New Intern Kelsie

Happy Friday!

My name is Kelsie and I am the new Research Conservation Intern here at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I was born and raised in southern California, but once I graduated high school, I knew it was time for me to move elsewhere. I went to Arizona State University in Mesa, Arizona where I studied wildlife ecology and conservation. Since graduating in 2015, I have done seasonal work for the United States Forest Service in western Wyoming as a wildlife field technician, I was an outdoor education intern in Casper, Wyoming, and volunteered for a PhD candidate doing carnivore research in Belize, Central America. After spending a lot of my time working out west, I figured it was time to see some of what the southeast has to offer. I am very excited to be at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for the next few months to learn as much as I can from the many knowledgeable mentors and supervisors here.

 

(Myself for the first week of fish sampling at Panther Island Mitigation Bank)

These first two months at Corkscrew have been a very unique experience. The weeks following hurricane Irma were filled with clearing trails, fixing the boardwalk, and getting things ready to reopen the sanctuary. We (the other conservation intern and I) then went straight in the field with the research team to start fish sampling. It was such a shock jumping off the swamp buggy for the first time, but following the lead of our field supervisor Mica, we were in the swamp all week. Since then, I have been with the research department continuing fish sampling (and processing the fish in the lab), maintaining our game cameras (and documenting the photos that were captured), doing wading bird surveys, and much more. I am excited to take you on my journey through my time here at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

 

(Sunrise at Panther Island Mitigation Bank)

My takeaways so far: jump into each experience with an open mind, I have already learned so much not only about Florida, but about myself; you really can do anything you set your mind to; and do what you can to see a sunrise in the swamp, it’s magical.

Until next time,

Kelsie