Louisiana’s Conservation Leadership Corps 

                                                        PWJ April 2023

Seasoned outdoor enthusiasts are likely aware of and appreciate the many contributions made by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation since its incorporation over eighty years ago. Its conservation successes are summarized on the LWF website (https://lawildlifefed.org/who-we-are/history-accomplishments/).

LWF represents hunters, anglers, campers, birders, boaters, and others who seek to protect our state's natural resources and the quality of its environment. This nonprofit organization represents 19 affiliate organizations and has more than 8,000 members. Its guiding principles include education, advocacy, and the advancement of sound, scientifically established resource management principles. LWF is an affiliate organization of the National Wildlife Federation.  

I’ve emphasized various forms of environmental education in previous columns. An important LWF initiative in this regard has been the development of the Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC). This program, established in 2018, honors the late Edgar Veillon, a conservation leader and longtime member of the LWF. He provided a generous bequest for such educational activities. Others who have helped in funding this CLC program are the Stuller Family Foundation, the Boo Grigsby Foundation, and the LWF affiliate Friends of Grand Isle. 

 

The program’s fifth annual cohort class of 22 students selected from state colleges and universities was announced in early 2023. Fifteen students were selected in each of its first two years, while 22 and 20 college students were chosen for the third and fourth annual cohort classes.   

These CLC students come from various academic majors and grapple with real-world conservation issues. They receive training in sessions over several months from natural resource professionals in the public, non-profit and private sectors. Case studies and collaborative activities build student leadership and advocacy skills. Upon successful program completion, participants receive a certificate of accomplishment, a letter of commendation, and a $200 scholarship to advance their continuing education. 

 

The development of LWF’s Conservation Leadership Corps was influenced by successful CLC programs in other states. Missouri’s CLC program began in 2002 and has had over 400 students complete the program since then. Wisconsin’s and Minnesota’s CLC programs started in 2013 and 2016, respectively, and incorporated many of the Missouri’s program goals and approaches. Some states have youth conservation leadership approaches with different names, such as the Texas Brigades, which is wildlife-themed and aimed at high school students. Louisiana’s CLC approach originally included seniors in high school along with college and university students. In recent years, this CLC has requested applications only from those in state colleges and universities. 

Another recent opportunity for some Louisiana CLC students has been out-of-state travel and experiences with students from other states who are interested in conservation issues. The Conservation Leadership Corps of Missouri hosted the inaugural Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL) in November of 2017. Young conservationists from the Missouri, Wisconsin, Texas, and Minnesota programs attended. Other states, like Louisiana, sent representatives to CYCL in 2017 who were interested in starting their own youth conservation leadership corps. The Texas Brigades hosted the 2019 CYCL held in Austin, TX, and the CYCL was held in 2022 in Poynette, Wisconsin. LWF sent four students from its 2022 CLC class to Wisconsin to learn about ecological restoration, endangered species, and what other conservation organizations across the country were doing. Field tours for these CYCL students included prominent conservation sites across southern Wisconsin. 

One Louisiana CLC and CYCL participant, has been Madelyn Helm, a sophomore at LSU majoring in renewable natural resources. She has described her experiences in the program’s 2022 summary report. “It’s been such a privilege to be able to engage with leaders in the field of conservation. I’m inspired by their knowledge, experience, and passion. I applied to CLC to make sure that I am in the right field for me, and now I am more sure than ever that this is what I want to pursue. My favorite part of CLC was bonding with other young environmentalists like me. I really feel that we all connected.” 

The CLC is one example of recent progress by those in public, non-profit, and private organizations in this state. This past year brought greater hope for the future with the legislative passage and establishment of the Louisiana Outdoors Forever program with $10 million committed for the program’s first year. These funds should contribute to efforts to protect drinking water supplies, conserve wildlife habitat, and provide recreational opportunities in the state. Given the special challenges of climate change and biodiversity losses in Louisiana, such greater conservation awareness and advocacy should be applauded.