November 15th marked the due date for outreach record books from this year’s Stepping Stones Program participants, as well as the “early bird” deadline for our field school students. Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement, Katie Cassidy has been hard at work grading the submissions! We are thrilled to spotlight Kye, a dedicated Conservation Advocate in our Stepping Stones Program. Kye has demonstrated exceptional commitment and creativity in sharing his conservation knowledge through a variety of impactful projects. Below, we share some highlights from his outreach journey.
Kye hit the ground running, just days after attending the Stepping Stones Program he logged his first project! Using what he learned at our fly fishing-focused weekend, Kye taught a kindergarten class about classifying flies. Then, keeping with the educational theme, he visited the Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”, learning about threats like invasive bugs and diseases, wood types, and how forest products are made.
Kye learning about forestry in Pennsylvania in the the Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”.
Kye demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness by using a service project as a foundation for further outreach activities. This summer, Kye worked with his father and brother to return his local school’s outdoor amphitheater benches to usable condition. With financial support from a small grant and a local building materials company, Kye worked for three days to replace the boards on the benches. The project gained the media’s attention, and an article was published in the local newspaper. Kye then put the new benches to good use. He took a kindergarten class out to the amphitheater to teach them about the changing seasons and guided a second-grade class on a nature hike to the amphitheater to teach them how animals are affected by their habitats.
Kye built benches for his local school’s outdoor amphitheater.
Kye taught a group of students about habitats.
Kye’s leadership extended to outdoor mentorship, where he guided younger participants in activities such as wake surfing, crabbing, and snorkeling. He went on a fishing trip on Lake Ontario with his grandfather to catch salmon and participated in an outdoor scavenger hunt with his younger brother.
Kye posing with a fish he caught on Lake Ontario.
One of the most memorable activities in Kye’s record book was his effort to rescue a turtle from the middle of the road. After moving the turtle to safety, Kye took to social media and shared an informative post about the proper way to move turtles. His interest in turtles continued with a kayaking trip to observe basking turtles. He captured a short video of the turtles in their natural habitat to share with others.
The turtle that Kye moved to safety.
We are so proud of Kye and his outreach accomplishments. He has gone above and beyond to educate the public, get involved in his community, and share the wonders of the outdoors with others. It is so exciting to see our first class of Conservation Advocates from the Stepping Stones Program submit their outreach record books, and we can’t wait to share more outreach highlights with you!
The photos used in this blog belong to Kye N., a Stepping Stones Program participant.
Outreach Highlight: Conservation in Action
Posted: December 14, 2024 by Katie Mace
November 15th marked the due date for outreach record books from this year’s Stepping Stones Program participants, as well as the “early bird” deadline for our field school students. Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement, Katie Cassidy has been hard at work grading the submissions! We are thrilled to spotlight Kye, a dedicated Conservation Advocate in our Stepping Stones Program. Kye has demonstrated exceptional commitment and creativity in sharing his conservation knowledge through a variety of impactful projects. Below, we share some highlights from his outreach journey.
Kye hit the ground running, just days after attending the Stepping Stones Program he logged his first project! Using what he learned at our fly fishing-focused weekend, Kye taught a kindergarten class about classifying flies. Then, keeping with the educational theme, he visited the Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”, learning about threats like invasive bugs and diseases, wood types, and how forest products are made.
Kye demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness by using a service project as a foundation for further outreach activities. This summer, Kye worked with his father and brother to return his local school’s outdoor amphitheater benches to usable condition. With financial support from a small grant and a local building materials company, Kye worked for three days to replace the boards on the benches. The project gained the media’s attention, and an article was published in the local newspaper. Kye then put the new benches to good use. He took a kindergarten class out to the amphitheater to teach them about the changing seasons and guided a second-grade class on a nature hike to the amphitheater to teach them how animals are affected by their habitats.
Kye’s leadership extended to outdoor mentorship, where he guided younger participants in activities such as wake surfing, crabbing, and snorkeling. He went on a fishing trip on Lake Ontario with his grandfather to catch salmon and participated in an outdoor scavenger hunt with his younger brother.
One of the most memorable activities in Kye’s record book was his effort to rescue a turtle from the middle of the road. After moving the turtle to safety, Kye took to social media and shared an informative post about the proper way to move turtles. His interest in turtles continued with a kayaking trip to observe basking turtles. He captured a short video of the turtles in their natural habitat to share with others.
We are so proud of Kye and his outreach accomplishments. He has gone above and beyond to educate the public, get involved in his community, and share the wonders of the outdoors with others. It is so exciting to see our first class of Conservation Advocates from the Stepping Stones Program submit their outreach record books, and we can’t wait to share more outreach highlights with you!
The photos used in this blog belong to Kye N., a Stepping Stones Program participant.
Category: Youth Blog Tags: education, featured, outdoor mentorship, outreach highlight, service