Now nearing its decade milestone as a program at Richardson Bay, the Audubon Youth Leaders internship is in full swing. This year, 14 teenagers from the Marin and the greater Bay Area are participating in the program and have already contributed to some of the biggest projects of the year at the Center. In just 7 sessions, our Youth Leaders have tarped our garden beds to deter weed growth, planted dozens of sprouts from the Xerxes Society, repotted new seedlings grown in-house in our nursery, and orchestrated impromptu beach cleanups on the property. Their hard work has helped prepare us for a fruitful winter season and an even more abundant spring, where they will focus on nurturing existing plants and helping with bird-focused conservation projects. 

Although much of AYL's work is on site at Richardson Bay, the program is geographically expansive so that participants have the opportunity to visit state parks, nature preserves, and national forests. Plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fungi are some of the many ecological topics covered during the program, and while learning about them is important, experiencing them in their natural habitats is even more profound. Additionally, interns learn the importance of data collection and interpretive observation along with other citizen science tools to help them become experienced ecologists.

While the Youth Leaders program is designed to be educational and give practical conservation-based skills to participants, it wouldn't be complete without creating space for a vibrant social atmosphere. From holiday parties to camping trips, the programs offers interns the chance to connect with their fellow Youth Leaders through a variety of ways. Each iteration of the program is tailor-made based on the interests of the participants, so every year is different from the one before. 

Interested in applying for the 2023-2024 internship cycle? Reach out to emily.ohman@audubon.org for more information on the program!