In April, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation awarded a grant to the USBN fiscal sponsor, Center for Large Landscape Conservation for a transboundary internship project to strengthen collaborations and exchanges between Canadian and U.S. biosphere regions. The funded project, in coordination with the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association and the USBN, will provide stipends to four interns selected from Indigenous and local rural communities within four biosphere regions.
Obtawaing in northern Michigan will pair with Georgian Bay in Ontario, and Champlain Adirondack in New York and Vermont will pair with Frontenac Arch in Ontario to host the internships. The interns will learn and share experiences on best practices to respond to the impacts of climate change, restore natural habitat and wildlife corridors, and increase awareness of ecosystem services to the local economies. Interns will gain skills, knowledge, and connections to support a professional career in environmental science, management, or communication, while biosphere regions will gain more organizational capacity and the ability to better include tribes, First Nations, and Indigenous and rural stewardship ethics in their work. Start dates for the interns are scheduled in the fall of 2022 and early 2023.
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation facilitates effective cooperation and public participation to conserve, protect, and enhance the North American environment in support of sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations.
