Read the reports from the Youth Attendees Summit: Youth Challenge Project and Youth Engagement.

Our young ambassadors are between the ages of 16 – 24 and represent a large pool of nominated individuals from partner organizations and refuges across the country.

Evan Eifler – Winner of Giving the Land a Voice, our multimedia youth contest

Nicole Bradley – A senior at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois, Nicole will start pursuing a BS at Iowa State in animal science/biology in Fall 2011. She interned for 2 years at the Upper Mississippi River NWR.

Christine Chung – Christine has completed 3 internships, two of which where with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at Stewart B. McKinney NWR and Rachel Carson NWR. As a senior graduating in May 2011, she plans on pursuing a career in wildlife conservation.

Brian Clow - Brian is a sophomore studying Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. He completed a restoration management internship with the McHenry County Conservation District and is interested in interested in a new NWR, Hackmatack, being created near his home in McHenry County, Illinois. He attended Power Shift 2011 to discuss climate change.

Katherine Dolma – Katherine is a leading member of the group, “EcoLogical”, which won 2010’s prestigious EPA Region 10 President’s Environmental Youth Award for their work in reducing waste at the Homer landfill. Katherine is also a leader at getting her fellow students outside to enjoy both the Alaska Maritime and Kenai National Wildlife Refuges.

Bianca Espindola – Bianca participated in two summers of intensive summer research in Baja California and participated in an internship in her community, working to improve the ecological health of the local canyon and increase access and benefit for the community. In 2009, Bianca received the Nickelodeon Big Help Award and last summer she attended the Minority Youth Environmental Training Institute through the National Hispanic Environmental Council. Bianca is interested in majoring in marine biology.

Ford Van Fossan – Ford is a student at Middlebury College and an Environmental Science major. He is a hunter, a hiker, an angler,, and an aspiring naturalist. His interests include wildlife conservation, forestry, agriculture, and the preservation of wild and rural landscapes and Aldo Leopold is his personal hero.

Leigh “Dani” Larkins – Dani began working with ACE through AmeriCorps working in the Yuma area National Wildlife Refuges. She also worked 300 hours in the Cibola, Imperial and Havasu National Wildlife Refuges. She is an A certified sawyer according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Marshall Masayesva – Marshall is pursuing a degree in Environmental Biology at Fort Lewis College and was awarded the Corpsmember of the Year award from the Colorado Youth Corps Association for his work on the Dolores River Restoration Crew. He has also worked as a field assistant on the Kofa NWR.

Annie Matouka – Annie Matouka currently serves as the Conservation Programs Alumni Mentor at Mile High Youth Corps. Prior to this role Annie successfully completed a 1700 hour term of AmeriCorps service in the AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation program, dedicating much of her time to performing land, energy and water conservation work in the Denver Metro area.

Alison Ochs – Alison’s been involved with the Sierra Club for the last four years and is a member of the Coronadel Sol High School’s Outdoor Science Club. She is considering pursuing a career as a wildlife biologist.

Austin Parker – Austin graduated from the University of San Diego in the spring of 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies and International Relations. He then was the USD campus sustainability coordination intern and then worked for the United States Peace Corps in Jamaica. Currently Austin works for Tidal Influence, an environmental consulting firm in Long Beach, California.

Catherine Procknow – Graduated in 2009 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in mathematics. Then became a Crew Leader for the Student Conservation Association’s Milwaukee Conservation Leadership Corps and so thoroughly enjoyed the job that she decided to continue on both the conservation and youth development path, and began working as a Crew Leader with Operation Fresh Start in Madison.

Keean Ruane – Keene is an ACE AmeriCorps volunteer. He has spent the majority of the year working on rehab projects including 345 hours working in the Yuma area National Wildlife Refuges. Currently, Keene has begun moving toward an assistant supervisor role on projects including an 8 day hitch building wildlife fences in Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument.

Marco Sanchez – Marco is president of Michigan State University’s Fisheries and Wildlife Club. He interned at Seney NWR and created a new website for them.

Emily Schmidt – Emily was a YCC employee at Alaska Maritime NWR. She also worked with other students at the 2010 Alaska Geographic Climate Change Summit to consider the future with climate change.

Williard Sessler – Williard has been involved with the SCA for 4 years. He volunteered at Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia and removed water culverts.

Chris Vierya – Chris is currently studying to become an environmental engineer. He successfully completed two AmeriCorps programs at Mile High Youth Corps in Colorado and will be returning for his third term this summer.