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The power of youth!
To:ย Bluedot Living
From:ย Mass Audubon
Subject:ย Mass Audubonโs Youth Environmental Steward (YES) Program
YES we can protect the nature of Nantucket in the future. YES, we will care for the more than 15,000 acres of conservation lands on the island, and YES, we are training a workforce with the skills needed to manage these precious lands.
Mass Audubon believes in the power of youth and the strength of mentorship. We want to nurture and train island youth and create opportunities for early career development, and we know that experience is the best teacher.
On Nantucket, at Mass Audubonโs Lost Farm, Sesachacha Heathlands, and Smithโs Point Wildlife sanctuaries, island students in high school, college, and recent graduates work side by side with Mass Audubon staff. Their charge is to manage our properties and share our work with the community through Nantucket Sanctuaries Youth Environmental Steward (YES) Program.
The YES program began in 2021 with two summer stewards and has since expanded to three per season. These paid summer job opportunities allow students to learn and earn money while obtaining skills, connecting with professionals at Mass Audubon and other partner organizations, gaining confidence, and developing professionally.
Stewards assist in a variety of tasks including ecological management, educational outreach, property management, and building maintenance. They have helped monitor shorebirds on the beach with Mass Audubonโs Coastal Waterbird Program and developed and delivered pop-up education programs for beachgoers. They have learned about the newest threat to our woodland, Southern Pine Beetles (SPB) and are following Lost Farmโs Forest Resiliency plan by monitoring for the insect and clearing land to reduce the chance of infestation. Stewards assist other organizations with invasive species pulls, allowing for partnerships between groups and opportunities for networking.
Major funders of the YES program include the Community Foundation for Nantucket, through the Remain Nantucket Fund and the Nantucket Fund, as well as the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation, SSE Worthington Foundation, and the Nantucket Garden Club. Mass Audubon also provides annual donor-supported funding to ensure the continuation of the program.
The stewards speak highly of this program and the first dozen alumni have moved on from the program. We are ready to welcome the next class of stewards for the summer of 2025 with new projects, new staff to guide them, and new excitement to train and engage the next generation of conservation workers and leaders.
Oh, the places they will go!
Interested in finding out more about becoming a steward? Visit massaudubon.org/jobs
