TogetherGreen Youth Fellows

This past weekend, the TogetherGreen (There's a Birding the Net Whooping Crane here!) Youth Fellows from four cities (Charleston, San Antonio, Seattle, and Columbus) met at the National Conservation Training Center outside of Shepherdstown, WV.  Each city had youth working on high school student-driven projects in conjunction with a local Audubon center, a local aquarium or zoo, and a local U. S. Fish and Wildlife affiliate. The retreat gave the young grant recipients the chance to met each other and share the projects they have been planning and implementing.

Image by Eddie Gonzales

We have previously reported on the projected facilitated by Emily Cavell out of the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  Jim Tatum's article on Emily's Ashley Ridge High School project ran in today's Summerville Journal Scene.  The other projects for the Charleston area are floating wetlands at West Ashley High School facilitated by Marzio Gillis through the South Carolina Aquarium and native plant identification/uses trail at the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge facilitated by Sam Buzuleciu.

Not only wast the trip to West Virginia the first airplane ride for several participants, Saturday's snow storm was the first snow experienced by several participants, including one of the first plane riders!  Fortunately for everyone, the snow was gone from the roads and Dulles airport before travel on Sunday.

 Images by Mark Musselman

The early snow was exciting, but the enthusiasm and passion emanating from the young men and women driving the variety of projects was inspiring!