I'm Vincent Irizarry

For my 2017 GLOBE internship, I supported The Nature Conservancy's Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future high school level internship program, the same program that brought me into the conservation world as a high school student in New York City. I worked as the LEAF Eastern Region Assistant where I successfully helped coordinate 150 youth interns for a four week residency - conservation science and fieldwork internship.

For two consecutive summers '16 and '17, I participated in The Nature Conservancy's - Growing Leaders on Behalf of the Environment collegiate level internship program. The GLOBE program is designed to keep undergraduate and graduate students on a career trajectory into the conservation world.

To support my interest in urban gardening and food justice, I plant a small garden each year outside of my family's home in Queens, New York. Things that I enjoy planting are kale, tomatoes, basil, oregano, carrots, and eggplant. To beautify the garden, flowers are mixed into the layout.

I participated in The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at Northern Arizona University from 2014 - 2016

The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program provides undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to explore the natural environment while gaining crucial skills and experience needed in today's world of conservation fieldwork.

I traveled to the Colorado Plateau where my peers and I were exposed to the natural landscape and issues in conservation impacting the surrounding area.

I was given the opportunity to hike serene locations in the Grand Canyon including the North and South rims, Hopi and Navajo reservations and Sedona.

Under the guidance of Dr. Angie Moline and Dr. Kristen Potter, I was educated on issues of development along the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Our internship provided a core focus on exploration of local communities, and perspectives of local residents on changes in their natural environment.

Dr. Rafael Balanzo-Joue and Professor Lucia Ring of Queens College, introduced my peers and I to the natural resources within this Queens, New York park. Professor Lucia Ring encouraged me to study the community garden after my peers and I took a special interest in the space. Professor Ring noted that although it is a public park there were accessibility issues and lack of access to this physical space within the community.

Through a graduate level course study at Queens College, I worked with the Flushing Community Board, and Kissena Park community to develop a community garden proposal that would align with New York City Plan 2030 sustainability goals.

This is a photo of the Kissena Park Community Garden on a March day. The community garden is neat and picturesque but is empty because it is locked. The community garden should be open to the public. Professor Ring showed us ethnographic data collected from the community board that the plots of land were quickly divided among several families of one particular ethnic enclave. The community garden case study allowed us to envision a plan where the land would be used more continuously.

The revision called for using crops and fruit trees that are suitable for a Northeastern climate and that would provide fruit annually. The plan called for Kissena Parks community board to assign individuals on a rotating basis to provide assistance to those on weekends who needed help gardening, and to ensure the space is utilized in an equitable manner. The plan also called for introduction of barrels to collect rainwater which is known as gray water to be used in the community garden.

Dr. Milena Popov of John Jay College of Criminal Justice provided my peers and I with a sustainability perspective of The High Line Park in New York City.

Dr. Milena Popov of John Jay College emphasized the use of sustainable materials, and reuse of materials in the large High Line Park structure. Features included recycled metal, a drainage system that recycles rainwater for fountains and plants in the park, lights with solar panels, and native grasses and shrubs that would be found in New York City that require low maintenance. Dr. Popov noted the park was designed with NYC plan 2030 goals in mind, a recurrent theme in the City University of NY.