The natural flood buffers and wetland marshes that once helped reduce storm surge have been replaced by combined sewers and stormwater infrastructure. The lack of natural flood protection, in addition to high levels of pollution, has placed residents at risk before.

A Persistent Risk

During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, “backdoor flooding” from the Creek damaged homes and infrastructure. Floodwaters reached up to 10–11 feet, contaminating homes with saltwater and sewage, leaving many uninhabitable. Because of its geography as a peninsula and projected sea level rise of 6 feet by 2100, Coney Island remains at high risk for future flooding. Inland flooding on major roads is occurring with increasing frequency, disrupting life for residents.

Without robust interventions, Coney Island could be underwater by the end of the century. More immediately, sand from unvegetated dunes in Coney Island Creek Park migrates into streets, storm drains, and adjacent homes, creating a nuisance and additional hazards.

Building Coastal Resilience Through Nature-Based Solutions

Since 2017, the National Wildlife Federation’s award-winning Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) program has been educating students, teachers and intergenerational volunteers about climate science, local climate impacts and the nature-based solutions that can mitigate their effects. In 2021, RiSC launched programming in Coney Island with guidance from resident advisors who recounted stories of devastating flooding from both the Creek and the ocean.

Climate Education in Action

Fueled by these stories, and in partnership with NYC Parks and the American Littoral Society, NWF began shoreline restoration efforts at the Creek in 2022 with 80 middle and high school students from five New York City public schools. That year, students planted 6,000 American beachgrass plants in the estuary.

Fast forward to 2026, some 600 students and their teachers from 23 NYC public schools, and about 70 community volunteers, came to plant 40,000 American beachgrass plants in the estuary. Over 100,000 have been planted since 2022 through the RiSC program. 

Creating Habitat for Wildlife

American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) is a native plant with a dense network of roots and rhizomes that can stabilize dunes and provide coastal protection from extreme wave conditions. It also provides numerous ecological benefits including cover for wildlife like native and migratory birds, small mammals, crustaceans and pollinators that call Coney Island Creek Park home. According to FEMA, “primary frontal dunes are often the first line of defense against flooding in coastal regions.”

A new partnership with plant biologists at Brooklyn College will determine the health of the beachgrass plants and how well they are providing functional resilience services for this frontline community.

Celebrating 10 Years of RiSC

For 10 years NWF’s RiSC program has been collaborating with partners to engage students and intergenerational volunteers in hands-on learning activities that mitigate local climate impacts and build both social and ecological resilience. NWF also provides teachers with curricula and professional learning opportunities to expand their knowledge and bring climate and resilience topics into the classroom in ways that center hope, solutions and action.

We thank Allied World and Con Edison for their support of the RiSC program.

To learn more about RiSC visit their website here.

What happens in this courtyard extends far beyond its borders. Students are taking the lead on projects that matter to both their communities and the planet. Fresh produce grown in the garden is donated to families and local food banks. A student-led partnership with local businesses and Rutgers University resulted in the installation of a rain garden, designed to absorb stormwater runoff. These same students went on to teach others how to build their own rain gardens.

And Lincoln Middle School is not alone.

Across New Jersey, schools are stepping up through the Eco-Schools U.S. program, a global sustainability initiative operating in over 100 countries and administered in the U.S. by the National Wildlife Federation. Supported in New Jersey by the PSEG Foundation and New Jersey Audubon (a NWF affiliate), the program empowers students to take meaningful environmental action in their schools and communities.

“Through our partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, we’re able to create engaging, hands-on learning opportunities for our students that are rooted in community impact, environmental responsibility and leadership development,” said Maria Spina, Senior Manager of the PSEG Foundation & Corporate Social Responsibility. “This program gives young people practical ways to engage within their own communities and inspires them to make positive change in their environment. We’re grateful to work with partners like the National Wildlife Federation as we collective help build a greener, cleaner and friendlier New Jersey that our children can thrive in.”

The impact is wide-ranging. Some schools have created free campus “thrift stores” to support students in need. Others are planting dune grass to combat coastal erosion, building pollinator gardens, launching seed libraries, and even raising fish in classroom aquaponics systems. Students are testing water quality in local streams and leading clean-up efforts that directly improve their neighborhoods.

At the heart of Eco-Schools U.S. program are more than 60 “Action Cards”—student-driven projects focused on Climate Change, Wildlife and Biodiversity, and Healthy Communities. Schools earn points for completed projects as they work toward certification levels from Bronze to the prestigious Green Flag. In 2025, ten New Jersey schools—including Lincoln Middle School—achieved Green Flag status, demonstrating exceptional commitment to sustainability.

And educators are seeing the difference. As one teacher shared, the program transforms students’ care for the planet into meaningful, student-led action—building academic skills, confidence, and community impact.

Programs like Eco-Schools U.S. show what’s possible when students are empowered to lead. They’re not just learning about sustainability, they’re practicing it, shaping it, and proving that meaningful change can start right at school and in communities.

To learn more about how schools across New Jersey are making a difference, visit the New Jersey Audubon website.

Roberta Hunter is the Education Program Manager for New Jersey Audubon (NJA) an NWF affiliate. Roberta is responsible for implementing Eco-Schools U.S. in schools across New Jersey.

Green jobs aren’t just job titles in a siloed sector, they’re about cultivating green skills, values, and equity across all work and all sectors. If we want a resilient and just future, we must start planting those seeds early, nurture them through mentorship and equitable access, and ensure every community has a seat at the table. A just and resilient green workforce means recognizing that stewardship isn’t confined to environmental organizations, it can be woven into every role, from city planners to nurses, teachers, and small business owners.

Over two decades ago, the Green Jobs Initiative was established through a partnership between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Organization of Employers (IOE), and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Its central aim was to promote opportunities, equity, and a just transition toward sustainable economies.

In its first report published in 2008, “green jobs” were described as any form of decent employment—whether in agriculture, industry, services, or public administration—that helps to protect or restore the environment. But the definition of a green job continues to vary across industries. As one study notes, “There is no uniformity in the literature concerning the specific areas in which green jobs can be created.”

But today, the real opportunity lies not in debating definitions of “green jobs,” but in building a culture where every role has the potential to go green—and where vulnerable communities, impacted first, worst, and longest by climate change, are fully equipped to lead with professional green tools and skills.

II. The Current Need – Why the Soil Matters

Children today spend more time on screens than outdoors. This isn’t just a disconnect from fresh air—it’s a disconnect from identity, stewardship, and relationship with the environment. Green isn’t a job title; it’s a mindset. And if we want a resilient future, we need to plant that mindset early.

Yet vulnerable communities remain underrepresented in climate and green career pathways. At the same time, only 3% of those working in the environmental sector identify as minorities. This gap highlights the urgent need for systemic change.

What if career preparation began with exposure to nature and mentorship from an early age? What if political leaders, healthcare workers, and educators alike were trained to “think green” as naturally as they do math or reading?

Green career preparation must be reframed as a lifelong, community-rooted process—beginning with childhood play in nature, strengthened through youth leadership opportunities, and designed with equity at its core so every community can thrive as part of the climate solution.

Researchers define green employment as “work in any activity that contributes to protecting or restoring the environment, including those that mitigate or adapt to climate change”. That means opportunity exists far beyond niche environmental jobs—it’s about building a workforce where all roles lean green.

And here’s the catch: green skills may be the low-hanging fruit. A growing body of research shows that focusing on green skills—rather than narrowly on green jobs—is one of the most effective resilience strategies we have. According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report, job postings requiring at least one green skill grew nearly twice as fast as the number of green-skilled workers between 2022 and 2023. Yet, seven in eight workers worldwide still lack even a single green skill. Workers with a green skill, however, are hired at rates 29% higher than the workforce average.

This gap reveals both a challenge and an opportunity: by embedding accessible, transferable skills into school, youth leadership/ mentorship programs, and local workforce pipelines across all industries, we can expand economic mobility for underrepresented communities while also building a more resilient workforce to face climate and economic uncertainty.

III. Cultivating Green Careers – Nurturing Growth

Connection to nature at a young age is one of the best predictors of caring for it later. This is where hope grows—hope for a healthier and safer life and planet. Over the past two decades, there has been a widening gap between time spent indoors versus outdoors among youth. American children on average spend as few as 30 minutes engaged in freeplay outdoors each day and more than seven hours each day with screen time. Rebuilding that relationship isn’t just good for health, it’s the foundation of stewardship.

My own experience with The Woods Project was transformative. It wasn’t just about learning in nature, it was learning with it. That program made sustainability feel practical and relevant, not distant or abstract. Ten years later, it shaped my own superpower: making nature and climate action accessible to communities often left out of the conversation, and mentoring youth in environmental justice.

As a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) member with NWF, I see the same principle at work. When youth are given platforms, they don’t just carry knowledge forward, they carry hope. That hope is what sustains the movement. Green career prep must go beyond job titles, it’s about cultivating purpose, resilience, and environmental consciousness across all walks of life.

IV. The Power of Intergenerational Mentorship – Sharing the Seeds

How can today’s leaders help to prepare the next generation? One of the most powerful ways to give youth professional guidance, hope, and the confidence to thrive in green careers is through mentorship. But mentorship must be intentional, not left to chance. Knowledge should be passed like seeds in the wind—not dropped and forgotten but carried to new soil where it can take root and grow. Mentorship allows today’s leaders to pass along not only wisdom and confidence, but also the technical skills needed to help the next generation succeed.

Eco-anxiety is rising among youth who know they will inherit worsening climate crises. Mentorship eases that burden, turning fear into focus. Sometimes that means a mentor showing a young professional how to analyze heat maps for flood-prone areas, test water quality in the field, or design a pollinator garden in an urban space. These exchanges don’t just build confidence, they pass on the practical, technical, and leadership skills needed to keep growing a just and resilient green workforce.

Think of it like this: if you are a tree, your fruit isn’t for you, it’s for the next generation. The lessons you’ve cultivated are seeds that others will plant, nurture, and pass on.

V. Climate Equity & Workforce Access – Pruning Barriers

Climate equity means meeting communities where they are and removing barriers to participation and opportunity, like transportation, language, program costs, or inaccessible outreach. It also means celebrating and listening to the leadership that is already present in frontline communities instead of employing a top-down approach. Community leaders care, but often lack clear, safe, and just pathways to joining the climate action movement, or the resources needed to advance broader change.

VI. Environmental Justice as Workforce Strategy – Harvesting Diversity

Nature rewards diversity.

Did you know that nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plants and over 75% of our food crops depend on pollinators? That means bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators help sustain about 35% of all global farmland, making them just as critical to our dinner plates as they are to protecting biodiversity. Without biodiversity, ecosystems—and food systems—collapse.

Nature’s need for biodiversity is a powerful analogy for workforce design. Just as ecosystems thrive when species work together, our economy thrives when diverse communities bring unique perspectives and skills to climate solutions. By equipping all workers with skills like sustainable practices, resource efficiency, or climate-conscious planning, we can expand participation in climate solutions and strengthen innovation across industries.

Diverse, inclusive, justice-centered pipelines make us more resilient and innovative. Real environmental justice in workforce development isn’t just about opening doors, it’s about creating pathways to wealth, security, and stability for every community.

VII. Call to Action – Planting Your Seeds

If anything is clear, it’s this: climate action cannot be the work of a few gatekeepers. It must be a culture woven into every role in society—rooted in green skills, mentorship, and equity.

So, here’s my appeal to others—plant where you are:

• For mentors: Be the mentor you need/needed most. Share your fruit.
• For organizations and companies: Build pipelines that reflect the equity and early skill development our ecosystem depends on, like youth leadership opportunities that are intentional about green skill cultivation.
• For all readers: Identify your superpower and start planting seeds in your community.

A just, regenerative future depends on planting with intention—so that those still germinating have the chance to grow, bloom, and one day sow seeds of their own. Our collective challenge is to plant the seeds now: to make green skills universal, mentorship intentional, and opportunity equitable—so that every young person has both the roots and the wings to grow into a leader our planet needs.

Alicia Fontenot was a member of the 2025 Education & Engagement Youth Advisory Council, as well as a peer-mentor for the 2024 NWF Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute program in Houston, Texas.

Read “Cities and Youth Climate Leaders Need Each Other. Here’s Why.” by Mandy Tran, a fellow 2025 Youth Advisory Council Member, here.

Across the country, local governments continue to drive life-saving climate progress despite nationwide barriers to action. Like Harris County, urban centers seeking to enact truly responsive climate action plans must work with residents who have long been excluded from the decision-making room: their youth.

Cities Benefit from Youth Climate Leadership

If climate action plans are supposed to protect people, then city governments can’t afford to miss critical insights from the uniquely climate-vulnerable youth they serve.

From developing life-long health challenges attributed to nearby air pollution to missing weeks of school after a hurricane, young people are experiencing a distinct set of ever-growing climate impacts. These impacts can exacerbate issues already faced by youth of marginalized backgrounds. For example, girls, women, and sexual and gender minorities face an increased risk of violence in the aftermath of an extreme weather event.

Consulting a diverse range of youth community members helps cities identify the problems they face and potential solutions. City officials and residents can then use the gathered data to inform holistic responses to health and safety concerns that might have previously been overlooked. Furthermore, by integrating youth into their consultation and implementation processes, cities can build buy-in for the green projects that impact their collaborators’ day-to-day lives.

As evidenced by the steady rise in youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide, young leaders are challenging their governments to take urgent climate action. Cities that are up to the challenge would do well to harness the energy of their youth, many of whom have skills and lived expertise that they are eager to put to work.

Last year, more than 30 high school students in the Austin Youth Climate Equity Council applied their gained knowledge on climate justice to collaborations with local frontline organizations, including urban food forest stewardship and pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements. As a result, the students amplified the principles of the Austin Climate Equity Plan, strengthening their city while deepening their personal commitments to environmentalism.

As for young folks who don’t have skills or social connections in the climate space yet? Activating them is key to fostering stronger cities, too.

Youth Climate Leaders Benefit from Cities

Several months ago, I served on NWF’s Youth Advisory Council while struggling to launch my early career amid a rattled climate job market. I drew on my experience to recommend ways the Federation can further support future green jobseekers through its youth programs. When given a say in climate governance, my peers and I stressed the importance of not only engaging directly with youth but also fostering their skill development. Cities can scale up this development by investing in the education and mentorship of their young residents.

A city that invests in climate education develops well-informed, civically engaged leaders. And no, children aren’t too young to start learning about the part they can play in protecting their planet. Across the U.S., elementary students, guided by landscape architects on how to transform their schoolyards into neighborhood parks, have conducted surveys, presented design proposals, and advocated for project funding. Meaningful learning opportunities like these build green skills and professional networks, especially for youth who might not otherwise have been introduced to them.

Supporting youth climate action is also one of the best ways cities can help combat growing climate anxiety. As more young people are disrupted and displaced by climate disasters, city officials should evaluate how their environmental initiatives can improve residents’ mental health as a co-benefit. Inviting youth into decision-making processes is a powerful way to build more resilient community members who are prepared for a lifetime of steadfast civic engagement.

Will I See You at Work?

Cities interested in partnering with their youth will unlock a source of enthusiastic, community-driven climate action planners—if those youth are granted real decision-making power. The only thing better than pressuring officials to listen to us is working with officials who do. Given patience and mentorship, your future colleagues are excited to lead initiatives alongside you.

If you’re a young person who wants to create a youth climate council, don’t be shy about demanding compensation. Stipends expand youth access to climate governance by compensating those who can’t afford to work for free, thereby promoting inclusive recruitment and retention and ensuring that climate action plans address diverse community needs.

As a matter of fact, don’t be shy at all. As long as you’re someone who needs shelter, you have the right to speak up and help create a place where you and your loved ones can flourish. I look forward to seeing what you can build.

Mandy Tran was a member of NWF’s 2025 Education & Engagement Youth Advisory Council.

Read “Planting the Seeds of a Just Green Workforce” by Alicia Fontenot, a fellow 2025 Youth Advisory Council Member, here.

During his time with NWF, he helped lead the development and expansion of the Certified Wildlife Habitat® program, authored The Backyard Naturalist and (with Peter Loewer) The National Wildlife Federation’s Guide to Gardening for Wildlife, and led nature and gardening courses at NWF summits. Craig was the expert point person for any questions about plants, insects, birds, or other wildlife species. His love for nature inspired so many, and he was admired for his patience and general desire to teach people about wildlife.

Craig made learning about wildlife fun. He could turn what seemed like the most trivial leaf into an incredibly interesting and complicated subject. He inspired people to look at the world around them with new eyes and notice how intricate and meaningful nature is, whether it is the most basic shrub or rarest bird.

In honor of Craig and his family’s wishes, the National Wildlife Federation has established the Craig Tufts Educational Scholarship Fund to send a nature-loving youth and adult family member each year to attend the Family Nature Summit, a weeklong outdoor education camp.

Remembering Craig…

Below is a collection of memories and personal thoughts from a few of the many members of NWF’s staff and volunteer corps who were touched by Craig. 

Ellen Lambeth, Executive Editor, Ranger Rick

Who was Craig Tufts? He was certainly a man of many graces and abilities. But the one thing that stands out for me is that he was the person you sought when you had a nature question—ANY nature question. 

The reason you’d go to Craig is that you knew he’d be the one with an answer. (If, by some strange twist, Craig might actually NOT know the answer to your question off the top of his head, he would carry you along with him in the search for it.) And it was always evident how clearly happy he was to give you the answer, no matter how simple the question might have seemed to him or how many times he might have answered it before. 

Then he’d tell you something else fun or fascinating about the subject of the question. And he would make it all seem so new and fresh and alive that you’d want to find out even MORE about it. You never felt that any question was too trivial or too dumb, because EVERYTHING in the natural world—the commonplace as well as the rare—simply amazed Craig.

The problem is that I have so many more nature questions to ask Craig—a never-ending supply, since something in the natural world piques my curiosity every single day—but can no longer take the easy path by just asking Craig. Now I must find my own way to follow his lead. 

Strangely, I feel both emboldened and daunted by the task—emboldened because this is the legacy Craig leaves to all of us and daunted because few of us could ever measure up to his capacity and thirst for knowledge.

It almost seems too glib to say simply that I will miss Craig—but I simply will.

Greg Oskay, Volunteer

Even though I only met Craig once, I thought of him often. Back in the ’90s he visited Indianapolis and toured my backyard habitat. I pointed out a Catalpa sapling that came up voluntarily in the yard. I said that I was going to let it grow until it started to compete with the surrounding trees and then cut it for firewood since in my opinion it did not have any wildlife value. 

He told me about how it would get Catalpa Worms on it (larval stage of Catalpa Sphinx Moth) and birds loved to eat them. As a result, the tree got a reprieve. It is now over 20 inches in diameter and about 60 feet tall. Often, when I see that tree, it brings back memories of Craig’s visit. Craig will certainly be missed by backyard habitat enthusiasts all across this country.

Laura Hickey, Former Senior Director, Eco-Schools USA and Global Warming Education

I started at NWF in 1986. One of my jobs was to work with NWF staff to coordinate the publishing of three books per year. One of these was The Backyard Naturalist by Craig, which was published in 1988. At that time, my husband and I had just bought our first home and we were novice gardeners at best.

I took my complimentary copy of The Backyard Naturalist home with me, and it transformed the way that I viewed and cared for my garden. Before that book, I just liked my garden and sometimes resented the time it took to care for it; after reading Craig’s book, I loved my garden and could see the potential that it had for being an oasis for wildlife, my husband, and me.

Late last summer, I was lucky enough to be able to give Craig a ride home after his wife Jean had dropped him off for a noon nature walk that he led every other week at NWF’s headquarters in Reston. I valued that one-on-one time with him greatly. 

When we got to his house, we took a walk around his garden, and I marveled aloud at all the different things growing, some of which I had never seen before. Craig promptly went into the house, got a little seed collection envelope, filled it with seeds and wrote the Latin and English names of the species, telling me when to plant it. Always giving, of his time, his knowledge, and his heart. I will miss my dear friend greatly, but always be grateful for the friendship we shared these past 23 years.

Dave Strauss, Former Vice President, Direct Marketing and Constituent Operations Membership

Over the past 15 years, I have had the good fortune to run thousands of miles with Craig. As we ran, I was always the one looking at my watch, making sure we were keeping pace, driving us to meet our goals. Craig, on the other hand, was always captivated by his surroundings and spent much of his time observing the great outdoors. I am sure those long runs went by so much faster for Craig because he was living two passions at once—running and nature.

I remember one run in particular. We were on a training run through the Snickers Gap portion of the Appalachian Trail. It was 20 miles up-and-back through hilly trails. About half way to the turning point, Craig stops dead in his tracks. I turned around and he was glowing with excitement. He bent down and picked up some sort of cone. I, being the nature novice, thought it was interesting and was ready to move on. 

However, Craig started to search for more of these cones and began looking at all of the trees in the area. It was our good fortune and Craig’s extensive knowledge of the great outdoors that we found several rare American elm trees and cones. We then spent 20 minutes picking up as many cones as we could handle and brought them back so Craig could later plant them. 

This experience reminded me of a kid in a candy store. The pure pleasure Craig got from being outside was captured in this moment. He was an amazing man—not only for his love of nature, but for his love of people. I am so thankful and honored to have spent time with such a giving and sincere person.

He will be missed.

Kelly Senser, Former Senior Associate Editor, National Wildlife

Backyard birds amaze my four-year-old son. No matter if it’s the tenth American robin he’s seen in a day or a species he’s discovering for the first time, he’s equally fascinated—and eager to share the experience. Such makes me smile and stirs warm visions of Craig at a time when I welcome the comfort. Craig carried his own childhood sense of wonder into adulthood and helped me and countless others connect with nature’s joys. 

Though he has passed, I know he will be forever present in my daughter’s schoolyard habitat, my son’s enthusiastic love of wildlife…. Because he shared the outdoors, I’m sharing. I’m grateful for the inspiration. Indeed, the gift.

Frances Neuhards, Volunteer

Craig was such an inspiration. I met him in fall of 1999, immediately after my retirement and during NWF’s Habitat Stewards classes offered at the time. Craig was the facilitator of the garden projects at my church, Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Stafford County, VA. 

The church campus gardens turned out so much better than I even dreamed of. The native garden lends interest and texture, and children’s groups at the church frequent the Butterfly Garden. The Retention Pond Run-Off has been treated as a little stream and provides water for wildlife. The best thing is the opportunity to teach children and young people, who often have community service requirements to fulfill for school or college.

Ebenezer’s landscape would not be as it is, had I not met Craig and his wife, Jean. I am so grateful to have known him and benefited from his interest and commitment. I am so sad about his passing and send my regrets and love and admiration for his life and Jean’s, as I know their work!! They made a difference in my life.

Libby Schleichert, Former Senior Editor, Ranger Rick

Every once in a rare while, a person comes along in our lives who is so filled with joy and love that they light up the world around them. People like this seem to have few issues and are at peace with who they are. They are filled with the sheer wonder of being alive. Others just feel better in the presence of such people and find the best in themselves being drawn out. Such a person touches lives and is blessed with many friends.

I was a friend to just such a soul, Craig Tufts, the naturalist for nearly 33 years at National Wildlife Federation.

But such a light is too bright to be dimmed. He is everywhere in the call of the birds, nearly all of which he knew by heart, and in the glint of sun gilding the morning treetops, and in every perfect petal of the wild clumps of red clover along the roadside. Such a soul cannot be dimmed by death for he has touched too many hearts, inspired too many people.

Such a soul is not easily forgotten. May this one soul be at peace knowing how he did truly light up the universe.

Read the 2009 Washington Post article written in Craig Tufts’s memory: Naturalist Who Promoted Back Yard Havens Dies.

The Earth Tomorrow Atlanta Summer Institute provides high schoolers with a week-long intensive residential experience that includes hands-on leadership development activities and fieldwork. Our programming allows students to have meaningful experiences in nature, make friends, and get support around career and creative goals. We encourage students to think about what they can do today to support a better tomorrow. 

Fun, meaningful experiences in nature can turn anyone into a lifelong environmental steward. 

The outdoors provide the perfect backdrop to foster a spirit of curiosity, wonder, and appreciation for people of all ages and backgrounds. Many of the students we work with juggle multiple responsibilities, and our Summer Institute may be the only opportunity they have to relax in nature with trusted friends, an experienced outdoor community, and peer mentors who encourage them to step outside their comfort zones and connect with the natural world.

This summer, students participated in a guided hike at Arabia Mountain State Park alongside a park ranger, then spent the night at Panola Mountain State Park enjoying outdoor cooking contests, s’mores, competitive volleyball games, cornhole matches, and more. Half of our students learned how to pitch a tent and slept under the stars for the very first time, and most are eager to go camping again!  

• 80% of our students this year tried archery for the first time 
• 70% went fishing for the first time in their lives
• More than 65% of the students went kayaking for the first time

Spending time in nature, alongside a trusted community, is the surest way to ground youth, especially in our complex world. The Earth Tomorrow Atlanta Summer Institute helps students build new habits for rest and relaxation that don’t involve screens. We provide budding leaders with a space where they can cultivate their love of nature and the outdoors, and with a community that will support them as they consider personal, creative, educational, and career goals.

“As a peer mentor, I led students in hands-on environmental engagement initiatives that encouraged the students to immerse themselves in nature and community work with NWF. It was truly a rewarding experience, and one that I view as a necessary service to the younger generation of Black and brown students in the South.” Charmayne Planter, Summer 2025 Peer Mentor. 

From Education to Action

Students who join us for the Summer Institute return to campus as members of their school-based Earth Tomorrow Clubs. Each year, club members create and implement Community Action Plans (CAPs) that guide them in advancing sustainability and environmental initiatives. These CAPs are largely developed during the Summer Institute, taking in lessons from leadership development training, guest speakers, NWF’s College and Career Fair, site visits, and even the moments spent laughing and forming lasting relationships.  

This summer, an inspiring number of students were deeply moved by this year’s WAWA presentation on environmental justice. The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) has been a partner with Earth Tomorrow Atlanta since its inception. They are experts at environmental education and community engagement, especially within the context of Southwest Atlanta. Through dynamic presentations and site visits across Atlanta, our partners thoughtfully introduced the topics of stormwater runoff, water and air pollution, urban heat islands, toxic industries, and illegal dumping. 

Stormwater run-off is a major issue for urban environments, but the negative impacts can be mitigated by having healthy tree canopies that can soak up pollution. Green roofs have been proven to reduce heat islands in urban areas. Through visits to local community gardens, green roofs, and urban parks, we were able to bring these concepts to life in ways that left students feeling inspired rather than overwhelmed. 

Students left with a strong understanding of urban planning, green infrastructure concepts, and how they intersect with environmental challenges. Many felt motivated to plant trees, reduce waste, and participate in community clean-ups. Multiple Atlanta Earth Tomorrow Clubs are now in school, working on Community Action Plans that advocate for community gardens and green roofs, and more. 

Success is Where Preparation and Opportunity Meet

During the summer institute, students work together on Community Action Plans and explore college and career opportunities that intersect with sustainability, conservation, and environmental science. Every year, NWF hosts a College and Career Fair where students can network with leaders in the conservation, non-profit, green, and other environmental fields. 

Corina Newsome, National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Scientist, shared her career journey as a wildlife biologist and gave students a look into the work of federal conservation science and policy. She encouraged students to consider how they can be environmental stewards in their careers and lives no matter their field of study or interest.  

This year: 

• 68% of our students learned more about the college application process, and
• More than 60% want to continue learning about green careers and colleges

Former NWF Fellow with the Climate and Energy Team, Sitashma Thappa, spoke to the students about fast fashion and how our consumer choices have an impact on land, water, wildlife, and people. Weaving climate and environmental narratives into (sometimes) unexpected spaces, like fashion, lets students see they can connect their passions to career and educational opportunities. These kids spend part of their summer with Earth Tomorrow because it’s fun and opens their minds up to the wealth of opportunities available to them.

Our program prepares students to tackle college application season and career planning alongside a trusted group of peers and peer mentors. Exploring what the future holds can be scary for all of us, but community goes a long way in making the journey a fun one. Year after year, students tell us that one of the most valuable aspects of the Summer Institute is the peer mentors. All of our peer mentors are either current college students or Earth Tomorrow Alumni and come back to support the program even after graduation. 

“I continue coming back to the Summer Institute because this has been the foundation of my career in environmental education. I would have never joined the fight for sustainability if it wasn’t for the Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute.”  Joshua Bellamy, Earth Tomorrow Alumni

The Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute 2025 in Atlanta successfully cultivated a generation of youth leaders informed and inspired to take action for the environment. Through thoughtful programming and peer-to-peer support, students were equipped not only with knowledge but also with a vision for the future of sustainability in their communities. 

We can’t wait to celebrate 25 years of Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute next summer!

The program began in Washington, D.C., where the fellows met with Biden-era federal officials, non-governmental organizations, environmental justice groups, and congressional offices to discuss how the field of carbon removal, which benefited greatly from pro-climate and industrial decarbonization policies under the Biden administration, is responding to the Trump administration.

They discussed where these groups see the field moving in the near future, and how carbon removal can center environmental justice in its deployment. These big questions focused on federal policy gave the fellows a high-level primer before their second week of programming in Louisiana that focused on carbon removal at the state level.

Louisiana is one of the biggest hubs for industrial activity and environmental justice advocacy in the U.S. It is a state that feels the scars of industrial development acutely in places like Cancer Alley, and a state where many communities do not reap the economic benefits of the oil, gas, and chemical industries that thrive there. It is also at the forefront of climate change impacts as sea levels rise, coastlines erode, and hurricanes become more severe and frequent.

However, it is also a place of great resilience and community activism. The fellows met with conservation groups working to protect Louisiana’s coastlines, environmental justice groups working to protect Louisiana communities, industry groups working on improving their community engagement activities, and academics doing important local research. These conversations gave the fellows important context for the places where carbon removal technology may be implemented and led them to ask tough questions about how and if these technologies can be deployed responsibly.

Throughout the duration of the program, the fellows met with a diverse array of speakers, who offered a wide range of opinions on how they think that carbon removal ought to be deployed—or not deployed. These meetings led to nuanced discussions around community priorities and who is in the best position to provide unbiased educational materials to communities. The fellows leaned into difficult conversations around the tension between U.S.-centered environmental justice versus global climate justice and ultimately who holds the power to make decisions and influence change. 

Despite the challenging topics, the program offered a much needed sense of community for the fellows during such a difficult moment to move the needle on climate action. Intentional spaces that bring a group of people from diverse backgrounds are so valuable for thinking through current problems with new perspectives and for making new and lasting connections. NWF and American University are thrilled that the program was such a success and hope to run a third iteration of the program sometime in the future.

We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2025 Wild Kingdom grant awards: Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), California State University, Bakersfield, Georgia State University Perimeter College, Kentucky State University, Smith College (Massachusetts), University of South Florida, and The University of Tennessee.

Read the grant project summaries below.

Allegheny College, Pennsylvania

Allegheny College is in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and ranks among the oldest one percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. Allegheny is committed to sustainability and community resilience as key aspects of their mission to prepare their students to be change-agents and difference-makers in a complex world. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, Allegheny will transform poorly managed turf at the entrance to their library into a native perennial area and install bird and bat boxes throughout campus.

Allegheny will base their native perennial planting on artistic principles of landscape design, which combine aesthetic value with habitat and food for wildlife, including native bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and small mammals. Allegheny will install 20 wooden nest boxes for cavity-nesting bird species amongst the native perennial plants at the library and other campus locations. Many bird species are facing declines in North America, but cavity-nesting, insectivorous birds (e.g., Tree Swallows) are of particular concern, as both their habitats and food sources are at risk under changing climates.

Nest boxes will provide vital nesting locations for native cavity-nesting birds including Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and House Wrens. Additionally, they will place bat boxes on campus buildings to create habitat and lure bats from residence halls. Providing habitat is critical, as bat populations have crashed due to white-nose syndrome, especially the Northern long-eared bat and little brown bats.

California State University, Bakersfield

Centrally located on a 375-acre site in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California State University (CSU), Bakersfield, is dedicated to training the next generation of leaders who will address the challenges of climate change across a range of industries and applications. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, CSU Bakersfield will contribute to the protection of the endangered San Joaquin kit fox.

CSU Bakersfield will conduct a survey on the San Joaquin kit fox on campus grounds and in nearby lower Kern River floodplain areas, using a non-invasive DNA based technology. This survey will identify preferred denning and hunting grounds on campus and in areas along the Kern River that runs through the entire city and that connects fragmented fox populations.

CSU will support conservation strategies for this small canine species that has lost more than 90 percent of its original habitat in the San Joaquin Valley due to urban sprawl and extensive industrial agriculture. The survey data will be used for the development of a San Joaquin kit fox habitat conservation plan that will be presented to the CSUB administration and to the Bakersfield City Council.

Georgia State University Perimeter College

The Georgia State University (GSU) Perimeter College, located in Atlanta, actively integrates sustainability into its operations and academics, focusing on environmental stewardship, educational initiatives, and community engagement. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, GSU Perimeter College will create nesting boxes for the Brown-headed Nuthatch, which is endemic to the pine forests to the Southeastern U.S.

Although currently not endangered, the nuthatches’ association with mature pines and its failure to re-colonize degraded areas make this species extremely vulnerable to habitat loss. In Georgia, most of the old-growth pine forest is gone and has been replaced by fragmented stands of younger trees. Younger trees lack the seed crops and snags needed by this species for successful reproduction and survival.

Further, the longleaf pine ecosystem in Georgia is among the most critically endangered forest types in the country, with less than five percent of its original acreage remaining. The Brown-headed Nuthatch requires stands of mature pine forests for nesting and feeding purposes and is not found outside of this type of habitat.

In 2015, Birds Georgia designated this species as a “species of concern” for this very reason. GSU Perimeter will construct more nesting boxes, repair existing boxes, with the goal of expanding box coverage to all campus locations as well as local community sites including nearby K-12 schools, community centers, and local nature preserves.

Kentucky State University

Kentucky State University (KSU) is a public, historically Black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. KSU emphasizes conservation through its various programs, including the Environmental Education and Research Center and its focus on sustainable agricultural practices. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, KSU will enhance the habitat for two key groups of at-risk bird species on campus including the Red-headed Woodpecker and various songbird species that depend on shrubby habitats.

The Red-headed Woodpecker, a species of conservation concern, requires mature forest habitats with snags (standing dead trees) for nesting. These snags, essential for woodpeckers to create cavities, have been increasingly scarce due to forest management practices and the removal of dead trees. To address this, KSU will focus on preserving existing snags and incorporating new nesting boxes specifically designed for Red-headed Woodpeckers in strategic locations within the KSU forests on campus.

These actions will provide critical nesting sites for this species while also supporting the broader goal of promoting biodiversity in our university’s green spaces. Additionally, KSU will improve shrubby habitats, which are vital for several threatened songbird species such as the Kentucky and Prairie Warblers. Improvement efforts will include invasive plant control and native plant restoration.

Smith College, Massachusetts

Smith College located in Northampton, Massachusetts, prepares women through active learning and societal engagement to foster and lead sustainable, just communities and to make significant and lasting contributions to address the critical issues of the times. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, Smith College will focus their efforts on the restoration of woody habitat in support of the endangered Eastern rat snake.

The Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station, owned and stewarded by Smith College, is a 250-acre area of diverse terrain ranging from early successional grassland habitats to dense mature forests. The land provides opportunities for all members of the Smith community to pursue artistic inquiry, scientific research, outdoor education, and low-impact recreation. The Eastern rat snake, the only tree snake in Massachusetts, is a large two- to five-foot stout snake that prefers hardwood forests, forested wetlands, and adjacent thickets.

Eastern rat snakes are excellent tree climbers and can even scale sheer cliffs. Smith will restore important habitat features through the control of non-native plants and introduction of native plant woody species. Additionally, students will conduct research on the natural history of the Eastern rat snake, focusing on important habitat features, including hibernaculum design and tree planting plan.

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida (USF) located in Tampa, Florida, encourages and facilitates the collaborative efforts of the campus community in generating knowledge, developing values, changing behaviors, and initiating practices that contribute to a sustainable campus. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, USF will protect and restore habitat for the threatened gopher tortoise.

The USF “Bull’s Nature Trail” Boardwalk Project will transform an underutilized campus resource into an ecologically sustainable green space that fosters biodiversity and mitigates human-wildlife conflict while strategically preventing encroaching development that threatens their diverse ecosystem.

The boardwalk will serve as an environmentally responsible recreational pathway that minimizes disturbance to existing habitats for the gopher tortoise and other wildlife while providing educational opportunities for the campus community. Boardwalk construction will use eco-friendly materials that minimize habitat disruption while creating safe access. The boardwalk strategically channels foot traffic away from sensitive habitat areas, reducing trampling and erosion.

The University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee (UT), a land grant institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee, is committed to serving as a model of sustainability, stewardship, and inter-generational responsibility. Through support from the Wild Kingdom Grant Program, UT will research, educate, and protect freshwater mussels.

Freshwater mussels are an extremely important part of East Tennessee’s ecology and culture. Freshwater mussels provide vital ecological and economic advantages to aquatic creatures, land-dwelling animals, and our communities. Their impressive filtration capabilities allow them to consistently remove nutrients like algae, organic matter, bacteria, plankton, and sediments from the water, tirelessly carrying out this critical role throughout their entire existence.

UT will assess the recovery of freshwater mussels in areas where human activity has severely impacted their populations. Additionally, they will evaluate the success of ongoing restoration efforts, providing valuable insights to improve state and federal conservation recovery programs.

UT will partner with the Powell River Tourism Committee of the Claibourne County Tourism Commission to provide interpretive environmental materials for the Powell River Blueway Trail, highlighting the importance of freshwater mussels, their role in the ecosystem, and their conservation status.

Read about the 2024 Wild Kingdom College and University Grant Projects.

About Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom

Since its network television premiere in 1963, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has been one of the most loved and respected wildlife programs in television history. The Daytime Emmy® nominated Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, now airing weekends on NBC’s “The More You Know” time block, celebrates stories of conservation success, including the great work of caring, compassionate experts and how they are making a positive impact on the Wild Kingdom.

For more information about Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, visit the website.

About National Wildlife Federation

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than six million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, educators, and outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes.

Just as architects help to design many of the buildings like our schools, offices, commercial spaces, and homes in which we spend our time, landscape architects help communities to shape the outdoor environments that knit these destinations together and create the fabric of our cities and towns.

By using elements of each of these disciplines, landscape architects plan and design public spaces that can help bring people together, keep communities safe from dangerous weather events, protect native plants and wildlife, encourage active and accessible movement, and support healthy child development.

At the Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) initiative, our expertise in landscape architecture is a vital lens that we apply as we seek to improve opportunities for nature play and outdoor learning for young children across the nation. ECHO’s landscape architects and designers apply core concepts of landscape architecture and early childhood education to craft spaces that help to shape the lives of young children through nature play and outdoor learning.

Unassuming landscape design components like stone paths for exploration, hidden nooks for relaxation, and flower gardens for sensory play are a central piece of designing fun, functional outdoor learning environments for young children to grow and thrive in. A high-quality outdoor learning environment (OLE) brings together these components into various activity settings, which support specific play and learning activities, like pathways, gathering places, or sensory gardens.

Each of these landscape design components and settings help to facilitate specific developmental outcomes that, when combined in a thoughtful way, support holistic development for young children. Learn more about the specific developmental outcomes that different activity settings and related landscape design components support below:

Pathways

Pathways are an essential component of any outdoor space. They facilitate connectivity and create a sense of direction and flow throughout a landscape.

A long looping primary pathway (like the one above) that encourages running, leaping, skipping, rolling, and other fun is a popular centerpiece for outdoor learning environments. These expansive, often paved primary pathways promote physical activity, play, and learning by providing children and their caregivers a way to traverse their outdoor space.

Unlike a straight path, curvy pathways motivate children to explore and circulate through an OLE to different activity areas. They also provide the perfect track for toy car, tricycle, and scooter races!

Secondary and tertiary pathways are narrow and stem off the primary pathway, leading to more intimate play and learning settings. These pathways, which are often made from flagstone, tree cookies, or crushed stone, are an important part of inspiring discovery and exploration in young children.

Gathering Spaces

Gathering spaces are another cornerstone of any outdoor learning environment, providing young children and their caregivers with designated places to sit, learn, relax, and play. Settings like patios, gazebos, picnic tables, log seating, and stone circles can be reimagined for a diversity of play and learning needs, including dramatic play, formal learning, and informal socializing.

Altering the configuration, placement, shade, or other design elements of a gathering setting can completely change the feeling and purpose of the space. Smaller, more secluded spaces away from high-traffic areas can create a sense of privacy that’s perfect for individual or small group activities like reading a picture book or sitting with the flowers. While larger, central gathering spaces with adequate benches, tables, and shade structures can serve as the ideal spot to host larger groups or full classes, perfect for an impromptu lesson about local flora and fauna.

Specific developmental benefits of gathering spaces vary, but overall, these spaces broaden opportunities for young children to play and interact with peers and adults. These opportunities for cooperative play helps young children practice social and emotional skills with other children, including problem-solving, turn-taking, encouragement, self-control, and safe risk-taking. 

Sensory Gardens

The feeling of crunchy leaves and soft petals, the sound of piercing windchimes and quiet rustling, the fragrance of spring flowers followed by the tang of a nearby citrus plant—these are just some of the many experiences made possible by a successful sensory garden. These whimsical gardens are full of color and texture, and give young children a chance to experience the outdoors through each of their five senses.

Sensory gardens are a great example of an activity setting that can have developmental benefits across different age groups. Infants, toddlers, and older children can be reached by a sensory garden design in different ways.

A landscape designer may make space for infants by including soft ground cover surrounded by plenty of low, eye-level colorful flowers for belly time, while adding stepping stones for exploration and games in the same setting could motivate older children to use the same space in a different way.

Beyond Nature Play

An OLE is more than just a space that inspires outdoor learning and nature play, it also paves the way for a multitude of secondary benefits for the health of our communities and our planet, including:

• Small adjustments in stormwater management help to conserve water and purify urban runoff
• Native, pollinator-friendly vegetation enhances wildlife habitat 
• Well-positioned trees and shrubs reduce sun exposure, urban heat island effects, and interior cooling costs for nearby buildings

Outdoor learning environments built using informed landscape architecture principles play an important role in inspiring climate action and nature connection in a community, encouraging environmental stewardship, and empowering climate optimism, even in our youngest learners.

How does landscape architecture shape your life? Tag @echo.nwf on Facebook or Instagram to let us know!

A Critical Role in Youth Leadership

The Youth Advisory Council will play a vital role in guiding the Education & Engagement team’s youth leadership programs, working alongside NWF staff to provide recommendations, evaluate engagement strategies, and shape long-term visions for youth engagement. Their contributions amplify young voices in the environmental movement, fostering inclusivity, equity, and action-oriented change.

Beyond their advisory role, YAC members are provided professional development opportunities, including webinars and meet-and-greets with a range of sustainability professionals and a Green Careers Workshop. These experiences connect them with other young leaders from across the conservation, sustainability, and environmental education sectors, helping them to navigate an ever-evolving green careers space.

Meet the 2025 Youth Advisory Council

Spanning the country from New Mexico to Wisconsin to Maine, this year’s YAC members were selected for their innovative approaches, advocacy experience, and commitment to youth leadership in the environmental and climate movements. Their expertise spans climate justice, artistic activism, Indigenous environmentalism, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education, among numerous other areas of work and interest.

The Council reflects a wide spectrum of academic, professional, and personal experiences.  Some members bring valuable skills developed through NWF and affiliated programs including Earth Tomorrow, the Climate & Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF), Certified Wildlife Habitat® and Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL). Others draw from their studies at respected academic institutions across the country, including the University of South Florida, Ozarks Technical College, University of Texas, Carnegie Mellon University, Berry College, Louisiana State University, and the University of Michigan.

This wealth of lived and learned experience is further reflected in the professional roles held by many Council members, with titles such as Tribal Conservation Program Fellow at the Biodiversity Funders Group, Climate Adaptation Resident for the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA), and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Good Sky Guidance. This diversity of backgrounds and expertise strengthens the Council’s ability to tackle pressing environmental challenges from multiple angles, ensuring that the future of E&E youth leadership programming remains grounded in youth perspectives and lived experiences.

We proudly welcome the following representatives to this year’s Council:

• Alicia Fontenot – Houston, TX
• Aleena Siddiqui – Grosse Pointe, MI
• Ashley Chumakunetsa – Mount Berry, GA
• Bazile Minogiizhigaabo Panek – Ashland, WI
• Estelle Long – Bradenton, FL
• Jackson Byrd – Springfield, MO
• Kaitlyn Thomas – Jennings, LA
• KC Young – Altadena, CA
• Ray Mills – Bryant Pond, ME
• Kianna Pete – Farmington, NM
• Maggie Handelman – Brooklyn, NY
• Mandy Tran – Katy, TX
• Olivia Yim – New York, NY
• Sami Maldonado – Crystal, MN

We are honored to support and learn from these extraordinary young leaders. Stay tuned for updates on their work and contributions as they continue to drive youth-led change for a more just and sustainable future for people and wildlife!