Thank you for your interest in the Land of the First Light Fellowship! Below is further information on the program.
The fellowship is hosted by the
Native Land Conservancy (NLC), the first Native-led land conservation nonprofit east of the Mississippi. Our mission is to protect and restore healthy landscapes for all living beings wherever possible. Our all-Indigenous board of directors comes from four different regional tribal groups. We draw upon our collective traditional cultural knowledge, grounded in generations of direct experience in the woodlands, coastlines, and waterways of our homelands.
The fellowship intends to open up pathways to careers in conservation for Native Americans. Whether you're a student of ecology or simply curious about your career options, you're in the right place! We believe that it is in all our best interests when the next generation of Indigenous conservationists is encouraged to bring their whole selves to their training, including their culture.
The 10-week, 35-hour-per-week program begins on June 15, 2026, and ends on August 21, 2026. Based in the NLC office in the town of Mashpee on Cape Cod, the program will focus on land within the ancestral homelands of the Wampanoag, people of the first light.
Program structure:
Individual projects - You will develop your own project on a topic related to land conservation. For example, a past fellow deployed game cameras to learn about wildlife habitat use. Or maybe you want to learn how wetlands are restored, help restore culturally significant plants, or analyze data to protect threatened species. Based on your choice, you will be paired with an expert mentor from
Mass Audubon for weekly feedback. You will present your findings at the end of the summer.
Check-ins - You will have weekly check-ins with the Executive Director of the NLC, Diana Ruiz, Ph.D., and your peer fellows to make sure you are getting the support you need and to explore one another's interests.
Excursions - To give you wide-ranging professional and cultural experiences, you will go on walks guided by biologists, attend community events like powwows, get your hands dirty by pulling invasive plants, spend time with tribal elders, learn how nonprofits operate, and more.
A few more details:
• To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be a member of a Native American tribal group and be between the ages of 18 – 25 years old.
• We are able to offer each fellow a $8,000 stipend with additional support available for housing, travel, and technology.
• This year, we are happy to accept a cohort of three fellows!
• Apply by 11:59 PM on March 1st. 45-minute Zoom interview invitations will follow applicants under consideration, and awardees will be contacted by March 30th.
• Email diana@nativelandconservancy.org for additional information.
This fellowship is supported in part by the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cedar Tree Foundation.
