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The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire Home Projects Chapter News Contact Places We Protect Field Trips & Events Press Releases Volunteer Ways of Giving Slide Shows Conservation Buyer |
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City Kids Buck Nature Deficit Disorder
In New Hampshire, they encounter hard work, bugs and hands-on conservation
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LEARNING THE ROPES -- Student interns from the High School for Environmental Studies |
GREENLAND, N.H. -- It's warm and sunny on the salt marsh in Greenland, N.H. The tide is going out and it's time to throw some nets and catch fish.
This is how a small group of New York City youths spent a recent day helping scientists from The Nature Conservancy and the N.H. Department of Environmental Services gather data on salt marsh restoration.
The three are from the High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan. For a few weeks this summer, they're traveling with a mentor in New Hampshire and Maine to help The Nature Conservancy with an array of hands-on conservation projects. Aside from the fish sampling at Great Bay, the youths have also been clearing lands of invasive plants, improving trails, and doing other science and stewardship projects. During their time in New Hampshire and Maine, they'll also have a chance to check out some colleges.
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SMALL FISH, BIG DATA -- Shara Neita, an intern |
The program involves 36 New York City students or recent graduates to participate in Nature Conservancy projects in seven states throughout the Northeast. For many, the program offers kids their first in-depth experience of natural environments. Launched in 1995, the program is a partnership with the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment. Over the past 13 years, more than 200 high school students have participated in the program.
"I'm definitely learning a greater appreciation for the environment," said Shara Neita, a junior from the Bronx. "Because of where I live in the city, I don't see a lot of trees. So, while we've been here, I''ve learned about the different types of trees and the forest."
Shara isn't sure what kind of job she'd like in the future. But she likes how the program exposes her to a wide realm of environmental work -- from clipping invasive plants to studying fish populations.
"I'd say I'm gaining confidence," Shara said. "Before, I didn't think I was equipped to cut down trees and weed out invasive plants all day. Now, I know I can do that, and I'm more open-minded about the environment. Bugs don't bother me as much!"
The program sends students in groups of three with trained mentors on a four-week field season, where they live and work on Conservancy preserves in seven Northeastern states: (New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). Conservancy staff teach the students basic land management, educational outreach and scientific research skills in a safe and supervised learning environment. The interns also enjoy other first-time activities, such as camping, kayaking, and swimming.
In New Hampshire, the students endured a hot, buggy day of removing invasive Japanese knotweed from conserved land near Great Bay. They netted fish in an ongoing salt marsh study for the N.H. Department of Environmental Services. They worked on trails on TNC's Green Hills Preserve and Fourth Connecticut Lake Preserve.
"Many of these students rarely get the opportunity to spend extended time in nature and explore colleges outside of the city," said Brigitte Griswold, the internship's manager for the Conservancy. "Through this internship program, the Conservancy hopes to encourage a new generation of conservationists by providing these young people with their first direct and meaningful experience in the natural world."
