Over the past few months, the City of Newburgh Environmental Justice [EJ] Fellows have gone into the City of Newburgh community canvassing, educating and connecting residents through environmental education and conservation. The 2024 Class of EJ Fellows includes Savonni Bailey, Tyrees Canigan, Steven Gonzalez, Ashley Martinez and Michelle Prado. The 2024 class is managed by newly appointed fellowship manager Elisabeth Balachova.

The EJ program is run under the guidance of the Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy [GNPC], “a not-for-profit organization that creates environmental justice leadership opportunities for young adults and engages diverse residents of all ages in hands-on ecological restoration and beautification projects.” The Conservancy was founded by local resident Kathy Lawrence, who also serves as the Executive Director. Lawrence has served as the director of the EJ program over the last few years, working with several groups of young adults who are able to learn about environmental justice, become engaged with the community through outreach and to overall continue the work of the previous cohorts. Fellows, both past and present, have extended their gratitude to Lawrence for her knowledge and for the opportunity to work with her in the city.

Savonni Bailey
A Bronx native, Savonni Bailey moved to the Newburgh area in elementary school and went through the Newburgh schools, graduating from Newburgh Free Academy in 2019. After graduating, Bailey pursued further education in Schenectady, where she studied Humanities and Social Services. However, during her time in school, Bailey, like thousands of other students, experienced the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey left her institution to pursue education in esthetics at Capri Cosmetology Learning Centers. She graduated with her esthetics license in December 2023 with focuses on natural and holistic healthcare and wellness.

A former NFA teacher of Bailey encouraged her to pursue the opportunity to join the fellowship, which has allowed Bailey to learn more about Newburgh and to become an active member of her community. She has learned more about environmental issues within the city and has spoken and educated her neighbors on the environment. “I wanted to learn more. I’m super into nature and super grateful for nature, so I want to be able to do as much as I can for it,” Bailey said. “I can give more information about why we should be hugging trees and taking care of them and not being oblivious to nature and how it literally helps us function on a day-to-day basis.”

Along with her other fellows, Bailey has presented to various groups and community members about their work. She especially enjoys presenting for and educating school children. She has also gained better knowledge and education from community events such as tree plantings, which help learn what residents are concerned about in the city.

Within the fellowship, Bailey’s responsibilities focus on data collection through surveys conducted by the fellowship and tracking it during the course of the program. Bailey looks forward to presenting her findings to the city council at the conclusion of the program. “My goals now are to get as many City of Newburgh residents as possible to understand why we need more trees, getting the city council to understand why we need more trees and to plant seeds,” said Bailey. “I want to let everybody know that our environment and nature needs us just as much as we need it.”

Michelle Prado
Born and raised in Newburgh, 2024 NFA graduate Michelle Prado has enjoyed the opportunity of the fellowship, allowing her to learn more about her city and community. She first came across the program through an Instagram posting and decided to apply for the position. Outside of the fellowship, she volunteered with Operation Smile helping with back-to-school events.

Since joining the fellowship, Prado said she has been asked about the work she is doing and feels more knowledgeable about the environment and trees that can be seen in her community. “You get to learn about helping the trees and identifying different things that are happening to the trees and the pollinators that plants need,” Prado said.

Within the fellowship, she was involved in working on promotional materials for the group and enjoys spending time outside. Prado said she has also enjoyed learning from Lawrence about a variety of topics during the course of the program. Additionally, Prado is focusing on environmental injustices in the city.

Prado explained several injustices in the city she has noticed, such as the vandalizing of trees planted by the fellowship and the rampant littering in the city. With tree care, Prado says the biggest part of her job is finding those residents with her fellows who are willing to help care for the trees.

Prado says her goals within the program are to meet as many people as she can and create new connections in the community. She would also like to get the word out about the program as a whole, emphasizing that the program is active and helping in the city. Heading into the fall semester, Prado will be pursuing education in nursing. For future fellows and those interested in joining the program, Prado encourages them to apply and to be a part of a program doing good work in the community.

Tyrees Canigan
A Newburgh native, Tyrees Canigan joins this year’s EJF cohort. While he has enjoyed being outdoors, it was his partner who helped him become more interested and involved in environmental work and understanding. Since joining the program, he has a new perspective on the environment. “I look at everything differently, like the trees, the plants, everything, like I could pinpoint and spot things that I care for more now than I used to,” said Canigan.

Speaking further on his background, Canigan shared that he was incarcerated at a young age but during that time, he was able to acquire his General Educational Development (GED) certificate, take vocational courses and acquire certifications. While he bettered himself, Canigan felt like he was being looked down upon due to his past and it was hard to find work upon returning home.

Canigan decided he wanted to do something to give back to his community. “As a young adult, I don’t think like other young men my age. They’re more concerned and worried about other things,” said Canigan. “People need to focus on what’s going on around them, our green spaces, things like that. The less we care about it, the more and more it gets polluted, the more and more it gets mistreated, the more and more it goes to waste.”

Canigan serves as a mentor to the youths he interacts with, pushing them towards the green spaces and other positive spaces. He has worked with Newburgh’s anti-gun SNUG program, the Newburgh RISE program and the Newburgh Youthbuild. As a young man frequently out in the community, Canigan says people seeing him allows them to come up and learn more about the fellowship. He has also enjoyed going to the Newburgh Armory Unity Center and presenting to the children about the fellowship and their work in the community.

Canigan shares with the fellowship program a vision for the city – both its people and its environment. “I want the city to be beautiful. Our city deserves it,” said Canigan. “The more we beautify our city, the more people it’s going to attract, the more investment our city is going to have, the more we’ll be able to clean it up, the more we’ll be able to fix the problems within the city -- the homelessness, the drug problems and everything.”

Steven Gonzalez

Another 2024 NFA graduate and city native, Steven Gonzalez says the opportunity to be a part of the group has been wonderful. His major pursuit in life was ar,t but now, having joined the fellowship, he has grown his environmental passion and looks to blend both of those passions together in his work.

The journey to the fellowship, he explained, was through the influence of one of his sisters who was a fellow two years ago, and his other sister, who was an environmentalist. Gonzalez also spent time in Utah last summer where his art project proposal focused on Salt Lake City and the Great Salt Lake itself. Gonzalez noted the lake itself was decreasing because of global warming. Seeing the EJF application on Instagram and with his new-found environmental interest, Gonzalez took the opportunity to apply to the program.

As a fellow, Gonzalez shares his understanding of what it means to be an environmentalist in his city. Gonzalez grew up close to Downing Park but recalls seeing trash and being aware of the violence, which led his family to not visit for a time. “I think, just growing up here there’s so many issues that arise but I think an issue that causes many of these problems is the environment itself,” said Gonzalez. “There’s been tons of research showing how being in nature helps to improve people’s energy and positivity, and I just feel being an environmentalist here means to be self-aware about what you do day to day.”

Within the fellowship, Gonzalez leads the design department and leads the social media department with his colleague Tyrees Canigan. The goals of expanding people’s awareness of the program and doing outreach in the community are what Gonzalez hopes to accomplish in his time. A long term goal for Gonzalez is to be more in touch with the environment and to mix his two passions. Workshops with art focuses would be another avenue Gonzalez would like to pursue during his time in the fellowship, to help continue the conversation and meet his community. Heading into the fall semester, Gonzalez will continue his education at Cooper Union in New York City.

“I’m proud of being an environmental justice fellow. Continuing spreading the word keeps me going,” he says. “I want to see the City of Newburgh flourish, especially since this was a city known for so many historical events. I think they [Newburgh] should know that I’m here to stay and I’m here to speak for the trees forever.”

Ashley Martinez
The third 2024 NFA graduate and city native to join the fellowship, Ashley Martinez said she has enjoyed the experience of the program and working in the community. Growing up in the city, Martinez would visit the city parks or spend time in her backyard, even during the COVID pandemic.

Within the fellowship, Martinez has taken on the responsibility of sponsorship outreach. Her goal regarding sponsorships is to connect with more organizations to support their efforts and to share the work of the fellowship.

For Martinez,the program has not only helped create connections in the community but also has brought new knowledge into her life, looking at plants and tree species or sharing information about herbs with her family. While there may be residents who may not be familiar with or educated about the environment, Martinez believes her time spent with community members can help them become more informed.

At many events in the city, Martinez and her colleagues are out there, sharing information and speaking with residents. “We do door knocking, so most people feel like they’re being heard and I like that,” said Martinez. “I feel like most residents probably don’t feel like they’re seen or heard, and then us going there and everything, they probably feel like, oh. they do care.”

Working within the fellowship has been a positive experience, with each of the fellows motivating the others, said Martinez. Like the other fellows, she’s very aware now of what’s going on with climate change.

“I feel like the future generations are gonna continue the hard work that we’ve been doing and they’re gonna continue to try to fix the world,” said Martinez.

Martinez says that everyone should be involved in doing their part and supporting the fellowship as they continue their work. She encourages her neighbors to try and learn new things, to be a part of the change.

Elisabeth Balachova
Alongside Kathy Lawrence this year, leading and managing the fellows is Elisabeth Balachova as the first Environmental Justice Fellowship Program Manager. Balachova grew up in Dutchess County, in Hopewell Junction, before coming to the City of Newburgh. Before her environmental work and advocacy, Balachova had spent time working in the education field and in real estate but it was during the pandemic that she decided to change her career path where she worked in a clean tech startup company. During the time when George Floyd was killed, she was also a part of a social task force, learning more about terminology such as red lining and its impact to communities, communities that are living within industrial driven areas.

Balachova now works at a nonprofit in Kingston, Mid-Hudson Energy Transition where their work focuses on supporting and empowering the community with renewable and efficient energy. The fellowship manager position she serves in now was newly created for the program.

Balachova first came to know about the overall program last fall through environmental justice training and plantings held in the community. She admitted she was hesitant about applying for the position back then but now she is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in Newburgh.

As the fellowship program manager, she has been able to grow her relationships with each of the fellows she is working with currently. Balachova said she has always been very passionate about the environment which stems from her viewing of the Al Gore film An Inconvenient Truth both in eighth grade and in high school. As the program manager, her goals in the position are for the fellows themselves to be more well versed on environmental justice, especially in Newburgh. “I’m definitely very passionate about the environment, but I’m still learning,” said Balachova.

Balachova encourages those in her community to make a difference by supporting the fellowship’s efforts and joining them. “I’m definitely grateful to be able to expand and share the information, and hopefully get other people really inspired and know that they do have a voice,” said Balachova.

You can follow the Environmental Justice Fellows on Instagram and other social media pages. Learn more by visiting www.newburghparksconservancy.org/environmental-justice-program and greet the fellows out in the city at various events. The annual EJ celebration will be held at Tyrone Crabb Memorial Park at 94 South Street on October 12 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.