The Red Butte Garden and Arboretum has been cited by Mutual of Omaha's Wildlife Heritage Center as one of 10 organizations recognized in 1994 for exemplary effort to increase awareness of the need for conservation.

The citations are awarded to zoos, nature centers and other conservation organizations across the country. Each citation includes a $500 donation to the organization.The garden was selected for its "outdoor classroom" project, which helps elementary and secondary-school teachers learn how to incorporate natural landscapes in science curricula. Educator workshops at the Red Butte Environmental Learning Center utilize the garden's adjacent natural area as an educational resource for the teachers.

Since most elementary teachers are not specifically trained in science, these workshops help them by providing practical ways to use the resources of the Red Butte Garden and natural area. Teachers attending the workshops receive learning kits to apply what they learn in the outdoor classroom to a large number of students. In turn, these students become more ecologically literate and learn to practice greater environmental stewardship.

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The center's goal of helping conservation programs at the grass-roots level is being carried out through the special citation program, according to David Lewis, manager of Mutual of Omaha's Intermountain Division Office on Salt Lake City.

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