Land Trust Alliance
To save the places people need and love. We accomplish this by empowering and mobilizing land trusts in communities across America to conserve land — and connect people to the land — for the benefit of all.
The Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program is a career and leadership development program designed to expand opportunities for students to pursue careers in natural resource management and conservation, with an emphasis on engaging Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities and others who these types of programs have not historically prioritized. Through the program, the Land Trust Alliance and our partners can thoughtfully engage with young professionals-in-training interested in conservation work.
They were particularly excited to learn about the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work that land trusts are engaged in.
“[Land trusts] employ a multifaceted approach to conservation, emphasizing sustainable land management, community engagement and equitable access to protected areas,” said Samara Pyfrom, a senior at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. “This holistic perspective was eye-opening, highlighting how their work extends beyond preservation to address broader societal and environmental concerns.”
“I also found it particularly invigorating to listen to the stories of success and the challenges that land trusts encounter,” said Faith Wells, a senior at the State University of New York (SUNY). “It is uncommon to find a space that places a simultaneous emphasis on conservation and diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and access.”
Rally, with so many land trust and affiliate professionals gathered in one place, was the perfect space for them to learn about the expansive number of career pathways the conservation field has to offer.
“Rally really enabled me to see how vast the scale of land trust initiatives is, especially regarding urban and farmland conservation efforts and engagement,” said Victoria Bolling, a senior at Duke University. “Prior to attending, I didn’t realize how many forms land trust work could take and how much dedication there was to areas such as conservation agriculture and community support.”
The Scholars program is funded by a grant from the USDA’s Forest Service and managed in collaboration with North Carolina State University.
Financials
