Colleen DeLong Joins ClearWater Conservancy As Land Stewardship Assistant

Colleen Delong has joined ClearWater Conservancy in Centre County as its land stewardship assistant.

In her new role, Colleen will help coordinate the Riparian Conservation Program, work with Growing Native and Native Garden volunteers and assist with other conservation initiatives.

Colleen grew up in Lehigh County, Pa., swimming and canoeing in the Lehigh River and hiking on the Blue Mountain. She was first inspired to pursue a career in the natural sciences during an environmental science class in 11th grade.

She earned a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Juniata College and an M.S. from Penn State University's Ecology Program.  

Most of Colleen's work over the past 20 years has been in habitat establishment and conservation, along with education and outreach. Colleen comes to us from the Game Commission, where she was the statewide coordinator for the Wild Pheasant Recovery Program.

While working at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colleen was the education coordinator for the Cornell Nest Box Network, a citizen-science program that taught people from all walks of life how to conduct wildlife research by collecting data on the success of cavity-nesting birds that use nest boxes across North America.

She worked with the West Virginia DNR, assisting homeowners in the West Virginia Wild Yards Program to create backyard habitats for wildlife (and people too) and the Outdoor Learning Sites Programs, where she helped schools create wildlife habitat and outdoor classrooms on school property.

Outside of work, Colleen spends most of her time outdoors, gardening and hiking with her golden retriever and border collie.