Every summer, the Greenwich Audubon Center runs an internship program for high school and college youth called the Ecoleader Internship. This year, six Ecoleader interns are joining the team at the Greenwich Audubon Center: Griffin Porphy, Andrew McGibbon, Madeline McCusker, Evan Dwyer, Jordan “Briar” Lissauer, and Valeria Gutierrez, also joined by our returning Ecoleader Crew Lead from last year, Nora Lowrey. The value these youth interns bring to our conservation mission is incredible; watching them work, you can’t help but feel hopeful for a brighter, more environmentally conscious future with the rising generation. Often times, the Ecoleaders tackle a different project every year: in 2023, they helped plant the beginnings of the Siwanoy Forest at our main sanctuary, creating a native tree canopy; in 2024, they managed invasives, and designed and planted a pollinator garden; in 2025, they began work on Gimbel Sanctuary, a piece of land overwhelmed by invasives, and began restoring it to native habitat. This year, our new interns return to the 2025 project: the restoration of the Gimbel Sanctuary.
Restoring the Gimbel Sanctuary is a top priority for the Greenwich Audubon Center. Gimbel Sanctuary, though small, is of great significance to the health of the local ecosystem in the Greenwich area because it is part of a larger project called the Byram River Greenway. The Byram River Greenway is being created by the Greenwich Land Trust in partnership with the Greenwich Audubon Center.
A greenway is a corridor of open space that can serve several purposes, such as:
Conservation of natural resources, scenic landscapes, and historical resources
Providing opportunities for recreation
Connecting existing protected areas and providing access to the outdoors
Preservation of green space and wildlife corridors/crossings along a highway and other developments
Assist with other conservation and preservation goals of natural, green spaces
“What is a greenway?” is a question that was shared by Ecoleader Griffin Porphy when he began working on the project. “I’ve certainly learned quite a bit more about it during our research days,” he said about the Byram River Greenway. “It’s really interesting–with greenways and wildlife corridors, I thought it was mostly just for wildlife, for migratory routes over highways and developed land, but there’s also an anthropogenic side with the use of people, places, and space connecting the natural landscape to where you’re from. Instead of spending so much time driving to a trailhead, you’d be able to walk through the greenway that’s already there. It’s the merging of those two–it’s not just for animals and plants, it’s for us as well.” Porphy, a mountain biker and hiker who is currently studying sustainable development in college, sees personal, ecological, and community value in the Byram River Greenway.
Restoring Gimbel Sanctuary as part of the Byram River Greenway began last year, and even after just a week and a half into this year’s internship, the Ecoleaders this year have made significant progress. Standing in Gimbel Sanctuary now, you can see at least a 100 foot radius of mowed and cleared space as the Ecoleaders remove bags upon bags of invasive species such as Mugwort, Garlic Mustard, Mile-a-minute Vine, and more. A cleared boardwalk for easier access hiking lies among the beginning of a maintained trail system throughout the sanctuary.
Watching the Ecoleaders work is an inspiration in and of itself–and not just because it’s baffling to watch anyone do manual labor in the Connecticut summer heat and humidity. To watch youth do it is even more impressive. When they could be doing anything else, particularly something easier, with their summer vacations, one can’t help but wonder why they’re out with shovels, chainsaws, and clippers, sweating as they battle invasive plant species. For Ecoleader Briar Lissauer, the decision was easy since she’s always been interested in the outdoors. “Backpacking, camping, I’m in Girl Scouts–I’ve just always been immersed,” Briar explains. “I wanted to have a summer job where I was able to be outside and do these things, and when I saw I could apply here, it was the perfect opportunity.” It seems almost impossible that a 15-year-old’s favorite part of the internship is “just being out here and doing work,” but for Briar, that’s exactly the case.
But it’s not all manual labor, all the time. Kayaking is on the agenda for this year, as well as other fun outdoor recreation opportunities as they enjoy just one of the many fruits of their labor–providing outdoor rec opportunities for the communities in Greenwich. The Ecoleaders get to take advantage of the fun side of conservation as well, often as part of a professional development program within the internship that allows them to explore potential careers in the field. Last year, a guided tour through the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo gave the Ecoleaders a detailed breakdown of how accredited zoos contribute to wildlife conservation.
The professional development opportunities, projects, and internship opportunities are coordinated by the Greenwich Audubon Staff, not the least of which being the Ecoleader Crew Lead, Nora Lowrey. Nora is a returning Crew Lead from last year, and is using her experience working on the Byram River Greenway in 2025 to propel the project forward this year. Nora has always been interested in all facets of the environmental field, and thought leading the internship would give her “the best use of time to be a steward of nature, and foster positive experiences for people to learn and grow while connecting with the natural world around us.” Speaking about the interns this year, Nora said, “They’re all extremely enthusiastic about the work. They all have found their place–some like to put their head down and go crazy, some like to form groups; they’re really finding their individual strengths and balancing each other out.” Bringing her experience from last year, Nora understands the challenges of being a Crew Lead. “You have to keep the team energized, and keep the momentum going. It’s really easy to lose that momentum when you’re doing this kind of work, especially when it seems like there’s no end in sight. That’s sometimes what invasive management is–a never ending process and battle. I’m here to keep energies high, keep morale high, and make sure that burnout doesn’t happen too quickly.” And so far, it seems Nora is doing a great job–the interns are hard at work and show no signs of slowing down.
Restoring Gimbel Sanctuary to its native habitat and making it part of the Byram River Greenway is a big project to undertake, but in partnership with the Greenwich Land Trust, the Ecoleader interns are making substantial progress. The outlook for Gimbel Sanctuary is good–and citizens (both human and nonhuman) of Greenwich can expect to have a functioning greenway to enjoy in the near future.
