Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, recent CELS graduate Mallory Lentz ‘24 always knew she wanted to study environmental science. “I’ve always been in tune with coastal issues,” says Lentz. “I was able to see the lasting effects that humans had on the environment.” Admiring the beautiful tidal estuarine landscape of the Severn River in Maryland came hand-in-hand with experiencing how human activity and climate change had also degraded this important ecosystem. At 12 years old, Lentz vividly recalls kayaking along the Severn River picking up trash floating by as she went. By the end of her journey, Lentz pulled her kayak ashore filled to the brim with discarded cans and litter. Lentz says experiences like this one, “made me want to preserve the places that brought me peace of mind.”
Trading in the Chesapeake for the Narragansett, Lentz first came to URI to pursue her undergraduate degree in wildlife and conservation biology. After graduation, she stuck around and joined the Master’s of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) program in Fall 2022. With ample opportunity to “find herself,” she took advantage of the MESM program’s interdisciplinary nature to build upon her science and lab-based experiences. She concurrently pursued a concentration in science communication along with two graduate certificates: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and science writing. Outside of schoolwork, Lentz spent two summers engaging directly with the public about the importance of marine and coastal ecosystems interning with state government agencies- once in Rhode Island and once back home in Maryland.
Lentz will spend the next two years working with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection as a Coastal Access Fellow. Out of 16 final-round applicants nationwide, Lentz was selected for one of the seven available Coastal Management Fellowships. Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it’s a competitive, paid, two-year fellowship for postgraduate students offering on-the-job training in coastal resource management and policy. For her specific project, Lentz will be focusing on addressing coastal public access needs in Connecticut through an equity and environmental justice lens. Based in Hartford, Lentz will spend her time traveling across the state hearing from community groups while developing a coastal public access plan for the state.
With over 600 miles of coastline, Lentz will have a lot of ground to cover. “Inherently, everyone has the right to access the coastline,” she says. “It shouldn’t be a privilege for people to access shoreline areas, it should be a right.” During her prior work as a Park Naturalist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resource, a majority of her time was spent engaging with people at public access sites with those from underrepresented communities. Her personal experience with coastal access issues will inform her work as she intends to use her science communication skills to increase coastal public access knowledge for people who are not private landowners. “Without public access, [many] people don’t have anywhere to go,” says Lentz.
The Coastal Management Fellowship won’t be her first experience in a coastal/marine science role. Lentz spent the end of her undergraduate studies at URI as a CELS Coastal and Environmental Fellow. In this role, undergraduate fellows are matched with a faculty mentor and research lab. For Lentz’s project, she worked with Dr. Colleen Suckling’s “Echinonerd Lab,” working on a project aiming to understand how heat priming Green Sea Urchins can act as a defense against marine heat waves in the wake of climate change. Lentz recently began her two year term with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. Regarding her orientation and plans ahead, Lentz says, “It’s been such a rewarding and informative experience so far. I’m excited to grow into my role and find creative avenues to ensure public access sites throughout the state [of Connecticut] for everyone to enjoy!”
By Edward Cascella, CELS Communication Fellow