Green Jobs Program Starts New Year-Long Class

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The Chesapeake Bay Trust's year-long training program aims to give employment skills to young adults seeking green jobs.

EDGEWATER, MD — The Chesapeake Bay Trust on Tuesday celebrated the newest class of its Chesapeake Conservation Corps, a green jobs program created by the Maryland Legislature to educate and train the next generation of environmental stewards. The program matches young people, ages 18-25, with nonprofit and government organizations for paid one-year terms of service, focusing on improving local communities and protecting natural resources.

During their year of service, Chesapeake Conservation Corps members gain on-the-job experience as they work to advance environmental conservation, K-12 education, energy efficiency programs, sustainable agriculture practices, and a host of other environmentally-focused initiatives.

“The Chesapeake Conservation Corps’ impact on our communities and our environment multiplies with each new class of Corps members,” said state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., who launched the program in 2010, in a statement.

“We have reached a point where members of the Corps’ first classes are now leaders in environmental organizations throughout our region," Miller said. "I am proud of the investment we are making in them and the future of the green economy in our state.”

At Tuesday’s event, the 38 2018-'19 Corps participants met their host organizations to learn more about their job responsibilities for the upcoming year. The ceremony, at Camp Letts in Edgwater, also served as a graduation for the 42 members of the outgoing Corps class who wrapped up their year of service this month.

The program has a track record of placing graduates in full-time positions, with many corps members hired directly by their host organizations.

The corps members’ stipends are supported by the Chesapeake Bay Trust (and the Bay Plate license plate program) and their partners.

Partner funders include the State of Maryland, BGE and the U.S. National Park Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Adkins Arboretum, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Department of the Environment, South River Federation and Maryland Coastal Bays Program also contributed matching funds for the program this year.

During the course of the year, corps participants work with their host organizations, receive extensive job training hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and gain experience in grant writing and project management through a capstone project.

“Continuing the progress that has been made in restoring the health of the Chesapeake depends on educating and training the next generation of environmental leaders,” said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “The Chesapeake Conservation Corps prepares young people with the skills and experience that are needed to keep the momentum going.”

The 2018-2019 Chesapeake Conservation Corps class includes the following individuals and their host organizations:

1. Travis Anthony, National Aquarium, Baltimore City

2. Michael Bowman, U.S. National Park Service, Anne Arundel County

3. Kaila Cavanaugh, Accokeek Foundation, Prince George’s County

4. Emily Castle, Adkins Arboretum, Caroline County

5. Evan Claggett, Environmental Concern, Talbot County

6. Megan Davis, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Biological Stream Survey, Anne Arundel County

7. Jennifer Duvall, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Howard County

8. Brianna Fragata, Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Worcester County

9. Leah Franzluebbers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anne Arundel County

10. Brittany Furlong, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Biological Stream Survey, Anne Arundel County

11. Justin Gallardo, Uptown Metro Ministry Group, Baltimore City

12. Sarah Grossweiler, Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore City

13. Thomas Heffernan, Living Classrooms Foundation, Baltimore City

14. Lucy Heller, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Anne Arundel County

15. Kelly Johnson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anne Arundel County

16. Andrew Jones, Town of Edmonston, Prince George’s County

17. Shayna Keller, South River Federation, Anne Arundel County

18. Jay Kinnaman, Maryland Environmental Service, Anne Arundel County

19. Alexander Kirchhof, Mayor and City Council of Cumberland, Allegany County

20. Amy Kochel, Susquehanna Heritage Corporation, Pennsylvania

21. Connor Liu, The Nature Conservancy, Allegany County

22. Jamie Mancini, Sultana Education Foundation, Kent County

23. Rory Maymon, Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore City

24. Syler Merski, Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, Calvert County

25. Jesus Munoz Buenrostro, Southeast Community Development Corporation, Baltimore City

26. Kelly Peaks, University of Maryland, Environmental Finance Center, Prince George's County

27. Rachel Plescha, ShoreRivers, Talbot County

28. Arianna Russo, Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Worcester County

29. Marissa Sayers, Central Baltimore Partnership, Baltimore City

30. Cheyenne Sebold, C&O Canal Trust, Washington County

31. Dominic Serino, Audubon Maryland-DC, Baltimore City

32. Justin Shapiro, National Wildlife Federation, Anne Arundel County

33. Nathaniel Simmons, Adkins Arboretum, Caroline County

34. Bradley Simpson, Audubon Naturalist Society, Montgomery County

35. Alexa Stillwell, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Anne Arundel County

36. Thomas Urban, Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks, Howard County

37. Tanisha Washington, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Baltimore City

38. Olivia Wisner, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR), Anne Arundel County

For more information on the program and for detailed descriptions on the program participants and their activities, email evalentine@cbtrust.org.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization established by the Maryland General Assembly dedicated to improving the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake region through environmental education, community engagement and local watershed restoration.

The trust’s grantees engage hundreds of thousands of individuals annually in projects that have a measurable impact on the waterways and other natural resources of the region. For more information on the trust, click here.

Release: Chesapeake Bay Trust

Image: Chesapeake Bay (Emily Leayman/Patch)