I first read Reel Trouble, a powerful story of a North Atlantic Right Whale mother and calf, in the spring of 2022. This outstanding, student-authored story is among the most memorable among the hundreds I’ve encountered in the last five years at Esri. It was also my introduction to an extraordinary program that has already benefited over 1,300 students and their communities in 139 countries — the Externship Program established by the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy.
A conservation collaboration
Since the fall of 2021, the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have offered an 8-week virtual learning opportunity to people ages 18-25 across the globe. The program’s goal is to intentionally create more opportunities for young people to access tools, build knowledge and form relationships to seek solutions and take action in their communities.
During the eight weeks, externs identify issues of interest, usually focusing on freshwater or marine conservation. Then they gather and assess data while building their knowledge and GIS skills. To wrap up their externship they present the research and results in an ArcGIS StoryMap that serves as the capstone project. During their externship, participants are guided by National Geographic Explorers and TNC leaders who provide mentorship and training. To date, 179 community projects led by externs have received over $350k in seed funding to continue the impact started during the Externship Program. See TNC’s page for more information on the impact of seed funding.
The role of ArcGIS StoryMaps and storytelling
Esri is a frequent collaborator with both the National Geographic Society and TNC, as well as other organizations, to support conservation causes. Since conservation work often involves GIS tools, maps, and place-based storytelling, ArcGIS StoryMaps serve as the ideal tool for externs to create their capstone projects.
"ArcGIS StoryMaps combine maps, multimedia, and text to create immersive, impactful stories. The externs are harnessing geospatial technology to bring their stories to life, amplify community voices, and visualize data with clarity and purpose. Their projects don’t just inform — they inspire action."
After finishing the initial pilot in fall of 2021, National Geographic Society and TNC invited the ArcGIS StoryMaps team to do a workshop to help support the next cohort. This initiative has continued, and since spring of 2022, we’ve held quarterly office hours, engaging with hundreds of externs dedicated to conservation.
Each virtual office hours session starts out with introductions and asking the externs to share their locations and project ideas. During the session we provide some demonstrations and share helpful tips for their stories while we learn more about their projects and local challenges. We also leave about half of the session open for Q & A to help students learn from and inspire each other.
A winning partnership
While reviewing stories during the 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps competition, our team noticed some familiar topics and realized that several of the student entrants were externship participants. A few ended up as student competition finalists. Two externs, Vaidehi Patel and Ona Santisteban Uribarri, were recognized as competition winners.
When asked about her experience using StoryMaps, Grand Prize Student Winner Vaidehi Patel explained “. . . it’s such an accessible way to share something that really sticks with people.”
Ona Santisteban Uribarri, who won for the student Nature and Physical Science category, created a story that raised awareness of the plight of sea turtles in her community. “I received messages from readers who didn’t know about the challenges sea turtles are facing in the Mediterranean and were surprised by the bycatch issue.”
Vaidehi and Ona are examples of young changemakers who have made a difference in their community while participating in the Externship Program. Over the years, each participant has shown so much dedication to their communities and conservation — and the StoryMaps team is truly honored to support them and help them share their important messages.
Check out this collection of some of the stories that the externs have created; you may find your community here!
Moving forward
In August we’ll meet the new Externs cohort. I can’t wait to learn about their projects, and I wonder how many will enter the 2025 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition.
To learn more about this amazing program supporting community-based conservation projects with an externship, check out the TNC Extern program’s site for more details. Have you already completed an Extern project and want to share your story? Tag @ArcGISStoryMaps X with your story title and link!
Thank you to Michelle Thomas, Gustavo Cardenas, the National Geographic Society, and The Nature Conservancy for their contributions to this post.
Manatee and whale images are courtesy of Adobe Stock images © 2025 Adobe Stock. All rights reserved.
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