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Louisville, Kentucky | July 15, 2015
The Nature Conservancy, one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, announced today that students from its Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program will help the organization and local partners advance conservation projects in Louisville and other locations around Kentucky. The students, many who have never spent extended time out in nature, are participating in this paid internship program from July 6 through July 31. During the course of their internship, they will train for green jobs and enhance their classroom education by participating in conservation activities like tree nursery maintenance, urban forestry, urban agriculture, trail maintenance and water quality monitoring.

Specifically, on July 22 and 23, the LEAF interns will work with Louisville Grows, a nonprofit whose mission is to grow a just and sustainable community through urban agriculture, urban forestry and environmental education. On Wednesday, July 22, the interns will work alongside Louisville Grows’ Advocacy in Action employees and the Shawnee Boys and Girls Club to maintain The Peoples’ Garden. On Thursday, July 23, Chris O’Bryan of Limbwalker Tree Service will speak to the group about the importance of the urban tree canopy for Louisville, the nation’s fastest growing urban heat island, and how to properly maintain urban forests.

Later in the month, the interns will head to western Kentucky to maintain trails, install blue bird houses and collect data at the Conservancy’s Davis Bend Nature Preserve, located on the Green River, and at Mammoth Cave National Park.

LEAF Program Endures

For 21 years, LEAF has engaged urban youth in conservation activities today so that they will become stewards for our planet tomorrow.

This comprehensive environmental leadership program serves students attending urban, environmentally-themed high schools located in 11 states. Each summer, students from these schools travel to participate in month-long, paid internships at conservation projects located 26 states across the country. The Kentucky chapter of The Nature Conservancy is hosting 6 interns from the Environmental Charter high school in Los Angeles, CA and Arabia Mountain high school in Atlanta, GA.

“The main goal of the LEAF program is to expose urban youth to nature and conservation careers at a young age to ensure a passion for the environment that will stick with them both personally and professionally for the rest of their lives,” said Brigitte Griswold, Director of Youth Programs for The Nature Conservancy.  “Providing students with the opportunity to engage in actual conservation projects in areas such as Louisville is a great complement to their classroom learning, and gives them hands-on experience they may not otherwise get during the school year.”

National conservation activities created by LEAF and The Nature Conservancy’s Youth Programs are made possible through support from Lowe’s. The company has supported the Conservancy’s work for more than a decade, contributing more than $10 million to protect important freshwater and forest lands across North America, and to advance environmental youth programs and help build the next generation of conservationists. Learn more about the students who LEAF serves, Lowe’s support and this unique partnership model.

About Lowe’s in the Community Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, has a 50-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. Since 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed more than $225 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. Learn about the company’s social responsibility program or read more on Tumblr.