my internship experience
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Internship Hours at Wolf River Conservancy
My goals for this internship with WRC are to obtain a deeper understanding for what conservation means and how an organization within Memphis accomplishes that. Additionally, I hope that I will be able to go out and paddle on the river or go visit/survey sites along the river.
Today was my first day interning at Wolf River Conservancy! I met with Executive Director Keith Cole to discuss the history, mission statement, and importance of the WRC in the community. Then I met with Director of Land Conservation, Ryan Hall, to look at maps of the Wolf River as well as discuss the importance of the land/wooded wetland surrounding the river. I can't wait to see what else this internship will have in store!
Day two at WRC! Today I attended a staff meeting where I was able to meet more of the WRC staff as well as hear about what was happening in each area of the conservancy. Additionally, I read and digitized some historical documents, newspaper articles, and maps pertaining to the Wolf River Conservancy. Finally, I also screen capped (screen recorded) videos on various news/media sites which pertained to the wolf river and saved them to a folder which can be easily accessed by WRC employees.
This evening I also attended "Your Water Your Research" which was a community lecture put on by researchers at the University of Memphis. This lecture explored water quality in Memphis, and it also explained the importance of the Memphis Sand Aquifer to residence of the Memphis community. An important takeaway I learned from attending this lecture is how important the wolf river is in indicating the status of ground water and possible aquifer breaches.
Day 3 interning at Wolf River Conservancy! This morning I visited the Epping Way section of the Wolf River Greenway with WRC’s Director of Education, Cathy Justis. There we looked at native, pollinator encouraging plant species which Cathy had previously planted. Among these were Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Iron Weed (Vernonia), coneflower (Echinacea), and Coreopsis. Cathy had also planted three species of milkweed to encourage monarch butterflies along with other pollinators. After checking up on the plants, we checked on the bird houses throughout the property. We saw many bluebirds, red winged black birds, and even a mother duck and her three ducklings in a wetland area. This wetland was also covered in beautiful creeping water primrose (Ludwigia peploides) which Cathy said they would eventually need to cut back in order to keep the wetland in it’s current successional stage.
After meeting with Cathy, Director of Land Conservation, Ryan Hall, met us at the Epping Way property in order to inspect the wild areas
off the trail. Nestled along side the highway, Ryan and I trekked through tall grasses, thickets, and brambles to inspect the property and make sure that no illegal dumping had occurred on the property. Although the rumble of the passing cars could still be heard, this area was almost completely wild. In these woods, we saw many insects, plant species, and animal tracks. We even came upon PawPaw trees, which have edible fruits! We also came across other plant species such as Virginia Sweetspire which covered one section of the undergrowth in the forest. After climbing through a wild blackberry thicket, crossing a small creek, and climbing back up to the road, Ryan and I did a quick survey of the trees along the Greenway trail then headed home. All in all, an exciting, fun day!
Day 4 at the wolf river conservancy! This morning I went back up to Epping Way to help Cathy, Nick Wiggins (Community Conservation Manager), and Jim Gafford (Director of Outreach) with a Girls Inc paddle on the Epping Way lake. While setting up the canoes for the girls from Girls Inc, I found a tiny Spring Peeper (small frog) in the grass! Cathy also took some water samples and we found a larval fish! Once the girls arrived, we went over water safety, how to paddle, and other instructions (seeing as if was most girls first time in a canoe). I spent the rest of the morning in my kayak along side the girls to give them instruction and take pictures. After canoeing, the girls swam for a little bit before breaking for lunch. I racked up the canoes then headed back to the WRC offices.
Once in the office, I screen capped more news videos pertaining to the wolf river and helped Ryan file old land deeds. Later in the afternoon, I had a meeting with Kelsey Hamilton (Chief Development Officer) to discuss her role at WRC. I learned about the different types of donors
who contribute to the Wolf River Conservancy including some of the big Memphis companies who support WRC. After our meeting, we drove to the section of the Wolf River Greenway on Mud Island for a “Board Walk” (where Kelsey takes members of the Wolf River’s Board on walks on the Greenway to encourage more people to join the Board of WRC). It was such a beautiful day, I was so fortunate to paddle and walk sections of the Greenway today!
Day 5 at WRC! Today I helped Ryan and Nick clean out Wolf River Conservancy’s storage unit. The unit was full of records, paperwork, and historical documents which needed to be sorted through and disposed of. Any documents older than 7 years were subject to be thrown away unless they contained information still necessary for WRC or their records. It was so cool to get to look through some of the historical documents about the conservancy as it was just beginning. We even found some bumper stickers with retro logos!
Day 6 at WRC! Today I had a meeting with Nick Wiggins, Community Conservation Manager, in which we discussed what his job at WRC entailed. Along with mapmaking and surveying property, Nick specifically looks at the demographics of an area in order to better suit the Wolf River Greenway to the community’s needs. He also will go to different neighborhoods along the Greenway to explain to residents what WRC is trying to accomplish, as well as activating sections of the Greenway by insuring that residents are aware that this resource is for them to enjoy. Nick additionally showed me how to look up demographic data using a census data base. After meeting with Nick, I met with Matt Winemiller (Marketing and Program Manager) to talk about his role over social media at WRC and event coordination. I then met with Bob Rogalski, the Chief Financial Officer at WRC. Through my meeting with Bob, I learned more about some the intricacies of financially managing a non-profit. Following my meeting with Bob, I helped Matt by taking inventory/organizing some of WRC’s Merchandise. Matt also let me take a cool T-shirt and hat too!
WRC's first lecture of the summer was last night! (June 18). There I got to listen to Dr. Bowers give a lecture on how parental inventment in bird species effected the sex ratios within broods. Very intresting and informative lecture!
Day 7 at WRC! Today I helped Cathy weed a pollinator garden at Springdale Elementary School! There were lots of native plant species which Cathy specifically planted to attract pollinators such as bumblebees, honeybees, and butterflies. After we finished at the garden, I went to the WRC office to compile an email list from those who attended the lecture, so then attendees could contact Dr. Keith Bowers if they had any questions regarding his research.
Day 8 at WRC! Today I went to Cornerstone Prep with Cathy to do a wildlife lesson for the kids there. Cathy gave a presentation of where the Wolf River is, how it is important, and what kind of plants and animas lived near or in the Wolf River. After the presentation, the kids could come up to the wildlife table where they could touch and learn about some of these animals. The table had antlers, beaver skulls, barred owl wings, snake skins, and turtle shells along with live animals such as plankton, a crawfish, and a red eared slider (turtle species). After that, I went back to the WRC office where I helped Jackie Doyle (Office Manager) with some paperwork. Then I had a meeting with Mark Jordan (Director of Development) to discuss his role at WRC. Along with donor development, Mark also works on fundraising and event analysis after events.
Day 9 at WRC! Today was the monthly community service project where volunteers can come help out the Wolf River Conservancy! Today, six people came out to the Wolf River Greenway at Kennedy park to pick up trash and cut back invasive species (such as privet). It was a lot of hard work but very rewarding to clean up such a beautiful area near the river.
Day 10 at WRC! Today I went out to Epping Way with Cathy to do an educational presentation for about 9 girls from Girls Inc. Along with Cathy and WRC, Memphis Stormwater and Clean Memphis also came out to teach about different aspects of the Memphis watershed. At the Clean Memphis station, the girls learned about how chemical and natural pollutants can enter the watershed through point and non-point source pollution. At the Memphis Stormwater station, the girls got to see how water gets tested for dissolved oxygen levels. At the WRC station, Cathy and I showed the girls some small organisms that can indicate the productivity of wetland systems. Many of these creatures were larval fish, bugs, and tadpoles which can indicate good water quality (as the show there is enough food and dissolved oxygen for them to thrive). In the water samples we found tadpoles, baby fish, dragonfly larva, a hellgrammite, and even a water scavenger beetle (all pictured above). Loved hanging out with my insect buddies!
Today was my last day to intern at WRC! I went with Nick to the section of the Greenway on Mud Island to cleat out some fallen trees that were blocking the path. The Wolf River had also flooded and covered some of the pathways, but it was beautiful. After clearing the fallen tree, we went to the section of the Greenway at Kennedy park to assess other trees that fell in the storm this weekend as well as fence damage caused by the storm. All in all, a very exciting last day!
I sought out this internship because I am very passionate about environmental sustainability/environmental science, so I wanted to be an intern at a company where conservation was the focus. Over the course of my internship, I have not only gotten the opportunity to obtain a greater understanding of how a non-profit operates, but also I have learned so much about what goes into protecting the land and conserving the river. Along with meeting with staff members to discuss their role at WRC, I have also had the opportunity to survey land, go to lectures, help with a wildlife presentation, and even help with some paddles on Epping Way lake. I have also learned about some of the innerworkings of the conservancy such as how events are planned and budgeted. One of my favorite memories from my internship at WRC was surveying a piece of land with Ryan Hall at Epping Way. Ryan needed to make sure that there was no illegal dumping on a piece of WRC’s property, so we went exploring through the woods, creek, and even a thorn bush to survey the property. Although we had to traverse wild, swampy, and thicketed land, I had the best time exploring and spending time in nature. I also enjoyed helping Cathy Justis, Jim Gafford, and Nick Wiggins teach some kids from Girls Inc. to canoe on the Epping Way lake. I really enjoyed this activity because I not only got to have fun paddling around, but I also got to help these girls try something new and challenge themselves. Overall, I have learned a lot about what conservation of a natural resource looks like within an urban city like Memphis, and I have gotten to see how the Wolf River Conservancy is taking steps toward both protecting the river, and making it an accessible amenity to the communities of Memphis.