% or more of the student population falls below the poverty line. These students often benefit the most from Nature-Based Learning, as their access to the natural world is often more limited; the ability to regularly connect with nature through their school classrooms presents transformative opportunities they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Want to improve student academic performance, create calmer and more focused classrooms, improve student mental and physical wellbeing, and inspire a lifelong connection to nature and its timeless benefits? Then the Peterson Young Naturalist Program was made for you!
Workshops are held during two Professional Development days for Loudoun County teachers, one in the early fall and another in the spring. Loudoun Wildlife is also able to provide on-demand training to teachers (including from private schools or home schools).
Workshops are held during two Professional Development days for Loudoun County teachers, one in the early fall and another in the spring. Loudoun Wildlife is also able to provide on-demand training to teachers (including from private schools or home schools).
For more information on how you can become part of the Peterson Young Naturalist Program, contact Loudoun Wildlife Director of Education Tracey Baroody at:
The Peterson Young Naturalist program is inspired by the life of Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996), the world-renowned naturalist, artist, photographer, and author. Peterson’s seminal Field Guide to the Birds and countless contributions to popularizing natural history earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Peterson often credited his teacher, Miss Blanche Hornbeck, for inspiring him in his passion for the natural world and giving his life direction. The Peterson Young Naturalist Program aims to do the same for other students with naturalistic interests while connecting all students to the proven benefits of outdoor learning.
In 1999, retired and award-winning Environmental Science Teacher Miriam Westervelt (also Peterson’s step-daughter) created the program alongside her mother as a way to honor Roger Tory Peterson and expand his already-strong legacy.
Loudoun Wildlife made the program an official part of our programming in 2010, and Dr. Westervelt continues to guide and build the program, provide training, and so much more. Volunteer instructors from Loudoun County Public Schools also assist throughout the year in organizing and administering teacher training, and their support is invaluable.
