Press Release and Update from Together Green
“on behalf of Audubon to inform you of the new TogetherGreen Fellowships that have recently been awarded to forty of the nation’s most promising conservationists. TogetherGreen wants you and your readers to meet a Fellow who will shape tomorrow, creating a positive environmental change. A Los Angeles woman is the recipient of a new national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding potential to help shape a brighter environmental future. Gabriela Castañeda, who has been involved conservation efforts for the past 11 years, is one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota.
Fellows receive specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health. Castañeda will focus her efforts on leading the Junior Naturalist program, designed to engage 11-14 year-olds from the predominately Latino neighborhoods surrounding Debs Park. The Junior Naturalists will collect biological data and implement a restoration plan for the native coastal sage scrub habitat in Debs Park. Not only will the program help protect one of the last open spaces along the Arroyo Seco tributary of the Los Angeles River, but it will also provide new and exciting experiences for communities that have had limited opportunities to become involved in traditional conservation efforts.
The efforts of the Fellows will aid people and wildlife around 39 cities in 24 different states—a full list can be found at http://www.togethergreen.org/fellows.
Visit TogetherGreen for more information:
http://www.togethergreen.org