None The Nature Conservancy in New York Press Releases Search All Press Releases Connie Prickett Phone:(518) 576-2082 x162 Email: cprickett@tnc.org

Summer Interns Exploring Conservation Find Value in Protecting Home Turf

Keene Valley, NY — July 23, 2009 — Kate Ellers, of Lake Placid, and Amy Ignatuk, of Upper Jay, joined the staff of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and the Adirondack Land Trust. As summer interns, they are exploring the field of conservation, working side-by-side with professional staff in environmental stewardship, scientific research, communications, and fundraising. 

Ms. Ellers, a Lake Placid High School alumna, earned an associate’s degree in math and science from North Country Community College, volunteered for a year with the AmeriCorps program in the Nevada Conservation Corps, and will be pursuing a degree in conservation biology beginning this fall at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Her summer position is part of a career-building program established in 2006 with initial contributions from Barbara Glaser and Clarence Petty, ardent Adirondack conservationists.

“This internship is not just a ‘job.’ I love being outdoors and learning new things, but most of all have a passion to help the environment,” Ms. Ellers said. “I have lived my entire life in the Adirondacks and appreciate the uniqueness of the area and its value to residents and visitors alike.”

The Adirondack Conservation Internship Program offers paid opportunities for young people to experience non-profit conservation work and gain practical skills that will help equip them to address environmental challenges and threats in the future. Money is being raised for an endowment to ensure funds are available well into the future to keep this program going. Recent contributions have been made by the Redducs Foundation and through donor-advised funds with the Adirondack Community Trust.

Ms. Ignatuk, a Keene Central School alumna, is a student at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Her internship, funded by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), which is hosted by the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. She has been working throughout the Park to survey new sites for the presence of Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, purple loosestrife and other invasive species, and to remove those harmful plants from infested sites. She’s wrangled with yellow iris in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness; and, in response to infestations just west of the Park boundary, has monitored part of the periphery of the Five Ponds Wilderness for pale swallowwort.

“I now have a greater sense for some of the environmental threats affecting the place where I grew up and call home. I’ve seen firsthand how invasive plants can damage our forests, wetlands, and river corridors, and feel empowered to do something about the problem,” Ms. Ignatuk said.

APIPP is leading the charge to protect Adirondack natural resources from the damaging effects of invasive species by engaging partners and finding solutions through a coordinated, strategic, and integrated regional approach. Unlike many places, the opportunity exists in the Adirondacks to hold the line against invasive species and prevent them from wreaking havoc on natural resources and economic vitality.

Executive Director Michael Carr said, "It is wonderful to have young energy on the Adirondack Chapter team. These internships provide valuable experience for the future stewards of our planet. If Kate and Amy are representative of their generation, our natural world will be in good hands.”

"The act of preserving and protecting the Adirondacks takes more than one generation. There is a need for opportunities now for people in their 20s and 30s to explore how they can participate in the care and protection of this park over time," said Barbara Glaser, chapter and land trust board member.

Friends in Conservation, a ten-minute video about the Adirondack Conservation Internship Program, featuring Barbara Glaser and Clarence Petty, is available by contacting Adirondack Nature Conservancy and Adirondack Land Trust Director of Communications, Connie Prickett, at (518) 576-2082 x162 or cprickett@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Since 1971, the Adirondack Chapter has been working with a variety of partners in the Adirondacks to achieve a broad range of conservation results. The Chapter is a founding partner of the High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program, dedicated to the protection of alpine habitat, as well as the award-winning Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, which works regionally to prevent the introduction and spread of non-native invasive plants.

The Adirondack Land Trust, established in 1984, protects open space, working farms and forests, undeveloped shoreline, scenic vistas, and other lands contributing to the quality of life of Adirondack residents. The Land Trust holds 45 conservation easements on 11,174 acres of privately-owned lands throughout the Adirondack Park, including 15 working farms in the Champlain Valley.

Together, these partners in Adirondack conservation have protected 571,000 acres, one out of every six protected acres park-wide. On the Web at nature.org/adirondacks.