Bard Center for Environmental Policy (CEP) alum Stephen Akindipe MS ’25 has been invited to join the Town of Red Hook’s newly formed Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) Task Force — a first-of-its-kind initiative for the town aimed at mapping and protecting local natural assets.
The NRI Task Force was established by the Town of Red Hook Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), which Akindipe first became involved with in January 2024 while completing his MS in Environmental Policy at Bard. Through his volunteer position, Akindipe contributed to the town’s successful application for a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Hudson River Estuary Program NRI grant, which was awarded in May 2025.
The NRI serves as a planning tool that compiles maps, data, and narrative descriptions of a municipality’s natural resources — including forests, wetlands, wildlife habitats, streams, farmland, and scenic areas — to guide sustainable development, zoning, and conservation decisions.
“I wanted to apply my policy training in a community setting where decisions directly affect people’s daily lives,” said Akindipe. “I considered it essential to start from my immediate community. I just wanted to do good work at the CAC and the NRI opportunity emerged from one of the meetings.”
Akindipe’s role in the grant process included drafting the technical justification, writing the case narrative, and gathering key datasets. He also attended knowledge-sharing sessions facilitated by the Hudson River Estuary Program. While unpaid, the work proved deeply rewarding.
“It gave me the chance to strengthen local planning through data-driven resource management,” said Akindipe. “Having also worked with the City of Albany on fleet modernization, I saw this as another way to help communities adopt data-driven solutions.”
Following the grant award, the Town Board appointed members to the NRI Task Force in July 2025. The 10-member team, chaired by Bill Allen, will work with a consultant to complete the two-year project by December 2026. Akindipe’s responsibilities will include spatial analysis, project management, reviewing and organizing environmental datasets, creating accessible maps, and helping ensure the NRI reflects both scientific accuracy and community priorities.
“It’s been a real pleasure to work with Stephen,” said Allen. “He put his outstanding research capabilities to work as a top-class environmental scientist, helping us with a local ecosystem risk analysis, contributing to a compelling case for funding and co-authoring the proposal narrative, framing the NRI as a foundational tool for conservation, zoning, environmental justice and community resilience-building.
“It is a first-of-its-kind project for the Town,” said Akindipe, who will serve on the task force through the project’s completion. “It will equip local decision-makers, planners, and residents with a comprehensive understanding of our natural assets, helping them make informed choices about land use, climate resilience, and resource protection.”
For Akindipe, the opportunity represents not just a continuation of his volunteer work but also a tangible way to apply the skills and knowledge gained through Bard CEP’s curriculum. “Bard CEP gave me all the technical tools and expertise needed, including GIS, science of natural and built environment, stakeholder engagement, and policy, and the leadership experience to take on municipal projects with confidence,” he Akindipe
Allen agrees. “Throughout the project, Stephen was super professional, with excellent research skills, demonstrating Bard’s commitments to community service.”
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Editor’s note: Portions of this article were drafted with the assistance of AI technology and reviewed for accuracy and clarity by Bard College staff.