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WildSTEM is Winning!
Community harvesting event, hosted by the Jackson County (MO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, at the MO Hives KC apiary, Fall 2025. Credit: Jackson County (MO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated
What is WildSTEM?
“WildSTEM” is a term coined by The Links, Incorporated, under the leadership of National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Board Member, Dr. Mamie Parker, and the former LINKS-STEMREADY National Signature program chair, Leslye Miller Fraser. WildSTEM became the name for the budding and innovative partnership between NWF and The Links in 2018.
The Links, Incorporated, is an international, not-for-profit corporation established in 1946. The membership comprises more than 17,000 professional women of color across 300 chapters in the U.S., the UK, and the Caribbean. In 2019, this WildSTEM partnership between NWF and The Links officially launched, with a mission to foster youth engagement in native gardening, wildlife conservation, and STEM career preparation, primarily for Black and brown youth.
Our partnership connects The Link’s network of volunteers and chapters that serve youth of all ages with NWF’s world-class environmental educational curriculum and scientific resources focused on deepening connections to nature, scientific investigation, community collaboration, and more.
Why WildSTEM?
The early years of this partnership focused on introducing The Links Incorporated’s professional network of accomplished women to the concept of ‘gardening for wildlife’ and how it could address other local environmental goals around beautification, flood mitigation, and more. To start, the National Wildlife Federation and The Links hosted various live webinars for members that provided tips on how to build a garden and attract pollinators and other wildlife to one’s backyard, patio, porch, or window box.
With new tools in their toolbox and renewed passions for community conservation, members of The Links started collaborating with youth and community members to create wildlife habitats at their schools, community centers, places of worship, shelters, vacant lots, and more.
WILDSTEM Leaders Take Innovative Partnership to New Heights
The National Wildlife Federation provides specialized educational resources to all chapters of The Links that participate in the WildSTEM/STEMREADY initiative. This includes monthly virtual planning guides with hands-on activities and resources about environmental justice, wildlife and pollinator conservation, designing, installing, and maintaining wildlife and pollinator habitats.
The LINKS-STEMREADY National Signature Program has been the backbone of this partnership, helping chapters launch and expand their own unique WildSTEM projects locally. Local chapters of The Links serve as the grassroots arm of the WildSTEM programming, utilizing NWF resources to actively engage their communities and to inspire their youth by giving them tools to pursue WildSTEM careers in wildlife sciences, engineering, climate science, and more.
These WildSTEM projects often connect with other partnerships and programs hosted by chapters across the country. The Links, Incorporated has longstanding partnerships with organizations such as MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences), Blacks in International Conservation, NSBE, Jr. (National Society of Black Engineers), and more. These partnerships, alongside our WildSTEM curriculum, bring enhanced STEM education to all of their students.
Check out part two of our blog to learn about how this WildSTEM partnership has bloomed in recent years!
