Jenna Lutes Receives $10,000 Scholarship from The Land Conservancy of New Jersey
Thursday, Jul 11, 2024
Congratulations to Jenna Lutes, a Master of Science student who is majoring in environmental science, who was named one of six New Jersey residents to receive the 2024 Russell Myers Scholarship from The Land Conservancy of New Jersey (TLCNJ).
“It means the world to me that people saw my application, interviewed me, and then believed in me and my research so much that they chose to support me with this scholarship,” expressed Lutes.
As a scholarship winner, Lutes will receive $10,000 from TLCNJ. The funding will support her research that focuses on conducting annual breeding wading bird monitoring on Lake Okeechobee and studying wading bird prey in the wetlands that surround the lake. It will also allow her to purchase new sampling materials and support her travel costs to and from her sampling sites.
After a beloved state park from her childhood become overrun with invasive species and habitat loss, Lutes knew she wanted to be involved in managing wildlife and natural resources in her future career. At Florida Atlantic, Lutes is helping evaluate what nearby foraging habitat may be available to Lake Okeechobee’s breeding wading birds when the lake is not providing optimal foraging.
As a graduate student at Florida Atlantic, Lutes has come to greatly appreciate and value the university’s supportive community.
“It has been such a pleasant experience working with and meeting other graduate students and faculty,” stated Lutes. “Everyone cares about empowering one another.”
Following her anticipated graduation in spring 2026, Lutes intends to pursue a full-time career in research or management.
“I hope to bring community-based conservation solutions into wildlife and natural resource management,” said Lutes.
For over 40 years, TLCNJ has proudly supported future environmental leaders who are training for careers in environmental science, natural resource management, conservation, park administration, and related fields. The organization’s scholarship program was started in 1983 with the Russell W. Myers Scholarship.