First recipients of Community Foundation\’s Friends of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center Scholarship named

Recent high school graduates share a passion for the environment

     WATERTOWN — Recent high school graduates Sophia Cohen and Connor G. Young are the inaugural recipients of the Northern New York Community Foundation Friends of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center Scholarship.

     The two 18-year-olds were selected for the $2,500 scholarship because of the passion they share for protecting the environment.

     Sophia will study biology at Binghamton University this fall. While a student at Thousand Islands High School, she served as vice president of the Environmental Club and worked on a nesting program for common terns on Tidd Island. The common tern is a migratory bird that is seeing a decline in population along the St. Lawrence River.

     Connor will study wildlife management at SUNY Cobleskill this fall. The Heuvelton High School graduate aspires to become a biologist or officer with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. He works part-time at a local park.

     Friends of the Nature Center Board President Emma Dundon said the scholarship, which was established at the Community Foundation earlier this year, “is an investment in local youth who are our future.”

     “It aligns well with our mission to promote environmental education,” Dundon said.

     The scholarship helps graduates from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties pursue post-secondary studies in natural science fields, including conservation, environmental science, zoology, and related studies.

     “Like generations of local school children, I have many special memories of visits to the Nature Center. This scholarship is a perfect way to commemorate and extend the Center’s history and important work and mission that has impacted the lives of countless students for more than half a century,” Community Foundation president and CEO Rande S. Richardson said.

     The Friends of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center has been dedicated to protecting one of Northern New York’s most treasured natural places while inspiring generations of visitors to appreciate the outdoors. What began in 1973 as a community effort to support a small nature center has grown into a lasting partnership that strengthens environmental education, conservation, and stewardship across the Thousand Islands region.

     Nestled on a scenic 600-acre peninsula within Wellesley Island State Park, the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center has become a place where curiosity flourishes.

     Today, the Friends of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center Scholarship carries forward a spirit of discovery, helping students who are committed to studying and preserving the natural world.

     Friends of the Nature Center became a Community Foundation partner in 2017 when it established a permanent endowment fund at the Foundation to support the work and mission of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center.

About the Northern New York Community Foundation

     Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

     Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.

     The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.