Montezuma Audubon Center Honored as Hobart and William Smith Colleges "Community Partner of the Year"

Since 2012, the center has welcomed students on field trips, volunteer days, and through a growing internship program.

A group of students in bright red and yellow canoes birding while in the water.

By Diana Wilson

Communications Associate, Audubon Connecticut & New York

Published June 16, 2026

This article is from Audubon New York . Find Audubon near you here.

For nearly 15 years, the Montezuma Audubon Center has worked with Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) to teach about and conserve habitat across the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. This year, they were honored as the college’s “Community Partner of the Year”.

“We are so grateful for this honor and the partnership it highlights,” said Chris Lajewski, center director of the Montezuma Audubon Center. “Working with Hobart and William Smith Colleges has helped us connect with hundreds of young professionals .”

The partnership began in 2012, and has since expanded to include field trips, volunteer opportunities, internships, and the formation of an Audubon Campus Chapter in 2021.

For many HWS students, their experience with the colleges even begins with an orientation week trip to the Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve to collect native plant seeds for future restoration projects.

Those passionate about the work may continue their involvement with the Montezuma Audubon Center through volunteering and summer internships. These allow students to get hands-on experience with habitat conservation, leading educational programs, and maintaining the conservation action center.

“Connecting young professionals with opportunities in the conservation field is a huge part of our work, at the Montezuma Audubon Center and across the National Audubon Society’s network,” said Lajewski. “This partnership makes that possible year after year.”

Students particularly passionate about birds and birding may even join the colleges’ Audubon Campus Chapter—HWS Birding Club—for more opportunities to engage with the center’s conservation and habitat restoration work.

As the summer progresses, the Montezuma Audubon Center looks forward to bringing on interns and, come fall, new students as volunteers.

“We look forward to continuing to work with these students and faculty members, connecting them to conservation, education, and outreach opportunities across the Montezuma Wetlands Complex,” said Lajewski. “We hope to keep this partnership going for another 15 years, and then some!”