Environmental Education
Lowell Leaders In Stewardship present at the National Land Conservation Conference.
Changing Lives – Inside & Outside
The Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust’s after-school program, Lowell Leaders in Stewardship (LLIS), connects kids and young adults to nature, to their community, and to each other, as well as contributing to the health and vitality of Lowell.
This STEM-based program builds upon our promise to the community as a land trust – to protect conservation land and special places in Lowell – in perpetuity. Our goal is to engage future generations in the stewardship of Lowell’s natural resources and special places.
The result is a growing number of families, community members, and city leaders who realize that conservation can change lives, every day.
The Partnership – Where the Magic Happens
Lowell Leaders in Stewardship (LLIS) is offered in partnership with the Lowell Public Schools and Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.
Our unique partnership with Mass Audubon leverages resources that neither organization could deliver alone: LP&CT provides local knowledge, resources, and partnership collaborations, and Mass Audubon brings live native wildlife, plus curriculum and program evaluation expertise.
Together, we can offer a program focused on experiential learning and youth engagement, providing students the opportunity to contribute to improving the world around them in such a way that they can see positive change on the ground.
Since 2005, the program has grown from a single program offered once-a-week to being offered every afternoon in three locations across ten of Lowell’s schools, throughout the school year and for the month of July. Details about current programs and sites are available here.
Collecting insects with nets along trail
Our Goals
The city of Lowell was built from the rich natural resources of the Merrimack and Concord Rivers and was the home of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. Lowell has many diverse habitats and is rich in natural resources, but most youth are unaware of these treasures.
Through this program, we connect students to their larger community by exploration and projects where they can apply the skills they learn in school to everyday situations. The explorations we do together are designed to be fun, interactive, and increase their knowledge of Lowell’s resources, while instilling a sense of confidence and pride in their community and watershed.
Exploring Lowell
Visiting the confluence of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
What better way to learn about our local environment than to explore it! Through LLIS programming, we make use of various outdoor classrooms – our local green spaces.
Our outdoor classrooms include:
-
LP&CT-owned properties, such as the Hawk Valley Farm and West Meadow Conservation Land
-
Concord River Greenway
-
Confluence of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
-
Schoolyard habitats
