Cornell Climate Steward Volunteer Registration/Application 

-For Cayuga, Schuyler and Seneca County Residents

***THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.  BEFORE COMPLETING THIS REGISTRATION/APPLICATION, WE RECOMMEND YOU UNDERSTAND THE CORNELL CLIMATE STEWARD PROGRAM. Visit https://climatestewards.cornell.edu/

AFTER YOU ARE COMMITTED TO ATTENDING THE 12 WEEK PROGAM, AND THEN VOLUNTEERING TO WORK ON ADAPTATION OR MITIGATION PROJECTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, THEN COMPLETE THIS REGISTRATION/APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED AS A PARTICIPANT/VOLUNTEER. 

Completing this registration/application is step one in the process, and completion of this registration/application does not guarantee your participation in the program. Step two is an interview process, and step three is enrollment for successful candidates following the interview process. 

 ABOUT THE CORNELL CLIMATE STEWARD PROGRAM

The Cornell Climate Stewards Program was developed by researchers, Extension specialists, and students from Cornell University, NY Sea Grant, and Cornell Cooperative Extension through a rigorous three-year process involving many partners and funding from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), federal Extension Smith-Lever dollars, and a pilot grant from the NYS Energy Research Development Agency (NYSERDA).

Cornell Climate Stewards continues to grow throughout New York due to funding from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Mission & Vision
The Cornell Climate Stewards program’s vision is for New York State’s local communities to actively address the impacts of a changing environment continuously. The program’s mission is to train and empower New York State volunteers to support their local communities with this work.

Cornell Climate Stewards Training
The Cornell Climate Stewards Program is a 12-week training program for adults who want to volunteer in their community. After completing the training, volunteers agree to contribute 40 hours over one year to a local project to help advance their community’s goals.

For example, Cornell Climate Stewards (CCS) after completing the 12-week training helped their community earn designation as a Climate Smart Community; they have planted community pollinator gardens; they volunteer on municipal boards and commissions; they help educate neighbors about stormwater management and flood preparation. The sky is the limit for adaptation and mitigation projects CCS can work on in their communities. For more examples visit https://climatestewards.cornell.edu/climate-stewards-storymap/

Goals of the new Climate Stewards Training program include:

Increasing access to the most up-to-date land-grant university research, science, and best practices for local resilience through a Cornell Cooperative Extension course for adults in New York;
Establishing a network of volunteers committed to local action, who are empowered to develop and implement stewardship projects in their community;
Providing support to municipalities to achieve New York State resiliency goals.

ABOUT THE FALL 2025 TRAINING

Starts- Wednesday September 10, 2025.  Ends- Wednesday December 10, 2025

ALL TRAINING CLASSES MEET VIRTUALLY ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 6:00pm-8:00pm (no training class on October 1 and November 26). 

Participants must have ability to attend all training classes virtually using the Zoom platform. 

Qualified instructors presenting weekly topics will include Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension staff.  Local CCE staff will support your involvement in the program during the training sessions, and throughout your volunteer involvement. Note, one vision for this program is to empower you to be the change you wish to see- in that spirit, CCE staff will help you as much as they can, but cannot take responsibility for project implementation.

All materials for the course will be available electronically. 

There may be additional field trips/meet-ups scheduled during the training session, depending on availability of participants and staff.  Ideally we can meet each other and build relationships with other participants in the class and support each other. Such field trips/meet-ups will be discussed among the group during the training sessions. 

This Fall 2025 CCS training session will be offered across New York State, and will include other participants representing other counties across New York State. 

At this time, there is no cost to enroll into this training program for Cayuga, Schuyler and Seneca County residents. This registration/application process is specific to Cayuga, Schuyler and Seneca County residents. 

COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION

If you want to be considered for participation in this training program to be a Cornell Climate Steward, please complete the registration/application by clicking the blue "register" button below. It may take 15-20 minutes to complete the entire application- please be prepared to complete the entire registration/application at one time, because the form CANNOT SAVE YOUR PROGRESS. After completing the entire registration, you can click the "Submit Registration" button to submit the application. Once submitted, you cannot return to the application. 

Contact Ryan.Staychock@cornell.edu for more information.

Registration for event has CLOSED.