Written By Saratoga County Cornell Cooperative Extension
[From the 2025 Fall Magazine]
Communities all over New York State are experiencing a slightly different climate than the one they have been accustomed to in recent years. If you have noticed warmer winters, less snowfall, a slightly wetter spring, hotter and perhaps drier summers, and pop-up storms that have caught you off guard, you may find yourself wondering what you can do as an individual to help address these issues and prepare for the future. A common phrase associated with Earth Day of years’ past has been to “think globally but act locally” and this sentiment is still relevant today.
That is where a relatively recent program offered through many county Cornell Cooperative Extension offices come in. The Cornell Climate Stewards program recently developed by researchers, Extension specialists, students from Cornell University and NY Sea Grant, was created to fill some of the need for individual action through local volunteerism. It is modeled after other Extension programs with a volunteer component like the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Master Forest Owners. It aims to give volunteers the tools to learn about climate science and offers best practices for communities to undertake. Volunteers then have an opportunity to complete a local 40-hour volunteer stewardship project of their choosing over the course of a year. Examples of projects include creating pollinator gardens, supporting a local task force, grant writing, planting riparian buffers, or organizing a public educational event. The opportunities are only limited by the imagination! Many existing organizations in our area doing this work have a laundry list of needs and would love the help of a skilled volunteer!
The program was developed with the same mission as many other CCE programs; Putting knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability and social well-being. Funding to create the program came from many sources but sustained funding is from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation which helps the program continue to grow throughout the state. One way that volunteers can combine efforts is to seek out projects identified through the New York State Climate Smart Communities Program.
∅To find out if your municipality is a registered or a certified community, visit climatesmart.ny.gov.
∅To find out more about the Cornell Climate Stewards Program visit www.climatestewards.cornell.edu.
Saratoga County CCE has graduated its first group of volunteers this past summer, is participating in a fall training, and will continue to offer training on an annual basis. We are happy to be a part of this exciting new opportunity to connect volunteers with the training and knowledge to empower them to make a difference in their own communities.
Contact Jennifer Koval at