Westchester Land Trust welcomes 2021 summer interns, Briana and Erick. They will be working with WLT’s professional staff and volunteers to improve the trail access and ecological wellbeing of nature preserves owned by WLT throughout the County. Briana and Erick are alumni of Groundwork Hudson Valley's Green Team, a program that hires Yonkers High School students for field-based conservation work. Through the Green Team, they already have extensive experience leading projects, mentoring and teaching students, building trails, and removing invasive plants. Thank you to the organizations that made this internship possible with their support: Rusticus Garden Club, Lower Hudson PRISM (LHPRISM), Long Island Community Foundation, and Groundwork Hudson Valley PHOTO CREDIT: John Zeiger, WLT Preserve Manager

Release Date: June 18, 2021

Bedford Hills, NY—Westchester Land Trust (WLT), a nationally accredited land conservation organization headquartered in Bedford Hills, NY, has launched an internship program that will provide conservation career development opportunities for students to gain practical skills in the conservation field. The 10-week paid internship will immerse the students in all aspects of WLT’s operations and help them learn about a variety of conservation career paths.

The interns will support Westchester Land Trust’s stewardship work and the monitoring and management of the nearly 9,000 acres protected by the organization. Students will be working throughout Westchester County on various trail improvement projects, such as bridge installation and ecological restoration projects that will include invasive plant control and native wildflower plantings.

“We recognize the staff and leadership of conservation organizations in this region often do not represent the diversity of people who live here,” said Lori Ensinger, WLT’s President, “This is why we engaged Groundwork Hudson Valley to assist us with promotion of these two opportunities—and we’re pleased to have had 21 strong applications to consider from throughout Westchester County.  We’re thrilled that both of our 2021 conservation interns are graduates of Groundwork’s Green Team,” Ensinger continued. Groundwork Hudson Valley (GHV) is a Yonkers-based environmental nonprofit organization that works to create sustainable environmental change in urban neighborhoods through community-based partnerships that promote equity, youth leadership, and economic opportunity.

GHV’s Green Team program hires local teenagers enrolled in the Yonkers Public School system for environmental jobs, which for many teens, serve as their first professional job experiences. The program focuses on leadership, group dynamics, and a variety of conservation and construction skills.

“I am excited to work with our 2021 interns to accomplish innovative projects and help them develop their leadership skills,” said John Zeiger, WLT’s Preserve Manager who will supervise the interns. “Among the many efforts they will be engaged in are our summer mile-a-minute vine removal, the expansion of the bog bridges at our Otter Creek Preserve in Mamaroneck, and project management training.”

Meet Our 2021 Interns

Erick Rosa is a freshman studying Health and Human Performance at Westchester Community College. Erick is interested in learning more about the field of land stewardship and developing his professional skills. He appreciated having the chance to remove invasives and improve infrastructure in many different parks while with Groundwork’s Green Team, including Van Cortlandt Park, Rockefeller State Park, and even Yellowstone National Park.

Briana Marcano is a freshman studying Mathematics at Westchester Community College. Briana enjoyed developing curriculum about the effects of flooding along the Saw Mill River for elementary school students while working with the Green Team, and hopes to work as an educator in the future. Erick and Briana both have had the honor of giving a speech during Groundwork’s annual gala.

This program has been partially funded through grants from the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund at the Long Island Community Foundation; the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management using funds from the Environmental Protection Fund and Rusticus Garden Club. To learn more about WLT’s Conservation Internship program and how you can help WLT expand and sustain it, please contact Kara Whelan (kara@Westchesterlandtrust.org).