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Canopy Crew

The Canopy Crew is a cohort of young adults who spends the summer with us engaging in civic ecology – the practice of environmental stewardship – focused around trees. The crew is engaged in hands-on learning with the goals of enhancing green infrastructure, providing ecosystem services, and improving human well-being in cities and other habitats.

2026 Canopy Crew Internship: Assistant Team Lead
2026 Canopy Crew Internship: Team Member

At a glance:

  • The Assistant Team Lead is a temporary, full-time, 40 hour/week position Monday – Friday
    • Preferred dates: May 4th – August 28th
  • The Canopy Crew Internship is a temporary, part-time, 30-hour/week position Monday – Friday
    • Preferred dates: May 26th – August 14th

Canopy Crew credentials:

  • Likes spending time outdoors
  • Interest in climate change and other environmental issues
  • Wants to grow their tree identification knowledge
  • Desire to make an impact in their community
  • Discovering available green careers in St. Louis
  • Working collaboratively with other passionate young people

Canopy Crew Through the Years

Reflections:

“Forest ReLeaf created a clear picture of why our work mattered and how our small contribution was significant for creating a greener world for tomorrow. This vision often carried me through some of the tedious and exhausting day-to-day work. Overall, the experience has been eye-opening and incredibly transformative.” – Kieran

“Getting to know this community has been great because it has allowed me to begin to understand the dynamics that environmental injustice creates.  I have often read about the divide between people of color and nature, but I still struggled to fully understand how anyone could dislike the trees that I had been taught to love. They were easy to love. I lived a privileged life in which I only saw nature in safe and aesthetic settings.  Listening to the issues that people had with their trees helped me understand their apprehension towards nature.” – Glore

“I was excited about our mission and our focus on north city and north county.  When I graduated I wanted to be a part of something that is bringing pockets of nature to places that didn’t have it.  When I started this work I realized that we were doing that goal.” – De’Nonna

De'Nonna Jones

De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.

Jess Underwood
Finance & Operations Director

After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.