2022 Scholarship Recipient

The Prescott Audubon Society scholarship committee is pleased to announce that Chyenne Klemme is the recipient of the 2022 Environmental Scholarship. Chyenne is a junior at Prescott College, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural and Regional Studies, with a minor in Environmental Studies.

Chyenne defined environmental conservation this way: “Environmental conservation means recognizing the reciprocal relationship we [humans] must have with the earth… Proper environmental conservation is the inclusion of Indigenous people at the forefront…as the first stewards of the land….” Her argument for how her degree can contribute to conservation is based on the “interconnectedness of humans and the environment,” and her own commitment to “use this knowledge [her degree] to return to the Navajo Nation to help with conservation projects,” specifically the Paria Beach Restoration Project at Lee’s Ferry. Her plan is to work with “teachers from the Page Unified School district to create multiple projects that focus on Navajo youth.” The intention is to enable “Native youth to commit to conserving the environment they were born from,” thus re-teaching the traditional lessons of conservation. Chyenne will use the scholarship funds for tuition costs to finish her degree.

We hope to arrange a time for Chyenne to visit with Prescott Audubon Society members at a future Window on Nature program, whenever it is safe to do so.

This year, there were over 20 applications, the most ever! Besides Prescott College, we received applications from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Arizona State University-Mohave. Given the high caliber of the essays and projects, the committee members had quite the challenge deciding on one recipient. It is gratifying that this program, and Prescott Audubon Society, have enough recognition in the community to garner this amount of interest.

The Mission of the Prescott Audubon Society is to preserve and protect our environment for all who inhabit it. The society pursues these goals through education, fieldwork, social activities, and activism.