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Celebrating 2024 PINES Graduates and New Internships

By Cara Lewis

Pathways Into Natural Environments and Science (PINES) was created to establish opportunities for high school students to network and explore careers in conservation and natural resources.

TLC’s PINES program returned this spring for its third year, welcoming 10 students from Knightdale High School (KHS) to learn about and explore the outdoors with us. This immersive program is a paid fellowship that connects students with professionals working in the field of conservation and provides opportunities to experience nature and community learning.

Currently, the PINES program engages students from KHS where TLC has been involved for more than five years. We are especially proud of our recent graduating seniors: Ava, Tadrion, KJ, Julio, and Delaney.

New this summer, TLC created two stewardship internships specially designed for PINES graduates to develop more advanced knowledge in land conservation and stewardship skills. These internships are supported by a generous local family who was inspired by the program and has deep interest in helping to foster students’ growth in the field of conservation. This support along with several other private and corporate donations have secured a strong future for PINES.

Ava and Julio, TLC Summer Stewardship Interns. Photo by Cara Lewis

Graduates Ava and Julio applied, were accepted, and began working full-time in June with Umar Muhammad, Land Stewardship Associate East at Williamson Preserve. They assisted with supporting prescribed fire planning and execution, creating invasive plant eradication plans, maintaining nature preserves, and leading volunteer groups.

  • Originally from Michigan, Ava has always enjoyed math and learned about the PINES program from a poster she saw at KHS. She’s particularly interested in trail maintenance and what’s involved in keeping trails open and accessible.
  • Julio grew up in Puerto Rico and has lived in New Jersey and North Carolina. Always interested in science, he heard about the PINES program after hearing Ava give a talk to his animal science class at KHS.
  • Both Ava and Julio had high praise for TLC and the PINES program. They particularly enjoyed meeting speakers who met with students throughout the year to discuss topics ranging from geology and birding to foraging and outdoor survival skills.

TLC works to help support students in their future plans, including planning tours of local universities, assisting in the college application process, and continuing to engage with alumni through internship opportunities. Students receive a stipend while participating in the program. In addition to high school involvement, TLC prioritizes regular engagement with PINES alumni through programs offering ongoing educational programs.

Recognizing a lack of diversity within the conservation field, PINES was created in 2022 by former staff member Diquan Edmonds, with the goal of establishing pathways of opportunities into the conservation and natural resource fields for students from Knightdale High School, which is just a few miles from TLC’s Bailey & Sarah Williamson Farm and Nature Preserve. Since then, the program has doubled in size – from five to ten students – and has seen all graduating seniors off to college to begin programs of study in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Visit Triangle Land Conservancy

P.O. Box 1848
Durham, NC 27702
919-908-8809
triangleland.org

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Vanishing Wildlife Habitat

Worldwide we are experiencing the greatest acceleration in animal and plant species extinction in human history. North Carolina is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, yet rapid development across the Triangle is destroying natural habitats at an alarming rate.

Increase in Natural Disasters

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency causing flooding, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and massive wildfires. Lower-income communities are disproportionately impacted, largely due to historical racial inequities.

Inequitable Access to Land and Nature

For generations, people of color were denied access to public parks and beaches. By 2050, people of color will make up 45% of our local population yet nearly 75% of US communities of color lack access to safe and maintained outdoor spaces — compared with 23% of White communities. We must inspire and engage more diverse citizens to advocate for equity in land ownership and promote preservation.

Declining Public Health

Experts recently declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health with rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma soaring. Children spend an average of 6.5 hours a day in front of a screen and almost half of adults don’t get enough physical activity that is key to preventing chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and depression.

Disappearing Farms

By 2040, North Carolina is expected to develop 11% of its farmland, nearly 1.2 million acres, the second-highest rate of conversion in the country. Johnston and Wake are the 19th and 32nd most vulnerable counties in the U.S. Since 2014, Wake County has lost 22,964 acres of farm and forest land — that’s almost 20%. Historically, land ownership by Black farmers has dropped more than 85% in the US over the last century.

Exponential Growth and Development

North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, and the Triangle is predicted to attract 40% of projected growth. In the last decade, one in four new residents moved to Wake County, and Johnston County is seeing the fastest percentage growth in the state. The pace of development is forcing land prices to skyrocket throughout the region.