Land Trust Alliance, USDA Forest Service continue partnership on Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program for 2024
The program aims to expand opportunities for students for students to pursue careers in natural resource management and conservation.
Washington — The Land Trust Alliance, a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America, is pleased to announce its 2024-25 student scholarship cohort for its Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program, part of an ongoing partnership with the USDA Forest Service.
The scholars program is a career and leadership development program that aims to expand opportunities for students to more readily pursue careers in natural resource management and conservation. The 2024-25 program benefits ten undergraduate students from across the United States selected to attend a professional development experience in conjunction with this year’s Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Scholars will have the opportunity to participate in numerous educational trainings and workshops and to connect with conservation professionals from across the nation. Following Rally, two scholars will be selected to participate in a paid, year-long fellowship with a land trust to gain on-the-job experience following graduation.
“The scholars program is building the next generation of conservation leaders in a way that benefits both the participating students and land conservation,” said Jennifer Miller Herzog, interim president and CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. “These students bring perspectives and life experience that expand the breadth of communities and professional expertise the conservation sector needs. We’re proud of our entire class of 2024 scholars. They are accomplished, energetic and passionate, and they give us great hope for the future.”
“By recruiting diverse talent and welcoming new voices and perspectives, we can better serve all Americans and meet the challenges and opportunities facing the nation’s forests,” said Forest Service Deputy Chief for State, Tribal and Private Forestry John Crockett.
“These bright, passionate and intelligent young adults are committed to improving their communities through conservation, and the Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program can provide them with the resources they need to make a meaningful impact,” said Ajiah Zywicki, the Land Trust Alliance’s community-centered conservation program manager.
Students selected for the 2024-25 program (alphabetical with college/affiliation):
Lauren Agnew, North Carolina A&T State University
Alondra Cobian, Scripps College
Lena Ouse Hicks, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ella Howie, Triangle Land Conservancy
Lori Huck, Oklahoma State University
Carlos Jackson, Tuskegee University
Ashley Laveriano, Dartmouth College
Emelyn Joy Talento, City University of New York Hunter College
Mary Visger, University of Idaho
Will Wanzenberg, North Florida Land Trust
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by empowering and mobilizing land trusts in communities across America to conserve land for the benefit of all. The Alliance represents approximately 1,000 member land trusts and affiliates supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., with staff working in communities across the U.S.
About the USDA Forest Service
The mission of the USDA Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests, grasslands and watersheds to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains world-renowned forestry research and wildland fire management organizations. The Cooperative Forestry unit of the USDA Forest Service works closely with partners to enhance and maintain forests across watersheds and ecosystems, both on private and public land, and delivers its work through states, local governments, other federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and other partners leveraging additional resources and fueling innovation.