Page 8 - Gateways 2018 Spring
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News Bites continued
COMMUNITY In-NATE-ly Passionate
Many people want to change the world in a positive Nate Haefelin collects data for a giraffe welfare project (above),
way. But actually doing that at age 14 is impressive. Nate and gives a presentation at the 2017 Teen Conservation
Haefelin, a teenager in our King Conservation Science Leadership Conference (below).
Scholars program, is doing it with the help of over
100 fellow teens that volunteer for Effective Projects What was originally designed to give teens one-time
Improving Communities (EPIC), an environmental action opportunities to complete graduation service hours has
program he founded. become a large, self-sustaining volunteer organization
to which they are returning in an effort to make a
Following the advice of his mother, Nate began positive impact in their local communities. In fewer
volunteering at Brookfield Zoo when he was a freshman than three years, more than 100 EPIC teens from 15 area
at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. She high schools have completed upward of 1,300 hours of
thought the zoo would be a fun and safe place for local community service projects dedicated to helping
him to spend his summers. Her gentle push ended up preserve Chicagoland habitats. They have helped
creating his love for service and the environment, and Shedd Aquarium staff clean up a beach, removed over a
he has since expanded that far beyond the zoo’s gates. dozen 55-gallon garbage bags worth of trash from Cook
County forest preserves, maintained Indiana Dunes
After becoming a King Scholar, Nate craved more zoo hiking trails, and removed invasive plants with the
experiences. He wanted to learn about running a zoo Openlands organization.
and immersed himself in the daily life of the Chicago
Zoological Society. He worked closely with animal care EPIC hasn’t taken Nate away from Brookfield Zoo. He
staff to monitor the reproductive cycles of our Mexican is still an active King Scholar, and he currently acts as the
gray wolves, volunteered to help analyze animal feces vice president of the King Conservation Science Scholars’
for stress hormones, developed and administered a Teen Advisory Council. His leadership was essential to
guest survey, and used the survey results to help our the implementation of our annual Teen Conference this
writing team create interpretive signs about the wolves. past July.
Eventually, his dedication to our mission of inspiring
conservation leadership led him to found EPIC. Nate hopes he is able to achieve his lifelong dream of
attending Stanford University and starting an environ-
mental consulting firm that helps corporations mitigate
climate change. With his passion and dedication, there
is no doubt he will achieve whatever he puts his mind to.
8 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES
