Florida Wild for All Scholarship

As part of Alachua Conservation Trust’s (ACT) commitment to better address the intersectionality between our work as a land conservation nonprofit and the equity and representation needs that exist in our community, ACT awarded the inaugural Florida Wild for All Inaugural Scholarship in 2021 and continues to award recipients each year. With this award we seek to amplify and celebrate the existing voices of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Multiracial People of Color interested in pursuing a career path in natural resources management or protection of the environment of Florida.

Making Natural Spaces a Place for All

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During the current global health crisis, many of us have retreated to outdoor spaces to find peace and rejuvenation. However, as a land trust that is working to create safe natural spaces for all, we acknowledge that not everyone has an equal experience in nature and that many members of our community face issues of inequity and injustice every day.

The mission of ACT is to protect land, water, and wildlife for the benefit of our working region. However, we must underscore that historically ACT has not directly addressed the intersection of our work and the inequity and systemic oppression that Black, indigenous, people of color, and under-resourced communities experience to access green spaces, clean air and water, and feel safe in public places.

We know that change must begin internally. As a staff and board we are creating an action-oriented plan to better address this intersectionality between our work as a land conservation nonprofit and the injustices that exist in our community. As our action plan further develops, ACT looks forward to sharing our ideas with you. Until then, we want to note that our organization is currently taking the following first steps:

  • Requiring and providing training on equity and representation for all current ACT staff and board.

  • Elevating the voices of existing organizations and the work they are doing to support marginalized communities and the environment.

  • Creating a permanent article in our Gazetteer newsletter to update the community on our work towards equity and representation.

ACT recognizes that our organization has a role to play in creating better access to nature, recreation, environmental education, and job opportunities in the environmental field for all races, genders, and sexual orientations. There is a lot more work for us to do and we are grateful for your support and feedback as we take the needed next steps in helping make nature a place for all.

P.S. Check out some great organizations that are working to create a better outdoor experience for all through their programs and outreach: