Welcome to the Center for Conservation Leadership (CCL) newsletter! This is the first installment of regular seasonal updates on the programs and partnerships we are creating across Lake County and the progress being made toward greater access to nature for everyone.
Founded in 2009, CCL is well known for its innovative environmental education program for high school students Today, as the Director of CCL, I am guided by this standard of innovation set by our founder, and I’m motivated to broaden our programming to reach all ages and to deepen our connection with partners in historically underserved Lake County communities.
Take a moment and read about how and where CCL is engaging, inspiring, and activating the residents of Lake County
Julia Lunn Director of Center for Conservation Leadership
9TH ANNUAL YELLOWSTONE TRIP
A CCL Keystone Program
Twelve students from Waukegan High School have been selected for the CCL-sponsored trip to Yellowstone National Park! Through this experience, students will be connecting with the natural world, stepping outside of their comfort zones, and building leadership and stewardship skills. Stay tuned to our Instagram @lfccl and Facebook page to follow along on their journey!
OWAKONZE
A CCL Keystone Program
We are excited to host this trip to Baril Lake, Ontario, Canada for eight students from Waukegan’s Cristo Rey St Martin High School for the 2 year in a row This August, these young scholars will be canoeing, camping, cooking, swimming, team building, journaling and much more We cannot wait to hear how it goes! Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook for updates on their adventure!
ECO - AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE
Join us in welcoming our four EcoAmbasasdor interns: Simon, Noelani, Jennifer, and Victor!
Catch them at the Illinois Beach State Park Nature Center from June 9 - August 1 Throughout the summer, Eco-Ambassadors will be creating education resources, shadowing Prairie Research Institute scientists, gathering wisdom from community leaders, and growing deeper connections with the natural world!
WAUKEGAN TO COLLEGE BOAT BUILD
Over Spring Break, students from our community partner Waukegan to College, worked with Urban Wilderness Program to build a canoe This weeklong program included learning about biopolymers, using power tools, and lots of teamwork
Check out the Highlights section of our Instagram, @lfccl, to see these young people in action!
ALUMNI CORNER: EDDIE FLORES
PROGRAMS
These programs are by registration only through our community partners
Traveling Science Center at Waukegan middle schools April
Veteran’s Hike with Lovell VA
Pink Moon Hike with Drip & Culture
May
Birding Hike with Wisco Birder
Traveling Science Center at IL Beach State Park with North Prairie Jr High
Botanical Art Workshop with Waukegan to College and Drip & Culture
Plant Sale with Drip & Culture
June
Eco-Ambassador Program begins
Yellowstone Trip with Waukegan High School begins
The CCL programs deepened my connection to nature in ways I hadn’t experienced before. Spending one to several weeks in the wilderness of the Northwoods and Yellowstone allowed me to disconnect from daily life and immerse myself fully. One highlight was working on a stewardship project restoring Roosevelt Park in Waukegan.
Today, I serve as the Youth Education Coordinator at Brushwood Center, where I connect youth and families to art and nature while addressing health inequities across Lake County. I lead hikes, field trips, art classes, and environmental justice lessons to promote healing and awareness through nature.
I also co-chair Clean Power Lake County (CPLC), where we address environmental justice issues, including the toxic coal ash ponds along Lake Michigan. With CPLC, I’ve led internships, testified before the Illinois legislature, met with federal agencies and elected officials, and served as a spokesperson.
The CCL programs sparked my love for nature and set me on a path of education and activism. I continue to steward the environment and advocate for environmental justice for all.
Each newsletter, we will highlight a CCL program alumni and catch up on what they are doing now!
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: DRIP
& CULTURE - SOCIALLY MINDED COFFEE
“Partnering to explore why preserving land is essential in all communities Every community deserves open lands ”
Adam Carson, owner of “Drip and Culture Coffee”, has continually pushed the brand to do different things. One of his priority initiatives is being outside with LFOLA! Together we plan monthly programs that push our community to experience nature in new ways, like a Full Moon hike in January. On a frigid evening, twenty-eight folks from the Drip and Culture community gathered at Greene Nature Preserve to hike and enjoy the full moon. January’s Wolf Moon rose out of the lake as our group hiked through the shoreline.
Programs like this invite CCL partners to engage on the land, offer positive benefits on mental, physical and emotional well-being, and as Adam would say, "build community in dope ways" During a conversation about conservation and stewardship in Waukegan, Adam shared: “We may not see it in our lifetime, but we ’ re building the foundation for future generations to be able to transform how people experience nature in our community "
With each of our CCL partners we ’ re listening, responding, and moving at the speed of trust
Watch our video, “Open Lands for All” on the LFOpenLands Youtube channel to learn more about this important partnership
You can find Drip & Culture at @dripandculture on Instagram and https://www dripandculture com/
