The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

A New Chapter

LEAF is an ambitious effort to empower the next generation of conservation leaders.

With leading support from the Toyota USA Foundation, LEAF works with environmental high schools across the nation to combine classroom lessons with real-world conservation work experience for urban youth. In 2012, LEAF is serving students and educators from environmental high schools in New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Connecticut, and Washington.

LEAF provides paid summer internships for students in natural areas across the nation and helps educators from environmental high schools share best practices and scientific resources during the academic year.

The long term goal of LEAF is to support more than 30 environmental high schools across the country.

A Partnership That Works

The LEAF model...

• Supplements classroom experience in conservation with real-world jobs for urban youth;
• Supports a network of environmentally themed high schools to share best practices in urban environmental education; and
• Increases student awareness of higher education and career paths in conservation.

The program combines The Nature Conservancy’s scientific expertise and access to natural areas with the lessons learned in environmental high schools to provide students with the web of mentors, alumni, and peers that is fundamental to successful youth development programs.

Supplementing classroom lessons on ecology and conservation with the real world experience of applying those lessons in the field has a tremendous impact on students’ lives — opening their eyes to career possibilities, building self-confidence, independence, work skills, conservation literacy and a love of the outdoors.

For more information on LEAF, or to sponsor a student, please contact leaf@tnc.org.