We are pleased to announce the winners of this year's Early Career Achievement in Environmentalism Award. You are invited to meet the winners and learn more about their work at a reception, with thanks to our host The Rockfall Foundation, to be held:

November 6, 2025
5:30 - 7 p.m.
deKoven House
27 Washington St
Middletown, CT

RSVP by e-mailing your name and number attending to info@estuarymagazine.com by November 1.

The Watershed Fund and Estuary magazine give this award in an effort to raise awareness of the need for young people to enter the field of environmental conservation and to encourage young people to consider this career path. The need is great as new challenges brought on by climate change and invasive species impact the watershed in ways unanticipated just a few years ago.

This year, we are pleased to give the award to three talented young environmentalists.

Sarah Lillie, Associate Director for Dam Removal and Hydropower Policy Reform with American Rivers, has worked with American Rivers' Northeast Regional program since March 2024. Based in West Hartford, Connecticut, Sarah works throughout the Connecticut River watershed and New England. She has an undergraduate degree in environmental and political science from Northern Arizona University, and a masters in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Denver.

A new resident of New England, Sarah has quickly undertaken a significant portfolio of work including three dam removals in the Connecticut River watershed. She has been successful in raising foundation and government funds to support this work. Sarah also is responsible for coordinating the Eastern Caucus of the national Hydropower Reform Coalition and supporting its policy priorities.

Yaw Darko joined Connecticut Land Conservation Council in 2020 as its second Sandy Breslin Conservation Fellow while pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the University of Connecticut. As a graduate student, he played a pivotal role in securing CLCC’s first federal grant through the USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program which laid the groundwork for CLCC's program bringing essential federal resources to local land trusts.

After receiving his degree, Yaw quickly advanced, becoming CLCC’s first Project Specialist and, in 2025, its Director of Grants and Programs. He now oversees four CLCC grant programs that support land conservation efforts across the state. He works directly with landowners, land trusts, and government partners, ensuring these investments in land conservation are not only strategic but also equitable and community-driven.

Yaw founded and leads CLCC's program that creates inclusive outdoor experiences for communities of color and underserved groups. He is chair of the Land Subcommittee of the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Zanagee Artis is a climate justice activist who grew up along Connecticut’s shoreline and went to high school in Bloomfield, CT. While in high school he co-founded Zero Hour, a global youth-led climate organization. In 2018, Zero Hour organized the Youth Climate March in Washington, DC and 25 cities around the world. A 2022 graduate of Brown University, Zanagee is the executive director of Zero Hour where he has led the organization's global education campaigns, digital engagement, federal policy advocacy, fundraising, and political campaign strategy to elect more Green New Deal Champions to Congress. Zanagee works to oppose new fossil fuel leasing and development on public lands and waters as the Fossil Fuels Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is the co-author of A Kids Book About Climate Change and co-host of 1 Point 5: A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice.

Read about our past award recipients:
2023: Madeline Lahm
2024: Riley Doherty

Guidelines for nominations for the 2026 awards will be announced soon.