Decisions that Create our Future: Policy Work at Mass Audubon  

Posted on October 9, 2025 by massaudubon

By Hannah McGrath, Advocacy Campaign Fellow

Hannah McGrath (right) during her work as an organizer for an environmental campaign in winter of 2023. 

So far, my 20s has meant making a lot of decisions. I’ve seen how choices like what classes to take, which jobs to apply to, or even what to eat for breakfast can ripple outward in unexpected ways.

During a summer in college, I decided to go grocery shopping with some new friends and one of them mentioned that they were working as a canvasser for an environmental non-profit. They asked if I needed a job. I did, and accepting that offer set me on a path of environmental policy that has lasted to this day.  

For that first job, I was a part of a group that canvassed for a plastic pollution bill in Vermont. I biked up long, dirt driveways in Tevas and a sweat-stained shirt and asked strangers if they wanted to give money to a random girl whose passion for environmental policy bordered on overwhelming. I watched people weigh resources, values and urgency about whether or not to give in those moments. 

Since June, I’ve been working as Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Campaign Fellow and witnessing a different caliber of decision making than I did in those early canvassing days. The decisions here last much longer than a few seconds and are far more strategic and collaborative. 

Recently, much of my work has revolved around supporting Mass Audubon’s participation in the Nature for Massachusetts coalition. Together with over 80 other organizations from across the state, we are working to secure statewide funding for increasing access for nature and protecting water and land. I didn’t realize how much thought went into something like this until I saw the decision-making process unfold myself.

One moment that stands out was earlier this summer, when I and the other Environmental Fellows met with the Mass Audubon leadership team at a welcome lunch. At the end of the lunch, we began to talk about Nature for Massachusetts, and were asked about our thoughts on the pros and cons of the coalition proceeding with a tactic to take the measure to the 2026 ballot. The process for getting a question on the ballot takes a lot of hard work – the coalition needs to collect over 100,000 signatures from voters, which demands a real commitment of resources.  

For the first time, I saw my peers contributing to these decisions. Our thoughts and opinions mattered here.  We weighed in, considering the payoff versus the effort, and talked through what else was needed to support the decision-making process. 

Through this fellowship, I’m imagining the future I want to create, and the kind of decisions that can help build it. Whether it’s choosing what to apply for, what campaign to focus resources on, or how to show up in a room full of leaders, I’m learning that every choice carries weight, even if I can’t see the outcome in front of me. Getting to be a part of campaigns that protect nature and people has shown me that this work isn’t passive. It’s something we choose, again and again. 

Hannah McGrath (she/her) grew up in New Hampshire and got her start in environmental policy as a canvasser in Vermont. She earned her B.A from Hobart and William Smith Colleges as a double major in environmental studies and geoscience, and minored in public policy. She was also a student athlete on the field hockey team and conducted research microplastics in the atmosphere.   

Before Mass Audubon, Hannah was an environmental organizer, where she led multiple environmental campaigns. During this time, she was a part of efforts to advocate for renewable energy, expand marine protected areas and ban plastic bags in California by collecting over 11,000 signatures.   

From Policy to Periwinkles: How Curiosity is Shaping My Fellowship 

Posted on August 29, 2025 by massaudubon

By Scarlett Gonzalez, Climate Education Fellow

The Fellows preparing to kayak with the Mystic River Watershed Association. Left to right: Tiare Sierra Rivera, Hannah McGrath, Tami Gordon, Scarlett Gonzales, Isabella Acosta-Jimenez.

During a fellows’ field trip with the Mystic River Watershed Association, I stared into a vial of river water as the color shifted from clear to purple to clear again, before sheepishly asking, “So…what does this actually tell us?” 

The educator kindly explained that we were measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, and our sample indicated that the river had plenty for the fish and plant life to thrive that day.  

I felt a little embarrassed that I didn’t understand the Winkler Titration Method as well as my peers; my past work in environmental policy has often left me one of the most knowledgeable people in a room, and it’s been challenging, in my role as Mass Audubon’s Climate Education Fellow, to find myself in a climate-oriented environment and not know all the answers.  

But asking the “obvious” question is not a weakness. My job, I’ve learned, is less about having all the answers and more about modeling curiosity for the youth leaders that I support. 

Much of my time as the Climate Education Fellow is spent supporting Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leaders Program (YCLP), a program that empowers youth activists to lead and drive climate action across the state. Since starting in June, I’ve worked to strengthen the program’s structure—meeting with youth leaders, coordinating with coalition partners, and identifying gaps in onboarding and mentorship. I am also currently supporting the YCLP’s annual retreat, where youth leaders gather to share ideas, ask questions, and connect with one another. At this retreat, I’ll be leading a workshop on climate policy and advocacy, where interested youth leaders can begin exploring climate questions of their own.  

Recently, alongside the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition, YCLP leaders spearheaded H.560/S.391: An Act Implementing Elementary and Secondary Interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Education. I’m excited to help prepare them for an upcoming hearing and lobby day at the State House, drawing on my policy background to ensure their voices land powerfully. (Download this fact sheet to read more about the bill.) 

Outside of my day-to-day tasks within the Education Department, I’m challenging myself to interact with nature in ways that are new for me. Before this fellowship, nature was something I appreciated from afar; I have never been the type to dig in the dirt, poke around tidepools, or pick up periwinkles—now, that’s changing. As I help guide the questions that youth climate leaders are asking, I’m finding new questions myself.  

And while I may not always know the answers, I’m learning that the lesson is in the asking. 

Scarlett Gonzalez (she/her) is from rural Indiana, where her interest in environmental justice began through learning how the animal agriculture industry and labor rights intersect with environmentalism. In 2023, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Environmental Studies from New York University.  

In college, Scarlett successfully encouraged her university to fully divest from fossil fuels as a member of the Sunrise Movement NYU chapter. She then worked with Rep. Raúl Grijalva and the House Natural Resources Committee as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellow. 

In her free time, Scarlett enjoys kayaking, journaling, and visiting new coffee shops.