The Scholarship Committee scored the proposals and awarded the scholarship to Carson Snyder a Junior at Sacramento State. He is working on a project evaluating the avian response to USACE mitigation plantings along the American River Parkway.
In his letter of interest, He writes "My late grandmother always shared her interest in birds with me at a young age, her home always centered around them with plenty of decorations to show.." In high school he took a class on fish and wildlife and realized he could have a career in conservation. His career goals now include protecting and restoring bird habitat.
I notified him of the scholarship award and below is his response:
“I’m thrilled to have been selected for this scholarship and am glad you enjoyed reading about my work and ambitions.”
I am pleased that we could support Carson, and I have already met in person with the professor leading his work Connor Rosenblatt. Connor is excited about the prospect of starting a student program with Sacramento Bird Alliance and getting undergraduates out collecting data in the Parkway. We have tentatively decided to kick off a program this year with bird surveys at three parks selected by the Environmental Council of Sacramento’s Habitat 2020 Committee and in coordination with their effort to acquire more biological data at key locations to support their Natural Areas Campaign (CNPS will be collecting plant data as well).
This is a great start for our Scholarship program!
—Cliff Feldheim, Sacramento Bird Alliance President
