2024 Cornell Climate Stewards CCE educators cohort. Credit: Kayla Walsh/NYSG
Contact:
Kayla Walsh, NYSG Coastal Climate Specialist, E: kgw43@cornell.edu, P: (631) 546-5959
NYSG-trained extension educators in turn train volunteer cohorts to lead projects that will increase climate resilience and adaptation capacity in their NY counties.
Ithaca, NY, May 27, 2025 - Barriers to climate change action must be addressed for communities to improve sustainability and resilience. A Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences feasibility study for climate change volunteer programs in the northeastern U.S. identified a lack of capacity and funds to start and manage local climate change projects. To address these needs, the Cornell Climate Stewards (CCS) program trains Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educators, with roots and networks within their county communities, to train volunteers who then facilitate local projects that improve the capacity of local governments and municipalities to begin addressing local needs.
New York Sea Grant (NYSG) worked with CCE to coordinate and support a “Train the Trainers” program in September 2024, delivering a 12-week curriculum to 19 new educators from 17 counties’ CCE offices across the state. These educators will train volunteer cohorts in 2025 to lead projects that increase climate resilience and adaptation capacity in their communities. Past CCS projects include building pollinator pathways, creating a fossil fuel-free school district, implementing art and educational programs related to climate action, leading wetland management projects, and more.
As of 2024, NYSG has expanded the CCS program by training 48 educators throughout the state. One hundred and four (104) Climate Steward volunteers in 15 counties have dedicated more than 563 hours to climate resilience and adaptation projects, often helping their municipalities receive points toward Climate Smart Community accreditation by New York State. The 2024 cohort of educators will work with NYSG and the statewide CCS network to recruit, train, and guide volunteers in 2025. NYSG will continue to support these trainers as they prepare to launch their programs.
NYSG is helping to increase the capacity of local governments to address community resilience and adaptation needs by providing training and support through the Cornell Climate Stewards program, empowering volunteers who know the needs of their communities and are dedicated to leading local action. Learn more at climatestewards.cornell.edu/.
Project Partners:
• Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
More Info: New York Sea Grant
Established in 1966, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Sea Grant College Program promotes the informed stewardship of coastal resources in 34 joint federal/state university-based programs in every U.S. coastal state (marine and Great Lakes) and Puerto Rico. The Sea Grant model has also inspired similar projects in the Pacific region, Korea and Indonesia.
Since 1971, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.
NYSG historically leverages on average a 3 to 6-fold return on each invested federal dollar, annually. We benefit from this, as these resources are invested in Sea Grant staff and their work in communities right here in New York.
Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.
New York Sea Grant, one of the largest of the state Sea Grant programs, is a cooperative program of the State University of New York (SUNY) and Cornell University. The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark, and in Watertown. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County on Long Island, in Queens, at Brooklyn College, with Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC, in Bronx, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County in Kingston, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County in Elmsford.
For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org, follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and YouTube). NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which it publishes 2-3 times a year.