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YPG May Newsletter
Learn about upcoming events, updates on how to get involved and Conservancy-wide news!
Meet the Young Professionals
A long time member of the YPG, Jenny Kellogg has worked hard behind the scenes on a wide range of YP activities. From hikes to the YP Benefit, her help has been invaluable to the growth of the Young Professionals Group. We caught up with Jenny to ask her about her involvement with the YPG.
What drew you to the YPG?
I went with the Young Professionals to a hike at Cold Spring that a friend, who works at The Nature Conservancy, told me about. It was a hot and sticky August day, but I had so much fun that I became a member.
What are some of the interesting things you’ve done with the YPGs?
I've gone with the YPs to so many amazing places, and learned firsthand what is at stake and how valuable our conservation efforts are. One of my favorite places we've been to is Sam's Point Preserve, where in the fall you hike through huckleberry shrubs blazing red among dwarf pines, and end up at the edge of VerkeerderkillFalls, where you can eat lunch overlooking a cascade that drops 180 feet.
What do you do for the environment in your everyday life?
In the last year I have become much more conscious about how my daily habits affect the environment. It's not just about recycling and taking the train, instead of my car, to work anymore. I try to buy only organic foods and limit how much meat I eat. I have also changed the type of coffee I drink to a bird-Friendly, shade-grown brand because I recently learned how detrimental growing sun-grown coffee is to the rain forests of Latin America and the migratory song-birds that fly there for the winter.
What do you most like about the YPG?
I love that within the YPs, there are great people working at a New York City momentum to preserve beautiful places that lie within several miles of the City to part-way around the world. For example, this year the proceeds from our annual benefit went to plant trees in Brazil's AtlanticForest. I was new to the committee that organized the benefit, and I am still in awe of how much the other members of the committee were able to accomplish despite the ailing economy. I feel lucky just to have been a part of it because it was so much fun, and for such a great cause.
Jenny is a kindergarden schoolteacher at a public school in the Bronx, working hard to educate and inspire conservation in all generations!
Get Involved!
By becoming a member of the YPG, you will not only be supporting the work of The Nature Conservancy, but will also receive special access to members-only activities and be invited to become a YP Committee member.
YP Committees in the areas of Conservation, Events, Development, and Membership & Media are directly involved in helping to plan our events and to expand our efforts. They are not only a great way to get involved, but can also help determine whether a position as a YP Board Member might be the next step.
For more information about the Real Estate Group and the Real Estate Group Steering Committee, please contact Joel Papo.
Did you know that The Nature Conservancy's Mashomack Preserveprotects one-third of Shelter Island for future generations? Join other YPs for a two day visit to see first-hand the work being done to preserve and maintain this freshwater wetland. Weekend activities include a guided tour of the preserve, clamming, shore demonstrations by Conservancy staff, and our traditional lobster dinner on Saturday night.
Saturday, June 6th Departure from NYC (Grand Central): 8:30 a.m. Approximate Return: 5:30 p.m.
Come join the YPs on their first hike of the season! Breakneck Ridge Trail is a challenging 5 mile hike that, along with a good work out, provides unparalleled views of the Hudson River Valley, Bear Mountain, and West Point. This spectacular scenery awaits hikers who are up for a scramble and some challenging climbing. Participants are expected to bring their own lunch and cover the costs of transportation via Metro North.
This hike will be led by YP Board Member Mark Crofton.Final costs (no more than $35pp) will be determined once all partcipants have confirmed.
A new exhibit is opening at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum on May 14th! The Nature Conservancy invited 10 acclaimed designers to 10 places where we're working, and asked them to visit with local people, see nature, and design an object that connects people to place through inspirational design.
It was announced on May 5th that nature.org, The Nature Conservancy’s website is the winner of two 2009 Webby Awards in the category Charitable Non-Profit Website!
Up against a number of other fantastic non-profit organizations, nature.org swept the category, receiving the title of ‘best-website’ as chosen by a panel of web professionals, and as the ‘People’s Choice Webby Award’, chosen by voters like you.
The Nature Conservancy will be accepting its awards at a ceremony in New York City on June 8th, the one caveat being that acceptance speeches can only be 5 words long!Visit Cool Green Science, The Nature Conservancy’s blog, to leave your recommendation on what the speeches should be.
Conservation Spotlight Piping Plovers on the Rebound
Nearly extinct in New YorkState twenty years ago, the Piping Plovers is making a comeback on the shores of Long Island!
A federally endangered and threatened species, the Plover is a small, stocky shorebird that makes its nests in New York in the spring and summer months. Threatened by everything from house pets to increasingly large beach populations, by 1986 the Plover population in New York had bottomed out to 106 paired birds. Since '86 and the Plover's designation on the endangered species list, the population has increased to 443 pairs -- a more then 400% increase! Just last year 79 new fledglings were sighted, a positive sign in the birds continued comeback.
Protecting the Plovers has necessitated a ‘Big-Tent’ approach. Federal, state and county agencies, local governments, beach front property owners and beach goers amongst others, have cooperated and worked together to ensure their ongoing protection and survival.
