11 May
Thx, happily aboard! RT @chiwilderness #FF newest members of the Chicago Wilderness alliance: @GDDonnelley, @willconserve, @WaukeganPrkDist
Next Generation of Conservation Leaders
The long-term health of natural areas depends on encouraging talented young people to take conservation as a career track or lifelong avocation. As the conservation field grows, we will need a diverse wellspring of skilled, passionate people to lead it. We seek to introduce young people to the great range of opportunities in the land conservation and restoration professions.
In the Chicago region, we are fortunate to have a strong core of conservation leaders, staff and volunteers. What we lack, however, is enough formal training and experiential opportunities for high school and college students, and those interested in changing careers. As more land is being restored to make for more livable and sustainable communities, we are going to need more people to take on the responsibility of managing our natural areas.
We partner with our region's colleges, universities, public agencies and conservation organizations to develop programs that directly prepare people for active roles in land conservation.
Partners
Through Chicago Wilderness, we are bringing together the region's leaders to develop innovative programs and hands-on opportunities to train the next generation of conservation leaders.
To learn more about this initiative, please contact Arthur Pearson, Director-Chicago Program at (312) 977-2709.
Activities
Our research has revealed two primary barriers to increased interest in conservation careers: very few people are aware of conservation as a potential track, and there is no clear career pathway for those with an interest.
We help lead the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders Working Group, organized through Chicago Wilderness. Other organizations involved include Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Zoological Society, Field Museum, Friends of the Forest Preserves, Indiana Dunes Learning Center, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Lincoln Park Zoo, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and Student Conservation Association.
In partnership with Associated Colleges of Illinois, we have developed a pilot program to match interested college students and recent graduates with Chicago Wilderness member organizations for paid summer internships. Many interns are students of color or the first in their families to attend college.