Young Naturalist is a Partnership between CNY Chapter of Izaak Walton League and SUNY ESF. Mission statement is listed below:
Mission Statement
- Engage youth in their local outdoor environment and community through hands on activities
- Empower youth leadership via the Young Naturalist Leadership Team (YNLT); Advisory Board should be youth driven (I.e., YN Leaders in their 20s/early-career professionals)
- Create a learning community and emphasize teamwork through yearly stewardship activities.
- Create a library of “core,” repeatable hands-on activities through iterative development (including ongoing growth from feedback), as well as prioritizing activities for yearly use (I.e., plantings, invasive species removal, fishing, trail walking, etc.)
- Build partnerships with Libraries, Parks, Land Trusts, ESF, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Izaak Walton League, and related community partners, including building funding opportunities
