Land Stewardship Siembra Raíces Interns
article by Shawna Gorman, Biologist at Fontenelle Forest
Photo from the Latin Center of the Midlands
It takes a true outdoors enthusiast to agree to spend their free time assisting with trail maintenance and treating invasive species, but Fontenelle Forest was fortunate enough to have several interns this summer. At Fontenelle Forest, our mission includes inspiring future generations to care for the natural world through conservation, education, and recreation. Our land stewardship team plays a major role in fulfilling this mission through their conservation efforts daily, but by also welcoming a number of interns to their team and teaching them about these efforts each year. This summer the Forest had the opportunity to expand our reach even further through a partnership with the Latino Center of the Midlands (LCM).
LCM is a local nonprofit whose mission includes “cultivating generations of engaged, thriving Latinos through educational support, workforce development and leadership opportunities.” Executing that mission involves a program called Siembra Raíces (growing roots). The Siembra Raíces program places high school students in summer internships that involve agriculture and conservation. This year the Forest has been lucky enough to work with three of these interns.
Each of our Siembra Raíces interns has worked hard this summer. Some of their projects have included trail work, invasive species treatment, and butterfly surveys. They have traveled with the land stewardship team to partner events and learned about some of Fontenelle Forest’s history from our resident volunteer archivist, Catherine Kuper. As part of the Siembra Raíces internship, they will be giving a presentation at the Nature Center on Friday, July 29th from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. We would like to invite all who are interested to come say hi and learn about their projects.
Check out the photos from the presentation and guided hike:
