Rising Environmental Leader Honored: Emma Chilton

December 10, 2018
News
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Rising Environmental Leader Honored: Emma Chilton
2018 Conservation Corps Ramapo Trail Crew. Photo by Heather Darley.

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Emma Chilton, leader of the Trail Conference’s 2018 Conservation Corps crew at Ramapo Valley County Reservation, is the embodiment of a burgeoning environmental leader: engaging, passionate, knowledgeable, selfless. And on Sept. 14, she was honored by the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum as a Rising Environmental Leaders of the Hudson Valley at their annual Champagne Brunch.

A recent environmental engineering graduate of Cornell, Emma has faithfully spent her free time volunteering with local environmental organizations such as the Trail Conference and the Rockland County Conservation Corps (RCCC). In 2013, Emma served as a Corps member for the RCCC under the Rockland Department of Environmental Resources, improving trails around the county. She spent the remainder of that summer break swinging a pick-mattock, building trails alongside the Trail Conference Conservation Corps. A self-starter and team player, Emma continued volunteering with the Trail Conference during breaks from college, grad school, and work, helping out with challenging office tasks with characteristic enthusiasm and resourcefulness.

In 2018, she proved to be a high-performing trail crew leader, motivating her team to greater levels of success in all conditions, be it hot muggy, weather or cold rains. She has excelled in creating rewarding outdoor experiences for large volunteer and corporate groups. We have every reason to believe that Emma will become one of New York’s brightest environmental leaders because she has already proven herself as one of the Trail Conference's finest.