Lynnea Shuck awarded the 2015 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes

2015 Gloria Barron Prize Award Winner Lynnea Shuck, on the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy USFWS. Copyright CC-BY-NA 3.0

Lynnea Shuck was honored with the 2015 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for creating the Junior Refuge Ranger program at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and working to expand her program to all 560 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States.

Established in 2001 by author T.A. Barron, the Barron Prize announced its 2015 winners on September 21 in Boulder, Colorado. The prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities, and the environment. The award celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America. The top fifteen winners each receive $5,000 to support their service work or higher education.

Lynnea Shuck created the Junior Refuge Ranger program at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge to connect youth to nature and propel childhood curiosity into environmental stewardship. She recently began the national rollout of her program, with the vision of expanding it to all 560 National Wildlife Refuges across the country. Already, National Wildlife Refuges in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland, Idaho, and Colorado are working to implement her program.

Lynnea founded Junior Refuge Rangers after years of volunteering at a wildlife refuge in Alviso, California, a community with few resources and great need. Her program uses hands-on activities, habitat hikes, and interactive experiments to engage youth organizations, local school groups, Scout troops, and the public in learning about the important role of the National Wildlife Refuge System in conserving critical habitat and endangered species. To facilitate the program’s nationwide adoption, Lynnea has authored an instruction manual and created a comprehensive how-to kit for the use of other National Wildlife Refuges. She has also worked with Fish and Wildlife staff to present a national, hour-long webinar on her program.

“I’m committed to keeping places wild for generations to come. I hope to instill in the youth of today a sense of environmental optimism, appreciation, and motivation.” — Lynnea Shuck

Are you working with a youth hero who would be eligible for this prize? Encourage your young hero to apply between January and April. Winners are announced in September. Winners of this award receive $5,000 that they may apply to either their education or to their service work. Winners are also paired with a mentor who is established in their field of interest.

Spread the word! No one ever is awarded the prize who does not apply! Learn more here: http://barronprize.org/about-us/