HOLYOKE — The Eagle Eye Institute is inviting the public to its Step Up For Equity In Nature Walk and Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Ashley Reservoir.
In what is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Eagle Eye Institute, the community is invited to come together for the Equity Walk in celebration of the nonprofit’s work. According to Eagle Eye, the first $25,000 in donations will be matched 1:1 giving participants the chance to double their impact.
The walk at Ashley Reservoir will go from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by food, music, face painting, birdwatching, stewardship and other fun in nature until 2 p.m.
Founders Anthony Sanchez and MaJa Kietzke explained they started Eagle Eye Institute with the hope of connecting the youth with nature and with one another.
As explained on their website, “Eagle Eye was founded in 1991 on the belief that having access to nature, developing wonder at the natural world, and learning about the interconnected nature of life are basic rights — rights that must be extended to all youth.”
Sanchez explained he became immersed in nature and its offerings by chance. Having grown up in an urban environment, Sanchez was sent to a reform school in rural upstate New York after he was caught stealing. If that had never happened, he would never have experienced the pleasures of walking through a forest, horseback riding or skating on a frozen pond.
To Sanchez, Eagle Eye was created to ensure that youth were able to experience nature by thoughtful design, not simply by chance.
“We thought we could make the world a more peaceful place,” Sanchez said.
Eagle Eye offers young people an array of place-based learning opportunities, including one-day immersions, overnight camping trips, after-school programs and service-learning projects that deepen knowledge and connection to nature.
Kietzke explained the organization first originated out of Somerville and they were able to grow partnerships for programming and initiatives from 1992 to 2015 there. In 2015, they closed their Somerville office and transitioned to operations to Western Mass., where work continues at their Berkshires conservation site and in Holyoke.
Kietzke said not much has changed in how they operate their programming over the years as the experience of some youth experiencing what the great outdoors has to offer for the first time is a timeless experience.
The organization’s “Learn About Forests” program is a full-day nature immersion that introduces youth to the beauty and peace of nature. It is an intentional experience that brings 12 to 15 youth and young adults between the ages of 8 and 24 to a natural site for hands-on lessons with natural resource professionals, games, team-building and stewardship.
“Eagle Eye has helped me grow and connect with nature over the years since I was 6 years old,” said former youth participant and teen intern Sabiha Miahjee in a testimonial provided on the organization’s website. “I’m welcomed back to Peru every summer, which I appreciate because I don’t think I would get the experience to hike trails or help build a cabin anywhere else.”
Eagle Eye Institute Program Director Kira Jewett said they often see hesitancy from youth participants at first when getting involved, but that usually changes by days end.
“What we’ve seen is by the end of the program day those same young people are so excited looking for frogs and salamanders, or playing in a waterfall and if you ask them if they’d like to come back, would you like to bring your friends and family? Overwhelmingly, they’re saying yes,” said Jewett. “Ultimately some people will enjoy it but we’re also really looking to connect people who get excited about this and say, ‘Wait, you mean this could be my career, my life, my job?’ — that we connect them with opportunities to do that.”
In Holyoke, Eagle Eye has established partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, Dean Tech and soon with LightHouse Holyoke. Jewett said they look to connect with organizations in the city and offer Eagle Club, expanding nature programming offerings to more youth in the city.
“That’s an important aspect of our programming. Having these young people see professionals who do this for a living and showing them what they do and having them participate with hands on experience,” Sanchez added on the experience they attempt to bring to the youth.
To register for the walk, create a fundraising page for your walk, or support with a donation visit eagleeyei.org/equity-walk/.
