wild work.
Have you ever started a new job and had to learn new skills on the fly? Imagine finding out that your new job responsibilities include operating heavy equipment (from chain saws to woodchippers to a 4,000-pound Tractor), planting trees by the hundreds, and starting and stopping wildland fires. Gulp, right?
Natural Lands’ 21st Century Fellows Aimee Alvarenga and Julia Rakowsky
photo by Adam Hribar
That’s what Aimee Alvarenga and Julia Rakowsky experienced when, in 2023, they joined Natural Lands as our 21st Century Fellows. But these challenges didn’t daunt Aimee and Julia. As members of Natural Lands’ stewardship staff, both Aimee and Julia received rigorous training in all areas of ecological restoration, including equipment and prescribed fire instruction, firefighting techniques, and fire safety protocols.
The land stewardship team, which includes six women, is recognized as one of the most experienced and skilled prescribed fire teams in the region. Aimee accelerated her prescribed fire skills by earning a national wildland firefighter accreditation and joining the Pennsylvania State Wildland Firefighter team in Montana fighting forest fires. A native of California, a state prone to wildfires, she hopes one day to use her new skills in managing prescribed fires to support the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Julia and Aimee in fire gear
Photo by Aimee Alvarenga
After graduating from a tree climbing course for women, removing invasive species in Natural Lands’ preserves, researching native flora and fauna, and planting 200 native trees and other plants, Julia plans to stay in land management, either in Pennsylvania or on the West Coast. One of the highlights of her experience was protecting American Kestrels, the smallest falcons in North America and an endangered species, through banding and the monitoring of nesting boxes, eggs, and nestlings.
When asked at the end of their fellowship how their experience was different from what they expected, both Aimee and Julia agreed that it was both harder than and more rewarding than they could have imagined. “To anyone considering applying for this Fellowship,” Julia said, “Go for it! You’ll learn so many new skills and get so strong.” Aimee agreed, sharing, “You definitely won’t need a gym membership!”
About Natural Lands’ 21st century Fellowship program
Through the 21st century Fellowship program at Natural Lands, which is a one-year, paid position, Fellows experience professional life in different departments across the organization.
Natural Lands’ 21st Fellows are selected from a pool of candidates with an interest in ecology, natural resource management, horticulture, planning, landscape architecture, non-profit management, environmental justice, environmental science, environmental education, or related areas. Prospective Fellows are current seniors or recent college graduates looking for early career exposure to the conservation and non-profit fields. The Fellowship provides an opportunity for new graduates, underrepresented and from diverse backgrounds, in the field of land conservation gain valuable experience and learn from Natural Lands’ breadth of professional expertise while sharing their lived-experience and perspectives with Natural Lands staff and constituents as they transition into a career.
Natural Lands’ 21st Century Conservation Fellowship program launched in 2022 as a result of the organization’s commitment to IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access).