Educating by example, inspiring conservation leadership among our youth, and preserving Earth’s essential biodiversity and ecosystems is the mission of the Nicodemus Wilderness Project and our youth environmental program, the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™. This service-learning program provides scholarships for undergraduates and engages youth volunteers, including those who are at-risk and disadvantaged, in environmental stewardship projects which include beach, river and mountain trash clean-ups, wildlife habitat and trail restoration, native tree planting, community recycling programs and invasive plant removal. Discover how our work to restore the natural beauty and function of desert and tropical ecosystems worldwide is making a difference to youth, wildlife, and our environment by viewing recent Apprentice Ecologist Projects.

"When I first learned about the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative, I was motivated by what I read on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project website to push myself even harder to do my environmental work. Your project has the power to motivate and inspire the youth in our country to get started on doing what they can do to help. Having your guidance and support is a crucial element in helping to keep our youth empowered and believing that they can, even as only one person, make a difference…I have been profoundly affected by my experiences in the Arctic, to the point that helping to preserve and conserve our world is my reason for being... As an Inuit native once told me in the Arctic, 'Mother Nature has always taken good care of us. Now it is our turn to take care of her.' "
-- Emily -- Winner of the 2010 Apprentice Ecologist Awards

Apprentice Ecologist Results: Current as of January 28, 2012