Interns fired up about work in the Preserve

After they first two weeks of work in the Preserve under supervision by Adam Gundlach, the Prairie Interns had lots of great things to share, Seth McGee of the Friends reports. During their 5-day work week, they rotate among five different conservation areas. Several years ago, the Friends helped organize an educational component to the intern work experience, mostly during lunch hours, intended to round out their learning experience doing field work.  This year, all participating conservation groups provide educational experiences during work days. The students  mentioned these highlights:

• Pheasant Branch Conservancy - Indian mounds talk
• Town of Westport  – a talk about the DNR and best ways to get a job.  They really liked this because it was focused on conservation as a career.
• A visit with Stan Temple in the UW Archives. The interns got to hold Aldo's pipe, read his journals and look through the notebook he had in his pocket at the time of his death (in a grass fire).
• They’re loving learning about prairie vegetation at the Biocore.
• Tony Abate, former Prairie intern at Goose Pond, is giving them a lot of good information.
• A quote from one of the interns “It’s been really fun, it’s like we’re taking a class without the pressures of exams.”

From left: Preserve staff Adam Gundlach,, with Gina Lehner, Allison Earl, Ali Ban-Herr, Adelyn Hanchette, and Kurt Bennet. Stan Temple is in the back.