O’Neil and Hickey, a junior environmental science major, are the latest students to be awarded the May H. Weis Environmental Award at Ramapo.
Weis’ son started the program in memory of his mother who along with his father Walter established a nature center in Ringwood.
In addition to running the hikes, Hickey and O’Neil also serve as educators for field trips, summer camp and other special programs and are creating programming for a new winter break camp.
Board Trustee Anne Moore Siebecker said the interns are “Crucial” to Weis, and the program “Is our way to kind of encourage and nurture the next generation of people who are already interested in nature, sustainability, the environment, ecology.”