The Wilderness Society, a leading conservation organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. and with offices around the country [wilderness.org], offers an annual scholarship, available to qualified graduate students. We award $25,000 each to two currently-enrolled graduate students to support their research and preparation of a paper on an aspect of wilderness. T. A. Barron created the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship in honor of his mother, Gloria Barron, a dedicated educator and tireless advocate for wilderness protection.
The Wilderness Society recently completed a strategic plan that identified two priorities: (1) Make public lands a solution to the climate and extinction crises by securing a resilient, continental network of landscapes and eliminating climate-changing emissions, and (2) Transform conservation policy and practice so all people benefit equitably from public lands. We are seeking applications from graduate students who’s work supports these priorities. Within this context, we are particularly interested in research projects that focus on one of three areas: (1) Conservation on and management of Bureau of Land Management lands, (2) Conservation of Old Growth Forests, and (3) Conservation in the Arctic. Proposals that focus on one of these three areas will be given priority. Within these three areas, research proposals can address topics as wide as biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the social and ecological context of landscape conservation, among others.
Applicants for the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship must: be currently enrolled in an accredited graduate institution in the United States at the time of application; have strong academic qualifications; and have academic and/or career goals focused on making a significant positive difference in the long-term protection of wilderness in the United States. The scholarship is open to applicants from any graduate discipline, including sciences, law, social sciences, etc.
For more information on the Scholarship and how to apply, click here. The deadline to apply for the 2024 cycle is April 15, 2024.