New Conservation Intern: Abrianna

Hi everyone! My name is Abrianna Sadler and I am the newest research intern here at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I grew up in Pennsylvania, spending my winter weekends camping in northcentral PA and vacationing to the east coast. These years fostered my passion for wildlife and the environment. I went off to gain an Environmental Science degree at Allegheny College, just two hours north of my hometown. Thinking I wanted to pursue a carrier in the field of environmental conservation led me to a study away semester that ended up including that summer at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. Here I had my first introduction to the intensity of ecological research while volunteering in a saltmarsh ecology lab. I gained a love and appreciation for the field aspect of research and I was hooked! Through multiple courses and projects, my interests really began to take shape, tending to revolve around how organisms and their ecosystems were coexisting with humans. I was eventually able to design my own study through an undergraduate thesis examining the impact that habitat fragmentation, such as paved roads or hiking trails, had on terrestrial salamander movement. All of these experiences culminated with my first job post-graduation as a research assistant at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Gothic, Colorado. In the alpine ponds of the Colorado mountains another path was carved in my research interests as I was introduced to these freshwater ecosystems. I was an assistant in a study looking at aquatic macro-invertebrate species shifting ranges due to climate change, specifically caddis-fly larvae!

Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)

This seasonal position came to an end and I returned to Pennsylvania to serve a one-year term as an AmeriCorps Service Member with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy performing the duties of a watershed technician. From conducting backpack electrofishing surveys for native trout to searching for Mudpuppies and Hellbenders (two species of aquatic salamanders) I gained many skills and had exciting experiences while working in those very same streams I spent my early years splashing around in! While wrapping up my one year term, I searched for opportunities that would allow me to continue growing my aquatic research skills and that brought me here to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary! In the short month I’ve been working as a conservation intern I’ve been introduced to many new experiences and the unique environment of the western everglades. Fish sampling, wading bird point counts, and herpetological surveys are just a few of the exciting field opportunities I have been able to take part in. I have already learned so many new and local species and can’t wait to continue growing my knowledge in aquatic research and conservation here at Corkscrew and in southern Florida!