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January 28, 2021
Four students from the University of Michigan have been named 2020-2022 Wyss Conservation Scholars. The Wyss Foundation supports students at six different universities nationwide to recognize future leaders in nonprofit and public sector conservation with a focus on the Western United States.
U-M honors students at SEAS and Michigan Law School. These students continue in the tradition of Michigan alumni working in leadership positions in NGOs and government in places like Denver, Bozeman, Portland, and San Francisco, along with Washington D.C.-based congressional and NGO staff who focus on Western lands issues.
The new Wyss Conservation Scholars are:
Gillian Moore, a Conservation Ecology student with interests in forest conservation and management. Gillian received her BA in philosophy and visual art at the University of Chicago. Having spent a portion of her youth in the San Jacinto Mountains in southern California and experienced the threat of wildfire, Gillian developed an interest in climate-change adapted management strategies and policy. She has worked as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, with on-the-ground work in New Mexico, Oregon, Alaska, and Colorado.
Hannah Paton, a second-year Law School student with a focus on environmental law. Hannah completed her BA in economics and environmental studies at Bucknell University. She has worked at the Environment Section of the Alaska Department of Law and as a water policy analyst at the Center for Water Security and Cooperation for two years. At Michigan, she is co-president of the Environmental Law Society. Hannah's interests center on devising climate-appropriate governance regimes for water resources and land conservation in the West.
Augusta Terkildsen, a Conservation Ecology student, is Oglala Lakota and a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Gusti received her BA in Environmental Sciences/Studies and Native American Studies from Dartmouth College. Gusti has worked for numerous grassroots organizations on Indigenous Youth education and empowerment, and on efforts by the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance in New Mexico to develop Tribal conservation districts, including one on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Gusti intends to use her SEAS education and traditional ecological knowledge to create culturally aware systems that aid in the stewardship of Tribal lands and their citizens, both human and non-human.
Amanda Wheelock, an Environmental Policy and Planning student, completed her BA in geography and environmental studies from Dartmouth College. Raised in southern Appalachia, Amanda has worked as an outdoor educator in California and North Carolina; a community liaison for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy; and the Policy and Communications Manager for the Continental Divide Trail Coalition in Golden, Colorado. Her interest is in promoting public lands management based in equitable access, ecosystem conservation, and climate resilience.
The Wyss Scholars at SEAS are advised by Dr. Steven Yaffee as part of the Ecosystem Management Initiative.