Natural Areas Conservancy Inc

CHAMPIONS URBAN NATURAL AREAS IN NYC AND ACROSS THE NATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ADVOCACY. WE INCREASE THE HEALTH AND RESILIENCE OF URBAN FORESTS AND WETLANDS, CATALYZE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATURE, AND STRENGTHEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKFORCE.

1. FORESTS IN CITIES - IN 2021, THE FORESTS IN CITIES PROGRAM CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN A NATIONAL NETWORK OF FORESTED NATURAL AREAS PRACTITIONERS AND PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF URBAN FORESTS ACROSS THE U.S. OUR TEAM HOSTED QUARTERLY VIRTUAL WEBINARS, ENGAGING OUR 40+ MEMBER NETWORK AS WELL AS A THREE-DAY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP FEATURING SPEAKERS, PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, AND PRESENTATIONS ON RESEARCH FINDINGS. WE CONTINUED TO ADVANCE URBAN FOREST SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON THE CARBON STORAGE AND SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL ACROSS 6 OF OUR NETWORK CITIES AND HAVE PUBLISHED A PAPER IN THE JOURNAL URBAN ECOSYSTEMS. WE PRODUCED A SERIES OF FACTSHEETS HIGHLIGHTING THE BENEFITS OF URBAN FORESTED NATURAL AREAS AND THE NEED FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION AND OUR TEAM PRESENTED AT SEVERAL IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL CONFERENCES. FINALLY, WE BUILT AND LAUNCHED THE FIRST DIGITAL LIBRARY THAT COLLECTS AND CURATES RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY FOR FORESTED NATURAL AREAS IN CITIES. 2. CUNY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM - IN 2021, OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS FROM THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK HAD ITS LARGEST YEAR YET AS WE HIRED 21 SUMMER INTERNS, AND 7 FALL AND SPRING INTERNS, AND EXPANDED THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM INTO THREE TRACKS OF STUDY: FOREST ECOLOGY, TRAILS, AND SHORELINE MONITORING. WE ALSO WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT TO DESIGN A CUSTOM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM FOR OUR INTERNS THAT PROVIDES THEM WITH JOB READINESS TRAINING IN THE AREAS OF RESUME WRITING, INTERVIEW SKILLS, NETWORKING, PERSONAL FINANCE, NEGOTIATION SKILLS, AND WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION. EVALUATION OF OUR PROGRAM IN 2021 INDICATED THAT 80% OF OUR JOB-SEEKING INTERNS SECURE A JOB IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. 3. TRAILS PROGRAM - IN 2020, WE OFFICIALLY RELEASED THE STRATEGIC TRAILS PLAN FOR NEW YORK CITY, HIGHLIGHTING KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BRINGING SUSTAINABLE AND LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE AND CARE TO NEW YORK CITY'S 300 MILES OF TRAILS. NAC'S TRAILS TEAM IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL NEW TOOLS AS PART OF THAT PLAN'S IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING A NEW PRIORITIZATION MATRIX THAT ADDS TRANSPARENCY TO THE DECISION MAKING ABOUT WHICH PARKS TO FORMALIZE NEXT, TRAIL MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR EVERY TRAIL, AND MAINTENANCE CHECKLISTS THAT WILL UNIFY THE EFFORTS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS THAT WORK ON TRAILS CITYWIDE. WE ALSO EXPANDED THE ADVANCED VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, TRAIL MAINTAINERS, THAT WE WORK ON IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH NYC PARKS, TRAINING AN ADDITIONAL 55 ADVANCED VOLUNTEERS TO ADOPT AND MAINTAIN TRAILS CITYWIDE.