Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship
New York, NY: - A Burlington, Vermont man is the recipient of a new national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.
James Barnes is one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota. Fellows receive specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.
For his fellowship, Barnes will focus his efforts on expanding his successful Land Stewardship Program (LANDS) at the University of Vermont. The LANDS program provides college students with paid opportunities to assist land management groups like Green Mountain Club, The Nature Conservancy, and the VT Agency of Natural Resources, and along the way, gain valuable, hands-on experiences while working under the guidance of a mentor. Students create maps, inventory rare species, and design curriculum for elementary children, just to name a few stewardship projects. Conservation groups in turn receive quality, low cost service. The LANDS program was created and piloted by Barnes as part of his Master’s research in partnership with the University of Vermont and The Student Conservation Association.
Barnes has demonstrated a commitment to environmental leadership—and to fostering those leadership skills in others, namely college students. Before LANDS, he volunteered internationally, and worked as a biology research technician in North Carolina and as an environmental restoration crew member with the Nevada Conservation Corps.
“James is the kind of person who can make a real difference in the health of our environment and the quality of our future,” said Audubon President John Flicker. “Each of our TogetherGreen Fellows demonstrates exceptional environmental understanding and commitment, combined with tremendous potential to inspire and lead others. Together, they represent the talented and diverse leadership the environmental community will need to tackle the huge challenges and opportunities confronting us now and in the years to come.”
“The challenges we face today require a new call to service, much like the New Deal and the Civilian Conservation Corps,” said Barnes. “What I’m working to create is a new kind of corps that provides college students with hands-on, affordable education, and land agencies with much needed help. Vermont is perhaps the best place in the nation to develop this idea.”
Barnes has been affiliated with UVM and LANDS since 2006. Half of the TogetherGreen Fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.
Barnes received a Masters degree from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist program. He was valedictorian at North Carolina State University, where he graduated with a double degree in biology and psychology.
“Toyota believes in the power of grassroots efforts to develop the environmental leaders of tomorrow,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America. “These 40 TogetherGreen Fellows will receive invaluable training for the future while immediately making a difference today with on-the-ground community projects.”
A complete list of the 2008 TogetherGreen fellows can be found at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows.
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Burlington Man Singled Out for Environmental Leadership
