Chesapeake Conservation Corps Member Joins Chesapeake Conservancy

Annapolis, MD – The Chesapeake Conservancy is pleased to announce that Jake Leizear has come aboard as a 2016-17 Chesapeake Conservation Corps (CCC) member. The CCC program is supported by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and provides service-learning opportunities and green job training for young people through environmental and energy conservation projects. Leizear is the first CCC member to work for the Chesapeake Conservancy.

A recent graduate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Leizear holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certification, with a strong background and interest in human-GIS application and community engagement and involvement.

“As a leader in using cutting edge technology for conservation, the Chesapeake Conservancy is a really great place to spend my year as a Corps member,” Leizear said. “This experience will allow me to apply GIS technology toward community project goals and help me gain a more hands-on knowledge of the realities that come with working in the conservation scene of the Chesapeake region.”

Leizear will work with the Chesapeake Conservancy for the next year, focusing on improving access to green spaces and the Patapsco River in Baltimore and raising awareness of and engagement in the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition. Through this Coalition, the Chesapeake Conservancy works with partners such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks to advance urban wildlife conservation, public access, and environmental opportunities in Baltimore.

“We are thrilled with this opportunity to host our first Chesapeake Conservation Corp member and to have Jake onboard,” Chesapeake Conservancy Director of Conservation Programs Jenn Aiosa said. “His background in GIS and desire to help improve recreational access in Baltimore matches perfectly with the Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission and the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition’s work to connect communities to nature throughout the region.”