Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™

The Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™ (officially recognized by the U.S. EPA) has engaged thousands of young people (kids, teens, and college-age youth) from around the world in environmental cleanup and conservation projects since 1999. View recent Apprentice Ecologist Projects and winners of our annual Apprentice Ecologist Awards.

The goals of the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™ are to:

• Elevate youth into leadership roles by engaging them in environmental cleanup and conservation projects
• Empower young volunteers to rebuild the environmental and social well-being of our communities
• Improve local living conditions for both citizens and wildlife through education, activism, and action

Here's how to become an Apprentice Ecologist (see project and essay tips at bottom of page):

Option I (Trash Cleanup-Stop Pollution)

1. Plan a trash cleanup project of a mountain, river, shoreline, beach, park, or wilderness area with help from family, friends, or teachers.
2. Remove/recycle trash from the area and take high-resolution digital photos of your project in action.

Option II (Native Tree Planting-Stop Global Warming)

1. Plan a native tree planting project in your yard, neighborhood, school, park, or other natural area. Get permission from any landowners and get native tree seedlings from a local nursery.
2. Plant native trees and take high-resolution digital photos of your project in action.

Option III (You Choose-Save the Environment)

1. Be creative!
2. Organize and conduct an environmental stewardship project locally, nationally, or internationally. Examples of projects that NWP Apprentice Ecologists have completed in the past include:

• Starting a community or school recycling program
• Protecting a terrestrial or aquatic area for native wildlife
• Promoting the conservation of an endangered species or an imperiled natural area
• Educating others about wildlife or conservation issues
• Removing graffiti from natural areas
• Taking steps to prevent pollution/contamination locally
• Removing nonnative vegetation so that native vegetation can flourish
• Improving awareness about the importance of using renewable energy sources
• Reducing soil erosion by maintaining established trails and closing off short-cuts
• Assisting the elderly with their yards by planting/maintaining vegetation that provides native wildlife habitat
The possibilities are endless!

After completing steps 1 and 2, Register and upload your best photo (or photo collage) and accompanying essay to our Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists. We will publish your photo essay on our website and provide links to download/print an official Certificate of Achievement and an Apprentice Ecologist heat transfer (for T-shirt). A large canvas tote bag (made in the USA with 100% certified organic cotton) printed with our logo will be awarded to the authors of the 10 best essays on an annual basis. NOTE: For projects conducted in Sandoval, Bernalillo, or Valencia counties (New Mexico, USA), each volunteer who writes an essay will be eligible to receive an official NWP tote bag.

A $500 educational scholarship will be awarded annually to the author of the top Apprentice Ecologist essay. This tax-free and merit-based scholarship is available to any full or part-time student (ages 13-21) who is a candidate for a degree/diploma at a primary (middle school), secondary (high school), or accredited post-secondary (undergraduate at college or university) institution from any country around the world. The award covers 1) tuition and fees to enroll in or attend an educational institution and/or 2) fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for your courses. Please see tips below for writing your essay. Authors should embody the spirit of the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™ by demonstrating personal leadership, initiative, and environmental stewardship in their project. General scholarship facts and advice can be found at Financial Aid Facts. Deadline is December 31, 2009 .

If you need help or have questions, you can contact us any time at: mail@wildernessproject.org

*School groups, groups working with at-risk and disadvantaged youth, and other volunteer service groups are highly encouraged to participate.
**If you do not have or cannot borrow a digital camera, we will waive the photo requirement. Simply upload any image from your computer and note at the beginning of your essay that the image is not yours; we'll replace it with our logo.

TIps for writing your essay:

1. Briefly describe your background and why you chose to do a project.
2. Name and describe the area (e.g., plants, animals, landscape) where you conducted your project.
3. Provide details about what you did and accomplished during your project.
4. Describe why you think it is important to take care of the area where you conducted your project.
5. Explain how your project helps benefit your community and the environment.
6. Describe how your project has helped to enrich your life and what it has inspired you to do in the future.

Tips for conducting your trash cleanup project:

Why trash? Trash kills or injures wildlife, leaches chemicals into the environment, and spoils nature's beauty.

1. Listen to weather reports and plan accordingly.
2. Always stay with at least one other person. Teams of three or more are probably best.
3. Make sure that someone knows where, when, and for how long you will be out.
4. Search for hidden litter; it is often tossed into grasses/shrubs or behind rocks.
5. Look out for poisonous plants, venomous snakes, and stinging insects.
6. Leave syringes and needles alone! Notify authorities about their location.
7. Recycle the trash that you removed from the environment!
8. Things to bring or wear: sturdy shoes or boots, gloves, hat, sturdy bag for litter collection, sunscreen, first aid kit, water, food.

Tips for conducting your native tree planting project:

Why trees? Native trees stop global warming by reducing greenhouse gases, prevent soil erosion and water pollution, provide habitat for native wildlife (including songbirds), produce oxygen, and are good for people and the community.

1. Do library/internet research to learn what trees are both native to and grow well in your area.
2. Contact your local nursery to verify your selections, obtain native tree seedlings, and get planting and maintenance advice for your planting project.
3. Get permission from any landowners where you plan to plant your native trees.
4. Ask your local nursery or a sponsor to donate the native tree seedlings.
5. Save the expense of purchasing seedlings by raising your tree from local native seeds.
6. Listen to weather reports and plan accordingly.
7. Make sure that someone knows where, when, and for how long you will be out.
8. Things to bring or wear: sturdy shoes or boots, gloves, hat, sturdy bag for litter collection, sunscreen, first aid kit, water, food.