People preparing to hike out of upper Wet Beaver Creek Canyon, Arizona

Doris Duke Conservation Scholar Program (DDCSP) students Isa Ross and Syd Ingham, mentor Kaitlyn Gahl, and USGS AZ Coop Leader Scott Bonar preparing to hike out of upper Wet Beaver Creek canyon after a multi-day trip to locate fish and measure stream habitat. The DDCSP Collaborative is a 2-year experiential undergraduate conservation, diversity, equity, and inclusion field program designed to provide students from underrepresented groups with an experiential introduction to a career in natural resources. The Arizona, Florida, Idaho, and Massachusetts Coop Units are members of the collaborative. The students attend leadership training, work with scientists and graduate students on research projects, and are mentored by current CRU program graduate students and Federal scientists. The Doris Duke Scholars participate in paid summer internships with local, State, Federal, and Tribal agencies, or nongovernmental organizations. The students conduct research in their first summer and do an internship with a conservation agency in their second summer. Through this program, students develop strong professional networks and are prepared to help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of conservation through coursework in communication, creative problem solving, leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.