Four JMU students named as inaugural fellows for conservation program

The Shenandoah Valley Conservation fellowship program has named four James Madison University students as its inaugural fellows.

Launched in March 2025, the program is a partnership between local conservation organizations and area colleges and universities, created to advance natural resource conservation while building a skilled local workforce.

This year’s fellows are working with the Shenandoah Valley Conservancy, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley and the Potomac Conservancy during the spring and summer with opportunities to continue into the fall semester.

“The multiple majors represented by our first-year fellows clearly demonstrate that natural resource conservation requires expertise not just in the sciences but across the social sciences and humanities as well,” said Rob Alexander, a fellowship program co-coordinator with JMU.

The inaugural fellows: JMU

• Annie Kate Walsh, an anthropology major and environmental humanities minor, also works in the JMU Gender and Science Ethnography Lab. A Valley native, she views conservation work as the defining challenge of her generation. She will lead community engagement initiatives for the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley.
• Nathan Horner, an integrated science and technology major, brings experience in using technology to tackle environmental challenges. He will work with the Potomac Conservancy to strengthen data tools for land management and conservation easement stewardship.
• Grace Eiden, a communication studies major with a minor in environmental studies, serves as president of the JMU Caving Club and volunteers with On the Road Collaborative in Harrisonburg. She will be an engagement and outreach fellow with the Shenandoah Valley Conservancy.
• Morgan Bailey, a biology major with a concentration in ecology and environmental biology, has field research experience studying old-growth forests and salamander life cycles. She will assist the conservancy in compiling land management reports for conservation easement stewardship and land protection.