Partners | nnii

Nature Now Partners

The students of Nature Now International thank our multi-disciplinary international team of collaborators, partners and advisors who have donated their time, creativity, and resources towards our projects. Most importantly, their leadership and passion have helped to inspire our generation to take action on a grassroots level to help conserve our biodiversity and environment.

Every contribution fueled our passion and commitment to creating NNI — from discounts for our banners and business cards to loaning us museum exhibits and an observation hive of 9,000 stinging bees for research and outreach! Thank you to the wildlife reserves who allowed us to work hard in the field and prove that young people can contribute to conservation.

We are especially grateful to all the professors, veterinarians, and wildlife experts who helped us to prepare for our projects by teaching us the ecology, biology, and social science underlying each initiative. Over the years, they have opened up their doors to their laboratories and university offices, and they spoke to us over Skype from different continents. They worked with us to initiate a professional development workshop in Costa Rica for wildlife rehabilitation.

We will be forever grateful for all the great discussion and wisdom they have imparted to us as we have tried to grasp the complexities of conservation work and sustainable development. We have learned the importance of scientific research in the development of evidence-based interventions and policies for the protection of the environment, a concept to which we will remain loyal, especially in our shifting political climate.

Partners and Collaborators

Research

Citizen Science: Rainforest Biodiversity

Eric R. Olsen, PhD Northland College

Guido Saborio, MS - Biologist and independent researcher, Costa Rica

Additional Research Mentors

Anjan Ray, PhD – Director -CSIR, Indian Institute of Petroleum, Energy and Environment, specific interest in biofuels and climate change mitigation

Johan Van Veen, PhD Director of Center of Investigations of Tropical Bees - National University of Costa Rica

Jorge Cortes Nunez, Phd - Center of Marine Sciences and Limnology - University of Costa Rica

Monterey Bay Aquarium, California

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Florida

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, New York

Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island, Georgia

Kids Saving The Rainforest, Costa Rica

Seal Centre Pieterburen, The Netherlands

Toucan Rescue Ranch, Costa Rica

Reserva Playa Tortuga, Ojochal, Costa Rica

Center of Investigations of Tropical Bees - National University of Costa Rica

Mote Marine Lab, Summerland Key, Florida

San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California

West Valley Collection and Recycling, California

Christopher Elementary School, San Jose, California

Saratoga High School, Saratoga California

Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge Los Gatos, California

O’Brien Family, Los Gatos, California: Bee Keepers

Earlier Mentors

Thank You to our earlier Mentors and Partners from around the world who dedicated time to helping us to advance our mission to learn about and create youth opportunities in environmental science, veterinary medicine and community-based conservation .

Rodolfo Dirzso, PhD, Professor Stanford University Wood’s Institute: INOGO

Advisor in outreach in San Jose, California Hispanic community to engage middle school girls in STEM field trips and initiatives. Advisor in NNI sponsorship of INOGO youth in NNI field programs.

Terry Norton, Director, Veterinarian, Georgia Sea Turtle Center Conducted workshop for wildlife medicine in Costa Rica and continues to support NNI outreach with distance learning GSTC program.

Noha Abou Madi, Section Chief of Zoological Medicine, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Advisor in project to initiate and implement five day workshop for professional development in Costa Rica on health and rehabilitation of wildlife

Gerado Chaves, University of Costa Rica Advisor in Project on the Arribada (massive arrival) of Sea turtles in Ostional, Costa Rica where harvesting of sea turtles eggs are legal as part of a community-based-conservation effort.

Melissa Jimenez Kardeney, MS, Biologist, Reserva Playa Tortuga Partner in virtual outreach on education of sea turtle biology and life cycle

In Memory of Professor Leon Blaustein

Leon Blaustein, PhD, University of Haifa

Full Professor in the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa. Head of the Community Ecology Laboratory, a Fellow of the Institute of Evolution, the Director of the Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Research Center and the Editor-in-Chief of the Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution

Thank you to one of our earliest Mentors, who was willing to Skype with us while we were young and living in Costa Rica (before the world went virtual) with whom we asked

“Why is biodiversity Important?” We never met Professor Blaustein in person but will always remember his dedication to us and youth environmentalism.

Nature Now Partners

Partners and Collaborators

Research

Fieldwork: Biological Monitoring, Costa Rica

Wildlife Rescue & Sanctuary

Community Education and Outreach

Earlier Mentors

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In Memory of Professor Leon Blaustein