PORTLAND, Ore. — The Nature Conservancy’s Youth for Conservation environmental education program received a $10,000 grant for the second consecutive year from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning.

Conservancy youth crews receive a high level of training and work on a range of sophisticated conservation problems including invasive species control, prescribed fire, ecological monitoring and restoration planning. These mostly at-risk groups work at the same site over a year or more, allowing participants to assume greater leadership and ownership of the project.

“When young people develop an awareness of conservation challenges, and learn a sense of responsibility, they become good stewards of the natural environment,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director of The Nature Conservancy. “Plus there are so many career opportunities in conservation, and this program provides exposure to them.”

The Nature Conservancy’s internship program helps provide practical experience that makes participants more competitive for jobs and advanced degrees. They experience a variety of conservation activities including field work, data collection and public outreach. The program combines the Conservancy’s core mission of protecting natural habitats and wildlife with projects that provide opportunities for youth to build their understanding of conservation issues in their community.

“The Youth Conservation education program is a solid endeavor and it links well with our educational funding priorities” said Sheila Holden, regional community manager for Pacific Power.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.  In Oregon, the Conservancy owns or manages 48 nature preserves and has helped protect over 480,000 acres of important habitats, with support from 24,000 member households.

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